Volume 3, Chapter 30 – The Witch Hall

“Indeed, it’s of the highest quality…”

Taking the small glass vial containing the light blue magic potion from the female clerk, the tall, androgynous-voiced woman had a look of unwillingness on her face.

“Latania, calm down. We’ll just go to another place. The Mage Association isn’t the only alchemy workshop in the city. Someone in Byrne City will buy our potions.”

Friede, with her Asian features, quietly stepped forward and took the tall woman’s arm.

The tall woman named Latania gritted her teeth in frustration.

“Damn it, everyone is targeting us. Let’s go.”

As her voice fell, the tall woman turned to leave with the group of young witches. Fia, who had been looking for an opportunity to interject, quickly moved forward. She happened to have business with Friede. Originally, Fia had planned to find Friede after finishing her own affairs for the day to ask about Milu and the women from the bandit fortress. But since they had met by chance, it was better to deal with it now.

“Please wait a moment, Miss Friede.”

“Miss Fia?”

Friede had noticed Fia’s presence when the adventurers were crowding around Liti’s group, so she was not too surprised when Fia appeared. Friede’s right hand twirled a strand of black hair on her chest, her gaze lowered.

“Is there something you need, Miss Fia?”

“May I see your magic potions?”

Since she was the one asking for a favor from Friede, it was not appropriate to make a request right away. Fia chose to use the magic potions as an opening.

“It’s the Lady Guided One!”

“The Lady Guided One really hasn’t forgotten us!”

Hearing Fia’s words, the young apprentice witches, who had been disheartened, their eyes instantly lit up. They stopped walking towards the Mage Association’s entrance and instead turned their expectant gazes towards Fia.

I don’t even know their names, yet they’re treating me like a savior. I wonder what kind of education they usually receive.

Fia complained inwardly, her face still maintaining an expression that concealed her thoughts.

“If the magic potions you have are ‘Lowest-Grade Mana Recovery Potions,’ I can buy them all.”

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“Hmm?” Not expecting Fia to make such a request, Friede looked up, her black eyes widening slightly. “All of them? There are forty bottles in total. Although not all are of high quality, together they would still be worth nearly forty gold coins. Are you sure you want to buy them all, Miss Fia?”

“Of course, but before I buy them, I need to confirm the quality first.”

“I understand. Please wait a moment!”

Someone was offering help in her time of need. Even if it was a bit strange, Friede was happy to accept. She took out a few bottles of magic potion from her storage item and handed them to Fia for inspection.

The tall woman beside her frowned.

“Friede, don’t agree. She must have an ulterior motive. This is the Mage Association. Why would she buy the potions we made instead of the highest-quality ones in the association?”

“This is the Lady Guided One, Latania. Show some respect,” Friede’s tone was full of admonishment, as if the tall woman were not her companion, but her subordinate. “If you want to sell the potions to the scoundrels in the street workshops, go by yourself. Don’t drag the others with you. You know what kind of people they are, not to mention that we are witches.”

The subtext was that the people in the alchemy workshops would offer a very low price, and at the same time, if people heard that the potions were made by witches, they would be difficult to sell. In the eyes of ordinary people, witches were evil beings, and therefore the potions they made were also evil, for example, containing a slow-acting poison with no cure.

Rumors were like that. The more they spread, the more absurd the content became, until the information was distorted and completely deviated from the original meaning.

In fact, from Fia’s observation, the adventurers in the hall were clearly avoiding the witches. There was always an empty space of one to two meters between the witches and the others, as if an invisible wall separated the two sides. From this scene alone, one could see the discrimination that witches faced.

[Beginner’s Appraisal]

Item Name: Lowest-Grade Mana Recovery Potion

Quality: High-Grade

Durability: New

Owner: Friede

Description: A magic potion inconsistent with the holder’s rank. It seems to have been made by the apprentice witches beside Friede.

After that, Fia used [Beginner’s Appraisal] on the other few bottles that Friede had given her. As a result, all the potions were of medium and high quality. By the standards of An Introduction to Alchemy That Even Slimes Say Is Good, this was the work of an alchemist with at least a year of experience.

Forty bottles of “Lowest-Grade Magic Potion” of medium quality or above, sold for only “nearly forty gold coins.” Friede must have calculated the price based on the Mage Association’s acquisition price, not their selling price. Otherwise, based on the selling price of one gold coin for a bottle of medium-quality “Lowest-Grade Mana Recovery Potion,” forty bottles would definitely cost more than forty gold coins.

What an honest woman.

Fia couldn’t help but marvel.

