Xishui Town (Please follow!)

"I see."

Upon hearing the name "Xishui Town," a hypothesis formed in Jiang Yuan's mind.

The Fire Spirit Seed was in Xishui Town. Could she be executing the mission related to it?

Modu was not far from Hangzhou; perhaps he should go over and confirm.

But what excuse could he use to go? He couldn't exactly say he was going for a Fire Spirit Seed, could he? Maybe just say he was going for a trip?

Just as he was thinking, Tang Yue's voice came through again:

"I heard from your classmates that you were going to Pearl Institute in Modu for further studies. Where are you now?"

"Actually, I've already enrolled. I'm at Pearl Institute right now," Jiang Yuan answered truthfully.

"Haha, that's great. Modu isn't far from Hangzhou. Would you like to come visit your teacher for a few days? It would be a good chance for me to put you through some training," Tang Yue invited him warmly.

He had been worrying about how to get there, and now Tang Yue had invited him herself. It was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.

"Alright, teacher. I would be honored to accept. I'll set off right now," Jiang Yuan agreed without hesitation.

If he left now, he would arrive by the afternoon.

Xishui Town, Hangzhou.

The town was a fairly famous scenic spot in Hangzhou, but due to the recent depletion of water sources, few people came to visit.

As soon as Jiang Yuan arrived in Xishui Town, the dry air choked him, and he immediately bought a bottle of water at a nearby convenience store and drank it down.

Looking around while drinking, he saw cracked earth everywhere. The moisture in the air seemed to have been evaporated, making the environment feel extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan understood immediately.

The Fire Spirit Seed in Xishui Town had not been taken yet.

Thinking this, Jiang Yuan followed the address Tang Yue had given him and found a place called "Youjian Inn" among the various guesthouses in the town.

Upon learning of his arrival, Tang Yue came out to greet him with a smile.

Her eyes, clear as autumn water, fixed on Jiang Yuan: "Welcome to Hangzhou."

"Teacher is as young and beautiful as ever. You will surely be an outstanding mage in this country in the future," Jiang Yuan complimented.

Tang Yue laughed in response: "I'm only a few years older than you; it's normal to be young. Speaking of magic, I heard from Xu Zhaoting that you've already advanced to an Intermediate Mage?"

"Becoming an Intermediate Mage at your age makes you an absolute prodigy among all the major factions. Perhaps you'll even participate in the National Prefecture War in the future and bring glory to the country."

Jiang Yuan didn't remember telling Xu Zhaoting that he had advanced to an Intermediate Mage; only Mo Fan had seen it with his own eyes.

Tang Yue seemed to see his confusion and said: "During the Bocheng Disaster, you took down over twenty One-eyed Magic Wolves and two Three-eyed Magic Wolves all by yourself. Your teacher knows, you know."

It was no wonder she knew; after all, so many students had witnessed it.

It was just that the record was too shocking. It was one thing for an Intermediate Mage to handle twenty One-eyed Magic Wolves, but those two Warrior-level Three-eyed Magic Wolves were truly extraordinary.

Tang Yue was very curious about how Jiang Yuan had managed to take down so many monsters alone.

But she didn't ask, nor did she intend to pry.

He was her student, not a criminal; why ask so many questions?

As long as he wasn't doing anything bad, that was enough.

Jiang Yuan never acted arrogant or overbearing just because he was a mage, and he often helped his classmates.

One had to know that many mages were simply scum, even worse than scum; sometimes even the Black Vatican seemed more human than those mages.

Someone like Jiang Yuan, who used his power to protect his classmates and keep those around him from falling into danger—who wouldn't praise him?

Although Tang Yue didn't intend to ask, Jiang Yuan didn't plan to hide too much either, so he simply told her about his innate talent for the Water element.

It was practically semi-public knowledge anyway; as long as he didn't reveal the secret that he had an innate talent for every element, it was no big deal.

"So that's how it is. Your innate talent allows you to use Ice element magic, and with even greater power."

Tang Yue sighed in amazement.

Innate talents were rare and hard to come by; her student's future was truly limitless!

"You know about the Judgment Society of the Magic Association, right?" Tang Yue asked suddenly.

Jiang Yuan nodded: "I've read about it in books. It's a law enforcement department specifically established to capture mages who violate the laws and regulations issued by the Magic Association."

"Actually, I am a member of the Judgment Society. I became a teacher at Tianlan High School to carry out a mission. In fact, the Bocheng Disaster wasn't a natural disaster; it was man-made."

Tang Yue began to recount the story of the Black Vatican in Bocheng.

Jiang Yuan made appropriate expressions in response, though internally he thought back to the Bocheng Disaster from the original timeline.

The Judgment Society was truly too foolish. They knew the Black Vatican had a plan for Bocheng, and that the Red Cardinal Salang was involved, yet they only sent a handful of judges.

Their strength was also terrifyingly low.

He didn't know what kind of nonsense the Judgment Society had fed Tang Yue, or if his beautiful, sexy, and charming teacher was just too dim-witted.

She actually thought she could hold off Salang.

Jiang Yuan's gaze toward Tang Yue became a bit strange, but Tang Yue didn't notice and continued her story.

"...Sigh, if only they had sent more reinforcements, so many people in the Military Department wouldn't have died." Tang Yue let out a long sigh, her expression looking somewhat lonely.

She remembered the military mages who were swallowed by the beast tide outside the city walls that day.

And that thunderbolt that pierced the heavens and illuminated the rainy night.

It must have been a powerful lightning mage who intervened; otherwise, the losses would have been even greater.

"If you can become a powerful mage like that lightning mage, you will surely be able to protect the land and its people in the future, and you might even find a girl more beautiful than your teacher to be your wife," Tang Yue said.

He had to be humble at a time like this.

Jiang Yuan smiled: "Becoming a powerful mage is still a long way off. As for finding a wife, if I could find someone as beautiful as you, teacher, I would be very satisfied."

Tang Yue gave Jiang Yuan a flirtatious look: "Finding a wife is fine, but you can't pick your teacher. Ethics don't allow it."

Jiang Yuan: "?"

Had Tang Yue misunderstood something? Was his statement really that ambiguous?

Jiang Yuan recalled what he had just said and realized there was indeed a tiny, tiny bit of ambiguity.

But he asked himself, he really didn't mean it that way.

Jiang Yuan couldn't explain himself, and he couldn't refute it now, or it would make Tang Yue look like she was being overly sentimental.

That would be so embarrassing.

He could only change the subject: "Teacher, I feel like something is wrong with Xishui Town. It's too dry. This place shouldn't be like this, right?"

"Your observation is quite keen. This town does indeed have a problem. I've been investigating everywhere for some time now; the drought here is extremely unusual," Tang Yue said, her expression turning serious.

"Is it monsters, or...?" Jiang Yuan asked, knowing the answer.

"I don't know. You'll have to come with me for a thorough field investigation, but I suspect there are human factors involved. I've already locked onto one person, but my identity is sensitive and easily detected. I need you to track them for me."

Jiang Yuan nodded: "Alright."

Tang Yue was a bit surprised: "Aren't you going to ask if it's dangerous?"

"I trust you!" Jiang Yuan said without batting an eye.

To be honest, Tang Yue wasn't even as strong as he was.

If he hadn't already been certain about who was plotting for the Fire Spirit Seed, he wouldn't have waded into these muddy waters so easily.