Chapter 264 Treasure Trove
'It looks like the decision to search for the hidden shop was correct,' Alex thought as he saw a bright light at the end of the stairs.
Alex had only heard rumors of this hidden shop in the night market's dark alleys inside a crumbling building, being a sanctuary of alchemy with never seen or heard-before materials, potions, recipes and more being available for sale.
The information about the shop on the forums just looked like any other false rumor inflated out of reality, especially when no one was willing to share the location or any form of video evidence.
Alex believed that the shop could exist, but the rumors about the things available in it were nothing but rumors, yet now, descending the stairs, he hoped those rumors to be somewhat valid.
As Alex descended the stairs and reached the end, he was greeted by a soft light illuminating a vast underground chamber. Chandeliers made from intertwined crystalline white vines holding delicate light crystals in place hung from above, casting a warm glow over the space.
'This looks promising, but now the question is how much truth did those rumors contain,' Alex thought as he looked around the vast expanding room.
The room was lined with towering shelves made from richly polished wood adorned with various alchemical instruments and ingredients neatly placed on the shelves.
The shelves were filled with glass jars that held an array of captivating ingredients, while neatly labeled bottles showcased potions of diverse colors.
The atmosphere carried a gentle, soothing scent, a harmonious blend of botanical essences and rich mana, carrying the soft and gentle touch of nature elements.
Despite the desolation that lingered outside, every corner of the place remained untouched by decay, a testament to the enduring passion that safeguarded its treasures.
The floor was plain dark stone while the air carried the aroma of ancient tomes, herbal essences, and the faint tang of exotic materials.
After a moment of absorbing the breathtaking surroundings, Alex's attention was drawn to a figure seated on a comfortable chair near the back of the underground chamber, looking toward him with a smile on his kind face.
A venerable elven woman, her old appearance spoke of age and wisdom, her features weathered by time and experience, yet she still held her elven beauty while her eyes carried profound intelligence,
Her eyes, a deep shade of verdant green, mirrored the hue of her flowing, cascading hair. Draped in regal robes, she emanated an aura of serenity and erudition.
"Greetings, Adventurer. Welcome to my humble abode. I am Eloria, the owner of this small alchemy shop." The elf lady vanished from her seat, reappearing gracefully before Alex with her voice a melodic blend of wisdom and warmth.
"Greetings, Elder. My name is Hidden One," Alex responded with a respectful nod.
"Before you can start exploring for things of your interest, I must inform you about how I trade in my shop," Elder Eloria explained kindly.
"In my shop, you can find items with a price tag that can be purchased with gold, much like any other establishment."
"However, there are also some items that hold no price tag, and to purchase them, you need to pay in a different form of currency, which is knowledge, particularly knowledge related to the art of alchemy."
"The things you can pay with could be anything from incomplete to complete recipes to rare concoctions and potions or anything related to alchemy that is of value to me."
"Please, take your time to explore and should you seek something specific, feel free to inquire." Elder Eloria concluded her explanation with a warm smile.
Alex was a bit startled after learning about the trading system as he had come hoping to find valuable things because of the wild rumors he had heard about this shop.
But now, learning about the trading system, he understood that even if the rumors were true and items of great value were available, the likelihood of him leaving this place with anything of any real value was slim.
Alex nodded in understanding, and with an elegant smile, Elder Eloria began to fade away, her form dissolving into the air. As if a wisp of wind, she returned to her seat, her presence a mere echo in the chamber before her form disappeared entirely.
As Alex started to explore the shelves, he quickly realized that the area stretched for hundreds of meters, far larger than he had initially thought.
The space was well-lit and impeccably clean, everything maintained in pristine condition, making him realize that the old elder was undoubtedly an Elemental Ruler.
Alex very quickly discovered that the rumors about this shop were not exaggerated as with every shelf he looked through, he uncovered more treasures.
The more he explored, the more shocked Alex felt as he discovered tens of potions, ranging from Epic and unique to even legendary quality, lined the shelves, each being a high-Rank potion.
The room seemed to possess a never-ending supply of magical concoctions as hundreds of rare quality potions, each bearing intriguing and unique names with unfamiliar effects to him, were displayed alongside the more familiar varieties.
After exploring shelf after shelf of potions, Alex came to the section with alchemy ingredients, which were also a sight to behold, with every available ingredient being at least of Rare quality, with no common grade ingredients in sight.
After the ingredient section, Alex reached the end of the room, and the wall had shelves built onto it that covered the whole area from the entrance to the end, filled with books that carried the knowledge of alchemy.
The recipes he stumbled upon were works of art in themselves. Recipes for potions, concoctions, tonics, and more were available in abundance.
The detailed knowledge of various aspects of alchemy was laid out before him, something that even the most guarded alchemy guilds would be reluctant to share with the average customer.
Alex felt a sense of awe and excitement as he examined the items before him, and as he continued his exploration, he realized that while many of the most exceptional items had no price tag, empty-handed as he thought.
numerous items were still available for purchase with gold.
Contrary to his expectations, the variety of items available for sale with money was vast, and he wouldn't be leaving this place empty-handed as he thought.
Alex moved on to creating a list of the potions that would be beneficial to him and his organization members, ranging from simple enhanced recovery potions to more unique potions.
Alex created a long list of potions, adding anything to it that caught his eyes before moving on recipes section.
Alex knew that choosing the right recipes was a must because even though the shop offered an array of Unique and legendary potion recipes, he understood that most would be just a waste of money because those recipes required the expertise of King-grade alchemists.
Alex picked several high-quality recipes that could be produced by Grand Master alchemists, whom he could easily hire, picking any recipe that would benefit his organization's members in their daily lives.
Alex then sat down and started to organize his list to finalize the number of potions he wanted and the recipes he would buy, checking out the recipes for their ingredients because anything with multiple rare ingredients was of little use.
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