Arrangements
The shadow of a mahogany circular table could be seen under the dim glow of the lantern.
The four legs were elongated in the projection and when projected on the walls, it looked like a beast with four limbs, making it seem ominous.
Leylin stood in front of the table, and his shadow, too, was elongated.
A bunch of black scrolls were placed on the mahogany wood table. On the surface of each of the scrolls was a picture of a crow. At this moment, the crow seemed to have come alive and cawed continuously, giving off a noise that would terrify people.
"No matter what, I have to look at the contents within!"
Leylin made up his mind, "Even if it was a trap, which contains some sort of tracing spell inside, I still have enough time to escape!"
Even if that was the case, Leylin still gripped the Trevor's Revolving Shield Potion – that he had just brewed – tightly in his hands.
After which, with a solemn voice, Leylin spoke in the Byron language, "Open in the name of Leylin Farlier!"
* Caw Caw Caw! * The black crow cried, and its figure twisted. Many black lines converged, forming the image of a black skull.
Leylin picked a red crystal from his robes and tossed it into the skull's mouth.
* Crunch! Crunch! * The black skull immediately flew out from the paper and devoured the red crystal.
* Puff! * After finishing its meal, the black skull exploded, and the scroll shuddered violently. It started to burn at the bottom, where a green-coloured flame was seen.
The greenish flame then formed many characters in mid-air.
Leylin's eyes shifted. These green characters were a kind of secret code, which outsiders would not understand. But he has learnt its corresponding encryption and decryption back at Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.
Under the green-coloured characters was a bright red stamp, with a distinguished name written below it in the Byron language. There even was an image of a black snake which crawled out from a skull.
"Even the chairman's seal has appeared — it seems like this news is not a fake!"
Leylin's expression became volatile upon seeing the fluctuating characters.
Some time later, after the flame finished burning, the green characters disappeared into the air, leaving behind a pile of grey ashes.
Leylin sighed and furrowed his brows.
"They actually sent the highest order — asking all acolytes, who are working on missions outside, to rush back to the academy immediately!"
"Furthermore, they have also set severe punishments. Those who do not make it back to the academy within 3 months, will immediately be labelled as a traitor, and be subjected to the academy's disciplinary team's execution!"
"I'm afraid that I have to go back this time!" Leylin muttered.
As to whether it was a trap set by an enemy, Leylin was not at all worried.
First of all, Leylin was only a lowly acolyte. The enemy would not go through such painstaking means for him. Also, the chairman of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was a legendary figure. He was, at the least, a rank 2 Magus. Even if Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was defeated, his personal seal would never land in the hands of the enemy.
"Abyssal Bone Forest Academy …." Leylin sighed and thought of Kroft, Bicky, Nyssa and the rest, wondering how they have been.
Previously when Leylin made a hasty decision to leave, it was indeed rather selfish of him. However, his strength was not even likened to that of an ant in front of the two academies, so he could not think of a better way.
"I'd never imagined that after 3 years, I will finally be returning!"
Leylin suddenly ordered, "A.I. Chip, bring forth my stats now!"
[Beep! Leylin Farlier, level 3 acolyte, Knight. Strength: 3.1, Agility: 3.3, Vitality: 3.7, Spiritual force: 13.1, Magic Power: 13 – (magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Status: Healthy]
More than a year had passed, and the modified Azure Potion, even for a level 3 acolyte, had a very beneficial effect. It managed to bring Leylin's spiritual force up by another 3 points.
His body's resistance towards the medicine, however, had now reached its limits. Drinking more of the Azure Potion would no longer have any effect.
Raising his spiritual force for the next few years would be impossible for Leylin unless he were to concoct a new type of spiritual force medicine.
"After level 3 acolyte, it will be the realm of an official Magus!" Leylin muttered, "Advancing from level 3 acolyte to official Magus, there will be a huge bottleneck. The difficulty is much higher than that of advancing from a level 2 to level 3 acolyte."
It seemed like all of the factions in the Magus World deliberately controlled the information regarding of official Magus. Even if Leylin were to fork out huge amounts of magic crystals, he would not be able to retrieve much.
The previous, harrowing incident of advancing to a level 3 acolyte suddenly surfaced on Leylin's mind.
"The higher ups in the Magus World have strictly kept the information regarding Magus advancement highly confidential. No matter how genius a wandering magician may be, as long as they don't join a faction, they will never be able to obtain knowledge of advancing. This is to keep the lowest tier from resisting and creating a rebellion and to maintain the ruling.
Leylin, too, had experienced the evil consequences of advancing without prior knowledge. If not for the A.I. Chip, he would have died without even leaving behind a corpse.
"Abyssal Bone Forest Academy! I have to return once and obtain knowledge of advancing into an official Magus.
This was the only place where Leylin knew he could obtain information more easily. As for markets and whatnot, they were completely not worth considering.
The path of a Magus would be covered with thorns. One misstep would result in an irreversible consequence.
Last time, Leylin took a risk and advanced to the level 3 acolyte, but because of the lack of guidance from the academy and his mentor, he could only rely on the A.I. Chip to simulate. In the end, he met with two unexpected situations. If not for the A.I. Chip's immense capabilities, coupled with a little luck, Leylin would never have been able to advance that easily, and that too without any side effects.
"Only that…I have to reconsider the arrangements for my subordinates!"
Leylin stroked his chin, "Maybe, arranging for a backup plan here won't be a bad idea after all …."
"Give out the orders, I wish to join the subordinates for tonight's dinner!"
After exiting the secret lab, Leylin instructed Anna.
"Yes, Young Master!" Leylin was on the solitary side, and he usually left the daily chores and trifle things to Anna, Greem and the others, while he holed himself up in the experiment lab all day. He also rarely left the manor, so giving out an order suddenly did startle Anna. However, she was a quick-witted woman, so she did not ask much. After curtseying, she retreated while displaying her beautiful curves in front of Leylin.
In the manor, naturally there were halls large enough which could accommodate the master to have a meal with his subordinates.
The hall was constructed with large red rocks, the windowsill was rather small, and the sunlight could only dimly light up the place. However, at the centre, a silver rack with hundreds of candles lit solved that problem completely.
In the centre of the large hall, a long red table was placed. The attendants and kitchen staff were shifting the huge chairs with backrest, which caused squeaky noises. They also laid a thick, white cloth on the table, and arranged silver forks and spoons, plates and other cutleries.
When it was time to eat, the table was already filled with many delicacies. At the centre was a barbecued mutton. Around the golden yellow barbecue meat, there were many purple and red fruits. It complemented the combination of dishes and was a tantalising display.
Leylin immediately sat at the most respected position and looked at the group in front of him.
Immediately, to the left and right sides of Leylin, were Fraser and Greem respectively. As Knights and subordinates who had followed Leylin from the earliest, their positions were naturally of the highest. After them were housekeeper Old Welker and Roran Hawks mercenary group's leader, Fayern.
As for Anna, she awaited behind Leylin silently, like a dutiful serving maid. However, all the people present did not dare think that her status was just that of a maid.
Everyone knew that Anna was exceptionally favoured by this Young Master. Not only could she see Leylin regularly, but she even held the key to the gold vault! It incited a few, feeble grumbles from Old Welker, but Leylin did not care.
After Leylin had purchased the land here, Fayern had moved his whole family over, and turned into a truthfully loyal subordinate of Leylin.
After which it was Roran Hawks mercenary group. The contract with them matured not long ago. Half of the mercenaries continued to stay on under the generous conditions that Leylin had provided.
Many others sat on the long table, but Leylin was only familiar with these few. The others merely looked familiar to Leylin, but Leylin knew of their faces and names, which he could remember by relying on the A.I. Chip.
Leylin never bothered about the trifles of regular livelihood. The pathway to being a Magus already expended a huge amount of his concentration. He absolutely could not allocate any of his concentration on other matters.
Of course, Leylin's outward mannerisms were similar to that of many magicians. It also fit with how regular humans expected from magicians.
