Ch. 11 - High Apprentice Hadrian

"Be careful, some ingredients' properties change over time."

Lady Elena spoke while tallying her ledger. "What you've learned from books won't always hold true in practice."

Robb nodded and began carefully examining the pile of ingredients.

With the help of [Herb Identification], he could perceive the unique "signature" each material gave off.

"This one..." He picked up a glass bottle containing silver powder and studied it briefly. "This should be moonbloom pollen, but the dull coloring doesn't match what's described in the textbook."

"Good." Lady Elena looked up. "Did you notice the faint purple residue around the bottle's mouth?"

Robb inspected it more closely. "It reacted with another ingredient?"

"Exactly." Lady Elena set down her ledger. "Moonbloom pollen is supposed to be pure silver, but it's highly sensitive to all kinds of energy. Yesterday, a supplier brought in a batch of amethyst grass, and because they weren't separated in time..."

She paused and gave Robb an appraising look. "So what do you think should be done with this bottle of powder?"

Robb considered for a moment. "First, reseal it to prevent further contamination. Then..."

He recalled a passage from Introduction to Potioneering.

"If it's reacted with amethyst grass, it could still be used in potion-making. The purity is lower, but the upside is a milder medicinal effect."

"Not a bad idea."

A glint of appreciation flickered in the old woman's eyes as she nodded approvingly. "It seems you don't just memorize the textbook, you know how to apply it."

Robb set the bottle of powder carefully aside and continued sorting the rest of the ingredients.

Gradually, he began to notice a hidden pattern within the seemingly chaotic assortment.

For instance, the ingredients that glowed mostly carried a faint trace of starlight energy.

And those that radiated warmth all shared a particular rhythm, one that reminded him of the solar energy described in the Solar Breath.

"I see..." he murmured thoughtfully.

Through hands-on contact with these materials, his book knowledge was steadily transforming into real experience.

Descriptions that had once been dry and impenetrable now came alive.

"Hm?" Robb suddenly spotted a small bottle tucked away in a corner.

It was coated in a thin layer of dust, but through the grimy glass, he could still see faint starlight shimmering inside.

Just as he was about to take a closer look, Lady Elena's voice cut in.

"Nobody's cleaned back there in a long time. Looks like you've found something interesting."

"Is this... Stardust Elixir?" Robb wiped the bottle carefully. "The textbook says this material can help stabilize spirit power fluctuations."

"That's right." Lady Elena walked over, took the bottle, and held it up to the light. "But this one's been sitting too long. Most of its potency has already faded."

She noticed the hint of disappointment on Robb's face. "What, interested in this?"

Robb didn't hide it. "Yes. The apprentice evaluation that determines whether I can stay is in three months. I need to improve my spirit power as quickly as possible."

"I see."

Lady Elena smiled indifferently. "No wonder you chose to apply here. This is certainly a good place to get your hands on rare materials."

She placed the bottle back on the shelf. "But if you want to improve your spirit power, relying on external aids alone won't cut it. A true breakthrough has to come from your own understanding."

Robb fell into thought. She was right, his meditation sessions had already yielded some particularly striking insights. If he relied too heavily on outside assistance, something truly terrible might result.

Just then, the shop door swung open and a gust of wind swept in, carrying a few dried leaves with it.

"Welcome..." Lady Elena began, then stopped mid-sentence.

Robb looked toward the entrance. A tall figure stood in the doorway.

The newcomer wore a gray-blue robe with a badge pinned to his chest, set with a deep blue sapphire. The mark of an High Apprentice.

He lowered his hood, revealing a young but slightly pale face.

"Lady Elena." The man inclined his head. "I heard you've received a new shipment of evening primrose?"

"Indeed, Apprentice Hadrian."

Lady Elena's tone was casual; she seemed thoroughly familiar with this young High Apprentice. "All harvested on the night of the full moon, three days ago."

"Continue your work. I'll see to the customer." She turned her head and murmured to Robb. "Don't ask anything. Don't say anything."

Robb nodded silently and went on sorting the ingredients in his hands.

But he could feel the atmosphere in the shop had suddenly grown heavy.

The High Apprentice, apparently a regular, said nothing more. He simply paced slowly among the shelves.

His robe stirred without any wind, and every time he passed a jar or bottle of ingredients, the materials inside responded with subtle fluctuations.

Robb continued organizing while observing from the corner of his eye.

This was a rare opportunity, being this close to a High Apprentice, he might learn something.

With the keen perception granted by [Herb Identification], he noticed the man pausing briefly in front of certain ingredients.

These materials appeared ordinary on the surface, yet each carried a faint, distinctive resonance.

"Good quality."

Hadrian finished his inspection and, to Robb's surprise, produced a Mana Crystal from within his robe. "I'll take all of them."

Robb stared at the Mana Crystal, his heart jolting.

Unlike the fragments that ordinary apprentices like him used, a Mana Crystal contained power that was pure and immense.

At that moment, a stalk of stargrass Robb was sorting suddenly emitted a faint glow, as if responding to the energy within the Mana Crystal.

The gray-robed apprentice paused, then turned his gaze toward Robb.

Though his expression was unreadable, that piercing stare sent a chill down Robb's spine.

"Interesting..." the man murmured. "This stalk of stargrass still has its vitality intact. How did you manage that, boy?"

Robb's pulse quickened, but he kept his composure.

"Sir, I simply followed the textbook method, preserving it with salt-crystal powder..."

"No." Hadrian cut him off.

"Standard preservation methods couldn't achieve this. This stalk was harvested several days ago. For it to retain this level of vitality means you have some understanding of its rhythm."

Robb faltered. He had indeed sensed the stargrass's unique rhythm while sorting, a cadence remarkably similar to his own psychic fluctuations during morning meditation. He'd instinctively handled it in a corresponding way.

"Very impressive. What's your name?"

Just as Robb was about to answer, Lady Elena interjected herself into the conversation.

"He's my newly hired assistant. Just an Initiate, nothing more."

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