Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 57 Three Stages of Madness
He carefully put the pocket watch away and placed it within easy reach on the bedside.

Lying on the bed, Ron thought about what he had gained today, and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.

His intuition told him that this "time-guardian pocket watch" was far more than it seemed.

"Time Guardian." He muttered to himself, slowly closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

The first ray of sunlight in the early morning penetrated the mist of the dark jungle and shone obliquely on the wooden sign of the herbal medicine store.

Ron got up early and carefully placed the hard-earned precious materials into a special container.

He felt the special feeling brought by the pocket watch - despite the intense training the night before, his body was still as relaxed as usual, without any fatigue.

On his way to the herbal medicine store, he chose a less traveled path, carefully observing his surroundings and alert to any possible dangers.

Ever since the last conflict with the Orc mercenaries in Lizard Alley, Ron felt that he needed to be more careful.

When I pushed open the door of the herbal medicine store, the wind chimes made a crisp sound.

The light in the store was still dim, and the air was filled with the unique aroma of various medicinal herbs.

Ron was surprised to find Mrs. Allen already working behind the counter. She was leaning over a wooden cabinet, sorting something, her long, pale hair swaying slightly with her movements.

"Come in, we've been waiting for you for a while." Mrs. Allen said without looking up, her voice as hoarse as usual.

"Sorry, ma'am, I didn't mean to be late." Ron apologized subconsciously, although he was sure that he was earlier than the agreed time.

"Late?" Mrs. Allen raised her head, a hint of surprise flashing in her green eyes, and then she regained her sharp, all-seeing gaze.

"You came earlier than usual today. I just arrived earlier. Isn't it normal for old people to get up early? Don't be so quick to admit your mistakes, you'll make others think you're easy to bully."

She straightened up, her back making a few slight creaking sounds, and walked to the counter on crutches, looking at Ron with interest.

"So, how's the harvest? Let me see what you brought back."

Ron took out the carefully packaged containers from his arms and placed them one by one on the counter.

Each container is specially handled to ensure that the materials inside will not be damaged or contaminated by movement.

"I've already bought the Moon Shadow Bat's Heart Ash, Crystal Moss, and the Tongue of the Thirsty Dead," he reported simply, his voice calm and confident, without any hint of seeking credit or reward.

Mrs. Allen raised her eyebrows slightly, and a rare look of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Her fingertips stretched out like eagle claws, and she picked up the crystal bottle containing the Moon Shadow Bat Heart Ashes, examining it carefully under the light, her posture like a senior jewelry appraiser examining a suspicious gem.

“The quality is good, even excellent.”

The old witch sniffed lightly and commented, her tone full of approval, which was rare for her, who was usually stingy with praise:

"Where did you get these? How much did they cost?"

Ron briefly described his experiences at the Sunset Tavern and Lizard Alley, of course omitting the final conflict with the Orc mercenaries.

"Five pieces for this quality of heart ash?" Mrs. Allen said in surprise. A look of disbelief appeared on her old face, and her wrinkled fingers tapped the counter excitedly.

"That gray dwarf Otto actually offered such a price? He's known for his shrewdness. It's said that he even calculated something for his own deceased mother."

"I helped him identify some medicinal herbs in exchange."

Ron explained modestly, trying to downplay his accomplishment, but a hint of pride could be seen in his eyes.

"Oh?" Mrs. Allen's eyes became sharper, like a sharp knife cutting through a fruit, pointing straight to the core:
"Has your ability to identify medicinal herbs reached a level that would earn Otto's approval? Not everyone takes that old sly fellow seriously."

Her green eyes were fixed on Ron, like an alchemist examining an experimental product that was reacting unexpectedly.
"In just a few months, from a candidate apprentice to possessing this level of medicinal herb identification ability, Ron, your progress is astonishing, even somewhat unusual."

As the old witch spoke, she checked the three pieces of material again with professional and precise movements. After confirming that they were correct, she carefully put them into the drawer.

"To be honest, I didn't expect you to find these materials so quickly."

Mrs. Allen looked Ron straight in the eyes, her voice serious and earnest, a change from her usual slightly harsh tone:

"When I gave you this list, I thought it would take you at least three months, perhaps even longer, to find a single ingredient. My plan is to have you collect them in stages. I'll first teach you a meditation method that will allow you to reach the advanced apprentice stage, and then we can move on to deeper levels once you're strong enough."

She paused, and her green eyes became deeper, as if they could see through the mist of time:

"But since you've made it this far, I won't be stingy. I will teach you the first two stages of 'The Whisper of the Star-Eater' - the part from beginner to advanced apprentice, and the part from advanced apprentice to full wizard."

Ron's heart almost skipped a beat, and the blood in his body seemed to flow faster.

This was far more generous than he had expected. He had originally thought that the other party would hold back according to convention, but he had not expected that Mrs. Allen would be willing to teach him content including the breakthrough to become a formal wizard.

This level of extraordinary knowledge is strictly confidential within the school and can usually only be obtained by signing a contract to serve the school for decades or even a lifetime.

"Thank you very much for your generosity, ma'am."

Ron said sincerely that he could sense that the help Mrs. Allen gave him was far beyond the ordinary teacher-disciple relationship, and he could also clearly sense the deep meaning behind this action.

In the Black Mist Jungle, no one is generous for no reason.

Mrs. Allen's training of him was obviously because she saw his potential. Just like Holt before, she was investing in his future.

The more she gives, the more she will get in return from him in the future.

But this relationship, which was based purely on the exchange of interests, made Ron feel particularly at ease.

Compared with those false concerns, naked interest relationships are more solid because both parties are clear about each other's bottom line and expectations.

"Don't be so quick to thank me." Mrs. Allen's voice interrupted his thoughts, her expression more serious than ever:
"'The Whispers of the Star-Eater' is not an ordinary meditation method. I've said before that it originated from the mad inspiration of a traveling wizard. It contains many truths that should not be known, enough to drive people crazy."

Her expression became extremely serious, and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes that Ron had never seen before:

"This meditation method is divided into three stages. The first stage can allow you to reach the level of an advanced apprentice, the second stage can help you break through the bottleneck of a formal wizard, and as for the third stage..."

(End of this chapter)