The trade district was located in the southwest of the old city, less than a ten-minute walk away. After a few minutes, Julian arrived and began searching for a suitable alchemy shop.

  In his past life as a gamer, the trade district was probably the place players were most familiar with. It was where they learned life skills and traded items. Back then, the area was always packed with players setting up stalls or engaging in PK. Now, its emptiness felt strangely unsettling.

  He inquired at several alchemy shops, but either their labs were too rudimentary for his needs, or their prices were simply outrageous.

  He had considered checking out the Vester family's alchemy shop, but they only dealt in high-end goods. Even their discounted prices were higher than others' regular prices. Nope, can't afford that.

  After visiting multiple shops, Julian unexpectedly ran into a familiar face: Richard Pesa, Survivor A from the Jasonath Haunted Mansion incident.

  It had been a few days, and Richard's face looked a bit paler than usual. Of course, being a pale guy to begin with, it was hard to tell.

  Richard was hurrying down the street when he spotted Julian. He paused, a surprised expression quickly morphing into a warm smile. "Wayne! Thanks again for your help last time. I wanted to visit you at Vickers University to thank you properly, but you know, the school gates were closed for a while."

  "Don't mention it. I was just looking out for myself," Julian replied with a smile.

  "Maybe it was just self-preservation for you, but for me, it was a real lifesaver," Richard said. He looked at Julian curiously. "Are you looking for something? I know this area pretty well. Maybe I can help."

  Julian didn't stand on ceremony. "I need to buy a batch of herbs, and I also need to rent an alchemy lab."

  Richard's eyes lit up. "Herbs? You've come to the right guy! I can give you a discount. As for an alchemy lab... my family has a few spare ones. You can use one of them anytime."

  Julian was speechless.

  A few spare alchemy labs? Is this guy loaded? Wait a minute, what's that?

  Julian's gaze drifted towards a building under construction in the distance. It had a rather peculiar design.

  "That looks like a new workhouse. They're popping up all over the place. People can work there in exchange for food and shelter," Richard explained.

  "I see!" Julian nodded. Without realizing it, they had arrived at Richard's family's herb shop, located along the canal.

  The sign looks familiar! Golden Oak Herb Shop. Wait, isn't this the shop where the herbalism trainer was in the game?

  In the game "Apocalypse," this shop was owned by an elderly couple, probably Richard's parents.

  Julian gave Richard a surprised look. This guy seemed unassuming, but he was actually a hidden big shot.

  Near the steps of the herb shop, a group of edgy teenagers were playing a game called "Who is the Child of the Weather?" In his past life, there was a group of NPCs just like them in "Apocalypse." It was surprisingly accurate to the game.

  Richard's lips twitched. He walked over to the teenagers and raised his voice. "Leandro, if I'm not mistaken, you should be studying alchemy right now!"

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  "No way, alchemy is boring! I'm going to be the Child of the Weather!" One of the teenagers, a dark-haired boy with a scar on his face, retorted defiantly.

  Hearing this familiar, edgy line, Julian's heart skipped a beat. He recognized this kid.

  It was him, Leandro de Pesa! One of the Chosen Ones who appeared throughout four versions of the game!

  More importantly, Leandro was a central figure in the level 60 main storyline. Only through him could players access the main quest. He was basically a walking cheat code.

  And in the future, Leandro would have several top-tier universal skills that any class could learn. Befriending him would definitely be beneficial.

  He had unintentionally saved the brother of a future legend.

  Despite his reluctance, the future Chosen One was no match for his older brother. After a stern lecture, he was dragged back home by the scruff of his neck.

  "Who's that?" Leandro, although annoyed, quickly perked up and looked at Julian curiously.

  "This is my savior, Julian Thorne. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have made it back."

  "Oh, thank you very much!" Leandro bowed to Julian.

  [Leandro de Pesa's favorability towards you has significantly increased.]

  Not bad, a nice bit of serendipity. At least I don't have to suck up to him.

  The rest of the process went smoothly. As a fairly large chain herb shop, supplying Julian's needs was a piece of cake. However, considering the need for a long-term supply, Julian insisted on paying. They eventually settled on a 20% discount, a win-win situation.

  As for the alchemy lab, Richard wasn't exaggerating. His family really did have several spare labs.

  One of them was perfect for Julian. It was located near Vickers University, making it convenient to go there after class.

  It was also fully equipped, almost as good as the labs in the university's alchemy building. There was even a small bed for taking naps, so he wouldn't have to return to the dorm every time.

  And the best part? The price was incredibly cheap. Normally, a lab would cost around 2 Rosens per hour, at least 4 Victors a day. Now, Julian only needed to pay 30 Victors a month, perfect for a broke student like him.

  The catch? Julian had to keep an eye on Leandro at Vickers University.

  After some back and forth, Julian was shamefully tempted.

  As for the catch... did a Chosen One like Leandro really need looking after? It would probably be the other way around!

  Finally, the rent was settled at 30 Victors per month, with one month's deposit. Herbs would be delivered regularly.

  Julian thanked Richard, and they chatted for a while longer until a servant brought out the lease agreement.

  After signing their names, Julian counted out 60 Victors in cash, his heart aching as he handed it to Richard.

  Richard took the money without counting it and suddenly asked with a worried tone, "Julian, have you had any nightmares or heard any strange sounds lately?"

  Just as I suspected.

  Julian, who had already had some guesses, replied, "Yes, I had a nightmare just last night."

  Richard's face turned grave. "You too? Sigh..."

  Seeing Richard's dejected look, Julian thought for a moment and carefully chose his words. "From what I know, many people who experienced the sacrificial ritual have been having these symptoms. The Church of Asceticism and the Sun Wardens should have ways to alleviate, or even solve, this problem."

  "The Church of Asceticism?" Richard's eyes lit up at first, but then he shook his head with a bitter smile. "No, it's impossible. I worship the Goddess of Nature. The Church won't let a heretic in. As for the Sun Wardens... we'll see."

  They chatted for a while longer before Richard left, his mind clearly preoccupied.

  With the lab issue settled, it was almost dinner time.

  Just as the weather prediction stick had indicated, a heavy downpour started outside. Oddly enough, it was sunny less than two hundred meters away.

  Julian quickly grabbed a bite to eat and started organizing the alchemy lab.

  Although it hurt his wallet, he finally had his own little base in this game world.

  To celebrate, he decided to sleep here tonight...

  After finishing up the lab, Julian sat at the desk and began to decipher the set of alchemy books he had just bought.

  The method was simple. The steps were explained on the forums in his past life. He just needed to convert the Ruin language to ancient Faric, then combine the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th words of each line to form new sentences.

  In his past life, there were quest prompts every step of the way, and the translation only required a loading bar. Now, Julian had to translate everything word by word.

  It took him four hours to decipher the alchemy book.

  "Done!" Julian rubbed his sore wrists.

  These four hours of translation not only cracked the code but also gave him 4000 experience points, a nice bonus.

  He reviewed the deciphered text, and a system prompt appeared in his vision:

  [You have acquired the Epic skill book: Windgoon's Alchemy Notes.]