Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 52 "High-Speed ​​Identification" Characteristic Orc

Over the next few hours, they visited several stalls in Lizard Alley. Ron's experience points in [Herb Identification] steadily increased thanks to his accurate identification skills.

At a stall specializing in rare plants, he found the third material on the list - the tongue coating of someone who died of thirst.

It looked like a small, shriveled mass of grey tissue, covered in a fine crystalline structure that gave off an unsettling aura.

The method of obtaining it is extremely cruel - as Andre said before, it requires tying up a living person in the desert to die of thirst, and then extracting specific tissues from the corpse.

This inhumane practice makes it almost impossible to obtain it through formal channels, and it can only be found in gray areas such as the black market.

The stall owner was a hunched old woman with skin that was an unhealthy yellow. Her eyes were so sunken that her pupils were almost invisible.

"This is the true tongue coating of someone who died of thirst, young man." The old woman's voice was hoarse and dry, like the sound of a throat that had been dehydrated for a long time:

"Not many people know about this thing, and even fewer can recognize it. What do you do for a living that you're interested in something like this?"

Ron didn't answer directly, but reached out and took the glass container.

The moment his fingers touched the container, he was suddenly overwhelmed by an intense thirst, and his throat felt as if it were burning.

This is the most obvious feature of the tongue coating of a person who died of thirst - it will induce a strong feeling of thirst in the person who comes into contact with it, simulating the pain of the deceased before death.

[Accurate Identification! Herbal Identification Experience +2]

[Breakthrough! Medicinal Herb Identification (Beginner 50/50) → Medicinal Herb Identification (Proficient 1/100)]

[Additional feature acquired: High-speed identification (increased identification speed; slightly increased judgment accuracy)]

A strange feeling came over Ron, and he could feel that his ability to perceive medicinal herbs had suddenly risen to a whole new level.

In the past, he needed to carefully observe, touch, and even try it to determine the authenticity and quality of a material.

But now, with just a glance, he can quickly capture the key characteristics of the material and make accurate judgments.

It was as if the originally blurred vision suddenly became clear, or as if a complex musical score was simplified into a simple melody, all the details became clear and discernible in an instant.

"What's wrong?" Andre noticed that Ron was suddenly stunned and asked in a low voice, with a hint of vigilance in his eyes, worried about whether there was a trap.

"Nothing, just a new discovery." Ron smiled slightly, suppressing his inner joy, and still maintained a calm and composed attitude on the surface.

He calmly hid the joy of the breakthrough in his heart and continued to focus on the transaction at hand:

"This is indeed an authentic item, and it's in excellent condition. Ten fragments of the magic stone, that's the highest price I can accept."

"Ten dollars?" The old woman chuckled mockingly.

"Young man, do you know how difficult it is to obtain this kind of material? At least twenty dollars, and that's a discount given that you have good taste."

Ron shook his head and put the glass container back on the stall:

"I know the market very well. Even in a place like Lizard Alley, the price of a tongue coating of a thirst-dead person won't exceed ten dollars. Fifteen dollars, this is my final concession. You will definitely make a profit."

After some bargaining, the deal was finally concluded at the price of fifteen magic stone fragments, which was lower than Ron expected.

Now that he'd bought the four main ingredients, his wallet was noticeably thinner. He'd already spent dozens of magic stone fragments, almost half his entire savings. "I need to find a way to earn more magic stone fragments," he thought to himself. "Maybe I can use my [High-Speed ​​Identification] ability to do some identification work on the black market?"

As Ron packed up his materials and prepared to leave, he noticed a strange glint in the old woman's cloudy eyes.

That wasn't simply the look of a businessman seeking profit, but a deeper, almost greedy observation, as if he was looking at a big fat sheep.

"Be careful, I feel like that old guy has some bad intentions." After leaving the stall, Ron whispered to Andre:

"The way she looked at us wasn't like she was looking at customers, it was more like she was looking at prey."

Andre nodded slightly:
"Indeed, those doing business in places like this are rarely simple merchants. Most have other identities—information dealers, bounty hunters, or even spies for certain forces."

As soon as the two of them turned a corner, Ron felt his inspiration triggered.

He didn't look back, but his mental power had quietly expanded, forming ripples to detect out.

"We're being followed," he said calmly, in a voice so low that only Andre could hear.

"Judging from the sound of footsteps, there are at least three orcs and a goblin scout leading the way. They have been following us since the old man's stall."

Andre's expression suddenly grew serious, and his hand silently moved to his waist, where a small but sharp dagger was hidden.
"Orcs? The situation is a bit dire... The physical fitness of this alien race is far superior to that of ordinary humans. I can barely handle one at most. If there are three, how can I shake them off?"

"No rush." ​​Ron sneered, "Let them think we didn't notice. Let's see what they want to do."

Andre looked at him doubtfully, but nodded, indicating that he trusted his decision.

The two continued walking forward, stopping casually in front of various stalls, acting like ordinary customers.

But Ron's mental power was always focused on the four sneaky stalkers behind him.

The orcs' physiques were terrifying. Even the smallest one had shoulders twice as broad as those of an average adult, and the exposed skin was an unhealthy bluish-gray color.

Their faces were a cross between human and bestial, with bared fangs and eyes sunken in bony sockets that shone with an unsettling yellow glow.

The most eye-catching thing is their equipment - unlike ordinary street thugs, these three orcs are wearing uniform leather armor, with battle axes hanging around their waists. Their movements are coordinated, and it is obvious that they have undergone professional combat training.

This is not a hastily assembled robbery gang, but a well-trained mercenary team.

"Something's not right," Andre whispered with a frown. "Those guys don't look like ordinary thugs. They look more like bounty hunters. They're well-equipped, organized, and disciplined."

Ron sneered: "Maybe she got the news from that old woman and knew that we are a big fat sheep..."

He scanned his surroundings vigilantly and soon found an alley suitable for an ambush.

It was a dead end alley with a narrow entrance and almost no windows on the walls on both sides, almost a perfect battlefield.

"Follow me." Ron suddenly grabbed Andre's wrist and walked quickly towards the alley. "Let's wait for them there."

Andre was a little surprised, but followed silently.

(End of this chapter)