“`
The marketplace in the trading district, apothecary store.
Ivan had come to return the commissioned items, and they were now laid out in front of Auric.
“Not bad at all, it’s always the potions crafted by you, Ivan, that are of good quality, you’ve never disappointed anyone.”
In his hand, Auric was holding a glass orb bottle, which overall looked like a glass bead three centimeters in diameter, filled with a purplish-brown potion, decorated on the outside with eye-catching patterns made of bean-green colored lines.
He inspected it carefully for a while, incessantly praising it.
“How about testing it at the target range?” Ivan asked.
It had been over a week since Auric had delivered the raw materials, and Ivan had concocted two boxes of Contamination Potions, each contained in glass beads inscribed with runes.
“There’s no need for testing, not to brag, but for any potion, a single serious glance is enough for me to discern its quality, and your work exceeds my expectations.”
Auric set down the glass bead in his hand and began examining the two boxes set aside.
“As long as you’re satisfied. The rest are in the boxes.” Ivan had actually tested them at the target range; the attack degrees of the Contamination Potion weren’t very high, but the poisonous smoke it released was quite formidable and could be used for escape and cover.
He had previously suffered from contamination in spiritual power and gained some insights in this area, realizing that Contamination Potion could be further developed.
“Auric, if you have time, you might consider further developing the Contamination Potion.”
“Spare me, I don’t have such talent in that area.”
Faced with Ivan’s suggestion, Auric shook his head repeatedly and didn’t mention anything else.
Upon leaving the apothecary store, Ivan ran into Wolban who was also at the market. Wolban signaled for them to step aside to talk, and his first words left Ivan utterly shocked.
“Did you know? Jefferson is dead.”
“Died within the academy?”
Ivan’s heart chilled, struggling to believe it; this was Mongna Ant Land Cottage, and there might be a traitor among them.
“Exactly, there were no other traces on his body, only the residue of curse energy. He must have been killed by a curse, and only such a method could have silenced him without alerting any of the sorcerers in the academy,” Wolban said.
“I see.”
This made Ivan’s face turn a bit awkward, the methods of curse were so strange and so powerful, he couldn’t help thinking of Toyennes. Speaking of curses, he had quite a few vulnerabilities that Toyennes could exploit.
There was also the person behind Jefferson, someone capable of killing and silencing witnesses, who might well look for trouble with him, the one who had caught Jefferson.
One slightly comforting thought was that Mongna Ant Land Cottage was not an academy known for its proficiency in curses. Toyennes, who hailed from there, probably wasn’t very proficient in curses, exception made for the Curse of Demon’s Resentment.
“Are you okay?”
“Just thinking about some troublesome matters.”
“Try to become an official sorcerer as soon as possible. Once you do, the troubles you face now will no longer be troubling.”
Hearing Wolban’s words, Ivan nodded in agreement; although there was only one threshold between them, there was an absolute difference between a 3rd Class apprentice and a sorcerer.
Upon returning from the market, Ivan continued his research on the Breathing Method and the Black Magic Hand.
About the Black Magic Hand, Randall had brought him unsettling news two days ago—the Raw Stone Array Discs were constantly in use by sorcerers, and it wasn’t yet his turn to use them. He was advised to wait patiently for a while.
That left Ivan with no choice but to wait.
Another half-month passed, and he made new progress in his exploration of the Breathing Method.
[Knight Breathing Skill Experience Points +180]
[Knight Breathing Skill: lv5 (494/1500)]
In his dormitory apothecary, he chanted a strange melody as if celebrating something.
The blood in his body became turbulent at times then returned to calm, as strands of faint Breath of Life were drawn out and soon turned into Combat Energy. Although it was just a trivial amount, his face still showed delight.
Finally, he had developed a Sound Breathing Method that required no movement.
According to his plan, his first step should have been to research a Breathing Method that was half sound, half movement. However, plans failed to keep up with changes. The penetrating quality of Combat Energy was related to vibrations, which made his investigation into the sound vibrations smoother than anticipated.
So, before he had finished the first step, he leaped straight to the second one, developing the Sound Breathing Method in one go.
This Sound Breathing Method was far inferior to the Gushing Breath Method he had learned at the Swordsmanship Hall; it was a very basic fundamental Breathing Method. Being a Great Knight himself, such a simple Breathing Method naturally had little effect on him.
“Next step, teach the Silkworm Queen to sing.”
Ivan called out the rapid wood silkworm Silkworm Queen, watching the dazed little creature with some headaches.
The final step required modifying the Sound Breathing Method to suit the chirping of the rapid wood silkworm. This process was akin to teaching the silkworm to sing and then constantly adjusting the Silkworm Queen’s chirps and breathing to find a rhythm that suited it.
This kind of instruction across species appeared simple but was in fact extraordinarily difficult.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another ten days had passed.
Ivan visited his mentor’s three-story tower once again.
“Have you made up your mind?” Randall asked nonchalantly.
“Of course,” Ivan nodded, letting the Silkworm Queen fly out onto his palm. “Mentor, take a close look at the Silkworm Queen, do you notice anything different?”
