Chapter 84

Andre looked around and lowered his voice:

"Cynthia has suddenly become unusually quiet recently, which is very abnormal. As far as I know, she has always been someone who seeks revenge for the smallest grievance."

Luo En let Andre into the room and closed the door: "Are you worried that she is plotting something in the dark?"

"Highly likely." Andre nodded, "What worries me even more is that it is said she has been very close to Oliver recently."

"Oliver?" Luo En's brows furrowed even tighter, "Marcus's brother who is good at curse spells?"

"That's right." Andre took a note out of his pocket: "This is the news sent by my eyes and ears last night. Cynthia went to Oliver's laboratory and didn't return all night..."

Luo En took the note, scanned it quickly, and his expression became solemn: "This is indeed not good news, but for now, all we can do is speed up our own pace."

Andre nodded: "Of course I understand. I have also been stepping up preparations for the bloodline awakening ritual recently. By the way, how is your exam preparation going?"

"It's going smoothly." Luo En pointed to the notes and formulas spread out on the table:

"Lady Allen provided some key suggestions, and I can already skillfully prepare most of the potions that might appear in the exam."

As he was speaking, there was another knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Luo En asked vigilantly.

"It's me, Norris." The voice outside the door was a bit hurried: "Captain Holt asked me to deliver a letter to you."

Luo En and Andre exchanged a look, then carefully opened the door.

Norris stood at the door, holding a tightly sealed letter: "This is what the captain asked me to hand to you personally, saying it's about your Alchemist certification exam."

Luo En took the letter, thanked him, closed the door, and quickly tore open the envelope.

"From Lord Holt?" Andre leaned over curiously.

Luo En nodded, quickly reading the contents of the letter, his brows first furrowed, then slowly relaxed:

"Holt told me he received news that my examiner is likely to be Master Magnus, who is an expert in identifying the purity and stability of potions."

"That's good news!" Andre patted Luo En on the shoulder with some excitement: "Master Magnus is known for his fairness and will not be influenced by external factors."

Luo En nodded, silently noting Holt's help once again:

"Yes, this means that as long as I ensure the potion quality is excellent enough, I don't have to worry about other interfering factors."

"Then I should take my leave; I won't disturb your exam preparation any further."

Andre stood up and added before leaving: "By the way, if you need any auxiliary materials, just ask. The favor I accumulated with Otto the Gray Dwarf hasn't been used up yet; I can exchange it for some stockpiled medicinal herbs at a low price."

After seeing Andre off, Luo En carefully put away the letter and took out a list of materials, preparing to go find Lady Allen to ask about some questions that had been piling up recently.

When he pushed open the door of the herb shop, the wind chimes made a crisp sound, but he didn't see Lady Allen's hunched figure.

The light in the shop was dimmer than usual, and the air was filled with a slightly familiar rich fragrance, somewhat like night-blooming jasmine, but with a sweeter and more cloying scent.

"You've come at just the right time, Luo En, my boy."

A female voice that sounded a bit strange compared to usual came from the inner room, the tone carrying Lady Allen's characteristic hoarseness, but with a bit more lightness.

Luo En followed the sound and saw the beautiful witch in a silk nightgown once again, standing behind the counter organizing herbs.

Her pink-purple hair, cascading down like a waterfall, shimmered with a dreamlike luster under the light, her skin was as white as jade, and her large, bright eyes were as brilliant as gemstones.

"My Lady, are you having those days again this month?"

Luo En couldn't help but blurt out. Although he already knew that Lady Allen would regain her youthful appearance when her magic power fluctuations were strongest each month, seeing this contrast with his own eyes still made him feel slightly surprised.

The pink-haired witch chuckled, the exact same slightly mean, aged laugh characteristic of Lady Allen: "What, are you surprised every time you see me like this?"

She took a small flower hanging from her hair and tucked it behind her ear. This unconscious action made the young man look twice involuntarily:

"Alright, let's talk about business. You must be here for the exam, right?"

"Yes, my Lady." Luo En came back to his senses and placed the material list on the counter: "I would like to ask a few questions about the stability of the sobering potion."

Lady Allen put down her work, walked a little closer, and carefully examined Luo En's eyes.

At this distance, although he was stung by the radiation from her body, he could smell a strange fragrance that was like flowers yet not quite.

"You haven't slept much for several days, have you?"

She frowned slightly, unobtrusively restraining the strong radiation field she was unconsciously emitting:

"Although you look quite energetic, that fatigue from the inside out cannot be faked."

Luo En was slightly stunned, then gave a wry smile: "You saw through me. I've been practicing various formulas these past few days and haven't really rested."

Lady Allen was silent for a moment, her slender fingers tapping on the table. After thinking for a few seconds, she turned and walked toward the inner room: "Follow me."

Luo En followed her into a delicately decorated small room, which was furnished with a coffee table and several lounge chairs.

Lady Allen signaled for him to sit down, while she skillfully opened a carved wooden box and took out a small crystal bottle.

"Drink it; it will make your mind clearer." She handed the small bottle to Luo En through the air, her long eyelashes casting a shadow on her delicate face:

"But remember, this is not a long-term solution. Overdrawing your mental power always has a price to pay."

Luo En took the small bottle gratefully: "Thank you, my Lady."

After finishing his identification, he took a careful sip and immediately felt a cool energy travel from his throat straight to his brain. The original fatigue dissipated instantly, and his thinking became unusually sharp.

"This is..."

"A composite potion of moonlight extract and soul flower, a formula I improved myself."

The witch gently twirled a strand of pink-purple hair at her fingertips: "Alright, tell me your questions."

"Regarding the stability of the sobering potion," Luo En found the relevant page in his notes:

"I noticed that when adding stardust pollen, if the temperature is slightly high, it will cause the potion to deteriorate. Is there any way to improve its heat resistance?"

Lady Allen nodded slightly, a trace of approval flashing in her eyes:

"A very good question. The traditional formula does indeed have this flaw, but if you pre-mix three drops of moon dew into the stardust pollen, it can significantly improve its stability."

"Moon dew..." Luo En was thoughtful and quickly wrote down this key hint in his notes.

"One more thing." Lady Allen continued, leaning forward, her beautifully lined collarbone faintly visible:

"Magnus should prefer potions with uniform color; you might want to consider the characteristics of silver tree root."

Luo En looked up in surprise: "You also know that Master Magnus will be my examiner?"

Lady Allen's lips curled up slightly, revealing a mysterious smile:

"There are no true secrets in the Black Mist Forest, child, especially for those old people who are sharp-eared and sharp-eyed."

She stood up and walked lightly to the medicine cabinet on the side, her slender fingers moving flexibly between the various drawers.

"These are prepared for you." The pink-haired witch placed several bags of carefully selected materials on the coffee table:

"Each one is of top quality, enough for you to practice until the exam."

Luo En took the medicinal herbs, feeling both moved and ashamed: "This is too valuable, my Lady."

"Don't be so polite." Lady Allen waved her hand, revealing a soft smile:

"You are the most talented student I have ever seen, and I have high hopes for you. Besides..."

She paused, her dark green eyes revealing a satisfaction Luo En had never seen before:

"You may not have noticed, but your growth during this period has already begun to feed back some 'favors' to me."