In the hearts of all the people on the south coast, magicians were a group of people who wielded mysterious powers, but they were extremely solitary. They often resided in dark woods or concealed marshes. Only when they needed ingredients and other items, would they leave their dwelling.
"Young Master!"
The masses around the long table stood up and bowed.
* Ding! * Leylin used the silver spoon and tapped on the glass in front of him, giving off a crisp noise.
"Everyone! By calling you all out here today, is because I have something to announce to everyone!" Leylin's eyes swept the crowd. As of now, his spiritual force had already reached 13.1, and the mysterious gaze of his eyes was awe-inspiring; it was as if his eyes had been chiseled from the highest grade jewels. Anyone who was looked at by him would experience a sharp pain in their eyes, and tears would involuntarily leak out.
Even if it was Greem or Fraser, they could only bow their heads low at this moment.
"Please give your orders, Young Master!"
"I will leave for a period of time, and there will be no set date on returning. When I am not around, the medicinal shop and daily matters of the manor would all be decided by Anna, Greem and Fraser."
Leylin looked at the masses below him and said slowly.
"What?" A bout of commotion sparked, and immediately the group whispered fervently to each other, as they used strange gazes to look at the trio of Anna, Greem and Fraser.
Greem and Fraser could tolerate being the focus of numerous eyes. However, as a woman, Anna was somewhat uneasy as she twisted and clutched at her dress.
"Silence!" Leylin knocked on the silver glass again, and the crowd turned silent.
"From today onwards, the words from those 3 would be the same as mine. Any decision of theirs must be completely obeyed and carried out by you."
"We obey!" Although Leylin did not usually bother himself with many matters, the imposing aura coming from him was extremely immense. There were also rumours flying around that he was part of the Mysterious Entity, which made his subordinates' reverence towards him even greater.
Tidying Up
"Anna, Greem, Fraser, you three come to my study room together after dinner!"
Seeing that his subordinates did not have any objections, Leylin nodded his head and said, "For now, everyone please enjoy yourself!"
The group nodded their heads, returned to their positions, and sat down. The sound of clanging cutlery continuously rang.
Ever since Leylin had issued his orders, the hall was much more silent than before. Although the dinner was sumptuous, the masses seemed to have something weighing down on their hearts.
After dinner, Leylin received the trio which knew of his magician identity.
Greem and Fraser wore leather armour, which looked extremely imposing. Anna still wore a low cut blouse, and appeared even more seductive.
"You guys know that I am a magician. Right now, I am about to embark on a journey, and due to some reasons, I can only keep you guys here…."
Leylin sat behind the desk, speaking solemnly to the three of them.
"The orders outside earlier were only for the others to see. From now onwards, Greem and Fraser, you must treat Anna the same way you treat me, do you understand?
"We understand!" Greem and Fraser nodded their heads. Compared to the rest, they knew how terrifying this master of theirs was and had no objections towards Leylin's orders.
After sending Greem and Fraser away, the room was only left with Anna and Leylin.
"Young…Young Master!" Tears welled up in Anna's eyes.
"The Mandara Flower's essence on your body, I have already created an antidote for it. Also, take these!" Towards his own women, Leylin was much gentler.
Saying so, Leylin handed over some potions and a parchment paper over to Anna.
"This is…." Anna opened the parchment paper to have a look, and she became startled.
"These are letters of authority. You will be managing all of my establishments in Extreme Night City. Furthermore, if I don't return within ten years, all of these will be transferred over to your name!"
Leylin crossed his fingers, "Furthermore, Murphy and Viscount Jackson are witnesses to these procedures! If you meet with any trouble in the future, you can seek their aid!"
These worldly possessions, Leylin could have as many as he wanted. Naturally he would not mind giving them to Anna as a backup plan for himself.
Moreover, even if he played this chess piece wrongly, there wasn't much to be regretful about.
After all, right now, Leylin was only an acolyte in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. According to the academy's rules, acolytes are not allowed to bring their followers or maids into the academy compounds.
Since these are things which he had to eventually let go of, naturally, Leylin's heart did not ache for them.
"Also, this is the desert scorpion sting, which is a tool specially used to control Greem and Fraser. You must keep them well…."
Leylin handed over a red box to Anna.
"No!" Anna bit her lips, before finally pouncing forward and hugging both of Leylin's legs. "Young Master, don't chase Anna away! Anna wants to be by Young Master's side no matter what she has to do, alright?"
The young lady held onto Leylin's legs and tears as bright as pearls slid off of her beautiful face.
Her warm and mildly shuddering body wrapped itself around Leylin's legs. One could see that Anna had mustered extreme courage to speak these words.
Leylin looked at Anna with a touch of gentleness in his eyes. He reached his right hand out and stroked the young lady's hair and back.
"I'm very sorry Anna. The place I have to go is extremely dangerous for you…."
"But…." Anna lifted her face filled with tears as if wanting to say something else.
"Don't mess around, listen!" Suddenly, Leylin's face hardened.
Seeing her master act this way, the deeply ingrained pain and suffering for disobeying a master's orders surfaced in her mind. After all, Anna had undergone slave training. Although these were the methods of the slave traders, it was etched right into Anna's soul itself.
"Yes, Young Master!" Anna stopped her crying and kept the scroll and box. She only looked at Leylin, the same way as a cat that had been abandoned by its owner.
Seeing the girl act like this, Leylin withdrew a few potions from his robes and handed it to her. After all, he was not a stone-hearted person.
"This is a recovery potion, which can quickly heal physical wounds. Keep this well!"
"Also, this purple potion is an attack type potion. If there comes a day when you encounter a danger that not even Greem nor Fraser can handle, throw this out at it. Do you understand me?"
Leylin pointed at the purple potion and instructed Anna.
"Anna understands!" Her eyes turned red. She knew that she could not disobey her master's orders, so she kept the potion well.
"Sigh…."
Looking at her leaving figure, Leylin sighed suddenly.
Although he had made many preparations, he knew that after a dozen odd years, this faction that he had left would most lightly disappear into thin air.
However, he had no regrets. These were all regular humans without any aptitude for becoming a magician. They would be of limited use to him in the future.
Most likely, the only use of this small faction to him would be to act as a cover for him to hide from people, and even then, it wasn't very secure at all.
In the end, entrusting everything to Anna was not a bad choice.
Apart from the Mandara Flower's essence on Anna's body, all other restrictions on Anna's body had already been removed by Leylin. From now onward, Anna would be a free human.
"I hope that after having these things, you will be able to live a happier life!"
Leylin's eyes were unreadable.
If Anna was to land in the hands of another magician, she would at most be a tool for them to vent their pent up energy. After their interest wanes, she may very well be used in an experiment. Now that Anna had followed Leylin, not only was she free from her status as a slave, Leylin had even saved her from the poison of Mandara Flower's essence. He had even given her the manor and medicinal shop, so no matter what happens next, he would be free from all guilt!"
"The troublesome matters have all been resolved. What's left is to finally dispose of the experiment lab and underground cells thoroughly!"
Leylin thought and got up to go to the underground.
This was the forbidden area that he had demarcated. Anna and the two Knights would not dare come down here so easily.
Under the dim light from the torch, Leylin withdrew a crystal ball. An old person's figure could be seen within it. His expression was crazed, and even had terror in it.
"We meet again, Mister Roman!" Leylin smiled and gave his salutations. However, in Roman's eyes, this smile was more harrowing than the devil's.
"Don't… Don't come over!" Roman's expression twisted, and he fearfully backed up to the walls of the crystal ball behind him.
However, Leylin's acute senses picked out the resolution behind the expression of the frightened vengeful spirit.
"Let me tell you a piece of good news, and a piece of bad news!"
Leylin proficiently placed many tools beside the crystal ball, and let the vengeful spirit let out ear piercing screams as he spoke.
"The good news is that I am going to leave here for a while!" Before the vengeful spirit had any response, Leylin smiled and said, "And the bad news is that no matter where I go, you will be going along with me!"
