Chapter 58: Three Stages, Madness

He carefully put away the pocket watch and placed it on the bedside table within reach.

Lying on the bed, Luo En recalled the harvest of the day, and a smile appeared on his lips involuntarily.

Intuition told him that this "Time Guardian's Pocket Watch" was far more than it appeared on the surface.

"Time Guardian..." He whispered in his heart, slowly closing his eyes and entering a dream.

The first ray of morning sunlight penetrated the mist of the Black Fog Forest and shone obliquely on the wooden sign of the herb shop.

Luo En got up early and carefully placed the precious materials that were hard to come by into special containers.

He felt the special feeling brought by the pocket watch—although he had undergone high-intensity practice the night before, his body was still as relaxed as usual, without any fatigue.

When heading to the herb shop, he chose a path with few people, observing the surrounding environment cautiously along the way, alert to any possible danger.

Ever since the conflict with the half-orc mercenaries in Lizard Alley last time, Luo En felt that he needed to be even more careful now.

Pushing open the door of the herb shop, the wind chime made a crisp sound.

The light in the shop was still dim, and the air was filled with the strange fragrance of mixed herbs.

Luo En was surprised to find that Lady Ailan was already working behind the counter; she was leaning over a wooden cabinet, organizing something, her long pale hair swaying gently with her movements.

"Come in, I've been waiting for you for a while." Lady Ailan said without raising her head, her voice carrying her usual hoarseness.

"Sorry, Madam, I didn't mean to be late." Luo En apologized subconsciously, although he was sure he had arrived earlier than the agreed time.

"Late?" Lady Ailan then raised her head, a flash of surprise crossing her dark green eyes, then she returned to that sharp gaze that saw through everything:

"You came earlier than usual today; I just arrived earlier. Isn't it normal for an old person to get up early? You stinky brat, don't always rush to admit your mistakes; that will make others think you are easy to bully."

She straightened her waist, her spine making a few slight creaking sounds, and walked to the counter leaning on her cane, looking at Luo En with interest:

"So, how was the harvest? Let me see what you brought back."

Luo En took out the carefully packaged containers from his bosom and placed them on the counter one by one.

Each container had been specially treated to ensure the materials inside would not be damaged or contaminated by movement.

"Moonshadow Bat heart ash, Crystalline Moss, Thirst-Dying Tongue Moss; I've bought these." He reported simply, his voice calm and confident, without any tone of asking for credit.

Lady Ailan's eyebrows raised slightly, a flash of rare surprise in her eyes.

Her fingertips reached out like an eagle's claw, picking up the crystal bottle containing the Moonshadow Bat heart ash, observing it carefully under the light, her posture like a senior jewelry appraiser examining a suspicious gemstone.

"Quality is not bad, one could even say quite excellent."

The old witch evaluated it after sniffing it lightly, her tone carrying a bit of approval, which was rare for her, who was stingy with praise on weekdays:

"Where did you get these? How much did it cost?"

Luo En briefly described his experiences at the Sunset Tavern and Lizard Alley, naturally omitting the conflict with the half-orc mercenaries at the end.

"You bought this quality heart ash for five fragments?"

Lady Ailan said in surprise, a look of disbelief appearing on her aged face, her wrinkled fingers tapping the counter excitedly:

"That gray dwarf Otto actually gave such a price? He is known for his shrewdness; it is said that he would calculate even his own dead mother three times."

"I helped him identify some herbs in exchange."

Luo En explained modestly, trying to downplay his achievements, but a trace of pride couldn't be hidden in his eyes.

"Oh?" Lady Ailan's gaze became sharper, like a sharp knife cutting open a fruit, pointing directly to the core:

"Your herb identification ability has reached the level where Otto acknowledges it? That old slippery guy doesn't look up to just anyone."

Her dark green eyes stared fixedly at Luo En, like an alchemist examining an experimental subject that didn't react according to common sense:

"In just a few months, from a candidate apprentice to possessing this level of herb identification ability... Luo En, your progress speed is surprising, even a bit... unusual."

The old witch checked the three materials again while speaking, her movements professional and precise, confirming they were correct before carefully putting them into the drawer.

"To be honest, I didn't expect you to find these materials so quickly."

Lady Ailan looked directly into Luo En's eyes, her voice serious and earnest, changing from her usual slightly mean tone:

"When I gave you this list, I originally thought you would need at least three months, or even longer, to find one material. My plan was to let you collect them in stages, first teach you the meditation method that can cultivate to the level of a high-level apprentice, and then continue to deepen after you have enough strength."

She paused, her dark green eyes becoming deeper, as if she could see through the mist of time:

"But since you have reached this step, I won't be stingy. I will teach you all the first two stages of [Star-Eater's Babble]—the part from primary to high-level apprentice, and the part from high-level apprentice breaking through to formal wizard."

Luo En's heart almost missed a beat, and his entire blood seemed to accelerate.

This was far more generous than he had expected; originally he thought the other party would hold back according to convention, but he didn't expect Lady Ailan to be willing to teach the content of breaking through to a formal wizard.

This level of extraordinary knowledge was strictly confidential within the school and was usually only obtained after signing a contract to serve the school for decades or even a lifetime.

"Thank you very much for your generosity, Madam."

Luo En said sincerely; he could perceive that the help Lady Ailan gave him had far exceeded the friendship between teacher and student, and he could also clearly perceive the deep meaning behind this move.

In the Black Fog Forest, no one would be generous for no reason.

Lady Ailan's cultivation of him was clearly valuing his potential, just like Holter before, both were investing in his future.

The more she gave, the greater the return she would get from him in the future.

But this relationship, purely based on interest exchange, made Luo En feel exceptionally at ease.

Compared to those hypocritical cares, naked interest relationships were more reliable, because both sides knew each other's bottom line and expectations.

"Don't rush to thank me." Lady Ailan's voice interrupted his thoughts, her expression unprecedentedly serious:

"[Star-Eater's Babble] is not an ordinary meditation method; I said before that it originated from the crazy inspiration of a traveling wizard, and it contains many truths that should not be known and are enough to lead people into madness."

Her expression became abnormally serious, a trace of worry that Luo En had never seen before flashing in her eyes:

"This meditation method is divided into three stages. The first stage can make you reach the level of a high-level apprentice, the second stage can help you break through the bottleneck of a formal wizard, as for the third stage..."