"Turn it into a potion? Do you have any ideas?" Ron André asked curiously.
"That's not something I care about." Harper shook his head with clear disdain. "Unless a professor forces me to research something like that, I wouldn't touch experiments in this field."
"My Explosive Potion 2.0 is still in development. I don't have time for this."
"If you really need it, you can ask Professor Hicks."
Ron couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.
But considering Harper's personality, it made sense.
So he waved the paper in his hand and asked, "Can I give this to someone else? Is it okay if they're not from the academy?"
"That's up to you." Harper climbed back onto his small stool. "Basic research reports like this are publicly released to the entire magic community. Anyone can use them."
"Thanks." Ron waved as he stepped out of the laboratory. "I won't disturb your experiments."
…
After leaving Chaos City Magic Academy, Ron used spatial transmission to return to the Royal Capital.
Through the doll, he noticed that Nora was currently sitting in a reception room on the third floor. She was beside Guy, negotiating a partnership with a representative sent by a marquis.
Although Nora spent most of the time simply observing, she listened very carefully to the conversation between the two and occasionally lowered her head to take notes.
Seeing how serious she looked, Ron decided not to disturb her and instead headed to the café on the second floor that had recently opened.
Yuna was sitting behind the counter, bored out of her mind. She glanced at Ron.
"What brings you to your aunt's place today? Not spending time with your little Nora?"
Ron sat on a high stool and tapped the counter twice.
"Give me something to drink."
"Hmph!" Yuna turned around, grabbed some green liquor and fruit juice from the storage wall behind her, and mixed a drink called Green Trap.
"That'll be 30 copper coins. No skipping the bill."
"Why would I pay for drinks in my own shop?" Ron took the glass and drank a sip, letting the sweet-and-sour liquid spread across his taste buds.
"Sure, that works." Yuna leaned lazily on the counter. "I'll just ask Nora for the money later. Unlike you, she'll definitely pay."
"Oh? Then remember to ask her." Ron finished the Green Trap, smacked his lips, and stood up.
"She's a little rich lady now anyway. Technically, this café is under her management too."
"The salaries of everyone here—including yours—are all paid by her."
Yuna waved her hand dismissively.
"You think I care about that little bit of money? In a while, I'll probably have to go out on a mission. The bonus I'll get when I return will be far more than what you pay here."
"Hm?" Ron sat back down. "What's going on?"
Yuna rolled her eyes.
"Technically speaking, I'm an undercover spy planted in your shop. But you, me, and Emperor André III all know the truth."
"I was sent here simply as a way for him to show goodwill toward you."
"On the surface, I'm still a member of the intelligence division. A dignified sixth-tier assassin can't just stay here forever watching your shop, can she?"
Ron frowned.
"Where are they sending you?"
"How would I know…" Yuna replied lazily. "It hasn't been decided yet. I'm just telling you in advance so you won't cry and beg your aunt not to leave."
"You're not much of a person, but your imagination sure is impressive," Ron chuckled.
"Hmph! Ungrateful brat."
"Alright, I get it." Ron stood up and headed toward the stairs. "When you're about to go on a mission, let me know beforehand."
"I'll give you something good."
"What thing?"
"Not telling you."
…
After leaving Queen's Street, Ron took a carriage to Royal Capital Magic Academy.
The laboratory he had invested in had only welcomed its first official mage two days ago.
Dunlop, the prized student of Professor Simmons, was already a fifth-tier senior mage at the young age of twenty-seven.
Because he had a strong interest in magical materials, when he heard that Prince Ron's laboratory would provide various mysterious plants, he made a few inquiries and applied to become the laboratory's director.
Ron never expected to recruit a legendary-tier powerhouse to work for him anyway. Someone like Dunlop—who had trained under Professor Simmons—was already an ideal candidate.
With blond hair and possessing about one-tenth of Ron's handsomeness, Dunlop accepted Harper's paper.
After reading it carefully, he looked up.
"Your Highness Ron, are you planning to create a healing potion based on the properties of Scalevine?"
"Yes. Do you have any ideas?"
"According to the conclusions of this paper, Scalevine has extremely versatile healing effects. If we only make a single type of healing potion, it would be somewhat wasteful."
Dunlop stroked his chin and analyzed:
"External injuries, internal injuries, burns, frostbite, detoxification…"
"With so many functions combined, it might be better to separate them individually and then strengthen each effect using supplementary ingredients."
"In that case, although its versatility would decrease, the effectiveness of each specific function would become much stronger."
"Of course, we can also produce a comprehensive healing potion and sell it alongside the specialized potions."
"The former would offer broader coverage, while the latter would provide targeted treatment."
"Your Highness Ron, what do you think?"
Ron nodded with satisfaction. He felt like he had picked up a real treasure.
As expected of the Royal Capital Magic Academy, where talented people gathered.
"Which type of potion could be produced sooner?" Ron asked.
Dunlop thought for a moment, glanced again at the paper, and replied:
"The comprehensive potion would definitely be faster."
"This paper has already studied Scalevine's healing properties quite thoroughly. We would only need to select suitable supplementary materials before producing the first experimental batch."
"For the specialized potions, we'd first need to figure out how to isolate the different healing effects of Scalevine. That would require deeper research and take much longer."
Ron considered this for a moment.
"Alright. Then let's produce the comprehensive healing potion first."
"Of course, if possible, both directions can proceed simultaneously."
"If manpower isn't enough, recruit people from the academy yourself. I'll fully support you in terms of funding and materials."
After saying that, Ron took a large pile of Scalevine out of his [Backpack] and asked Dunlop to store it properly before leaving the laboratory.
This kind of experiment couldn't be rushed.
Even with a sixth-tier mage like Professor Hicks leading the research, the meditation potion had taken several months before entering mass production.
Not to mention, Dunlop was only a fifth-tier mage who had just started managing the laboratory.
And the lab currently lacked manpower. Once more, researchers joined, coordinating their work would also become an issue.
So Ron didn't pay too much attention to the progress here. After wandering around outside for a bit, he returned to the flower shop.