Ten days passed quickly.
Lynn sat at his workstation, holding a cup of milk tea.
He had a nightmare last night he dreamt of a swarm of limbless wizard apprentices coming after him for revenge.
They kept chanting strange words like, "You, the seller of fake potions, are destined for hell!"
"A wizard apprentice having nightmares? I must be overworked. I need to relax a bit. I'll go to that gathering tonight and maybe buy some things while I'm at it."
Rubbing his temples, Lynn took a small sip of his milk tea, deep in thought.
On his progress panel, his [Apprentice Potion Master] skill had reached (50/200), the biggest achievement from his hard work over the past ten days.
He understood very well that relying on a single potion for progress was extremely limited. To truly improve, he needed to study and master a wider variety of potions.
Thinking about it, this made perfect sense.
No official potion master could advance using only one or two potions. To reach higher levels, one must dabble in various potions, accumulating enough knowledge and experience.
While Lynn was contemplating, a "co-worker" approached him quietly and spoke in a low voice:
"Thanks, Lynn! If it weren't for the method you recommended, I'd still be borrowing points to buy ingredients."
"Oh, don't mention it. We're all friends here. Helping each other out is just natural."
Lynn smiled slightly, casually slipping the item handed to him into his robe.
To make money, there were only two methods: increasing income or reducing expenses.
Lynn had long realized that selling the ingredients for "Rejuvenation Overnight" and then using the points to buy materials for other potions was a cumbersome process that also resulted in loss.
Every time he sold and bought something, the Furnace would take a cut. Without using the Furnace as a middleman, transactions were difficult to establish trust in.
Thus, he had a better idea: instead of selling materials directly, he started trading his extra Rejuvenation Overnight ingredients with fellow apprentices at a low price.
The price was, of course, "reasonable" so reasonable that he even allowed exchanges with other potion materials.
Since apprentices always kept various materials for potion-making, this arrangement worked perfectly for him he needed different ingredients to experiment with new potion formulas.
This trade model not only reduced the Furnace's double taxation but also minimized unnecessary point losses.
After all, saving is earning.
Besides, by recommending deals to others, he strengthened relationships and even received some gifts in return this was far more efficient than his previous approach of selling materials for points and then using those points to buy new materials.
The day passed uneventfully. After finishing his work, Lynn greeted a few fellow apprentices, then left the alchemy lab without returning to his dormitory. Instead, he headed toward the residential area beyond the Potion Garden.
The Furnace was divided into multiple departments. Due to the ongoing war, most apprentices and official wizards had left, but a small number remained in each department to keep things running.
Departments like the Potion Garden, which served a logistical function, had more people staying behind.
Even so, the Furnace was now a shadow of its former self the current population was barely one-tenth of what it used to be.
As a result, many shops in the residential area were deserted, with hardly any customers.
To cope with this, some of the remaining residents had come up with a clever idea they started organizing regular gatherings every few days.
These gatherings took various forms:
Some were purely for entertainment drinking, dancing, and indulging in excess.
Others were for exchanging information and trading goods.
For those left behind, these gatherings were rare social opportunities, serving as both leisure and a way to acquire resources.
Lynn walked through several quiet streets and alleys, making his way toward a pavilion in the residential district.
Along the way, he noticed that many others were heading in the same direction.
Judging by their attire, their purposes were obvious:
The ones dressed in extravagant outfits, with heavy makeup, were here for a night of revelry.
Those wearing robes or carrying large bags like Lynn were mostly here for business.
At the entrance of the venue, Lynn scanned his Furnace apprentice badge, gaining access.
The entrance fee here was even higher than in the core area two points per person.
Lynn was slightly taken aback and glanced around at the bustling crowd, sighing inwardly:
"Just from ticket sales alone, this place must be making a fortune."
The wizards running this weren't doing it out of charity the entire gathering was a business operation to earn points.
The two-point fee acted as a filter, keeping the poorer apprentices out and ensuring that only those who could afford to spend would enter.
"This entry fee is ridiculous. The only real selling point of this place is that it has more people."
Shaking his head, Lynn stepped inside. But in the Furnace's current state, a crowd was already a rare luxury.
Upon entering, his view suddenly expanded.
A spacious hall unfolded before him, divided into several sections:
The central dance floor was clearly for socializing.
The outer corners were furnished with sofas and chairs, offering a place to rest or engage in private conversations.
Some apprentices had even set up stalls, displaying an array of items for trade.
Although this was just a temporary gathering, it was surprisingly well-organized.
Lynn waved to a bartender and casually picked up a glass of wine, taking a small sip.
It was smooth, with a lingering floral aroma that left a pleasant aftertaste.
Since drinks were included in the entry fee, he wasn't about to pass up the free refreshments.
He slowly wandered through the hall, his gaze naturally sweeping toward the dance floor.
In this world, civilization and morality were only restraints for ordinary people wizard apprentices were not bound by such rules.
The apprentices in the center were wild with excitement, indulging in reckless behavior without restraint.
Lynn even caught sight of a scantily clad female apprentice pouncing on a male apprentice, engaging in intensely bold behavior without a hint of shame.
However, he had long grown accustomed to such scenes they held no interest for him.
Instead, his attention was drawn to apprentices who followed the Bloodline Wizardry path.
One figure stood out a male apprentice who appeared to have octopus bloodline traits. He was engaged in an intense struggle against multiple opponents, making for quite a spectacle.
Lynn observed briefly with a critical eye before shifting his focus what truly interested him was the intelligence exchange area.
Before long, he reached a sofa in a secluded corner.
There, a figure lay slumped, seemingly dozing off. Beneath a wide hood, a bird-beak mask concealed the person's face. A watchful owl crouched by their feet.
Lynn wasted no time with pleasantries. He cut straight to the chase:
"Why has the difficulty of Furnace missions increased lately?"
As he spoke, he casually tossed over a bottle of potion.
The owl reacted instantly, snatching the potion mid-air and swallowing it whole.
Only then did the bird-masked apprentice speak, his tone lazy but weighty:
"The Furnace is besieging the Emerald Forest… The Great One has personally descended."
The words were few, but each carried tremendous weight.
Lynn's heart tensed, and he took a deep breath.
"The Great One" in the Furnace, there was only one entity worthy of this title:
The Master of the Furnace.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 120+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader