Ron tidied up his attire and walked slowly towards the reception room.
As he pushed the door open and entered, his gaze paused slightly before quickly returning to normal.
Trish was clearly dressed up today:
A light green silk gown outlined her increasingly slender figure, with intricate silver thread embroidery depicting forests and stars on the hem.
Her brown long hair was fixed at the back with a silver leaf hairpin, a few loose strands naturally hanging beside her ears, making her pretty face even more enchanting.
"Ron!" Seeing him enter, Trish smiled somewhat bashfully and pursed her tenderly-colored lips.
"Long time no see, Trish."
Ron noticed the leopard girl standing respectfully half a step behind her, nodded slightly, and then looked at Trish:
"It’s been such a long time, I thought you had forgotten about your fellow villager."
His tone was half teasing, half complaining, but it was clear he wasn’t genuinely upset.
A trace of guilt flashed across Trish’s face as she bit her lower lip:
"I..." She was momentarily speechless, then took a deep breath:
"I’ve been really busy lately with so many things to handle, so I haven’t been able to visit you in person."
Ron waved his hand, signaling her not to take it too seriously, and guided them both to sit down.
Li Yue instinctively stepped aside, maintaining her guard duties, her beast-like eyes constantly scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
Ailan silently brought over the tea, and Trish expressed her gratitude, clearly surprised by the human-like actions of the tree spirit, but quickly focused back on the conversation.
"I’ve heard you’ve already entered the Candidate Wizard ranks, and as an Intermediate Apprentice no less."
Trish took a gentle sip of tea, her tone filled with genuine admiration and a hint of complexity:
"I must say, your progress is truly astounding."
Ron picked up his teacup, discreetly observing his fellow countrywoman before him:
"Thanks to you, the magic potion orders you introduced provided a stable income for me, allowing me to focus on other improvements."
"It’s mutual." Trish smiled slightly: "Your magic potions have also helped me quite a bit..."
She suddenly paused, seemingly pondering how to continue the topic.
"How have you been doing lately?" Ron raised an eyebrow, showing just the right amount of curiosity.
Trish hesitated for a moment, then continued:
"I’ve been collaborating with Master Corina on a bloodline activation experiment, which has been the main reason for my busyness lately."
His interest was instantly piqued, but he maintained a steady demeanor on the surface:
"Bloodline activation experiment? Sounds interesting, tell me more."
As a newly completed Bloodline Knight and holder of a Chimera Bloodline with three consciousness cores available for filling, any information related to bloodlines was extremely important to him.
"Yes." Trish nodded, a hint of pride in her eyes:
"Master Corina is helping me activate the Forest Elf bloodline within me. Although it’s still in the early stages and not very effective yet, there have been some noticeable changes."
As she spoke, she subconsciously reached up to touch the tip of her ear, guiding Ron’s gaze to notice her ears:
They were no longer entirely rounded human ears; the tops were starting to take on the pointed shape characteristic of elves.
Her eyes were also beginning to show a distinct emerald hue, shimmering like gemstones in the unique magic crystal lamp light of the school.
Ron stared unblinkingly at these changes, feeling a strong surge of curiosity and imagination.
Trish noticed his gaze, and instead of avoiding it, she slightly raised her chin with a hint of pride:
"Isn’t it amazing?"
"It truly is amazing." Ron nodded in agreement and then asked:
"Aside from the physical changes, is there any substantial ability enhancement?"
Trish’s eyes lit up, clearly anticipating Ron’s question.
She stood up and walked over to a row of potted plants by the window:
"Of course, let me show you."
The girl’s slender fingers gently touched one of the pots with a newly sprouting seedling, she closed her eyes, her expression becoming exceptionally focused.
A few seconds later, a green glow extended from her fingertips to the seedling.
The plant then began to grow at a visible speed, with tender green stems stretching taller, new leaves unfurling, and even a few pink flower buds sprouting.
"Natural Affinity—one of the signature abilities of the Forest Elf."
Trish withdrew her hand, a look of undisguised pride on her face, but then she looked a bit deflated:
"However, right now I can only affect small plants, like herbs and flowers. Affecting mature trees is still far away."
"That’s already incredible."
Ron sincerely praised her, especially considering the potential value of this ability in cultivating magic potion materials:
"In the future, the quality of the magic potion materials you grow will surely surpass those on the market by a great margin."
As he spoke, a slight rustling sound caught their attention.
They turned simultaneously towards the source of the sound:
Ailan was slowly walking in from the sunlit courtyard, the vines swaying gently as if responding to some silent call.
"Master." Ailan’s leaves rustled to form letters:
"I feel a peculiar sense of closeness... but at the same time, an instinctive fear."
Trish’s eyes widened, clearly amazed by a tree spirit capable of writing.
But this amazement lasted only a moment, quickly replaced by intense curiosity.
She instinctively moved closer to Ailan, her gaze as if beholding a treasure:
"Is this... a reverted tree spirit? Ron, you actually have such an assistant!"
She approached Ailan cautiously, as if handling an extremely precious piece of art, her eyes filled with envy:
"She’s in a state of ancestral activation, and the transformation is already quite advanced."
