"Master, Ron Ralph is the new rising genius from the past two months you were away. It’s said that his ranking among the candidate wizards has significantly improved, already entering the top twenty. And..."
"And what?" Keynes asked impatiently.
"And he seems to have received special attention from Wizard Soron Griffiths, frequently getting private instruction."
The servant cautiously said, "Offending such a person might bring a lot of unnecessary trouble."
It should be said that it might even lead to a catastrophe, especially since his master is just an ordinary apprentice without any special talents.
But as a servant, he could only remind him so tactfully.
Keynes was undoubtedly a person who listened to reason. Hearing this, he fell silent in an instant, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes.
He was born into a wealthy merchant family and had been influenced by his father from a young age, knowing when to retreat.
Provoking a sequence member favored by an official wizard could cost far more than he could imagine.
"Forget it." In the end, he could only put away his little thoughts with reluctance:
"Beautiful women are everywhere; you could buy a bunch just by visiting the Mortal Marketplace. There’s no need to make enemies with such a genius for the sake of a woman."
Thus, merely by her association with Ron, Lilia successfully freed herself from Keynes’s entanglement, completely unaware of it.
In the weeks that followed, Lilia fully immersed herself in the life of the workshop.
Every morning, she would wake up early to prepare the magic potion materials and tools needed for the day;
In the morning, she followed Ron to learn Basic Magic Potion Making and Spiritual Control;
In the afternoon, she helped Ailan organize the workshop and looked after Little Sea Siren Dale;
The evening was her time for independent study and practice, and Ron occasionally noticed the light in her small room staying on until very late.
Surprisingly, her culinary skills were also fully displayed.
Unlike Ailan, who could only cook simple vegetarian dishes, Lilia had learned many advanced cooking techniques in a noble family.
She started preparing sumptuous dinners for the workshop daily, cleverly combining various rare ingredients to create delicious and nutritionally balanced meals.
"The taste of this dish... It’s like a hotel chef made it."
Ron commented in surprise when he first tasted Lilia’s craft.
He then realized that there might be no concept of restaurants in the Mortal Realm, only private chefs employed by various nobles, so he quickly corrected himself:
"I mean, very delicious."
Lilia beamed with joy: "In the family, I once learned from the head chef for a while."
She didn’t mention that she learned these skills to appease her brothers and sisters: "I’m glad you like it."
Ron nodded: "Talent and hard work will always be rewarded, no matter the field."
These words resonated strongly in Lilia’s heart. Ever since she arrived at this workshop, she didn’t dare to relax for a moment.
Especially after she saw from her small room in the yard that the experimental area on the workshop’s second floor was also brightly lit throughout the night.
Lilia felt that if Ron, who had already achieved so much, held himself to such high standards, how could she, as a stumbling apprentice, justify relaxing her studies?
And the truth proved that effort was indeed effective.
As time passed, Lilia’s knowledge and skills in Magic Potion Making improved rapidly.
Little Sea Siren Dale also became particularly lively because of the new addition to the workshop. She enjoyed listening to Lilia tell stories of the outside world.
Lilia also liked to spend her free time with Dale, teaching her some simple knowledge and games.
"Dale, look at this, it’s called the ’Chasing Light Game.’"
Lilia aimed a small mirror at the sunlight, projecting a bright spot on the wall of the crystal vat, then moved the mirror, letting the light spot swim through the water.
Dale excitedly chased the light spot, her bell-like laughter echoing through the workshop.
The entire workshop seemed to become more alive with Lilia’s arrival.
Even the tree spirit, who initially felt slightly down owing to the new helper taking over part of her work, seemed to gradually recover recently.
Perhaps she was worried about her own value being entirely replaced...
Having been quietly observing, Ron came to this conclusion, unable to help but marvel at how the tree spirit, both in appearance and at heart, was growing more and more human-like.
.........
Ron stood on the workshop’s balcony, reaching out to lift the iron-blue curtains fluttering in the night breeze.
Outside, the Black Mist Jungle was shrouded in a thin fog, the magic crystal lamps from the distant tower piercing the mist, like illusory stars adorning the deep night.
Tonight marked the twentieth day since he officially began instructing Lilia.
Recalling the experiences of this period, Ron couldn’t help feeling an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
Lilia’s ability to learn far exceeded his expectations, her focus and speed in absorbing knowledge were just what a teacher dreams of.
The effect of the "Diligence Can Make Up for Incompetence" special talent was truly extraordinary.
What appeared to be a humble starting point could, over time, develop into an increasingly steep learning curve.
Especially in the past few days, Lilia’s progress was nothing short of astonishing.
Perhaps the accumulation of more than two months with Lady Allen, combined with over half a month’s intensive study here, had gradually activated her talent.
She had not only become capable of independently preparing junior Healing Potions, but also began trying to improve some simple formulas.
The day before yesterday, she successfully increased the potency of a Stimulant Potion by nearly twenty percent, while using only eighty percent of the materials.