Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Master Liria's private laboratory is located on the upper level of the Evergreen Barrier, in a separate area with a dome formed by clusters of living crystals.

The air was filled with a strange fragrance of hundreds of magical potions, sometimes as crisp as morning dew, sometimes as rich as a summer garden.

On the enormous crystal workbench, dozens of crucibles, flasks, and distillers of various shapes operated on their own under the control of invisible magic, with various colored liquids churning and boiling, emitting a misty haze of light.

The walls are inlaid with countless tiny grids, which contain rare materials and emit energy fluctuations of varying strengths.

Chen Lin entered the sacred temple of potions, guided by a stern-faced senior apprentice.

He was dressed in a clean apprentice robe and held a specially made jade box in his hands. Inside lay four magical plants that served as "stepping stones": two optimized moonlight mosses with flowing silver light and a strong purifying aura; and two enhanced tranquil flowers with unfolded petals and veins flowing with a peaceful silver-blue halo.

With her back to him, Liria was intently manipulating a ball of purple liquid that was suspended in mid-air and constantly changing shape.

She wore a deep purple robe with silver trim, her figure was tall and her temperament was aloof. Her waist-length silver hair was tied up with a simple bone hairpin, revealing her beautifully shaped neck.

Hearing footsteps, she didn't turn around, but spoke softly, her voice clear and distant, like ice beads falling on a jade plate: "Apprentice Chen Lin? Glenn has been mentioning your name to me quite a bit lately. It's said you have some...unique insights into magical plants?"

"Master Liria." Chen Lin bowed respectfully and gently placed the jade box on a corner of the worktable. "I do have some tricks up my sleeve and have made two fairly good pieces. I hope to receive your guidance. If you are interested, I also have a small idea for collaboration."

Liria finally turned around. Her face wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but it possessed a wisdom and dignity that came with the passage of time.

His silver-gray eyes, like the most precise alchemical scales, instantly locked onto the magical plant in the jade box.

She didn't check immediately; instead, her gaze fell on Chen Lin first, as if she wanted to analyze him thoroughly from the inside out.

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow slightly, a wisp of pale purple detection magic swirling around her fingertips as it swept across the jade box like a serpent.

"Please sit down. Before we go, tell me about your experience in the Thorn Garden." She slowly turned around and walked to an antique rattan chair next to her. She raised her flawless white arm and pointed to another rattan chair opposite the coffee table.

Chen Lin was slightly surprised, not expecting that Master Liria would make this request first.

He nodded slightly and began to recount his previous experiences. During his narration, Liria raised several questions about Vivian.

After Chen Lin finished speaking, Liria closed her eyes and pondered for a moment.

"I understand, Chen Lin, apprentice. Cherish your time; your different choices will lead to completely different results." Liria nodded slightly, not continuing the topic, but instead moving on.

"A little trick that can catch Glenn's attention? I'm rather interested." A barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as her magic touched the moonlight moss. "The purity... is almost as good as the moss that grows alongside a natural moonlight well? This can't be explained by luck."

She continued examining the Tranquilizing Flower, detecting the clear ringing of magic emanating from its veins that emitted a blue-silver glow. "Stable, efficient, energy contained... Its calming effect on the mind far surpasses that of ordinary Tranquilizing Flowers. Interesting."

She withdrew her magic, looked at Chen Lin, and her gaze became even more scrutinizing. "Tell me your idea for collaboration."

Chen Lin took a deep breath, knowing the crucial moment had arrived. He straightened his back, met Liria's scrutiny with unwavering gaze, and spoke in a steady, clear voice:

"The number of low-level apprentices within the barrier is enormous, and their demand for basic magical plants and mental potions is like a vast ocean."

However, the goods circulating in the market are of inconsistent quality, have limited effectiveness, and even harbor hidden dangers, greatly slowing down the apprentices' growth and indirectly affecting the overall strength accumulation of the barrier.

