Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The morning mist still lingered on Golden Oak Street.

The stone path was wet with dew, and it made a slight rustling sound when stepped on.

When Edel pushed open the wooden door of Workshop Twelve, her fingertips paused for a moment on the doorframe.

She was wearing a new dark purple wizard's robe today.

The cuffs were embroidered with delicate time-mark patterns in silver thread, and the collar was tied tighter than usual.

The hem of her robe swept across the threshold, stirring up a gentle breeze.

The front hall was quiet; old Finn wasn't there, probably out handling the incoming goods.

Edel tiptoed across the courtyard.

Beneath the half-withered old golden oak, a few yellow leaves fell onto the stone slab, their edges gilded by the morning light.

The laboratory door was ajar.

A steady halo of light from the crystal lamp shone through the crack in the door, along with the subtle bubbling sound characteristic of medicine being heated.

Adele stopped at the doorway, took a deep breath, and felt something jump slightly in her chest.

Then he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Ian's voice came from inside, as calm as ever.

Edel pushed open the door and went inside.

The laboratory was filled with the crisp scent of herbs and trees, mixed with a faint metallic aroma.

Ian stood in front of the lab table, his back to the door.

Holding a crystal flask in his hand, he observed the color of the liquid under the light.

The little bird on my shoulder was curled up and dozing, its little head buried in its wing.

Hearing footsteps, it raised its eyelids, its silvery-gray pupils blinking in the shadows.

Adele opened her mouth, the words she wanted to say rolled around in her throat, and what came out was something else entirely.

"Did you stay up all night again last night?"

Ian opened his eyes, glanced down at his rumpled robe, and nodded casually.

"I prepared a new batch of blood essence and also reviewed the formula for the purification mixture."

Adele pursed her lips.

"You're always like this," she said softly. "Every time I come to see you, you're making medicine."

Ian thought about it.

"No, sometimes I meditate."

Adele choked for a moment.

Ian turned around and put the flask back on the stand.

"How was the medicine last night?"

He actually knew it last night, but he couldn't reveal the hidden meaning behind the potion.

Edel walked to the other side of the experimental table.

She didn't sit down immediately, her fingers unintentionally tracing the cold edge of the countertop.

"Yes, I used one-fifth of the dose last night."

Her voice was soft, but it lacked its usual somber tone.

"The medicine works well. The pollution on Father's body seems to have eased a bit, and he seems to have more energy than before."

Ian's eyes lit up.

"Energy? Even better than I expected."

He turned and took a new crystal tube from the constant temperature cabinet; dark silver liquid flowed inside the tube.

"The reagent's identification accuracy has reached the standard; this version of the reagent can accurately pinpoint the source of pollution."

He handed the medicine to Adele.

"Today we can try one-tenth of the dose and observe the situation carefully. If the effect is stable, we can start mass production."

Adele took the potion; the tube felt slightly cool to the touch, and the liquid shimmered like starlight under the light.

Ian suddenly remembered something and looked up at Adele.

"Didn't you say before that there were special antidote formulas in the family's secret vault?"

It's been almost two months since Adel returned to the family, why hasn't the potion been prepared yet?

Adele sneered, her eyes filled with hatred.

"I've already used it, it was completely useless, far less effective than the purification potion you used last night."

I suspect all of this was deliberately leaked by someone to distract me and pave the way for the next round of the clan chief election.

Ian remained silent; he had actually suspected this for a while.

After his first visit to Titu, he had a premonition that ordinary antidote potions would be of no use.

"Ian..."

Adele looked up at his slightly tired face.

"Thank you for everything during this time."

She spoke these words very slowly, as if she had carefully considered each one for a long time.

Ian shook his head. "You're welcome. This will also help me improve my potions skills."

He lowered his head again and began to organize the equipment on the lab table.

The movements were skillful and methodical.

Adele looked at his downcast eyes and his focused profile.

The morning light slanted in through the high window, casting a small shadow on his eyelashes.

She suddenly felt that the laboratory was too quiet.

It was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat.

"You're always like this."

She spoke softly, her tone carrying a gentleness she herself was unaware of.

"Hmm?" Ian looked up.

"You always... stay in the lab alone."

Adele walked to the window and looked at the street outside, which was gradually becoming more lively.

"Before you came to the Central Continent... were you also this obsessed with brewing potions?"

Ian paused for a moment.

The continent of Anoria, the Shadowmoon Tower—suddenly, they all feel...very distant.

He recalled the cabin in the woods where he first crossed over, Nightfall Town, Starleaf Potion Shop, and the demon-hunting war...

"Pretty much, I just think... all potion masters are like this, I'm used to it."

"Well..." Edel turned around and leaned against the windowsill.

The deep purple robe was outlined in a soft silhouette by the morning light.

"Isn't anyone helping you? I mean... friends or something."

She asked casually, as if chatting, but her fingertips secretly clenched her sleeves.

Ian thought for a moment, "Yes."

He put down the grinding bowl, walked to the constant temperature cabinet, and took out several newly arrived materials.

"When I was on the East Coast, a friend helped me a lot."

Adele's heart skipped a beat.

She forced herself to maintain a calm expression.

"A friend? Also a potion master?"

"Um."

Ian began processing the materials, his mental energy transforming into pale golden threads that precisely stripped away impurities.

