Chapter 35: The Recruitment Order (1)

On the day the Dark Night Manor was attacked by demons, outside the Mage Association in Giant Rock City…
Hundreds of carriages were parked at the entrance, blocking off all access. From time to time, noble stewards and servants peeked inside, but thanks to the magical barrier erected by the mages, it was impossible to see clearly what was inside.

Not long ago, when the Moonlight Wine was introduced by the Mage Association, it was quickly snapped up by the nobles of the North County and wealthy merchants. Seeing the profits, more nobles and merchants flocked over, making this second sale even more bustling than the first.

Inside the association, the servant in charge of the warehouse returned from the front door and quietly asked Mage Medri beside him, “Sir, the situation outside is bad. There are so many people, and the entrance is already packed with carriages! We only have that much goods—how can we distribute them?”

“Don’t worry. Go give orders… Once everything is ready, just open the door!”
The middle-aged mage spoke calmly, seemingly unfazed, as if not at all anxious. In truth, this merchant-mage had already observed the situation outside with his mental powers. With his magical wisdom and years of business experience, handling such a situation was easy for him.

Yet the servant was deeply impressed after hearing this and left in reverence to get things ready.

…

“The door is open! The door is open!”
When the entrance to the association opened, the nobles, mindful of their status, remained back, but the merchant stewards and servants rushed forward, eager not to let others take their spots and deprive them of their share.

“Everyone, please be quiet. Those who make noise will be considered enemies of the Mage Association!”
As soon as the seasoned Mage Medri spoke, the crowd fell silent. Everyone held their breath, afraid of provoking the old mage’s displeasure and failing to get what they wanted.

“Very well. Since there are so many buyers for this Moonlight Wine, I’ll divide it into ten portions. Those present may decide who gets which by drawing lots. If you’re unlucky or refuse to follow our rules, then leave. The mages of the North County do not welcome you! Please begin.”

Then a servant from the association brought over a box containing 137 slips of paper—exactly matching the number of carriages outside.

However, only ten of them contained words. Those present, either personally or through representatives, stepped forward and drew one out. Soon, someone found the first note representing one-tenth of a share of the Moonlight Wine, sparking envy and discussion among those there.
Quickly, the ten lucky ones were selected. Madri led them into the clubhouse. With a wave of his hand, the mage barrier outside the door reopened, keeping the rest of the crowd out.
As the head of commerce at the Mage Clubhouse, Madri used a simple method to deal with the many buyers from powerful factions. Those who couldn’t buy it had no choice but to accept their misfortune, blaming their own bad luck rather than others’ luck.
These two wines not only had excellent taste but also could restore stamina and injuries, with a miraculous effect of enhancing mental strength. Although their effects were slightly weaker than those of standalone alchemical potions, they provided sustained benefits, allowing drinkers to remain in top condition for a certain period—useful both for daily training and combat. Overall, they were highly beneficial for warriors and mages.
Compared to other alchemical potions, they were an excellent and affordable alternative. They were also very necessary for professionals facing the orc invasion and the impending royal call to arms, hoping to earn glory on the battlefield.
Merchants in the towns of the North County naturally saw the profits involved. Even half of the Celt territory, including the capital, heard about it and sent representatives to try to monopolize the supply. Even if they couldn’t have exclusive sales rights, they wanted at least a large share.
Suddenly, the newly built Darknight Manor found itself at the center of secret intrigue. But with the Mage Clubhouse of Giantstone City and strong backing from figures like the top mage of the North County, Messel, no one dared to resort to underhanded tactics.
Although Donald’s Moonlight Wine was produced in small quantities, the sales rights were in the hands of the Mage Clubhouse. For merchants to try to seize all of it at once would be like trying to snatch Goldthorn from the hands of all mages in the North County. No merchant, no matter how foolish, would do such a thing—even if they had the support of various royal nobles behind them.
The difference between a single mage and a group of mages was understood by most people, as long as they weren’t foolish.
So, despite some large merchants’ reluctance to share exclusive sales rights, they had no choice but to divide the monthly supply of twenty bottles of Moonlight Wine with others, so they wouldn’t be unable to report back to their superiors.

Among those who received shares, two local small merchant guilds immediately sold their shares at high prices. They knew well their limits and understood that they couldn’t afford to offend the powerful nobles and large merchant guilds. After all, the Moonlight Wine was meant to be sold to make money, and selling it early or late made no difference—especially since the buyer was offering double the price!

The others who got shares were nobles or merchant guilds with strong backgrounds, so naturally they wouldn’t give up their lucky gains so easily. Merchants valued profit highly; even if they didn’t resell it, they would present it to their masters.

As for the lower-ranking nobles in the Northlands, they didn’t have such high ambitions. With so many powerful figures in the kingdom, they only had the advantage of being nearby, and it was already quite good for them to be able to buy a bottle or two of Moonlight Wine. Moreover, using this fine wine as a gift for some important person might even secure them a better future.

During this time, the once remote and peaceful Northlands became turbulent. First, the Moonlight Wine caused a great deal of excitement, and then there was the incident of a mage being assassinated, putting everyone in Giantstone City’s underground factions on edge. As a result, many forces paid close attention to this area, and not everyone was averse to stealing Donald’s recipe.

But Donald, just like those unscrupulous merchants who made fake wine in his past life, didn’t have any secret recipe at all. The purification potion was originally created by the Book of Truth. Moreover, the location of the Moonwell was hidden, and it was guarded by the powerful Tree of Life. No one would notice such a structure hidden among the lush canopy.

Previously, Donald had planted two luxury herbs on his newly developed farm: red licorice, which he renamed “red tea,” and emerald leaves that resembled green tea. He also planted some ordinary herbs in small quantities there, assigning people to guard them strictly. These deliberate deceptions confused all those who came to investigate.

The spies from various factions recorded the types and quantities of herbs in the manor and rushed back to report. Their masters were overjoyed and spent large sums to hire senior alchemists, hoping to analyze the potion recipes from the types of ingredients.

But the Moonlight Wine was simply wine diluted with moon essence and purification potion—where could there be any recipe?

Still, those alchemists were quite skilled and managed to derive a few recipes from the ingredients. After all, Donald planted genuine alchemical herbs, and by combining them, they could create some low-level potions.

Yet these formulas are merely low-grade potions with only weak effects of boosting alertness and restoring energy. Not only are they expensive, but their results are also disappointing; none of them can match the taste and efficacy of Moonlight Wine. As a result, the masters who have spent their lives studying alchemical potionry concluded that the owner of Moonlight Wine must possess an advanced formula containing other unknown and mysterious ingredients, and without knowing the full details, it is impossible for them to recreate the potion formula.