Hidden Dangers

The pitch-black night was pierced by the howling wind as it swept through the mountains and forests, rustling the leaves with a shua shua sound.

A dim, yellow kerosene lamp swayed precariously along the dirt road in the countryside. As it drew closer, one could see the lamp was hanging from a driverless carriage.

Inside the carriage, an old man with withered skin and white hair held a smooth Magic Crystal in his hand, occasionally letting out a dry chuckle.

"Finally found it, finally found it."

This ghostly wail echoed from the carriage, and anyone who heard it would truly believe they had encountered a ghost.

"Fini, maybe I should just grant you your freedom."

Fini's eyes were a little red as she came to Chen Cheng's dorm room and spoke to him, who was trying to avoid being gawked at by others.

Seeing the redness in Fini's bright eyes, Chen Cheng knew the little loli had been crying.

And the way she addressed him by name suggested the little loli had been wronged.

He quickly went to Fini's side and said:

"Who bullied our young lady? Tell me, and I'll break their legs."

As he spoke, Chen Cheng flexed his muscles, putting on a fierce expression.

Seeing Chen Cheng's somewhat playful act, Fini couldn't help but laugh. She then gave him a playful glare and said:

"It's all because of you."

Chen Cheng, who had been acting silly moments before, instantly looked sheepish upon hearing it was because of him. He then said with a lack of confidence:

"How so? I've actually brought you a lot of honor recently.

People outside are calling me a legend, and who wouldn't envy you for having the master of a legend?"

"It's too much honor. They're all calling you a genius and saying it's barbaric for me, this young lady, to treat a genius like you as a slave."

"They also say that if you're not released from your servitude, then our entire family will be considered barbaric."

As she spoke, the little loli began to cry, feeling wronged and sad.

Seeing the situation, Chen Cheng immediately hugged the little loli and kept comforting her by her ear.

"I never treated you like a slave, so why should they say that about me?"

The little loli said between sobs into Chen Cheng's ear.

"They're bad. Look at the servants around them, they're all ordered around like dogs.

But look at me. If it weren't for a kind, beautiful, and generous master like you, I wouldn't have had the chance to even touch magic, no matter my talent."

"We should go and denounce them. The slaves in their households should also be able to learn magic like me, because no one knows if a future genius like me might be among them."

This made Chen Cheng feel much better, and Fini's hurt heart finally began to calm down.

"You're so wicked. If this gets out, won't those guys be in a terrible position?"

Fini wiped away her tears and playfully scolded him.

However, Chen Cheng said very seriously:

"Hmph, who told them to upset you first? I'm just returning their treatment of you back to them."

"You're a real scoundrel. I don't even know how your brain works."

After Fini calmed down, Chen Cheng saw that a key had suddenly appeared in her hand.

When Chen Cheng saw the key, he knew it was the key to his Slave Collar.

As Fini was about to unlock his collar, Chen Cheng stopped her and said:

"What's wrong, Young Lady? Are you abandoning me just because of a few words of nonsense from them?

And didn't we agree that I'm your little slave, and we'll never be apart?"

Chen Cheng stopped Fini not because he was particularly subservient, but because he knew that behind the rumors pressuring Fini, someone was definitely orchestrating it, and that person had malicious intentions.

Because although he was a legend in the outside world, only those who truly knew the situation knew that he was already crippled.

He could stay in the academy and receive protection during the semester, but after the semester ended, if he no longer had the identity of Baron Kekebor's slave and was just a commoner.

Then Chen Cheng believed that once he stepped out of the academy gates, those nobles with their twisted minds would probably tear him apart immediately.

Fini, who was about to act, paused slightly upon hearing this. She immediately thought of Chen Cheng's awkward status.

She clearly remembered that on her first day at the academy, Chen Cheng had severely mocked Coles for her. If Chen Cheng didn't have the identity of their family's servant or a noble status after the semester ended, then Chen Cheng would inevitably be killed by the petty Coles.

"That's right. Why should I do as they say just because I heard a couple of words from them? I absolutely won't. Let's see if I don't make them green with envy."

Fini's attitude changed as she said this.

After her mindset shifted, Fini realized she was leaning against Chen Cheng, and he was holding her. She could still feel the warm air from his breath near her ear.

Suddenly, a sense of shyness washed over the young girl. She broke free from Chen Cheng's embrace, said, "This young lady is going to go annoy those jealous people," and then scurried out of Chen Cheng's dorm.

