However, as a big-hearted mercenary, Field quickly forgot about the incident.
"That's Haidou Academy, looks decent," Field said, looking at the academy in the distance.
Haidou Academy was built at the intersection of the coast and the sea, with half of it in the water and the other half on land. There was also a dock nearby, so it looked quite grand from a distance.
It was already 6:40, and it took them twenty minutes to walk here.
At this point, there were already some early-rising students entering the academy.
Field originally wanted to see if he could just sneak in.
But then he realized that entry required checking for the school emblem.
Veena didn't have a school uniform, but she had the school emblem pinned on the right arm of her sweater, so no mage stopped her.
But Field was stopped.
Fortunately, Field was prepared.
Seeing Veena waiting for him to come to his senses, Field waved his hand. "Don't wait for me, you go in first."
Veena nodded gently and walked towards the depths of the academy, while Field took out a task list stamped with the Ivran Guild seal and handed it to the mage in charge of guarding the gate, showing his mercenary ID card. "Hello, I'm here to collect the task."
The mage checked it, then raised an eyebrow at Field. "A new face, huh? You know the rules. As an outsider, there are places you can't enter..."
"Don't worry, I know the rules!" Field grinned and handed over a cigarette.
The mage took it, sniffed it, and his eyes lit up, a smile spreading across his face.
Good smoke!
"Go in, go straight and turn right at the library," the mage didn't make it difficult for Field, and even told him where to pick up the task. Field then easily entered the academy with Kiki.
This task was to deliver some books from the library to another city.
But Field wasn't here for the task.
He watched as Veena's figure disappeared into the distance, then turned to Kiki. "Time is short, Kiki, you go to the library to pick up the goods, I'll go scout around and be back soon."
"Okay, meow!"
Having a obedient little kitty really made things much easier.
Kiki ran off to pick up the goods, while Field, taking advantage of the sparse crowd, took out a black stone from his waist pouch. The stone was engraved with a magic rune.
This was a magic stone engraved with the "Concealment" magic, given to him by the captain of the guard in the village. It was of low grade, silver grade, and considered a relatively common magic standard equipment.
However, this thing was military-controlled equipment and generally not available for purchase.
The captain of the guard was originally a soldier responsible for reconnaissance work, so he had this magic stone.
Later, after he retired and returned to his hometown village, he became the captain of the self-organized village guard, an unofficial position.
So this thing was considered a little treasure for ordinary people.
If it weren't for the fact that Field had a good relationship with him, and was also preparing to leave the village to venture out, he wouldn't have been willing to give it to Field.
The effect of the magic stone was to form a small range force field that could conceal one's aura, reduce light refraction, and make the area dim, giving near invisibility in the dark.
And now, with the sky just getting light, plus the morning mist, this thing could help Field reduce the chances of being discovered.
The usage was very simple, just infuse it with magic.
Basically, anyone of a certain grade had magic, whether it was the fighting spirit of a warrior or the magic of a mage, it was essentially the same thing, just called differently.
Field not only had magic, but also quite a bit of it, but he still hadn't found a way to convert magic into spells.
Infusing magic, activating the magic stone, Field agilely leaped onto the roof, then quietly followed towards Veena's location.
Veena's walking speed was not fast, and Field followed her at a leisurely pace on the roof of the nearby teaching building. Since the teaching buildings were connected, Field could easily jump between them. It was fortunate that, except for wind mages, most mages in the early stages did not have flying abilities, so Haidou Academy didn't have mages flying all over the place. Otherwise, with mages flying overhead, he would have been discovered in no time. After all, the effect of the magic stone was concealment, not invisibility. Field heard that there were magic stones with invisibility effects, and he felt it was necessary to get one.
Following Veena into one of the teaching buildings, Field glanced around and then leaped lightly onto a tree. The tree was quite large and could conceal him. Due to the effect of the magic stone, he blended almost seamlessly with the shadows of the tree canopy. Unless someone randomly decided to climb the tree, they wouldn't notice him.
Perched on the tree trunk, Field could see into the teaching building through the cracks in the foliage. The windows of the teaching building were transparent, similar to glass, allowing Field to see Veena walk up to the second floor and enter a classroom with her bag. Then Field jumped back onto the roof of the teaching building, flipped to the other side, and found another large tree to hide behind, observing in secret. The reason for changing sides was that there was a corridor on one side, while the windows on the other side directly led to the classrooms, allowing Field a clearer view.
At this time, there was only Veena in the classroom. It was just past seven o'clock, with classes starting at eight, which meant Veena would be sitting in the classroom for an hour. After she sat down, she took out a few books from her bag and placed them on the desk. Then she took out a water cup, took a sip, and placed it on the desk. Then... she started reading. Field waited for two minutes, during which she remained motionless, then she turned a page after another minute. Field smirked and then flicked a twig about the length of his finger onto the window, making a soft "pop" sound. Veena flinched and turned to look out the window. Field pushed aside the tree shade and waved at her with a smile.