"Her name is Malena, and she used to be the manager of a potions shop."

"Potion Shop..."

Adele repeated herself in a low voice, quickly searching her mind for the unfamiliar name.

"Is it famous on the East Coast?"

"It's not exactly famous, but it has a good reputation in that area."

Ian's voice, unusually, carried a hint of warmth.

"When I first arrived in Nightfall Town, I was just a junior apprentice."

"She gave me the opportunity, providing me with a stable income and cultivation resources."

He paused.

"Later, war broke out... In the end, it was through her introduction that I entered the potions department of Shadowmoon Tower."

Adele listened attentively.

She saw a rare tenderness in Ian's eyes as he said those words.

That gentleness was something she was showing in Ian for the first time.

The lump in her chest suddenly tightened.

It felt like being gripped by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe.

"So you two... must get along really well, right?"

Her voice remained steady, but her fingers had already subtly sunk into her palms.

"Hmm." Ian nodded, without stopping his movements.

"She is one of my few close friends; she has helped me many times."

"A close friend..."

Adele repeated the word.

She stared at Ian's profile, trying to glean more information from his expression.

But Ian's expression remained calm, revealing no other information.

"Is she still on the East Coast?"

"It should be."

Ian placed the prepared materials into the crucible, and a ghostly blue flame ignited at his fingertips.

"After I came to the Central Continent, I lost contact with them."

Adele remained silent for a long time.

The only sounds left in the laboratory were the hissing of the flames burning the crucible and the faint crackling of the materials melting.

The sunlight outside the window climbed a little higher.

The light spot fell on the lab bench, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air.

"Except for Malena..."

Adele suddenly spoke, her voice even softer than before.

"Any other friends? I mean... fellow potion makers or something."

She looked away immediately after asking the question.

Pretending to observe the neatly arranged medicines in the temperature-controlled cabinet, his ears perked up.

Ian thought about it and suddenly realized that apart from Gaga, he seemed to have very few friends.

Kenner, Robert, and others could only be considered subordinates.

As for family, I always feel there's a barrier between us, and we're not very close.

If it helps his potions studies and has a profound impact on him...

Aside from the panel system, there's only... the Wizard Elivia.

"Alivia?"

Adele's heart skipped a beat; she knew from the name that it was a woman.

"She helped you too?"

"Um."

Ian adjusted the heat, his eyes focused.

"My knowledge of potions during my apprenticeship has been a great help to me."

"Although they didn't formally accept me as a student, they did teach me a lot."

In particular, Alyvia's explanation of the nature of potions, although from Ian's current perspective, contains many errors and omissions.

But it still provided Ian with considerable inspiration.

As Adele listened, she suddenly realized that she had asked these questions somewhat ridiculously.

Someone as outstanding as Ian is bound to attract countless eyes whenever our paths cross.

Before, there was Malena, Ellivia... and there will be many more in the future.

When he mentioned them, his tone was one of respect and indifference.

nothing else.

"They... all admire you, don't they?"

"I'm speaking softly," Adele said, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Uh... I don't care about that."

Ian paused, then turned off the flame and poured the liquid from the crucible into the condenser.

"Communications among potion masters value each other's talents and worth more."

He looked up at Idyl.

"Just like you and me now, we each get what we need, and we cooperate for mutual benefit."

He spoke as if it were a matter of course, as if stating an irrefutable truth.

Adele was stunned, looking into Ian's calm eyes.

The tightness in my chest suddenly loosened.

But after letting go, there is an emptiness, an indescribable sense of loss.

"Yes..." she said softly, loosening her fingers from her sleeve.

"Each party gets what they need, and the cooperation is mutually beneficial."

The laboratory fell silent again.

It quacked and shook its feathers, tilting its little head to the side.

His silver-gray pupils lingered on Adele's face for a moment.

"Ideal, you look beautiful today."

Its clear, childlike voice rang out exceptionally well in the quiet laboratory.

Adele's reserved expression froze for a moment before returning to normal.

"Really? Thank you for the compliment."

She turned around and strode towards the door, the hem of her deep purple robe drawing a hurried arc.

"I'll take the medicine now and come back to you tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already disappeared outside the door, his footsteps fading quickly into the distance in the corridor.

Like running away.

Gaga scratched at Ian's collar with its paws, its small eyes looking somewhat confused.

"Ian, did you notice? Adele's acting really strange today."

"Strange?" Ian looked down and continued processing the next document.

"I guess the purification potion is working, so he's in a good mood."

Gaga tilted her head and stared at him for a long time, then sighed and drooped her little head.

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

It tucked back into its wings and continued to doze.

In the laboratory, the steady glow of the crystal lamps shone down.

Ian stood in front of the lab table, the golden threads at his fingertips moving as if alive.

He meticulously adjusted every detail, as if performing a precise surgical procedure.

The morning mist had completely dissipated from Golden Oak Street outside the window.

Edel walked briskly down the street, her robes billowing in the wind.

She kept her head down, her palms were sweaty, and the blush on her cheeks had not completely faded.

"Each gets what they need...a win-win cooperation..."

She repeated the sentence softly, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips. .

The smile was faint, like a tender bud peeking out from under the frozen ground in winter.

If you could only read one fantasy novel in your life, it would probably be "The Wizard: My Skills Can Break Through Infinitely".