Chapter 41

Luo En finished his work at the herb shop. Lady Ailan was as severe as ever today, but when teaching him how to make an anti-toxin potion, her attitude was surprisingly patient.

"Don't be late tomorrow." The old witch urged when he left: "I have a few new formulas that need your help to test."

Walking on the way back to the dormitory, his thoughts were complicated.

Becoming a formal entry-level apprentice has been for a while, although there is no difference from before on the surface, he can clearly feel the change in people's attitudes around him.

"Apprentice Luo En!" A familiar voice came from behind, interrupting his thoughts.

Turning around, it was Ge Li Gao Li, a probationary apprentice who usually didn't communicate with him.

This person comes from a merchant family, is accustomed to climbing up and attaching to the powerful, and never looks straight at classmates with mediocre or even inferior aptitude.

But at this moment, Ge Li Gao Li's attitude was completely different, running over with a full face of smiles:

"Heard that you have passed the apprentice qualification certification? It's really admirable!"

"What's the matter?" Luo En asked coldly.

"Of course I have nothing urgent." Ge Li Gao Li's smile was even more attentive:

"Just want to ask if you need a capable assistant? I have a lot of experience in document organization and data retrieval, and I am also proficient in bookkeeping and ancient languages of the Three Kingdoms. If you have any needs..."

Luo En immediately understood the other party's intention—this is seeking protection, hoping to become his slave.

In the Black Mist Jungle, becoming an apprentice's slave can at least guarantee basic survival rights. For those probationary apprentices who see no hope, this is already a quite good ending.

"Not needed, I'm used to acting alone." Luo En refused decisively.

The smile on Ge Li Gao Li's face couldn't hold, but he still insisted:

"If you change your mind, you can find me at any time! I live in Room 34, West Wing..."

Luo En didn't wait for him to finish and had already turned and left.

But after walking a few steps, he was called by another voice.

"Apprentice Luo En~"

A sweet, somewhat cloying female voice came from the side.

Luo En saw a female apprentice with a graceful figure walking toward him, her steps light, her dress deliberately worn looser than usual, revealing a large area of snow-white skin.

Luo En recognized her as Yi Sha Bei La, a probationary apprentice from a noble family in the south.

In his memory, this woman was very close to Ai Mi Li, and the two often appeared together at various apprentice gatherings.

"Heard that you have talent in potionology." Yi Sha Bei La blinked her big eyes, her voice sweet:

"I happen to be very interested in this area. I don't know if I can ask you for some guidance?"

She deliberately leaned very close, wanting to stick her plump parts to the arm of the person in front of her, and the rich perfume mixed with some ambiguous breath rushed toward him.

Luo En keenly noticed that behind the kind of worship she deliberately created, there was calculation and sophistication hidden.

What made him even more uncomfortable was that through the keen perception further improved after transferring to 【Wizard Apprentice】, he could clearly detect the kind of indescribable "usage traces" on this noble lady—

She was clearly no longer a pure girl, but a veteran of the bedchamber who had experienced many sexual encounters.

Just as Luo En tactfully avoided the other party's approach and prepared to refuse again, several other female probationary apprentices surrounded him.

Everyone was dressed exceptionally enchantingly, and their words were full of explicit hints:

"Apprentice Luo En, I can do anything for you..."

"My family also has some connections in the Fa Lu Ke Kingdom. If you need..."

"I have learned various ways to please people since I was a child, I guarantee I can make you..."

These words made Luo En feel a burst of nausea.

He knew very well the purpose of these people—to rely on a newly promoted entry-level apprentice and exchange their bodies for safety guarantees.

In their eyes, he was just a new object of attachment, a tool that could be discarded at will.

"Enough." Luo En said coldly, while radiating a mental fluctuation invisible to the naked eye.

It was precisely the new ability he acquired after becoming an entry-level apprentice—Mental Interference. Although it only has an interference effect in battles of the same level, it was more than enough to deal with these probationary apprentices.

【Mental Interference (Entry) Experience +1】

Perhaps because the Mental Interference ability was recorded as a skill, Luo En felt that his control over it at this time was much stronger than when he first acquired this ability.

An invisible fluctuation spread with him as the center, and those apprentices surrounding him immediately felt a burst of dizziness.

Their thoughts became chaotic, some retreated staggeringly, and some even sat directly on the ground, looking blank.

"I have no interest in you, and I don't need any slaves." Luo En's tone was calm but carried a deep chill:

"Don't come to bother me again, otherwise, I don't mind letting you lose a few parts."

After speaking, he turned and left, leaving behind a group of probationary apprentices who had not yet fully recovered from the mental interference, looking at each other. They all saw extreme jealousy and unwillingness in each other's eyes.

Returning to the dormitory, he had just locked the door when he heard a knock.

"It's me, Andre." A familiar voice came from outside the door.

Luo En opened the door and saw the blond Thirteenth Prince standing at the door, his face somewhat solemn.

"Heard that you just gave those probationary apprentices an unforgettable lesson in the corridor?" Andre curled his lips, but his smile looked a bit reluctant.

"The news spreads really fast..." Luo En stepped aside to let Andre into the room: "Those guys are like feces stuck to the soles of the feet, it really made me a bit annoyed."

"This kind of thing is normal." Andre shrugged: "In the Black Mist Jungle, every promoted apprentice will experience this 'welcome ceremony.' Those probationary apprentices who see no hope always hope to hold onto a new thigh."

Luo En nodded, then noticed that Andre's expression was not quite right. The elegant and confident temperament of the past still existed, but there was a trace of worry and struggle in his eyes, as if there was something unspeakable.

"What's wrong?" Luo En put down the refining utensils he was organizing and looked at Andre seriously, "You look like you have something on your mind."

Andre sighed and sat down in a chair: "Nothing, just some annoying demands from the family side."

He smiled reluctantly and turned to ask: "By the way, heard that you have passed the entry-level apprentice qualification certification, this is really good news. How is the school side? They shouldn't have deducted your resource allocation, right?"

Luo En did not answer immediately, but poured two cups of herbal tea he had just obtained from Lady Ailan and handed one to Andre.

"Thanks," Andre took the teacup and took a sip: "What is this? Tastes good."

"A mixture of tranquilizing grass and moon-viewing root." Luo En sat opposite Andre: "Lady Ailan said this can relieve mental fatigue. It looks like you need this right now."

Andre's mouth twitched slightly, obviously Luo En's words hit the nail on the head.

He stared at the liquid in the cup, seemingly thinking about how to respond.

(End of chapter)