A Gift

The power had just come back, and then it went out again right away. In weather like this, it was completely impossible to sleep without electricity. The misery of living on the top floor.

"Teacher!"

"Lord Roland."

"Uh~"

"..."

Roland's sudden appearance was clearly beyond everyone present's expectations. Jane had said that, because of how busy things had been lately, their teacher absolutely wouldn't have time to return. Whether it was the undercurrents surging through Stanrose City itself or the scroll sealed with a Wraith, both represented endless trouble.

As the only Formal Mage in Stanrose, Roland obviously couldn't stay out of it.

Yet now, right when they were halfway through their revelry, Roland had returned without a sound. It was a decidedly unpleasant feeling—being caught red-handed.

Blade in particular looked like a mouse that had seen a cat, desperately trying to shrink his mountain-like body a little. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, the big man remained the most conspicuous person there.

Roland slowly approached the outdoor dining table as if he were taking a stroll. After scanning everyone, he finally fixed his cloudy gaze on Xuan Ye.

In an instant, Xuan Ye felt as if even his underwear had been seen through. His heart pounded, but he suppressed the unease and forced himself to remain calm. Within his Perception Inner Mansion, his Professional Core was operating so slowly under the effect of the five Talent Runes that it had nearly stopped.

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

"You're quite impressive. That Wraith you captured proved very useful. 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 toward Xuan Ye.

Xuan Ye instinctively reached out and caught the ring, his expression turning slightly blank. Uh, was this item being sold twice? Jane had given me two Magic Cores, and now this Mage Lord was giving me a ring too? It shouldn't be cheap, either.

"Teacher?"

"Uh~"

"Ah! Night, you've struck it rich! This ring is a Magic Ring that can repeatedly cast the rank spell 'Fire Wall.' You only need to replace the Magic Crystal after each use. Focus your mind on the ring and guide it for three seconds, and it'll be released. That's much faster than the spells we Apprentices can cast, and even Formal Mages would treat it as a treasure."

Lit, the more lively Seventh-Grade Apprentice, spoke with undisguised envy in his eyes. The ring was already of little use to their teacher, but it was extremely valuable to Apprentice-level Mages and low-star Formal Mages.

After realizing what it was, Xuan Ye couldn't help feeling secretly delighted. It was a specialized magical item. Although it was less valuable than a universal magical item that anyone could use, since only Spellcasters could use it, that very limitation also gave it far greater power than universal magical items of the same level.

As for the 'Fire Wall' spell, it was a rank spell of the same grade as the 'Chain Fireball' that Dean had once spent a great deal of effort and materials to cast!

Compared with the frequency-based, area-saturating bombardment of 'Chain Fireball,' the power of 'Fire Wall' was even greater. Even a Professional Rank Expert struck head-on would have no chance of survival. It was a life-saving weapon.

"Thank you, Lord Roland."

After bowing deeply and sincerely, Xuan Ye expressed his gratitude. In truth, his deal with Jane was already complete. Whether Roland gave him anything was entirely up to him.

"Heh, think nothing of it. You deserve it. Mages have extremely high talent requirements, but they demand even more of those who are willing to work hard. I'll let you off today. Carry on."

After giving the item to Xuan Ye, Roland casually picked up a stemmed glass from the table. He elegantly swirled it, raised it in a toast, and then turned and left unhurriedly. A ripple-like distortion flashed, and he vanished from everyone's sight.

Xuan Ye couldn't help staring. Spatial magic? Uh, that doesn't seem likely. Didn't they say Roland couldn't even make a Spatial Bag? Then it must be some sort of visual trick or illusion created by the formation built into the Mage Tower. After all, he's the owner of the Mage Tower. Within this area...

Wait!

At that thought, Xuan Ye froze, as if he had realized something. Combined with Roland's final, rather cryptic remark, could it be...

Just then, probably because Roland had left, Blade regained his spirits and said bluntly to Xuan Ye,

"You really struck it rich this time. Oh, right, this ring can also count as a token of the Magic Guild. You can use it to seek the Magic Guild's assistance. But you already have your own mentor, so you probably won't need that function."

Once Blade finished speaking, Xuan Ye instantly connected all the pieces. No wonder. No wonder Roland, who had never appeared, had come out today at this particular time and even directly given him a ring.

It was probably because he had provided that Wraith, causing the Mage Lord to pay some attention to him and discover his problem!

This was, after all, within the Mage Tower's sphere of influence. He could probably observe everything at any time. From Xuan Ye's words, actions, and the books he read, he had realized that Xuan Ye was actually an unguided Apprentice with no mentor at all!

That was precisely why he had given Xuan Ye a token of the Magic Guild, along with that later remark, which was clearly both advice and a reminder. It was probably meant specifically for him.

At the thought, Xuan Ye felt a trace of warmth in his heart. Roland's original intention had probably only been to repay him for bringing back that Wraith, but his later assistance seemed more like an elder caring for a junior. He hadn't exposed Xuan Ye's lie, either. What a fine senior.

Elsewhere, a faint phantom gradually solidified atop the Mage Tower, and Roland's figure appeared. From the top of the tower, he looked down at the outdoor banquet that was still continuing, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"To think he could reach this level through self-study alone. At the Exchange Meeting, he easily drew inferences and mastered everything. For a Mage, this kind of talent for research is far more important than talent for spiritual meditation."

Roland sighed inwardly, seemingly reminded of himself. With the guidance of his predecessors' experience, this talent might not appear much better than talent in spiritual meditation. But once he reached a place where there was no path ahead and had to explore slowly on his own, it would become an ability that defied the heavens!

He wondered whether his teacher would be satisfied with the promising student he had chosen this time. He hadn't visited his teacher in twenty years. He didn't know whether he would still have the chance to return in his lifetime.

Stanrose City, outskirts graveyard.

"Bang~"

Two broad-shouldered miners casually threw a corpse into the abandoned mine pit below, then each wiped the sweat from his brow.

"What an unlucky bastard. A rock that huge collapsed, and it only crushed him. Sigh, I hope we won't end up here someday."

"I'll quit after working two more years and saving enough money. I hope my boy has a talent for martial arts. Then I'll send him to serve as a retainer in some powerful person's household."

"Haha, why say all that? Let's go."

After resting briefly, the two turned and left, leaving behind only the stiff corpse they had just discarded at the bottom of the abandoned mine pit.

Just then, a pair of rotten hands slowly reached out from the shadows of the mine pit. They seized the corpse by the ankle and, with a whoosh, dragged it deep into the darkness. Then came the chilling sounds of chewing and tearing...