The tall woman beside Friede was not wrong. She just wanted to take the opportunity to ask Friede about Milu. So even if Friede’s price was a little higher, she would have agreed. As for what to do with these potions, Fia’s idea was to give one or two bottles away as a favor if she met someone in need on the road, such as an adventurer who had run out of mana.

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“If they are all of medium quality or above, give them all to me. Here are four platinum coins.”

Four platinum coins were equal to forty gold coins. Fia handed them to Friede.

“Th-thank you! Latania, quickly take out the potions—”

“No, wait, let’s go to another place first.”

Just as Friede was hastily telling the tall woman to take out the potions, Fia reached out and stopped her. The latter was first stunned for a moment, then a look of realization appeared on her face, and she nodded thoughtfully.

“Indeed, we should go to a quiet place first and let you appraise them one by one, Miss Fia.”

That’s not what I meant by appraising them one by one.

Fia replied in her heart, but Friede’s misunderstanding saved a lot of trouble. With both sides in agreement, Fia had Liti’s group wait for her in the hall for a moment, while she and Friede, guided by a staff member of the Mage Association, walked into a meeting room inside the association.

The Mage Association was not just two stories high. Excluding the underground warehouse, there were a full five stories above ground, including meeting rooms specifically provided for those in need. The rooms were equipped with defensive, soundproof, and detection magic restrictions. Only card-holding members of the association could use the rooms of the corresponding level.

As for the card-holding members, it was very similar to the VIP system Fia knew. The more gold coins one spent at the Mage Association, the higher the membership level. It was worth mentioning that the lowest level of membership started at five platinum coins, a very high threshold.

And the card Fia held, after settling the bill of eight Gem Coins, the male clerk had respectfully handed her a card made entirely of Orichalcum, with her name inscribed on it. Fia could use this card to enjoy prestigious treatment at Mage Associations all over the world.

In this respect, the practices of the World Tree Continent were quite advanced. As expected of a world that had been visited by multiple transmigrators—but then again, why hadn’t those transmigrators developed mechanical technology? Even if they hadn’t invented the radio, they should have at least made a steam engine and a musket, yet she had not seen a single trace of these things.

“You may use the things in the room freely, miss, at no cost. If you have no other instructions, I will take my leave. If you need anything, you can come out and call me at any time.”

“Mm.”

Faced with the bowing male clerk, Fia just nodded and then stepped into the meeting room on the third floor of the Mage Association. One wall of the room, facing the street, was made entirely of glass. The floor was covered with a soft, handmade carpet, and the walls and interior decoration were in a style Fia was familiar with, Rococo, with a strong sense of color and a magnificent feel. At first glance, it looked like the living room of a high-ranking noble.

“Is this the treatment for an Orichalcum-rank… It’s no less impressive than the reception room of a grand earl.”

Observing the room from left to right as soon as she entered, Friede sighed softly. When she saw the fruits and desserts on the exquisitely styled white table, she couldn’t help but feel glad that she hadn’t brought the apprentice witches in. Otherwise, they would have surely embarrassed themselves by grabbing the things on the table and eating them.

“This is my first time here as well. If the clerk hadn’t told me when I was settling the bill, I wouldn’t even have known about the card system. Please sit down, Miss Friede. Don’t feel constrained.”

Fia made a “please” gesture and took a seat at the table.

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After Friede sat down on the other side, she immediately took out the magic potions from her storage item one by one. She had already taken them from the tall woman before coming up.

“This is all of them, forty bottles in total. Thank you for your help, Miss Fia. These are the results of the apprentice witches working in shifts for several days. If they had fallen into the hands of those unrated alchemists outside, I’m afraid they would have only earned back the cost.”

At this, a wry smile appeared on Friede’s mature and gentle face. Although she was only twenty-four or twenty-five, Fia felt that she gave off a motherly feeling. Even if a seven or eight-year-old girl ran in now and called her “mother,” Fia would not find it strange. Of course, this was not to say that Friede looked old, but that she was too mature and exuded a noble aura.

“I wonder who it was that made even the Mage Association unable to take any more, to the point of not buying the lowest-grade Mana Recovery Potion at all.”

“It was probably the product of some novice alchemist’s whim.”

Fia went along with Friede’s statement. From her expression, Fia could tell that she did not suspect her; she was just simply complaining.

“Hehehe… you’re too kind, Miss Fia. This must be the masterpiece of some major workshop. To sell so many of the easiest to make and also the best-selling ‘Lowest-Grade Mana Recovery Potion’ at once, the smaller alchemy workshops in the city will have a hard time for the next few months.”

According to Friede, the lowest-grade Mana Recovery Potion was one of the most frequently purchased and also one of the most produced by alchemists. To inject so many high-quality ones into the market at once could only be a conspiracy by a large alchemy workshop to squeeze out the smaller ones.

