"The fragrance of freedom!" Though he had only been held in the dungeon for half a day, Saine could not help but sigh when he once again saw the dim yellow glow of fluorescent stones above the Magic Academy.
This dungeon was no ordinary place. Very few apprentices ever made it back out after entering.
It was said that even some Formal Black Wizards had once been tried here. Whether that was true or not was beyond Saine's knowledge.
After leaving the dungeon, Saine limped along, supporting each other with Lina as they headed home.
Dean Dadalong did not come out to see them off. The old witch vanished shortly afterward as well, though before leaving the dungeon, her lips had moved slightly, as if she had given Lina some instructions.
"Not only can we not eat the Black Sharkscale Fish, it seems our moving plans will have to be put off as well," Saine said to Lina with a bitter smile.
Lina's injuries were no lighter than Saine's at the moment. Faced with his bitter smile, she lowered her head and resumed her icy expression.
After a long silence, just as they were about to return to their dormitory building, Lina finally said to Saine, "My Martial Aunt is named Feilunna. She said she wants to take me as her disciple and have me inherit our branch's Dark Element Magic."
"Actually, after my mentor died, Martial Aunt Feilunna had already been keeping an eye on me. But it was not until I advanced to Advanced Apprentice that she clearly stated her willingness to accept me as a disciple."
"In terms of strength and depth of research into Dark Element Magic, Martial Aunt Feilunna seems to be even stronger than my mentor was back then," Lina explained.
Lina's explanation finally put Saine's long-suspended heart at ease.
Though he and Lina each had secrets and parts of themselves they had not opened to the other, they had shared a bed, fought side by side, and faced life and death together. He still hoped they could be more honest with each other.
Lina's explanation brought a heartfelt smile to Saine's face.
A powerful Formal Black Wizard willing to accept Lina as a disciple was clearly a good thing for her.
Lina's explanation had also brought their relationship another step forward compared to before.
All along, Saine had been the more proactive one. He had never expected that one day, Lina would also confide something in him.
Perhaps I can find a chance to tell Lina about my surname and where I came from as a child.
Their plan to move out of the dormitory building could not proceed for the time being.
But once the three days were up, Saine had to report obediently to Master Moxidu's laboratory.
Unlike three days ago, when Saine had only suffered an abdominal injury and showed slight signs of poisoning,
Saine's injuries were clearly more severe now.
When he knocked on Master Moxidu's laboratory door, his left arm was even wrapped in a thick bandage.
Seeing that Saine's injuries had worsened, Master Moxidu's yellowish eyes furrowed. "What happened?"
When he returned to Master Moxidu's laboratory, Saine did not actually feel very confident.
Black Magicians were generally brutal, and their unruly temperaments had made Saine worry more than once that Master Moxidu might throw him out the moment he saw him in this state.
After all, the Black Wizard Academy did not keep idlers. In Saine's current condition, he clearly could not help Master Moxidu with any magical experiments.
Still, Saine had come in the end, gritting his teeth. Master Moxidu was his greatest pillar of support for establishing himself in the Black Wizard Academy.
As for his girlfriend Lina, all she had to rely on was her newly acknowledged mentor, Feilunna.
Among apprentices, Lina might be able to protect Saine.
But if Formal Black Wizards were involved, only Master Moxidu before him could settle things for him.
Saine had not forgotten Vice-Dean Dadalong's expression when he heard Master Moxidu's name.
Perhaps Master Moxidu was not as strong as Dadalong, nor did he wield authority anywhere near that of a Vice Dean, but he definitely possessed something that could make even Vice-Dean Dadalong take notice.
Saine had been released from the dungeon entirely out of consideration for Master Moxidu's standing.
Facing Master Moxidu's seemingly sinister face, Saine followed him into the laboratory and forced himself to explain everything that had happened over the past few days.
From his battle with the low-level apprentice Yierke, to the conflict with Scarface Qiao Ke and others on Black Street the next day, to his later imprisonment in the dungeon and the rebuke from Vice-Dean Dadalong.
Saine held nothing back, not daring to conceal even the slightest detail.
After all, he had remained safe until now only by relying on Master Moxidu's name.
Including
the greatest weapon in both of his battles—the Advanced magical equipment personally bestowed by Master Moxidu, the Strong Acid Scepter.
After listening to Saine's account, Master Moxidu suddenly burst into hearty laughter after a moment.
"Not bad, not bad. You're far better than those two unlucky Senior Brothers of yours."
"They were too weak and were killed by outsiders. But you, boy—you killed someone of the same rank first, then killed an Intermediate Apprentice across ranks?"
"Though you mainly relied on the Strong Acid Scepter I gave you, this courage and ability to react in battle are truly not bad!" Master Moxidu praised.
Not only did Master Moxidu not rebuke Saine for the "great disaster" he had caused, he actually praised him?
Sure enough, the temperaments of Black Magicians could not be judged by common sense!
Master Moxidu's praise also let Saine know that although he was Master Moxidu's fifth disciple, he actually had only one Senior Brother and one Senior Sister above him.
As for the other two Senior Brothers, they had already met unfortunate ends.
There were now only three disciples in Master Moxidu's branch.
"Alright. Since your injuries are too severe for you to conduct experiments with me, spend the next period studying the two Magic Notebooks I gave you."
"And your Meditation Method should be changed as well. This is our branch's Initial Meditation Method." Master Moxidu waved his hand, and two parchment scrolls covered in notes and a small Crystal Ball appeared before Saine.
The two rather thick parchment scrolls were titled respectively: "Introduction to Alchemy" and "Basic Knowledge of Fire Element."
This was knowledge Master Moxidu taught in the Black Wizard Academy's Public Classroom. But unlike the rigid and lifeless classroom material, these two parchment scrolls before him were filled with magical notes personally written by Master Moxidu.
These notes were the true essence of the two parchment scrolls, helping Saine gain a quicker grasp of the relevant knowledge.
As for the Crystal Ball, which was slightly smaller than a palm, it was a little trinket casually refined by Master Moxidu. It stored a precious Meditation Method within.
After handing the three items to Saine, Master Moxidu shook his head and walked toward a room deep within the laboratory. He was going to continue his experiments.
At Master Moxidu's instruction, Saine headed for a side room in the laboratory, where he would begin his study of knowledge and inheritance of magic.
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