Chapter 114: Chapter 107: Further Cultivation !
Translator: 549690339
“Serene Wizard, thank you for your kindness.”
Jasmine’s choice did not surprise Link, she declined Serene Wizard,
“But I feel that there’s still much I have not yet mastered in my current position as a guide. It’s not the right time to switch to preprocessing and refining plants and herbs.”
After speaking, she anxiously awaited Serene Wizard’s reply, unsure whether her rejection would upset her.
Contrarily, Serene Wizard was not upset, rather pleased.
For a wizard, or an apprentice wizard, to achieve something, regardless of the magnitude, perseverance is a requisite.
Those who merely echo others, lack opinions, or easily yield to others are of little regard to Serene Wizard and even less favored.
“Hmm, very good.”
Serene Wizard nodded, her expression quite pleased, and then took her tray and left.
Seeing this, a weight lifted off Jasmine’s heart and she let out a small sigh of relief.
She had always seen Link and Serene Wizard chatting and laughing together, it was only until now when she had to face the Serene Wizard herself, that she could fully comprehend the pressure.
How to describe it?
Just like an ant standing in front of a giant, although the giant means no harm and even offers food, the ant instinctively fears the giant.
Because a simple breath from the giant could easily kill the ant.
“I did not do anything wrong, did I?”
After some thought, Jasmine could not resist whispering.
Link did not respond, merely shaking his head.
Living under the same roof as Serene Wizard, no matter how quietly one speaks, it’s futile.
What needs to be heard, will be heard.
“Well, that’s good then.”
A deep sigh of relief escaped Jasmine, her heart finally at ease.
After lunch, the bustle resumed.
Link was busy moving back and forth between tasks like a spinning top, not stopping for a moment, fully absorbed.
Not until the sun set and the sky was dyed with the afterglow.
The day’s work was finally over.
Link and Jasmine changed out of their outfits and left the potion store, heading to the platform.
From afar, Link noticed five figures huddled and shifting around the platform.
Like ants on a hot pan, visibly flustered.
“What’s the matter?”
Approaching the platform and closer to the five brutes, Link asked, smiling.
“Big… Big brother, there… there’s a matter.”
For reasons unknown, whenever the leader of the brutes saw Link, he’d trip over his words, stuttering, “No… No big deal, just… just to explain about last time.”
These recent days, even though Link showed no signs of causing them trouble, the five brutes could not calm their nerves.
Forgive them for their ignorance, they only learned about the dispute between Serene Wizard’s potion store and Lucia Potion Shop this morning.
They truly didn’t have the spare money to buy a “Ravensmouth Forum” account registration.
They only came to know about this after overhearing others casually discussing the increasingly prominent witch equality movement.
These brutes simply lacked talent and strength, not the brains.
After some thought, they realized they had been used in a feud between two figures poised to ascend to sageship.
This wasn’t much of an issue though.
The trouble was that they had upset a refined but ruthless person.
After much contemplation, the brutes felt it necessary to explain and apologize in person.
So that later, this ruthless person wouldn’t deal with them as how that fool was dealt with last time.
By then, they wouldn’t even know how they died.
“Oh, that thing.”
Upon reflection, Link deliberately dragged out his words, “No need to explain, I didn’t care much.”
“Thank… Thank you, big brother.”
The brutes nodded repeatedly as if pounding garlic.
“Hmm. Be more careful in the future, don’t just take any jobs.”
Seeing the railway transport train about to pull in, Link waved his hands, motioning for the brutes to leave.
“Thank you for your guidance, big brother. Thank you, big brother.”
The brutes prostrated in gratitude again and again.
Link paid no more mind to the brutes, boarding the train with Jasmine.
As soon as they were seated, Jasmine couldn’t hold back, “Link, what on earth have you done? People in the academy and outside are terrified of you!” Link remained silent.
Indeed.
His image, unbeknownst to him, had already become somewhat demonized.
The five students inside the academy and the five brutes outside mirrored each other in their reactions when facing Link.
Similar reverence, comparable terror.
But the underlying differences were there.
The five in the academy were merely accustomed to this demeanor while the five brutes were forced to tread carefully.
After some thought, Link could only respond, “It’s not that exaggerated.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes, her mind rife with objections.
Not at all exaggerated!
Look at how scared you have Mina Havcheck! She didn’t even dare to compete with you!
Hmm… It was Ayla who told Jasmine about this.
Let’s not even mention the others.
Many times, Jasmine felt that if it hadn’t been for her constant presence, Link would probably always act alone and never socialize.
Put thoughts aside for now, just let it be.
Jasmine rested her head against the carriage wall, closing her eyes for a brief rest.
Upon returning to the academy, they took care of their hunger in the dining hall.
Without stopping, the pair hurried towards the experiment building.
Third basement level, in the laboratory.