He pointed to the jade box: "My work can stably produce optimized magical plants with a quality far exceeding the market average, under controllable costs, as you can see."

If this technology can be scaled up and a workshop dedicated to producing such high-quality basic resources can be established, it will not only benefit a large number of apprentices at the grassroots level, but also provide a stable, reliable, and high-quality supply of basic raw materials for advanced researchers like yourself.

He paused, then presented the core benefit: "Imagine, Master. If your advanced potion research could continuously obtain such pure Moonlight Moss Essence and Tranquilizing Flower, wouldn't that significantly improve your experimental success rate and potion quality?"

Could you free up your valuable time and energy from the tedious tasks of raw material selection and quality control, and focus on your core creative endeavors?

Liria's eyes flickered slightly.

Chen Lin pinpointed her exact need. As a potion master, her biggest headache wasn't the scarcity of high-end materials, but rather the fluctuations in the quality of basic raw materials!

A failed calming potion might simply be due to a batch of tranquilizing flowers having a 5% lower sedative effect. If a stable supply of high-quality raw materials could be secured…

However, she did not immediately express her opinion. Instead, she walked to the worktable, picked up a piece of optimized moonlight moss, and infused it with a wisp of pure magic power from her fingertips.

The moss instantly shone with silver light, and a pure purifying field spread out, even dissipating the chaotic medicinal fumes emanating from her lab table.

"The quality is indeed top-notch." Master Liria put down the materials, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger. "Scaling up? Tell me your specific plan. And what do you need me to do?"

She walked to the window, picked up a small dish resembling a crystal ashtray, and lit a wisp of pale purple tobacco with a minty fragrance from her fingertips.

Chen Lin knew this was a signal that negotiations were about to begin, and he became highly focused:

"The core of the plan is to establish the Qing Teng Workshop."

"I will provide the optimized cultivation plan and core catalytic process. Of course, this key point needs to be kept confidential and I will be responsible for it."

The site is currently planned to be the abandoned No. 3 Cultivation Cave outside the barrier, where the ley line energy is stable, the cost-effectiveness is high, the road to the barrier is relatively safe, and the supplies can be initially guaranteed.

I will employ five reliable low-ranking apprentices to execute a ripening process I designed, guaranteeing three batches of raw materials per month. The wizard apprentices will sign strict confidentiality contracts. Then, I will purchase ten elven slaves skilled in planting to be responsible for basic planting, care, and harvesting.

Chen Lin paused, looked at Master Liria, and noticed that she raised her eyebrows when talking about harvesting three batches of raw materials each month, but didn't say anything. So he continued...

"I will be responsible for procuring raw materials by liaising with suppliers within the barrier or with external trading companies to ensure the supply of basic seeds and seedlings. However, it is necessary to customize and purchase two variable frequency mental energy radiation pumps."

This is essential equipment for radiation breeding, related to the ripening process and targeted cultivation. Regarding start-up capital, I plan to apply for a 10000 standard magic stones start-up loan from the Southern Barrier Trial Special Loan Fund, using the future revenue of Qing Teng Workshop and your guarantee as technical advisor.

In terms of sales and revenue sharing, the main raw materials, such as moonflower moss and calming flower, are supplied to your laboratory with priority and stability. The price is 10% lower than that of similar high-quality products on the market, and this part accounts for 60% of the output.

Furthermore, my improved mental potion—Breath of Awakening Type III—is sold through the Barrier Market channel, generating substantial profits. This portion accounts for 40% of production. Profit sharing: of the workshop's net profit, I receive 60%, and you, Master, receive 40%, which includes technical advisor fees, protection fees, and the value of priority supply discounts.

After Chen Lin finished speaking, he took out the prepared Breath of Awakening Type III medicine.

"Oh? There are also finished product-enhanced mental potions?" Master Liria raised an eyebrow slightly and drank the potion directly.

