Chapter 393: Who Wanted to Be The First Target

Chapter 393: Who Wanted to Be The First Target

Anyway, because of the Semi-Awakening Potion, when some test results were announced that day, it sparked an uproar with many people looking into their ancestors. Of course, plenty were also asking about something else: Was there a complete Awakening Potion to follow the Semi-Awakening Potion?

Some high-level members of the Purple Vine Guild were being harassed endlessly that day. But the situation had to be handled properly. Though frustrated by the constant harassment, they managed to squeeze almost ten days’ worth of work into a single afternoon. The sole upside was they received a lot of gifts…

Since people were asking for information, they had to offer something in return, right? Forget the rest; at the very least, gifts should be in order. Well, even though many gifts had to be returned, some could definitely be kept. After all, they didn’t know any specific details anyway. Yet, this seemingly pointless task somehow had to be done.

The fact that people came to them for information meant these were familiar connections they couldn’t just ignore. People hadn’t been this enthusiastic when the Fixation Potion appeared. The reason it escalated like this was mainly because Awakening Potions were just too special.

Everyone wished they had some talent. The difference between talented and untalented people was vast. So, even the Semi-Awakening Potion was immensely popular, let alone the possibility of a more complete Awakening Potion in the future. Even if its price was exorbitant, plenty would be willing to pay.

Major families could easily afford it. Members of the royal family faced no pressure either. Even wealthy nobles wouldn’t have a problem. Despite the significant pressure taking it might bring, considering the potential benefits… there would definitely be those willing to take the risk.

Even a really lousy talent was still a talent, offering a higher starting point than an ordinary person. While dealing with these inquiries, they were also feeding the information back to the top boss of their guild, Qin. Qin’s ability to gather so much intelligence owed a lot to the connections of the guild.

Things were no different now. Among those asking about the Fixation Potion, quite a few represented family powers. The most eager were those special families that practiced endogamy, upholding bloodline purity!

The reason wasn’t hard to figure out. Pure-blood families didn’t have the complicated mix of bloodlines ordinary people did. But talents weren’t easy to come by. Even in Pure-blood families, the chances were higher, but not everyone had one. Ensuring one appeared every generation was already quite stable.

So, the appearance of the Semi-Awakening Potion naturally fired them up. When others used it, the result was highly random – who knew what bizarre thing might awaken? But for the direct descendants of Pure-blood families, even if it wasn’t a guaranteed success, it significantly increased the likelihood of awakening the talent latent within their family’s bloodline.

Qin had considered this before. The resources of these large families were vast, no less than those of major factions. After all, they’d developed over a long time, establishing exceedingly wide networks. Some even made the royal family wary. In this world, individual combat power was outstanding. Controlling more troops didn’t grant unchecked arrogance; the possibility of tens of thousands of soldiers being wiped out instantly by a single powerful individual was very real.

Therefore, after this potion went on sale, the first ones to jump out were those families maintaining purity through endogamy. They couldn’t easily take action against the Purple Vine Guild, but snatching an unaffiliated Magic Pharmacist was simple. Once they had the person, a bit of coercion or persuasion, forcefully settling the matter – afterward, complaints would be useless.

But now, Qin had made her preparations. Those families who really harbored such ideas, intending to strike first before anyone else caught on with a “kill first, report later” approach, suddenly found there was nothing they could do. Not only was everyone aware, but such a move would likely trigger a chain reaction, interfering with most people’s interests and provoking widespread anger. Therefore, simply grabbing the person wasn’t an option.

Even though family power was formidable, provoking mass outrage had serious consequences. Luckily, what Zheng Yichen created this time was only the Semi-Awakening Potion. If it had been the Awakening Potion, even with Qin maneuvering behind the scenes, it wouldn’t have been possible to suppress the initial storm so smoothly. If it were the Awakening Potion, even if it could be bought, what difference would it make?

Who wouldn’t want to tightly control such a thing, creating a unique advantage? Not just the Pure-blood lineage families; even other large families would be moved. And even if they weren’t pure-blooded, and the awakened Innate Ability was highly random, so what?

