Erging from the demon wizard academy, Lynn took a mont to collect himself. Wasn’t this academy supposed to be a place of protection for them?
He made his way to the service hall, feeling a sense of confusion. He had no idea whom to seek out. He didn’t have any contact information for Angley; he could only hope Angley would reach out to him if necessary.
However, there was soone who might know. To be precise, there was a demon who should know.
“You’re looking for Harin? I’m not entirely sure, but he’s probably busy,” Toby said.
“These wizards can take an unpredictable amount of ti for their experints—sotis it’s a day, sotis decades. What’s the matter? Are you in trouble? The expression on your face doesn’t look good.”
Lynn hesitated before explaining what had happened with Dragon and his subsequent theories to Toby.
“Your guess is likely correct.”
Lynn looked perplexed.
“Isn’t anyone going to do anything about it? Both he and I accepted the task…” Lynn hesitated.
Toby suddenly broke into a smile. “Do you really think you weren’t selected because you were lucky?”
“Just because you were slightly slower than that little fellow? That’s his wizard tower after all.”
“Do you know that this task has actually been hanging around for over 30 years?” Toby revealed a harsh truth. “Are you really the only talented apprentices in the entire demon wizard academy?”
“Don’t forget, this is the world of wizards!” Toby said nonchalantly.
“But this is the academy…”
“The academy is also part of the wizarding world!” Toby countered firmly.
“Even if a little wizard apprentice with no backing and no identity was killed by an official wizard, so what? It’s not as if anyone actually died—just the soul of that physical body was replaced. If you’re really upset or want to seek justice for that little fellow, then wait until you have the strength to handle it yourself. Even if you find Harin, he won’t stand up for you in this matter.”
“No, I never intended for Wizard Harin to avenge from the beginning. I simply had so doubts and wanted an answer. And I have received that answer from you,” Lynn replied calmly.
“Have many apprentices undertaken this task before?” Lynn inquired.
“Quite a few.”
“I understand now,” Lynn said, nodding. The sches of Dragon were indeed intricate.
For those truly elite figures at the top of the academy, such insignificant matters were hardly worth their attention. To the middle-level or low-level wizards, this issue was inconsequential as it did not affect their interests. Furthermore, Dragon had, over the decades, used the issuance of tasks to subtly distribute nurous source materials, thus cultivating relationships with the influential figures behind these apprentices.
In this way, there was even less incentive for anyone to intervene in his affairs.
Moreover, Abraham was not dead. It was rely that the soul within had been replaced. In other words, the component itself was not damaged; only the user had changed.
The apprentices selected by Dragon were never those with backings. He was like an experienced fisherman—baiting, preparing, and catching.
The wizarding world was indeed a harsh and unfeeling place. Lynn had thought he had used his intelligence to avoid a trap, but in reality, he had been spared simply because soone behind the scenes had ensured he was not chosen.
Perhaps the trap in the magic array had been deliberately set for him to discover.
Lynn pursed his lips, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.
Rules were never truly fixed. The rules were those made by the strong and enforced upon the weak.
He, too, wanted to be the one who set the rules!
“Thank you, Uncle Toby, for clearing things up. I have no more doubts now.”
“How is the preparation for your wizard tower coming along?”
“Not too bad,” Lynn replied. The source material he had obtained this ti was called the Wood of Perpetual Serenity.
The effect of Wood of Perpetual Serenity was to stabilize the energy in the surrounding air. It functioned similarly to how the energy within Demon City was more stable compared to the energy outside the city.
This wood could be used in living sectors and also in so experintal sectors.
“When your wizard tower’s completion surpasses 50%, you can access the information on the transcendence ritual from the academy’s library,” Toby inford Lynn.
The academy would also provide plans for the transcendence ritual? That was quite convenient. This would save him considerable effort, and he would be able to choose the ritual that best suited him from among many options.
The transcendence ritual was hardly a secret.
In fact, so versions of the transcendence ritual had circulated in the outside world. However, these rituals were often incomplete or flawed in various ways.
The reason wizard apprentices were called apprentices was that they had not yet transcended the bounds of ordinary humanity.
The transcendence ritual was intended to transform a wizard into a higher form of life.
Common examples included the lich transformation ritual for those inclined towards the undead. Though liches were indeed a form of higher life, they lost many aspects of their forr selves and gained a vulnerability in the form of a phylactery1.
Another example was the chanical ascension ritual. This ritual replaced the frailty of flesh and blood with chanical components. The choice of machinery was crucial for the success of this ritual.
Regardless of the type of transcendence ritual, the resulting wizard’s combat prowess would surpass that of a wizard apprentice by several levels. This was because the ritual involved inscribing a spell into the wizard’s being, turning it into an inherent, ever-evolving ability. Moreover, the casting cost of such spells would be significantly reduced.
Returning to his residence, Lynn found that the dwarves were working swiftly under supervision and had already forged the first batch of weapons.
After conducting a quick test, it beca apparent that the weapons produced by the dwarves were unsellable on the market. Their cost and quality offered no advantage in Demon City, and selling them would an incurring a loss.
Lynn quickly ca up with a plan.
Dang—
One of the blades held in his hand showed a small chip on its surface, while the other was completely broken into two pieces.
“…”
Black Mountain turned to look at the other dwarf craftsn.
The dwarves all widened their eyes in astonishnt.
The broken blade was one of their own creations.
“It’s impossible!” The dwarves’ pride in their craft was imnse. If there were any flexibility in other matters, forging was where their expertise truly shone.
“Did the weapon contain any mixed raw materials?” one of the dwarves asked.
“No,” Lauren replied. “This weapon was custom-made at a shop outside. The raw materials used were identical to those you used for forging this blade.”
Lynn had spent money to have the weapon specially crafted at a local shop. It was a deliberate move to test their skills against an external standard.
The dwarves, masters of their trade, found their pride wounded. Being struck in their area of expertise left them dejected.
“But it’s not without redy. The issue lies in the different forging techniques used. If you put in the effort, you can eventually master more advanced techniques.”
Under Lynn’s encouragent, the dwarves’ spirits were reignited.
Lynn was pleased with their renewed determination. Although the weapons they had crafted didn’t offer the best value in Demon City, the Abyss was another matter entirely. There, custors were less picky.
——
TL/N:
-According to Forgotten Realms Wiki, “A phylactery (also sotis called a jar) was the na given to the repository used to store the life force of a lich.“
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