Veena: "?" She seemed a bit startled, and after seeing Field, she looked around for a moment to make sure there was no one else in the classroom, then she relaxed a bit. Then she didn't know whether to read or look at Field. Field found it amusing that she seemed a bit silly.
Checking the time, it was just past seven ten. Students started entering the teaching building at this time. A class lasted about an hour, so Veena wouldn't be done until nine, leaving Field with two hours. Field didn't hesitate and jumped down from the tree, then swaggered towards the library. He couldn't enter the teaching building, but he could move around the playground. Seeing Field leave, Veena breathed a sigh of relief, as if relieved. Although she didn't know why Field was there, she knew it wasn't good. If he were found, he would definitely be kicked out. Fortunately, nothing happened.
Back at the library, Kiki had already pushed out a small cart with books. There were over a hundred and fifty books, quite heavy. Field's task was to deliver them to the library in Yangjiao City, sixty miles away. This was just a brass-level task, not earning much money, but all Field needed to do was use it as an excuse to come to Haidou Academy to gather information.
Now that he knew Veena's location, as well as the surrounding terrain, routes, and distribution of greenery, Field only needed to return before Veena finished class to continue monitoring her. There was no time to waste, so Field left with Kiki and a bunch of books.
Why not let Kiki go out first and leave Field behind? Because Field would need a solid alibi when he started taking action in the academy. So later, Field would send Kiki ten miles ahead of Yangjiao City to wait for him. He would then go back in, infiltrate the academy, and execute his plan. After completing the plan, he would have to rush back and enter Yangjiao City with Kiki. This way, even if Manasha's father investigated later, he would have a solid alibi.
What? Your daughter got beaten up? My sympathies. At that time, I was in Yangjiao City, and the librarian there can testify. As for the city gate inspection records... Field had inquired long ago. Except for special occasions, the checkpoints outside Haidou City didn't check or record anything. You just had to pay and pass.
Just like when Field arrived, he paid ten silver coins as an entrance fee and was allowed in without the guards even lifting their heads, let alone recording anything. With the plan perfected, it was time to put it into action.
Carrying Kiki and the books, Field ran out of the city gate and headed straight for Yangjiao City. It took less than fifteen minutes for Field to reach a forest ten miles outside Yangjiao City, which was within the protected area of the city, surrounded by farmers' fields and orchards, with minimal danger.
"Kiki, you wait here for me. I'll be back after I finish my business," Field said, having already told Kiki his plan.
Kiki nodded obediently. "Okay, meow~"
Field smiled and rubbed her little head before sprinting back.
Back in Haidou, less than half an hour had passed. Normally, this journey would take at least half a day, so Field was banking on this time difference.
Avoiding the crowd, Field arrived at a corner of Haidou Academy. There were fewer people here, and he could easily enter Haidou Academy by climbing over the wall. To do mischief, he couldn't enter through the main gate and register, or else he'd definitely be caught later.
Looking at the over three-meter-high wall, Field took off his hammer from his back. "Counting on you, little buddy," he said, then he leaped effortlessly over the wall, which was over three meters high.
The reason for this extra step was that these walls were inscribed with magic runes and had magic sensing abilities. Once they sensed someone climbing over the wall, it would trigger an alarm and notify the guards. However, Field's heavy hammer, "Angel," had an anti-magic effect. As long as Field was in contact with the hammer, within a three-meter radius centered on the hammer, there was an anti-magic field. Therefore, the magic sensing runes on the wall couldn't detect Field's presence.
Landing silently, Field waited in place for three seconds. There was no alarm. Perfect!
Shouldering the hammer, Field activated his magic stone. It was class time, but there were still many people on the playground. So Field moved through the greenery, hiding among the dense vegetation, and finally returned to the large tree he had been in before.
He could see that the classroom was already full of people. A tutor was lecturing on the stage, occasionally conjuring magic arrays with magic in his hands to explain spells and the composition of magic arrays.
Field looked at Veena, who was attentively taking notes in class. But for some reason, Veena suddenly turned her head to look out the window. With her short hair covering her eyes, Field could still tell that Veena was making eye contact with him.
She noticed me?
Field was a bit skeptical. Could this girl... not see the world with her eyes?
I heard that powerful mages have very keen magic senses.
But he was still carrying "Angel," so the anti-magic field should cover him, making it impossible for the magic senses to detect him.
So Field thought this might be the so-called telepathy?
Seeing Field squatting on the tree again, Veena seemed stunned for a moment, but then she quickly turned her head away, not looking at him, because she was still in class.
But she obviously seemed distracted, as she had been continuously taking notes before, but now although she was looking at the tutor on stage, her hand remained still.
This scene was a bit funny, but Field's attention was not here, because he noticed that the student sitting behind Veena was his target this time!