"That Olen is gathering helpers everywhere. It seems his ambitions are indeed significant!"
After returning, Roy's expression turned grave, and a deep sense of wariness arose within him.
If he could approach me, he could certainly approach others as well.
In the Gale Hills area, there might already be many advanced apprentices like him active.
However, in comparison, another issue was even more worth exploring.
"Why do some materials contain Inherent Essence, while others do not?
What exactly is the difference between them?"
Roy had now realized that those materials might possess certain characteristics.
The Fishman Lord had possessed the Thunder Demon Eye for so long, yet he hadn't absorbed the Source Essence within it.
Similarly, Olen had had that finger and ear for a long time, yet he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
Only I can absorb and utilize it.
But according to past patterns, the panel's progress increased by about 8% each month, later dropping to 5%...
Recently, it has completely stalled.
This likely means that "natural growth" has gradually lost its effectiveness.
"Perhaps after obtaining the Bronze-level talent [Sulfur-Mercury Theory], something has changed.
Could it be that even Source Essence has different qualities, with different essences corresponding to different talents?
In any case, it might be difficult to rely on natural growth in the future.
I need to actively seek out treasures that contain Source Essence to continue growing."
After much deliberation, he finally decided to go and take a look at the Gale Hills!
...
A few days later, February 1st.
Third floor of the Wizard Tower, in the room.
"Thurisaz!"
Roy controlled the silver light, and a fist-sized Willpower Rune appeared in the air in the form of a three-dimensional projection.
Driven by his increasingly powerful mental strength, this materialized result became more and more solid.
"Good progress. At this rate, full materialization is just a matter of time."
Soon after, Roy extinguished the light, and the rune projection in his hand dissipated into specks of fluorescent light.
He got out of bed, washed up, fed his pet Flower Snake a quail egg, and then went to the adjacent Alchemy Room to check the operation of the Wizard Array.
After a whole night, another batch of miscellaneous items had been drained of their magic power, awaiting further processing.
"If only I had a Magic Core or an Elemental Pool...
But for now, I don't have the space or the funds for such things!"
Seeing that the small Wizard Array could hardly contain the magic power, which was already showing signs of dispersing, Roy couldn't help but feel a bit distressed.
He then sat down at the table and skillfully performed the final steps of refining the Magic Stones.
"This time, it's 108 pieces..."
After inspecting and discarding a few defective ones into the recycling bin, Roy counted the remaining qualified Magic Stones.
This kind of work, helping others recycle miscellaneous items, was something he could only do in his spare time.
Fortunately, thanks to the [Proficient] enhancement, he still managed to make a profit.
He took out 18 pieces as his own reward, packed the remaining 90 pieces, and then headed out to the cafeteria for breakfast.
"Roy, you're really good and fast! I'll come back to you next time!"
This time, the person handing over to Roy was Milina, who had previously sold him a belt. She inspected the Magic Stones Roy brought and was very satisfied.
"Do you have anything like a Wandering Soul Messenger on hand?" Roy asked while eating from his bowl.
"Yes, they're freshly brewed. How many do you want?" Milina's eyes lit up at the prospect of a sale.
"Give me six for now," Roy said. "If you have any exquisite bottles or gift boxes, I'll take a few of those as well."
"Alright, come by my place later."
...
After breakfast, Roy went to Milina's place and purchased the items he needed.
The Wandering Soul Messenger was a ghostly flame-like spirit sealed within a small glass bead.
This disposable messenger could transmit messages across the spirit realm, making it a highly useful tool.
He planned to get one for Olinda to keep an eye on Olen's movements while staying in Tali.
In addition, he needed to set up contingencies with Renien and Celine to share the risks and broaden the intelligence network.
Of course, there was also Niya, the most professional contact—a small supervisor at the mission center!
The exquisite bottles and gift boxes were prepared for her.
Roy filled a bottle worth over 10 Magic Stones with his homemade perfume, which was worth only 1 Magic Stone, and then packaged it in a gift box that cost several Magic Stones.
In no time, it transformed into a valuable gift worth over 100 Magic Stones.
Soon after, Roy arrived at Niya's place with this precious gift, both to gather information and to strengthen their connection.
"Oh my, how could I accept this?"
Niya, pleasantly surprised, happily accepted the gift and promptly shared all the information she knew with him.
...
Two days later, at Gale Hills.
Roy stood atop a peak, gazing into the distance.
Under the blue sky and white clouds, the rolling mountains stretched like waves, with endless forests extending all the way to the sea.
"That Olen really didn't come after me. Could he genuinely want my help?
No matter what, I mustn't let my guard down!"
This operation carried risks, and he hadn't brought Renien and the others along, considering their safety.
Roy surveyed the terrain and then turned downward, continuing his search for clues.
By the time dusk fell, he still hadn't found anything substantial.
He had to admit that he didn't possess the kind of extraordinary luck where treasures would fall into his lap while walking down the road.
Moreover, the area had already been scoured by many others. If there were any obvious and easily obtainable treasures, they would have already been claimed by someone else.
As he pondered this, Roy suddenly noticed a group of people on the opposite ridge chasing another group while fighting.
The group being pursued spotted him and actually ran toward him.
"Hey, buddy! Quick, help us!"
"Help you?" Roy sneered as he drew the sword from his back. "Don't come any closer, or I'll cut you down!"
In such a remote wilderness, it was highly likely that this was a setup to ambush passersby.
If he naively offered help, he might end up getting himself killed.
Besides, if they were truly being pursued and needed help, wouldn't their pursuers come after him as well?
These people clearly knew this, yet they still ran toward him, who was alone. It was obvious they had malicious intentions!
Sure enough, upon hearing his warning, they continued to advance, confirming Roy's suspicions.
He immediately activated his Neanderthal Bloodline, and the Blood Mercury within his body surged, unleashing astonishing speed.
In an instant, one of the oncoming men was struck down by Roy's charge, his chest slashed open, blood spraying as he died instantly.
Taking advantage of the momentum from his charge, Roy quickly created some distance, turned around, and pulled out a section of iron chain, muttering incantations.
"Run!"
The people in front were startled and immediately scattered like frightened birds and beasts.
But Roy had already completed his spell.
In an instant, the iron chain transformed into a slithering snake, hurled through the air, and lunged straight at one of them.
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