The candlelight was bright, and silence filled the study for several seconds.
Ashida looked at Thales expressionlessly,
"Is this question so important that you are so eager to know?"
Thales smiled,
"Not necessarily, it depends on how much you want to see my 'trick'."
Ashida lowered his head to look at the crumpled sky-blue invitation on the floor.
"This is not a trade," his tone cooled, "let alone using your magic energy as a bargaining chip."
"Then it's not a trade," Thales's smile remained unchanged, and he quickly acquiesced, "it's mutual aid between teacher and student, where we can learn from each other."
As soon as he finished speaking, Thales immediately felt something was off: the air around him slowly became stagnant.
"And this is no joke."
The Mana Master spoke without expression and very slowly,
"Your magic energy is unfathomably cryptic, with unknowable consequences. A single misstep may endanger your life—"
Thales gently raised his left hand.
