NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35
After completing the experiment, Lynn sat cross-legged on the bed and began to meditate.
Three hours later, the twelfth earth ring successfully condensed within his mind.
Accompanied by a cold current, clarity washed over Lynn’s brain. Habitually, he opened the interface panel, and his mental attributes increased by 0.1. The progress of the Earth Ring Meditation Technique also reached 12%.
It took approximately three days on average to condense one earth ring. Lynn estimated that in just 24 days, he could elevate the Earth Ring Meditation Technique to 20%. However, he knew that the difficulty of the meditation technique would likely increase.
He wondered whether his meditation speed was considered fast or slow compared to other wizard apprentices. Lynn recalled teacher Angley mentioning three levels of wizard apprentices—first-level, second-level, and third-level.
He pondered in the depths of his mind on the criteria for these three levels and wondered if he could be considered a first-level wizard apprentice at this point.
A sigh of admiration escaped Lynn’s lips.
The next day, Lynn continued with his experiments.
Armed with the insights gained from the previous night’s failure, Lynn smoothly navigated through the experiment. Soon, a potion with a deep emerald hue was successfully concocted, albeit not entirely standard in color.
“Daily task completed: Experiment (1), Completed an experiment of extremely low difficulty.”
“Completion: Qualified (︾)”
“Reward: 10 general experience points, 1% progress in Mutation Studies.”
In Lynn’s mental sea, a door swung open, and a plethora of new knowledge flooded in.
The feeling of navigating the ocean of knowledge left Lynn thoroughly content.
Indeed, the rewards for completing experiments were even more abundant than before.
Though Lynn had achieved a “Qualified” status, upon expanding the symbol, he discovered six mistakes he had made. Five of them were minor details regarding time and handling of raw materials, while the remaining one involved a significant problem with the proportions.
Fortunately, these errors were not too severe, merely affecting the quality of the potion.
Examining the test tube of reagent in his hand, Lynn faced a dilemma. He realized he hadn’t prepared a flask to store the potion. Using a cork stopper to seal the test tube, Lynn considered that the potion, with moderate volatility and weak oxidization, could withstand exposure to air for a considerable time without compromising its properties.
Subsequently, Lynn cleaned up the laboratory, earning another daily reward of 10 points of general experience.
Calculating it this way, if he maintained a minimum “Qualified” completion status every day, he could secure 20 experience points daily, faster than before.
Lynn silently contemplated this in his mind.
What if two experiments were to be conducted each day?
He speculated there wouldn’t be additional rewards. Angley had conducted two experiments on the same day previously, and Lynn, despite cleaning the laboratory twice in a day, hadn’t triggered extra rewards. Just like cooking, one could only trigger a task once a day.
Daily tasks were truly meant to be once a day, or else they would be considered repetitive.
Nevertheless, to keep the spirit of exploration alive, Lynn set aside some meditation time for his second experiment of the day.
With the experience gained from the second experiment, the third one concluded successfully five minutes faster than the second.
Observing the emerald-green potion before him, the color was now much closer to the desired shade.
Regrettably, no daily task was triggered. It seemed that all tasks of the same type could only be triggered once a day.
Tomorrow, I should be able to achieve a higher evaluation than just “Qualified.” Lynn thought to himself.
At this moment, at the old dock.
The lighthouse’s flame was the only faint light on the dock, and the dark seawater surged back with the cold wind.
Big Goldtooth sat by the window, listening to his subordinates report the recent events.
Not long ago, the hole in the ground had been refilled, but the newly laid floor stood out conspicuously with a color mismatch compared to the surrounding floors.
Every time Big Goldtooth laid eyes on that hole, he would be haunted by the memories of that day.
Listening to the reports from his subordinates, Big Goldtooth’s expression gradually darkened.
A significant event had occurred in the Bolent family a few days ago. Many dignitaries who attended the Bolent family banquet that day reportedly failed to return.
No one knew exactly what had happened, and the incident remained veiled until rumors began to circulate today.
On that day, many people were said to have perished. Not only that, but even the current patriarch of the Bolent family had met his end!
Others might consider it an accident, but Big Goldtooth vividly remembered that person inquiring about the Bolent family shortly before.
“The Bolent family has undergone such a major incident, and it happened not long after that person asked me about the Bolent family.”
Big Goldtooth’s complexion suddenly turned ugly.
In a daze, he seemed to glimpse a large looming cauldron.
No, absolutely cannot let anyone know that I am connected to this.
A trace of severity flashed in Big Goldtooth’s eyes.
The few underlings involved in that incident must be dealt with swiftly.
As long as that person remained silent, others wouldn’t know about his involvement in this.
And that person, truly dangerous.
Even dared to strike at the Bolent family, a noble clan.
If nobles could be targeted, let alone someone like him, a commoner. Big Goldtooth now labeled Lynn as dangerous.
He just wanted to stay far away from Lynn.
Over the years, navigating the underground docks, Big Goldtooth understood a fundamental rule—never offend the nobility.
The relationships between these nobles were intricate, like the roots of a massive tree buried underground. If you didn’t pull them all out, you’d never know how deeply intertwined those roots were.
Generations of nobles intermarried, and the relationships between many noble families were extremely close.
Because in the kingdom, there exists a noble inheritance decree!
When a noble family loses all its direct blood relatives due to foul play, the king, acting justly, can appoint a collateral relative to inherit the original noble’s title and territory to seek revenge on behalf of the fallen family.
Nobles would never despise having more land of their own, and this decree has led to intermarriage among noble families. Unless ennobled by the king during times of war, nobles can only be succeeded by their descendants.
Furthermore, Big Goldtooth received another piece of information—the Bolent family’s banquet that day was held to entertain a prominent figure.
To be treated seriously by a viscount, the status of this influential individual was beyond Big Goldtooth’s imagination.
However, what seemed peculiar was that yesterday, Big Goldtooth received news that large ships from the old dock were conscripted by some influential figure. Judging from the faintly revealed rumors, it seemed related to the Bolent family. The higher-ups leaked the information to ensure the cooperation of Big Goldtooth and his underground associates, warning them not to cause trouble and to keep all their schemes in check.
Naturally, Big Goldtooth wouldn’t court trouble willingly.
What puzzled him, though, was the mass conscription of ships by the Bolent family at the port. Were they preparing for a sea voyage? Big Goldtooth had never heard of the Bolent family venturing out to sea. In Bangor Port, numerous ship guilds and merchants’ associations, all of which had the backing of major noble families in the kingdom. The Bolent family didn’t need to embark on sea expeditions because these associations and guilds paid substantial taxes to them annually.
These taxes were more than enough to keep them well-fed.
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