If you’re a large family, wouldn’t there be plenty of direct descendants? If one didn’t work, try two. If two didn’t work, try four. Eventually, a few special geniuses would appear. And even those with less useful abilities? That was still fine. After all, most people had no abilities at all. These were the foundations of a family’s strength, provided they could fully control the Awakening Potion and ensure it didn’t leak out widely.

Otherwise, all families would end up back on a level playing field… No, the Pure-blood families would definitely hold an advantage here. That thing should either never appear, or immediately fall into the hands of someone no one dared to provoke – someone everyone was wary of. And that person would firmly declare that Zheng Yichen was under their protection. Anyone who dared lay a finger on him could just wait for death… What?

Can’t be killed? Fine! Then don’t expect to conduct business as usual ever again. Someone whom everyone feared or found troublesome, single-mindedly causing trouble for your organization? Very few besides the Sanctuary Church and the Dark Church could handle that.

The Semi-Awakening Potion was different. Its effect, regardless, was temporary. Reusing it wouldn’t refresh the effect, nor could abilities overlap. Of course, reuse wasn’t useless. Like the Fixation Potion, repeated application could accumulate effects. It wouldn’t increase the intensity – definitely not – but it could extend the duration.

If a powerful talent was awakened, someone might be willing to spend heavily to keep it active for a long time. That was feasible too. But Potions were Potions. One had to consider the body’s tolerance limit when using them. Drinking dozens of bottles wouldn’t pile up a massively long duration.

Forget about getting bloated; the body’s tolerance limit was a problem. Force feeding so many potions, even Zheng Yichen’s potions, would cause potion poisoning!

Initial sales of the Semi-Awakening Potion were booming. The Church bought most of it. The rest was quickly snapped up by various noble families, royal family members, and other factions. A tiny fraction trickled into civilian hands. Among the populace, it became a new rare commodity, its price on the Black Market surpassing even the Fixation Potion.

The high-level members of the Potion Masters Association were now facing an awkward problem. All their extensive preparations were now completely useless. Not long ago, they had planned to mobilize the association’s resources to uncover the identity of the creator of the new Semi-Awakening Potion before anyone else.

But the creator hadn’t hidden! Just before sales began, his identity was exposed through various “secret,” “exclusive,” “seventh aunts and eighth uncles, plus uncle-in-law camp” channels. Not only were all their preparations wasted, but now everyone was focused on Zheng Yichen. Yet, no one dared to make the first move. There likely was some unspeakably shady deal involved…

When had so many factions, belonging to different sides, ever been so unified? Even the Dark Church hadn’t said anything… Well, they wouldn’t say anything; if they really had plans, they’d just act. After all, the Dark Church was the perennial number two. While this term might reveal a slight weakness, they clearly had an aura of dominance, right? Others couldn’t even secure the number two spot, let alone hang onto it perpetually. But the Dark Church also showed no sign of acting either. Other factions were unwilling to move, causing the Potion Masters Association’s alternative plans to fall through again.

They had thought that amidst any chaos stirred by others, they could reveal their own formidable background to Zheng Yichen, offering some “friendly” assistance. Pulling him directly into their fold would have been perfect.

“Then we should try to recruit him through normal channels,” a group of the Association’s executives said, extremely frustrated. The plan was completely derailed. It wasn’t acceptable now to just walk up to Zheng Yichen and say, “Join our Association! Great benefits with generous packages!” Sure, it was perfectly normal for the Potion Masters Association to recruit Magic Pharmacists as members; people were used to seeing it.

After all, there were so many Magic Pharmacists. The Association couldn’t keep track of them all, let alone scheme to control them tightly. Doing that would be suicidal, a surefire way to cause problems. More often, they operated as a true association – a place for Magic Pharmacists to connect and share knowledge easily. This included assessing Magic Pharmacist levels, promoting new potions, etc. The Association did have its prestige and was the recognized professional body in the field.

Therefore, many Magic Pharmacists were happy to have an association membership. It was like being a Mercenary registered with the Mercenary Guild. After passing a competency test, you got that status. Think of it like registering as a member on a website back on Earth. After successful registration, you get some basic member perks. But to get more benefits and privileges, you’d need to give something yourself.

