Chapter 51: Market

After leaving the Myrioge Potionist Association, Ryan headed toward the city’s main market.

Since Myrioge was known as the City of Potionists, its market was considerably larger than those in most other cities. Several streets were dedicated to selling medicinal herbs, monster materials, mana crystals, and other resources used in potion-making.

Some shops specialized in common ingredients, while others sold rare materials collected from dangerous dungeons.

Ryan followed the signs and soon arrived at the market.

The moment he entered, he noticed the large number of stalls lining both sides of the street. Merchants called out to passing customers, while Potionists examined ingredients and negotiated prices.

There were also several auction houses and shops belonging to large organizations. Unlike ordinary stalls, these establishments mainly dealt with rare materials that were difficult to obtain.

Ryan wasn’t in a hurry.

He walked through the market, occasionally stopping to examine the ingredients on display.

With the knowledge he had obtained from the Serendipity Witch Doctor, identifying medicinal herbs and monster materials was easy for him. He could recognize most of the ingredients at a glance and even determine whether some of them had been processed correctly.

However, he wasn’t interested in buying ordinary ingredients.

His spatial ring already contained a considerable number of materials obtained from the Serendipity Spring of Elves. What he wanted now were rare ingredients that could be used to prepare advanced potions or strengthen his summons.

As he continued walking, a particular stall caught his attention.

Unlike the surrounding stalls, it displayed very few items. Most of them were stored in sealed containers, and each container had a small label describing its contents.

Ryan approached the merchant, an elderly dwarf with a thick beard.

"Welcome, young man. Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"I’m interested in rare medicinal ingredients. Do you have anything suitable for advanced potion-making?"

The dwarf looked him over before noticing the silver badge attached to Ryan’s clothing.

His expression changed slightly.

"A Level 4 Potionist? You’re quite young to have obtained that qualification."

Ryan simply smiled.

"I only recently passed the assessment."

"Well, that explains why you don’t look familiar. Most of the Potionists who visit my stall are regular customers."

The dwarf rubbed his beard and opened a cabinet behind him.

"Take a look at these. I recently acquired them from a group of adventurers who returned from a dangerous dungeon."

He placed several small containers on the counter.

Ryan examined them one by one.

The first contained dried leaves with faint traces of mana. The second held several translucent crystals, while the third contained a dark purple liquid sealed inside a glass vial.

Ryan’s attention stopped on the vial.

"What’s this?"

"Corrupted Tree Sap. The adventurers claimed they collected it from a dungeon associated with an ancient tree. It’s quite difficult to process, so most Potionists aren’t interested in buying it."

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

Corrupted Tree Sap?

He already had several portions of that material in his spatial ring. It was one of the rewards he had obtained after defeating the Serendipity Witch Doctor.

However, the sap in the dwarf’s vial appeared to have a slightly different composition.

Ryan carefully examined it.

’This has been purified to some extent.’

Although the corruption remained, the unstable energy had been reduced. Someone had clearly processed the material before selling it.

The result was interesting. Depending on the method used, corrupted tree sap could serve as an ingredient in certain potions or be used in experiments involving life energy and corruption.

Ryan had obtained considerable knowledge of these subjects through Perfect Loot, but he hadn’t yet tested every possible application.

"How much for the vial?" he asked.

The dwarf named a price.

Ryan considered it for a moment before negotiating. After a brief discussion, they agreed on a slightly lower amount.

He paid and stored the vial in his spatial ring.

The dwarf looked pleased with the transaction.

"You’re more knowledgeable than most young Potionists. Usually, people either avoid corrupted ingredients entirely or try to buy them without understanding their properties."

Ryan didn’t respond to the comment. Instead, he pointed toward the remaining containers.

"What about these?"

The dwarf explained their origins and uses.

Ryan listened carefully, occasionally asking questions. He eventually purchased a small quantity of mana crystals and several medicinal herbs that were difficult to find outside Myrioge.

He didn’t buy much. His goal was to acquire useful materials rather than fill his storage with ingredients he might never use.

After finishing the transaction, Ryan continued exploring the market.

As he walked, he noticed a notice board beside the entrance to a large shop. Several requests had been posted on it, including orders for rare potions, offers to purchase monster materials, and announcements seeking Potionists for temporary work.

Most of the rewards weren’t particularly attractive to him.

However, one notice caught his attention.

It was an acquisition request issued by a local alchemy workshop.

[Rare Ingredient Acquisition Request]

Required Material: Ancient Bloodleaf

Quantity: 10 leaves

Condition: Undamaged leaves with sufficient life energy

Reward: Negotiable

Ryan stopped to read the notice again.

Ancient Bloodleaf was one of the materials he had obtained in the Serendipity Spring of Elves. He still had twelve leaves stored in his spatial ring.

The workshop was offering a negotiable reward, suggesting that the material was in demand.

He could sell ten leaves and keep the remaining two for his own experiments. Alternatively, he could ask why the workshop needed so many before deciding whether to sell anything.

Ryan glanced at the name printed at the bottom of the notice.

Myrioge Greenheart Alchemy Workshop.

He hadn’t heard of it before, but that wasn’t surprising. Myrioge was a large city, and he had only just arrived.

After considering his options, Ryan decided to visit the workshop.

Selling a few surplus ingredients would give him additional funds, and learning about local demand might help him identify other valuable materials.

More importantly, he wanted to understand the market before making any major purchases.

He memorized the address and continued toward the next street.

Ryan had originally come to Myrioge to test his potion-making abilities and obtain an official qualification. Now that he had accomplished both goals, he could spend some time exploring the city’s opportunities.

With his knowledge and the resources stored in his spatial ring, he had no shortage of ways to make use of his visit.

And if he could turn some of his surplus materials into money while learning more about the local alchemy industry, there was no reason not to do so.