A new day.
Ivan arrived at Randall’s three-story round tower.
As it happened, Randall was free today. It was only after Ivan’s arrival that he found his senior apprentice sister Gina and senior apprentice brother Mieyan were also there, having arrived earlier and sitting quietly in the living room.
“Mentor, it’s been so long, your disciple has missed you,” Ivan greeted as he approached.
“Pfft.” Gina couldn’t help but laugh. She quickly covered her mouth and gestured, “I just thought of something funny. Please continue, go on with what you were saying.”
“What’s so funny, Gina?” Ivan looked at her with discontent.
“Then I’ll say it.”
“Say it.”
“You asked for it,” Gina stressed before continuing, “Who doesn’t know that you, Ivan, are always so busy. If nothing’s up, you wouldn’t come to see the mentor. Am I right?”
Hearing this, Ivan stood there awkwardly, as it seemed she was indeed right.
Thinking back on the past, it seemed that he had always lacked a sense of security and grown tired of a life of insignificance, which had fostered a relentless pursuit of strength. He was usually either studying knowledge, cultivating his abilities, or crafting something, rarely having any downtime.
He enjoyed the busyness and fulfillment, watching himself grow stronger bit by bit.
“You’re the one who talks too much.”
Randall was always quite satisfied with this apprentice and spoke up to help Ivan out, “What Ivan’s doing is the true sorcerer’s path. If you were like him, always thinking about improving your strength instead of flitting about aimlessly, who knows how long it would take you to become a sorcerer.”
“Mentor, you don’t have to be so biased towards the junior brother, I just said it casually,” Gina muttered.
“Still not convinced, huh? I think we’ll have to change the rules. Whichever of you three is the strongest will be the senior apprentice. Otherwise, if Ivan becomes a sorcerer first, it’ll be awkward for you two to address each other,” Randall said.
“Mentor, what do you mean by that?”
Gina turned to look at Ivan, and a surge of energy emanated from him onto her.
Indeed, he was stronger than she was, even his realm of power surpassing that of their youngest apprentice brother. Instantly feeling shame, she turned her head away, pretending to observe something else.
“Mentor, are you acquainted with Sorcerer Pense from the Rapid Flow Twin Towers Academy?” Ivan asked Randall, not minding Gina’s feigned silence.
“A petty enchanter, I know of him but not well. What did he say to you?” Randall answered casually.
“Oh, he previously gave me a Transfer Sealing Scroll, claiming it was made by himself. I thought he did it out of respect for you,” Ivan said.
“Really? That stingy guy actually gave you something so valuable?” Upon hearing this, Randall sat up straight, “He isn’t trying to court you, ahem, I mean, recognizing your exceptional talent and wanting to take you as his apprentice?”
“How could that be? He’s from the Rapid Flow Twin Towers, and I’m from Mongna Ant Land Cottage, plus I only have 3rd Class aptitude,” Ivan waved his hand dismissively, finding his mentor’s thoughts amusingly novel.
“That old guy is capable of such a thing, he must have spoken ill of me to your face,” Randall didn’t think the same way, as he knew very well the kind of person Pense was.
Ivan smiled and remained silent; there were some things a student shouldn’t say out loud.
“I knew it. Tell me the details, what happened? I haven’t had the chance to find out yet,” Randall waved his hand, signifying it was time for the other two to leave. “You two can go back first; don’t waste your time on frivolous matters all day long. I’m talking to you, Gina.”
“I’m not interested in listening anyway.”
“This needs to be kept secret; you shouldn’t listen.”
Gina quickly reached the door.
Mieyan gave Ivan a nod and followed Gina out.
“They both came early this morning; they were just about to leave when you arrived,” Randall mentioned.
Ivan understood. Gina and Mieyan had been part of the household for a few years longer than he had, and their relationship with each other was certainly better than his with either of them.
Afterward, he briefly recounted the events that had transpired in the Flash Vortex Secret Realm.
Only then did Randall learn that the Flash Vortex Secret Realm had undergone unexpected changes, involving invaders and traitors, and that his apprentice had made quite a splash, securing two vials of Aqua Alva on one occasion. Adding those he had gotten from the academy contract, he had collected a total of three vials.
“You just casually became a Great Knight?”
“By a stroke of luck and insight,” Ivan replied.
Seeing Randall’s skepticism, Ivan revealed his Combat Energy as a Great Knight.
Randall was at a loss for words and had to accept that his fortune and intuition had made it all possible.
“Come on, hit me with a slap, using that Black Magic Hand of yours.”
“Here?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Just slap if I tell you to. I’m not afraid you’ll tear down the hall, what are you afraid of?”
Despite his words, Randall stomped his foot, and a protective force field appeared around them, safeguarding the other items in the house.
Seeing this, Ivan casually pulled out three low-grade magic stones and, without a word, struck with a palm, a vast energy palm appeared with runes flashing in the center, aimed at Randall on the other side.
In front of Randall emerged a peculiar green shield, shaped like leaves or petals, which firmly blocked the Black Magic Hand.
After a muffled sound, the Black Magic Hand didn’t cause much of a stir.
“Your combination of spell and runes is not bad. With such a technique, you already qualify as an Intermediate Enchanter,” Randall said, sitting down again with a somewhat peculiar expression on his face.
“Really? I haven’t learned any Intermediate Enchantment Skill knowledge yet.” Ivan actually wanted to learn, but the academy had rules, stating that during the apprentice stage, one was only qualified to study basic and beginner courses.
Only after becoming an official sorcerer would one be qualified to learn intermediate and advanced knowledge.
