“High-grade mummy powder?” Olovice raised an eyebrow under his mask. “How high-grade are we talking?”

Noah tapped the grayish-white bone ash powder with his finger. “This is the ashes of a high priest from the Western Continent’s colony, Nusian. As sinners who worship the Mother of Lust, the blood of their race’s mediums flows with the purest essence of love and desire.”

“Have you heard of love potions?” Noah whispered. “The love potions made by witches are nothing but a joke compared to the bewitching potion made from this mummy bone powder.”

Listening to this particularly fresh information, Olovice picked up a glass bottle filled with the bone ash powder and examined it. “How can you guarantee it’s genuine?”

“You can pay to have it appraised by the Magic Eye’s appraisers, but that’s only if you’re sure you want to buy it,” Noah replied.

Under the streetlight, Olovice looked at Noah and shook his head. “It’s not very tempting to me right now. I’ve already dedicated my body and soul to knowledge.”

Noah had given a long speech, but in the end, he didn’t make a sale. His expression turned colder, but he didn’t get angry. The mysterious guest before him wore the false mask and hidden cloak typical of the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom, speaking only of curiosity and ignorance of love. He was likely a member of the Church of Knowledge, and Noah saw no need to clash with him.

“If the bewitching potion is so effective, what if it’s used on the wrong person? Can it be undone?”

Noah packed up the bone ash powder and, without looking up, said, “I’m not obligated to answer your questions.”

Olovice didn’t mind. He brushed past Noah and headed towards the Magic Eye on the street.

As the official office of the Order Church on Dark Street, the sign above the Magic Eye’s door featured a scale, the symbol of the Order Church, much like the cross of the Radiant Church. Olovice couldn’t help but think of the Order Church’s stolen magical relic, the Fair Scale.

The sound of wind chimes rang as Olovice pushed open the glass door and stood in the circular hall. With a quick glance, he saw about twenty people scattered around the front desk, all wearing black cloaks and masks. Olovice even spotted someone wearing the same cloak as him.

“Sir, may I help you with anything?” A sweet-smiling young girl from the Magic Eye staff approached him.

“I’d like to sell a potion,” Olovice said.

“Potion appraisal and sales are on the right. Please follow me,” the staff member gestured to guide the guest.

Olovice followed her down the right corridor, where rooms lined both sides, and people occasionally emerged from them.

“Mr. C is our experienced potion master at the Magic Eye. He can help you evaluate the potion’s value, but there will be a fee. Do you accept this?” The staff member explained the rules as they walked.

Olovice was impressed by the reputation effect. He thought to himself that once he became a master, he would definitely earn it back. He replied calmly, “I accept.”

“Potions certified by Mr. C are quite popular,” the staff member reassured him with a smile.

Great, he was determined to earn the advanced potion master certificate issued by the church! Olovice silently vowed to himself.

“Mr. C happens to be available tonight. You can go in now,” the staff member knocked on the door, and after the guest entered, she closed it behind him.

Olovice looked at the middle-aged man with a serious expression and a hooked nose sitting behind the desk. The man had a strong herbal scent, and a metal nameplate on the desk read: Mr. C.

“Hello,” Olovice sat in the chair opposite him and took out his potion. “This is my Hellfire Black Potion. I’d like you to evaluate it.”

Mr. C didn’t say much. He picked it up with his right hand, which was gloved in black leather, gently shook it, squinted to examine it closely, and then opened it to take a sniff. After a while, he spoke.

“The potion quality is B+, classified as a B-grade excellent potion. It was a bit rushed during the fire collection, and the ingredients weren’t manually stirred with a spirit stick but naturally fused, which prevented the potion from reaching the slightly sticky consistency needed for an A-grade. This is its major flaw,” Mr. C commented.

Olovice couldn’t help but admire him.

“You can sell it to the Magic Eye, but the price will be slightly lower, at eighty-five gold pounds. Alternatively, you can take my evaluation to the daily potion board in the outer hall and set your own price. You can set it high or low, as long as someone buys it. However, if you list it long-term, we’ll charge a rental fee of three sulers per day,” Mr. C explained.

“How much is your consultation fee?” Olovice was still inclined towards the official option.

“One gold pound,” Mr. C replied.

Olovice calculated, deducting the three gold pounds for renting the magic cloak and Mr. C’s one gold pound fee, leaving him with eighty-one gold pounds, which was within his acceptable range.

“Then I’ll sell it to the Magic Eye,” Olovice decided.

Mr. C pressed the green button on his right.

While waiting, Olovice asked, “Mr. C, does the Magic Eye have any information on mermaid tears?”

“I don’t have any here, but perhaps the Magic Eye in the capital, Atoria, might,” Mr. C replied.

“Thank you for the information,” Olovice said.

“Many magicians want to obtain such a magical item. If you truly desire it, you could join various exploration teams at the Adventurers’ Guild or form your own fleet to search the Stormy Sea. Mermaids, those magical creatures, have been gone for a long time,” Mr. C, who was well-versed in potions, shook the Hellfire Black Potion, its main ingredient being the brain marrow of a salamander, the most venomous fire poison.

Olovice sighed softly.

“However, there are now substitutes for mermaid tears, though they don’t match the effects of genuine mermaid tears,” Mr. C added.

Olovice perked up immediately. “What is it?” Before Mr. C could answer, he said, “I’ll pay for the information.”

Mr. C replied, “Another magical creature from the Stormy Sea, the Siren, one of the three sisters with bird bodies and human faces who love to sing enchanting songs. These magical creatures also like to transform into mermaids. Many fools have been lured away by Siren illusions and eaten.”

“Siren tears are a low-grade version of mermaid tears, but Sirens are also hard to find,” Mr. C concluded. “This information is another gold pound.”

Olovice nodded, and when the staff arrived, he paid the money without hesitation.

Finally, Olovice left the Magic Eye with a not-too-thick stack of gold bills.

He wandered around Dark Street for a while but found that the Magic Eye was already the best place on the street, with the most resources.

On his way back, Olovice saw Noah had found another spot to sell his mummy bone ash powder. He couldn’t quite understand why Noah didn’t sell it at the Magic Eye.

After leaving the Queen’s Bar, Olovice returned to the Radiant Inn.

After a short nap, Olovice had a free breakfast, freshened up, and went to get a bank card.

Another busy and fulfilling day had begun.