It was a spring morning before dawn had fully broken. Dull thunder rumbled through the sky, followed by fine threads of rain. Yawning, Rosalyn Shien climbed out of bed and walked to the window. In the rain and mist, the distant outline of the Black Tower Ruins flickered in and out of sight like an ink-wash silhouette.
She firmly shut the window, making sure the cold, damp vapor could not seep in through the cracks. Then she washed up, went downstairs, and began preparing breakfast.
The clinking of spatula against pan soon blended into the sound of rain, along with the sizzling of eggs frying. After assembling fried eggs, bread slices, bacon, and vegetables into two foods called "sandwiches," she placed one on a plate with a glass of water, then hurried up to the third floor and knocked on the door.
"Witch Sister, I brought your breakfast."
"Mmm... come in..."
After quickly receiving permission, she opened the door and entered. The peerless Witch Sister was hugging a soft pillow and lying on her side in bed, looking completely awake, her beautiful silver hair a tangled mess.
Without saying anything special, she carefully placed the tray on the bedside table, then quietly backed out and closed the door.
This was one of the ways she had found to give back: participating in the manor's daily life as much as possible. It was less than one ten-thousandth of what Witch Sister had given her, but as long as she could contribute something, her heart would feel a little more at peace.
And it had to be said that ever since she received the Meditation Method from Witch Sister last summer, both her diligent cultivation and life at the manor had undergone earth-shaking changes.
First, last autumn, the Witch reclaimed a patch of land in a nearby city park to grow wheat, even using magic to speed up its growth. That was why bread had recently appeared on the manor's menu. At the end of winter, the Witch set up greenhouses within the manor and planted vegetables, completing the ingredients with lettuce. Finally, the Witch herself handled the hunting while Rosaline collected bird eggs. Only then did they gather the four main components needed for sandwiches, allowing Rosaline to taste this new dish.
Two days ago, the Witch announced that she had developed something called an "Electric Net," which would soon catch all the little thieves that came to steal vegetables. Rosaline unconditionally supported every action the Witch took, but she could not help worrying about those little deer and rabbits.
Please stay far away from here... she prayed weakly.
Perhaps because life was too comfortable, the Witch's routine was very unstable. She often slept until noon, completely unlike Rosaline, who had been used to a regular schedule since childhood.
Today was relatively normal, though. After eating a sandwich in the morning, the Witch curled up in bed for a while longer before coming downstairs. A heavy drowsiness still lingered between her brows, but it did nothing to diminish her charm. Instead, it gave her a different sort of languid allure.
The moment Rosaline, who had been meditating beside the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor, noticed her coming downstairs, she immediately opened her eyes and looked nervous.
The Witch tilted her head, a trace of confusion appearing in her eyes.
"Witch Sister, you said you were going to give me my first test today..." Seeing that she seemed to have genuinely forgotten, Rosaline hurriedly reminded her.
In the trial the Witch had promised, the only measure of judgment was the yearly growth of Mana Points. Though only half a year had passed since Rosaline began cultivating last summer, there would still be a small test so she could better understand her own condition.
"Mmm... I remember now." The Witch's expression returned to calm as she walked over to Rosaline. "Come, give me your hand."
Of course, testing magic could reveal the result through self-testing, but only an external test personally conducted by Ivette could prevent someone from falsely reporting their score.
Rosaline immediately grew nervous, her heart rising into her throat. She did not know what result counted as passing, but she clearly remembered the Witch emphasizing that if her performance was poor, then no matter how close they became in the future, the Witch would not accept her as a disciple.
For a reclusive powerhouse with countless legendary experiences, that obviously could not have been an empty threat. Over the hundreds of years of her long life, she must have encountered countless gifted young talents of every kind. Compared with those people from the past, Rosaline was neither special nor deserving of extra pity.
Then the spell activated, and judgment began.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Once the answer should have been decided, she slightly raised her face and carefully watched the Witch's expression. Yet the Witch's face showed neither joy nor sorrow. No emotion could be seen in those dark crimson eyes; they were so still that it was frightening.