Like paying fees, spreading the word, completing site quests, etc. But after the Magic Weapon Summoning Book appeared, the Association’s performance in areas like communication and promotion dropped significantly. The Magic Weapon Forum was far more convenient! Plus, since they missed the initial wave – unlike how the Mercenary Guild partially adapted – they were now stuck relying on a single specialized pinned post…

Even then, the Association’s pinned post was ranked under a pinned aggregation page in the top ten. Only those squeezing into the top ten showed up on the first page of the Magic Weapon Forum, not even including the tenth spot!

The tenth spot was the aggregation page link itself; it couldn’t be taken by others. Fortunately, the Association’s reputation amongst Magic Pharmacists was still decent. After setting up this specialized post, their previously declining business recovered somewhat, even showing some growth.

This left many feeling deeply regretful. Why hadn’t they proactively contacted the Creator back then?

If they had, and managed to establish a dedicated section like the Mercenary Guild’s module, their development would have taken a huge leap forward. But regret now was mostly pointless.

Back on track. Despite the Potion Masters Association being a reference point in the Magic Pharmacist community, becoming the first to approach him carried risks. Whichever Association made the first move, whether successful or not, faced issues. If successful, they’d immediately face a swarm of others trying to poach him, offering terms many times better.

On this point, the Potion Masters Association couldn’t match those offers. They had to consider the feelings of other Magic Pharmacists… They didn’t need absolute fairness, but relative balance was crucial. If they secretly offered Zheng Yichen vastly superior terms and it leaked? That would be a huge problem.

If they failed… Well, that would be an embarrassment. Many would secretly laugh at them, and the Association’s prestige would suffer. Worse yet, they couldn’t resort to extreme actions like blacklisting him at this sensitive moment.

Zheng Yichen had proven his skill by releasing so many new potions in a short time. Trying to blacklist him could easily backfire, making the Association look petty and domineering. While they weren’t above some shady tactics, they depended on Zheng Yichen not being in a position to publicly humiliate them later. What if he could strike back? What if he could do it repeatedly?

They wouldn’t act impulsively out of momentary irritation. Everyone was currently at a stalemate. Nobody wanted to rush in first, becoming someone else’s unwitting pawn: charging ahead only to falter and pave the way for others to succeed. Because of this reluctance, whether approaching to recruit him or not was difficult!

“My worry is that someone might take the opportunity to stir up trouble,” said one Association executive, slapping his Magic Weapon Summoning Book down on the conference table and pointing at a post. “Look at this! ‘In the face of genius, we Magic Pharmacists remain unmoved…’ Who doesn’t want to make a move?”

“Why bother worrying about that? Let them talk,” replied another executive, stroking his beard. One benefit of using the Fixation Potion, besides the lifespan implications, was that it minimized the need for personal grooming. During the potion’s effect, hair and beards remained neatly in place. Also, during intense research sessions, forgetting to eat for a day or two wouldn’t leave one ravenous afterward.

“Genius is desirable for everyone, but our Association is a neutral organization! Are we the type to scramble and snatch whenever something good appears? Of course, if he volunteers to join, we welcome him! If he doesn’t, it simply means we weren’t appealing enough and need to work harder. How could we force someone? That kind of provocateur is clearly trying to smear the Association’s name, stirring the pot! Everyone needs to stay vigilant from now on. Don’t get swept away by the hype!”

As he spoke, the Association executive polished his statement further and posted it to their dedicated forum page. It immediately garnered many likes and “666”s…

“The Vice President speaks wisdom!” The other executives quickly voiced their agreement. The fact that this man had risen to Vice President, surpassing most, proved he wasn’t ordinary. Not only had he calmly addressed the downsides of immediate action, but he’d also boosted the Association’s popularity. Though the core reason boiled down to just two words:

Caution!

Damn it! Anyone who moved first now would clearly be the target. Success brought its own problems; failure was humiliating. Unless the backer was overwhelmingly powerful – say, the Sanctuary Church or the Dark Church stepping up – but both giants remained silent. Who wouldn’t be nervous?

Talking was one thing; taking action was another. The Association executives still felt uneasy. They continued planning strategies, hoping for an opportunity to gain something. Absolute success was impossible to guarantee, and overconfidence had no place; they could only do their part and leave the rest to fate. What if they succeeded?

Just then, the Vice President saw a message relayed via his Magic Weapon Summoning Book. His eyelid twitched. “Stop everything. There’s a new development!”