Chapter 9

Luo En nodded; he still had discomfort from the body tempering, but since he promised to go, he couldn't break his word.

"Then I'll accompany you." Andre said thoughtfully: "That shopkeeper... is said to be a person with a great background."

"You mean?"

"I don't know the specifics." He shrugged, "But anyone who can open a shop in the Black Fog Jungle must have a background that is not simple."

The two returned along the path they came, and the morning light had dispelled most of the haze.

Passing by a cluster of mutant fungi, Luo En noticed that the color of those fluorescent fungi seemed to be brighter than when they came.

"This is..."

"Your perception has improved." Andre explained, a playful smile on his face:

"After body tempering, the five senses will become more acute. This degree of change is roughly equivalent to improving from an ordinary person to..."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words: "... a qualified Knight Attendant; it still can't compare to a junior apprentice."

Luo En's heart moved; this change was indeed very obvious, not just vision, but even the faint magic fluctuations in the air seemed to become clearer.

Of course, a considerable part of this gain came from the bonus of Potion Apprentice. However, he didn't intend to tell Andre about this yet.

"Here we are."

The two stood in front of the herb shop, the mottled wooden door was tightly closed, and a bronze wind chime hung on the door frame, making a crisp sound when the breeze blew.

"Strange..." Andre frowned, "It should be open by now."

Just at this moment, the wind chime suddenly shook violently, making a harsh sound.

Immediately after, a hoarse voice came from inside the shop: "Come in, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Luo En and Andre looked at each other, both seeing a trace of vigilance in each other's eyes.

This kind of weird situation often means some kind of danger in the Black Fog Jungle.

But since they had already come, they couldn't just leave, and turning around and running might have the possibility of completely angering the other party, so they could only take one step at a time.

The moment the door was pushed open, various strange smells rushed to his face.

Compared to the last time, after Luo En's perception was strengthened, he could clearly distinguish the magic fluctuations contained within—some full of vitality, some carrying deadly toxicity.

The shopkeeper was sitting behind the counter, with a crystal ball emitting purple smoke in front of her.

He didn't dare to look carefully last time, but this time looking carefully, Luo En found that her eagle-beak-like giant nose and hunched body, as well as the skin wrinkled like a dried riverbed, gave people the feeling of being like Yubaba in "Spirited Away," weird and terrifying.

And at this moment, this old witch was looking at the two with those eyes glowing with faint green light, meaningfully.

"Protection of the Sun..."

She suddenly spoke, her gaze lingering on Luo En for a moment, "Although it is incomplete, it is also very rare."

Luo En was shocked; he had clearly changed his clothes, and logically, those golden patterns should have been completely covered.

"Don't be surprised." The shopkeeper showed a mysterious smile, "In front of mysterious means, this little disguise is not worth mentioning."

Her gaze turned to Andre:

"As for you, little prince of the Farouk family, it seems you intend to cash in all the family heritage?"

Andre's face changed slightly: "You are..."

"Relax, child, you can call me Madam Ellen." The shopkeeper waved her hand and began to tidy up the messy utensils on the table:

"I have no interest in that little thing of your secular royal family."

She took out a rusty iron box from under the counter:

"Your grandfather also often came to me to buy medicine back then; at that time, he was only a fifteen-year-old hairy boy, shouting all day that he wanted to be a great wizard..."

Speaking of this, she suddenly stopped, seemingly falling into some kind of memory.

A moment later, her gaze refocused on Luo En: "So, you are here to apply for an assistant?"

"Yes." Luo En nodded, trying to keep his voice steady.

Although the other party appeared very friendly, the pressure from someone stronger was still uncomfortable.

"Hmm..." Madam Ellen stared at Luo En deeply, "The talent for potions is not bad, and the foundation is also very solid. However..."

Luo En was shocked; the other party could see his potion skill level just by looking twice? He hadn't revealed anything yet.

"However, just accumulating those book knowledge is not enough." Madam Ellen stood up, "Follow me, let me see your actual level."

She led the two through the shelves and came to a room deep in the shop.

The moment the door was pushed open, a rich medicinal fragrance rushed to his face.

This was a simple refining room, with various utensils placed on several workbenches.

Herbs were neatly arranged on the shelves by the wall, some still glowing faintly.

"Just use these materials." She pointed to several herbs on the workbench, "Configure a bottle of soothing potion."

The old witch looked at Luo En's slightly hesitant expression: "Don't worry about failure, these are the most basic materials. And..."

A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "At your current level, there shouldn't be any big problems."

Luo En walked to the workbench and began to carefully identify those materials.

The 【Herb Identification】 ability acquired after changing profession was playing a role, allowing him to judge the attributes of each material more accurately.

On the workbench, several different herbs were placed:

The leaves of moonlight grass presented a translucent silver color, and the medicinal properties soaked by moonlight were the most gentle;

Mandrake root was cut into thin slices, with faint blue light on the edges;

The stems of thorn vine still carried sharp thorns, and each thorn tip flickered with faint red light;

And some plants that Luo En couldn't name, but through the 【Herb Identification】 ability, he could at least judge their basic attributes.

"These are all things I have learned, there shouldn't be any problem." Luo En muttered to himself.

The combination of these materials is quite particular—moonlight grass can soothe the nerves, mandrake root can slightly stimulate the spirit, while thorn vine can solidify the medicinal properties, and other materials are also configured around this direction.

The problem lies in the ratio; the medicinal properties of different materials will conflict with each other, and a slight mistake will lead to failure.

Luo En began to recall the records about soothing potions in "Fundamentals of Potions."

Although this kind of basic potion is simple, to make it perfect tests the refiner's understanding of the characteristics of various materials.

"Use the tools as you like." Madam Ellen added, but her gaze remained on Luo En, seemingly observing something.

Andre leaned against the door, watching this scene, feeling a bit nervous in his heart.

He was really afraid that the other party wouldn't be able to refine it, angering this mysterious shopkeeper and making the two unable to walk out of the shop's door.

Luo En took a deep breath and began the preparation work.

First is the moonlight grass—tear the leaves along the leaf veins, which can maintain the integrity of the medicinal properties;

Then is the mandrake root—if cut horizontally, the medicinal properties are too fierce, so choose to cut diagonally, letting the medicinal effect release slowly;

As for the thorn vine, it needs to be peeled with silver tools, otherwise it will affect other materials...

【Herb Identification (Entry) Experience +1】

【Potion Refining (Entry) Experience +1】

He could clearly realize the difference between now and when he was a white-board without a profession after taking up 【Potion Apprentice】; when practicing skills related to potions, the difficulty of increasing experience points was significantly easier.

Every detail was increasing his understanding, and this perception of materials would in turn help him make more accurate judgments.

"Good technique." Madam Ellen suddenly spoke, "It seems you have put a lot of effort into studying the basics."

Luo En didn't answer; he was concentrating on adjusting the ratio of the medicinal liquid.

With the help of the perception ability acquired after changing profession, he could clearly feel the interaction between different materials.

When the last herb was added to the copper pot, the color of the medicinal liquid began to change—from the initial turbidity, it gradually became clear, and finally presented an amber color.

"Time is just right."

Madam Ellen moved her gaze from the pocket watch in her hand and finally looked at the medicinal liquid in the copper pot: "The color and concentration are very standard."

She scooped up some with a silver spoon and fanned it in front of her nose: "The precipitation degree of medicinal properties is also perfect; it seems you have a thorough understanding of the material characteristics."

At this moment, Luo En noticed that her gaze suddenly became sharp: "However..."

(End of chapter)