At noon, Ron received a report submitted by Sylvie.
After skimming through it, one particular piece of information made him pause—
"Harper, a lab researcher at the Chaos City Magic Academy, was severely injured due to a laboratory explosion and is currently undergoing treatment."
"What the hell?" Ron put away the document, stood up, walked outside, and got into a carriage. "To the Magic Academy."
The carriage quickly arrived at the academy entrance.
After getting off, Ron hurried inside, asked around in the experimental zone, and made his way to the treatment room.
Edith was sitting on a bench outside, quietly waiting for the results.
"Edith, how's Harper?" Ron asked as he approached.
"Your Highness Ron." Edith looked up, rubbing her forehead with a troubled expression. "The injuries are quite serious, but fortunately, the Vice Principal is in the academy and is treating him right now. It shouldn't be a big issue—he's not going to die, at least."
Only after hearing that Harper's life wasn't in danger did Ron relax a little. Then he asked, "What exactly happened? Was this explosion that serious?"
Explosions in Harper's lab weren't anything new—people in the experimental zone were long used to it.
When it came to avoiding explosion damage, Harper might as well have maxed out all his skill points.
Explosions that were extremely dangerous to others were basically just fireworks to him.
Yet this time, he had actually fallen victim to one.
It really was a case of a swimmer drowning…
"This explosion was way too powerful." Edith shook her head with a bitter smile. "Not just his lab—even several nearby unoccupied labs were affected."
"According to witnesses, the surrounding labs looked like they were crushed by some invisible giant gear centered on his lab—instantly reduced to fragments."
"No one even knows what he was working on…"
"Luckily, he was at the center of the blast. If it had been anyone else, they'd already be dead by now."
Ron didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
At that moment, the treatment room door opened.
The Vice Principal, an elf, stepped out. After nodding to Ron, he said, "His condition is basically stable, but he's suffered significant vitality loss. If it isn't replenished, it may affect his lifespan. Other than that, there are no major issues."
After seeing the Vice Principal off, the two of them entered the treatment room.
Harper was still unconscious.
After confirming there were no major problems, Ron took out some Scalevine leaves and handed them to Edith. "These have healing effects as well. He knows how to use them—just give them to him when he wakes up. I won't stay here."
Leaving the treatment room, Ron went back to the experimental zone and took a look from the outskirts of the explosion site.
The five or six labs closest to Harper's had suffered the same fate—nothing remained but scattered debris.
Whatever Harper had been researching, its power was terrifying…
But since it was so uncontrollable, it would likely be classified as a prohibited item by the academy again.
Ron shook his head, left the academy, and got into a carriage. "To the Divine Tree."
Back when he left the City of Chaos for the Royal Capital, it had been mid-December.
Now it was the end of January—about a month and a half had passed.
If Bishop Morris had been diligent and frequently cast the sixth-tier spell "Soaring Timber to the Heavens" on the Divine Tree, it should already be showing signs of transforming into an Emerald Cypress.
The report Sylvie submitted this morning mentioned that a few days ago, the Divine Tree had already begun to change—its lower leaves had shifted from broad, flat shapes into narrow, layered, scale-like leaves.
After arriving, Ron observed the tree for a while.
The transformation was spreading upward from the lower branches.
According to the records kept by the local chapel, it would likely take another two to three months for the Divine Tree to fully transform into a Hybrid Emerald Cypress.
"This kind of change is normal—there's no need to worry," Ron said as he collected the Scalevine-like leaves they had gathered and stored them in his [Backpack]. "Make sure to collect and preserve all the newly grown leaves. I'll come back in a few days to take them."
The missionaries nodded in understanding.
Satisfied, Ron left. On the way back, he took out one of the leaves produced by the Divine Tree and examined it carefully, feeling that it didn't seem much different from the leaves produced by the Puppet Tree.
With that thought, he returned to the Royal Capital via the storage room, took a carriage to the Royal Capital Magic Academy's laboratory, and handed the leaves to Dunlop, the person in charge.
"These leaves might differ slightly in certain properties from the previous batch. Separate them and run some comparative experiments," Ron instructed.
Dunlop nodded and accepted them, not thinking much of it, then reported, "Your Highness Ron, the prototype of the comprehensive healing potion has already been produced. It's currently in the testing phase. Would you like to review the data?"
Ron shook his head. "Any issues?"
"No major problems," Dunlop replied with a smile. "The paper you provided was very thorough. We only needed to test a dozen or so auxiliary materials to find the most suitable formula, and now we can refine it further from there."
"As for the single-effect potions, we're still researching how to separate and enhance specific properties. That will likely take much longer."
"At this rate, the comprehensive healing potion will reach the standards for mass production much sooner."
Ron had long known that potion research wasn't easy, so he remained patient. "Take your time. No need to rush—safety comes first."
Thinking of Harper's incident earlier, he couldn't help but add the reminder.
Fortunately, the research here was far less dangerous.
After all, no one here was like Harper, constantly working with explosive materials.
"Oh, right, Your Highness Ron." Dunlop hesitated. "Each semester, the academy requires laboratories to guide students on visits and assist them with experiments."
"Of course, since this lab is fully funded by you, we're not technically required to take on those responsibilities."
"But considering the situation, I think it would be best if we—"
"That's not a problem," Ron interrupted. "As long as you maintain quality and don't cut corners, I won't scrutinize the specifics of your experiments."
"Since the academy has requirements, we should cooperate. While guiding students, you can also observe if there are any promising talents—ideally recruit them into the lab after they graduate."
"So not only must you complete the academy's tasks, but you should also remain patient during the process and leave a good impression."
Seeing that Ron supported the idea, Dunlop finally relaxed. "Understood, Your Highness. Please rest assured."