"That is... Sonya!"
Lynn followed the voice and looked over, his gaze instantly freezing.
Appearing before his eyes was the familiar figure of Sonya.
However, compared to before, she now looked even more battered, evoking a deep sense of pity.
Her injuries were worse than ever, and her body had been modified almost beyond recognition.
Her skin was a patchwork of mismatched tones, with jagged, haphazard stitching that was strikingly grotesque.
Apart from her right hand, which remained flesh and blood, nearly all of her limbs had been replaced with artificial prosthetics.
At this moment, Sonya was standing at the exchange counter, her emotions flaring as she argued intensely with the apprentice responsible for battle merit exchanges.
Her loud voice echoed throughout the stronghold, drawing the attention of many apprentices.
Yet she paid them no mind, her fierce gaze locked onto the third-tier apprentice managing the exchange, exuding an almost oppressive presence.
The apprentice, clearly feeling the weight of her aura, swallowed nervously and struggled to remain composed.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to speak calmly:
"Recently, many people have earned a significant amount of battle merits. Auxiliary potions, advanced meditation techniques, and official spell templates have become the most sought-after exchange items, leading to a severe shortage..."
Advanced meditation techniques and official spell templates were relatively manageable since they could be copied indefinitely from existing records.
However, auxiliary potions were a different matter altogether they were consumables. Each one used up resources, required extensive time and effort to craft, and could not be endlessly replicated.
Currently, the potion garden at the Furnace Stronghold was severely understaffed, struggling to manage even basic operations, let alone produce complex auxiliary potions.
Moreover, the process of brewing these potions was notoriously intricate.
Even a certified potion master could not guarantee success every time.
Lynn had managed to refine three bottles of Amber Heart only because he had access to an incomplete pre-prepared potion. The Nightshadow Fortress had already taken care of most of the complicated steps, leaving him with just the final adjustments an absolute stroke of luck.
"What?!"
Sonya glared at the apprentice, her voice laced with frustration and impatience.
"Then when will the next batch be restocked?"
The apprentice, overwhelmed by her intense gaze, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He knew all too well that those willing to risk their lives for battle merits often had fiery tempers, requiring careful handling to avoid provoking them further.
"The exact timing is uncertain, but the potion garden has promised to prioritize potion production as soon as possible. Please be patient..."
The moment he finished speaking, Sonya froze, and the faces of the surrounding apprentices darkened as well.
"Prioritize production as soon as possible?"
That was nothing more than bureaucratic lip service empty words that sounded promising but provided no real information.
What did as soon as possible even mean? They didn't even give an estimated time frame!
Sonya's expression instantly turned grim. She understood that pressing the apprentice further wouldn't help he couldn't produce the potions out of thin air.
"If I had known earlier, I would've exchanged for auxiliary potions first!"
She gritted her teeth, overwhelmed with regret.
However, her decision had been no different from most other apprentices.
The usual strategy was to first exchange for advanced meditation techniques to aid long-term growth, then obtain official spell templates to start adapting to higher-tier magic.
Only after all the preparations were in place would they exchange for auxiliary potions to make the final push toward becoming a formal wizard.
But now, with the sudden drop in difficulty of the Emerald Isle Labyrinth, many apprentices had seized the opportunity to amass battle merits, leading to a frantic rush to acquire scarce resources.
This wave of frantic exchanges had completely drained the Furnace's stock, leaving supplies in short supply.
"What should I do now..."
Sonya murmured to herself, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
She had planned to redeem auxiliary potions and return to the Furnace to prepare for her breakthrough into an official wizard.
But now, this unexpected shortage had thrown her entire plan into disarray.
Wandering through the stronghold, she felt lost and directionless.
Just then, someone suddenly bumped into her from the side.
"Hmm?"
Interrupted from her thoughts, Sonya frowned and looked up only to find that the person who had run into her was none other than Lynn.
"Lynn? You went to Emerald Isle Forest to earn battle merits too?" she asked.
Anyone present in this area was here for the same purpose.
Lynn nodded but didn't say much.
He scanned the surroundings for a moment, then grabbed Sonya's only intact right hand and led her to a quieter spot.
Once they reached a secluded corner, Lynn carefully checked their surroundings, ensuring no one was paying attention before leaning close to her ear and speaking in a hushed voice.
Their proximity might have appeared intimate, but neither of them had any romantic thoughts.
If this had been in the past, when Sonya was in her prime, she might have thought Lynn had some special feelings for her.
But now, her body was nothing like it used to be covered in patchwork prosthetics and mismatched skin grafts, making her almost unrecognizable.
If Lynn had any interest in her in that way, then his tastes would truly be... unconventional.
"I saw you earlier at the exchange vault," Lynn murmured in a calm and measured tone.
Then, he dropped a bombshell.
"By chance, I happen to have a source for auxiliary potions..."
In an instant, Sonya's entire demeanor shifted.
Her pupils flared with a burning intensity, her eyes filled with an unconcealed longing.
"Lynn, tell me what's the price? Whatever you want, I'll agree to it! Even if it means... offering myself, I don't mind!"
Sonya's gaze bore into him, her voice urgent, laced with a hint of temptation.
She unconsciously leaned in, as if trying to display her sincerity.
However, her current appearance had nothing to do with seduction.
With her uneven skin, crooked stitches, and extensive prosthetics, her approach didn't exude allure it evoked an eerie, unsettling sensation instead.
Lynn, of course, understood that Sonya's fiery gaze wasn't directed at him but at the auxiliary potion in his possession.
Her desperation was unmistakable, and it left Lynn with a complicated feeling.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his emotions and completely ignored the underlying suggestiveness in her tone.
His expression turned serious, his voice steady as always:
"Sonya, you and I have fought side by side, entrusting our lives to each other. I won't take advantage of you, nor will I exploit this situation to hike up the price. You can pay according to the official Furnace rates."
Then, he continued with a pause.
"But I do have one condition."
Sonya's eyes locked onto him, her initial desperation easing slightly, but her anticipation only grew stronger.
Lynn's voice was firm.
"My condition is simple I need to witness your entire breakthrough into an official wizard and obtain a complete record of your experience during the process."
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