"They were trying to steal flowers from your shop. I came to help you," Nora panted, trying to explain seriously while lowering her voice.
"Uh… thanks." Ron gave a helpless smile, then glanced at her and asked, "Are you… okay?"
Honestly, Nora didn't need to step in—Ron could've handled things easily on his own. But since she acted out of kindness, he wasn't about to hurt her feelings.
Besides, it wasn't like the temporary quest had any rewards, so failing it didn't matter much.
It was just the word—(Failed)—that stung a little to look at.
Still, Ron had already failed several daily quests before, so one more didn't bother him.
"I'm fine..." Nora stood up, but staggered slightly.
She'd taken a hit to the knee earlier, and it was still throbbing.
That didn't look like "fine" at all. Ron shook his head and said, "Come inside and rest for a bit."
Inside?
Nora immediately shook her head fiercely, pretending she was perfectly fine. She turned and headed for the courtyard gate. "No need. Really, I'm fine."
Ron watched her leave but didn't try to stop her.
Then he looked around at the two thugs lying in the yard, and the third one collapsed by the roadside. Shaking his head, he sighed.
He grabbed some rope, tied the three of them up, and then left the house to find a patrol squad in Chaos City, handing the thugs over to the authorities.
Chaos City sat at the junction of four races and was considered a jointly governed neutral zone.
Although both the Human Empire and the Dwarven Kingdom claimed the city as part of their territory, in reality, it was co-managed by representatives of all four races.
That said, since the elves and goblin disliked administration, city management mostly fell to humans and dwarves.
A flower shop owned by a seventh prince of the Human Empire is getting targeted by street thugs? That was bound to attract official attention.
Even if Ron was one of Emperor André III's least favored sons, his status still stood. Those three thugs were in serious trouble.
And whoever was behind them likely wouldn't get away either.
Ron didn't dwell on it. After all, anyone who had to rely on petty thugs to steal flowers wasn't going to be anyone important.
So, with that handled, he returned to his study to read.
Time to relax with some illustrated books… Ron thought.
Magic Academy Laboratory
Professor Hicks walked in and saw Edith fiddling with some potion tubes, but Harper was nowhere in sight.
He frowned. "Where is he?"
Edith gave a helpless smile. "He went to the puppet testing grounds to try out his explosive potion."
"Hmph? Didn't I tell him to finish the meditation potion first and leave those junk projects aside?" Hicks scowled. "Is he trying to make me cut his lab funding again?"
Edith looked a little embarrassed. She tucked a strand of her light green hair behind her ear and picked up the potion she had been working with. "He finished it. This is it."
???
Professor Hicks froze, then quickly strode over and snatched the potion from her hands.
How long had it been?
A day? Maybe two?
He already finished it?!
"What about testing? Has the potion's effect been verified?" Hicks asked as he opened the bottle. A sweet fragrance hit his nose, instantly clearing his mind.
"It has. This afternoon, we brought in mages from the Academy—magic apprentices and Tier 1 through Tier 4 mages, ten of each," Edith said, handing him a test report. "Everyone reported a significant increase in meditation effectiveness, except for the Tier 4 mages, who felt it was only average. The effects ranged from three to five times enhancement and lasted between one and three hours. It's stronger than the raw Nether Orchid itself, just not as long-lasting."
Hicks took the report and studied it carefully, inwardly shocked.
They were already familiar with the properties of Nether Orchid.
Aside from gathering nearby elemental energy, its scent helped mages meditate, usually enhancing their meditation effectiveness by up to three times.
And now Harper had used it to create a potion with even better results in just a day or two?
This was way better than the meditation potions available on the market.
Most meditation potions only gave a small boost—typically around 50% to 150%—and also came with a strong resistance build-up. That's why most mages only use them during breakthroughs to avoid wasting them.
So Harper's potion gave Hicks quite the surprise.
Though… that was about it.
After all, Hicks knew Harper's capabilities.
In fact, anyone familiar with the Magic Academy's research labs knew about that "Goblin Magic Freak."
This freak was unlike other goblins—he had no interest in money or business. Instead, he was obsessed with magic experiments.
He had two passions: beautiful women and explosions. And nearly every self-initiated project he worked on somehow involved blowing things up.
Unfortunately, those inventions all ended up classified as high-risk items by the Academy.
So in the field of explosions, Harper was a failure—just like in romance. He had never succeeded once.
But in other branches of magic, Harper displayed incredible talent and intuition.
Any project assigned to him was always completed, and usually in record time.
It left Hicks and the others constantly torn—amazed at his brilliance but frustrated by his eccentricity, with no way to rein him in.
Hicks shook his head and let the thought go.
He held the potion in his hands, gently turning it over, deep in thought.
"Edith, over the next few days, test for user resistance. See how long someone can continue taking it before the effects weaken," he instructed.
"Understood, Professor," Edith nodded, though a bit resigned. Looked like she'd have to share a workspace with Harper for a few more days.
"Have you been to that flower shop? I'd like to visit it if possible," Hicks added. "If this meditation potion is as effective as it seems, we'll need to have a proper discussion with Prince Ron."
"Yes, Mason took me there before," Edith nodded, then glanced at the time and said apologetically, "But we won't make it today. The shop only opens from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and sometimes closes even earlier. We're definitely too late today."
"Is that so…" Hicks paused, then quickly understood.
This wasn't a normal flower shop. It didn't need long hours to make money.
With something as rare as the Nether Orchid in stock, the store didn't have to worry about sales.
And with the owner being a prince of the empire—someone with strong backing—it made sense that he wasn't chasing small profits. The limited hours were understandable.
"Tomorrow afternoon, then," Hicks said. "But you stay here and manage the lab. Let Mason take me. If you see him tomorrow, let him know ahead of time."
"No problem, Professor," Edith agreed.