Moro's Opportunity

When Mana lifted the lid of the last pot of tea, there was no fragrance at all—not even the faintest wisp of steam.

Yet this utterly ordinary tea suddenly made Moro rise to his feet, his eyes fixed excitedly on the yellowish-green tea liquor.

That look of excitement was no act.

.

Moro stared intently at the liquid in his teacup, not even noticing that the commotion of his rising had knocked the chair behind him to the floor.

Angel's confusion reached its peak. Why did Moro react so strongly to Morning Dew After Rain? Could he tell that Morning Dew After Rain came from another world?

As Angel wondered inwardly, Moro slowly poured Morning Dew After Rain into his mouth along the rim of the cup, cautious and solemn.

Moro's movements seemed ceremonial, as though they carried an aura that instantly silenced the previously lively atmosphere.

Leon wanted to say something, but for some reason felt that keeping his mouth shut was best right now.

The silence did not last long. As Moro closed his eyes and began savoring the lingering aftertaste of the tea, an indescribable aura emanated from him.

The aura was astonishing. Everyone froze, then discovered that they could no longer speak.

No matter how hard they tried, they could not make a sound. It was as if they had entered a world of absolute silence!

Their inability to speak was only temporary. Something even more terrifying was yet to come.

Moro suddenly opened his eyes, took a crystal ball from his robes, and placed it in the air. After muttering a few words, a flash of light streaked past. In the next few seconds, not only could they not speak, but even their movements were restrained.

"By relying on this low-grade magical plant, my spiritual power is about to break through its barrier. To prevent any accidents during the breakthrough, I have cast a Binding Spell and a Soundless Barrier upon everyone present. Once I have broken through, I will naturally release you." Moro's voice was low and hoarse, its trailing notes carrying a strange resonance.

After speaking, Moro ignored everyone else's reactions and directly closed his eyes. The crystal ball continued circling around him...

Of those imprisoned, Count Eaton and the others were somewhat uncomfortable at first, but quickly regained their composure. Angel and Leon, however, appeared far more panicked.

From birth until now, the two brothers had never encountered anything supernatural. They had even once believed that this world was simply the world before their eyes. But today, at this very moment, Moro's miraculous and mysterious spellcraft shattered the worldview they had built since childhood.

They had been thrust into this without warning or preparation. How could they possibly remain calm?

The Binding Spell prevented them from moving, and the Soundless Barrier prevented them from speaking, but neither could stop them from thinking.

Within the silent barrier, after the initial panic and confusion, Angel gradually calmed down.

His pupils, which had been dilated, slowly returned to normal.

At that moment, he saw Irene sitting across from him smile reassuringly and silently say, "Don't worry."

Angel paused, then instinctively returned her smile.

Suddenly, Irene's face flushed red. Her eyes darted about, as if she did not know where to look.

Angel did not think much of it. He assumed Irene was embarrassed by others staring at her, so he simply followed Count Eaton's example and leisurely closed his eyes.

Was this the magic trick? Spell? Immortal art? Or some kind of illusion mentioned in the strange tales my mentor told? But weren't all those things fabricated? Could they truly appear in reality? One question after another circled Angel's mind, impossible to dispel and without answer.

.

He recalled the historical records of nearby nations that his mentor had compiled. Some countries' histories contained many fantastical passages. Take the Golden Sparrow Empire, for instance. Eight hundred years ago, a fire-breathing dragon appeared in Mosang Canyon along the empire's border, bringing disaster upon the people of the region. The king called upon warriors from across the land to slay the dragon. Countless fighters, soldiers, and knights answered the call and poured toward the dragon's lair, yet before they could even draw near, they were burned to ashes by the flames from its maw.

The dragon-slaying campaign lasted several years. Hundreds of thousands of warriors died or were injured, yet the dragon remained completely unharmed.

Just as the king decided to seal off a thousand miles around the dragon's territory, an old man in white robes floating in the sky happened to pass through Mosang Canyon. With a light wave of the wand in his hand, he pulled the dragon into an unknown space... Then, without saying a word, the white-robed elder drifted away. In the historical records, a dragon-slaying campaign began in tragedy and ended in absurdity.

Jon's comment on this historical account was: The arts of emperors—myths to pacify the people.

Angel had once thought the same, but at this moment, doubt arose in his heart. Perhaps that white-robed elder, like old Moro, had been someone with miraculous powers?

Moreover, Hailan Kingdom's historical records had repeatedly mentioned the sea goddess's people of Bountiful Isle, or mermaids seducing sailors and causing fleets to sink... Not only the Golden Sparrow Empire and Hailan Kingdom—many nations' historical materials bore traces of mythology.

Could all of it have been fabricated?

The scales in Angel's heart began to slowly tip.

Moro's breakthrough did not take long—roughly the time it took to turn a small quartz hourglass once, or thirty minutes by Earth's reckoning.

The crystal ball slowly descended from its circling, protective state and hovered quietly beside Moro.

Moro's face was filled with joy! How could he not be happy? He had been stuck as an intermediate apprentice for nearly twenty years. Believing that he would never break through to become an advanced apprentice in this lifetime, he had listlessly accepted the recruitment assignment and returned to the Old Earth Continent to seek students with talent. When he accepted the assignment, he still remembered the bitter smile on his reflection in the mirror. Searching for the gifted? Heh heh, there were barely any even on the Source Plane—how could there possibly be any on the Old Earth Continent?

He had boarded the ocean liner for the Old Earth Continent in low spirits, believing that only thorns and despair lay ahead.

But! Heaven had shown him mercy. He had never expected that this journey, which he had thought would be unbearably dull, would bring him such an immense surprise!

First, he had found two gifted ones—and they were even his own grandchildren. Not only had this allowed him to exceed his assignment's requirements, but once Alan and Irene grew stronger, they could even help him in turn.

Then, on the Old Earth Continent, he had actually discovered an unknown low-grade magical plant! When he drank Morning Dew After Rain from a traveling merchant at the front line, he immediately realized that this tea was faintly comparable to White Orchid Potion.

White Orchid Potion was the only low-grade potion with the ability to break through barriers, which made it extraordinarily valuable. He had diligently completed missions for years just to exchange for a bottle of White Orchid Potion. Yet... he had discovered Morning Dew After Rain on the Old Earth Continent.

Unfortunately, the Morning Dew After Rain possessed by the traveling merchant had been stored for too long, and its effects had been greatly diminished. After asking where Morning Dew After Rain came from, their group had rushed without stopping to Gelu Town...

Opportunity! This was opportunity!

Having successfully broken through his barrier, Moro finally understood at this moment why wizard apprentices liked to wander through dangerous ruins. As long as they found even the slightest opportunity, they would have hope of advancing!