"Close the feed port. Begin deep Element Stripping—"
After feeding all the elements into the device, Anvis issued Seer Silver an instruction to create a new element stripping task.
Instruction accepted... Task created. Element stripping commencing... Mana output power: normal... Remaining time: six Magic Hours, thirty-seven minutes, forty-two seconds—
Seer Silver's emotionless female voice echoed through the laboratory once more.
After confirming that the silver-white pyramid was operating normally, Anvis waved a hand to put away the documents on the workbench, removed his long white protective cloak, and slowly left the Magic Laboratory.
All of today's classes had ended, and the two important magical experiments he had been working on were temporarily settled as well.
Now, nothing would disturb him.
Rarely having such free time, Anvis walked out of his residence and strolled leisurely through the spacious courtyard.
The slightly chilly autumn wind swept through the late-autumn courtyard, stirring a lock of golden hair that hung over Anvis's forehead.
Since the Second-Class Residence lacked a constant Magic Array to keep alchemical plants evergreen, the lush courtyard from when he had first moved in had now turned entirely withered and yellow.
The Silver Leaf Rose bushes once planted in the flowerbeds had already wilted, leaving only branches glimmering with faint silver light.
Several thick Black Oaks grew in the courtyard. Their lush summer canopies had lost most of their leaves, and their bare branches stretched somewhat bleakly toward the sky, ready to welcome the approaching harsh winter.
A dark yellow dead leaf drifted down on the wind, and Anvis casually caught it.
"Is autumn already coming to an end?"
Pinching the fallen leaf in his hand, Anvis paused slightly, his feelings growing complicated.
Yes, the Empire's autumn was almost over—
After a long silence, he released the leaf and