He couldn't help but want to reach for the booklet—but in the next moment, Madam Elena slowly closed it. The gemstone on the cover flickered briefly, as if unwilling to part.
She placed the booklet gently on the counter, but kept her hand resting atop it, making no move to push it toward Robb.
"You brat... Looks like you still don't understand the rules of the wizarding world."
Her gaze turned sharp as a hawk's, locking onto Robb's eyes. Her voice carried a hint of disapproval:
"Knowledge has weight. It is never given away freely. Anything of value must be exchanged for something equal. That's a law as old as magic itself."
Her slender finger, painted with blood-red polish, traced slow circles above the booklet.
"Greed without willingness to give in return is the first step toward an apprentice's downfall. So before I give you this meditation method, I need to decide whether you're truly worth the investment."
Robb immediately responded, "My apologies, Madam Elena. That was presumptuous of me. Of course I'm willing to pay the appropriate price."
She studied him for a few seconds, as if gauging the sincerity behind his words.
Those emerald eyes felt like they could strip away all pretense and peer straight into his soul.
Moments later, the pink-haired witch's lips curved slightly. She had seen the hunger in the boy's eyes.
"Good," she said with a note of approval in her tone. "Then I have a small task for you."
From another drawer beneath the counter, she pulled out a glowing piece of parchment.
The text on it wasn't written in ink—it appeared seared into the surface, glowing faintly red in the dim light. Some markings even gave off a metallic sheen.
"I need these ingredients for a crucial potion experiment…"
She slid the parchment toward Robb, her crimson nail tapping a few items on the list.
"To truly master Whisper of the Star-Eater, one needs not only strong spiritforce, but also the means and the courage to pursue knowledge."
Robb took the parchment carefully. It was cool to the touch, but gave a faint stinging sensation—clearly infused with magical energy.
He lowered his head and examined the list. Each item was written in ancient wizard script, with symbols and notes he didn't fully understand.
As his eyes moved down the page, his brows gradually knit together.
Most of these materials weren't even mentioned in Foundations of Alchemy—"Dream-Eater Spider Eye Extract," "Moonshade Bat Heart Ash," "Crystal Moss"…
The few items he did recognize—like "Nightwhisper Pollen" and "Tongue of the Thirsted"—were all clearly listed as forbidden trade goods by the academy.
"These…" Robb looked up, feigning ignorance as he tested the waters. "Most of these can't be found in the apprentice market."
"Is that so?" Madam Elena tilted her head, the gleam in her emerald eyes betraying a trace of amusement.
"Then someone as clever as you… should know where else to look, right?"
Her tone was light, but her gaze was as sharp as a blade.
Robb immediately understood her implication—in the world of wizards, knowledge alone wasn't enough.
Being able to navigate danger, secure rare resources, and operate within—or just outside—gray zones was essential to survival.
He paused, then looked back down at the list, mind already turning over potential sources.
He lifted his head again and met her eyes with a resolute expression. "Understood. I'll find a way to gather these materials."
Madam Elena nodded with satisfaction, a rare glimmer of approval in her eyes.
"Very good. Remember—this isn't just for Whisper of the Star-Eater. It's for yourself. In the Black Mist Forest, survival often requires… specialized skills and discreet channels."
Her fingers tapped the counter, the rhythm heavy now. "As for Oliver…"
Her expression suddenly turned grave, a shadow falling across her stunning young face—one that didn't match her youthful beauty.
"Be extremely careful with him—especially now, since he may have taken an interest in your sonic spell research."
She leaned in, lowering her voice until it brushed Robb's ear.
"Oliver's field of research is dangerously extreme. He's delving into LivingCurses—a topic even most official wizards refuse to touch. If he's interested in your spell, it's because he's found some kind of connection between the two."
"Can you tell me more about that connection?" Robb asked. As he spoke, he subtly stepped back, the intense magical aura she radiated pricking painfully against his skin.
She seemed to notice and reined in her aura slightly. The sting lessened.
Her gaze grew thoughtful and troubled. "The problem of curse transmission. Traditional curses need a physical medium—that's always been their biggest limitation. But sound…"
She paused, searching for the right words.
"Sound can pass through physical barriers. It transmits energy without needing to touch the target. If Oliver succeeds in making sound the carrier of a curse, he'll create a method of casting curses that's undetectable, inescapable… and exponentially more effective than anything we've seen before."
A chill crawled up Robb's spine.
If that were true, then Oliver was on the verge of inventing a weapon no apprentice could defend against.
"And your advice?" he asked. He already had his own thoughts but wanted to hear hers first.
Her reply didn't surprise him.
"Keep refining your sonic spell. But make sure no one else understands its core mechanism. Some knowledge… in the wrong hands… becomes something very different."
She didn't step closer again, just offered a cool suggestion:
"And sometimes, the best defense… is a preemptive strike. Do you understand what I mean?"
Robb slowly nodded. Of course he did.
In this world, waiting for danger often meant dying. Only those who acted first had a chance to shape their fate.
He carefully folded the list and tucked it into an inner pocket.
"I'll start collecting the materials as soon as I can."
"No need to rush," Madam Elena said with a graceful wave of her hand. Her pink-purple curls swayed gently with the motion.
"Your safety always comes first. After all, dead men can't study Whisper of the Star-Eater."
A strange gleam flashed in her eyes.
"Now go get some rest. Show up tomorrow at the usual time—we still have much to cover."
When Robb left the herbal shop, his thoughts were in chaos.
Night had deepened, and shadows stretched across the Black Mist Forest like unseen hands brushing against his ankles.
A cold breeze swept across his cheek—but his eyes regained their steel resolve.
In the realm of the arcane, danger and opportunity always came hand-in-hand.