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Chapter 1127 - 1127 172 Crossroad

1127: Chapter 172, Crossroad 1127: Chapter 172, Crossroad Hudson had left, yet the Arcane Academy was boiling over with excitement.

Regardless of how distinguished the background of the students was, their first reaction to the news was — “Impossible!”

The Academy had numerous sponsors, with wealthy nobles from within the kingdom offering their support, but none had ever been lavish enough to throw down one million gold coins.

“Who spread this rumor?

To dare fabricate tales about Marshal Hudson, they must have a death wish!” Norman said irritably.

As offspring of a major noble, he had access to far more information than the average student.

To ordinary people, rumors were just rumors, but for major nobles, family honor was more important than life itself.

If the matter blew up, they’d have to save face, even if it meant turning falsehood into truth.

The Academy’s higher-ups had just offened Marshal Hudson some days ago; if another incident like this occurred, it could be deadly!

Being forced to give up a potion worth one million gold coins was unbearable for anyone, let alone a Kingdom Marshal with great authority and power.

Extorting like that was simply too ruthless!

“Cousin, you’re overthinking it.

This is an announcement from the Academy; how could it be a rumor?

According to the announcement, not only do we have to participate in this skill competition, but students from the Magic Academy will also take part.

The testing method is very straightforward — craft a certain quantity of magic crystal cards; whoever produces the highest quality and fastest cards wins.

The top twenty students will share these one hundred bottles of magic potion, the higher the rank, the greater the reward.

We should move quickly or else all the labs will be taken, and it’ll be difficult to find a place to practice!” Karim urged.

Living in the Alpha Kingdom, even major noble houses might not be flush with cash.

“Ha’s Magic Potion” was famous throughout the continent, yet very few had the privilege to enjoy it.

The limited sales were one thing, but the main reason was that most people were simply too poor.

As a result, the high-end magic potions released by Hudson were almost exclusively bought out by major nobles from the South Continent and The Central Region.

Most of the potions purchased by nobles in the kingdom were for magical beasts, which offered a much higher cost performance than those aiding humans in their cultivation.

Using the same ingredients and formula, the exorbitantly priced human version of Ha’s Magic Potion even cost less to produce.

Other alchemists had to consider removing side effects, but Hudson deliberately added them to his potions.

Skipping this step reduced the production cost of the magic potions, yet the selling price increased tenfold.

Such high prices deterred many buyers, while also ingraining the concept of high-end in people’s minds.

Anyway, those who could afford it sang its praises, with pre-orders backing up three years, and prices on the black market had already doubled.

In reality, customers who bought it rarely resold it.

Limited sales meant even their own houses couldn’t get enough.

Sellers on the black market were Hudson’s own fronts.

Whether a deal was made didn’t matter; the key was to drive up the price, convincing everyone that getting their hands on the potions was a steal.

If a sucker took the offer, a few bottles were sold; if not, the alternate accounts played among themselves.

“What, the news is true!

Hurry up, let’s go…”

In the midst of speaking, Norman swiftly dragged his cousin and rushed straight to the laboratory.

On the surface, they were scrambling for potions, but the astute knew this was a prime opportunity to make an impression.

With such a lavish prize, it was bound to attract the attention of all the kingdom’s big shots.

Standing out in such a situation would widen the gap between one’s peers.

Whether competing for the Academy’s resources, clan support, or future development in the kingdom, the sooner one stood out, the better.

Hiding one’s talents wasn’t appropriate for the Arcane Academy; from the moment one entered, what was needed was to shine brightly.

As long as one didn’t inherently draw hate, being exposed to the scrutiny of the big shots only ensured greater safety.

Being repressed or envied were mere overthought concerns.

The kingdom was looking for fighters; the more talented, the more welcome they were.

The Orc Prairie was vast enough, and no one minded adding a new group of up-and-coming major nobles.

When the incremental gains ceased and the zero-sum game began, that’s when things would turn to desperate internal competition…

…

In the Misty Marine Region, a man, a bear, and a dragon looked down upon the lands from high above the clouds when suddenly, three powerful auras soared to the heavens, followed by a swift surge of wind and clouds.

“Maxim, keep your distance and don’t get caught in it!” Hudson hastily instructed.

He was at a loss for words to find lightning tribulation occurring on the Continent of Aslante, the only thing he could do was to stay further away.

If he were to be accidentally affected, while the thick-skinned dragon and bear might suffer little harm, he, the down-on-his-luck master, could easily be reduced to ashes.

Retreating over twenty miles, Hudson’s sense of impending death slowly faded.

A Ghost Ship breaking through the Sanctuary was beyond his comprehension.

He had scoured through the kingdom’s canons, but found no mention of such a phenomenon.