Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 115 Darkley's Death
Ron returned to the workshop in a happy mood. The successful test made him feel particularly relaxed.

Being able to skip directly to the third course means that he can acquire more advanced knowledge more quickly, which is what he has always longed for.

"Ai Lan, I'm back!" He pushed open the door of the workshop and called out cheerfully.

The tree spirit stood quietly in the corner. Upon hearing Ron's voice, it turned slightly, and the leaves lightly traced the following characters:

"Congratulations, Master. It looks like the test went well."

Ron nodded and hung his robe on the hanger by the door. "It far exceeded my expectations. They let me skip directly to the third period."

As he spoke, he walked over to Ailan and carefully looked at this strange creature that was once pure plant.

These days, Ailan's changes have been quite obvious, and her body has completely taken on a soft and feminine posture.

The "dress" woven from branches hangs down to the ground, creating an elegant and mysterious appearance.

However, Ron also noticed that compared to the previous few days, Ailan's changes seemed to have stagnated.

Her face still retains a relatively fuzzy outline. Although the positions of her eyes, nose and mouth can be identified, it is far from as clear and detailed as that of humans.

"How are you feeling lately, Ailan?" Ron asked softly, his tone full of concern.

Ailan's vines trembled slightly. "Very peaceful, Master. Those dreams...have ceased to appear."

Ron nodded thoughtfully.

As he expected, Ailan's evolution seemed to have reached a bottleneck.

The energy in the potion waste was no longer enough to propel her further transformation into a higher form.

"That's normal," Ron consoled him. "Every evolution requires sufficient energy accumulation. We can try some new methods."

He took a small bottle from the workbench, which contained the waste residue of the Yangyan Essence that had just been refined. The waste residue still contained trace amounts of active ingredients.

Although it has no value to normal potion users, it may still provide some nutrients to Ailan.

"Try this." Ron handed the vial to Ailan. "This is the newly refined residue of Yangyan Essence. It may be more suitable for your needs than the energy of ordinary waste residue."

Ailan took the vial, and the vine carefully poured the waste in the bottle around its roots.

Almost immediately, the waste residue was absorbed by her roots, followed by a slight tremor of the vines and leaves all over her body, as if she was enjoying the comfort brought by this energy.

"It feels... warm." Ailan's tablet wrote fluently in the air: "Thank you, Master."

Ron smiled and nodded, then turned and walked towards his lab table.

Although Ailan's condition is stable, in order for her to transform further, she obviously needs a more powerful energy source and a more precise bloodline activation method.

"Once I've mastered the techniques of bloodline modulation and activation, I can try to help you awaken further."

While sorting out the experimental equipment, Ron whispered, "I believe that an even more ancient and powerful bloodline is dormant in you."

Ailan was silent for a moment, then the vines began to dance again. "Master, do you think... I can become more like those beings in my dreams?"

"I believe so," Ron replied firmly. "Every creature has its own possibilities. You have already demonstrated extraordinary potential, Ailan."

The branches of the tree spirit swayed gently, as if expressing a silent expectation and gratitude.

Ron turned to his workbench and began making final preparations for tonight's important ceremony.

At the same time, in the temporary duty room of the law enforcement team, Andre was mechanically repeating the work at hand - sorting and organizing various types of wood samples collected from the edge of the black fog jungle.

His movements were skilled and precise, and his fingers nimbly sorted the wood chips into different piles according to grain and hardness.

However, his mind was clearly not on this work.

"Seventy-eight... Seventy-nine... Wait, this one should be placed in the hard category..."

Andre muttered, picking up a piece of wood that had been accidentally misplaced and putting it on another pile.

The law enforcement team's temporary duty room was dimly lit, with only a few magic crystal lamps providing illumination.

Various samples and tools brought back from the forest were piled up in the corner, and a detailed map of the Black Mist Jungle hung on the wall, marking the danger level of each area and patrol routes.

Nearby, Darkley, a mid-level apprentice law enforcement officer, was compiling a patrol report.

He looked up at Andre and frowned slightly: "This is the third time you've made a mistake today. Pay attention."

"Sorry." Andre forced a smile. "Something's been bothering me lately."

Dakli shook his head, and thinking of the other party's background, his tone softened slightly:
"Everyone has their own problems, but when performing a mission, even the slightest distraction can be fatal. Last week, that apprentice named Jacob was almost sprayed by the venom of a three-eyed toad because he was distracted."

Andre nodded, trying to refocus on the task at hand.

However, his thoughts unconsciously drifted to the upcoming bloodline activation ceremony.

Ever since he and Ron had finalized the details of the ceremony, he had been in a strange mixture of anticipation and fear.

Activating his bloodline means he will gain greater power, but it also comes with huge risks.

