In Polar Night City, a minor yet noteworthy event had recently occurred, becoming the talk of noble dinner tables and common taverns alike.
A certain noble heir — Lord Leilin, close friend of
Before his departure, he had placed his entire estate and potion shop under the management of a personal maidservant!!!
Among the nobility, while they certainly had a fondness for their maids, they would never entrust important properties to them. After all, maids were like dolls to them — easily exchanged and discarded — whereas properties and land could be passed down as inheritance to future generations, serving as the foundation upon which a family's legacy endured.
Leilin's decision made him the laughingstock of the local nobility. On top of his existing reputation for laziness and soft-heartedness, people now added the label of senility.
To everyone's surprise, the maidservant, with the help of two Knights, quickly brought Leilin's former forces under control. Moreover, City Lord Jackson and Viscount Meierfeile publicly backed the woman, allowing her to smoothly assume the role of Leilin's business proxy.
After taking over Leilin's affairs,
But none of this concerned Leilin anymore. By now, he had long since left Polar Night City behind.
……
Splash!
The sky was dark and heavy, and bean-sized raindrops crashed down, sending countless spray of water up from the ground.
Clip-clop! A black stallion galloped down the road at full speed, scenery on both sides blurring past in reverse. Rain hammered against the rider, only to be deflected by a raincloak draped over his body.
By evening, when the downpour finally subsided, the rider had found refuge inside a cave.
A warm, bright fire cast its glow across the cavern's interior. Suspended over the flames sat an iron pot filled with fragrant white mushroom soup, with the occasional chunk of dried meat bobbing to the surface.
The rider threw back his raincloak, revealing the face of a young man with brown hair and eyes that gleamed like gemstones.
It was Leilin. As he sipped his soup, he brought up the map on his Chip.
"I've been riding hard for over two months straight. I'm almost at the Academy!"
Leilin studied the endpoint drawing ever closer on the map, a complicated look crossing his face. Back in the day, he had taken his time — meandering between market towns to sell potions at his leisure, with no rush whatsoever. The journey had been easy and pleasant.
Now, traveling at breakneck speed, he had endured considerably more hardship.
These past three years of living in luxury as a noble, indulging in every comfort, had nearly made him unable to adapt.
"But I'm finally almost there. According to the map, I'll reach the Academy in three more days!"
"I can't believe a third party actually intervened and forced Black Bone Forest Academy, and the other two hostile factions, into a ceasefire!"
Leilin reflected on the intelligence he had gathered from various market towns over the past few days, still somewhat incredulous.
According to the reports, Black Bone Forest Academy had been in a dire situation, besieged simultaneously by Gothic Sage's Cottage and White Forest Castle. The situation had been so precarious that even the Academy's main defensive magical array had been more than half shattered, nearly resulting in a total breach.
But at the last moment, for reasons unknown, the Headmaster of Black Bone Forest Academy had somehow persuaded the Black Night Lighthouse to intervene.
The Black Night Lighthouse was one of the most powerful
Under the Lighthouse's forceful mediation, Black Bone Forest Academy had finally weathered its most dangerous period and reached a settlement with both hostile factions.
Leilin was not the type to answer an Academy summons immediately and obediently. He had spent the entire journey gathering intelligence at various market towns. Only after confirming that Black Bone Forest Academy had genuinely emerged from the war, and that the recall of apprentices was not a trap, did he finally decide to return.
"At this distance, I can finally use the contact method my mentor taught me! A good chance to scout the situation first!"
Leilin's expression turned serious as he drew a vial of pink potion from inside his coat.
He uncorked the vial and used the pink potion to trace a bizarre, writhing symbol on the ground — winding and twisting like a worm.
Hiss-hiss! Pink smoke rose in wisps, eventually coalescing into the shape of a large pink ear.
"Who is it? This fluctuation?" From beside the pink ear, Guofate's voice suddenly came through, mingled with a great deal of static.
"It's me, Mentor!" Leilin's voice was low and steady.
"This voice! This spiritual signature! It's Leilin! You've already advanced to Third-rank Apprentice!" Guofate's voice carried a note of surprise.
For an apprentice with Third-grade talent, advancing from Second-rank to Third-rank typically required no fewer than five years of meditation rune consolidation and Sea of Consciousness modification.
Yet Leilin had accomplished the feat in roughly three years, which genuinely impressed Guofate.