"Oh! No! No! I beg of you…."
"Alright! So then, tell me everything you know!"
At the beginning, Roman naturally would not speak of anything. However after over a year of torture, he had already begun to cough out some information.
After the narration of the vengeful spirit, Leylin shook his head. "It seems like Mister Roman still harbours wishful thoughts, so let us continue…."
Following Leylin's statement, many hair-raising screams filled the lab, as if the howls of a person right before their death.
Although this vengeful spirit had showed signs of a mental breakdown half a month ago, it still managed to give misleading information to Leylin regarding the secrets he knew.
This vengeful spirit gave much information at once, and it was extremely complicated. However, with the A.I. Chip, Leylin was able to record all of its narration quickly, and sort it systematically.
The next few times, he discovered a problem.
Towards things which are pertaining to more general and common knowledge, Roman always handed them over easily. However, towards the crucial points and secrets, Roman glossed over them and hid much of the important information.
However, Leylin did not mind at all. It would give huge amounts of information each day. Along with the filtering and sorting of the A.I. Chip, he would still obtain plenty of information.
Moreover, with the continuous and prolonged torture and interrogating, Leylin believed that one day, this vengeful spirit would tell him everything, and pray for a fast death.
After the daily routine of 'questioning' was completed, Leylin went towards the other rooms underground.
In here, various blood-stained torture instruments were hung along the walls. On the floor, there were even a few corpses with wounds littered across their bodies, causing them to be almost indiscernible as a human body.
[Beep! The surrounding negative energy density is higher by 34.5%, which satisfies the most basic condition for a spirit body's existence. The target's physical body has undergone various suffering and tortures. Chance of spirit body appearing: 1.23%]
The A.I. Chip scanned the few corpses and reported the figures.
"Compared to the one-thousandth chance of a spirit body forming naturally, this proportion can be considered extremely high already!" Leylin stroked his chin, "If I were to be given more time, I would definitely be able to induce the formation of an artificial spirit body!"
The most efficient way to do research on souls was through the use of spirit bodies. This established theory was publicly accepted by all Dark Magi.
What Leylin had to do now was to continuously simulate the conditions of the outside world, and induce the forming of an artificial spirit body!
If this piece of news were to leak out, Leylin's reputation would be completely interlinked with savagery and ruthlessness, which would be bad for his future developments.
"Reputation is also a kind of benefit! Although I'm not afraid of how people view me, even Magi wish to have dealings with those who have good reputations, but not a fellow with a dredged reputation.
Leylin sucked in a lungful of air and sprinkled power on the corpses.
With hissing sounds, the corpses turned into yellow pus after corroding, and very soon, they disappeared.
"Although I have finally stopped my experiments, which is a little bit of a pity, it's not like I haven't obtained any results!" Leylin comforted himself, "At least, regarding the Lowian Academy Teachings' final step, the spirit awakening, I have already obtained sufficient data!"
As for the other ancient potion formula, Tears of Mary, Leylin still hadn't found any clues regarding it.
Return
Within Extreme Night City, there was recently a matter that was neither big nor small happening. This turned into an idle conversation topic discussed by commoners after lunch tea.
Mister Leylin, an heir of a noble who had stayed in the city for three years and Viscount Jackson and Scholar Murphy's good friend, was temporarily leaving Extreme Night City.
Before he left, he actually handed over the manor and medicinal shop to his serving attendant, a maid, to handle the running.
For nobles, although they did vent their pent up energy on their serving maids frequently, they would never have handed over important establishments and such over to them because of this act.
After all, to them, maids were like toys, which could be changed or abandoned at any time. As for establishments and lands, they would often become the inheritance of an heir, and was the root for the growth of a family's continual development.
By doing this, Leylin had turned into a joke in front of the rest of the nobility. Not only did his reputation contain a lazy and kind person, it also extended to a muddle-headed trademark.
However, to the surprise of many, the maid, with the help of two Knights, very soon made the remainder of Leylin's faction submit to her. At the same time, Viscount Jackson city lord and Murphy stepped in personally to express their support for the maid, which allowed her to act on Leylin's behalf with his establishments.
After taking over Leylin's establishments, Anna dedicated herself to managing them and did it neatly and tidily. Not only did Leylin's establishment in Extreme Night City not fail as predicted by the other nobles, it continually developed, which made many nobles fall from their chair.
However, all of these things had nothing to do with Leylin. At this moment, he had long since left Extreme Night City.
* Pitter Patter! *
The sky turned dark, and bean sized drops of rain fell on the ground, initiating countless splashes.
* Thud Thud Thud! * A dark, handsome steed continually dashed along the road, and the scenery on both sides hurriedly retreated. Rainwater fell onto the body of a Knight, but was blocked by a raincoat.
By the time when it was midnight, the downpour stopped, and the Knight sought shelter in a cave.
A warm and bright flame illuminated the cave. A steel wok hung above the bonfire, and a white mushroom broth with a fragrant smell boiled. From time to time, a few pieces of meat jerky floated to the surface.
The Knight took off his coat, revealing a young face with brown hair and eyes that glittered like jewels.
This person was Leylin. At this moment, he drank the mushroom soup, while time bringing out a map from the A.I. Chip.
"After two months of continuous journeying, I am finally going to arrive at the academy!"
Leylin looked at the destination on the map. His expression was complicated. Previously, if not for him constantly changing his route and going to other markets to sell his potions, he wouldn't have been in such a rush, and the journey would have been a breeze.
However, with such a hastened journey, he had suffered plenty.
After having lived like a king for the past 3 years, Leylin had gotten used to the extravagant life of a noble, and almost could not adapt to his current situation.
"However, I have finally arrived. According to the map, I will arrive at the academy after three more days!"
"I never thought that a third party would actually intervene, and make the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy and the other two factions come to a ceasefire agreement!"
Recalling the news that he heard from the markets in the past few days, Leylin was still somewhat in disbelief.
According to the news, with the pincer attack from the Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle, Abyssal Bone Forest Academy should have been in a precarious situation. Even the academy headquarters' defensive spell formation was damaged by half and was almost broken.
However, in the end, it was unknown what method the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy chairman used. He had actually managed to appeal for help from the Lighthouse of the Night.
The Lighthouse of the Night was one of the finest organisations in the south coast. Its leader was rumoured to have the strength of a rank 3 Magus.
Under the forceful mediation of the Lighthouse of the Night, the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy finally managed to escape from its dangerous situation, eventually reaching a treaty between the two rivaling factions.
Leylin was not someone who would immediately respond when he was requested to return to the academy. Along the way, he always inquired for news. Only when he was indeed certain that Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was freed from war, and that the recalling of the acolytes was not a trap, did he decide to return to the academy.
"With this distance, I can already initiate the communicative method that mentor showed me before! It's best to first discern the truth!"
Leylin's face turned serious, and he withdrew a pink coloured potion from his robes.
After removing the plug, he used the pink coloured potion to draw a mysterious rune on the ground. It was cursive and winding, like a worm.
* Sssii! * Pink smoke rose into the air continuously, before finally turning into the shape of a large pink ear.
"Who is this? This energy wave?" Beside the ear, Kroft's voice sounded, carrying many other static noises with it.
"It's me! Professor!" Leylin spoke softly.
"This voice! These spiritual force waves! You are Leylin! You have actually become a level 3 acolyte!" Astonishment could be heard in Kroft's voice.
For third grade acolytes, if they wanted to advance from a level 2 acolyte to a level 3 acolyte, it often required at least 5 years of constructing the mind runes and reinforcing of the sea of consciousness.
However, Leylin had spent only 3 years to advance to a level 3 acolyte, which shocked Kroft.
"You are only 17 this year, yet you have entered the realm of a level 3 acolyte!" Kroft's voice, which was usually stable, carried a trace of excitement in it, "An acolyte who is level 3 before the age of 20 often has an extremely huge chance of advancing to an official Magus. However, the numbers of such acolytes are extremely rare. Even your senior, Merlin, only advanced to a level 3 acolyte when he was 21.
