Chapter 42: Leaving for Now "Alright, enough about that! These materials were originally quite pricey, but with the raw ingredient discount—two hundred Magic Stones!"
Wus named his price.
Leilin nodded and handed twenty medium-grade Magic Stones to Wus.
He then took a large bundle from Wus, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
Leilin smiled wryly, slung the bundle over his back, and chatted casually with Wus.
"So, any word on Magical Items?" For any path that could rapidly boost his strength, Leilin never let an opportunity pass.
"Of course not!" Wus shook his head briskly. "Magical Items have been bid up like crazy lately, but who wouldn't want something that saves your life? Who'd sell?"
He suddenly lowered his voice. "Buying all these materials and asking about Magical Items—you must've heard the news too, right?"
Leilin nodded. "I'm planning to take on a long-term assignment and get out of here for a while."
Wus nodded. "Getting away isn't a bad idea. I'll be heading out in a few days myself."
"Even Wus, a Third-rank Apprentice with a Magical Item, is pulling back!" The sense of urgency in Leilin's chest deepened. He exchanged a few more words with Wus, then hurried off.
"The assignment can't wait—I need to leave right now!"
Leaving without taking on an assignment wasn't impossible, but getting past the guards would be difficult. Besides, Leilin intended to return someday to gain a formal
In any case, while his aptitude as a Wizard was rather ordinary, his talent in Potionology had earned praise even from Mentor Guofate—the Academy certainly wouldn't keep him behind to die.
Since Heilongsi had already swept the area outside the Academy clean, the mission hall had managed to recover a semblance of bustle. But when Leilin looked carefully, he noticed that Third-rank Apprentices were almost nowhere to be seen—and he understood perfectly well why.
"What a bunch of pitiful people!" Watching the low-rank apprentices around him calculating mission rewards and scrimping to buy access to paid knowledge, a wave of pity washed over Leilin.
They were obviously pawns being sacrificed. While a single apprentice was completely useless against a proper Wizard, dozens or even hundreds of them, combined with magical formations, could still inflict serious damage—or even kill—a Wizard. That was their purpose.
But wars between Wizards were terrifyingly dangerous. If even thirty percent of them survived, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
Although Leilin felt pity, he would never let the secret slip. Hinting to his companions was already treading a fine line—if he spread the word any further, even Guofate wouldn't be able to protect him in the end.
Leilin glanced at the mission board. The vast majority of the listings were short-term tasks, all located near the academy. It seemed the longer-range assignment missions had been hidden by the academy.
While no one was nearby, Leilin strode quickly to the counter.
"What mission are you looking to take?" The receptionist was a scrawny old man who looked rather amiable.
"The missions on the board aren't suitable for me. Do you have anything a bit more... special? I'm Leilin Farell, a disciple of Mentor Guofate!" Leilin said in a low voice and tossed a small pouch over.
The old man caught it deftly, opened it for a peek, and broke into a smile. "Of course we do!"
He retrieved a scroll from beneath the counter. "Take a look! All the special missions are on there!"
The black scroll looked quite ancient. Leilin unfurled it and quickly scanned through the listed tasks.
These missions all shared a common trait: they weren't particularly difficult, but they had very long durations. It was deliberate—the academy wanted to send its seedlings of potential out of harm's way.
Through the Chip's scanning, Leilin quickly settled on a mission.
"Investigate the vegetation withering incident near Polar Night City! Mission duration: three years!"
"This one!" Leilin pointed at the investigation mission and told the old man.
"Polar Night City is located in the East Forest Province of the Marsh Duchy! You'd have to cross most of the duchy to get there. Want to buy a map?" The old man grinned like a shrewd merchant.
"I'll take one!" Although Leilin had already collected a map previously, having another one for comparison couldn't hurt.
He spent another two Magic Stones and received a brand-new map. Not only did it mark out every province in the Marsh Duchy, but it also had a route drawn in red.
"Judging from the map, Polar Night City sits at the far eastern edge of the Marsh Duchy, right along the border—quite far from the academy! But it's conveniently close to a Wizard gathering point listed in the intelligence Biji sent over, making it easy to receive updates!"
That was precisely why Leilin had chosen this mission.
"Here is your travel pass." The old man handed Leilin a red iron token. "Don't lose it—no replacements if it goes missing!"
"It seems the academy has tightened up its entry and exit controls recently."
Leilin thought to himself but said nothing outwardly, accepting the iron token.
Leaving the mission area, Leilin paid farewell visits to his friends Guofate, Biji, and a few others.
He had no idea how long he would be gone, so there were matters to settle beforehand. After Leilin's hints, Biji had already prepared to return to her family.