Thinking of this, Andre's hand accidentally slipped, and a sharp piece of wood scratched his finger, leaving a thin trace of blood.

"Damn it!" he cursed softly and quickly took out a clean cloth to press on the wound.

Dakli sighed, stood up and walked over to Andre: "You're really not in shape, take it."

He handed over a small vial of healing potion.

"I'm fine, it's just a minor wound. Don't bother me, Lord Darkley." Andre waved his hand: "The bleeding will stop soon."

"It's not about this little wound." Dakley said seriously:

"It's because of your condition. If you continue to be so absent-minded, next time it might not just be a small wound on your finger."

Andre forced a smile, took the potion and dropped a drop on the wound.

The wound healed quickly, but the worry in his heart could not be dispelled so easily.

At this moment, the door was flung open, and a captain of the law enforcement team rushed in with a nervous look on his face:
"It's an emergency! Border Patrol has discovered a body just outside the North Sector, and we need to address it immediately!"

Dackley and Andre stood up immediately.

"What's going on?" Darkley asked quickly, already starting to pack up the necessary equipment.

"Karl, the junior apprentice who often takes on peripheral missions," the team leader said briefly.

"It looks like they were attacked by aberrations. There are obvious signs of deformation and contamination on the body."

Andre's heart sank.

Carl, he knew this person. Among the many fellow countrymen in their Kingdom of Farouk, he was quite familiar with him.

"Aberration?" Darkley frowned. "So close to the school's boundaries?"

"That's right, and judging by the situation, Carl is almost back to the safe area."

The team leader said seriously, "If it had been earlier, he might have been safe. We must deal with the body immediately, otherwise it might cause more contamination."

Andre quickly grabbed his equipment bag, which contained various tools and medicines for emergency situations.

He knew that the bodies killed by the aberrations would continue to emit a polluted aura around them.

If not dealt with in time, it will not only cause environmental damage, but may also attract or give rise to more deformities.

"Come on, come over and help." Dackley was already dressed and motioned Andre to follow.

Andre followed the team out of the duty room in a hurry, but he realized in his heart that he would probably miss the bloodline activation ceremony agreed with Ron.

………………As the sun set, Ron added the last drop of reagent into the beaker. The solution immediately changed from deep red to amber with golden light, emitting an intoxicating fragrance.

"Perfect." He nodded with satisfaction and carefully transferred the solution into a special crystal bottle:

"This is the final version of the bloodline activation potion."

Ailan stood aside and watched the whole process.

Her leaves danced gently: "The master's craftsmanship is becoming more and more exquisite."

Ron smiled and put away the crystal bottle:
"This is my most satisfying work so far. In theory, it should be able to precisely guide the direction of bloodline activation while significantly reducing the risk of distortion."

He looked out the window. The sunlight had turned into a warm red, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden red veil over the foggy jungle.

"Strange, Andre should have arrived by now."

He looked at the clock on the wall and frowned. "He's always very punctual."

Ron decided to relax a bit, turned to the bookshelf, took down the book "Basics of Alchemy" and started reading.

The knowledge he gained from this book last time has already greatly improved his alchemy skills. Perhaps if he reads more, he can gain more inspiration.

"Alchemy, at its core, lies in understanding the nature of matter and rearranging its constituent elements..."

Ron muttered silently, his fingers lightly sliding across the pages of the book: "Through specific procedures and media, the form of matter can be transformed, and even its basic properties can be changed..."

As he read deeper, Ron felt a familiar sensation: knowledge slowly settled in his mind, forming new connections, just like the pieces of a puzzle gradually fitting together into a complete pattern.

[Basic Alchemy (Beginner) Experience +1]

Alchemy and potions do have many similarities. Both focus on material changes and energy flows, but their application directions and specific methods are different.

As a professional potion master who was already proficient in potions, coupled with his [extensive knowledge], Ron showed extraordinary learning efficiency when learning alchemy.

Before he knew it, Ron had been reading for over half an hour, and his experience points in basic alchemy had steadily increased to (12/50 for beginners).

He closed the book, rubbed his tired eyes, and looked out the window again.

It was already completely dark, and the magic crystal lamp in the workshop automatically lit up, dispelling the darkness. But Andre still hadn't appeared.

"Something's wrong." Ron muttered to himself, "Andre isn't the type to be late or miss an appointment easily."

Just as he was about to get up and go to the law enforcement team to inquire about the news, Ailan's voice suddenly appeared in the air:
"Master, someone is coming. It's Master Andre."

A moment later, a rapid knock on the door confirmed Ailan's warning.

Ron walked quickly to the door and opened it.

Andre stood outside the door, his face full of fatigue and worry.

There were some stains on his clothes, and it looked like he had just experienced something unpleasant.

