Abe the Wizard

Chapter 20 Synthesis Again

"Follow him and see where he goes. If he leaves the city, notify me," Joshua instructed his servant in a cold tone.

The servant acknowledged and discreetly trailed after Abe.

"I'll make you regret today," Joshua thought to himself. He knew that trying to ambush Zack, a level-four or nearly level-five squire, was not reliable. Moreover, Zack was the heir to a noble knight's estate. If things went south, Joshua would be in big trouble. On the other hand, Abe was just a blacksmith. Even if he was a talented apprentice under Master Benshem, if something happened to him, no one would cause trouble over a mere blacksmith from outside town.

Joshua had no idea that he was venturing further down a dangerous path.

Zack won the bet, and they planned to celebrate at a fancy tavern. However, Abe decided to part ways with Zack and the others as he had just arrived in Harvest City and wanted to buy some things. He bid them farewell and set off on his own.

Counting the coins on him, Abe found he had 20 gold coins of his own and an additional 50 gold coins given to him by Knight Marshall for his leisure in Harvest City. In total, he had 70 gold coins. He visited a jewelry store and, to avoid drawing attention, purchased 138 small gemstones from four different shops.

With his purse now significantly lighter and only 2 gold coins left, Abe didn't dare to recombine the gems in the open streets. Instead, he rented a single room at an inn and began the slow process of recombining using the Heradic Cube.

The recombination process, which Abe was quite familiar with, took a short time. Soon, he had 20 red gems and 26 blue gems.

Looking at the gems, Abe pondered the recombination formula of the Heradic Cube. He wondered how the recombined gems in reality corresponded to the gems in the game "Diablo II." With this thought in mind, he decided to try another recombination, just one.

Placing three blue gems into the Heradic Cube, he initiated the recombination process and retrieved a large round blue gem with countless facets.

Encouraged, he tried another recombination. This time, six blue gems turned into two large round blue gems. Placing these two into the cube and initiating the process, the blue gems transformed into drop-shaped sapphires. Abe was now certain that these were perfect blue gems, just like the ultimate version in "Diablo II." The Heradic Cube had forcefully transformed the blue gems into the custom shape from the game.

Abe decided not to sell this perfect blue gem. With the incredible recombination ability of the Heradic Cube, he was extremely cautious when selling the ordinary blue gems. Fortunately, Harvest City was large, and he managed to sell the gems without any trouble.

Abe now knew how 11,000 gold coins looked like, but he couldn't carry it all. He stored all of it in the Heradic Cube, which conveniently displayed the sum as a number without occupying any physical space. When he needed it, the gold coins could be retrieved as they were before, making it very convenient.

In high spirits, Abe contemplated how to spend this large sum of gold coins. Unbeknownst to him, the servant following him was feeling equally frustrated. He was tired from tracking the young man who had been touring almost every jewelry store in Harvest City on horseback. He hoped Abe would find a place to rest soon.

Seeing a sign for the Edmund Auction House, Abe was reminded of the "Condensing Qi Potion" he had purchased there. His supply had run out, and he now needed to break through to the knight realm. He realized that swift advancements were not only possible through medication but also through other means. Master Benshem and Knight Marshall had shown no concern about his rapid progress, so he decided to purchase more "Condensing Qi Potion."

Upon entering the auction house, Abe heard a familiar voice.

"Welcome to the Edmund Auction House. How may I assist you?" the voice paused and then continued with a hint of surprise, "Oh, it's you, the young and handsome gentleman."

"Ivett, how did you end up here?" Abe asked.

Ivett chuckled lightly and proudly announced, "Due to my outstanding performance, I was promoted from Libo Town to deputy supervisor in Harvest City."

"Congratulations, Ivett," Abe replied, showing respect for capable individuals.

Ivett was thrilled to receive congratulations from someone he knew. Transitioning to a new role in such a large city brought a lot of pressure, especially since there were three deputy supervisors.

"What brings you here today?" Ivett asked softly.

"162 bottles of basic 'Condensing Qi Potion' for me, please," Abe calculated the quantity and gave a figure.

Ivett was excited about the large transaction as it would greatly help her establish herself in Harvest City.

"Total is 1620 gold coins. You can give 1600 gold coins," Ivett offered a discounted price.

Abe reached into his pocket, retrieved 1600 gold coins from the Heradic Cube, and handed it to Ivett. After a while, the clerk brought out a medium-sized box filled with 162 bottles of "Condensing Qi Potion."

Riding back to his residence, Abe immediately recombined all 162 bottles into 6 bottles of master-level "Condensing Qi Potion." Gazing at the amber-colored potion, he felt confident about his strengthened abilities.

After placing the 6 bottles into the Heradic Cube, Abe remembered meeting Ivett at the auction house. She had never asked for his name, and their transactions had been smooth both times. Considering the reputation of the Edmund Auction House and Ivett's cautious attitude, Abe decided that he could entrust some inconvenient items to her for handling.

Outside the courtyard, despite the arrival of the new year, the weather remained very cold. A servant was huddled in the darkness, keeping a close watch on the mansion's gate. Since this was just a temporary residence of Knight Marshall, it wasn't well-known. If the servant knew it was a noble residence, perhaps he would not have had the courage to continue surveillance. Sometimes, ignorance was the most terrifying thing.

After dark, a carriage carried Knight Marshall and Abe to the Lord's Manor for the New Year's celebration. The servant, unaware of whether Abe was in the carriage, and with the city gates already closed for the night, hesitated for a moment before deciding to stay and continue his surveillance.