Seeking Guidance

Maeve changed into the robes of the Transmutation School and, with mixed feelings, knocked on the wooden door that had just been cleaned.

After a short wait, the wooden door creaked open and slid inward, revealing the white robe that had left a deep impression on Maeve.

Looking up from the white robe, one sees a beautiful face with a smile, golden eyes staring intently at him, then the pupils move slightly downwards.

"It's you... Maeve... May I ask what's wrong?"

Fran looked puzzled; she couldn't understand why the other person would come here at this time, as they shouldn't have.

Even if she did come, she should have come with Count Ian, not Maeve alone.

Maeve raised her hand slightly, then lowered it again, her other hand gently twisting her robe as she spoke hesitantly.

"Um... Mage Lai, I've come to ask you about Transmutation Surgery. Do you have some time?"

Maeve blinked, her pupils scanning Fran's entire body, trying to find some clues.

Fran paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Of course, no problem, Mage Maeve. I would also like to discuss these topics with another mage, since this is a very important channel for studying magic, isn't it?"

Fran took a step back, then stepped aside to the door, making way for Maeve to enter.

"Come in and tell me, I'll see if I can solve your problem."

Maeve stepped out and entered Fran's room.

This was a room Finley had specially prepared to properly entertain Fran, the mage who had come from the Alliance.

The house originally belonged to a nobleman who had taken the wrong side in the war. He mistakenly believed that the Antir royal family would win, so when Duke Theodore attacked, he stood up and raised his flag in opposition.

But the result was obvious: he was beheaded on the spot by Duke Theodore's knights for leading the charge, while the other nobles were spared only by paying ransoms.

The house was quite dirty and messy when the 'remains' were being cleared out.

Finley had the house cleaned beforehand to prepare it for Fran.

Maeve looked up and saw an unknown family crest hanging on the wall of the room. The edges had been removed, and it was almost unrecognizable.

Below were three rows of beautifully decorated windows, and Maeve could even see the slightly blurred reliefs on the windows with missing corners.

The soft, Dark Red curtains were tucked away on both sides, and faint dark stains could be seen below them, suggesting that the cleaning staff hadn't had time to wash them properly.

Although the room had been cleaned and tidied, traces of the intense conflict that had occurred there were still visible.

However, Maeve didn't really care about any of that. She shifted her gaze to the long wooden table that seemed out of place with its surroundings.

The table was large enough for ten people to sit comfortably around and discuss matters.

The tabletop is flat and appears to have been carefully repaired, but some noticeable burrs can be seen on the vertical surfaces of the table legs.

The wood used for this table is noticeably different from the other wooden items in the room; it has a yellowish hue.

What caught Maeve's attention even more were some Small Component of various shapes on the table, the purpose of which she had no idea.

This puzzled Maeve greatly. She knew Fran claimed to be a mage of the Transmutation School, so even if she wasn't, she should at least pretend to be one.

Even if Maeve herself didn't have a suitable container to hold those fragile internal organs, she would still use some Magic Creature body materials for research.

But Fran's decision to put some metal pieces on the table felt really strange to her.

Maeve stopped and ran her hand along the edge of the table, but didn't touch anything on it.

She turned around and said slowly:

"Um..." Maeve glanced at the things on the table again, but finally lowered her hand from there.

"Master Lai, I recently had a new organ installed. I'd like to ask how you usually use your Mental Power to activate it and make it work better."

Fran blinked, then said:

"It's very simple. The stronger your Mental Power, the stronger the effect of that organ will be."

"Ah?!"

Maeve hadn't expected such an answer; the question she asked was very open-ended.

At this point, a normal mage would answer with some tips on using Mental Power, such as slowly injecting Mental Power in batches, or how to wrap the Mental Power around and cover the entire organ.

Fran raised an eyebrow and then said:

"As long as your Mental Power is strong enough, any organ can produce 200% of its effect with the injection of a large amount of Mental Power. Am I wrong? Why are you so surprised?"

Maeve slightly raised her chin, concealing her surprised expression, and then slowly spoke.

"That's true, but who has that much Mental Power..."

Maeve strongly disagreed with Fran's answer, because a normal Transmutation School mage's Mental Power is mostly occupied by various organs.

