The two agreed to meet at the School South Gate at noon tomorrow and head to Lizard Alley.
After Andre left, Ron returned to the study in the workshop, his thoughts surging like a tide.
After pondering for a while, he decided to make sure he was fully prepared to ensure smooth sailing for this trip.
He took out a piece of paper and began to list the items he needed to bring:
Several bottles of Recovery Potion, two bottles of Defense Potion, one bottle of Speed Enhancer, a few Alchemy Flash Bombs...
Although the transition to Bloodline Knight had significantly enhanced his constitution, it was always prudent to be better prepared for the potential dangers of Lizard Alley.
......
Oliver stood in his private quarters at the top of the tower, looking down through the window at the scenery of the Black Mist Jungle.
As night fell, countless Magic Crystal Lamps lit up everywhere in the School, like stars scattered in the Dark Forest.
Occasionally, mysterious lights flickered in the distant experimental area, accompanied by deep rumbling sounds—evidence that some wizard was conducting extraordinary experiments.
This scene should have been refreshing, but Oliver’s expression was unusually grim.
On his desk lay the latest ranking list of the Candidate Wizard sequence, with one name circled in red—Ron Ralph.
"Twenty-fourth place... up six ranks..." Oliver murmured, his palm clenched in agitation: "That kid’s rise is too fast."
The Candidate Wizard sequence consisted of thirty members, all the most promising Intermediate and Advanced Apprentices in the School.
Being higher on the ranking meant access to more resources and opportunities and represented more attention from the School’s upper echelon.
"’Medicinal Body Resonance’..." Oliver softly recited, which was Ron’s publicly acknowledged Special Talent and one of the key reasons for his rapid ascent:
"It’s indeed a rare talent, no wonder Master Corina is interested in him."
Mentioning Corina, Oliver’s expression grew even more complex.
As an important Official Wizard in the School, Corina’s every move was closely watched.
Her recent interest in Ron had already sparked a lot of speculation.
Oliver picked up a cup of red liquid and took a slow sip.
This was a specially prepared magic potion that could soothe mental fatigue, with a faint strawberry fragrance but a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Just like his mood at the moment, complex.
"Davod..." Oliver sighed, recalling the accident a few months ago.
Originally, it was just a little trick aimed at Holt.
He secretly gave Davod a bit of psychological suggestion, making the already mentally unstable apprentice more paranoid, thus causing trouble for Holt during patrol.
Who knew that after Davod completely lost control, a batch of valuable research materials ended up in Ron’s hands.
"What a blunder..." Oliver chuckled bitterly, putting down the cup.
He originally thought that batch of materials was useless to Ron, especially those research notes on Sound Wave Magic.
Everyone in the School who had studied them believed that Davod’s concept of Sound Wave Magic had fundamental flaws, was difficult to perfect, and had limited value.
Even the complete memory fragments that Oliver extracted from Davod’s mind only confirmed this point.
The theoretical framework of Sound Wave Magic itself had problems; the energy structure was unstable, making it impossible to form a truly effective Magic Model.
"Strange thing..." Oliver muttered to himself:
"I clearly extracted the complete memory fragments from Davod’s mind, including all of his research findings, but those materials were obviously incomplete. Could it be that he hid something elsewhere?"
This question haunted him, especially after hearing that Ron seemed to have mastered some kind of enhanced version of Sound Wave Magic, deepening his suspicions.
He walked over to the bookshelf and gently pressed a concealed mechanism.
The bookshelf slowly moved aside, revealing a hidden door.
Passing through a narrow passage, he entered a secret room.
In the center of the room was a giant cage made of special alloy, with a twisted figure curled up inside.
The creature was neither human nor beast; its limbs extended disproportionately, and black patterns covered its skin like flowing ink.
The only part that still retained human features was the twisted yet recognizable face—it used to be his brother Marcus.
Earlier, he had learned through the Law Enforcement Team’s secret channels about Carl’s death.
The Elementary Apprentice who always accepted assignments from the Edge Forest was found dead on the outskirts of the North District, covered in signs of mutation and pollution.
He was very clear about the real cause of Carl’s death—it was caused by a failed experimental subject losing control while he was testing the effect of the "Sin Domain Black Crystal."
And that experimental subject was his failed brother Marcus.
"Good evening, Marcus," Oliver said softly, his voice filled with exhaustion.
The creature in the cage suddenly lifted its head, emitting a sound somewhere between a roar and a cry.
The eyes, once similar to Oliver’s, were now filled with pitch-black liquid, leaving only a faint red dot in the center.
"I brought something new..." Oliver paused, taking out a piece of black crystal from his pocket: "This should alleviate your pain."
Marcus’s attention, however, was not attracted by the Black Crystal.
His ferocious gaze turned to the wall, where the latest Candidate Wizard sequence ranking list was posted.
Rolling black liquid seeped from his eyes, hissing as it hit the ground, instantly corroding several small holes.
Following Marcus’s gaze, Oliver saw Ron’s photograph on the list.
Unbeknownst to him, Marcus’s claws had already gouged deep marks into the floor, almost tearing the metal floor apart.