Pushing open his own room door and looking at the familiar furnishings, Leilin felt a sudden pang of emotion.
"Who knows when I'll be back!"
Today's purchase of spellbooks and materials lay quietly in the corner of the room, packed into two large chests.
Leilin thought for a moment, then moved the bed aside, revealing the floor beneath. It was remarkably free of dust.
"Farell!" Leilin lightly tapped a black spot on the floorboard.
*Click!* Accompanied by the sound of machinery, the wooden board slowly retracted to both sides, revealing vials upon vials of potions beneath.
Compared to the small amount he had given Ni Lan, this quantity was at least ten times greater!!
If Wus saw this, his eyes would probably pop out of his head. A slight smile touched Leilin's lips.
This was the potions he had secretly accumulated. Thanks to the Chip, his success rate far exceeded what others would estimate. Aside from the small portion he had sold, everything else was right here.
"Let me count! Two hundred Stamina Potions, one hundred and fifty Antidote Potions, one hundred and eighty Hemostasis Potions, plus all sorts of other miscellaneous potions. The total value is at least three thousand Magic Stones!"
Leilin gazed at these potions. This was his largest single cache of wealth, always kept locked under his bed. As for the initial spell lock, it was a minor trick that all Second-rank Apprentices knew. It could only be opened by the user's own Spiritual Power; any forced attempt would simply cause the contents inside to self-destruct!
"With the spellbooks and other raw materials as cover, taking these potions out will cause much less trouble. I'll still need to inscribe concealment runes on them outside!"
Leilin opened small boxes, each inscribed with peculiar runes on their surface. Inside were prepared sponges, silk, and other materials to prevent the potions from rolling around and breaking.
It took Leilin most of the night to pack all the potions into the boxes and then conceal them among the raw materials and spellbooks.
"Six o'clock!"
Hearing the alarm clock ring, Leilin shut off the clock in his room.
He hurriedly washed up, then carried the two large chests to the highest level of the academy. After purchasing three sturdy black horses and a carriage, Leilin took a deep breath and guided the carriage onto what looked like an elevator platform.
"Present your token!" a man's voice boomed. Leilin quickly produced the red iron plate he had received yesterday.
Thud!!
The elevator-like contraption rose slowly upward, finally arriving at some destination with a loud grinding sound, as if a gate had been opened.
Two stone doors swung open, and a burst of brilliant sunlight poured in.
Leilin squinted against the light. "So the academy really does have other exits. That first one must've been specifically for people — this one is meant for larger cargo."
"Hyah!" Cracking the whip, Leilin drove the carriage out and found himself positioned right at the back entrance of the central mega-tomb he'd seen before.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, even though he'd told Biji and the others he planned to leave in the next couple of days, he hadn't specified exactly when — so his departure was utterly quiet.
Leilin cast one final glance back at the academy before setting off on an unknown journey.
"Great! Looking at these belongings, I look more like a refugee than someone heading out on a mission!"
He eyed the carriage he was driving and the heavy chests loaded behind it, unable to help but laugh bitterly.
"Chip! Pull up the map!"
At his command, a route map far more detailed than the one the old man had shown him materialized before his eyes.
"Using the map obtained yesterday, calculate the optimal route! Requirements: convenient, safe, and as close to Wizard markets and resource points as possible!"
Following his instructions, a red line appeared on the map, slightly different from the one the old man had provided — it included several detours, all passing through areas where Wizards were known to congregate.
"Let's go!" Leilin compared the route marked by the Chip and drove the carriage forward.
"Chip! Set detection range to maximum!" Traveling alone, Leilin didn't dare let his guard down for a second.
"Task established. Commencing scan!"
The Chip faithfully carried out its task, projecting a continuous stream of three-dimensional imagery of the surroundings in front of Leilin.
"The closest and farthest points from the academy are the safest — it's the middle stretch that's most dangerous!" Near the academy, he had to worry about its official Wizards intervening; at the far end, enemies would be too lazy to chase him down. Only the middle section was likely to hide ambushes.
But Leilin could only take his chances. Heilongsi had already taught them that lesson. He could only hope the road would be smooth — after all, in a little while, he might not even have the option to leave if he wanted to.
The carriage sped along the road, and the birdsong from either side had grown far sparser than before.
As he traveled farther from the academy, Leilin's nerves grew increasingly tense.
"Ding! Warning! Warning! High-energy lifeform detected ahead!"
The Chip's voice rang out, projecting the image of a red object onto the screen — tall branches spreading outward in every direction, with numerous red dots of light floating among them.
"That shape? Is that a tree?" Leilin reached into the leather pouch at his waist and slowed the carriage.