Trish’s voice carried a tinge of undisguisable jealousy:
"You are really lucky, encountering a tree spirit that naturally activates its deep bloodline is nearly impossible to find."
Ron chuckled inwardly, he was indeed "lucky," though this fortune came from seventy Magic Stone Fragments from the Blake Exotic Race Exchange, rather than some stroke of fate.
"You seem to know a lot about tree spirits?" Ron raised an eyebrow.
"Forest Elves and tree spirits are symbiotic races."
Trish’s expression softened suddenly, as if she were discussing long-lost family history:
"In ancient times, tree spirits were revered as the ’Forest Guardian’ by Forest Elves and were their closest allies."
She reached out to touch Ailan’s vine but hesitated, worried about offending this peculiar being.
Ron nodded gently: "It’s fine."
With the owner’s permission, Ailan leaned slightly towards Trish, allowing her to gently stroke the vine.
This movement resembled a plant naturally inclining towards the sunlight, revealing an instinctive affinity.
"Amazing... truly amazing," Trish murmured:
"From her bloodline’s vitality and transformation, the potential far exceeds ordinary tree spirits; it likely originates from a purer ancient bloodline. You’ve truly found a treasure, Ron."
"Back to your bloodline activation." He steered the conversation back on track:
"What method did Corina use? A special ritual? Or some kind of Magic Potion?"
As this was mentioned, Trish’s eyes lit up again:
"She gave me a special Meditation Technique, specifically designed to work with the Forest Elf bloodline already in me."
She paused, lowering her voice somewhat:
"Actually, her goal isn’t just to activate ordinary Forest Elf bloodline; she hopes I can transition to a higher level—Moon Elf bloodline."
When mentioning "Moon Elf," Trish’s eyes sparkled with an unmatched yearning, akin to a middle school student discussing a dream academy.
"Moon Elf?" Ron raised an eyebrow; this term had appeared a few times in the various ancient texts he had read but was always mentioned vaguely.
"The royal family that guards the Life Tree."
Trish explained, her tone full of reverence:
"Stronger than ordinary Forest Elves, mastering the mysteries of life and moonlight, once one of the most revered races in ancient times."
Speaking of Moon Elves, the look of longing in her eyes was strikingly similar to the desire in Andre’s eyes when Ron mentioned the Sun Flame Dragon.
Evidently, for those with special bloodlines, exploring and enhancing one’s lineage is an instinctual desire.
"However," Trish’s expression turned complicated, her brows slightly furrowed:
"The mental pressure from this special Meditation Technique is considerable, much greater than that experienced by users of ordinary advanced meditation techniques..."
A trace of caution flashed in Ron’s eyes, and Trish continued:
"That’s why I’ve been asking Li Yue to buy various mental protection Magic Potions for me."
She smiled a bit sheepishly as she added:
"Recently, I heard you could refine special Magic Potions that suppress Spiritual Contamination, which made me even more eager to visit you."
Ron secretly sighed in relief; it seemed the other party was here out of legitimate needs and hadn’t discovered his long-held secret.
He responded nonchalantly:
"Yes, I’ve been researching related formulas recently, but the effects are limited, only providing temporary relief rather than solving the contamination issue fundamentally."
Ailan, unnoticed, had already brought new tea and snacks for the two and quietly stepped aside.
"So," Ron sipped his tea and asked tentatively:
"With just the Meditation Technique and Magic Potion assistance, how effective is bloodline activation?"
Trish’s expression became complex, tinged with expectation, disappointment, and a bit of reluctance:
"To be honest, the progress is much slower than expected."
She sighed slightly: "Master Corina believes a stronger catalyzing environment is needed to truly break through the bloodline’s shackles."
Trish hesitated, pondering whether to share the next piece of information, before finally lifting her head to meet Ron’s eyes:
"Have you ever heard of the ’Bloodline Altar’?"
An unfamiliar and mysterious term.
Though Ron had researched extensively in the "Extraordinary Bloodline Encyclopedia," he had never encountered this term.
He shook his head slowly: "No, what is that?"
Trish looked around, ensuring that only the two of them were present in the room (Ailan and Li Yue didn’t count as people), then leaned forward, her voice lowering instinctively:
"It’s a secret; only those in the Candidate Wizard sequence are qualified to know about it. Considering your current status and position, I thought you should know."
Ron’s curiosity was fully piqued, and he too leaned slightly forward, glancing at the Apprentice Badge locked in a secured box in the distance to ensure they were not being monitored.
"Do you know why the Crystal Tower chose to establish the Black Mist School in this desolate jungle?" Trish asked.
"Because the Extraordinary Resources here are quite abundant?"
Ron speculated based on the information he had gathered: "And its relative remoteness makes it easier to maintain secrets?"
"That’s only part of the reason." Trish shook her head:
"The main reason is that there is a rift leading to an Exotic Realm here, connecting to a mysterious place known as the ’Bloodline Altar.’"
Ron’s pupils contracted—Otherworld!
As someone who had traversed worlds, his understanding of this concept far exceeded that of ordinary people.
If the Black Mist Jungle indeed held a stable Otherworldly rift, it would be an incredibly valuable resource and opportunity.