It's over... Rosaline's heart sank to the bottom, and she nearly burst into tears.
But at that moment, the Witch suddenly spoke. "In a little while, I'll arrange a casting ring for you. That will be your reward for passing the test, so you can start preparing yourself."
"A casting ring?" Rosaline froze for a moment, then immediately asked in delight, "I passed this test?"
Ivette gave a quiet affirmative.
Although her expression remained as calm as ever, when she had just seen that Rosaline's Mana Points were "6," the sky had practically fallen.
Back when she first encountered the Meditation Method, she had cultivated bitterly for an entire year at the Abyss Base just to gain a little over two points!
And now Rosaline had exceeded 6 points in only half a year. That meant 12 points in a year! Give her sixty years, and would she not overtake her teacher on the inside track? What kind of ultimate genius was this? Ivette would feel bad if she did not take her as a disciple!
Still, their lifespans were different, so they were not truly comparable... But no matter what, Rosaline's talent was more than enough to crush ordinary people from Origin Star... Wait, could this talent simply be because people in the two worlds had different constitutions?
At that thought, Ivette felt that she had found an anchor point.
According to Rosaline's descriptions, the Radiant Continent had many epic myths, as well as naturally powerful super-creatures such as dragons. Did that mean it was a medium-magic or high-magic world? Perhaps people in such a world were born with a higher rune density, which produced a stronger Rune Siphon Effect?
The possibility was very high...
A moment later, under Rosaline's expectant gaze, Ivette brought down a ring-shaped Magic Guide Terminal from upstairs.
This was not her Furnace Ring X3, which still had forty-four thousand units of space remaining, but a Sky Ring y2 she had recently scavenged from the ruins, with eighty thousand units of rune capacity remaining.
"After a while, I'll input some high-spec magic into it. When the time comes, you'll only need to connect with the ring using your thoughts to cast them instantly," Ivette said. "That way, even if I'm not by your side, you'll have some ability to protect yourself."
"Thank you, Sister!" Though Rosaline was excited, she restrained herself and bowed respectfully.
Then she realized something else and hesitantly asked, "But I've only been cultivating for a short time. Can my mana... really be enough to use magic?"
"If I say you can, then you can." Ivette pulled out a chair and sat down, her gaze softening. "Do you want to know why?"
"Yes!" Rosaline nodded vigorously.
"First, we need to talk about the two forms of mana. One is the Internal Mana within your body, and the other is External Mana... The core of rune design is using Internal Mana to control External Mana, achieving the effect of moving a thousand pounds with four ounces... As long as a Rune Array is precise enough and has no flaws, nothing is impossible... Though sometimes, you shouldn't pursue perfection too excessively. If a Rune Array can operate normally, don't touch it..."
As a top Rune Compiler—or rather, a rune artist—who had studied rune design at the Abyss Base for nearly three hundred years, this was Ivette's first time so openly sharing her experience and understanding with someone else. Though it was merely "basic knowledge" in her eyes, she still ended up talking for several hours without noticing.
Only when the sunlight gradually dimmed did she belatedly realize that neither of them had eaten lunch yet.
But when she looked at Rosaline, she found the little blonde's eyes sparkling. Rather than showing the slightest pain or confusion from having knowledge forcibly poured into her, Rosaline was filled with longing and anticipation.
"You understood all that?"
"I understood the first part. As for the latter part... I just thought it was amazing..." Rosaline scratched her head in embarrassment.
"Then how do you feel? If you find it difficult, there's no need to force yourself. I can teach you more than just this."
"No, no! This knowledge is more profound than any book I've ever read. It's difficult, but I really like it!" She gathered her courage. "Can I... can I learn this?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, Sister!"
"...Also, starting today, you don't need to call me Sister anymore." Ivette lowered her eyes.
"Huh?" Rosaline paused, then understood. Watching the Witch's expression, she cautiously tested the word. "...Teacher?"
Ivette gave a quiet affirmative and lightly nodded as she looked out the window.
The rain in the manor had already stopped.
Before you continue