If Kroft knew that Leylin had advanced to a level 3 acolyte only 1 year after he had left the academy, he might immediately label him as a genius!
However, striking it rich silently was always Leylin's norm of handling his affairs. Towards his mentor's astonishment, Leylin only bowed and said, "I was only lucky, and found a rare Void Flower …."
A Void Flower was a type of mysterious plant. Its petals were purple, and it if a magician were to raise it, it would be an extremely strong stimulant towards a magician's spiritual force. The most crucial point was that the laws of reproduction for the Void Flower were strange. they could appear at any place on the continent. There were even cases in which magicians found traces of these plants at the bottom of the sea or in a pit of a volcano.
Moreover, the Void Flower had a special attribute. Once its petals were plucked, the whole stalk will immediately combust, leaving no traces behind.
Naturally, this was an excuse that Leylin thought of long ago. Through the A.I. Chip's data gathering of various mysterious plants, he had already prepared this excuse as a reason for his advancement.
It was not like there weren't any other level 2 acolytes who had used a Void Flower to advance to a level 3 acolyte before.
"Void Flower?" Kroft's shock was relayed through the ear. "Such a precious magician resource could also be found by you… That is a top grade material of which one petal can cost several thousands of magic crystals…. It can even aid a magician in advancing…."
However, it was extremely difficult to predict luck in this world. After sticking to his statement that the Void Flower was indeed used up, Kroft had no other choice but to believe him.
What followed next was that the mentor and student spoke of Leylin's recent journeying experiences. When Kroft learned that Leylin had successfully completed the mission from the academy, he expressed his congratulations.
Towards the end, Leylin asked in a solemn tone, "Professor, regarding the recalling of the acolytes to the academy….."
Why he did not ask the academy directly was, naturally, because he was afraid that it would be a trap. It may have very well been that the chairman of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had some other plans, and might be prepared to sacrifice a bunch of acolytes.
"…." Kroft remained silent on the other side of the communication spell, before finally speaking again some time later.
"The recall of acolytes, this time, had indeed been approved by the chairman and board of directors. I can assure you that there is no lie in the recall, but…."
Leylin hesitated and held his breath, afraid to disturb his mentor.
"Originally, if you were still a level 2 acolyte, I would most likely have not approved of you returning to the academy. However, now that you are a level 3 acolyte, things are different. Let me ask you, do you wish to advance to an official Magus?"
Kroft asked suddenly.
"A rank 1 Magus. It is often the starting point for a Magus who pursues the truth. I definitely want to advance!" Leylin's voice was low.
"If that is the case, then come back! When you're here, I'll tell you everything! There isn't much time now…." The pink ear shuddered and exploded immediately, turning into a huge cloud of smoke as it dissipated into the air.
In the empty cave, Kroft's voice finally resounded one last time, "Heed my words! This opportunity is extremely rare but is also accompanied by danger. If you wish to walk further down the path of a Magus, then hurry back!"
Leylin looked at the gradually disappearing smoke and muttered to himself.
Through the long distance communication with Kroft today, although time was short, Leylin was able to understand the circumstances within the academy.
From this, he knew that the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had indeed extricated itself from danger but the war seemed to still be ongoing. This was why the academy forcefully recalled its acolytes back.
Moreover, opportunities often came hand in hand with risks. Looking at Kroft's opinion, it seemed that plenty of opportunities would await him if he returned. It even related to the advancement that Leylin would have to undergo in the future.
"An official Magus!"
Leylin walked towards the entrance of the cave, and looked at the downcast sky and pitter-patter sounds of the downpour, letting out a sigh.
These few days, apart from making haste, he did nothing else but to go to a few magician markets to have a look. However, no matter how many magic crystals he was willing to part with, the market never contained any information pertaining to the advancement of an official Magus. Moreover, no one even sold a method of obtaining such information.
Looking at it, it seemed as though a large, invisible hand had directly hauled all of the information regarding official Magi away, not letting anyone else know of it.
"To be able to monopolise the information to such an extent, it must be supported by, at least, a majority of magicians within the large organisations and factions in the south coast…."
Granite Ape
Leylin's gaze seemed distant as if sparks of wisdom radiated from it.
"For the Magi of the upper echelons, under the circumstances where they are unable to advance any further, their only concern is the protection and prosperity of their own family and factions!"
"For that, they monopolised the knowledge of advancing to a Magus, isolating wandering magicians and halting their advancement. Moreover, even the academy has strictly regulated the information given for an acolyte to advance into a level 3 acolyte. . . "
Leylin, who came from another world, naturally saw through these methods of sealing away information.
However, compared to those high and mighty Magi, Leylin was currently but an ant. Even if he saw through it, there was no way that he could resist it.
After all, Leylin was only a level 3 acolyte, and not even an official Magus!
"There is definitely information in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy regarding the experience of advancement to a rank 1 Magus, but I'm afraid it's not something that I can obtain easily! It's a pity, but this is already the most probable situation I can think of…."
Leylin looked at the distant raindrops, sinking into deep thoughts.
After the harrowing experience of advancing to a level 3 acolyte, Leylin was rather traumatic over the incident. Before making preparations fully and obtaining enough information, he would definitely not dare to breakthrough into an official Magus.
For magicians, the step to become an official Magus, from an acolyte, was the most crucial step, and no mistakes could be allowed.
Leylin was, however, unable to discover any information pertaining to this. Furthermore, to obtain this information, he could only plan to seize it from an official Magus.
However, the strength of official Magi far exceeded that of a level 3 acolyte. Not to mention that the defensive force field surrounding the official Magi which the A.I. Chip had detected. Leylin had no means, even now, to break through it. The difficulty of obtaining information on advancement from an official Magus had long surpassed Leylin's limits. Only if Leylin was mad would he proceed with it.
As for what Leylin knew, obtaining information on the advancement was the most appropriate method.
"According to the news that Kroft had hinted at earlier, although it might be rather dangerous at this time, it is also the best chance to obtain these resources and information!"
Leylin looked at the raging thunderstorm outside and suddenly steeled his heart.
Although he was someone who treasured his life dearly, in this situation where his path seemed bleak, he could only muster up courage, and take a gamble!
Right now, he was at the optimal age to advance to an official Magus. Once he missed this chance, even if he could obtain resources and information in future, it would be unlikely that his aged body would support him through the breakthrough to a rank 1 Magus.
Moreover, it was not as though he did not have any confidence. At the very least, according to his own hypothesis and the A.I. Chip's simulations, there was, at least, a 90% chance that the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy required him to fulfill some sort of dangerous mission, and hence, would not sacrifice him! This was enough for him to take a gamble!
"I'll take a gamble this once! If I am unable to scale the absolute peak and observe the radiance from the rays of dawn, then let me be sludge and sink thoroughly into the earth, and rot!"
His eyes sparkled as he gazed intensely at the thunderstorm raging in front of him.
...
Three days later, in the outer vicinity of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.
More than half of the surrounding forests around the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had already been destroyed. The ground was filled with traces of holes and depressions. Not far away, a few patches of the ground were white in colour, and on top of it were some rubble and ashes. From these, one could surmise what kind of bitter battle the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy had gone through!
"It was actually reduced to a state like this…." Leylin rode the large horse and dashed ahead, feeling absolutely gleeful that he had made an unwavering decision to leave the academy beforehand.
It had been such a massive battle that it had actually even ruined half of the geography around the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. If Leylin were to remain here, he did not have any confidence in protecting his life.
Following the path and traveling on for another dozen minutes, a huge graveyard appeared before Leylin's eyes.
This was the underground entrance to the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, a large granite graveyard. However, right now, half of the tombstones were shattered, and many graves were also dug open, revealing the dark passages within. The surrounding stone walls and mud reflected signs having been abused by many spells. Before Leylin's eyes, the alert of the A.I. Chip continuously sounded, revealing the extremely high radiation from some traces of these spells.
