The two exchanged a glance and burst into laughter simultaneously.
"It seems Iāve really found the right allies." Andre raised his teacup, using tea as a substitute for wine, his eyes shimmering with hope: "To our collaboration!"
"And to the future!" Ron responded with a raised cup.
The clinking of teacups was crisp and pleasant, with friendship and trust being more precious here than anything else.
"Starting tomorrow, Iāll need to prepare the list of potion ingredients." Ron said while sipping tea, "Do you have any channels to get Dragon Beard Grass? Itās essential for me to refine Qi Blood Potion."
"Dragon Beard Grass is not a problem." Andre replied casually: "But on your side, what does Lady Allenās list include? Maybe I can help."
Upon hearing Andreās inquiry, Ron intended to share a bit of the tasks Lady Allen had assigned him, to seek help from Andre, whose network was far broader.
But after a glance at the darkening sky outside, he decided to discuss the cooperation details tomorrow.
Observing Ronās demeanor, the perceptive Thirteenth Prince immediately caught on, put down his teacup, and politely took his leave.
After seeing Andre off, Ron locked the door and picked up the simple Star Dust Liquid he had previously refined under Lady Allenās guidance from the table.
More than half of the silvery liquid remained in the bottle, emitting a faint glow in the candlelight.
"Better keep the Artificial Star Dew for now, itās not time to use it yet."
Ron murmured to himself, glancing at the precious potion given to him by Holt, stored deep in the cabinet.
He had a plan in mindāonce Lady Allen handed over "Star Eaterās Ravings," heād use this higher-quality Star Dew to accelerate his breakthrough.
Considering the complexity of that gem-level Meditation Technique, relying solely on willpower might take eternity to find a breakthrough. The support from potions would make it much faster.
"The remaining simple Star Dust Liquid should be enough to advance the Sound Wave Magic to an introductory combat level now."
Ron took a deep breath, extracted Darrendās notebook, preparing to use the remaining Star Dust Liquid to overcome the final bottleneck:
[Sound Wave Vibration (Prototype 87/100)]
He thought for a moment, opened the window to confirm the peace of the night, then took out a piece of dried wood from the herb store to use as a target.
Carefully pouring out a small spoonful of simple Star Dust Liquid, Ron slowly drank it down.
A cooling sensation spread across his throat, quickly extending throughout his body.
He could feel his mind becoming exceptionally clear, thoughts more agile.
Although according to Lady Allen, its effect was merely a youthful version of the real Star Dust Liquid, it was sufficient for his current task.
[Simple Star Dust Liquid- Effect: Slightly increases Spiritual Power stability; slightly increases casting precision]
He sat cross-legged on the bed, opened Darrendās notebook, and earnestly studied any unresolved sections.
Under the influence of the Star Dust Liquid, those once obscure and difficult symbols and notes became clearer and easier to understand.
As time passed, he gradually understood some of the essenceā
Darrendās Sound Wave Magic core was not merely invoking vibrations but guiding magic particles in the air to resonate with specific "Spiritual Waves," forming an attacking sound wave.
"I see..."
With the mental stability provided by the simple Star Dust Liquid, Ron closed his eyes and began constructing the Sound Wave Magic model within his Spiritual Space.
It was no longer a simple droplet shape but a spiral energy structure, formed by three layers of different density spiritual power intertwining, creating a complex but stable energy vortex.
Each layerās angle and speed of rotation were extremely particular. He adjusted them one by one as per the instructions in Darrendās notes, under the clear senses brought by the Star Dust Liquid.
"Feels like tuning a musical instrument string by string, rather than merely constructing a magic..." he thought to himself.
As he infused spiritual power, the spiral energy vortex began to expand, emitting a faint humming sound as it rotated.
Initially, it was a barely perceptible vibration, but soon, as Ron began to channel magic power, that vibration gradually gained substantial destructive force, stirring the surrounding air.
[Sound Wave Vibration (Prototype) Experience Points +1]
[Sound Wave Vibration (Prototype) Experience Points +1]
[Sound Wave Vibration (Prototype) Experience Points +1]
...
[Magic Construction (Introductory) Experience Points +1]
Ron did not stop, continuing to adjust the direction and intensity of the energy flow.
After transitioning to [Wizard Apprentice (One and a Half Stars)], and gaining the Magic Construction profession skill, he noticeably improved his speed in refining the Sound Wave Vibration prototype.
He discovered that when his spiritual power vibrated at a specific frequency, it not only efficiently constructed the magic model but also significantly reduced magic power consumption.
"Itās like finding some kind of resonance frequency..."
Immersed in the construction of the magic model, Ron didnāt notice the piece of wood on the table suddenly vibrate slightly.
When he snapped back to reality, he found that his spiritual power had unconsciously constructed a complete Sound Wave Magic model, already starting to affect the physical objects around him.
"It just happened unconsciously? It seems the effect of the simple Star Dust Liquid is better than expected..."
He quickly focused his attention, bringing this unexpected gain under control.
"Sound Wave Vibration!"
Ron recited the magic name in his mind, simultaneously releasing a condensed spiritual power to drive the spiral-shaped energy vortex.
An almost invisible ripple shot out from his palm, striking the piece of wood on the table.
In that silent moment, countless tiny cracks suddenly appeared on the woodās surface, and then the entire piece shattered, turning into a pile of wood chips.
[Sound Wave Vibration (Prototype) Experience Points +8]
[Breakthrough! Sound Wave Vibration (Prototype 100/100)āSound Wave Vibration (Proficient 1/100)]
[Gained Additional Trait: Microwaves (Hard to detect when launching attacks)]
"It worked..."
He could hardly believe he had managed to master the Sound Wave Magic so quickly, not only crossing the introductory threshold but advancing directly to proficiency, earning the additional trait for the skill.
Perhaps it was because he had been refining this magic model from the prototype concept.
Ron thought as he reached out to touch the wood chips, finding they had been shattered into dust so fine it could be called powder, far exceeding the apparent destruction.
What surprised him further was the unexpectedly low magic consumption during the magic castingāonly about 0.2 of his magic power, but causing destruction comparable to most attack magic.
Additionally, the magicās advantage was that it was almost silent during activation, unlikely to arouse much warning, making it a perfect weapon for stealth attacks.
"No wonder Oliver is so interested in this kind of magic..."
Ron thought to himself: "If, as Lady Allen said, it could be combined with a curse, itās indeed possible to create an attack method almost indefensible by apprentices."
This idea left him both excited and cautious.
Such power, in different hands, could yield entirely different outcomes.
"Fortunately, Iām no longer that weakling who canāt defend himself."
Ron exhaled softly, looking at the gradually brightening sky outside the window.
This newly acquired "Sound Wave Vibration" might be another important ace for him in this perilous Black Mist Jungle.
He finished the remaining simple Star Dust Liquid in his cup and gently closed his eyes:
"Now all thatās left is āStar Eaterās Ravings.ā Once the materials on the list are gathered, I might be able to advance another level..."