Chapter 94

"Since my swordsmanship is nearing a breakthrough, I might as well practice more while I can..."

Luo En picked up the Ironwood Sword and continued his daily training.

The sword light flickered in the room, every movement striving for precision and fluidity, perfectly combining the "Corona Breathing Method" with swordsmanship.

As he completed a set of Corona Swordsmanship, he felt a familiar omen that a skill was about to break through.

"If I persist for a while longer, I can step into the realm of mastery in swordsmanship. It's truly exciting to think about a powerful trait like 'Sharpness' advancing once more..."

【Successfully reset negative status: Fatigue, Energy -1】

The young man's eyes were bloodshot; he forced himself to keep them wide open, trying to capture that flash of inspiration during his repetitive practice:

【Basic Swordsmanship Experience +1】

【Current Progress: Basic Swordsmanship (Proficient 98/100)】

………………

Gwendolyn stood in the bright hall of the registration office, her fingers tapping impatiently on the marble counter.

As an intermediate apprentice, she shouldn't have been relegated to such a trivial position.

But considering the "perks" of this job—every wandering apprentice and alien who came to sign up for various professional certifications would slip her quite a few benefits—she didn't find it so repulsive after all.

She tidied her chestnut hair, her gaze sweeping over the pedestrians hurrying past outside the window.

Today's work was drawing to a close, and she was just considering whether to attend that small apprentice gathering in the evening when she suddenly felt a majestic wave of magic power coming from the end of the corridor.

"Gwendolyn."

The deep voice made her straighten her back immediately, and she quickly turned to face the newcomer.

It was Ma Genusi Claw, one of the most senior potion professors in the school, and also a distant cousin of her great-grandmother.

Yet it was precisely because of this relationship, which was so distant it was almost invisible, that she was able to obtain this lucrative position.

"Master Ma Genusi." Gwendolyn bowed respectfully, feeling secretly nervous, fearing she had done something wrong again.

The old apothecary walked over with a steady gait and placed a document stamped with the school's official seal on the counter.

His white beard was groomed meticulously, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and the radiation field on his body was quickly retracted after causing a slight stinging sensation for the female apprentice.

"This is the workshop contract for East District No. 14." Ma Genusi said, his fingers tapping lightly on the document:

"I hope you can personally deliver it to the apprentice Luo En Ralph."

Hearing this somewhat familiar name, Gwendolyn's expression changed slightly.

Luo En Ralph? That greenhorn who came to sign up for the apothecary certification a few days ago?

She still remembered how she had looked at his request with contempt at the time, and even kindly advised him to give up to save the registration fee.

"Master Ma Genusi, isn't this kind of thing usually handled by the magical creature messengers raised by the school?"

She asked tentatively, her fingers subconsciously clenching tightly.

The old apothecary's deep eyes stared straight at her, making Gwendolyn feel a sense of unease.

"I believe it is more appropriate for you to deliver it personally." His tone was beyond question: "After all, you were the registrar for his apothecary assessment, weren't you?"

Gwendolyn's heart sank abruptly. This sentence clearly carried a tone of reproach; Ma Genusi obviously knew her attitude toward Luo En at the time.

"Yes, Master." She admitted in a low voice, her cheeks heating up slightly.

"Very good." Ma Genusi nodded, his beard trembling slightly with his words:

"I think you should know that Luo En Ralph not only passed the assessment but also received an 'Excellent' rating. This is an extremely rare achievement in the history of the Black Mist School, especially for such a young apprentice."

Gwendolyn widened her eyes, looking at Ma Genusi in disbelief.

"'Excellent' rating?" She repeated almost involuntarily: "He looks no more than fifteen or sixteen! How is this possible—"

Her sources only knew that the other party had passed the assessment, but an "Excellent" rating? And given by this old stick-in-the-mud in front of her?

"That is precisely my question," Ma Genusi interrupted her gently, a flash of appreciation in his eyes:

"But the fact is, his potion refining skills have reached a level that many practicing apothecaries find difficult to attain."

The old apothecary leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping:

"The school needs geniuses like him, Gwendolyn. I hope you can take this opportunity to make amends for your previous... little mistake."

Gwendolyn immediately understood Ma Genusi's intention; this was a deliberate opportunity for her to apologize.

She bit her lower lip and nodded: "I understand, Master. I will personally deliver the contract to him, and... express my apologies."

"Very good." Ma Genusi nodded with satisfaction and turned to leave, but stopped again:

"By the way, although he currently only holds the professional apothecary certification, my judgment is that his actual level is already extremely close to the standard of a senior apothecary, or even higher. Remember this."

When Ma Genusi's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Gwendolyn let out a long breath, her tense shoulders relaxing.

She picked up the contract and examined the information on it carefully.

East District No. 14—that was quite a good location; the East District was usually the private territory of those with special backgrounds.

Gwendolyn frowned in thought while packing her things, preparing to head to the apprentice dormitory area.

Walking along the winding stone path, the female apprentice's heart was churning with various emotions.

Curiosity, confusion, jealousy, and a hint of indescribable awe.

She muttered to herself in her heart, her footsteps echoing in the twilight.

