Chapter 32

Andre's expression changed subtly; a flash of alertness crossed his eyes, but he quickly returned to calm.

As a prince who grew up in the palace and was accustomed to power struggles, he instantly heard the true meaning in Luo En's words.

"You want to contact the black market?" Andre's voice lowered a bit: "This is not a wise choice, especially under the current circumstances."

Luo En did not respond directly, instead patiently waiting for the other party to continue.

Andre sighed: "If it's just for potion research, I can give you some advice."

He walked to the window and, after confirming there were no suspicious energy fluctuations around, continued:

"Underground trading in the Black Mist Jungle mainly happens in three places:

The safest is the special exchange at the 'Sunset Tavern'; the guards there ensure the privacy of the transaction;

Next is 'Lizard Alley'; although there is no extra guarantee, the variety of traded items is much greater than at the Sunset Tavern;

Finally, there is 'Blackwater Bay'; that is the most dangerous place; it is said that even powerhouses at the formal wizard level occasionally look for things they are interested in there."

Luo En carefully noted this information, while noticing Andre's familiarity with these places; clearly, he was not just speaking from hearsay.

"There are a few points to pay extra attention to during transactions." Andre continued, his tone carrying the flavor of experience:

"First, never reveal your true identity; second, bring enough magic stone fragments, but don't carry them all on you; third, it's best to find a trusted middleman to introduce you; the first transaction is the most dangerous."

He paused, his tone extremely serious: "Most importantly, don't be greedy. Only buy what you truly need, then leave immediately."

Luo En nodded: "Sounds like you are very familiar with these."

Andre showed a complex smile: "In the Black Mist Jungle, to survive, sometimes you need some... rather special channels."

He did not explain further, but Luo En already understood.

In this cruel world, everyone has their own way of surviving, even the noble-born Thirteenth Prince is no exception.

"Thank you for your advice." Luo En said sincerely: "I will be careful."

The two chatted about recent events, and then Andre said goodbye and left.

Alone, Luo En began to organize what he had seen and heard.

Ao Li Fu's sudden visit, the changes in black market potions, plus Ma Kusi's malicious look—everything seemed to point to some ominous premonition.

But he was no longer that weak candidate apprentice.

The qualitative change in spirit power gave him the ability to contend with higher-level apprentices, and the career linkage system in his body gave him a powerful trump card.

"No matter what Ao Li Fu is planning." Luo En clenched his fists, feeling no fear in his heart: "As long as I have time to develop, everything will be solved."

However, what he had just discussed with Andre about black market channels reminded him of something.

Luo En spread out the school's quarterly newsletter he had accidentally obtained, which recorded important school events from the past three months.

Turning to the "Mentor Council" column, he found some interesting content:

Mentors evaluate apprentices in the school every quarter, and those apprentices who perform well often receive extra resource allocation and guidance opportunities.

But puzzlingly, on the next page of the newsletter, a list of apprentices who had recently been punished for violating rules was listed.

Among them, several had even mutated due to taking contraband potions and were eventually executed or sent to the laboratory.

"Locke, Emily, my lord De..." Luo En's gaze lingered on these familiar names, and a doubt arose in his heart.

If the mentors truly valued apprentices with potential so much, why could these contraband potions circulate so easily? Why were there always apprentices willing to take risks?

He flipped to earlier newsletters and found that this situation was not rare—almost every quarter had similar cases; the circulation of contraband potions seemed to have become a part of the Black Mist Jungle.

"Is there some logic here that I haven't seen?" Luo En frowned, thinking carefully.

If those powerful formal wizards really wanted to completely eradicate the circulation of contraband potions, with their ability and authority, they could completely do so.

But in fact, these potions not only existed but, to some extent, seemed to be tacitly approved.

Luo En remembered Andre mentioning earlier that even formal wizards would patronize dangerous black markets like Blackwater Bay.

"Could it be..." A bold idea appeared in Luo En's mind: "Could the circulation of these contraband potions be tacitly approved, or even encouraged, by the formal wizards to some extent?"

This idea, while crazy, explained many phenomena.

Perhaps in the eyes of the mentors, this was a screening mechanism—truly talented and disciplined apprentices would choose a steady growth path, while those who lacked talent and were eager for quick success and lacked patience would be tempted by contraband potions and eventually perish.

"This is like a game." Luo En concluded in his heart: "A 'promotion and elimination game' with rules set by the mentors."

They both hoped for talented newcomers to emerge in the school and did not want an environment that was too comfortable to make apprentices lack a sense of crisis.

Moderate danger and competition could instead stimulate a stronger desire for survival and motivation for progress.

