Kreslin shook his head and explained, "People in the Zaun undercity find potions too expensive; they'd rather buy some ready-made, cheap herbs, which are completely sufficient. And the wealthy have long since had their bodies modified with Chem-Tech, so they have no use for Emerald Potion, and besides, they have their own private doctors… In the medical field, no matter where it is, it involves intricate webs of interests, with deep hidden connections."
"If you dare to casually peddle potions on the streets of Zaun, it's tantamount to stepping on the Chem-Barons' toes; I guarantee you'd be lucky to see the sun the next day."
"So, even if you can refine potions, it doesn't necessarily bring you wealth. You should give up those unrealistic ideas!"
Durin felt a bit regretful after hearing this, but he believed that if he put in the effort to cultivate connections, he might be able to earn money, but that would take a lot of time, so it would be better to just become a merchant.
However, this also piqued his curiosity: if the situation was as severe as the other party described, then what right did Kreslin the Mage have to sell these potions?
Unless… he had his own channels and acquaintances who could help him sell these potions. Then, recalling Kreslin the Mage's earlier mention of wanting to sell the Emerald Potion's formula and refining process to Piltover University, to those well-dressed Piltoverianss.
This meant he knew someone in Piltover who held a certain amount of influence.
Thinking of this, Durin looked at this seemingly unremarkable Mage with some surprise, realizing he seemed to possess many unknown secrets!
He needed to find a way to learn more about him!
However, he needed to inquire about the details of tonight's operation, such as information about the Monoliths, to see if the Archmage knew any secrets, like their weaknesses.
Durin then spoke in a humble tone, "Uh, Archmage Kreslin, I have a question. I wonder if you can answer it for me?"
"Hmm?"
Archmage Kreslin looked at Durin with some suspicion.
"It's just that I heard some miners talking in the tavern earlier, saying there were incidents of Monoliths attacking humans in the mine? They said it was a group of human-shaped rocks that could move? It sounds too absurd. Do you think they were hallucinating?"
Durin feigned disbelief and asked back.
"Monoliths? In the mine?"
Kreslin was first startled, then fell into deep thought. After muttering to himself for a while, he said, "It might not be false. I've always heard rumors of Monoliths attacking humans in the mine. They are actually a type of earth-elemental creature born naturally."
"Earth-elemental creature?"
Durin, with his years of cultural immersion, quickly understood the meaning and asked back, "Is it the same concept as a rock golem?"
"Of course not. A rock golem is something given life through magic. It cannot think and unquestioningly obeys its creator's commands."
Kreslin was somewhat surprised by Durin's question. He hadn't expected an Ionian to even know the concept of a rock golem. But when it came to academic matters, upholding a rigorous attitude, he corrected him, "But earth-elemental creatures are not created by magic; they are born from nature. Although they don't have much intelligence when first born, not much smarter than rock golems, and like rock golems, they never worry about filling their stomachs, only needing to absorb the omnipresent elemental power between heaven and earth to survive."
"But the biggest difference from rock golems is that they evolve. They will fight due to the inherent greed of life! They will devour all earth-elemental creatures they encounter until intelligence is born! And once they have intelligence, they will automatically consider their place of survival as their territory, and they will be the lord of this territory."
"Uh... what's an earth-elemental lord?" Durin asked, somewhat bewildered.
This news was completely different from what he knew. Or was it that things were not as simple as they seemed on the surface?
Archmage Kreslin gave a detailed answer: "Simply put, earth-elemental lords are all individual entities, also known as Spirits of the Mountain. After they gain intelligence, they awaken the magical power within their bodies, embrace magical inherited memories, and pursue a great existence called 'Monolith'. Of course, these are all records I've read in ancient books. Whether the facts are truly as the books say, that remains unknown."
"Then do you think there could be earth-elemental lords in the mine that those miners spoke of?" Durin asked with a slight tension.
Kreslin immediately shook his head and said with certainty, "Absolutely impossible! If an intelligent earth-elemental lord were born in the mine, then all of Zaun would be completely destroyed. Because, in their perception, Zaun belongs to their territory! Hmm... as for what those miners said, it's actually just some small earth-elemental creatures that were startled by the mining and then reacted defensively."
"Then what should we do if we encounter them?" Durin continued to ask.
Kreslin glanced at him, frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice, "You have too many questions today. As for how to deal with them, just destroy the elemental crystal within their bodies!"
"Alright, today's idle chat ends here. Continue working."
Kreslin stopped the momentum of further conversation, instead turning back to continue his alchemy experiments, occasionally asking Durin to hand him tools or clean glass bottles and jars.
When it was time to leave, Durin received his daily 20 copper circle coin wages, then carefully handed the recorded experimental log to Kreslin. He cleaned the alchemy table and then left the room.
Next, Durin needed to make some preparations for himself, firstly to ensure his own safety, and secondly to ensure no accidents occurred, while also waiting for the agreed time to arrive.
Only after all the miners had finished work could he head to the meeting point six hundred meters south of the second street in the Undercity, and then, led by the miner Slaut, enter the small mine to secretly extract the coveted Xin Tisi Crystal.