Chapter 32 - 31: Vivisection and Black Market Channels

Ron replied politely, and with his enhanced perception, he caught a subtle incongruity on Oliver’s face.

It was an extremely faint seam, almost imperceptible, but under his spiritual perception that had just made a significant breakthrough, it was clearly visible.

Thinking of Marcus’s ugly and short appearance, and then looking at Oliver’s nearly perfect face...

He quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts; it was best not to continue such dangerous associations.

"Well then, I won’t disturb you any longer." Oliver bowed slightly, making a graceful farewell gesture: "I hope to see you again in the future."

Marcus followed his brother and glanced back at Ron as they left.

That glance contained extremely complex emotions—there was pity as if looking at a dead man, deep schadenfreude, and an indescribable sense of revenge satisfaction.

This look made Ron’s heart sink, and intuition told him that Oliver’s "friendly visit" was by no means a good thing.

When their figures disappeared at the end of the hallway, he finally exhaled a sigh of relief and began to pack his things.

Since he had already gained his freedom, there was no need to stay here any longer.

Moreover, with his current spiritual perception ability, he could clearly detect a strange residual energy in the Detention Room—a magical trace left by Oliver.

Ron shivered involuntarily and decided to leave this place as soon as possible.

No matter what kind of tricks Oliver was playing, given his current strength, he was far from being his opponent.

The moment he stepped out of the Detention Room, he took a deep breath.

Although the air in the Black Mist Jungle still carried that unique, mixed sweet and bloody scent, for him, just released from confinement, it was already an enjoyment.

"What exactly is that guy up to..."

As Ron walked, he pondered, deciding to return to his room first, then find Andre to get more details about the situation.

Along the way, he could feel that he was like a completely different person compared to two weeks ago.

The qualitative change in his spiritual power greatly enhanced his perception ability, and even his walking posture became lighter and more effortless.

The other Candidate Apprentices he passed by along the way, in his perception, were like glowing flames, with each person’s spiritual power strength and fluctuation frequency roughly visible.

For other apprentices, this ability might be ordinary, but for Ron, who had just broken through, it was still full of novelty.

Soon, he arrived at his room door.

The lock was intact, indicating no one had entered without permission during the past half-month.

Still, Ron cautiously checked the trap markings in the room—tiny marks he had set up before leaving to detect intruders.

Confirming everything was normal, Ron finally relaxed.

"Seems I was overthinking."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and then began organizing his belongings.

This simple apprentice dormitory might not be comfortable, but it was far better than the environment of the Detention Room.

Just as he was about to sit down and rest, he heard a rapid knocking on the door.

"Ron, you’re back?" Andre’s voice came through the door.

He raised an eyebrow; the Thirteenth Prince’s news was indeed well-informed.

"Come in, the door’s not locked."

Andre pushed the door open and entered, wearing a surprised expression:

"I was just eating in the cafeteria and heard someone say they saw you in the dormitory hallway, so I came over to check. Did you spend extra Magic Stone Fragments? That’s quite extravagant..."

His words suddenly stopped, his pupils slightly contracting: "No, you’ve already..."

Ron knew he had perceived something and smiled slightly: "That’s right, I broke through."

"Elementary Apprentice!" Andre gasped: "In the Detention Room? That’s simply..."

His tone was full of disbelief, but he soon regained composure: "However, given your progress during this period, it’s not too surprising."

Ron gestured for him to sit down and briefly described his breakthrough process, of course omitting the assistance from the profession panel.

"As expected of you," Andre praised sincerely: "The Detention Room environment, which is a torment for most people, became an opportunity for you to focus and breakthrough."

A complex and somewhat unwilling look flashed in his eyes: "Ron, do you know? Sometimes I’m really curious about how you achieve such significant progress in such a short time..."

Ron smiled but didn’t continue this topic, quickly changing the subject: "Do you know what kind of person Oliver is?"

Hearing the name, Andre’s expression instantly became serious: "Did he come to see you?"

Ron nodded: "Just now. I owe my quick release to him spending Magic Stone Fragments."

"That’s not a good sign." Andre’s voice lowered:

"Oliver’s reputation within the School isn’t very good. He’s notoriously a smiling tiger, and his research direction is too..."

He seemed to be searching for the right words: "too twisted, even some of the same level Advanced Apprentices keep their distance from him."

"More specifically?" Ron pressed.

Andre hesitated for a moment, as if weighing how much to reveal: "His research direction is ’live body modification’..."

At this point, his voice lowered further: "It’s said that most of the ’materials’ in his lab are collected servants by Marcus."

Ron remembered meeting Emily earlier, and his heart sank.

"But what puzzles me the most is why he specifically came to see you?"

Andre frowned: "Logically, the little conflict between Marcus and you should be insignificant to an apprentice at his level."

"I guess..." Ron said softly: "It might be related to Darrend’s Sound Wave Magic."

Andre understood what he meant: "You mean, he’s interested in that research?"

"Not just interested." Ron recalled Oliver’s words: "He said there are some commonalities between sound waves and curses, both having a sustained impact on the target through special means."

"That does make some sense." Andre was thoughtful: "But even so, a high-level apprentice specifically reaching out to you, someone who just advanced from Candidate Level, is still quite strange..."

Both fell into a brief silence, each pondering the possibilities.

Eventually, Andre broke the silence: "In any case, you must be extra careful now. Oliver is not someone to mess with, even our royal family’s network in the School is..."

Ron nodded, fully aware of the weight of this warning.

"By the way," Andre recalled something: "In the past half a month, the black market merchants at the market have become active again. Recently, a few more Candidate Apprentices have gotten into trouble..."

"Still those Forbidden Potions?" Ron asked.

"Yes, but this time it’s different." Andre’s hand unconsciously clenched into a fist: "Those potions seem related to curses, and the mutation method after use is even more..."

He paused, as if searching for the right words: "more controllable, as if precisely designed."

Thinking of this, Ron was stirred: "Are you saying these potions might be related to Oliver?"

"That’s just my speculation." Andre said cautiously: "But the timing is indeed very coincidental."

Ron’s eyes flickered as he casually brought up a somewhat unrelated topic:

"I’m wondering if the black market might have some... special materials and formulas?"