Chapter 3

Hearing this news, Luo En was not surprised.

Trish had the worst background among the few fellow countrymen, but she also had the best spiritual aptitude.

He could still remember when he first saw that frail girl, her brown long hair tied into a bundle with hemp rope, and her clothes patched.

According to the well-informed Andre, the other party was just the daughter of an ordinary hunter in the mountains.

She was found by that white-robed wizard adult from some mountain ditch, and she actually tested out a third-class star spiritual aptitude.

The so-called star class is a spiritual aptitude standard promoted by wizards based on astronomical concepts, with the first-class star being the highest and the sixth the lowest.

What Luo En tested was a sixth-class star, just barely passing the standard line, while Andre was a bit better than him, a fifth-class star.

The gap between each star class is a full 2.5 times, and they are multiplied by each other; there is a full hundred-fold difference between the first and sixth class.

The third-class star is the dividing line between mediocrity and genius, and it is believed that as long as one does not die prematurely, there is hope for a smooth advancement to a formal wizard.

As for him, he is just a bit stronger than a Muggle, probably counting as a winter melon?

Luo En mocked himself in his heart while putting a few black nettle leaves into the cup, taking out a thermos to brew a cup for Andre.

"Yo, not bad, actually so generous today."

Andre examined the ceramic cup handed to him; in the steaming heat, faint small black particles could be seen floating in the tea.

"In this day and age, it's not easy to drink a cup of bitter water brewed with black nettle leaves."

His large fingers, full of calluses, were gently rubbing the rim of the cup, with a faint smile hanging on the corners of his mouth:

"But I didn't expect that the little young master of our Ralph family would be willing to take out such a treasure to entertain guests."

Indeed, this kind of tea that can make the spirit refreshed is a rare item in the Black Fog Jungle.

Its taste cannot be called delicious, and it can even be said to be quite terrible

—first comes a stinging spiciness on the tip of the tongue, followed by a bitterness that makes one want to vomit, and finally an uncomfortable numbness in the throat.

These are all thanks to the trace toxins within.

But it is precisely this characteristic that can keep people awake when they are sleepy that makes it a treasure that these candidate apprentices, who are struggling for advancement, flock to.

Luo En looked at Andre's pretentious elegant appearance and laughed secretly in his heart.

The current situation of this prince is actually no better than his own.

"If Your Highness likes it, I can..."

"Stop."

Andre raised a hand, the smile on his face unchanged, but his tone had a bit more vigilance:

"Your abnormal performance like this makes me even more worried. Tell me, what exactly is the matter?"

Luo En chuckled upon hearing this; he knew that this Thirteenth Highness was proficient in this way.

When they were in the royal capital, Andre was famous for this calm sharpness, which is why his several older brothers were particularly wary of this seemingly gentle younger brother, to the point of finding excuses to send him here.

"Okay, since Your Highness is so direct, I won't beat around the bush."

Luo En straightened his body, his tone also becoming serious: "I want to buy "Solar Corona Breathing Method" from you."

"Pfft—"

The tea Andre had just taken into his mouth almost sprayed out, and that face that had always maintained elegance finally showed a crack.

He hurriedly put down the teacup, a trace of incredulity flashing in his expression: "What did you say?"

""Solar Corona Breathing Method"." Luo En repeated, his eyes exceptionally firm, "I know this is one of the core heritages of the Farouk royal family, and also the best breathing method in the kingdom."

Andre's expression instantly became serious, the gentle and polite temperament just now vanished, replaced by a sharpness disproportionate to his age:

"I didn't expect you to make such a request; this is the foundation of our royal family..."

"I understand." Luo En interrupted him with a calm expression, "It is precisely because I understand its value that I will offer this price."

As he spoke, he took out a cloth bag from a close-fitting part of his clothing.

When he poured the contents of the bag onto the table, Andre's pupils contracted slightly.

It was a pile of crystal-clear fragments, emitting a faint light in the dim candlelight—magic stone fragments.

In this Black Fog Jungle, magic stone fragments are the only hard currency among apprentices.

One hundred magic stone fragments can be exchanged for one complete magic stone, but few people are willing to exchange them.

And one magic stone fragment is enough to live extravagantly in some nearby markets, and ten pieces can even buy a strong alien slave.

As for the "Basic Meditation" issued by the white-robed wizards, the marked price is only one complete magic stone.

"Thirty magic stone fragments." Luo En said word by word.

Andre just sneered, not even looking at the magic stone fragments on the table: "Just with these... are you dismissing a beggar?"

"You are right." A bitter smile appeared on the corner of Luo En's mouth, his gaze lingering on the pile of magic stone fragments for a moment: "Thirty pieces is indeed too little."

He counted a few more fragments from his bosom to make a round number and gently placed them on the table: "How about forty?"

Andre still maintained that cold expression, but his eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly thinking about something.

Luo En knew it was time to show his trump card.

"You also know, with my spiritual aptitude..."

He paused, his tone somewhat self-deprecating: "That pitiful sixth-class star, it is almost impossible to complete the advancement within three months."

"By then, it's either becoming experimental material or being exiled to the wilderness. And I..."

Luo En's voice lowered a bit, carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling: "I don't want to die, at least I don't want to die without dignity."

Andre's expression loosened slightly, but soon returned to that indifferent appearance: "So what?"

"So I need "Solar Corona Breathing Method"."

Luo En looked directly into Andre's eyes, "Among all the breathing methods I know, its effect is the strongest, and its potential is also the highest."

As he spoke, he added ten more magic stone fragments to the table: "Fifty pieces, this is all I can take out."

Andre looked at the small pile of glowing crystals on the table and fell into silence.

Luo En knew what the other party was hesitating about; although, in the final analysis, these secular nobles are no different from ordinary people in the eyes of the high-and-mighty wizards.

But these extraordinary heritages that wizards don't look down upon are the foundation for the Farouk royal family to rule mortals and other noble knights, and even more so the capital to stand in this world.

"You know." Andre finally spoke, his voice carrying a trace of fatigue: "This is not just a question of money..."

"I promise you." Luo En said solemnly: "This set of breathing methods will never be passed to a third person, and..."

His gaze lingered on Andre for a moment, seemingly weighing his words:

"I noticed you have been studying other wizard skills recently, and presumably you also need some extra resources."

This sentence obviously hit the nail on the head; Andre's eyes flickered, and he immediately showed a helpless smile: "You are really good at grasping people's weaknesses."

He sighed: "I have to say, you are much... more cunning than I imagined."

Recalling the taciturn son of the count a week ago, and looking at this eloquent trader now, Andre couldn't help but feel some emotion.

This kind of change might not be a bad thing.

"However." He straightened his body, his tone returning to his usual elegance: "Since I am going to teach you "Solar Corona Breathing Method", I have to start from the most basic..."

(End of chapter)