Chapter 415: Commission
Chapter 415 Commission
Herbalist's Guild, Uptown Quarter.
In the seating area on the first floor of the building, Adam sat on a leather couch and scribbled down notes in his grimoire.
This area had comfortable seating arrangements for customers and Herbalists alike. There were bookshelves filled with volumes of botany, herbal medicine, and other general knowledge.
It was a nice spot for guild members to read, study, or discuss academia.
Adam's eyes flashed with fascination as he wrote about the key findings in the memories of the expert that he had just recently absorbed.
More specifically, he was writing about shadow magic.
Shadow magic was very rare and its nature and philosophy were more often than not greatly misunderstood.
Most people felt that its dark powers meant that it was inherently evil, or at the very least intimately connected to evil.
This resulted in practitioners of shadow magic facing misconceptions, prejudice, and in some cases even persecution.
However, shadow magic was not the same as dark magic!
Shadow magic involves manipulating and controlling shadows, Adam thought to himself as his quill danced across the pages of his grimoire. Shadows that are formed by the obstruction of light.
Meanwhile, dark magic involves the control of pure darkness - the absence of light!
On the surface, these two types of magic appeared to be the same, but they couldn't be further apart from one another.
Shadow magic was a more subtle and precise form of art, focusing on the manipulation of existing light and darkness to form shadows.
Dark magic, however, was more absolute. It represented the power to extinguish light entirely.
Adam glanced at the notes he had just written down, his eyes flashing with a pondering light. He put away the quill and grimoire and sighed.
Not only can shadow magic be used for stealth and movement, but it can also be used for illusions. Who would have thought?
From the expert's memories, he had learned that imbuing the power of shadows into illusions would make them partially real, affecting the world around them and causing damage.
Just thinking about all the possibilities of adding shadow magic to his illusions, Adam couldn't help but mutter in admiration, "The Way of Magic is truly boundless!"
Having absorbed the expert's deep understanding of shadow magic, all Adam needed to do was consolidate the knowledge.
Moreover, he also had spells related to this magic not just for Rank 2 but also the many ranks beyond.
Adam only needed to patiently study.
Although he didn't get what he wanted—memories about rune magic—he was still grateful for what he got. Not only did he receive knowledge about shadow magic, but he also got memories about herbalism.
This further strengthened the knowledge he already had about herbalism. In the memories, he had seen new recipes for myriad potions and even rituals that combined the essence of summoning magic and herbalism.
Hmm, I should be able to do a lot more rituals now that I have signed the contract with Yavia, Adam thought to himself.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He turned around and saw that it was the delightful receptionist of the guild.
"Good morning, Lord Constantine," said Ada in a cheerful tone.
Her brown eyes twinkled with admiration as she glanced at the raven-haired youth. He was the youngest Grade 2 Herbalist of the guild, after all. Not just her, even the old geezers of the guild respected Adam very much.
In the past few weeks that they had spent with the youth, they had come to learn that his knowledge about herbalism was truly deep.
Sometimes, even the simplest of statements from him would allow these old herbalists to find solutions to problems that had been plaguing them for years.
This profession required vast experience and deep knowledge of the art of herbalism. That's why most Herbalists were old magi.
These magi spent all their lives paying attention to mindfulness and research. They didn't have any need to practice magic combat techniques.
All they needed to do was practice mindfulness to advance in ranks and increase their lifespans. All so that they could further research and study the art of herbalism.
When they learned that Adam's knowledge of herbalism was comparable to theirs—because that's how much the youth had intentionally revealed—they couldn't help but come to deeply admire him.
After all, Adam was only in his early twenties, while they were centuries old. Even the guild leader, a Rank 3 magi, was full of praise for him.
"Morning, Ada," Adam said with a warm smile. He quite liked this bubbly girl who was studying to become a Herbalist herself.
Ada beamed, "My Lord, someone has finally commissioned you to concoct a potion!"
"Really?!" Adam got to his feet, feeling greatly surprised in his heart.
The time to make the big bucks had finally arrived!
Seeing Adam act like an excited child, Ada couldn't help but giggle to herself. Due to his high status as a Grade 2 Herbalist, she would sometimes forget that they both were not that far in age.
"Yes, yes, there really is someone here to commission your services," she replied. The following moment, however, her expression turned a little awkward.
"Although this client only reluctantly chose you because the other Herbalists were occupied with their work."
Adam's lips twitched when he heard her comment. Ada, you... you are far too straightforward!
Just because the Herbalists of the guild had good relations with him and greatly admired him, that didn't mean that the customers would also feel the same way about him.
In their unprofessional opinion, they believed that Adam was a young magus and couldn't possible be as good as a Herbalist as the other old magi within the guild.
Moreover, some of them even doubted the credibility of him being a Grade 2 Herbalist at such a young age.
Thus, until now, he hadn't received a single commission.
"Where are they?" Adam asked.
"They're waiting in the main room. Please follow me." Ada turned around and guided the youth.
Suddenly, she paused in her steps and looked at Adam with a serious expression. "The client's identity is a little special. So please be on your best behavior, my lord."
Veins bulged on the side of Adam's forehead as he incredulously thought to himself.
Don't be so straightforward!