After closing her eyes and sensing for a moment, Liria said, "It's 20% more effective than the regular Breath of Clarity, so it can definitely yield greater profits."

This was a carefully calculated plan; once approved, he would present an even better product to increase the chances of a successful negotiation.

A 40% profit margin is the bottom line he must adhere to, as it relates to Ella's subsequent treatment and his own improvement.

Offer 40% to Liria first, giving her room to negotiate—this is basic logic in business negotiations. "10000 magic stones…that's quite an appetite." She finally spoke, her voice still calm. "The special loan fund has very strict scrutiny, especially for apprentices. My name is my guarantee, so the price is very high."

"This..." Chen Lin timely showed greed and reluctance, "Alright, then you can take half, and you don't need to worry about the rest. Just tell everyone that the workshop is your business."

A 50% profit margin may seem high, but it includes "protection fees" and "channel fees," making it actually very worthwhile.

Prioritizing the supply of 60% of the raw materials deeply binds Liria's interests to the workshop, ensuring her support.

She paused for a moment, her silver-gray eyes flashing rapidly like a stream of data, clearly engaged in complex calculations of benefits and assessments of risks.

"The master's protection and guidance are far more valuable than magic stones," Chen Lin said respectfully.

"If the workshop succeeds, the quality and supply stability of raw materials in the Master Laboratory will see a qualitative leap, and your high-level potion research efficiency will be greatly improved. The time and resources saved are far beyond what magic stones can measure. Moreover..."

He then changed the subject, adding with just the right amount of confidence, "I am confident that I can repay the loan principal and interest within six months and get the workshop profitable. If I fail, I will voluntarily sign a soul contract to serve the master for the next fifty years to repay the debt."

"A soul contract?" A faint, almost imperceptible smile curved Liria's lips. "Little one, quite determined. Looks like you're very confident in your little trick."

Liria stared at him for a few seconds, her gaze seemingly piercing through his flesh and looking straight into his soul. Chen Lin felt his very essence tremble slightly, and he spontaneously strengthened his mental barrier. Finally, Liria looked away, picked up the tea on the coffee table, and took a small sip.

"Fine. Everyone has their own secrets." Her tone was indifferent. "Your proposal... is feasible. I accept the 50% split. Priority should be given to supplying raw materials to my lab, and the quality must be no lower than these samples, with the supply volume meeting 70% of my lab's monthly basic raw material needs. The price will be as you said, 10% off high-quality market products."

"Yes! There are absolutely no problems with quality and supply!" Chen Lin felt relieved.

"As for the loan..." Liria drew a line in the air with her finger, and a pale purple contract document appeared out of thin air, filled with dense clauses.

"I will sign a technical advisory and quality guarantee. But remember, Chen Lin, my name isn't so easily trusted. I need to review the workshop's accounts monthly. If the workshop fails due to your mismanagement or technology leaks, you will bear all the debts and consequences." Her voice carried an undeniable authority.

"Understood! Thank you for your trust, Master!" Chen Lin replied solemnly.

He carefully read the contract documents floating in the air, confirmed the key contents such as the profit sharing ratio, supply terms, and guarantee responsibilities, and then imprinted his soul mark with his mental power.

The contract transformed into a purple light, splitting into two that entered his and Liria's foreheads respectively.

"Go ahead." Liria waved her hand, turning her attention back to the changing purple liquid. "I hope your Green Vine Workshop won't disappoint me. The first batch of raw materials should be delivered to my materials processing room by the fifth of next month."

"I will certainly live up to your expectations!" Chen Lin bowed and left the magical potion temple filled with strange medicinal fragrance.

Chen Lin felt a little relieved after leaving Liria's laboratory.

Although Master Liria's words before discussing cooperation made him somewhat hesitant, he didn't have many other options.

The contract has been signed, and there is now a better way to obtain magic stones.

Without stopping, he took the guarantee signed by Liria and headed straight for the Barrier's Resource Allocation and Financial Management Department.