Opportunities Favor the Prepared

Click.

The first box was opened. It contained the boy who had been killed by the Wraith.

The crisp snap of the metal clasp sounded especially piercing in the deathly silent classroom.

The middle-aged Wizard, Lavia, fanned herself with her beloved folding fan, a hint of amusement at the corners of her lips.

Bolton, the long-faced Wizard, even put on a show and cast a wind spell over himself: [Filtering Shield].

Tylen slowly lifted the heavy leather cover.

There was no expected stench.

No nauseating smell of decay.

No miserable sight of flies buzzing everywhere.

Instead, a faint, cool fragrance wafted out, a blend of pine needles and mint. It was the scent of Tylen's breakthrough fragrance oil.

"Hmm?"

Lavia could no longer hold her breath. She cautiously inhaled, and a stunned expression appeared on her face.

The interior of the box was lined with a layer of soft, fine fur.

The boy who had met an untimely death lay quietly within, his hands folded over his chest. His expression was so peaceful that he looked as though he had merely fallen into a deep afternoon nap.

The mud-stained clothes he had originally worn had been replaced with a clean white robe, its buttons fastened neatly across his chest.

Through the opening in his robes, the claw wounds that should have been grotesquely torn open, deep enough to expose bone, had now been perfectly stitched shut with fine thread.

The stitching was as delicate as a work of art, and the wound edges had been treated until they were smooth and even.

This did not look like a corpse for an experiment. It looked more like a young master who had been prepared for burial by an embalming priest.

"This..."

Makley's tense shoulders instantly slumped, only to straighten sharply again a moment later.

Behind his crystal spectacles, he stared at the corpse in the box, his eyes full of disbelief.

Had Tylen, who was usually quiet and only ever said "Yes, sir," "All right," and "Sorry," really done this?

"The Soul Resurrection Formula has extremely high requirements for the integrity of the corpse, especially the preservation of its spirituality."

Tylen spoke at the right moment. His voice was not loud, but it carried respect and professionalism.

"This student used the Soul Gathering Ritual to prevent the corpse from decaying and its spirituality from dissipating."

"I remembered that you do not like the sight of blood, so after washing the corpse, I stitched up its wounds with needle and thread."

Bolton dispelled the Filtering Shield and stepped closer, as though inspecting a rare alchemical product.

"This stitching technique... must have taken quite a lot of time!" His words were admiring, but his eyes continued to scrutinize Tylen, searching for some other flaw.

Makley came back to himself and asked with a composed, appreciative smile, "Well done, Magnus. What about the other two?"

Tylen turned and walked toward the smaller wooden box.

"These are materials prepared for your Skeleton Summoning."

The moment the lid opened, a ghostly white gleam entered everyone's sight.

It was a perfect skeleton that had been completely stripped of flesh and treated through four rounds of acid washing.

Every bone was white as jade, their surfaces even carrying an ivory-like luster. There was not the slightest trace of fascia or grease left behind.

What shocked even Makley was that the skeleton had not simply been piled together in a heap.

Using hair-thin brass wire, Tylen had pre-linked the entire skeleton along the movement axes of its joints!

From the cervical vertebrae to the finger bones, every connecting point fit perfectly.

"To save you casting time, Mentor, this student pre-built a physical circuit for mana conduction with copper wire."

Tylen pointed at those exquisite copper-wire nodes, his tone humble as if he were discussing some insignificant matter.

"..."

The fat Wizard, who had remained silent until now, had shock glittering in his eyes.

Of course, they knew how much time and effort this would consume for an apprentice, and that it even required a certain degree of relevant technical skill.

Even though each of them had three Corpse Collector Apprentices, they had never had a corpse prepared to this extent!

"This... you really made this all in one night?"

At some point, Lavia's folding fan had closed. She looked at Tylen with deep suspicion and distrust.

This was absolutely not something a Corpse Collector Apprentice could accomplish.

Or had word of today's operation already leaked?

Were these all finished products prepared days in advance?

Removing flesh, acid washing, polishing, drilling, threading, assembly...

Was that really work an apprentice could finish in one night? Even a skilled alchemical puppet might not have been so efficient!

"Yes, my lord. The skeleton was collected the day before yesterday. The other two were collected yesterday."

Bolton, the long-faced Wizard, said in a strangely mocking tone, "You really are dedicated. I suppose you did not sleep at all yesterday to prepare these?"

Tylen gave a slight bow, his voice concise and calm. "Reporting, my lord, I slept."