"You're only seventeen this year, and you've already reached the Third-rank!" Guofate, whose voice was usually so composed, now betrayed a hint of excitement. "Any Third-rank apprentice before the age of twenty has a strong chance of advancing to an Official Wizard in the future. But apprentices who achieve this are exceedingly rare. Even your senior brother
Had Guofate known that Leilin had advanced to Third-rank merely one year after leaving the Academy, he would likely have cried out "genius!" on the spot.
But keeping a low profile while quietly amassing power had always been Leilin's guiding principle. In response to his mentor's astonishment, he gave a slight bow. "I was simply lucky — I managed to find a rare Void Flower…"
The Void Flower was a peculiar plant with petals of deep violet. It possessed the remarkable ability to intensely stimulate a Wizard's mind and boost Spiritual Power. Most crucially, the Void Flower's growth patterns were extremely erratic — it could appear anywhere on the continent. Wizards had even found specimens on the ocean floor and inside volcanic craters.
Furthermore, the Void Flower had a unique quirk: once its petals were plucked, the entire plant would immediately self-ignite and combust, leaving behind no trace whatsoever.
This was, of course, an excuse Leilin had prepared long in advance. After searching through the Chip's database and identifying this rare plant, he had decided to use it as the explanation for his rapid advancement.
Throughout history, there had indeed been precedents of Second-rank apprentices using the Void Flower to force their way into the Third-rank.
"The Void Flower?!" Guofate's exclamation came from the other end. "You actually found such a precious Wizard resource… A single petal is worth thousands of Magic Stones — top-grade material that can even assist a Wizard in advancing…"
But luck was, by nature, one of the most unpredictable things in the world. And since Leilin firmly maintained that he had used up the entire flower, Guofate had no way to press further.
The long-separated mentor and student then spent some time catching up on Leilin's recent experiences. When Guofate learned that Leilin had successfully completed the Academy's field mission, he offered his congratulations.
Toward the end of the conversation, Leilin's expression turned grave. "Mentor, regarding the Academy's recall of apprentices…"
The reason he hadn't gone directly to the Academy to inquire was simple fear — fear that this might be a trap, or that Black Bone Forest Academy had some scheme to sacrifice a batch of apprentices.
On the other end of the spell, Guofate fell silent for a long while before finally speaking again.
"This recall was decided upon with the unanimous approval of the Headmaster and the Council. I can guarantee you that the summoning order is genuine. But…"
Guofate seemed to hesitate, words caught on the tip of his tongue. Leilin held his breath, not daring to interrupt his mentor.
"Had you still been a Second-rank apprentice, I would probably have advised you not to return just yet. But since you've already reached Third-rank, that changes everything. Let me ask you — do you wish to advance to an Official Wizard?"
Guofate suddenly posed the question.
"A First-level Wizard — that is the true starting point on the path of Wizardry. Of course I wish to succeed!" Leilin's voice was resolute.
"Then come back. I'll tell you everything when you arrive. There isn't much time left…" The pink ear trembled violently and then burst apart, dissolving into a cloud of mist that drifted through the air.
In the now-empty cave, Guofate's final words still echoed: "Remember! This opportunity is rare, but it comes with danger. If you wish to walk further along the path of Wizardry, return as soon as possible!"
Leilin gazed at the dissipating pink mist, sinking into deep contemplation.
Today's remote conversation with Guofate, though brief, had given him a clearer picture of the situation within the Academy. From it, he could tell that Black Bone Forest Academy had genuinely escaped its crisis — but the aftermath of the war still lingered, which was precisely why the Academy was forcibly recalling its apprentices.
Moreover, danger always walked hand in hand with opportunity. From the sound of it, Guofate seemed to be suggesting that returning now would bring considerable benefits — perhaps even benefits that touched upon Leilin's future advancement path.
"An Official Wizard…"
Leilin walked to the cave's entrance and looked out at the pitch-dark sky and the drizzling rain, unable to suppress a sigh of emotion.
These past days had not been spent solely on travel. He had visited several Wizard market towns along his route, but no matter how many Magic Stones he offered, not a single one had any materials on Official Wizards for sale. They did not even peddle information on how to obtain such knowledge.
It was as though an invisible hand had swept every piece of information about Official Wizards off the table, forbidding anyone from knowing.
"To achieve something like that would require the support of the vast majority of Wizard organizations along the South Coast — only then could a monopoly on knowledge be enforced…"