Link inputted some of the techniques, methods, and experiences from his outlets on plant and herb handling contacts into one of the intelligent simulation devices in the laboratory, teaching Jasmine one by one.
For Jasmine, this was a highly efficient way of learning.
For Link, it was also not a waste of time.
A way to learn something old and new at the same time.
After the teaching, Link independently turned to consult materials in the Advanced Literature Library.
Jasmine, on the other hand, was constantly operating the intelligent simulation device.
She wore a pair of glasses, and put on nearly transparent gloves full of “sensors” on both hands. Following the tutorial, she was practicing the pretreatment of plants and herbs in the air.
The glasses provided almost realistic visual feedback, the gloves provided a near real touch. Paired with the alchemy array of the intelligent simulation device, aside from the absence of actual objects, Jasmine’s and Link’s working conditions were no different.
As the night grew late, both left the lab feeling fulfilled.
Jasmine had accumulated some experience in pre-processing plants and herbs. Link, on the other hand, found two articles about the previous years’ interdistrict competition on the “academic points” redemption page.
He spent 2 “Academic Points” to redeem the two articles.
After carefully reading them, Link’s understanding of the inter-district games improved significantly.
Initially, the academy didn’t have the concept of inter-district games, and the junior division didn’t even differentiate between the Southern and Northern Districts.
Later, local students began to increasingly discriminate against and exclude the Storm Sea New Blood.
Within the Storm Sea New Blood, there was a portion who unbearably feckless, not only incapable of standing up for themselves but also intolerant of others doing so.
Another portion of the Storm Sea New Blood who were more resistant started to fight back.
Conflicts rose among the several groups, fights and violent incidents regularly occurred, and instances of bloodshed were not uncommon.
Forced by circumstances, the academy management set up the Southern and Northern Districts.
The control of zero-ring witchcraft began at that time, gradually reducing the attacking witchcraft in the Witchcraft Trade Center.
Flow control is better than blocking.
In order for the opposition of the North and South districts not to become extreme, a platform and channel for venting opposition sentiments, was created with the establishment of the inter-district competition.
The forms of competition are diverse and randomly selected. It’s hard to predict, so it’s difficult to prepare in advance.
This is fair yet unfair for the New Blood of the Southern District.
The fairness lies in the fact that before the competition starts, the participants are unable to obtain specific information.
The unfairness lies in the fact that the local students of the Northern District generally have better conditions than the New Blood of the Southern District. Even if they cannot prepare in advance, in terms of overall quality, the students of the Northern District have quite a few advantages.
It’s as if the children in remote mountainous areas can only study the knowledge in textbooks.
The children in big cities can extend a variety of interests and cultivate various specialties.
The situation is very serious and not optimistic.
Even with the help of the system, with one “Mind Closure Technique” and four talents, Link may not necessarily be stronger than the top students in the Northern District.
There were always plenty of super geniuses.
Returning to the dormitory, he didn’t do anything else. He washed, meditated, and went to sleep.
The next day.
Work was as usual, uneventful.
The day after, still uneventful.
For four consecutive days, there weren’t any significant changes in life.
Except for the success of one witch equality movement’s march which could be described as a success, and also could be a failure.
It was a success because the march only went around the East District, and the participants in the march only consisted of a group of students.
It was a failure because the march caused a great uproar on the “Ravensmouth forum”, with endless heated discussions and quarrels.
Link observed coldly, thinking that as long as the academy made a command, the increasingly farce-like witch equality movement might disappear overnight.
The few third-tier witches who have been high-profile in the past few days should be close to achieving their goals.
Equality?
What they want is not this.
They want some special privileges!
On this matter, he didn’t think too much about it.
Link felt it was too far from himself, that it was better to live each day earnestly.
Peacefulness always existed to be broken.
On this day, Wednesday of the sixth week of the holiday.
“Don’t rush to work, come here first.”
Wizard Serene purposely called out to Link who had greeted her and was ready to dive into the two operating rooms in the backyard directly.
“What’s your command, Wizard Serene?”
Link retracted his steps towards the backyard and asked.
“Someone is coming to take your place today. You exchange work with him in the morning, and then let him do everything in the afternoon, and you come to the second floor.”
Wizard Serene said indifferently.
“Thankyou, Wizard Serene!”
Without thinking hard, Link immediately voiced his thanks.
This was absolutely a great thing!
The second floor was Wizard Serene’s exclusive area; all the special potions were brewed there.
Of all the store employees, except for Tina who acted as the Potion Distribution Assistant and was about to become a Potion Refining Assistant, the other two had never been up there.
The meaning behind Wizard Serene’s words was to give Link a chance to witness proper potion brewing.
Like the Glasswort series Link developed afore, that was called potion research, and that’s different from potion brewing.
The mass-produced products sold to the public and the samples that Link handed out had a lot of differences.
This was pure cultivation!