CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 43: ALLIES

Ron pondered for a moment, then stood up from the chair and patted Andre on the shoulder:

"Don’t look so down, I’ve never seen the grand Thirteenth Prince look like this before."

He walked towards his cabinet, rummaging through it while teasing: "If those girls who adore you in the Royal Capital saw you looking so glum, they’d be heartbroken."

Andre, who had been frowning, was amused by his joke: "Don’t mention those boring social events, it’s all just pretense."

As he spoke, he shook his head, although the gloom in his eyes slightly lessened.

"Hey, check this out." Ron retrieved a delicate crystal bottle from the depths of the cabinet, with slightly glowing blood-red liquid inside, and casually tossed the bottle to Andre.

Andre barely caught it, almost dropping it: "Hey! Be careful, this isn’t a marble game."

He curiously held the bottle up to the light: "What is this? It smells a bit like... strong liquor?"

"Ha! If liquor could sell for five Magic Stone Fragments a bottle, I’d have opened a tavern by now."

Ron grinned: "This is a ’Qi Blood Potion’ I crafted yesterday under Lady Allen’s guidance, specifically for knight cultivation."

Andre’s eyes lit up instantly: "Are you kidding? I know this potion; you can’t even find it in the market!"

He carefully examined the liquid in the bottle: "Wait... can you really refine something of this level? Your progress is astonishing, going from a Sixth-class Star Candidate Apprentice to now... it’s like you’re a different person."

"Come on, don’t really think of me as some kind of monster." Ron pulled out several small bottles of different colors from the cabinet and casually placed them on the table:

"Look, these are my recent ’masterpieces.’ The blue one stabilizes spiritual waves, the green one alleviates meridian pain..."

He picked up a bottle of transparent potion and shook it: "And this baby, it’s particularly effective for Breathing Technique cultivation, it can increase efficiency by at least thirty percent."

Andre reached out to take a look, but Ron smacked his hand away: "Don’t touch, these are my treasures, each bottle is worth about ten Magic Stone Fragments."

"You weren’t this stingy before." He pretended to complain, but his eyes glittered with anticipation: "Are they really that magical?"

"Do you want to give it a try?" Ron raised an eyebrow, "You can take a bottle back with you, I guarantee it will advance your Breathing Technique rapidly."

Andre blinked, cautiously inquiring: "What conditions do you need to specify? Although we’re on good terms, I don’t want to sell myself."

"Get lost, I don’t have such a disgusting hobby." Ron laughed and shook his head, playfully throwing a punch that almost knocked Andre over:

"You really are a product of growing up in the palace, so vigilant."

He put away those potion bottles, suddenly adopting a serious expression: "Speaking of which, Andre, Lady Allen promised to teach me the Gem Level Meditation Technique after my breakthrough."

Andre’s smile froze: "What did you say? Gem Level Meditation Technique?"

Seeing Ron wasn’t joking, he was almost speechless with surprise, "My god! She actually has... isn’t that core knowledge strictly guarded by the schools?"

"The condition is that I need to help her collect some special materials." Ron shrugged: "Honestly, the items on the list aren’t easy to get, but the opportunity is rare, so I’ve decided to give it a try."

"You know, Ron." Andre shook his head with a sigh: "I’m starting to regret only ever thinking of you as a playboy before. If I had known you had such potential..."

"Stop overthinking it." Ron waved his hand, recalling the times they’d hung out together in the past: "Back then, I was indeed a jerk, only thinking about drinking and messing around."

The two laughed simultaneously, instantly lightening the mood.

"Seriously." Andre reined in his laugh and looked at Ron earnestly: "If you can really help me get through this tough time, I’m willing to be your Guard Knight."

Ron was sipping his tea and raised an intrigued eyebrow at this: "Are you serious?"

"I’ve never been more serious." Andre’s eyes were unwavering: "I’d rather follow a familiar friend than become that lunatic’s plaything."

He let out a self-deprecating laugh: "As far as the royal family is concerned, I’m already a failure. But my knight cultivation talent is decent; following you... at least I can maintain my dignity, right?"

Ron put down his teacup, his expression turning serious as well: "Then I’ll be impolite and command you, but here’s a suggestion you can consider—fully enhance your knight skills."

"What do you mean?"

"Picture this." He tapped the tabletop with his fingers:

"If you can breakthrough to become an Official Knight, things would be different in front of the royal family. Even your siblings would have to show respect to an Official Knight, right?"

Andre felt he had found a solution: "You’re pretty quick on the uptake! Indeed, Official Knights hold an independent status in the Kingdom; even the royal family can’t easily command them."

"Exactly." Ron grinned proudly:

"I provide potion support; you focus on cultivation, without any delays."

"Wait a minute..." Andre looked at him suspiciously: "What do you mean by potion support? I know full well these things are expensive commodities."

"You’ll figure out how to get the materials; I’ll give you a discount on the refining fee." Ron winked and weighed the Magic Stone Bag on his waist: "Special friendship price, slightly cheaper than the market rate."

"You rascal!" Andre laughed and scolded, "Now you’re really getting the hang of business, but..."

His expression turned serious: "I’ll accept this deal. I’ll help you gather intelligence and supplies, and be on call for combat or errands, while you help me improve my strength; it’s fair and reasonable."

"Then it’s settled!" Ron extended his hand.

Andre grasped his hand, and they exchanged a smile: "Deal!"

"By the way." Ron suddenly remembered something, "That Cynthia you mentioned, does she love wearing purple dresses and always speak with a southern accent?"

"You know her?" Andre asked in surprise.

"Of course, I don’t." Ron smiled mysteriously: "But I heard her name at Lady Allen’s place. It seems she took some kind of potion with the wrong properties a while back and almost poisoned herself."

Andre’s eyes widened: "Really?"

"Absolutely." Ron spread his hands, "Lady Allen even muttered something like ’big-breasted brainless fool’ or something."