Living Modification Black Market Connections

Ron replied courteously, but his enhanced perception caught a faintly unnatural look on Oliver's face.

There were extremely subtle suture marks, almost impossible to notice. Yet under his mental perception, which had already crossed an entire major stage, they were clearly visible.

He thought of Marcus's ugly, squat face, then looked at Oliver's nearly perfect one.

He quickly cut off that line of thought. It was best not to pursue such a dangerous association.

"Then I won't disturb you." Oliver bowed slightly and made an elegant farewell gesture. "I hope we'll have a chance to meet again."

Marcus followed behind his elder brother, glancing back at Ron as he left.

That glance held extremely complicated emotions—pity as if he were looking at a dead man, deep schadenfreude, and an indescribable delight in revenge.

That look made Ron's heart sink. His instincts told him that Oliver's "kind visit" had been anything but good news.

Only after the two figures disappeared at the end of the corridor did he let out a long breath and gather his belongings.

Now that he had regained his freedom, there was no need to stay here any longer.

Moreover, with his current mental perception, he could clearly detect a trace of strange energy lingering inside the Confinement Room—a certain magical imprint left behind by Oliver.

Ron shuddered and decided to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Whatever Oliver was plotting, Ron's current strength was still far from enough to oppose him.

The moment he stepped out of the Confinement Room, he drew a deep breath.

Although the air in the Black Mist Forest still carried that distinctive mixture of fishy and sweet odors, to someone who had just escaped confinement, it was already a luxury.

"What the hell is that guy planning?"

Ron pondered as he walked, deciding to return to his room first and then ask Andre about the situation in detail.

On the way, he could feel that he was an entirely different person from two weeks ago.

The qualitative transformation of the mental power within him had greatly enhanced his perception. Even his gait had become lighter and more natural.

The other Candidate Apprentices passing by appeared in his perception like glowing flames. He could roughly sense the strength and frequency of fluctuation of each person's mental power.

This ability might be commonplace to the other apprentices, but to Ron, who had only just broken through, it was still incredibly fresh.

Soon, he arrived at his room.

The lock was intact. It seemed that no one had broken in during the past half-month.

But Ron still cautiously checked the trap markings inside the room. These were tiny marks he had deliberately set before leaving, meant to indicate whether anyone had entered.

Only after confirming that everything was normal did Ron truly relax.

"Looks like I was just being overly cautious."

He chuckled self-mockingly and began organizing his belongings.

This crude apprentice dormitory could hardly be called comfortable, but compared with the Confinement Room, it was already far better.

Just as he was about to sit down and rest, Ron heard a rapid knock at the door.

"Ron, are you back?" Andre's voice came through the door.

Ron raised an eyebrow. The Thirteenth Prince's information network was certainly fast.

"Come in. The door's unlocked."

Andre pushed the door open, surprise on his face.

"I was eating in the cafeteria just now when I heard someone say they'd seen you in the dormitory corridor, so I came over to take a look. Did you spend extra Magic Stone Fragments? That's quite extravagant..."

He suddenly stopped, his pupils contracting slightly. "Wait, you've already..."

Ron knew he had noticed something and smiled faintly. "That's right. I broke through."

"Primary Apprentice!" Andre sucked in a cold breath. "In the Confinement Room? That's simply..."

His tone was filled with disbelief, but he soon regained his composure. "Still, considering how quickly you've been progressing lately, it isn't entirely unexpected."

Ron gestured for him to sit and briefly described how he had broken through, naturally leaving out the assistance provided by the Career Panel.

"No wonder it's you." Andre sincerely praised him. "For most people, an environment like the Confinement Room would be torture. Yet for you, it became an opportunity to focus and break through."

A complicated, resentful expression flashed through his eyes. "Ron, do you know? Sometimes I'm genuinely curious how you managed to make such enormous progress in such a short time."

Ron smiled but did not respond to that. Instead, he swiftly changed the subject. "Do you know what kind of person Oliver is?"

At the mention of that name, Andre's expression instantly grew solemn. "He came to see you?"

Ron nodded. "Just now. The fact that I was able to get out so quickly was also thanks to him spending Magic Stone Fragments."

"That's not a good sign." Andre lowered his voice slightly.

"Oliver doesn't have a very good reputation in the School. That guy is famous for being a smiling tiger, and his research is far too..."

He seemed to search for the right words. "Too twisted. Even some High-level Apprentices at the same level keep their distance from him."

"Be more specific?" Ron pressed.

Andre hesitated, seemingly weighing how much information to reveal. "His research focuses on 'Living Modification'..."

At this point, his voice dropped even lower. "They say most of the 'materials' in his laboratory are slaves collected by Marcus."

Ron thought of Emily, whom he had encountered before, and his heart sank.

"But what I find most puzzling is why he went out of his way to meet you."

Andre frowned. "Logically speaking, that minor conflict between Marcus and you should be insignificant to an apprentice of his level."

"I have a guess." Ron spoke softly. "It might have something to do with Darund's Sonic Spell."

Andre understood what he meant. "You're saying he's interested in that research?"

"Not merely interested." Ron recalled Oliver's words. "He said sonic waves and curses share something in common. Both continuously influence their targets through special means."

"That does make some sense." Andre pondered. "But even so, it's still strange for a High-level Apprentice to deliberately approach someone who has only just broken through from the Candidate Apprentice level."

The two fell into a brief silence, each considering the possibilities.

At last, Andre broke the silence. "In any case, you need to be especially careful now. Oliver isn't someone to provoke. Even our royal family's connections within the School..."

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

"By the way." Andre seemed to remember something. "The black market merchants at the market have become active again over the past half-month. Several more Candidate Apprentices have gotten into trouble recently."

"Still those prohibited potions?" Ron asked.

"Yes, but this time it's somewhat different." Andre's expression grew solemn. "Those potions seem to be related to curses, and the mutations they cause after use are also more..."

He paused, apparently searching for a suitable word. "More controllable, as if they had been precisely designed."

At that, Ron's thoughts stirred. "Are you saying these potions might be connected to Oliver?"

"That's only my guess." Andre answered cautiously. "But the timing is indeed a little too coincidental."

Ron's eyes shifted as he pretended to casually bring up a seemingly unrelated topic.

"I was wondering, might the black market have some... special materials and formulas?"