"Every little tombstone here was actually a personal passageway for each professor in the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy and all are now in such ruins…."
Although he long knew that the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy would definitely suffer a catastrophic loss, this miserable scene still caused Leylin to inhale a mouthful of cold ai
* Bang! *
Leylin casually kicked a stone on the floor, and walked towards the centremost area of the graveyard, where a huge tombstone that looked like a castle was erected.
This was the huge entrance to Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, and was the common path for all acolytes.
The surface of the castle was littered with cracks, and part of the topmost area was chipped off. What remained was tottering, and seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Seeing such a sight made Leylin somewhat worried; he felt that if he were to stick a finger out and poke it, this castle of a tombstone would crumble.
"Halt! Outsider! If you are unable to show any items of proof, I will make you pay the price of blood!"
The two stone statues by the large entrance were completely destroyed. The Winged Earthworm and Two-Headed Dog from before were now gone. Right when Leylin wanted to enter, a metallic voice sounded.
Accompanying that voice, a large shadow from the peak of the ashened castle climbed down at a rapid speed. This black figure was taller by an average human by two heads, and its hands were extremely long, extending to the ground.
Although the castle tombstone was filled with cracks, no matter how this black figure climbed, the castle did not waver an inch. Obviously, the construction of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was not as weak as it seemed on the surface.
* Bang! * The black figure leapt, and a huge shadow was projected on the ground, completely engulfing Leylin.
* Thud! * The black figure pounded on the ground, bringing up a layer of dust.
Leylin squinted and finally saw the appearance of the black figure. This was a large ape-like creature. Its whole body was layered with granite, and both of its hands propped itself up on the ground.
[Beep! A creature with high levels of energy has been detected. Now comparing to database. Determined as Granite Ape!] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.
Granite Ape was a creature in the Magus World with a battle strength comparable to an official Magus.
"I sense the energy waves emanating from the item of proof on your body, take it out!"
The Granite Ape looked at Leylin, and sniffed him with its large snout. As the ape approached, an extremely dense and putrid stench wafted over. Leylin had to muster up a lot of strength to endure the need to frown.
"Item of proof?"
Leylin thought for a while, before hurriedly withdrawing the red metal card from his sack that he obtained before when taking up the mission.
"So it was this!"
The Granite Ape took the metal card and swallowed it in one gulp, as if munching on some delicacy. It even closed its eyes to savour the taste of it.
"It's an acolyte of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy who took on an outside mission previously!"
After a dozen seconds, the Granite Ape opened its large eyes and said to Leylin, "Brat, enter!"
"Please accept my offerings!" Leylin thought, and bowed before the Granite Ape, before taking a bunch of banana like fruits and placing it on the ground.
"Elephant Stout Bananas! Not bad, not bad!" The large ape nodded its head, and took one from the bunch and peeled it, before tossing it into its mouth, as if it could not wait.
"Can I ask what happened to the two guardians from before?"
Leylin asked cautiously, after seeing the Granite Ape enjoying itself.
"They're dead!" The large ape answered concisely, and Leylin gasped silently.
This was something that he had long guessed. The two statues were obviously the first line of defense for the academy. After being attacked, they would easily be the first to perish.
After another bow, Leylin entered through the entrance of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.
The dimly lit flight of downward stairs was the same as from before, when Leylin had left the academy.
However, for some unknown reason – which may have been the fact that he was now a level 3 acolyte with a greater spiritual force – Leylin discovered that there were a few marks on the walls and stones, with some traces of blood. There were even some faint wails of spirits who had perished, which travelled to Leylin's ears.
Leylin, who had conducted a massive amount of experiments on spirit bodies, would never mistake these noises for something else.
Along the way, he noticed that he had run into far fewer acolytes than he did normally. Leylin estimated that the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy didn't even have half of its original strength. Even the Trading Post and Mission Area hotspots seemed to be devoid of people.
At the mission desk counter, Leylin handed over the records in the crystal ball and a piece of the Great Snake Mankestre's scales.
"I'm here to complete a mission!"
"Alright, please hold on!" The staff at the counter had changed too. This was a freckled girl, who seemed to only be a level 2 acolyte.
While he was waiting, Leylin was bored to death, and looked at his surroundings.
Although the number of people in the Mission Area had been greatly reduced, the number of missions did not reduce but increased instead. Moreover, many of them had increased rewards compared to before. According to Leylin's guess, while the difficulty of these missions had remained the same, the rewards had increased to twice of what they were originally.
This was an abnormal scene, which made Leylin's eyes flash.
"Ley…Leylin!" A muffled yet hoarse voice sounded behind Leylin.
Leylin turned around and saw a swollen figure wrapped in a black veil. Moreover, the stench of pus drifted over.
"You are… Nyssa!" Leylin's eyes widened.
Naturally he recalled this image clearly, but even if he didn't, the A.I. Chip had recorded it.
"You actually still remember me!" Nyssa's voice had a tinge of excitement. At the same time, an energy wave leaked from her body. According to the A.I. Chip, she was actually a level 2 acolyte.
A Way To Breakthrough
Leylin's expression softened; this was one of the rare occasions that this occurred. He still remembered this unfortunate girl and the grief and perseverance on this girl's face before.
"It's really great to see you again, how are Guricha and Dodoria?"
Leylin smiled.
Hearing this, Nyssa who was wrapped in the black cloak shuddered, and her voice was gloomy as she said, "They're all dead. Even Kaliweir, Beirut, the ones who came with us from the Chernobyl Islands, more than half of them perished…."
"My apologies…."
Leylin did not know what he ought to say. Although he did divulge a bit of information previously, it was extremely obscure. Whether or not Kaliweir and the rest could figure it out, and if they could view it solemnly were all matters of uncertainty.
Moreover, even if they discovered that something was amiss, they were only first or second grade acolytes without much aptitude. Whether or not they could obtain discriminating treatment from the academy and leave was also difficult to say.
As expected, Nyssa continued, "After getting news from you, we'd came together several times. However, there were no good measures. Not long later, the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy announced a lockdown of the whole academy, otherwise, death would be granted… Afterwards, the war began…."
Official Magi were the core strength of the war between both sides. Kaliweir, together with the others who weren't even level 3 acolytes were not fit to be cannon fodder, so heavy casualties were to be expected.
Leylin could not think of any consoling words. Nyssa too did not continue, and silence ensued.
"Mission recorded and confirmed as completed! This is your reward, please check and accept!"
At this moment, the freckled girl from behind the counter had finally raised her head, and scribbled on a piece of parchment paper with a feather quill, finally handing over a small leather sack to Leylin.
Leylin weighed the sack, and rubbing noises between magic crystals came travelling from the leather sack.
"I still have something on, so I'll take my leave first!"
Leylin said to Nyssa, leaving her with a complicated expression on her face.
"Mission is completed, time to meet with Mentor!"
Leylin walked through the gardens and came to the experiment lab where Kroft was.
* Dong Dong Dong! *
Leylin knocked on the door, following which, the door creaked open, revealing a pretty girl.
The girl was slightly shorter than Leylin by half a head and had beautiful, green hair. Her body contours were extremely seductive. Due to the proximity, Leylin could even catch a whiff of her perfume.
"Bicky! It's been a long time!" Leylin spoke softly.
"You are… Leylin!" The green-haired girl sized up Leylin suspiciously with a glance, before cheering as she leapt into his arms.
Feeling the soft perky abundance against his chest, and the fragrance that wafted into his nose, Leylin could not help but exclaim at this little girl having matured.
"Alright! I am here to visit Kroft!"
Leylin waited for a good while, and seeing that the girl did not want to leave his embrace, he could only he cajole her while patting her on the shoulders.
"Mentor is just inside, together with Merlin!" Bicky rubbed her somewhat reddened eyes, and her delicate features revealed a smile, "You being alright is really a great thing…."
