Chapter 102

In the workshop, dozens of sheets of paper were scattered on the desktop, and the dense notes were full of traces of underlining and modification.

Rows of test tubes were neatly arranged on the workbench, and the liquid inside presented various strange colors, some even constantly changing colors, as if they had life.

The night was deep, but Luo En insisted on continuing the experiment.

A head of black hair looked messy because of long-term bowing for research, and the fine sweat on his forehead shimmered in the dim magic crystal light.

"Wrong... still wrong..."

Luo En threw the notebook in his hand onto the table irritably, and a few drops of ink splashed onto his sleeves, but he didn't seem to notice at all.

He rubbed his eyebrows hard, trying to relieve a burst of stinging pain there.

This was already the third sleepless night.

He tried more than a dozen new formulas, adjusted the ratio of medicinal materials countless times, and even risked using some rare and dangerous materials, but found fatal flaws in the theoretical deduction stage.

Every combination that looked promising would eventually collapse at some point, like a carefully constructed house of cards that would always collapse before the last step.

"Why can't I find the right balance point?"

Luo En stood up, pacing back and forth in the small laboratory, looking worried.

The improved bloodline activation potion needs to meet three conditions simultaneously:

Sufficient activity, maintaining the directionality of bloodline variation, and stability to suppress deformation.

These three conditions restrict each other, like an impossible "choose two out of three" problem. Improving any one of them often leads to the deterioration of the other two.

"Activity increased, directionality lost control; stability enhanced, activity insufficient..."

With a low sigh, he walked to the corner of the laboratory and took down the violin leaning against the wall—this was a gift from Trish to celebrate his passing the professional Potion Master certification last time.

Although music cannot be included in the skill bar like other extraordinary skills, he found that playing the violin can effectively relieve his anxious mood.

The enlightenment increase brought by the 【Dual Soul】 talent also allowed him to learn music theory and etudes far faster than ordinary people.

He gently set the violin on his shoulder, closed his eyes, and began to play a soft minor tune.

The sound of the bow rubbing against the strings was exceptionally clear in the night, and although the tune was simple, it was full of emotion.

The melodious melody seemed to have a magical power, capable of smoothing out the restlessness in his heart.

"Well, the tune itself is indeed good, but my clumsy technique still needs improvement..."

Luo En smiled self-deprecatingly and put down the violin.

Music did have an effect; his mood calmed down a lot, and his thinking became clear.

He looked at the failed samples on the workbench, each representing an attempt, a setback.

Some were too gentle to provide enough activity, like trying to light wet wood with a candle;

Some were too radical, with deformation risks so high that they were appalling; once used, it was equivalent to suicide;

Others, although stable, could not provide enough directionality, making it difficult to point to more ancient and pure bloodlines, only magnifying existing weak characteristics, far from his expectations.

Taking a deep breath, Luo En forced himself to calm down: "Perhaps I need to think from another angle..."

He closed his eyes, feeling his heartbeat gradually stabilize, and his muscles relax bit by bit.

After several deep breaths, he decided to put this problem aside for the time being and focus on other affairs of the workshop.

"Staying here will only increase anxiety; it's better to shift attention first, maybe there will be new inspiration instead."

He said to himself, trying to use rationality to overcome emotions.

The workshop's business had been good recently, but Trish hadn't visited in person.

It seems that saying she would come to visit when she had time was just a polite remark; she had been sending Li Yue to pick up orders regularly and kept introducing new clients to him.

A few middle and high-level apprentices came because of her introduction. Although they knew Luo En was a famous potion genius recently, they showed suspicion about whether he had enough potion refining experience because of his age.

But under Trish's reputation guarantee, they were still willing to try buying some potions to use.

If the effects of these potions were recognized, the workshop's reputation would inevitably rise to a higher level.

But following that, the order volume would also increase significantly, and he alone could no longer cope.

Previously, he mainly relied on Andre's help, but the other party had no talent for potionology and could only help him do some chores. He was now in urgent need of a professional assistant, which was already an urgent matter.

Luo En picked up an order from the ground and looked at the deadline with a frown—only three days left.

If there was a professional assistant to help, he could save a lot of redundant material processing steps, at least not having to be so tired that he almost had a heart attack every time.

