Chapter 33

"I... I thought you might be Lady Ailan's daughter or a relative." Luo En looked away in embarrassment, his voice filled with obvious confusion.

She laughed again, this time even more uninhibitedly: "Daughter? This old bag of bones has lived for hundreds of years; where would I get a daughter from?"

Only then did Luo En notice that although her appearance was completely different, the way she spoke and the sharpness in her eyes were exactly the same as Lady Ailan's.

"But you..." He did not know how to describe the change before him.

"You don't need to be too surprised." Lady Ailan turned slightly to explain: "During the few days each month when magical fluctuations are most active, I can briefly return to my youthful appearance."

She stretched her body, seemingly enjoying the comfort brought by this young physique:

"This is also why I closed the shop early today. During these days, I usually close up to focus on potion research and finish the backlog of orders for the month. Old customers like Holt know a thing or two about it."

Luo En nodded, but his perception had already captured more information.

With the strengthening of his primary apprentice mental power, he could clearly feel the terrifying magical fluctuations emanating from Lady Ailan—

—that energy field, as dark and powerful as an abyss, was definitely not something an ordinary apprentice or even an advanced apprentice could possess.

A shocking thought flashed through Luo En's mind: Lady Ailan's strength at this moment had likely reached the level of a formal wizard!

"I had originally intended to tell you about this before," the beautiful pink-haired witch continued, seemingly unaware of Luo En's internal activity:

"But your conflict with Ma Kusi landed you directly in solitary confinement, so..."

At this moment, Luo En was somewhat curious about why Lady Ailan usually suffered from magical weakness and why her appearance was so aged, but he tactfully did not press the matter.

Everyone has their own secrets; rashly prying is often not a wise move.

"However, you've come at just the right time." Lady Ailan's tone became more relaxed: "Although it's a bit of a surprise, since you're here, let's talk business."

"Yes, my lady."

Seeing that they had returned to their familiar mode of interaction, Luo En's internal embarrassment dissipated somewhat, and he replied respectfully:

"I came to tell you that I have finished my confinement early. Also, I wanted to ask you some questions."

Lady Ailan looked him over with interest, her deep green eyes flashing with a light that seemed to see through everything:

"It's not just that your confinement is over, is it? The change in your aura is very obvious; have you already broken through to a primary apprentice?"

Luo En nodded slightly: "Yes, I broke through by chance while in solitary confinement."

"By chance?" Lady Ailan raised one exquisite eyebrow, a playful smile on her lips:

"Breaking through in that kind of environment is not something that can be explained by 'chance'."

She walked around the counter and took a few steps forward.

The young body made her movements exceptionally light and elegant, a far cry from her usual hunched posture.

"Your aura is very stable, and the fluctuations of your mental power are also even," Lady Ailan evaluated:

"Better than most apprentices who have just broken through. It seems the environment of the solitary confinement cell actually did you a big favor."

Luo En did not deny it: "Indeed, the isolated environment allowed me to focus more on meditation and cultivation."

"So, what questions did you want to ask?" Lady Ailan crossed her arms over her chest, a posture that made a certain part appear even more prominent.

"I have two questions."

Luo En kept his eyes straight, trying to reply as briefly as possible; he knew she had always valued efficient communication:

"The first question: I want to learn about higher-level meditation techniques. The basic meditation technique can no longer satisfy my needs."

Lady Ailan nodded, seemingly not surprised by this question:

"The basic meditation technique is like a phonetic dictionary used by toddlers; there will always come a day when you learn it and cast it aside. Your mental power has indeed reached the level where it requires more advanced guidance."

"And the second question?"

Luo En hesitated for a moment, then decided to ask directly: "How much do you know about Oliver?"

Hearing this name, Lady Ailan's expression instantly became serious, and a gravity and sophistication inconsistent with her youthful, beautiful face appeared:

"Oliver? Did he come to you?"

Luo En briefly described Oliver's visit and how he had spent magic stone fragments to get him released from solitary confinement.

"That is not a good thing. That kid is never 'kind' without a reason; every gift of his has careful calculation behind it."

Her fingers tapped lightly on the counter, the rhythm scattered and irregular.

A moment later, Lady Ailan walked slowly back to the counter, her slender fingers skimming over a row of locked drawers, finally stopping at one that looked plain but was marked with a miniature sealing rune.

"Regarding your first question..." A small silver key had appeared in her hand, though he didn't know when.

The key was inserted into the lock, and with an almost imperceptible "click," the drawer slid open quietly.

Lady Ailan took out a small notebook bound in dark leather, with an irregular blood-red gemstone embedded on the cover, glowing with an eerie light under the lamp.

"I do have some information on higher-level meditation techniques. Here, it's this."

As her fingers brushed over the cover of the notebook, the gemstone seemed to react to her touch, flickering once.

Her eyes also became deep and distant at this moment, as if piercing through the long river of time:

"The 'Whispers of the Star-Eater,' also known as the 'Star Cluster Meditation Technique'—this is a gemstone-level meditation technique one level higher than the basic one. It is said to have been created on the edge of madness and clarity by an ancient traveling wizard whose mind was shattered by those terrifying existences between the stars."

Lady Ailan's finger stopped on a page in the book, on which a complex rune structure was drawn.

It looked like dozens of basic meditation runes intertwined in an incredible way, forming a larger, more complete energy circuit.

"It allows mental power to flow according to the trajectories of the stars, achieving twice the result with half the effort. Of course, it also comes with corresponding risks." The beautiful pink-haired witch continued to introduce:

"It is very suitable for those who have already broken through to primary apprentice, and can even help you break through all the way to a formal wizard..."

Luo En almost held his breath, his gaze involuntarily drawn to that rune structure.

Even just a brief glance, he felt an inexplicable attraction, as if the rune itself contained some kind of summons.

(End of chapter)