Leylin nodded his head and walked into the experiment lab.
"Leylin!" Merlin greeted him first. His features did not change much from the past 3 years, only that his temperament seemed more stable and mature. After seeing Leylin, he forced an extremely ugly smile.
"Senior Merlin!" Leylin bowed. His knew that a part of Merlin's face had suffered from irreparable damage from before, so he did not mind that he was unable to portray common expressions.
After which, Leylin continued walking in.
There was only an experiment table in here. On the operating table, a white-haired, middle-aged man placed the test tube in his hands down, and his pair of golden eyes met Leylin's eyes.
"I can smell the barely faint smell of the Void Flower in your body, it seems like you really got the petals of a Void Flower!"
Kroft stared at Leylin for some time, before smiling, "You're really a lucky fellow!
"Haha…" Leylin scratched the back of his head, revealing an embarrassed expression, but deep down he was elated.
After deciding to use the Void Flower as an excuse, he had been concocting the substitute ingredients for the Void Flower.
99.98%
After huge amounts of experiments, he had obtained a type of potion which could emit the scent of the Void Flower with a similarity of 99.98%, to use as his trump card to fool others.
Of course, this potion only had a similar fragrance to the Void Flower, but it did not contain any effect of the original Void Flower at all.
Before coming to the academy, Leylin had especially sprayed some of it on his body, and now it seemed that even Kroft was fooled.
After which, Leylin only had to insist that the effect of the Void Flower was fully consumed by him, then nobody would be able to discover any gaps in his speech.
"No matter what, achieving level 3 acolyte before you are 20, you can already be considered as one of the core acolytes in the academy. Only that you have to go to the Administrative Area to register, then your various welfares and statuses will increase…."
Kroft told Leylin about some benefits and authority given to a level 3 acolyte, which would be awarded to Leylin.
Finally, Leylin could hardly wait any longer and blurted out, "Professor, this time, I'm here to ask about the matter of the official Magus that you spoke of previously…."
"I knew it!" Kroft nodded, "Ever since I saw you after your first meditation, I knew that you are resolute on the path of a Magus…."
The white-haired, middle-aged man pointed at the chairs in the lab, "Regarding this, it might take a while, so let us sit first."
Saying which, Kroft walked towards a recliner and sat down, with Leylin following behind him.
The black chair was draped with the leather of some creature, and running your hands across it gave a comfortable feeling. Between the two chairs, there was a small round table.
Bicky served two hot, steaming cups of green refreshments– her actions was of the official standard as if she had practiced serving innumerable times– and hurriedly retreated.
"Green Root Fruit Juice! I never thought that Professor would still keep this habit!" Leylin sniffed the fragrance, and his eyes reflected reminiscence.
"Haha… I have always liked these kinds of drinks, even when I'm idle or when doing experiments, I will still take a sip or two. Moreover, for an official Magus, 3 years is only a short time in their life!"
Kroft made several sips of the drink and then asked, "Leylin, do you know how to advance to an official Magus?"
"Please show me the way, Mentor!" Leylin's expression was extremely solemn.
"An official Magus has long since overcome the limitations of a human. They are able to harness the nature's energy and obtain a longer lifespan. Even the worst official Magus is far beyond that of a level 3 acolyte! They are extraordinary!"
Kroft's voice sounded mellow, almost as if he were singing.
"This is because of the energy and devastating strength that an official Magus controls. A long time– maybe a thousand odd years ago, on the Luxe Castle of the south coast, all magisterium in the south coast have come to a mutual agreement to control the information about official Magi, and have even endorsed it…"
Kroft spoke of the past history of the Magus World.
"No matter what it is similar to the non-proliferation treaty of nuclear weapons of my previous world!" thought Leylin.
"From then on, before a level 3 acolyte advanced to an official Magus, they will sign a contract with the person or organisation imparting the knowledge to them. To promise that there will be in no way the concrete steps of advancing into an official Magus will be divulged. Any violators will accept the judgment of the Trial's Eye, and his soul to be scorched for a thousand years…."
Kroft looked at Leylin, "I too have signed the contract before, hence I was able to obtain the resources and information needed for advancement. Due to the restrictions of this contract, I am unable to share the information with you!"
"However, I can still tell you of some general knowledge around it!" Seeing the obviously disappointed face of Leylin, Kroft continued.
"To advance to an official Magus, the first requirement is for the acolyte to reach a certain standard in the spiritual force. From what I see, you are very close to this criteria already. Actually, for many level 3 acolyte, this is not a problem at all.
"As for the real crux, it is to have a defensive spell model of a rank 1 Spell. This model will become your innate defensive spell in the future. Also, you need a standard amount of Grine Water to complement with the breakthrough!"
Leylin listened attentively, and various emotions flashed across his eyes, "So then, the criteria to advance would be these three: A certain level of spiritual force, a defensive rank 1 spell and Grine Water! Right?"
"Indeed!" Kroft nodded his head, "rank 1 Magus spell models and Grine Water are controlled by the huge factions. Even on the counters of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, you will not be able to find them!"
Leylin smiled bitterly. He had already scouted most of the markets in the Poolfield Kingdom. There was absolutely no one place which contained Grine Water or a defensive rank 1 Spell.
From level 1 acolyte to level 2 acolyte, all that Leylin had learnt were rank 0 spells. Obviously, the Magi had made clear divisions on the rankings of spells. Moreover, they coined the spells that acolytes learnt as rank 0 spells, to differentiate between those spells of official Magi.
As for Grine Water, Leylin seemed to have seen some information pertaining to it on a ruined draft regarding Potioneering. That was a type of potion that was rather difficult for Leylin with his current abilities to brew. Moreover, many main ingredients were monopolised by the huge factions, and there were no traces of the formula.
"So then, Professor, you asked me to come back, which means that I am able to obtain the Grine Water and defensive rank 1 Spell?" Leylin suddenly asked.
"I can only say that it's possible."
Kroft took another sip of the green refreshment. "Advancing to a level 3 acolyte before you turn 20 is already considered to be a potential Magus. Therefore, you are qualified to sign a contract with the academy!"
Bloodbath In The Secret Plane
"Contract? What contract?"
Leylin asked.
"First, you cannot reveal any information regarding the advancement to an official Magus. Furthermore, after you become an official Magus, the contract that you signed when you entered the academy would not impose any restrictions on you anymore. Hence, you must swear upon your soul, under the witness of Trial's Eye, you will be of service to the academy for 100 years!"
"After signing the contract, you will be able to obtain a defensive rank 1 Magus spell for free, and a standard amount of Grine Water!
Leylin saw an introduction to Trial's Eye before on an ancient manual. It seemed to be a massive organism with Rules from a different world. It did not have a consciousness of its own, and magicians preferred to use it as a witness when undertaking important contracts.
The effectiveness of its constraints was known to be amongst the strongest of all contracts. Moreover, there was no way to be rid of it.
Once an agreement was formed, within the span of a hundred years, even if the academy were to have Leylin sacrifice his life during a battle, he had no choice but to obey.
This agreement was similar to a slave contract, yet it had more constraints stipulated in it than in a regular slave contract.
Leylin rejected it immediately within his heart. He was a person for valued absolute freedom, so it was rather distasteful for him to be under such constraints.
Of course, on the surface, Leylin still pretended to be extremely moved, struggling for an answer.
Finally, Leylin asked, with his throat a little parched, "So, Mentor, did you sign such a contract too?"
"Indeed! And because of this, I've joined Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, and became a member of the professors!" Kroft gave a definitive reply, "Actually, the treatment that the academy gives to Magus like us – who came from abroad – is not too bad. They wouldn't let us take on extremely difficult tasks as well!"
"Professor, asking me to come back to the academy, I'm sure there is some other way?"
Leylin looked at Kroft in anticipation.
Signing a contract and obtaining resources was a very common practice, and had nothing to do with the current precarious situation the academy was in. Leylin naturally did not assume that Kroft asked him to come back for this.
