"Given your current soul condition, using this lowest-level Dawn Ascension Array to assist in your advancement would result in a very slim chance of success. It would be a complete waste of time and resources."
"If you want to advance smoothly, you need to at least construct an intermediate-level ascension array. If you want to use this advancement to resolve most of the lingering issues with your soul, it would be best to choose a higher-level ascension array."
Regarding this, Alazan presented two options for Ronan to choose from. The first option aimed solely for a smooth advancement, while the second option not only ensured advancement but also perfectly resolved the lingering issues.
However, even the resources required for the primary plan were more than ten times what Ronan had originally anticipated.
Ronan remembered the last time he had worried about magic stones was when he was a wandering wizard in the Hoddam Treehouse District. He never expected that, after all this time, even after becoming a third-level wizard, he would still have to become a "worker" to save up for his future.
Exiting his private secret realm space, Ronan ascended straight up along the dark, bottomless waterfall abyss. Along the way, he saw wizards from the same Deep Sea Sect flying up from even deeper below. Behind the waterfalls in this area, there might be numerous secret realm spaces.
After emerging from the abyss waterfall, Ronan found himself surrounded by a circular lake with a white void all around.
Following the guidance of the "Spirit Lake Book," Ronan found a nearby spot, softly chanted an incantation, and quickly drew a special pattern in the void using the Spirit Lake Ring on his right ring finger.
Soon, ripples like water waves appeared in the void, and a small glowing portal emerged before Ronan.
Ronan pushed the door open and bent down to step inside.
Behind the light door was a similarly narrow crystal corridor that gradually widened. After half an hourglass's time, Ronan encountered a small door covered in flowers and vines.
The green vines on the door had grown into the corridor, occupying most of the passage. Ronan carefully avoided the vines, maneuvered around them, and continued forward.
He then encountered doors made of writhing flesh, doors made of flowing water, until he finally stopped at the fifth door—an ordinary wooden door with a brass ring lock.
Ronan gently knocked on the small door, which soon creaked open from the inside.
He didn't see Haliador, but there was a beautiful white cat at his feet, pawing at the doorframe.
"Thank you, Silver Coin."
Ronan sincerely expressed his gratitude, but the cat ignored him, yawning and turning away.
Ronan pushed the wooden door open and walked in, immediately hit by a pungent smell—a mixture of various floral scents and the aroma of alcohol, so strong it was almost overwhelming.
He took a couple more steps forward, and the first thing that caught his eye was an incredibly massive oak tree, far larger than the one named "Tataka" he had encountered when entering the Spirit Lake.
The space itself was already quite large, roughly two to three times the size of Ronan's private secret realm, and the oak tree occupied a full two-thirds of the entire space, showcasing its lushness and robustness.
The branches of the ancient oak tree hung down from the ceiling of the space, each tip adorned with a metal or glass jar of varying sizes. Some were filled with unknown liquids, others contained blood-like clots, some housed living creatures, and there were even ethereal spirits in the form of smoke. Ronan even spotted a naked ancient fairy, sealed with runes, sitting pensively in a palm-sized crystal jar, lost in melancholic thought.
"Who's there?!"
An aged voice called out from beneath the oak tree.
Ronan turned towards the sound and noticed a massive wooden workbench at the base of the tree, alongside a peculiar metal alchemy furnace that was bubbling with something inside. Occasionally, a woman's scream would emanate from the furnace.
Emerging from behind the oak tree was Heliodor, clad in a black lab coat, who gestured for Ronan to approach.
"You're two minutes late," Heliodor glanced at his crystal pocket watch, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction. "I don't want this to happen again."
"You didn't specify a time frame for my arrival," Ronan replied calmly.
"Now you know, don't you?" Heliodor put away his watch, speaking indifferently.
Ronan wasn't angered; he simply nodded. He was well-prepared for the eccentric temperaments of most elderly wizards.
"Now, I'll assign you a task," Heliodor seemed to be in a hurry, pointing in a direction and speaking rapidly to Ronan. "See that? That's where you'll be working for me from now on. Starting today, for the next two years, I need you to process materials for ten thousand different potion recipes. The materials, tools, and recipe lists are all on the table. Get to work immediately!"
Ronan looked in the direction Heliodor pointed and saw a much smaller metal workbench, cluttered with various potion-making utensils.
However, he didn't rush to move. Instead, he quietly observed Heliodor before him.
"What are you dawdling for?" Heliodor frowned at him, his tone cold. "Are you waiting for me to assign an assistant to you, the assistant?"
