Gift

"Power just came back, and it's already uploading—can't sleep at all without electricity on a night like this, the sorrow of living on the top floor."

"Teacher!"

"Lord Roland."

"Uh~"

"..."

Roland's sudden appearance clearly caught everyone present off guard. Jane had said that due to his busy schedule, the teacher absolutely wouldn't have time to return. Whether it was the undercurrents stirring within Stanrosai City itself or the scroll sealing that Wraith, both represented endless trouble.

As the only official mage in Stanrosai, Roland obviously couldn't stay out of it.

But now, right in the middle of their revelry, Roland had returned without a sound—a truly unpleasant feeling, like being caught red-handed.

Blade in particular looked like a mouse seeing a cat, desperately trying to shrink his mountain-like bulk, but no matter how hard he tried, the big guy was still the most conspicuous one there.

Strolling over to the open-air dining table as if out for a walk, Roland swept his gaze across everyone before finally resting his murky eyes on Xuan Ye.

In an instant, Xuan Ye felt as if his very underwear had been seen through. His heart pounded wildly as he suppressed that palpitation, forcing calm. The Professional Core within his Perception Inner Mansion, under the effect of five Talent Runes, slowed its operation to nearly a standstill.

After fixing his gaze on Xuan Ye for two or three seconds, Roland slowly nodded.

"You're quite good. That Wraith you caught played a significant role. This is your reward."

With an indifferent expression, Roland casually removed an antique ring from his left index finger. Under the effect of Mage's Hand, it floated straight over to hover before Xuan Ye.

Instinctively reaching out to catch the ring, Xuan Ye's expression froze slightly. Huh, was this selling the same thing twice? Jane had already given him two Magic Cores, and now this Mage Lord was handing over a ring—it probably wasn't cheap either.

"Teacher?"

"Uh~"

"Ah! Ye, you hit the jackpot! That ring is a Magic Ring that can repeatedly cast the rank magic 'Fire Wall.' You just need to swap out the Magic Crystal after each use. Focus your mind on the ring, guide it for three seconds, and it'll release—way faster than us apprentices casting high-power spells. Even official mages would treasure it."

Lit, the relatively lively Seventh-Grade Apprentice, spoke with undisguised envy in his eyes. This ring was useless to the teacher now, but for apprentice-level mages and low-star official mages, it held considerable value.

Realizing this, Xuan Ye felt a surge of secret delight. It was a dedicated magical item. Although it was less valuable than universal magical items anyone could use—since only Spellcasters could wield it—that same factor meant its power far exceeded universal items of the same rank.

As for 'Fire Wall,' it was a rank magic on par with the 'Chain Fireball' Dean had painstakingly cast using rare materials back then!

Compared to 'Chain Fireball,' which relied on frequency and area saturation, 'Fire Wall' packed even greater power. Even a Professional Rank Expert caught in a direct hit would face certain death—a true life-saving tool.

"Thank you, Lord Roland."

Bowing sincerely, Xuan Ye spoke with gratitude. In truth, his transaction with Jane was already complete; whether Roland gave him anything was entirely the man's own choice.

"Heh, no need. You earned it. Mages require high talent, but they demand even higher effort. I'll let you off today—carry on."

After handing the ring to Xuan Ye, Roland casually picked up a goblet from the table, elegantly swirled it, raised it in a toast, then turned and walked away. A ripple-like distortion flickered, and he vanished from everyone's sight.

Xuan Ye's eyes widened slightly. Spatial magic? Hmm, probably not. Wasn't it said that Roland couldn't even craft a Spatial Bag? That must have been an illusion or trick relying on the Mage Tower's built-in formation. He was the tower's master, after all—within this area...

Wait!

At that thought, Xuan Ye's expression froze as something clicked. Combined with the man's somewhat cryptic final words, could it be...

Just then, probably because Roland had left, Blade perked up again and said boorishly to Xuan Ye, "You really scored this time. Oh, right, this ring also counts as a token of the Magic Guild—you can seek the guild's help with it. But you've already got your own mentor, so that function probably won't be needed."

The moment Blade finished, Xuan Ye connected all the dots. No wonder Roland, who had been absent all along, showed up today and directly gave him a ring.

It was probably because he had provided that Wraith that the Mage Lord had taken some notice of him and spotted his problem!

After all, this was within the Mage Tower's range of influence—Roland could likely observe at any time. From Xuan Ye's words and the books he'd read, the man must have realized that Xuan Ye was a self-taught apprentice with no real mentor at all!

That was exactly why he had given him a Magic Guild token, and that final remark—clearly a warning and reminder—was probably directed specifically at him.

Thinking this over, a warmth rose in Xuan Ye's heart. Roland's original intention was likely just to repay him for bringing back the Wraith, but the subsequent help felt more like an elder looking out for a junior. He hadn't even exposed Xuan Ye's lie. A truly decent senior.

Elsewhere, a faint shadow gradually solidified at the top of the Mage Tower, and Roland's figure emerged. Gazing down from the tower at the ongoing open-air little banquet below, a smile crept onto his lips.

"To reach this level through self-study alone, and to grasp everything so easily at the Exchange Meeting by drawing inferences—this kind of research talent is far more important to a mage than mental meditation talent."

Sighing inwardly, Roland seemed to think of himself. With the guidance of predecessors' experience, this talent didn't appear much better than mental meditation talent. But once the road ahead vanished and one had to explore on their own, it became an incredible ability!

He wondered if his teacher would be satisfied with the seedling he had chosen this time. It had been twenty years since he last visited his teacher—he didn't know if he'd ever have the chance to return in his lifetime.

Stanrosai City, Suburban Mass Grave

'Bang~'

A corpse was casually tossed by two brawny miners into the abandoned mine pit below. They wiped the sweat from their brows.

"What a unlucky bastard. A boulder that big collapses and only hits him. Hope we never end up here."

"Two more years of work, save enough, and I'm done. Hope my kid has talent for martial arts—then I'll send him to be a retainer for some big shot."

"Haha, enough talk. Let's go."

After a brief rest, the two turned and left, leaving only the stiff corpse newly discarded at the bottom of the abandoned mine.

Just then, a pair of rotting hands slowly extended from the shadows of the pit, grabbed the corpse by the ankles, and with a 'whoosh,' dragged it deep into the darkness. Then came the chilling sounds of chewing and tearing...