Aside from the initial period after promotion, although they possessed a considerable amount of Mental Power, much of it was unusable. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly utilize large amounts of Mental Power for driving operations?

"I think you might have a misunderstanding. Using these kinds of Mental Power techniques can be useful, but there's absolutely no need to use them."

A smile appeared on Fran's lips, and then she spoke slowly.

"The second heart in your chest wasn't properly preserved during implantation, and it's been outside your body for too long, which is why this organ isn't performing well."

"The Vine Seed on your right elbow hasn't been regularly cared for and has been lacking nutrients for a long time..."

"These are all problems you encountered with your transplanted organs and their care. You can use your Mental Power to compensate for them, but it's unnecessary."

After Fran easily pointed out the problems with her organs, Maeve swallowed hard, wondering how Fran knew the specifics of her body.

"All of this can be remedied with external means, without needing to supplement it with any minor Mental Power techniques; that would be putting the cart before the horse..."

"Good..."

Maeve hadn't expected this. She had originally come to ask Fran a few questions, hoping that if Fran didn't answer well, it would confirm that Fran wasn't a mage from the Transmutation School.

But there's a reason why Fran specifically chose to impersonate a mage from the Transmutation School, rather than one from School.

When she saw Count Ian inside the White Flower Territory, she knew that her actions would likely be discovered by Duke Theodore from the very beginning.

Fran's goal is to control the entire Antir region, and she needs time to develop her power.

Even if she manages to defeat everyone single-handedly in the end, it's all for nothing if her subordinates can't control the Antir region. In fact, because the local forces have been scattered by her, the final reconquest will be much more difficult.

After all, if she had a group of reliable subordinates, she could have taken over their territories immediately after killing Duke Theodore, which would have been much faster.

However, if she had no men under her command when she killed Duke Theodore, those men might have already started their own factions, making it much more complicated for her to subdue them later.

Under these circumstances, she naturally didn't want Duke Theodore to cause her trouble.

Therefore, she directly revealed her identity as a mage of the Alliance, and specifically chose a mage of the Transmutation School, in order to have Maeve testify for her and strengthen the persuasiveness of her identity.

She could certainly call herself a mage of the Elemental School or a certain School, but a mage of the Transmutation School would be most useful here.

Because she also knew that the Transmutation School was cooperating with Duke Theodore, even though she did not represent the Transmutation School, her status would still make them think twice.

"Still don't understand? Let me continue to explain how to optimize these organs in your body."

"..."

Maeve was completely bewildered as she listened to Fran's numerous suggestions about improving her own organs.

While Fran's own Transmutation Studies are only at the proficient level, it's clear that Maeve's own Transmutation Studies aren't very good either.

This is all because Maeve hasn't even joined the academy yet, so she naturally can't learn much advanced knowledge. She doesn't have any background, and she's not very skilled in surgical practice either.

Fran not only possesses mastery-level Transmutation Studies, but is also a member of the Northern Lands Society.

Although the Northern Lands Society is not a society dedicated to the study of Transmutation Studies, it still has some materials. In addition, a lot of Transmutation Studies materials have recently emerged within the Northern Lands Society, which makes her far superior to Maeve, who has not had much contact with it.

When Maeve heard these novel things, she felt dizzy and completely forgot her mission there.

As she walked back to her room, she was muttering something to herself.

"Before performing a heart transplant, it's crucial to ensure the viability of both the organ itself and the transplant recipient..."

Maeve pushed open her door, and an impatient voice came through.

"So? Is she a mage from the Transmutation School? If not, then things are much simpler..."

Count Ian can use the fact that this place has already cooperated with the Transmutation School to directly persuade Fran to back down, since it is extremely irrational for a mage to clash with other School.

but...

Maeve shook her head, temporarily suppressing those precious pieces of knowledge, and then faced Count Ian with a strange expression, saying...

"Then we'll have to wait for the person in charge over there to arrive."

"Huh? Didn't the person in charge say it was absolutely impossible for him to be a mage from the Transmutation School?"

Maeve continued.

"If she's not a mage of the Transmutation School, then neither am I."

"Ah?"

This is the strongest evidence Fran's knowledge provides for Maeve.

Maeve thought that if Fran wasn't considered a mage of the Transmutation School, then she might as well go find a wall and kill herself.