Ron found Edith in the Academy's lab district, and the two of them first stopped by Harper's lab for a quick visit.
"I've already recruited some volunteers from the Academy—five people for each tier, from magic apprentices to Tier-4 mages."
"Since blood-bonding takes fifteen days, we won't have any proper experimental data until at least two weeks from now."
Harper was currently working on improving an explosive potion, holding a Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum and preparing to grind it down. As she worked, she explained the situation to Ron.
"No rush," Ron replied casually. "Take your time."
He then pulled out a batch of Scalevine tendrils from his backpack and handed them over to Harper.
He had harvested a fresh batch of Scalevine that morning, and now passed them all to Harper's lab for experimentation.
Tomorrow, his own Scalevine would finish its bonding phase. Once he tested its defense while channeling mana, he'd be ready to officially launch the product in Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop.
He was giving Harper this batch ahead of time so that when sales started, she wouldn't need to pay out of pocket.
"I've created a fun new way of eating at home. I'd like to invite you all over tonight—are you free?" Ron asked.
Harper gave him a thumbs-up without even looking up, still completely absorbed in her experiments.
As they left the lab, Edith asked curiously, "A fun new way of eating? Don't tell me it's like how the Dwarves just eat with their hands?"
Ron laughed. "You'll see tonight—it's hard to explain. I'm also planning to try out some new dipping sauces. You'll get to be the taste testers."
Edith's eyes lit up, and she instinctively licked her lips. "Then I'll look forward to it!"
"By the way, where's your sister?" Ron asked. "You could invite her, too."
"Huh? My sister probably won't be interested in that kind of thing…" Edith blinked, then looked at him suspiciously. "Your Highness, don't tell me you've taken a liking to Illya? The Saintess of the Elves isn't allowed to marry outside her race, you know."
"Ahem—" Ron nearly choked. He rolled his eyes. "Do I look like that kind of guy?"
"I just have some questions about magic arrays I want to ask her."
Edith blinked in confusion. "You study magic arrays, Your Highness?"
"Nope," Ron said honestly with a shake of his head. "But I might need to use them for something, so I wanted to consult an expert."
"If your sister's free, she's welcome to join us for dinner. If not, I'll try to find time to visit her myself."
Seeing that Ron really did just want to ask questions, Edith nodded and smiled. "Alright, I'll go find her later. Even if I have to drag her out of the house, I'll get her to come. After all, it's your Highness personally making the dipping sauces—it'd be a shame to miss it."
Edith had long known that the amazing sauces at Lyle's Barbecue were made by Ron.
Since Lyle launched the new sauces and kebabs, the barbecue shop had become incredibly popular.
In less than a month, it had turned into the liveliest night spot in the Ruby District of Aikley Street.
Now that Ron was working on new dipping sauces again, Edith was naturally curious—and even wanted to drag her shut-in sister along.
Ron and Edith chatted as they made their way to the training grounds for their daily magic practice.
Midway through, Mason arrived with his students for a class session, and Ron told him about dinner plans as well.
As evening approached, Edith said goodbye for now and went to find her sister.
Ron, on the other hand, needed to go buy ingredients—there wasn't enough food left in the shop for six people.
Just as he was about to leave the Academy, however, a teaching assistant stopped him.
"Your Highness Ron, please wait. The Headmaster would like to see you in his office. Would you mind coming with me?"
Ron raised a brow. What would the Headmaster want with me?
Don't tell me that little limerick actually turned out to be something profound?
…Nah, that couldn't be it.
Then again, Ron thought, maybe this was about the Nether Orchids, which contained divine properties.
If there's money involved, of course, I wouldn't miss out.
Come on, he's the Headmaster of the Academy—surely he'd be generous, right?
So Ron followed the assistant toward the Headmaster's office.
Inside, a middle-aged mage stood in front of the desk, explaining something to Vosbites, the Headmaster.
"I've studied it thoroughly. While the symbols do resemble certain magic array patterns, they don't have any real magical significance. They can't be activated or used as a magic array."
He was a Tier-6 mage and a professor specializing in magical formations.
Yesterday, he had received the complete string of mysterious characters—"Draw Bow and Shoot the Great Eagle[弯弓射大雕]"—from the Headmaster, and had immediately begun his research.
But his conclusion was clear: they had no connection to any known array structures.
"I tried everything—rune analysis, decomposition, even substitution methods. These patterns simply can't create a magic array effect."
"Headmaster, could you share where these symbols came from? If we trace the origin, maybe we can research them from a different perspective and find something useful."
Vosbites coughed awkwardly. The source is Ron André himself… what do you expect to find?
But then again… what if these mysterious symbols weren't Ron's creation at all?
What if they came from the Goddess of Harvest?
Vosbites suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. This could be the key to unlocking something far greater.
He nodded solemnly. "These symbols may be related to the Goddess of Harvest. You might want to explore that direction."
"—The Goddess of Harvest?!"
The professor jumped, stunned that something like this could be connected to a deity.
But soon, that shock turned into excitement.
The idea that such a rare and divine item was in his hands made his passion for research reignite instantly.
"There's a guest outside. If you're done, you can return to your research," Vosbites said, sensing that Ron had arrived.
"Understood, Headmaster." The professor quickly packed up the paper containing 'Draw Bow and Shoot the Great Eagle' and exited the office.
On his way out, he ran into Ron, greeted him politely, then hurried off down the hall.
Ron raised an eyebrow.
Isn't that the mage who got one of the limericks from the Headmaster yesterday?
He just came from the office… and judging by that fired-up expression, did they actually discover something?
No way…
Ron was speechless—but ultimately didn't care much.
Even if they had found something, the Headmaster wouldn't dare confront him publicly.
Otherwise, it'd be a confirmed fact that the Academy Headmaster broke into a private residence to steal something.
Plus, the idea that Chinese characters would have some magical power in another world was just too ridiculous.
Magic arrays in this world were designed to mimic the energy pathways of various races, simulating magical effects without a mage's presence.
Chinese characters had nothing to do with that.
Ron shook his head and put the thought aside. He knocked on the door and entered the office.