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The golden words that recorded the formula of the magic string medicine listed the details. There were a total of 72 basic materials, with each one's attributes listed in detail in the annotations at the back of the book. At the end of the formula, the author included a sentence that had made Saleen wary.

"The Magic String Medicine could transform the body of the apprentice, leading to the formation of unique magic strings. However, this nature-defying method would cause the apprentice to pay an unknown price. I would personally like to caution the person who reads this text: whatever you pay out will exceed what you receive."

Whatever you pay out will exceed what you receive!

An unknown price...

Saleen hesitated. He had great respect for the author of this book but he could not ignore the warning that he had left behind.

What price would he have to pay?

Death? Impossible.

For any Magic Medicine that could cause the user danger, the creator of the formula would make a detailed note of it. For instance, the elderly should avoid it, the junior magicians should not consume it, those with heart conditions should not take it, and so on. Any side effects Magic Medicine could result in would also be noted at the back of it.

What would it be if it was not the threat of death? The author had used a severe cautionary tone in his warning. Saleen could not figure that out; besides death, what could be the heavy price that could match the formation of the Magic String Medicine?

Saleen searched his brain but still could not understand exactly what the author was hinting at. He closed the book and silently recited the names of the 72 types of materials while estimating the rough cost.

The cheapest material would cost only one silver coin, while the most expensive material would cost 200 gold coins. About 1,000 gold coins would be sufficient to make up a set of materials for the Magic String Medicine. The gold coins Saleen had were not enough for three sets of medicine materials. The formula did not include any mention of a success rate. Normally, the success rate of such a formula would be very low, not exceeding 10%.

In terms of the configuration of Magic Medicine, there was no relation between the success rate and luck. Experience and mental strength were more important. Saleen had adequate mental strength, but his experience was lacking. He had only three months' worth of knowledge on Magic Medicine. The success rate for producing even the easiest form of Magic Medicine was only about half.

That cost only one gold coin worth of material, and Saleen could accept the failure if it happened. Magic String Medicine was different; its failure would cost a thousand gold coins.

Ever since Saleen had discovered this formula, he had never even thought of giving it up. He could not forget those days of poverty, not to mention the occasion when he was behind bars and had almost lost his life. If Jason had not arrived, he would have died in prison. Jason would not appear every time. Therefore, one must possess his own power in order to live on.

To be a genuine magician was the only way that Saleen knew. However, he could not waste indefinitely. Jason did not give him pocket money, so to get the materials for the Magic Medicine, he needed to think of ways to earn money. Where could he earn money?

The bandit gang! Decca!

Saleen's eyes lit up; it had to be him then. For thieves to commit crimes, it was essential to have various medications. Regular equipment stores would not sell dangerous medication. To get the Magic Medicine that bandits required, they needed to know a familiar magician who was willing to help. Saleen smiled; it seemed like a bad thing to know a bandit.

A week later, when Saleen was in the city, he left a message with the owner of the equipment store to look for a person by the name of Decca. Half a month later, he was in contact with the bandit.

This time around, Decca did not ask why, but merely waited for Saleen to express his intentions. Never play the fool with a magician. Last time, when Saleen's message was passed to the bandit gang chief, he immediately abandoned his plan to rope in Saleen.

"I have Magic Medicine for sale." Saleen did not beat around the bush.

"Great, I shall take it," Decca replied without hesitation.

"I do not trust your chief; is there any way to kill him?" Saleen's second sentence gave Decca a fright.

"Saleen, absolutely not, there are more than twenty of them," Decca replied hurriedly.

"The last time you mentioned a hideaway, I went back to check the books. It was a traditional practice. I am thinking, since you gather on the last day of every week, I have a kind of poison that can kill by just one touch. I will give you a week's time to consider. If you are willing to do it, you will be the bandit gang chief of Ceylon City."

Saleen carried his huge leather sack and left smiling.

Would Decca reject his suggestion? If he rejected him, he would report to his chief what Saleen had said. Then, he would probably have to face the anger of the magician.

Decca did not dare to reject Saleen's suggestion. A month later, the soldiers of the City Guard Department discovered corpses at the hideaway. There were a total of 24 of them, and all had died of fatal poison.

That was the first time Saleen had killed - not by his own hands, but by his poison.

The fake magic chord formula was indeed useful, and it was immediate death for the target. Saleen was secretly fearful, reminding himself to be cautious of this method in future. Any sort of negligence could cost him his life.

After getting rid of foreign bandits, Decca quickly rounded up the local youth bandits. There were secured sales for Saleen's Magic Medicine, and the gold coins increased each day. In a year's time, Saleen had earned 3,000 gold coins in total.

There was not a big market locally in Ceylon City; Decca was clever in that as he customized Saleen's medication meant for bandits' use. Besides the portion he used, a large quantity was sold to foreign lands. He had used merely half a year to create a steady sales channel. The neighbouring bandit gang members all knew that there was special medication sold in Ceylon City. Decca had also earned a little from this.

