Bribery

"Kids these days really know how to stir up trouble."

"Who says otherwise? That little girl is rather interesting—she actually mastered Dark Element Magic. As I recall, in the City of Mozhsuobula, only that old witch knows that kind of magic now."

As Saine and Lina were both subdued by the Academy Supervisors, two streams of Mental Strength communicated with each other in the deepest part of Black Street.

Those who could communicate directly through Mental Strength had to be Formal Black Wizards.

It seemed the rumors were true. Behind certain merchants on Black Street, there were indeed traces of Formal Black Wizards.

But what was strange was that, with the methods of Formal Black Wizards, when Saine and Lina clashed with Scarface Qiao Ke and the others, these two powerful Black Wizards had possessed more than enough strength to stop it in time.

Yet from beginning to end, they had remained unmoved, merely watching it as though it were a good show.

This was partly because Black Magicians were cold and indifferent by nature. Since the fight had not spread to where these two Black Magicians were, they could not be bothered to meddle.

On the other hand, the City of Mozhsuobula had been peaceful for too long. The two Black Magicians were truly bored stiff and simply treated it as entertainment amid their tedious magical experiments.

"Eh? They weren't executed on the spot to make an example of them? Could those two little ones have some backing?"

"Look, that old witch has appeared. Sure enough, that little girl has some connection to her. But I never heard that she had taken in any apprentices." The two streams of Mental Strength continued their exchange.

But as more Academy Supervisors and Black Magicians of Formal rank or above arrived, this farce on Black Street finally came to an end.

"The impact was exceptionally vile!" In the gloomy dungeon, a middle-aged Black Magician in a black robe thundered furiously.

Saine and Lina had their hands and feet shackled by Wind Chains. However, the middle-aged Black Magician's primary target was not the two of them, but a fat old witch standing before him.

"Three Intermediate Apprentices dead, one Intermediate Apprentice severely wounded, and more than a dozen apprentices below the Low-Level injured. The losses inflicted upon Black Street are even harder to calculate. Apprentices who openly violate Academy rules like this ought to..." the middle-aged Black Magician pressed aggressively.

Not every Black Magician took a laissez-faire attitude toward apprentices. As a Black Wizard Academy, it ought to have corresponding rules, and that was precisely the purpose of the Academy Supervisors.

If the City of Mozhsuobula Black Magic Academy could not even maintain surface-level peace, then what kind of magic academy was it?

Just as the middle-aged Black Magician was about to sentence Saine and Lina to death, the fat old witch before him interrupted in a hoarse voice, "Vice-Dean Dadalong, it's only a few little pieces of trash who died. They outnumbered their opponents and still got three of their own killed. They only had themselves to blame."

"Our Black Wizard Academy has limited resources. Are we supposed to keep raising this pack of trash?"

"As for the losses caused to Black Street, however much Black Gold is needed as compensation, this old woman will pay it." The old witch cackled, utterly unconcerned about the three Intermediate Apprentices who had already died.

"This isn't a matter of compensating with Black Gold. The Dean has been in seclusion for many years. As Vice Dean, I ought to maintain the Academy's stability..." Before the middle-aged Black Magician named Dadalong could finish, his gaze was drawn to the Energy Crystal emitting a brilliant orange glow that the old witch had produced.

This truly was not a matter of compensating with Black Gold. But if it was a Level-1 Energy Crystal, then naturally the outcome was different.

Saine also had an Energy Crystal in his possession. It was Spoils of War he had seized from Old Ghost Yierke.

But compared to the one the old witch had taken out, Saine's Earth Element Energy Crystal was like the difference between mortal dust and bright starlight.

Because his knowledge system was still incomplete, Saine did not yet know that the Earth Element Energy Crystal in his hand was, at most, comparable to the crystal core of a low-level magical beast. The Level-1 Energy Crystal in the old witch's hand, meanwhile, was the true treasure.

It was worth the same as a Magic Core provided by a Level-1 creature—a Level-1 Magical Beast.

Level-1 creatures were likewise the minimum standard for Formal Black Wizards.

As one of the three Vice Deans of the Black Wizard Academy, Dadalong was a Second-Level Black Magician, stronger than an ordinary Level-1 Black Magician.

In the Wizard World, and even throughout the entire Star Realm, a difference of one level often represented a fundamental gap in the nature of life.

If he had been a normal Second-Level Magician walking beneath the sun, perhaps he would not have thought much of the Level-1 Energy Crystal before him.

But unfortunately, the Underdark lay deep underground and had long been impoverished. There were no worthwhile Energy Crystal veins here either, so a single Level-1 Energy Crystal was enough to make him open a back door.

After all, mages spent an enormous amount of money on experimental research. Unless they were major figures skilled in alchemy or potion-making and thus relatively well-off, other mages were not nearly as glamorous as outsiders imagined.

Was exchanging the lives of three Intermediate Apprentices for a Level-1 Energy Crystal worthwhile?

Of course it was!

As for the minor losses on Black Street, it was only that some shopfronts had been burned. Replacing them would not cost much Black Gold at all.

Vice-Dean Dadalong's reprimand completely fell silent after the old witch produced a Level-1 Energy Crystal.

The Black Magicians' indifference toward human life was displayed in full.

However, the one the old witch had saved was Lina. Saine had nothing to do with it.

Just as Vice-Dean Dadalong prepared to casually crush this mere low-level apprentice to death, Lina, bound by Wind Element shackles, spoke first. "Martial Aunt, please save Saine."

Martial Aunt?! This old witch was actually Lina's Martial Aunt!

That made sense. Lina had once had a mentor, but her mentor had died in an accident during an experiment. Lina herself had also suffered irreversible damage.

This old witch was actually Lina's mentor's fellow disciple. No wonder she had been willing to pay such a price to save Lina this time.

But the old witch's willingness to spend a precious Level-1 Energy Crystal to save Lina did not mean she was willing to pay a price to save Saine.

Vice-Dean Dadalong appeared upright and impartial, but bribing him without shedding some blood was impossible.

The old witch let out a sinister low laugh. "What, is he your little lover?"

"You're only apprentices, yet you're already drowning in dull affairs of love. I truly don't know how you advanced to Advanced Apprentice!" the old witch said coldly, clearly having no intention of rescuing Saine.

Faced with this situation, Saine could only save himself.

He hurriedly said, "I am Master Moxidu's fifth disciple. I have a Magic Medal as proof!"

Saine's words made Vice-Dean Dadalong and the old witch exchange a glance, both their faces showing a trace of astonishment.

"When did Moxidu take in another disciple?" A strange sound squeezed from the old witch's throat.

At the same time, a series of "Gugu" calls rang out. The sound came from one of the owls escorting Saine and Lina in this dungeon.