As they gradually approached the heart of the market, Ron's eyes darted about constantly. Everything felt so new and fresh to him.
Strange hawking calls rose and fell in the air:
"Fresh Magic Serpent Gall! Guaranteed to be taken this morning!"
"Top-grade Illusion Scale Powder! Directly imported from the Land of Fairies!"
"Special clearance! Failed experimental subjects, half price!"
The market stalls were overflowing with dazzling goods, many of which Ron had only seen in books before.
Glowing little people floated inside glass bottles, colorful crystals hovered in mid-air, and Magical Beasts were sealed under stasis spells...
A merchant with goat horns waved enthusiastically at them. "Care to take a look, sirs? This is genuine Goblin craftsmanship..."
"Ignore him," Andre muttered. "That guy's goods are all fake—specifically meant to scam reserve Apprentices like us."
Not far off, a female Serpent-person merchant with a long tail was deftly weighing a chameleon salamander. Her slender serpent tongue flicked out occasionally as she spoke:
"Hiss, hiss... This batch comes from the edge of the Deep Abyss. Three times more potent than ordinary ones. Buy from me, and I'll give you a discount..."
"Let's not waste time..." Andre patted Ron's shoulder. "The most important thing right now is finding the materials for Burning Oil. Let's go."
Pushing open the weathered wooden door of a nearby herbal shop, the scent of mixed herbs instantly flooded their senses.
The shop's interior was dimly lit. Flickering flames from bronze candelabras cast the shadows of tall shelves onto the stone walls, forming twisted and distorted shapes.
"We need..." Andre pulled out a crumpled notebook and began searching through the shelves based on a list. "First, three portions of Red Sand Grass."
He pointed at a glass jar speckled with red spots. "This is it. Make sure to choose the ones with complete roots..."
Ron looked at the endless rows of strange materials, feeling more than a little overwhelmed.
"What's this one?" he asked, pointing to a round container filled with translucent floating spheres that looked like eggs.
"Moonlight Jellyfish egg sacs," the blond young man replied without looking up. "Used in transparent potions. But they're expensive—one egg costs twenty magic stone shards."
"Over here." Andre moved to another row. "Phoenix Tail Flower Pollen... Ah, found it."
He carefully picked up a sealed bottle filled with golden powder that sparkled like tiny fireflies in the low light.
"This is extremely delicate. A drop of moisture and it's ruined."
"We also need the stems of Carbon Breath Grass..." He rummaged further. "It's the one that smokes—yes, that one."
Ron watched as Andre moved confidently between shelves, occasionally stopping to examine materials for quality.
"This Silverlight Mushroom looks a bit old," Andre said with a frown, inspecting a faintly glowing fungus. "But we'll just have to make do."
Finally, he placed the last item into a cloth bag and clapped his hands. "Alright, that's everything. These materials should be enough for you to practice brewing several times..."
He paused, glancing somewhat hesitantly at the now-flattened money pouch hanging at his waist.
Just as they were about to leave after paying, the shop owner's hoarse voice called out:
"Wait, you two guests."
It was an old woman with a face full of deep wrinkles. One of her half-closed eyes glowed eerily green in the candlelight.
"Are either of you interested in Magical Potion Brewing? I happen to be looking for an assistant..."
Ron's heart stirred, but Andre was already pulling him away. "Sorry, we've got other things to do."
Once they were a fair distance away from the shop, Andre explained:
"That old woman has a notorious reputation. She's gone through countless assistants. The pay is generous after the trial period, but she won't give a single magic shard during it. Eventually, no one wants to waste their time."
Ron nodded thoughtfully. "I see. But if she can afford to pay high wages, she must be skilled."
Andre narrowed his eyes. "You're not thinking of—"
"I plan to give it a try tomorrow," Ron said decisively. "I need a place to practice. Rather than spend a fortune buying materials and fumbling around on my own, why not learn under a skilled master?"
Andre sighed. "Alright. But I'm warning you, that old woman's temper is awful. If you don't meet her standards, she won't even let you survive the trial period."
"I understand." Ron smiled faintly. "So, I'd like to ask you to accompany me tomorrow."
He began helping Andre pack the materials. "I'll go back later and arrange a time with her."
Looking at Ron's calm and confident demeanor, Andre couldn't help but feel a strange premonition—perhaps this time would be different.
He handed Ron the cloth bag filled with materials, his eyes flashing with a trace of worry.
"These should be enough for now," Andre said, then added, "Remember, every failure wastes materials."
Ron took the bag and noticed Andre's subtle concern.
He's probably afraid I'll mess up and ask for a refund, Ron thought. After all, fifty magic stone shards is a significant sum for the current Thirteenth Prince.
Back in the room, Andre got straight to work teaching Ron how to brew Burning Oil.
The tools were extremely basic: a chipped clay pot served as a stove, a few crooked iron rods as stirring sticks, and crude homemade graduated cups in place of proper measuring tools.
"First, chop the roots and stems of the Red Sand Grass," Andre instructed, leaning over to monitor the clay pot's reaction.
"Yes, just like that. Don't discard the root hairs—they contain the most concentrated Fire Element."
As they gradually added ingredients, a strange heat current began to bubble inside the clay pot. Tiny bubbles rose to the surface of the red liquid, occasionally popping with soft crackles.
"Now add the Phoenix Tail Flower Pollen... Wait! Don't just dump it in—the reaction will be intense! Sprinkle it slowly so it spreads evenly across the surface."
Ron carefully followed Andre's guidance. The golden powder formed a perfect ring atop the liquid, then slowly sank, creating shimmering fire-like ripples.
The first attempt went smoothly under Andre's direction.
For the second attempt, Andre deliberately stepped aside and remained silent, wanting to gauge Ron's true ability.
To his surprise, Ron's movements were smooth and instinctive, as if he had practiced countless times.
Each step—dosage, timing, stirring—was executed with precise rhythm.
Though it wasn't yet true Magical Potion Brewing, Ron was already handling the relatively simple Burning Oil process with admirable control.
"Could this kid really have talent for Potion Studies?" Andre murmured to himself. "When I was learning from my father, our tools were much better than this, but it still took me several attempts..."
Just as Ron successfully completed his second batch of Burning Oil, a translucent panel suddenly appeared in front of him:
[One brewing completed √]
**[Profession advancement conditions met:
Basic Potioneering (Proficient 9 / 100) √
Completed one brewing √
Do you want to immediately advance to — Potion Apprentice?]**