Dago slowly walked back to the Wizard Inn along the snow-covered street.
On the way, Dago would occasionally encounter enthusiastically robed Witches heading towards the Wizard Hall.
Compared to before, the Wizard Inn had far fewer tenants. Firstly, the rent here was indeed expensive, and secondly, those employed by the Academy were provided free accommodation for easier management.
Entering the deserted Wizard Inn, he saw Old Marico and Serena sitting in the tea room, brewing tea by the fireplace.
Dago walked over, sat down, and told them about the employment notice posted in the Wizard Hall.
He looked at Old Marico and said, “What do you think about this?”
Old Marico took a sip of hot tea, set it aside, and slowly said, “From the wars I’ve experienced before, employing Witches in the early stages is quite tolerable, but as the intensity of the war increases, they only have one outcome: becoming cannon fodder.”
“Whether they are wandering Witches or commoners, they are the ones who suffer the most casualties in war.”
“War is just one farmer’s son fighting another farmer’s son.”
After hearing Old Marico’s words, complex expressions appeared on Dago and Serena’s faces.
This was almost an inevitable outcome.
It wasn’t just Old Marico and Dago who could see this, but it was impossible to be unaffected by the Academy in the Town; most people would eventually be beyond their control, including the three of them.
Old Marico continued, “There’s one more thing I need to tell you, Dago. The Evans have already left the Town with their wealthy merchant uncle’s caravan.”
“They came to say goodbye to you before they left, but unfortunately, you were out.”
“Where are they going?”
Old Marico said nostalgically, “South of the Emerald Forest, where there is a city of Emerald Life.”
“I wish them a smooth journey.”
Dago silently repeated these four words, looking south, but he could only see a gray sky filled with snow clouds.
He had forgotten which Wizard book he had read it in.
It was said that Emerald Life was an organization jointly established by elves and Witches.
..........
As night fell, light snow drifted outside the Inn, and the cold wind was biting.
Inside the Inn, however, it was warm and peaceful, because this Inn was equipped with a rune array specifically designed to ward off the cold, which was also why its rent was so expensive.
Dago, who had just finished his Meditation Technique practice, stepped into a bathtub full of hot water.
Ever since Resonance Art reached its transformation period, low-activity ice elements had continuously covered his skin, like a strengthened form of albinism.
Now, both his arms and his front and back torso had turned a plain white.
Dago raised his plain white right arm; the entire arm presented a perfect streamline, and with a slight exertion of force, it was full of power.
The more Resonance Art progressed, the more obvious its physical enhancement became, which he had not expected.
The Wizarding World rarely had spells for physical growth; this was a choice made through long-term development.
No matter how much the body was trained, who would dare to physically withstand energy-shaping Wizardry?
However, the Wizarding World had the concept of a Dharma Body, which was a state where energy particles coexisted with the physical body.
This was also a major reason why Resonance Art became famous; once the body adapted to external energy particles, it was no different from a humanoid magical beast.
Dago was very much looking forward to Resonance Art bringing about a Dharma Body; with the enhancement of the progression system, this day might truly arrive.
For the next stage, to advance to a Formal Wizard, the first step was the transformation of spiritual power, which was also the first insurmountable chasm for Apprentice Witches.
These Apprentice Witches whose spiritual power had transformed were Half-step Formal Witches; they were only one step away from becoming Formal Witches.
Old Marico had told Dago all of this, and whenever he spoke of it, he became very dejected; anyone who had struggled their entire life and was still at the Apprentice stage would break down.
Old Marico and he both practiced the Wizard Universal Meditation Method, which did not record methods for spiritual power transformation. They could only endlessly meditate to accumulate spiritual power, waiting for it to transform spontaneously.
Little did they know, Old Marico had almost lived his entire life waiting for spiritual power transformation; something must have been missing, or his Wizard talent was insufficient.
Therefore, the Wizarding World had no shortage of Apprentice Witches; they had been trapped by a large net the moment they embarked on the Wizard path.
Countless Apprentice Witches could only peer through the mesh, watching talented Witches and family Witches advance further on the Wizard path.
This was also the greatest lure in the Academy’s employment order: a glimmer of hope to become a Formal Wizard, which was enough to make many Apprentice Witches flock to it.
After soaking for a while, feeling that the bathwater was getting a bit cool, Dago got up, dried himself, and put on his robe.