"I'm so sorry, Ron." He began apologizing as soon as he entered the room. "There was an emergency and I had to take care of things over there first."

"What happened?" Ron asked concernedly, pouring Andre a cup of hot tea. "You look tired."

Andre took the teacup and took a deep breath: "Karl is dead."

"Carl?" Ron searched his memory and recalled the information Mira had exchanged with him:
"I seemed to have heard last time that he and his companions disappeared in the edge forest. It turns out to be true..."

Andre nodded, with a hint of sadness in his eyes:
"Yes, he returned from the edge of the forest today and was almost at the safe range of the academy, but he was still attacked by the aberrations. Our law enforcement team immediately dispatched after receiving the news, but it was too late."

He took a sip of tea and continued:

"The corpse has begun to show signs of deformation and contamination. We must deal with it immediately, otherwise it will cause wider contamination and may even breed new deformities."

Ron listened silently, his mind reflecting on Dawood's twisted and hideous body and the battle that nearly took his life.

He was indeed very lucky at that time. He was not contaminated during the battle. He did not have the means to purify the pollution like a pocket watch.

"The aberration activities around the school have indeed become more frequent recently."

Andre continued, "The law enforcement team's patrol missions are becoming increasingly dangerous. Some say it's because of the leak of some secret experiments, while others say it's because of the spreading pollution..."

He shook his head, as if he didn't want to continue this heavy topic:

"Anyway, the law enforcement team handled the body and did some simple cleanup, which is how I was able to get back. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's none of your business. This kind of emergency is force majeure."

Ron patted Andre's shoulder, expressing his understanding: "The ceremony is not urgent right now. You can rest for a while and then start again."

Andre nodded gratefully, but the fatigue in his eyes did not diminish: "Thank you for understanding, I'll go take a nap first."

Originally, Andre was asking him if they could start again at noon tomorrow, but Ron thought about it for a moment and decided that the energy stimulated by the bloodline was already too strong.

If we add in the bonus of noon, I'm afraid the activation ceremony will directly turn into a suicide ritual...

As time passed, it became completely dark, but the atmosphere in the workshop became increasingly tense.

Ron and Andre stood in the center of a specially prepared ceremony venue, with seven specially made candles lit around them. The candlelight swayed gently in the breeze, casting a mysterious atmosphere over the entire space.

There was a complex magic circle drawn on the ground. It was carefully designed by Ron based on the records in the "Bloodline Activation Encyclopedia" and combined with the details of the royal secret ceremony provided by Andre.

The magic circle is in the shape of a sun, with seven main lines extending outward from the center. Each line is engraved with special runes, symbolizing life, strength, balance, purification, stability, guidance and awakening.

"Are you ready?" Ron asked softly, holding the bottle of blood activation potion that was shining with golden light in his hand.

Andre stood in the center of the magic circle, his upper body naked, his skin showing a healthy glow in the candlelight.

He took a deep breath and nodded: "I'm ready. This is the moment I've been looking forward to for a long time."

Ron could sense the tension in his friend's tone, but he chose not to mention it.

Instead, he began to perform the ritual step by step according to the predetermined procedure.

"Follow the procedure you gave me before and activate the magic circle first."

As Ron spoke, he took out seven specially made small energy crystals from his waist bag. These stones were soaked in the essence of Sunflower Grass and could guide the flow of positive energy.

He placed the energy crystals one by one on the seven key nodes of the magic circle. As the last stone was placed, the entire magic circle began to emit a faint golden light, which was a sign that the yang energy was activated.

"So now comes the second step."

Ron glanced at Andre with some concern. Andre's teeth were already grinding, and he was obviously extremely nervous.
"The runes aren't just on the magic circle; they also need to be temporarily drawn on your body to guide the potion's energy to the correct meridians and blood vessels."

He took out a bottle of special silver ink and began to draw runes on Andre's body.

The ink is slightly cool and produces a slight tingling sensation when it touches the skin. This is the result of the trace active ingredients contained in it taking effect.

Ron's technique was skillful and precise, and each rune landed perfectly on the key acupuncture points.

Andre felt a strange sensation, as if the runes were not just painted on the surface of the skin, but seemed to have penetrated deep into the flesh and bones.

"The last and most crucial step."

After Ron finished drawing the runes, he took out the bottle of bloodline activation potion: "Drink it, keep your will clear, guide it, instead of being guided by it..."

Andre nodded and took the bottle of medicine.

The light shone through the crystal bottle wall, illuminating his face and reflecting a golden ocean in his eyes.

"Ron... Ron, if... if the ritual fails, when you return to the kingdom, could you please help take care of me..."

He asked suddenly, his voice full of uneasiness, and the light in his eyes dimmed with his words.

(End of this chapter)