Chapter 27 - The tower master

Leon needed time to grow.

Although he firmly believed that, with the experience of having lived a previous life and the help of the Chip, his growth rate should not be lower than those geniuses born with extraordinary innate talents, he still needed time to grow. Just like a young beast, even if Leon received a pair of wings, his growth would still require a tremendous amount of time and the investment of significant resources.

Currently, he was weak. If he had someone to protect him, he could grow much faster in the safety provided by that person. Therefore, when Bleia took the initiative to spread her wings and offer him shelter, although her approach was unsettling, he now gladly accepted her protection.

But Leon wished he could show his worth, trying his best to make this "relationship" seem more like a form of alliance that would benefit both partners, and not just him, as Bleia will still be useful, even when he violates her. Her value in Bleia's eyes has to be immense to make her think twice before protesting against the forced motherhood to which she will be imposed.

Leon gave a long look at Sinbad's head, which was in his hand. If he was right, Sinbad's soul was still trapped in that head, and if he didn't manage it properly, the quality of his prize might be reduced.

In any case, this was the head of a Leader of the Ghost Babysitters, comparable to some Advanced Apprentices. Thus, no matter how he could use it, this was excellent material for experiments.

There were a total of three outsiders who had intruded into the Magical Swamp. Although they hadn't killed Lucy, they had at least made her suffer. At that moment, that spoiled and arrogant girl was either dead or in very bad shape. As for the other two intruders, Super Girl and Deadly Shot should be dealing with them, so it wasn't something Leon needed to worry about.

As for Bleia, she was clearly more interested in the blood of the other two intruders because, without saying goodbye to Leon, she transformed into her bat form and shot off into the misty fog. In the end, Leon was left alone in the swamp. After recovering from the shock of finally having a moment of calm on this hectic day, he stealthily made his way back to the Wizard's Tower, wanting to safely take his loot back to his room.

...

A dazzling light show was flashing before her eyes. At the same time, an intense dizziness made it difficult for her to identify directions, or even where she was!

But, with the help of her spatial senses, Lucy struggled to free herself from the chaotic spatial storm, opening a spatial rift and returning to the physical world.

A twisted spatial rift appeared in the air, and soon after, Lucy emerged from it upside down.

"Ouch!"

Lucy, who was completely exhausted, hit her head on the hard, cold surface of a rock, and then she cried out in pain and surprise.

Damn scoundrel. Damn vampire. You'd better not let me recover fully. Once I'm fully healed, I will definitely…

As she cursed madly in her mind, Lucy suddenly froze completely. With her intact eye wide open and filled with great fear, she looked directly at the terrifying figure that had suddenly appeared in front of her. The fear made her stop, forcing her to refrain from acting recklessly.

Lucy examined her surroundings in confusion. Only now did she realize that she was in a dark, enclosed stone room. This place was not the safe zone she had established beforehand, and the person standing in front of her was no Apprentice Mage she was familiar with.

Looking at the thin, almost skeletal body of the man, his long gray Mage robe, his old wizard hat, and that mischievous, sinister smile…

Lucy finally realized who was in front of her and couldn't help but let out a scream of shock, "Mage Eclivel!"

The thin old man standing in front of her was none other than the master of the Tower, First-Rank Mage Eclivel.

He was the highest authority of the Tower. Thus, as soon as Lucy used the Teleportation spell and retreated, her destination was altered, bringing this little Loli, who had already suffered so much, straight to his doorstep.

The terrifying ability of a true Mage was not something any common mortal could comprehend.

Honestly, from the beginning of their training, many Apprentice Mages began to modify their bodies. In their minds, the appearance of their body and face was much less important than their overall power.

If someone thoroughly examined everyone in this city, of the more than fifty Apprentice Mages, perhaps less than half of them still had pure human bodies.

Lineage modification, biological modification, spell contamination… All of this was the direct result of their tireless efforts to become stronger. The boundary between human and inhuman was not so significant in this world of Mages.

Knowing that even the Apprentice Mages were heavily modifying their bodies, one can only imagine what the full-fledged Mages must do with their bodies.

Capable of enduring the cruel and painful modification process, able to persevere in the solitary lifestyle of the pursuit of knowledge, capable of using any means to become stronger… After going through all this suffering and finally becoming an official Mage, do you think they would still have a kind and compassionate personality?

When mentioning these Mages in the Magical World, what most common people thought of were powerful, unscrupulous, malevolent beings who were sensible in all scenarios. Although they declared themselves slaves to knowledge, always walking the path of knowledge-seeking, their methods of gathering that knowledge could never be described as merciful or moderate.