Although it was logical, the reality was completely different.

Fia had no intention of explaining. She just silently stored the potions.

Friede continued to say with a smile.

“Someone like Dick, whom you met last night, will surely be one of the first to go bankrupt. His business was already being taken away by our apprentice witches. I heard that he had bet all his money on buying the materials for the lowest-grade Mana Recovery Potion some time ago and had hoarded a lot of stock, just waiting for the price to rise. Now he’s going to lose his pants.”

“Oh?”

That’s great. I should make two more batches.

Rejoicing inwardly, Fia asked with an unchanged expression.

“Didn’t you just return from the desert with the witches yesterday, Miss Friede? Why do you say these potions were made by the apprentice witches over several days?”

“I did not take all the apprentice witches with me on that trip. The ones who were left behind are mostly not skilled in combat. They stayed home to make magic potions. The process of making potions consumes mana, so they can both earn money and safely and slowly increase their strength—to put it nicely. In reality, it’s more for the money.

As I told you before, the Witch Hall is now divided into two factions. To regain control of the Witch’s Heart Core, we have to save up enough gold coins to increase our strength at the right time.”

No wonder the apprentice witches had said things like “living in a house that doesn’t leak.” They must have been saving money by being frugal.

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But even so, it was still puzzling. The apprentice witches’ rank was not high enough, but Friede was a solid Sixth Rank. Someone of her level could earn several times more than the apprentice witches by doing almost anything.

“From your expression, are you wondering why I don’t personally make higher-level magic potions? Actually, I don’t know alchemy, or rather, I have no talent for it. Although I have tried hard to learn, the finished products are not even as good as those of some apprentice witches. So, rather than making potions, I earn gold coins more by completing commissions and subjugating monsters.”

However, not only was this way of earning money very slow, but most of the money earned was spent on leading her subordinate witches across the continent in search of a sanctuary, and in the end, not much was left.

Friede explained calmly yet helplessly.

“The places that can accept witches are more filthy than the witches themselves, and the clean places have no room for us. In the end, we have to return to Byrne City and have a showdown with Lianne.”

“You’ve suffered a lot…”

Fia sighed softly. But the next second, she felt her hand, which was resting on the table, being held by Friede. A warm, enveloping sensation instantly spread throughout her palm.

A fiery emotion surged in Friede’s black eyes, but she only held Fia’s hand gently and did not make any more intimate movements. But even across the table, Fia could smell the peach fragrance on Friede, which made her heart skip a beat.

“The Lady Guided One always appears at the most critical moments. Not only when our search for the Flame King was fruitless, but also now, by accepting our magic potions—Miss Fia, I implore you, help us. We just don’t want to hide like rats anymore. Even if we don’t have to fight Lianne, we hope you can show us a bright path… The Lady Witch of Hope would not make a promise for no reason. She was a selfless saint. I believe in her, and I believe in you.”

“Hmm.”

So it’s come to this.

Fia hesitated for a moment. If Friede had used moral blackmail, saying that the future of the Witch Hall would be terrible, to force her to help, she would have just walked away without looking back. What happened to the Witch Hall had nothing to do with her. After all, even if the Witch Hall was not united, the witches could still live. As long as they did not leave Byrne City, their living conditions could even be very good.

However, the reality was not so. Friede, out of her trust in the Witch of Hope, had come to trust her, believing that she was the savior who could lead them to a glorious future free from discrimination. There was no moral blackmail or threat, just pure trust, which made Fia hesitate.

It was a bit like two puppies clinging to a riverbank, about to be washed away by the current at any moment. At this moment, the puppies were begging her to save them. For her, all it would take was a little effort to pull them ashore. But for the puppies, if she ignored them, they could only try their best to save themselves or be washed away. At a time like this, a normal person would choose to pay a little attention and pull them up.

But just as with her previous reason for refusing Friede, admittedly, bringing the discriminated witches back into the light was an attractive proposal, not to mention that the apprentice witches who admired her so much had proved that Friede’s promise was not a lie. Once she nodded, these witches would all obey her command.

But the problem was, no one could be sure that the witch named Lianne was an evil person. The Witch Hall was a loose organization, and Lianne might just be the person in charge for the time being because of her strength. The logic that she had to deal with Lianne just because Friede had asked her did not make sense.

Therefore, she needed to look at it from a different angle.

Fia withdrew her hand from Friede’s grasp. Her expression became serious, and her eyes were sharp.

“I can help you, but I have my own standards of judgment. I must first see what kind of place the Witch Hall is before I can make a decision.”