Ch. 4 - The Apprentice Market

"Come to think of it, your House Stark's hereditary breathing technique, it may not be on par with the royal family's, but it's not bad either. Why didn't you..."

Arnor asked with some curiosity.

Robb scratched his head awkwardly. Indeed, in his original memories, both his father and eldest brother had repeatedly asked whether he was interested in knight training.

But back then, his former self had been too busy drowning in pleasures and vices to spare a thought for the grueling hardship of knight training.

Now the regret was overwhelming, and far too late.

Arnor caught the look on Robb's face and understood everything instantly.

"Ah, I see. Back in the capital, you were famously the biggest wastrel around."

His tone turned playful as he gently swirled the tea in his cup.

"I remember one time, you got completely blackout drunk in the royal gardens and, right in front of several ministers, you and one of your personal maids actually started to..."

"Ahem!" Robb hastily cut him off, a flush of embarrassment creeping onto his face.

The original owner's utterly outrageous memories were nothing short of a nightmare for the current him.

Watching Robb squirm, Arnor finally couldn't hold back his laughter. "Alright, alright. For the sake of those fifty Mana Crystal Fragments, I'll spare you the full exposé."

He set his teacup on the table, his expression returning to something more serious. "But in all honesty, Robb, have you really thought this through?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Solar Breath is certainly powerful, but precisely because of that, its difficulty far exceeds ordinary breathing methods."

A flicker of concern passed through Arnor's eyes. "Even within our royal family, not everyone can master it."

"And besides..." he paused, "with your current physical condition, rashly practicing an advanced breathing technique could very well..."

"I know the risks." Robb cut him off. "But compared to what awaits me in three months, what's a little risk?"

It didn't matter anyway, he had the system. And he had another reason for wanting to practice a breathing technique. he wanted to see if it could activate a knight-related class and gain additional physical growth.

Seeing the resolve in Robb's eyes, Arnor let out a long sigh. "If you're set on this, I won't try to dissuade you any further."

He stood up, rummaged through his belongings, and produced a stack of crumpled handwritten pages from his pack, clearly kept on hand for convenient review.

"These are notes I transcribed. They include key cultivation pointers and precautions."

"But let me make one thing clear."

Arnor fixed him with an intense stare. "If you think you can just take these notes and fumble your way through it on your own, you'd be dead wrong."

Robb looked at him quizzically.

"An advanced breathing technique isn't something so simple."

Arnor shook his head. "It requires a strict guided process and specific body-tempering methods. Otherwise, things can go very wrong."

He glanced at the stack of crumpled notes. "For instance, the first and second stages both require a specially formulated 'Scorching Essence Oil' to temper the body. If you get the ratios wrong, or take it at the wrong time..."

Arnor pointed to his chest. "At best, internal burns. At worst, spontaneous combustion starting from the lungs."

Robb drew a sharp breath. Only now did he realize how naive his earlier thinking had been.

"And different stages require different tempering compounds."

Arnor continued, "The third stage uses 'Molten Dew Extract,' and the final stage requires..."

Seeing Robb's slightly pale face, Arnor smiled. "Relax. Since I've taken this many Mana Crystal Fragments from you, I'll naturally see it through to the end."

With that, he handed the notebook to Robb. "The formulas for all these compounds are written in there, but the actual brewing process, that'll need my personal guidance."

Robb took the notebook and opened to the first page.

Amid the dense handwriting, beyond the breathing technique's key principles, there were extensive annotations on pharmaceutical preparation.

"Honestly..." Arnor said with a grin as he tucked the pile of Mana Crystal Fragments into his clothes, "I'm rather looking forward to seeing how far you can take this breathing technique."

His tone carried a hint of mischief. "Even within our royal family, few have fully mastered the Solar Breath. Most people stall out at the second stage and never advance another inch."

"Are you trying to crush my enthusiasm?" Robb said with a wry smile.

"Would I do that?" Arnor's grin deepened. "I'm encouraging you."

He stood and straightened his apprentice robe. "Come on, let's head to the herb shop. The ingredients for 'Scorching Essence Oil' aren't particularly rare, but the ratios matter. I need to pick them out personally."

Watching Arnor's barely concealed delight, Robb finally realized, this prince had probably been waiting to cash in for quite some time.

After all, in a world where mages dominated everything, what meaning did secular royal inheritances really hold? Better to seize the chance and trade them for something of practical value.

As for those so-called notions of guarding family secrets, when your life was on the line, who had the luxury of caring about such things?

After leaving the dormitory area, Robb followed Arnor along a winding cobblestone path.

"Don't tell me you've barely visited the market these past few months?" Arnor glanced back at Robb as he led the way.

Robb rubbed his nose self-consciously. It was true, before this, he'd hardly stepped outside. He'd spent every day holed up in his room, grinding away at Fundamentals of Meditation.

Even his daily necessities were handled by errand servants. His only outings each month were to collect the Mana Crystal Fragment allowance sent from home.

"I remember you used to have your meals delivered to your room too."

Arnor laughed. "If I hadn't come looking for you today, I'd have assumed you'd starved to death in there."

Along the cobblestone path, luminous blue moss lit the way ahead.

Strange plants on either side emitted eerie glows in the darkness. Some swayed as passersby walked near; others bloomed with iridescent light in the shadows.

"Watch out for these plants." Arnor pointed to a cluster of purple-glowing mushrooms on the ground. "Those are 'Nightmare Parasols.' They..."

"I know." Robb instinctively stepped back several paces. "The orientation guide mentioned them. They release hallucinogenic spores."

"Oh?" Arnor raised an eyebrow. "Seems you read that orientation guide quite carefully."

"Well, aside from those few books, there wasn't much else to read," Robb said with a bitter smile.

During that period, he'd poured all his time into meditation and reading, leaving him almost entirely ignorant of what was happening in the outside world.

"And I actually fell victim once. During my first week here, I passed out in that area for an entire day. When I woke up, I found myself hugging a poison-spitting datura plant. Been extra cautious about these things ever since."

Arnor found this rather amusing and was about to say something when a shrill scream suddenly pierced the air from up ahead.

A gray-robed apprentice came stumbling out of the roadside undergrowth. His right hand had transformed into a twisted, vine-like mass.

"This sort of thing happens several times a month," Arnor said, shaking his head. "Though you don't need to worry, your hermit lifestyle is actually safer, all things considered."

"Up ahead is the apprentice market."

Arnor sidestepped the commotion and pointed toward a weathered stone archway ahead. "In there, you can find just about anything an apprentice could want. Provided you have enough Mana Crystal Fragments, of course."

Passing through the archway, they were met with a bizarre medley of scents, herbs and potions all mingled together.

A cat wearing boots strolled past them with an air of elegance, its fur gleaming with a metallic sheen in the dim light.

Close behind came a chattering flock of tiny sprites, chasing after a crystal ball that bounced along on its own.

Robb watched in fascination and nearly collided with a towering figure standing in front of a stall.

The massive, tentacled body made him instinctively want to keep his distance. He sidestepped away.

"Don't be nervous," Arnor said with a smile. "The Krakenfolk may look frightening, but they're excellent business partners. Just be careful when they talk, their saliva is corrosive."

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