After Fini left, Chen Cheng's previously calm face revealed a hint of worry. In the past few days, he had also noticed something was amiss. The rumors about him being a magic legend among slaves were becoming more and more outlandish, and this led to the current outcry against Fini.

He knew he could temporarily dispel Fini's worries with his words, but over time, especially when he truly recovered, Fini's life would become even more difficult.

"Therefore, I must find a way to make my young lady the genius of geniuses in people's eyes."

Chen Cheng stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Chen Cheng did have a way to truly create a magic prodigy: by teaching Fini his latest research achievement, Variable Magic.

However, there was a significant problem with this. The engineering required to engrave these Variable Magic runes was immense, and it demanded several times the mental power of an ordinary person.

His ability to do so was likely related to his transmigration.

When he was young, Samlet had told him that people like him, who seemed to know things innately, generally possessed powerful innate mental energy.

Because their mental energy was strong and their brains were highly active, they learned things faster than ordinary people, giving the impression of innate knowledge.

Thinking of this, Chen Cheng's head began to ache again, as this problem was directly related to his current research.

The only method he knew to enhance something as ethereal as mental energy was meditation.

During meditation, one would continuously interact with the Sea of Magic. As mental energy was depleted, and then replenished, this would increase the capacity of one's own mental energy.

At the same time, the situation that occurred this time due to the use of super-tier magic made Chen Cheng realize that his Variable Magic was still too complex and needed simplification.

This way, even if he encountered such a situation again in the future, he could quickly clear the fragmented magic runes within his body.

Instead of having fragmented magic runes piled up like a mountain, as was the case now.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Chen Cheng took out the calculation paper from his drawer and began to deduce the feasibility of the ideas in his mind.

Inside Earl Huidun's castle, Huidun stared at the paper incident report on his desk, his face extremely grim.

According to his investigation, the escaped serf had visited the church in Baron Fisher's territory both before escaping and after being captured.

Although the report stated it was because the person was a devout believer and went to church to beg for divine forgiveness for his sins.

But this was not the most important part. The most crucial detail was that on the day he returned, this serf, who was confined to a cell, inexplicably committed suicide, leaving behind a confession written in his own blood.

He walked to the window, lifted the curtain, and looked towards the church, the tallest building in the city. Gazing at the statue of the God of Light on the church spire, with its hands spread wide as if embracing the world, he couldn't help but reveal a sarcastic smile.

Amidst his sarcastic smile, the paper report on the desk was slowly burned to ashes by a ball of black flame. Then, a gust of wind blew outside, leaving no trace of its existence.

Knock, knock, knock. A knock sounded behind Huidun. He returned to his main seat and said, "Come in."

The door opened, and Adolf, leaning on his magic staff, entered with a smile.

"My Lord Earl."

"Please sit, Principal Adolf."

"Thank you, my Lord Earl."

Adolf sat opposite Huidun, who then asked with a smile, "Principal, what brings you here to see me?"

"Ah, this old man is here for two reasons. Firstly, it's about that old fellow Achilles. I feel sorrow and regret about that."

Hearing Adolf mention his mentor, Huidun's eyes couldn't help but redden slightly again. He forced a smile and said, "No, it's not your fault, Principal."

Adolf lowered his head slightly and continued, "And the second reason is that Professor Pempes will be returning from his exchange at the Royal Academy of Magic soon. I wonder if Earl Huidun needs to make any preparations for this?"

Upon hearing this news, Earl Huidun's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't expected Adolf to inform him of this matter.

Now that he was completely without assistance, and Adolf was informing him of Pempes's return, could it be that this principal had already made certain choices?

But he thought of his engagement with Melinda. This principal had been extremely reluctant about it in private.

This principal had long said that he would not interfere in any of his affairs; he would only be responsible for teaching students within the academy.

Huidun seemed to have figured something out. His expression flickered, and then his voice trembled slightly, "Does Melinda know about this?"

Huidun stared at Adolf before him. In the mere few seconds it took Adolf to answer the question, he felt as if he had endured an eternity.

"Melinda does not know about this. This is my own decision, old man."

Then, Adolf stood up and bowed to Huidun.

"If Earl Huidun needs to make any preparations, please do so quickly. This old man should be heading back now."

After that, Adolf tapped the ground with his magic staff, and the old principal disappeared before him.