“That’s not surprising. The grade divisions are set for ordinary apprentices, to let them learn and grow step by step. You don’t fall into that category, so naturally, you’re not confined by that framework. Whatever you comprehend is what you get.”
Randall looked at him admiringly. Only an enchanter could understand the height of such talent. No wonder Pense was so eager to please, but unfortunately for him, Ivan would only be Randall’s apprentice. All that Pense Toyennes business could go aside.
“Perhaps so.” Ivan dared not take credit; he knew in his heart that much was due to the Light of Wisdom.
“You don’t have to be modest with me.”
“Instructor, I want to continue researching the Black Magic Hand, to see if it can be transformed into a means of improving the advancement rate. What do you think?”
“Of course, there’s no problem. Just follow your intuition.” Randall pondered for a moment, approved his idea, and then added, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me. If I don’t know, it’s no big deal; I can always ask someone else.”
What was that supposed to mean? Ivan looked at him with a strange expression in his eyes.
“In any case, I won’t hold you back in your growth in Enchantment Skill.” Randall knew his own limitations. He spent more time researching insects than enchantments. If it hadn’t been for being assigned to the Enchantment Group when he enrolled, he definitely would not have chosen to study enchantment.
“You’re taking your words too seriously.” Ivan felt uncomfortable even sitting there after hearing his words.
“I was just speaking off the cuff; don’t take it too seriously.” Randall waved his hand, dismissing the topic. “Tell me, you’re someone who has his own ideas. You probably didn’t come to me just for this, right?”
“It is actually about this. You should know that my Black Magic Hand was inspired by a Raw Stone Array Disc. At that time, there were more than one Array Plate near Swamp Forest City, and the rest have fallen into the hands of our Enchantment Group, probably stored in the enchantment workshop. I would like to apply to see them, to see if I could observe up close.”
Ivan stated his request. Last night he had received a message from Heidi, confirming that there were indeed Raw Stone Array Discs outside of Swamp Forest City, and indeed they had been brought to the Enchantment Group by sorcerers.
He wanted to continue exploring that runes sorcery array; observing the original Raw Stone Array Discs would naturally be more efficient.
“No problem, I’ll ask around for you.” Randall promptly agreed, firmly deciding to help him get the opportunity. If his apprentice showed promise, he, as an instructor, couldn’t lag behind.
The two chatted for a while about the rapid wood silkworm. When it came to insects, Randall had a lot more to say and spoke with great confidence.
After a short while, seeing Randall fall silent, Ivan prepared to get up and take his leave.
“Actually, I also have a hypothesis about how to improve the success rate of advancement.”
“Please elaborate.”
Upon hearing Randall’s words, Ivan sat back down eagerly, looking at his instructor with great expectation. He was worried about having too few options in hand.
“It’s highly uncertain.”
“Uh… apart from Aqua Alva, isn’t everything else uncertain?”
“There have been failures.”
“That’s normal. Even with 5th Class talent, one can’t guarantee a successful advancement.”
Ivan scratched his head, puzzled by Randall’s sudden hesitation and fussiness.
“Instructor, why don’t you just come out with it?” he urged.
“It’s actually the ‘Blackbeard Crown’ I gave you all. It’s just that it has never been proven.” Finally, Randall disclosed his method, adding somewhat sadly:
“Many years ago, you had two senior apprentice brothers, they both tried it, and in the end, they failed to advance. The Blackbeard Crown didn’t bring the help they anticipated; instead, it wasted their energy and time.”
Ivan now understood why his instructor was hesitant, but actually two cases couldn’t prove much.
“Anyway, I’ll tell you and then you can judge for yourself.”
“When advancing to a sorcerer, you need to solidify a defensive spell. Our ‘Black Beard Chapter’ meditation’s corresponding Solidification Magic is the ‘Flower Tree Shield,’ which is the green imitation petal-shaped shield I used just now. It is a spell already included in the Black Beard Chapter.”
“The Flower Tree Shield is an unusual spell, with two modes of construction: one is to use all mental power, converting a small part of that mental power into a special aura; the other is to directly mix a bit of insect swarm aroma.”
“So, I devised the ‘Blackbeard Crown,’ which allows an apprentice to absorb the insect swarm aura.”
After hearing Randall’s explanation, Ivan had an epiphany, understanding why the Blackbeard Crown could improve the chances of advancement. Assisting the construction of Solidification Magic with the insect swarm aura equaled saving a portion of mental power, and also avoided the need for conversion.
The ‘Black Beard Chapter’ Meditation Method itself involved the insect swarm aura; the deeper one’s practice, the closer one could get to insects, and thus become a more formidable Insect Control Master.
“Instructor, where do you think the problem might lie?”
“Mismatch. The insects they cultivated were not powerful enough, the aura they produced was far behind their mental power.”
“Based on your judgment, to what extent does the rapid wood silkworm need to grow?”
“To a new stage, transforming into a Level 1 creature.”
Randall’s answer plunged Ivan into thought. Level 1 creature was easy to understand, such as a Level 1 Sorcerer, or a Great Knight.
He himself had only recently become a Great Knight and was figuring out how to become a Level 1 Sorcerer.
To cultivate a colony of rapid wood silkworms into Level 1 creatures was daunting just to think about. Remembering the soon-to-be-complete Insect Breathing Method, he suddenly felt some confidence.
“Instructor, I’m willing to give it a try,” Ivan said after a moment’s thought.
“You can give it a go first, and if you’re really determined, come back to me and we’ll have a good chat.” Randall was noncommittal, but his words belied the importance he placed on this matter; it was a knot in his heart.
Ivan got the point.