The fat Wizard bent down, touched the jade-smooth skeleton, and asked, "Where did you learn these techniques?"

Tylen answered respectfully, "In reply, my lord, from Mentor's usual teachings."

"Mentor often tells me that a Wizard's rigor is not reflected only in spells, but also in respect for materials. I merely did my best to uphold Mentor's standards."

The flattery landed so naturally that it did not seem like flattery at all.

Makley froze.

When had he ever taught that? He usually had not even spared this Corpse Collector Apprentice more than a few glances!

But he was a smart man, and even more importantly, a vain one.

Seeing the shock, bewilderment, and even a trace of jealousy on the faces of the three people opposite him, the gloom in Makley's heart vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

It felt like being crushed at the card table all night, only to suddenly throw down an unbeatable hand in the final round.

Ahem.

Makley cleared his throat. His previously hunched back now straightened completely.

With his hands behind his back, he strode over to the box. He swept his gaze around with an expression that seemed critical but was actually flaunting, then gave a faint nod.

"Mm, not bad."

He turned toward his three stunned colleagues, a reserved yet arrogant smile curling at his lips.

"Please forgive the spectacle. My student's talent may be ordinary, but he makes up for it with diligence."

"I have indeed been somewhat strict with him in ordinary times. After all..."

Makley adjusted his glasses, a sharp glint flashing across the lenses. "After all, Cain Tower is a place that pursues truth."

"If one cannot even achieve perfection in basic material processing, how can one explore the mysteries of deeper knowledge?"

"I trust that your sudden inspection today will be enough to ensure that my relevant resource quota next month is supplied in full."

"After all, neither my apprentice nor I have ever wasted any resources."

Lavia put on a fake smile to cover her embarrassment.

She opened her mouth, intending to argue, but after looking at the two boxes of experimental corpses that were better than those she normally used, she could only squeeze out a dry remark in the end.

"Makley, you really have been hiding your talents well."

Bolton, meanwhile, gave Tylen, who stood in the shadows, a long, deep look. There was now more wariness in his eyes.

An apprentice capable of taking menial work to such extremes was definitely no simple character.

And Makley, who possessed such an apprentice, was probably not as harmless or detached from worldly matters as he appeared.

"Since there is no problem with the materials... then today's assistance inspection will end here."

The fat Wizard closed the notebook in his hands, and his tone became much more courteous.

"It seems Lord Makley's teaching progress has been going very smoothly. Regarding the resource quota, I will report truthfully to the Tower Master."

As a member of the Audit Department, he did not participate in the infighting between these Wizards. He only needed to keep records.

"No need to see you out."

Makley waved a hand indifferently, carrying himself like an eminent master.

Only after the backs of the three disappeared through the doorway and the heavy oak door closed again—

did the tense air in the classroom finally loosen at once.

Makley let out a long breath and turned to look at Tylen.

This time, there was no longer any of his usual disregard or coldness in his gaze. Yet amid the surprise and delight was a trace of confusion, and he could not help thinking to himself.

Has this kid been possessed by someone? How did he suddenly become so clever?

But his soul fluctuations are normal... There are no signs of soul parasitism at all.

After considering it for a moment, he spoke.

"Tylen."

Makley's voice was so gentle that it gave Tylen goosebumps.

"You... did very well. Extremely well."

He walked up to Tylen and, for the first time ever, even reached out and patted Tylen's dust-covered shoulder.

"Who taught you the idea of fixing it with copper wire?"

Tylen raised his head, his eyes clear and sincere.

"It came from observation and practice. My father was a blacksmith, so I learned some wiring techniques from a young age."

"I watched your hand movements several times when you cast spells and noticed that you consumed additional mana when constructing skeletal support points."

"So I thought that if physical means could share part of that burden, perhaps your experiments would proceed more smoothly."

"Not only would it make the skeleton more refined and orderly, it could also reduce your mental strain during instruction."

"You know as well that I do not have much time for class, so I used this clumsy method."

"Observation... what excellent observation! I appreciate students who are careful and hardworking."

The admiration in Makley's eyes deepened.

He could see that this lowly apprentice had truly become sharper through hardship and had learned how to please him.

As long as he had that mindset, he was worth cultivating.

Most importantly, this apprentice had just helped him preserve his dignity, as well as his crucial resource quota.

In this Wizard Tower, resources were status.

"It seems you have grown considerably over the past six months. I am very pleased."