Chapter 9

Luo En nodded; he still had some 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 Mist Forest 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 group of mutant fungi, Luo En noticed that the color of those fluorescent fungi seemed even 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 Squire; it's still incomparable to a junior apprentice."

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

Of course, a considerable part of this gain came from the bonus of the 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, "Logically speaking, it should be open by now."

Just at this moment, the wind chime 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 eerie situation often meant some kind of danger in the Black Mist Forest.

But since they were already here, they couldn't just leave, and turning around and running might completely enrage the other party, so they could only take one step at a time.

The moment the door was pushed open, various strange smells rushed towards them.

Compared to the last time they came, Luo En's perception was strengthened, and he could clearly distinguish the magic power fluctuations contained within—some full of vitality, some carrying fatal 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 closely, Luo En found that her eagle-beak-like giant nose and hunched body, as well as skin as wrinkled as a dried riverbed, gave people the feeling of being like Yubaba in "Spirited Away," eerie and terrifying.

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

"Protection of the Sunday..."

She suddenly spoke, her gaze lingering on Luo En for a moment, "Although it's only residual, it's also very rare."

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

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

Her gaze turned to Andre:

"As for you, little prince of the Faruk family, it seems you intend to cash in all your family inheritance?"

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 the little things 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 just 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, are you here to apply for an assistant position?"

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

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

"Hmm..." Madam Ellen gazed at Luo En deeply, "The talent for potion study 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, the accumulation of 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 arrived at a room in the depths of the shop.

The moment the door was pushed open, a rich medicinal fragrance rushed towards them.

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 slightly.

"Use these materials." She pointed to several herbs on the workbench, "Configure a bottle of calming 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 smile with a hint of intrigue appeared on the corners 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, there were several different herbs:

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 vines still carried sharp thorns, each thorn tip flickering with faint red light;

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

"They are all things I have learned, there shouldn't be much of a problem." Luo En muttered to himself.

The combination of these materials was quite particular—moonlight grass could calm the nerves, mandrake root could slightly stimulate the spirit, while thorn vines could solidify the medicinal properties, and other materials were also configured around this direction.

The problem was the ratio; the medicinal properties of different materials would conflict with each other, and any slight mistake would lead to failure.

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

Although this kind of basic potion was simple, to make it perfect, it tested 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, his heart couldn't help but sweat.

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

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

First was the moonlight grass—tearing the leaves along the leaf veins, which could maintain the integrity of the medicinal properties;

Then the mandrake root—horizontal cutting would make the medicinal properties too fierce, so he chose diagonal cutting to let the medicinal effect release slowly;

As for the thorn vines, he needed to use silver tools to peel off the outer skin, otherwise it would affect other materials...

【Herb Identification (Entry) Experience +1】

【Potion Refining (Entry) Experience +1】

He could clearly realize the difference between now and before when he was a non-professional blank slate after taking the job of 【Potion Apprentice】; when practicing skills related to potion study, 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 spent a lot of effort studying the basics."

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

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 potion began to change—from the initial turbidity, it gradually became clear, and finally presented a faint amber color.

"Time is just right."

Madam Ellen moved her gaze from the pocket watch in her hand and looked at the potion in the copper pot one last time: "Color and concentration are very standard."

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

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

(End of this chapter)