Randall’s gaze fell upon the little creature, and out of respect for his apprentice, he chose not to use his mental powers to sense it deeply.
Seeing this, Ivan gave a silent command to the Silkworm Queen, which started to chirp rhythmically as its body’s breathing holes opened, beginning to breathe in an orderly fashion.
“Is this the Knight Breathing Method?”
Randall’s eyes widened in astonishment as he looked at the Silkworm Queen, then back at his apprentice in disbelief.
As a sorcerer, he definitely wasn’t seeing things; he was indeed observing a Breathing Method on an insect.
“As you see, this is the basic Insect Breathing Method that the Silkworm Queen and I have deduced.” The fact that he surprised a sorcerer filled Ivan with an inexplicable sense of achievement.
He made it sound easy, but the process was anything but straightforward; teaching a cross-species technique was definitely ten to a hundred times more difficult than teaching a stubborn child, especially while simultaneously making adjustments.
Getting the Silkworm Queen to convey its minute feelings after those adjustments was an utterly agonizing task.
Even with ample reserve energy, sometimes Ivan wished he could transform into an insect himself.
Not to mention the cost, he had used up two shards of the Light of Wisdom, one from Level 3 and another from Level 5.
However, the gains weren’t insignificant. Aside from the increased Experience Points in Breathing Skill, other domains like Biology Expertise and Linguistics Skill also gained a lot of experience, especially Biology, which was heading towards a Level 4 upgrade with more research.
“Don’t compare insects to humans; they are not the same. What’s a basic Breathing Method for humans is not basic for these little ones, and the Breath of Life they refine is incomparable to what you initially possessed,” Randall corrected him.
“You are right,” agreed Ivan after giving it some thought; indeed, that explained why his Knight Breathing Skill Experience Points had risen too much.
“It must have been tough, exploring with these slow-witted creatures,” said Randall, knowing the hardships involved, “but of course, researching with them can be quite amusing.”
At that moment, a golden beetle flew over, settling on his shoulder.
The golden beetle, drawn by the Silkworm Queen, behaved without committing any faux pas.
Glancing at the eye-catching golden beetle, Ivan said, “Mentor, if you don’t mind, I can share the Insect Breathing Method with you, though it might not be suitable for other insects.”
In the world, insects vary wildly, each species is distinct, and their bodily structures differ. The Insect Breathing Method that suited the rapid wood silkworm might not necessarily be fit for other insect types.
But he believed in Randall’s capabilities; soon, he could adapt the rapid wood silkworm’s Insect Breathing Method for others.
“An equivalent exchange,” Randall asserted.
“Agreed,” Ivan knew his mentor would never want to profit at his apprentice’s expense and therefore did not demur.
“Besides, I promise not to teach it to any other person.”
“No problem.”
Once the mentor and apprentice reached a consensus, Ivan took out a booklet he had prepared earlier, which contained information on the Spring Bud and the Insect Breathing Method.
Randall likewise produced what he had prepared for him.
“This is a special type of royal jelly, which for insects is a natural growth potion. I was worried before that the little ones wouldn’t be able to digest it, but with the Insect Breathing Method, those concerns are gone.”
“That smells incredible.”
Not just the rapid wood silkworms, even Ivan felt a bit tempted by the scent.
“You’re a Great Knight now; this will be of no use to you,” Randall couldn’t help but remind him.
“Royal jelly from a Level 1 creature?”
“Something like that; I found the honey but not the bees,” he replied.
Ivan nodded, avoiding further questions about the royal jelly. He had been considering researching secret medicines corresponding to the Insect Breathing Method, but now it seemed unnecessary; Randall had given him a whole glass jar of royal jelly.
A glass jar twenty centimeters tall, its value incalculable.
Randall only realized while browsing the booklet just how creative his apprentice’s research approach was; Ivan had actually endowed insects with something akin to a Life Seed, the ‘Spring Bud’, thereby overcoming the greatest challenge of the Insect Breathing Method and turning impossibilities into possibilities.
He had to admit, there were indeed differences in comprehension between people.
“I have good news for you; in three days, you can go to the enchantment workshop to meet Sorceress Madeline, your observation request has been approved,” Randall said before showing signs of ushering out his guest, eager to delve further into studying the Spring Bud and the Insect Breathing Method.
In some aspects, these mentor and apprentice shared the same character traits.
Back in his dormitory, Ivan also embarked on his exploration of the royal jelly.
With the help of the royal jelly, the Silkworm Queen extracted the Breath of Life at a much faster rate, and for the other rapid wood silkworms that had not yet learned the Insect Breathing Method, there indeed were cases of indigestion.
Ivan assigned the task of teaching the other rapid wood silkworms the Breathing Method to his first lieutenant, the Silkworm Queen.
As per instructions, the Silkworm Queen strenuously went about teaching, and from his observations, Ivan noticed that the Silkworm Queen’s temper had significantly grown, often fluttering her wings to fan the other rapid wood silkworms.
What a sin!
He sighed deeply in his heart but continued to pretend he hadn’t seen anything.