He began his new round of Meditation Technique practice. With the transformation of his Meditation Technique, the deep blue spiritual power liquid he refined in his Spiritual Space was becoming faster and faster.
Within the Spiritual Space, with no up or down, a sun-like orb of light hung amidst the mist, and a dark, vast ocean occupied the other half of the space, constantly churning.
As the orb of light slowly rotated, it drew in a large amount of mist to be refined, turning into drops of deep blue spiritual power liquid.
The spiritual power droplets continuously revolved around Dago’s soul body until they merged into his glabella.
At this point, Dago’s soul body was already four-fifths complete. Once fully complete, he would have finished the Apprentice stage of soul completion, reaching a high-level Level 3 Apprentice Wizard.
According to his cultivation speed, not counting Witches who used drugs, it could be considered astonishing.
He had once asked Old Marico: the completion of an Apprentice Wizard’s soul body was extremely slow because the Spiritual Spaces they opened varied in size; a larger one had more spiritual mist, thus refining more spiritual power, and a smaller one the opposite.
This was determined by Wizard talent.
Also, the speed at which the spiritual core refined mist, and the amount of soul entropy produced, were all obstacles to soul body completion. Generally, an Apprentice could only practice Meditation Technique about four or five times a day.
This was determined by the quality of the Meditation Technique.
Dago sighed deeply. Although he had the system’s enhancement, none of these would become an insurmountable chasm for him, but what about the other struggling Apprentice Witches? Did they have systems?
Even Apprentice Witches found it difficult to move forward, let alone ordinary people.
This truly was a despairing world!
The next morning, an unexpected person arrived at the Wizard Inn.
Viser, dressed in luxurious robes, sat in the tea room brewing tea, while the people of the Wizard Inn stood respectfully by his side.
Dago and the other two were invited down by the Inn’s service staff. The three of them were a little stunned at the first sight of Viser, then looked at him with a hint of disdain.
They had not forgotten his act of using his teammates as human shields.
The Wizard Inn’s service staff, seeing Viser signal that they could disperse, all politely left.
Viser held up his teacup, took a sip, a flicker of resentment in his eyes, and said calmly, “Captain Dago, and fellow Forest Patrol teammates, long time no see. Please, have a seat.”
Dago and the other two slowly walked to the tea table and sat down. Dago spoke first: “Speak, what do you want with us?”
“Captain Dago, there might have been a misunderstanding at the Academy gates last time. My mentor, Raymond, had some doubts about your identity, which is why he didn’t let you enter the Academy.”
“Oh, and who was it that slandered him in front of him?”
Viser said somewhat awkwardly, “Dago, your progress in strength has been a bit too astonishing, which led to this misunderstanding. I recently advanced to a high-level Level 3 Apprentice Wizard, and I’ve come to discuss something with you.”
Dago said coldly, “Speak, what is it? If it’s a trivial matter, please don’t disturb our peace.”
“The Academy recently assigned me a task that requires forming a patrol team in the Town, and I wanted to reunite with my old teammates. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?”
“Then I’m sorry, the Forest Patrol no longer exists, Viser. Please leave.”
“Don’t forget your identities, Dago and Serena. You two are Witches of the Academy. Now that the Academy is in trouble, you must return to the Academy and participate in its tasks.”
“We are just wandering Witches who paid tuition fees. Has the Wizard Academy ever truly valued us?”
Viser looked at the two with cold eyes, and said with a slight threat, “I can’t control that. Wearing the Academy’s robes yet ignoring the Academy being invaded, are you perhaps spies sent by the Dark Blood Council?”
“Dago, think carefully. Next time, it won’t be me coming, but the Academy’s Security Department.”
Dago found himself in a difficult spot this time; this was a blatant threat. He pondered how to respond.
Old Marico then stepped forward to mediate, saying, “Alright, Viser, we can join the Town’s patrol team, but you must guarantee that the three of us stay together.”
Upon hearing Marico’s words, Viser didn’t wait for Dago’s reply, but stood up directly and said, “Alright then, come to the Academy’s Security Department at noon today to find me.”
After saying that, he turned and left the Wizard Inn.
Serena timidly said, “Grandpa Marico, you’re not an Academy Witch, you don’t have to participate.”
“We are family, aren’t we?”
After hearing this, Dago felt uneasy. Without strength, one would be bullied everywhere.
Finally, the three of them had no choice but to join the Town’s patrol team together.