A Crown of Shadows and Starlight

Chapter 13

“Surprised?” Meilin said with a smile. “Saves me from listening to you bragging all the time, old man.”

Despite being a fellow first-level apprentice, Old Hall’s talent was lacking, making it impossible for him to advance further. However, thanks to some family connections, he managed to land a job in the logistics department, overseeing the waste storage. Though it wasn’t a particularly lucrative position, it was still a stable job.

Unlike those in charge of distributing benefits, Old Hall was quite well-liked. Every time Meilin came to collect discarded potions, he never made things difficult for her. However, he had a habit of bragging whenever he drank, constantly boasting about how incredible he was when he first advanced to a first-level apprentice. After hearing it so many times, Meilin had come to treat it as nothing more than a joke.

Old Hall rolled his eyes. “Bragging? It took you four years just to reach the first level. You might not go any further than me.”

“What do you know? This is called late blooming.”

Meilin wasn’t offended. She grinned and said, “Old Hall, I need a batch of discarded potions… Oh, and this time, I want only Focus Potions.”

“They’re all waste products. Why only Focus Potions?” Old Hall asked, puzzled.

“Of course, there’s a difference. Just like potions vary, the ingredients also have different properties… Forget it, you wouldn’t understand anything about planting.”

She waved her hand dismissively, clearly unwilling to explain further. This made Old Hall so angry that he glared at her, his mustache quivering, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

In the end, Meilin left with a large bag full of Focus Potions.

Any potion, when used for a long time, would lead to resistance in the body. Meilin had no intention of purifying these potions for personal use; instead, she planned to sell them. However, since refining Focus Potions was quite difficult, she wouldn’t sell them immediately—doing so might raise Hel’s suspicions.

⸻

Time passed swiftly. Before she knew it, six months had gone by.

On a pathway paved with cyan stone slabs, Meilin walked with her head slightly lowered, lost in thought.

Compared to six months ago, she had grown noticeably taller. Her skin was pale but not sickly—just the result of rarely seeing sunlight. If anything, it added a touch of allure to her appearance.

“Six months have passed so quickly. If I had a mentor guiding me, I probably wouldn’t be thinking about leaving this place all the time.” Meilin looked up at the academy’s main building, her emotions complicated.

Normally, after advancing, the academy should have immediately signed a contract with her as an official apprentice and assigned her a mentor. Yet, six months had passed, and there was still no movement.

During this time, aside from meditating, brewing potions, and working in the herb garden, she had spent most of her time studying paid knowledge—books like Principles of Potions, Alchemy Magic Circles, Basic Analysis of Golems, Principles of Spell Model Construction, Gulliver’s Travels Across the Continent, and The Geography of Shuiyunjian.

A lot had happened at the academy in the past six months. For instance, a month ago, Keli had been disfigured in an experiment, leaving half of her face ruined like a ghost. She had since been nicknamed Half-Faced Rakshasa—and had also been abandoned by Filler.

With full family support, Filler had reached the peak of the third-level apprentice stage. He was only one step away from breaking through to an official wizard. Of course, at this level, it was no longer just about resources—one’s talent and effort mattered, too. With his family strictly overseeing him, Filler had quieted down, focusing entirely on cultivation. For now, he no longer had time to bother Meilin.

When Qianyu had told Meilin this news, she had looked relieved, but Meilin wasn’t at ease at all. “If that guy really becomes an official wizard, crushing me will be effortless.” The delay in signing her contract was likely due to his family’s interference.

During these six months, Meilin had brewed a large quantity of common potions, such as stamina and hemostatic potions. In the beginning, her failure rate was quite high, but she had used her mysterious light points to purify most of the defective potions into usable ones. Her potion-making skills had improved rapidly, and the magic stones she earned were all spent on purchasing books.

However, what excited her the most was that she was about to advance to a second-level apprentice. Once that happened, she could start practicing zero-level spells—bringing her one step closer to her plans.

To become a first-level apprentice, one needed to inscribe eight Will Runes in their mind. Advancing to a second-level apprentice required twenty-four Will Runes. As for third-level apprentices, it seemed that additional conditions were needed.

Throughout this process, Meilin had keenly felt that her rapid progress was due to the presence of the mysterious nebula within her. That artifact—whatever it was—was an incredible auxiliary treasure.

She had also tried reaching out to various mentors, hoping to become their student, which would help shield her from the Filler family’s threats. Unfortunately, none of them were willing to offend the Fillers for the sake of an apprentice with an uncertain future.

“Forget it. I’ll just stick to my original plan.” Meilin bit her lip, took a deep breath, and refocused. She was already near the academy’s trading area. Squaring her shoulders, she headed toward the shop run by Hel.

This time, she had finished brewing a batch of potions and was here to make a delivery. Over the past six months, they had conducted numerous secret transactions. The elders of the Filler family had caught wind of this and had given Hel some instructions, though rather than making things difficult for her, Hel’s attitude had only grown more enthusiastic.

“Meilin, you’re early today.”

Hel, who was wiping down the shop’s entrance, looked up and greeted her with a wide smile.

“I had some free time today. The batch you requested is ready—come check it.” Meilin responded indifferently, stepping past him into the shop.

“You brought the finished potions?” Hel immediately tossed aside his cloth and rushed after her, his plump face beaming with excitement.

“Here.” Meilin handed over a cloth pouch from her sleeve.

Hel quickly moved behind the counter, opened the pouch, and pulled out ten vials of black potion.

“This color is quite pure.”

He lifted one vial, inspecting its transparency under the light. Then he uncorked it and sniffed the aroma, his face showing surprise.

Next, he took out a vial of green liquid, dripping a single drop into a dish. Then he added a drop of the antidote potion to it.

Hiss—

A faint sizzle sounded as the two liquids reacted, releasing white smoke and a pungent stench.

“Excellent quality!”

Satisfied, Hel stored the potions carefully, then pushed a pouch of magic stones toward her. “Here, take this. By the way, have you thought about my offer from last time?”

“I’m afraid not. I have other plans, but thank you, Hel.” Meilin shook her head.

A while ago, Hel had suggested that, given her talent in potion-making, his family would likely be willing to nurture her, protecting her from the Fillers. But after careful consideration, Meilin had declined.

“That’s alright, but be careful.”

Hel sighed. “Those fools at the academy are blind to talent.”