After hearing Leylin's words, Kroft seemed to be happy. "Indeed, you are still as intelligent as before. Your eyes are also filled with wisdom, if not for your average aptitude, your achievements in future would definitely surpass Merlin's!"
The façade of inferiority towards Merlin was put on by Leylin. He smiled, not speaking, waiting to hear what Kroft had to say.
"Actually, the war of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy is not over!"
This sentence of Kroft made Leylin's hair stand straight.
"What?" Leylin was so flabbergasted that he stood up immediately, "Was the war not mediated after the Lighthouse of the Night stepped in to stop Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle?"
"This news is indeed accurate but is incomplete. The war between official Magi have ended, but for acolytes it is still far from ending!"
Kroft smiled wryly.
"Although Lighthouse of the Night is one of the strongest guilds around, they are not the only one. Behind Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle, there is also a powerful guild supporting them from behind.
"Hence, under the mediation of Lighthouse of the Night, although the war between both sides has ended, yet there was a special clause!"
"What is it?" Leylin could faintly discern that it had something to do with the acolytes, but he still asked.
"The opposing factions have requested us to recall all of our acolytes, and engage in a bloodbath with their acolytes in a secret plane!
"Secret plane!? Bloodbath?"
Towards Leylin who had abundant information and knowledge, only after searching in the A.I. Chip's data bank, he found the information he needed regarding those two terms.
The secret plane was a dimension used by magicians to protect their own lab and store their resources. It is created by a spell and the dimension is got by connecting to a region from the outside world.
Because of the powerful spell effects outside of these secret planes, magicians of the acolyte level could not break into it. As for some higher levelled secret planes, even if official Magi were to enter, they would also perish.
With the passing of time, some magician guilds will join forces, using spells to form a temporary secret plane, and conduct some experiments or for war/battle.
As for bloodbath, it contained the meaning of madness and massacre.
In the Magus World, if two magicians have a huge conflict that could not longer be mediated, only with death they would rest their case. Under these circumstances, they will undergo a bloodbath with a host as a witness!
Before the bloodbath, both parties would sign an agreement. After any one side dies, their families, professors and friends may not directly avenge them.
This was a kind of battle, but with the effects of spells, the contracts, too, were difficult to breach. Many magicians with dignity would engage in this life and death conflict, yet they did not wish for the collateral damage to spread. So a bloodbath was the best choice.
"So, the academy summoned us acolytes back…."
Leylin suddenly realised that his throat was extremely parched as if he were a person dying from thirst.
"During the signing of the contract, the other parties have summoned Trial's Eye as a witness, so our academy could only go according to the stipulated agreement. If not, all of us professors– including the chairman– will have our souls resting in eternal peace…."
"This time, it's not only you guys, even the other genius fifth-grade acolytes, including your senior Merlin, must participate in this bloodbath. Moreover, the acolytes from each of the 3 academies, will all be at the same place…."
"Wait, which is to say, the acolytes from the other two academies will join forces and attack our Abyssal Bone Forest Academy?"
Leylin felt rather dizzy, Abyssal Bone Forest Academy acolytes have already suffered tremendous casualties from the war before. As for Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle, they were forces with a level similar to Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. If any of these two were to engage in a bloodbath battle with Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's acolytes, it would be 50-50, not to mention there's two of them now.
Moreover, at the moment, there were only 50-60% acolytes remaining behind in Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.
"This is too crazy, why would the academy accept such conditions?"
"There's no choice, who asked for our academy to be in such a state? Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle wants to wipe our acolytes out at one go, and let the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's legacy be broken!" Kroft smiled bitterly, "Furthermore, be it our acolytes or the enemies', they are not allowed to bring in any battle items of official Magus strength. This is programmed into the defensive spell of the secret plane. Any tools which exceed the strength of an acolyte will immediately be rejected upon entering the secret plane…."
"Can I still leave now?" Leylin harboured his tiny glimmer of hope.
"What do you think?" Kroft looked at Leylin deeply in the eyes, and the meaning implicated made Leylin quiver.
"Alright then!" Leylin resigned to his fate and sat down. "The bad news is over? You should tell me some good news now!"
"You little brat!" Kroft smiled and shook his head. "Before the bloodbath, the academy will conduct a competition, where the rewards are bountiful. Moreover, various remuneration have increased by twofold, and the spell models and potions on the sales counter are also at a large discount…."
"They want to raise the strength of their own acolytes before the bloodbath, huh?" Leylin thought silently. He was a very optimistic person and had already faintly thought of a scenario like this before, unlike the extremely shocked appearance he was putting on right now. Since there is no room for retreat, his brain immediately adapted to the situation.
"All these have nothing to do with the advancement of official Magus. Previous, Mentor has told me that there is a method to advance, could it be inside the bloodbath?"
"Indeed! The academy has issued a mission to all level 3 acolyte like you for a blood vengeance. You are to massacre as many acolytes as you can inside the bloodbath!"
A sign of madness appeared for the first time on Kroft's bespectacled features.
"We have assigned points on the enemy acolytes, every level 1 acolyte is worth 1 contribution points, level 2 acolytes are worth 3 points, and level 3 acolyte as 10 points. Towards the more noteworthy acolytes, we have corresponding values assigned to them.
There was a huge temptation behind Kroft's words, "This time the academy's mission reward is extremely bountiful. If you were to obtain enough contribution points, no matter if it is a rank 1 Magus defensive spell model or Grine Water, they all can be exchanged for with contribution points!"
"This is the only method that does not require a contract, and still can advance with resources!"
"If it's this way…." Leylin closed his eyes, and quietly pondered of his mentor's speech.
On the surface, Leylin looked calm. In fact, his brain had already begun to ponder over various scenarios, with the A.I. Chip constantly bringing out different simulations, projecting them in front of Leylin.
Minutes later, Leylin stood up again and bowed to his Professor Kroft. "If there is nothing else, please allow me to take my leave!"
"Where are you going?" Kroft was rather stunned by his own apprentice's actions.
"Of course to see the Trading Post and sales counter!"
Leylin bowed again, and after obtaining Kroft's approval, he left immediately.
Walking on an empty school route, Leylin thought over many things. First of all, trying to escape under the noses of various professors of the official Magus level and then being hunted was something impossible.
Leylin only thought briefly, before beginning to toss that notion away.
Previously, he was able to escape was because of Kroft's pointer and his personal capabilities. The largest reason was still that the academy allowed him to leave. If not, regardless of then and now, Leylin would never be able to walk out of the academy's doors.
"Compared to official Magus, it seems like there is more hope in the bloodbath between acolytes, although the situation is still as unfavourable as before!"
Leylin walked to the Trading Post. The acolytes here numbered slightly more than other places, but many acolytes still had glum expressions on their faces. It seems that they had already gotten news of the upcoming bloodbath.
First, Leylin went to Woox's store to have a look. A pity, however, the little wooden hut was already gone, and the fatty Woox was not known to have escaped or died.
Leylin sighed in disappointment. At the Trading Post, he purchased some ingredients he needed, before walking to the spell models sales counter.
A Secret Divulged
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
The disgusting woman behind the counter previously had now disappeared, changing into a friendly looking old geezer.
"Where's the woman from before?" Leylin asked.
"Dakota? Already dead!" A tinge of sadness seemed to appear on the old geezer's face.
"Give me the spell model catalogue!" Thinking of that fussy woman from before, Leylin felt extremely glad. Even the sinking feeling from the mandatory attendance of the bloodbath had slowly reduced.
"Here!" The old geezer handed over a booklet made from parchment paper over to Leylin.
Leylin opened to have a look. The first page was of Fire element rank 0 spells, on the page number it shone with red light, indicating the element of the spells listed.
Leylin continued flipping. Water element, Plant element, even Necromancy rank 0 spells had all shone in their respective colours.
As for Shadow, Dark Element rank 0 spells, Leylin had already collected almost all, so he did not look any further.