In the entire multiverse, being one of the rare large-scale planes, it was inevitable that the Magical World had enslaved over a thousand medium and small-scale planes. They had brutally "appropriated" all the resources and knowledge of the planes they conquered, using them to arm themselves and grow stronger. If a Mage family did not have its own particular plane, they weren't even considered at the lowest level of Mage Families.

The central force of the army representing the Magical World was made up of members of these Mage Families. If a First-Rank Mage like Eclivel were placed on the limitless battlefield of the endless conquering expedition, he would simply be cannon fodder.

Yes, the entry requirement to be in the army of the Magical World was to be a First-Rank Mage. As for Apprentice Mages, they were merely novices without experience in the Principles of the Planes. They weren't even qualified to be cannon fodder.

Thus, after encountering so many Mages, Lucy held a deep fear and respect for these powerful individuals.

Although her innate Spatial ability made her an extraordinary talent, when faced with these official Mages, even with her incredible protective barrier, she was just trash that could be killed by them at any moment. In the Magical World, innate talent represented potential, not strength. Over the past millions of years, countless geniuses had lost their lives to stronger Mages with lesser potential.

Therefore, when Lucy realized she was facing an official Mage, her arrogant and violent attitude immediately vanished. Even though the severe injuries to her body caused her to feel intense pain, so much so that she was drenched in cold sweat, she still acted as if nothing was wrong, slightly bending her body forward and patiently waiting for the man to question her.

"I'm in a really bad mood today. It seems some insects have intruded into my garden while I was busy with experiments. So, stinky little girl… Who gave you permission to enter my territory?" Mage Eclivel's face was completely emotionless, and his cold voice sent shivers down Lucy's spine.

"The honorable Mage Eclivel, my mentor, the great Deborah, sent me here to deliver a message." Lucy did not hesitate and immediately declared her purpose for coming here.

"Deborah, the Insane?" Eclivel frowned: "So, you're that brilliant Apprentice that Deborah got three years ago? Then what the hell is this? Are you trying to show off in my home after learning some tricks from her? Hahahaha… Little girl, didn't your mentor tell you that I don't like to be disturbed? Oh, right, the other two little insects are from the Fragrance House as well?"

Cautiously rising while keeping her back straight, Lucy quickly replied, "No. We met outside the swamp area. We're all here for our respective missions. One of them is from the Mandasor Academy, the other from the Black Glove Association." 

"Mission? You all came to my Magical Swamp for a mission?"

"Yes! Each of us received training missions from our own organizations. That's why we came here uninvited!"

"Damn it, damn it… I knew those damned Zhentarim would never stop trying to take this place. This is the Magical Swamp! My territory! How dare these guys define this place as one of their mission locations. At the next Mage meeting, I will definitely report your damned behavior to the council…"

Perhaps what Lucy said was a delicate matter for Mage Eclivel, but even though he had already been acting crazily, upon learning about the situation, he became even more insane. Almost shouting, he began to curse and swear at someone in some distant land. At one point, Eclivel started speaking in several different languages, and Lucy could only identify no more than three of them.

At some moment, Mage Eclivel calmed down and suddenly fell silent. Once again, his empty eyes locked onto Lucy's face.

"Because you showed respect, I won't keep you here. But since you intruded into my garden and caused havoc, I can't let you go without punishment. This will serve as your lesson!" Mage Eclivel gently pointed his staff at the air and released a small, bright green point, which shot directly into Lucy's empty eye socket.

At the same time, a bizarre ring suddenly appeared beneath Lucy's feet. After blinking a few times, a bright light flashed, and Lucy disappeared from the stone room.

Almost at the same time Lucy was expelled, the same teleportation ring also appeared beneath the feet of the other two Apprentice Mages, who were still searching in the depths of the swamp. With a flash, they too were expelled from the Magical Swamp.

...

At the entrance of the Magical Swamp.

It was a small, desolate slope that looked miserable.

Facing the slope was the Magical Swamp, shrouded in thick fog. Looking out from the top of the hill, beyond the numerous muddy lakes, one could only see a hint of tattered foliage. Otherwise, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

After a dazzling flash, Lucy was thrown onto the ground of the empty space.

Before she could get up, two more flashes of light occurred, and two familiar figures appeared in the space around her.

While whining, Lucy rose from the ground, hurriedly pulling all sorts of bottles from the pockets of her waist and starting to heal herself restlessly. Although she had left the confines of the Magical Swamp, she did not dare to utter any curses against that Mage.

Who knew if that damned Mage had any way of spying on them? If he heard her say anything bad, they might be killed right where they were…

...

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