"Before we proceed, shouldn't we discuss..." Ronan paused, then continued, "the matter of compensation?"
"You're asking me about compensation?" Heliodor clicked his tongue, looking at Ronan with an incredulous gaze.
"I think you might have forgotten my status, and your own. If I hadn't picked you out of the 'garbage heap,' with your soul's aptitude, you should have been expelled from the Spirit Lake long ago."
"My apologies," Ronan exhaled softly.
Heliodor narrowed his eyes, speaking coldly, "Are you refusing me?"
"No," Ronan shook his head. "That's not my intention. It's just that with my inferior aptitude, I need to invest more time and effort than others to advance to the fourth level. At this stage, I can't afford to expend resources on a task that offers no compensation. I assure you, once I gather the materials needed to construct my advancement array, I will return here at the first opportunity."
Ronan bowed deeply to Heliodor in front of him, then turned and walked toward the exit of the space.
The entire space was eerily quiet during this process, with only the sound of the alchemy furnace bubbling and the white cat, Silver Coin, yawning.
Ronan's expression was calm; he had already mentally prepared himself to endure anything.
The worst outcome would be Heliodor forcing him into "unpaid labor" through some means. His main goal was to convey his attitude to the other party.
Five sessions of "Spirit Amber" cultivation had significantly enhanced his ability to discern the purity of souls. Although Heliodor had a peculiar temper, his soul aura was gentle and kind, so he likely wouldn't do anything more extreme.
Just as Ronan was about to reach the exit, Heliodor's voice finally rang out.
"It seems you've recognized the chasm one must face when advancing from the third to the fourth level."
Ronan stopped and turned around, seeing that Heliodor didn't have the angry expression he had imagined. In fact, he was even smiling.
"Without exceptional talent, a powerful identity, or a strong background, it's indeed not easy for an ordinary third-level wizard to cross this step.
The necessary resources can sometimes wear a person down."
Heliodor muttered to himself as if deeply convinced, then looked up at Ronan and said indifferently, "Now, I can become your background. The deep sea also holds inexhaustible resources... provided your performance is satisfactory enough."
Heliodor tossed something toward Ronan, who caught it—a brand-new space ring filled with various rare magical ingredients.
"Hurry up. Also, everything here must be left behind before you leave.
If I find out otherwise... there won't be a next time."
"At your service."
Ronan bowed, and Heliodor turned away, no longer looking at him.
Having achieved his goal, Ronan slowly walked to the workstation Heliodor had assigned him.
The messy tabletop, aside from the relevant mixing utensils, had a few potion recipes written in scrawled handwriting.
Ronan counted them. Far from ten thousand, there weren't even twenty recipes on the paper, but the steps for handling each material were written in great detail.
"Finish these, then ask me for the next set of recipes."
Heliodor's voice came from afar. "If you encounter problems you don't understand, try to solve them yourself first. The books you might need are on the shelf over there. If you still can't figure it out, come ask me, but it's best not to, because I don't want to waste my precious time on foolish questions."
Ronan looked around and found the shelf Heliodor had mentioned, located in a corner of the space. It was a birch tree that had naturally grown into the shape of a bookshelf, with Silver Coin curled up there, dozing.
Without delay, Ronan carefully read through the contents Heliodor had written on the paper several times. Then, he fetched water from the pollen tube of a large white-faced flower by the workstation and cleaned every tool and utensil on the table, drying them with a spell.
Next, he took out the magical ingredients from the space ring Heliodor had given him and, using the "Spirit Lake Book," began sorting and searching through them one by one.
This process took him quite some time. By the time Ronan officially started processing the first set of magical ingredients from the recipe, it was already the next morning.
The material ratios specified in the formula written by Heliodor were extremely precise. For some materials, the margin of error had to be controlled within the weight of a single speck of dust.
Fortunately, Ronan had been practicing the "Ancient Star Meditation Technique" for a long time, and the refinement of his mental power far exceeded that of an ordinary third-level wizard. Additionally, the powerful recovery effect of the Clarity Realm allowed him to overcome the initial failures caused by his lack of familiarity with the techniques. As a result, the subsequent processes became increasingly smooth and effortless.
On his character panel, under the skills section, the proficiency of a long-forgotten skill representing his progress in mastering potion-making began to steadily increase.
After working tirelessly for seven days, Ronan would leave for a while and return to his residence to engage in half a month of daily Spell practice and meditation.
This cycle repeated itself.
Heliodor seemed to tacitly approve of this schedule, as he never raised any objections.
(End of Chapter)