Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 35 A Small "Punishment"

The early morning sunlight shone through the gaps in the foggy jungle, falling onto the winding path. After Ron got dressed, he headed to the herbal medicine store.

The memory of Mrs. Allen's stunning face from last night still lingered in his mind.

Although his mind told him that it was only a temporary phenomenon, deep down he still unconsciously looked forward to seeing the beautiful pink-haired witch again.

As I pushed open the door of the herbal medicine store, the familiar aroma of mixed herbs hit me in the face.

Ron's eyes quickly locked onto the hunched figure behind the counter.

As expected, Mrs. Allen has returned to her usual old appearance -

His face was covered with wrinkles like a dry riverbed, under his huge hooked nose was a tightly pursed and sarcastic mouth, his pale hair was messily tied up behind his head, and a pair of hands covered with age spots were carefully checking the quality of a bottle of medicine.

Although he had expected this, witnessing this huge contrast with his own eyes still made Ron's face flash with a trace of obvious disappointment.

He was about to adjust his expression, but judging from Mrs. Allen's next reaction, it seemed that he was already a step too late.

"Why, you seem disappointed to see me like this?" The old witch said with a hint of amusement in her tone without raising her head and without stopping her hands' movements.

"Of course not, ma'am." Ron answered quickly. He smiled bitterly to himself, unconsciously revealing a lack of confidence.

Mrs. Allen finally put down the medicine bottle, raised her head and stared at the young apprentice in front of her: "You little brat, your thoughts are written on your face, who are you trying to fool?"

Ron looked away awkwardly, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I meant no disrespect."

"Don't be nervous, I won't get angry over such a small matter."

The old witch waved her hand, her voice carrying a rare softness:

"Yesterday's look was indeed more pleasing, and I preferred it that way myself. But it's a pity that the knife of time never shows partiality to anyone."

She stood up, leaning on a wooden stick with a strange pattern, and slowly walked to Ron.

The pair of green eyes scrutinized him closely. "But then again, appearance and true strength are often not directly proportional. You will gradually realize this in the future."

Ron could only nod in agreement.

"Well, since young people are so energetic, I have a lot of work waiting for you to do."

Mrs. Allen chuckled twice and pointed to a dark corner at the back of the store:
"That new batch of Hidden Thorn Vine needs to be processed. All the thorns and knots must be removed. Nothing left."

Ron looked in the direction she pointed and saw a large bundle of thick silver-gray vines piled in the corner, covered with dense thorns and irregular lumps.

In the light, you can even see the cold light flashing from the tips of the thorns.

"This..." He swallowed subconsciously, easily judging that this was no ordinary job.

Even with his current skills, it would take at least half a day to deal with such a large pile of hidden thorn vines.

The old witch keenly caught his hesitation, and a sly look flashed in her eyes:
"Why, are you tired? Well, let me tell you some good news—the thorns of the Hidden Thorn Vine contain a trace toxin. Prolonged contact will cause your fingers to numb. If it continues to accumulate, it may even cause a temporary dulling of perception."

The corners of her mouth raised an imperceptible arc:

"Of course, if you think this kind of work is too hard, why not just sit here and admire my 'beautiful' face for the whole day? I don't mind."

Hearing this, Ron scratched his head awkwardly and immediately understood the nature of today's task - it was probably a small punishment.

Although he felt somewhat unwilling, he also understood that Mrs. Allen, as an employer, did have this right.

What's more, he has always been grateful for his work at the herbal medicine store.

Being able to access so many rare materials and knowledge, as well as Mrs. Allen's hands-on teaching, made it difficult for him to refuse the other party's request.

"I'll go deal with the hidden thorn vines right away, ma'am." Ron nodded seriously and turned to walk towards the pile of plants that looked hostile.

A barely audible laugh came from Mrs. Allen behind him.

Dealing with the hidden thorn vine was indeed extremely laborious and time-consuming, just as the other party had said.

Ron quickly understood why this kind of work was a "punishment" and that it required not only great patience and concentration but also extremely high technical skills.

Each vine needs to be carefully scraped with a special silver knife to remove the thorns and knots on the surface. If you are not careful, you will either scratch the vine and affect the efficacy of the medicine, or the thorns will prick your skin.

In the first half hour, he had seven or eight small wounds on his hands, but the number of vines he had to deal with was very few.

"Your technique is wrong, too rough." Mrs. Allen suddenly appeared beside him, her voice both reprimanding and instructing:
“Keep the knife at a 30-degree angle and follow the grain of the vine, not against it.”

She took the tool from Ron's hand and, with almost unbelievable dexterity, quickly drew a perfect path on the vine.

The thorns and knots were neatly removed, but the vine itself was left intact.

Ron observed the process carefully and quickly adjusted his operation.

He had always been an observant learner, and Mrs. Allen's demonstration had been a great inspiration to him.

[Medicinal Herb Identification Experience + 1]

As time went by, Ron's technique gradually became more sophisticated.

He began to be able to find the most efficient treatment order by observing the distribution pattern of the thorns, and even predict the location of the next tumor that needed special attention.

At this moment, he made a strange discovery - these hidden thorn vines did not seem to be covered with thorns in a disorderly manner, but followed some inexplicable rules.

What was even more amazing was that when he was concentrating on his work, he seemed to be able to feel a faint but clear energy fluctuation inside the vines.

It is a kind of life pulse that is completely different from breathing techniques and meditation, but it also has a rhythmic rhythm.

"Interesting..." Ron murmured to himself, completely immersed in this new discovery.

He tried to process the thorn tips in accordance with this natural rhythm and was surprised to find that his efficiency was greatly improved.

It was as if the vines somehow "understood" and "coordinated" with his movements.

Just as Ron was concentrating, Mrs. Allen appeared beside him again and handed him a cup of dark green, steaming liquid.

"Drinking it will help relieve toxin accumulation." Her tone was calm, but her eyes held a subtle hint of approval. "It seems you're more suited to this job than I thought."

Ron took the cup gratefully, and after briefly checking that there was nothing unusual, he took a sip.

Then, he was somewhat surprised to find that although the liquid in the cup had a strange color, it tasted surprisingly sweet, like mint tea with honey, which instantly dispelled the numbness in his fingers.

"Thank you, ma'am." He thanked her sincerely and then returned to his work.

Ron dealt with all the hidden thorn vines much faster than expected before evening.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the pile of perfectly processed silver-gray vines with satisfaction, his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment.

"Not bad." Mrs. Allen checked the results, her voice full of surprise.

"That's much better than I expected. You seem to have discovered the trick to dealing with the hidden thorn vines?"

Ron didn't hide his discovery: "I noticed that the vines seem to have a specific growth pattern on their surface. When my movements align with it, my efficiency is greatly improved."

"Growth patterns?" Mrs. Allen's eyes flashed with interest.

"Interesting... Few people can sense the life rhythms of extraordinary plants. Your perception is truly extraordinary."

As she spoke, she took out a small bag that had been prepared long ago from under the counter, and the crisp sound of something hard colliding could be heard from inside:

"Well then, let me settle today's magic stone fragments for you. They are a bit more than usual, and your hard work is worth the extra payment."

Ron took the bag and weighed it lightly, feeling that there were about five magic stone fragments in it, which was indeed a lot more than the usual two.

"Thank you for your generosity, ma'am." He put away the magic stone fragments and prepared to say goodbye. "See you tomorrow."

"Wait, don't leave so quickly." The old witch suddenly called him, with a hint of subtle concern in her tone:

“Are you going to deal with the qualification certification of junior apprentices later?

(End of this chapter)