After accumulating over 5,000 gold coins, the standard of Saleen's production of pharmaceutics improved by leaps and bounds. He finally reached the Grade 3 apprenticeship, and could continuously release 5 Grade 0 spells. At the same time, he possessed seven Grade 0 types of magic - Reading Magic, Poison Detection, Acid Sputtering, Flame Combustion, Blending of Elements, Magic Alarm and Magic Detection.

After boosting his health, Saleen's body also became stronger. Although he still looked a little thin and weak, he could now walk briskly while carrying a leather sack weighing hundreds of kilograms. He had to go to the city to make purchases every week, and Jason would always fill the large leather sack.

The plan was approaching the final stage bit by bit. Saleen could put together three sets of materials for Magic Medicine. Having inherited business acumen, Saleen did not spend all the gold coins, in case he was successful in the first few attempts.

The weather was so stifling hot in the first week of June that it was sweat-inducing. Saleen had just turned fifteen years old and he decided to start making Magic Medicine. Saleen felt uneasy. He had even wanted to kneel down to pray, except he did not have a faith.

Despite the fact that the High Priest of the Holy See had said there would be favoritism for the provisional grace, Saleen did not believe so, even deep in his bones. It would be easier to make the people of Qin Empire give up their pride than to make the Sikeqinya people believers.

Saleen pulled his box out from under the bed and dug out his family badge. The things that his father left behind had all been sold. This was the only item that he had kept by his side.

The shield-shaped black metal badge was palm-sized, extremely thick, and heavy. The dark green magic patterns represented that the family was the one and only. It was designed by a great magician. Anyone that imitated this type of badge would mean to challenge the magician's dignity.

Saleen understood the significance of this only after he joined Jason.

The badge was as thick as a thumb, with a deep lightning-shaped mark in the center. This deep mark had destroyed the completeness of the magic patterns. Hence, Saleen could not deduce the identity of the magician who had designed the badge.

There was a great magician who had worked for the Metatrin family. What an honour that must have been!

"Father, please bless me in becoming a powerful magician." Saleen touched the badge and felt the uneven secret patterns on its surface. There was another group of magic patterns which had been destroyed by the deep lightning-shaped mark in the center of the badge.

Creak?

Saleen suddenly discovered that a touch of faint blue light had flashed deep in the lightning-shaped marks. He rubbed his eyes, but that tinge of blue had dissipated.

What was that? Was it a magic imprint? His own family had declined such, and even if there was initially a magic imprint, it probably would have disappeared by now.

Saleen had some worries. The more books he read, the more he understood how wide and profound world of magic was. Similarly, this world was full of danger, for one's carelessness could result in one being smashed into pieces, beyond redemption.

Saleen automatically released Detection Magic at the badge.

A faint light masked the badge in Saleen's hand. Time seemed to have stood still. To Saleen's panic, Magic Detection skills could actually be interrupted, like a person hovering mid-fall when falling off a cliff.

This pause was not as long a frame of time. If Saleen had not already begun to grasp the instantaneous principle of magic and had astute mental power, he would not have noticed the pause.

Then, the magic light that had enveloped the badge was sucked into the badge within an even shorter period of time. The power of the elements surged crazily towards the lightning-shaped mark at the center of the badge. A Grade 0 magic mobilization of elemental power was not sufficient for such absorption. Saleen felt that the hand holding the badge was icy cool, as though elemental power, mental power, and his blood were drawn away in that moment.

Emptiness. Saleen's body immediately felt like an empty shell. His eyes looked expressionless, his life extinguished, and his heart stopped beating.

Saleen felt himself sinking into darkness. There was nothingness in the surroundings. It was colorless, soundless, scentless, nothing at all. Every memory from birth to fifteen years of age seemed to have disappeared.

Is this death? Saleen was left with this only thought, which was the purest response in the face of death.

Saleen's body fell backwards to the floor. The blue light appeared again in the deep lightning-shaped mark of the badge in his hand. A fine undetectable lightning did not enter Saleen's body, but went straight to his heart.

Saleen's heart had stopped beating, but had at that moment, it went into violent spasms by the sudden strike of the current. His blood was squeezed by the intense compression force to all of his body.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Saleen's body was revived, and he regained his awareness. The nothingness in the surroundings had disappeared. Saleen's body bounced up from the floor, almost hit the ceiling and then fell down heavily.

This fall made his mouth and nose bleed; the blood was purple and had clots. Saleen could not describe the pain he was in. When his body restored awareness, all the negative symptoms were felt in his body - weakness, pain, coldness, burning…

These frightful feelings kept repeating over and over again. Besides that first bounce at the beginning, Saleen had no more energy to struggle. He did not even have the strength to lift his fingers. His eyes shut tightly, and his mind almost broke down.

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