"Tree spirit... that tree spirit with special perception of plants should be very suitable for a potion workshop."

Luo En recalled the creature he saw at the Blake Alien Exchange, a flash of determination in his eyes:

"With current funds, buying it shouldn't be a problem."

He packed up the laboratory, carefully marked the failed samples and stored them—perhaps one day in the future they could provide some inspiration.

Changed into a decent robe, with a leather bag containing magic stone fragments tucked at his waist.

The silver pocket watch was gently pressed against the inner pocket of his chest, making a faint ticking sound, as if reminding him of the preciousness of time.

When leaving the workshop, Luo En checked the order book by the way.

There were currently three urgent orders that needed to be completed within three days, especially the batch of potions prepared for Trish, some materials needed to be processed in advance, otherwise it would be difficult to deliver on time.

"I really need help." He locked the workshop door and walked quickly toward the market area, having already reached a conclusion in his heart.

The weather in the Black Mist Jungle was as gloomy as ever, and faint mist lingered on the ground, like countless transparent snakes wandering on the ground.

Passing by the school cafeteria, Luo En saw a few primary apprentices queuing for food, their expressions numb and tired.

They bent their waists, their eyes hollow, like shells whose souls had been drawn out, only instinct driving their bodies to continue moving.

Although they had finally survived the probationary period, they had to face another round of elimination, and their eyes were full of uncertainty and fear about the future.

Luo En sighed silently in his heart; a few months ago, he had also stood in the same position, as uneasy as them, not knowing where to go.

"Life's encounters are really ever-changing..."

He quickened his pace, not wanting to be dragged down by these thoughts again.

Time is precious; if you don't grasp the hard-won opportunity well, it is the greatest disrespect to fate.

………………

The Blake Alien Exchange was located in the shadow on the east side of the market, and that rickety wooden sign was still hanging diagonally at the door, the handwriting on it even more blurred, as if it could dissipate into the wind at any time.

The two half-orc guards at the door were more vigilant than when they were seen last time, their eyes flashing with cold light, their muscles tense, ready to take down any troublemaker at any time.

But when they saw Luo En, they immediately restrained their hostility, lowered their heads respectfully, and gave way to a path.

"Noble Master Luo En, I heard, your glorious achievement of passing the professional Potion Master certification recently!"

As soon as the slave merchant saw Luo En, he immediately stood up from behind the counter, pulled his throat, and greeted him with a fawning smile:

"Since you came last time, I have been looking forward to your visit again."

The merchant's small eyes narrowed into a slit, his smile extremely greasy, making Luo En think of some second-hand dealers he had seen in his previous life.

Luo En nodded slightly, not caring about the other party's flattery, and went straight to the point:

"Is the tree spirit I saw last time still here?"

"Yes! Of course it is!" The merchant rubbed his hands, a flash of cunning light in his eyes:

"That was specially reserved for you. People offer to buy it every day, but I have always told them it has been booked."

Luo En sneered in his heart, not believing this statement at all.

The last time he came, this merchant probably had already sized up his interest in the tree spirit and deliberately kept this "rare commodity," just waiting for him to come back and buy it at a high price.

The merchant led Luo En through rows of cages, the low roars, sobs, and whispers of various extraordinary creatures intertwined on both sides, like a tragic chorus.

Finally, they came to a separate compartment in the backyard.

Compared to last time, this compartment seemed to have been cleaned more cleanly, and even a few green plants were placed in the corner.

It looked like it was to create an environment more suitable for the survival of the tree spirit, or more accurately, to show the value of this "commodity."

The tree spirit curled up in the corner, its calm eyes raised, quietly watching Luo En.

Its skin was still light green, covered with tiny scales, and the hair-like vines swayed slightly, showing a strange vitality.

Unlike last time, the tree spirit seemed to have some subtle reaction to Luo En's arrival.

Although its posture was still quiet, a trace of emotion that Luo En couldn't determine flashed in those eyes, as if it recognized him.

"Look, how well its state is maintained!"

The merchant patted his chest proudly, his voice full of pride:

"I specifically ordered people to water it with nutrient solution every day to ensure its activity won't drop."

(End of chapter)