Luo En had previously viewed it too simply as the oppression of the weak by the strong; now it seemed the situation was much more complex.

Since this was the case, the risk of him being caught and used as an experimental subject might not be as high as imagined, especially since he had shown enough potential and self-discipline.

Those wizards were more willing to see him grow into a future colleague than a piece of experimental material that had lost the ability to think.

Taking out my lord De's notebook, Luo En prepared to look at the concept of sonic spells first.

Since Ao Li Fu had shown interest in this, this spell was very likely to become the key to future confrontations.

The focused research lasted for several hours, and the sky had gradually darkened.

Luo En rubbed his eyes, stood up, and decided to take a trip to the herb shop.

For one, to notify Lady Ai Lun that he had been released from confinement early, and also to ask this experienced old pharmacist some questions, especially about Ao Li Fu and higher-level meditation methods.

The slightly reddish sunset glow plated the Black Mist Jungle with a strange halo, and the flow of people in the market had thinned out a lot.

When Luo En walked to the front of the herb shop, he found the door was already tightly closed, and the active vines on the door twisted and spiraled, forming the words "Shop Closed."

Luo En felt strange; usually, Lady Ai Lun's herb shop shouldn't have reached closing time yet.

He was just about to turn and leave when he suddenly stopped his steps.

The keen perception brought by being an advanced apprentice allowed him to clearly capture the unusually active mana behind the door.

That was not a dangerous fluctuation, but it was definitely not the calm that should exist after the shop closed.

After hesitating for a moment, Luo En still knocked on the door gently.

"Who?" An old voice with a bit of fatigue came from inside; it was exactly Lady Ai Lun's familiar voice.

"It's me, Luo En." He answered softly.

There was a brief silence behind the door, followed by an inaudible sigh.

"I'm very busy right now; if you have anything, come back tomorrow morning."

Luo En could hear the well-hidden irritability in Lady Ai Lun's voice. As someone with basic emotional intelligence, he did not want to add trouble to Lady Ai Lun.

"I understand, my lady. Then, I will visit again tomorrow morning." Luo En said tactfully, having already turned to leave.

"Wait..." Lady Ai Lun suddenly changed her mind, her voice carrying a hint of hesitation: "Come in, since you're already here."

Accompanied by a metallic friction sound, the tightly closed shop door opened automatically.

Luo En cautiously stepped into the shop; the familiar herbal fragrance rushed toward him, but it was mixed with a peculiar scent he had never smelled before—something like night-blooming jasmine, but with a more rich and cloying sweetness.

The light in the shop was also dimmer than usual, with only a few faint magic crystal lamps flickering, bringing a hazy atmosphere to the space.

Just as Luo En walked in, his gaze was immediately attracted by the figure behind the counter—a young woman was standing there, organizing the account book.

She had stunning, long, pink-purple curly hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, shimmering with dreamlike luster under the light.

The woman's profile was gorgeous and delicate, her porcelain-white skin glowing with a healthy, moist luster, and her large, bright eyes were like gemstones.

Most eye-catching was that high bridge of the nose, carrying a proud and elegant curve, which, when combined with the whole face, was perfectly unbelievable.

"You are..." Luo En asked hesitantly, his gaze searching for Lady Ai Lun's figure in the shop.

The woman was only wearing a loose silk nightgown, with the neckline and cuffs slipped down, revealing a large area of white, tender skin and breathtaking, proud curves.

That casual and unconscious posture was more fatal than deliberate seduction, completely different from the image of the old witch with a wrinkled face, hooked nose, and hunched back in Luo En's memory.

"What's wrong, little one? Can't recognize me?" The woman turned her face slightly, saying in a familiar tone that made his hair stand on end.

Those dark green eyes—they were exactly Lady Ai Lun's unique eyes!

"Lady Ai Lun?!" Luo En couldn't believe his judgment, but those eyes definitely couldn't be wrong.

The other party let out a chuckle, which was exactly Lady Ai Lun's slightly hoarse, old laughter.

But at this moment, it came from the mouth of this young woman who looked no more than eighteen or nineteen, giving people a feeling of extreme incongruity.

"It seems my change has taken you by surprise." She put down the account book, rested her hands on the counter, and leaned forward; this unconscious action made the neckline of the nightgown even looser.

The inspiration for Lady Ai Lun's character design: Master Genkai from "YuYu Hakusho"; I don't know how many old-timers still know this character.

Additionally, this book may not have a heroine in the strict sense; after all, wizards are long-lived species, and there's really no need to linger on such matters.

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(End of this chapter)