"Potionology is almost the most experience-dependent of all extraordinary disciplines. Controlling the heat, grasping the timing of material interactions, adjusting energy fluctuations... all of these require countless attempts and failures to truly comprehend."

She recalled the apothecary certification assessment she had taken about five years ago.

At that time, she had been studying potionology for over a decade and thought she was well-prepared, yet she still failed in the practical refining section.

That sense of frustration was still fresh in her memory.

"A fifteen or sixteen-year-old child... how could he master these?" Gwendolyn shook her head, her brow furrowed:

"Unless he has some special talent, or... past-life memories?"

Ancient books recorded some legendary figures who were said to be able to retain past-life memories through special means, or had fragments of ancient existences hidden in their souls.

These people often displayed talent and comprehension far beyond ordinary people.

"Perhaps he is such an existence?" Gwendolyn pondered, then laughed at herself:

"What am I thinking about... there are plenty of strange things in the extraordinary world; perhaps he is just a simple genius?"

She stopped dwelling on this question and turned to consider how to apologize.

A gift was essential, but what should she give a newly promoted apothecary?

Potion materials? Too ordinary...

Equipment and tools? According to the information she had gathered before, as a student of Lady Ailan, the other party might already possess quite a few high-quality tools.

A thought suddenly flashed through her mind: "Furniture! What a new workshop needs is a set of suitable furniture!"

Gwendolyn quickened her pace, her plan gradually taking shape.

She worked at the registration office in the East District and was familiar with various merchants, so she could easily arrange for a set of high-quality furniture to be delivered to Luo En's new workshop.

Although it had no extraordinary effects, it was highly practical and could demonstrate her sincerity.

"This is a good apology gift..." Gwendolyn thought, the corners of her mouth slightly raised:

"I can also use this to establish a good relationship with this newly promoted apothecary. Who knows if it will come in handy in the future?"

With this thought in mind, she quickened her pace toward the apprentice dormitory area, her mood becoming lighter.

………………

Luo En stood by the window, watching the morning light pierce through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the Black Mist Forest, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

After opening the door, Luo En saw Trish and her leopard-woman attendant Liyue standing outside.

The brown-haired girl was wearing a light-colored slim dress today, outlining her budding figure, and the sapphire badge on her chest shone brightly in the sunlight.

Compared to her, Liyue's posture was more alert, her golden beastly pupils scanning the surroundings constantly, clearly keeping her duty as a guard in mind at all times.

"Good morning, Luo En." Trish smiled slightly, a flash of admiration in her eyes:

"I'm here to pick up the potions, and by the way... congratulations on passing the professional apothecary certification."

Luo En stepped aside to let the guests in and closed the door behind him.

"I was planning to notify you in a while; I didn't expect you to know so soon."

He said with a smile, his gaze lingering on Trish's face for a moment.

The girl's lips were a tender red, and her complexion was much better than usual; she had clearly dressed up carefully before coming over.

"News always travels fast, especially about exceptions like you."

Trish had a hint of teasing in the corners of her mouth: "I heard you received an 'Excellent' rating? Master Ma Genusi is known for his strictness; he never gives such evaluations lightly."

Luo En smiled modestly, signaling for her to find a place to sit while he began to organize the potions on the table.

Trish's gaze swept across the room, lingering on the neatly arranged potions, a hint of deep thought in her eyes.

"Liyue told me that the variety of potions you agreed to make is quite extensive." She said: "It seems your progress is very smooth."

"Most of them are already completed." Luo En nodded, pushing several rows of bottles forward:

"These are basic potions, and their quality should be better than what you've used before. As for those high-difficulty ones, I plan to complete them after I enter the workshop later."

Trish picked up a bottle of Mental Stabilizer and observed it closely.

The liquid presented a perfect deep blue, with silver light spots evenly distributed inside the bottle, showing extremely high quality.

"The effect is indeed much stronger than before." She nodded slightly, a sincere appreciation in her eyes:

"It seems that after not seeing you for a while, your potion refining ability has improved again. You are worthy of being an apothecary genius who can obtain an 'Excellent' rating."

Luo En shrugged; he wouldn't get carried away by the girl's few words of praise, just habitually being modest:

"It's just the result of persistent and diligent practice. I'm not a naturally high-aptitude person like you, so I can only put in some hard work in this regard."

He organized the potions one by one and packaged them for easy carrying.

Trish signaled for Liyue to take out a heavy bag and push it toward Luo En.

"This is the balance, 50 Magic Stone Fragments. You can check it."

She said, then added: "Also, if you need any rare materials, I can help you obtain them through the sequence members' channels."

Luo En took the bag and nodded with satisfaction: "Thank you, this will be very helpful for me to establish my own potion workshop in the future."

After the transaction was completed, Trish did not leave immediately but signaled for the leopard-woman behind her to take out another package.

"I also brought a special little gift as a congratulatory gift for your promotion to apothecary."

After the package was opened, it revealed a well-crafted violin, next to which was a portable harmonica and several music scores and introductory tutorials on music theory.

Luo En raised an eyebrow in surprise, carefully picking up the violin, his fingers gently stroking the smooth wooden lacquer surface.

(End of chapter)