While browsing through the booklet, Leylin realised that the prices of these spell models had reduced by more than half, so they were already selling them at a loss.
It was a pity, however, that for regular acolytes, to master a rank 0 spell, they must take at least months. Towards this imminent bloodbath, it was futile to start mastering them now.
"This Secondary Energy Fireball of the Fire element, Dampened Earth of the Water element, and the manipulation of corpses from the Necromancy Element, and this, and this…. One of them each."
Since the spell model prices have plunged down, and Leylin had magic crystals, he could naturally afford to splurge on them.
To him, it was like a sweep of the warehouse sale.
After handing the old geezer a huge bag of magic crystals, and requested him to send people to carry the books over, Leylin then asked, "Are there any rank 1 spell models here?"
"My apologies, our counter here only sells rank 0 spells for the acolytes." The old geezer shrugged his shoulders and put on a helpless appearance. It seems like Leylin wasn't the first acolyte to ask him about this.
After obtaining an answer he expected, Leylin nodded his head and left.
His earlier question was just to try his luck, so he wasn't very disappointed.
* Ka-cha! Creak! *
First, it was the sound of a bronze key entering the keyhole and the turning of the lock.
"We're here, place the things down!"
Leylin opened his dorm's door and said towards several servants carrying boxes behind him.
* Boom! * The few servants placed the spell models books onto the ground, letting off a loud noise.
After placing Leylin's purchase, these servants bowed to Leylin and walked out of the room.
"There is actually no change here!"
Leylin sized up his room. There was still a bright light radiating from within. Apart from more dust being collected, the rest was still the same as before.
"Amansi!"
Leylin snapped his fingers. Suddenly a green whirlwind appeared from within the room.
The spiralling of the whirlwind continued, bringing the bedsheets and tablecloths floating into the air. A few grey dust particles were sucked into that whirlwind.
Very soon the green whirlwind spun around the room once, and many dust particles were trapped in it, turning a murky green colour, finally it dropped into the bin.
"Now it seems much more comfortable and clean!"
Leylin looked at the dorm that was as good as new, and nodded his head in satisfaction, before placing the spell models and ingredients away nicely.
After all was done, Leylin first went to the dining hall to have a sumptuous dinner, before returning to the room and picking up a spell model book.
"Secondary Energy Fireball huh?" Leylin looked at the fire red book. "A.I. Chip! Record!"
[Beep! Scanning in progress!] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.
Hours later, the A.I. Chip replied, [The spell model of Secondary Energy Fireball has been recorded, analysing in progress: 9.23%]
After his advancement into a level 3 Acolyte, the A.I. Chip which was part of his soul also obtained an increase in processing capabilities.
To Leylin, other acolytes need continuous memorisation and use of their spiritual force to construct the spell models in their mind. This would require a huge consumption of time, and once something goes awry, it would result in a waste of time.
However, for Leylin, he only needed the A.I. Chip to analyse the spell and send it over to his hippocampus, then he would remember this spell model forever. In future, he only needed to activate his spiritual force, before completely mastering the spell model.
To put it simply, the A.I. Chip had substituted the process of memory and also created a framework for him in his mind. It was like digging a pool, the A.I. Chip would help Leylin in digging a pool, and Leylin only needed to put forth his spiritual force like water into the pool. This saved a huge amount of time, which made Leylin's learning abilities on spell models much faster than regular acolytes.
"A.I. Chip! Establish mission! With all the rank 0 spells as the foundation, begin simulating the model for a rank 1 spell!"
From what Leylin could see, the might of a rank 1 spell was stronger than a rank 0 spell. Only with enough material, with the A.I. Chip's calculation abilities, can he manage to simulate a certain rank 1 spell model. There could even be a new spell model that had never appeared before in the Magus World!
[Mission establishing! Information on rank 1 spells missing, beginning simulation….]
Rows of data were projected in front of Leylin's eyes.
[Estimated might of a rank 1 spell: 20 degrees and above! Information sources: , , , Umbra's Hand spell model, Secondary Energy Fireball spell model…. Simulation time: Unable to estimate!]
The A.I. Chip listed many sources of material and even replied with an answer that it was unable to estimate for the first time.
However, Leylin smiled. "As expected, although the time is not confirmed, but the A.I. Chip can very well simulate a spell model of a rank 1 spell…."
"What's next, once I have a standard amount of Grine Water, and reach the requirement of the spiritual force to advance, then I can give it a go…."
For Leylin, he would try simulating a rank 1 spell model with the A.I. Chip. But for the Grine Water, as it was a type of intermediate potion, the formula had always been held by the various large magician guilds. There was no way of them being divulged to outsiders. Many of the ingredients to brew it were also monopolised by these guilds, so there was no way he could brew it on his own.
Hence, his main goal in the upcoming bloodbath, was, under the circumstances of self-preservation, that he would try his best to acquire as many contribution points as possible to exchange for the Grine Water!
If he even had to purchase a spell model with the contribution points, he had no confidence to retaliate under the two academies joining forces and obtaining enough contribution points.
Moreover, even if he did, he would be marked down by the enemy Magi, which was not beneficial for his future growth.
But now he only needed to get one of the two, so the difficulty was reduced by half. The attention he would be getting would be reduced too.
"Also, I have to complete the Fallen Star Pendant for a chance to live on in the bloodbath!"
Leylin's hand turned over, revealing that silver cross.
Under the bright light, the jewels on the cross glittered resplendently.
"Once I have this low-grade defensive magic artifact, my survival chances will definitely increase in the secret plane!"
Leylin muttered, and came to his experiment lab beside the room, withdrawing the Confining Spirit Sphere that held Roman captive.
The originally dimmed crystal ball gradually radiated with light after Leylin undid the seal. Light reflected from it like amber, with a translucent worm-sized like human figure in it.
"Roman! Actually, I wanted to spend more time on you to pry more information from your mouth. A pity, however, there isn't much time left…."
Regret surfaced on Leylin's face.
As for the vengeful spirit, Roman, who was inside the crystal ball, he shuddered. The crazed and bloodthirsty look disappeared from his face, replaced by a pair of eyes that radiated intelligence.
"A level 3 Acolyte's soul which transformed into a vengeful spirit, can definitely accomplish the final step – Spirit awakening!"
Leylin placed the silver cross beside the Confining Spirit Sphere and began to draw various runes with a feather quill and other tools on the large experiment table.
The runes and characters continuously writhed and twisted, forming a strange magic rune.
Along with Leylin's incantation and tossing of ingredients, the huge magic rune let off a dim grey glow.
As for Roman who was within the Confining Spirit Sphere, he seemed to have seen something extremely dangerous, and even his voice started to quiver, "No… You can't do this…."
The final step of synthesizing the Fallen Star Pendant required a sealed spirit that was full of energy, which is the best catalyst for the activation process.
Roman, who had the strength of a level 3 Acolyte in his previous life, was the perfect ingredient for Leylin right now!
After a vengeful spirit is sealed within the Fallen Star Pendant, Roman's soul will be forever trapped within that silver cross, and suffer from never-ending torment. He could only wait for the day when the silver cross shatters, before his soul will be dissipated.
"You, who is in such a state, have you got any other bargaining chip for me?"
After finishing drawing the spell formation, and sizing up the spirit which was repeatedly begging him from within the Confining Spirit Sphere, a curious smile spread across Leylin's face.
"I… I am an outstanding alchemist and have mastered many secrets and special skills in alchemy. If only you let me go, I will hand them all over to you…."
Seeing the resolute expression on Leylin's face, Roman started to reveal everything that he knew, for a sliver of a chance to stay alive.
"Not enough! Most of your things were already recorded inside that Alchemy book, and these benefits will not be able to compensate for the loss of my Fallen Star Pendant!" Leylin's face turned icy cold.
"I… I also know of a secret about magicians who advance to an official Magus! If only you swear to let me go, I will tell you! That is something that all the higher ups in the magician guilds have done their best to conceal!"