Soul-Death Grass 2

"Senior Sophia really is beautiful." Anglie nodded in agreement.

"Then..." Adolf smiled.

"Father, wait!" Sophia suddenly interrupted him. "You're not thinking of having Anglie and me get engaged, are you?"

"What? You're unwilling?" Adolf's expression darkened.

"Anglie is quite good, but he isn't my type. So, Father, I'll make my own decisions about my affairs. I hope you won't interfere recklessly!" Sophia refused to back down.

"Your type? That bard who came running from Xilan? What use is a pretty face alone?" Adolf said heavily.

Sophia stubbornly met her father's gaze, with no intention of yielding in the slightest.

Anglie hurriedly stood up and said with a smile, "Since Senior has someone she likes, then, Mentor, I wonder if you would think poorly of a godson who came to your door of his own accord?"

Adolf's expression improved slightly, though he still gave a heavy snort. He no longer looked at his daughter, instead turning to Anglie. "Then from today onward, you are my, Adolf's, godson."

"I hope Mentor will take good care of my father and aunt." Anglie voluntarily voiced his request. This would also put his mentor more at ease. After all, with even his father and relatives under Adolf's care, it meant Anglie would absolutely not deny their arrangement in the future.

Only then did Adolf's expression return to normal. He turned and scolded his daughter, "Enough. Don't stay here. The sight of you irritates me."

Without a word, Sophia turned, opened the door, and walked out, slamming it shut with a bang. Then came the hurried sound of her footsteps descending the stairs.

Only then did Adolf nod. "I'll look after your father's side. Since that's settled, our relationship is decided." A smile reappeared on his face. He stood up, pulled open the desk drawer, and took out a small, exquisite box. The box was black and set with tiny rubies.

Anglie estimated that the box alone was probably worth about as much as the Soul-Death Grass.

"This box is made of agarwood. It can preserve the efficacy of medicinal herbs for a long time without dispersing. I'll give it to you as well." Adolf smiled. In truth, he did not find a relationship like godfather and godson particularly reliable. What truly reassured him was that Anglie's father and family were all within his jurisdiction. As long as he built up enough goodwill, Anglie would not abandon all his relatives. If he really did, then Adolf could only blame himself for judging a person poorly and accept his bad luck.

Originally, he had wanted Sophia and Anglie to become engaged, forming a closer relationship. But his daughter was unwilling. He had always doted on her deeply and did not wish to make her suffer for his own goals and selfish interests. He could only put on an extremely displeased appearance, mainly for Anglie to see.

"Even now, I am only a third-class apprentice. Becoming an official wizard is already impossible for me. But after finally finding you, Anglie, I hope you will go farther than I did." Adolf spoke solemnly and handed the box to Anglie.

"I will work hard." Anglie accepted the box and answered just as solemnly.

Both of them understood that this was merely an investment—an investment in Anglie's future potential. If he unfortunately died on the path ahead, Adolf naturally would no longer care for the Baron and the others. But if he truly achieved something, he would not forget Adolf, who had helped him in his most difficult time.

It was a gamble. A gamble on the future.

Holding the box, Anglie opened its lid gently. The fist-sized box resembled a jewelry case. With a snap, he saw a black three-leafed plant curled inside. It was exactly as described in the Wizard's Book, and it had even been dug up with its roots intact.

Gently closing the lid, Anglie became somewhat impatient to return and begin formal meditation.

"By the way, are you wearing something important around your neck?" Adolf suddenly asked, his gaze falling on Anglie's chest.

"You noticed?" Anglie smiled. At this point, he had nothing left to hide. The farther he could go, the better it would be for Adolf as well. Their interests were tied together, so there was no need to worry about unexpected complications.

He pulled out the emerald ring hanging from his chest, removed it gently, and handed it to Adolf.

Adolf took it and carefully turned it over in his hand. "It's an enchanted ring that has been used up and is close to breaking. Its place of origin is... Ramsoda University? I don't seem to have heard much about this university. It must be a distant wizard organization? With this, you'll have a chance to board the ship in a while." The smile on Adolf's face grew increasingly radiant. "With this token, you can use it as proof and be given priority admission to the wizard organization this ring belongs to. What excellent luck."

"I think being able to meet Mentor is what truly proves my good fortune." Anglie flattered him.

The two exchanged a glance and laughed at the same time.

Only after a moment did they stop. Anglie then asked, "But what do you mean by boarding a ship?"

"In half a month, a ship from a wizard organization transporting new blood will pass through the port. Our port also has some recommendation slots. I happen to have one slot I can recommend. Once you board the ship, you can directly reach an area where wizard organizations are concentrated. After entering an organization, you can receive higher-level education and training. This is an opportunity. I had originally planned to swallow my pride and pull some strings for you, but I didn't expect you to have an enchanted item. That saves me the trouble."

"Are all wizard organizations very far away?" Anglie asked doubtfully.

"Very far. All in extremely distant regions. Traveling by ship is only part of the journey; you'll still have to travel overland. It will probably take more than two months. This opportunity must not be missed. If you still want to go farther, you absolutely cannot let it pass." Adolf spoke seriously.

"I understand." Anglie nodded heavily. "Over these next half month, I'll explain things to my family and settle all sorts of matters."

"Good." Adolf smiled in satisfaction. "Those who accomplish great things cannot hesitate. Once you get there, you'll likely be away for a long time. Spend more time with your family lately. When you want to meet again later, it will be after a very long time."

"Mm. I understand." Anglie nodded.

"Also, there will probably be more than a hundred people recommended from our port this time. There are some things you need to watch out for after boarding the ship. Over these next half month, I'll explain them to you gradually."

"Then thank you, Mentor."

When Anglie left Mentor Adolf's house, the port's great clock was already striking ten.

Anglie left the villa, hailed a carriage, and headed straight for the academy. Tonight, while he still had time, he wanted to try meditating immediately.

After getting out of the carriage, he sprinted all the way back to his dormitory and shut the door.

Only then did Anglie take out the small box containing the Soul-Death Grass. He carefully checked that the door and windows were all locked, then began to calm his mind and adjust his state. After washing up, Anglie removed his shoes and socks, sat quietly on the bed, and began preparing according to the meditation method recorded in the book.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Anglie opened the small box and took out the Soul-Death Grass. He gently tore off a black leaf and placed it in his mouth. A bitter taste, faintly fishy and foul, spread from the leaf throughout his mouth. Anglie frowned, put the Soul-Death Grass back, closed the box, and set it aside. Only then did he begin meditating according to the steps in the book. In his mind, he imagined a continuous string of characters and symbols, all of which were recorded in the Wizard's Book. The book called these characters will runes.

An ordinary person could generally clearly imagine three to seven runes at once. Someone with wizard potential could imagine eight to twelve. By continuously imagining these characters and increasing their number, one could strengthen mental power.

The standard for becoming a first-class apprentice was being able to clearly meditate on twelve characters. This was the method for determining whether one's mental power had reached the required level. After reaching first-class apprentice, one could begin sensing energy—the various energies that existed everywhere in space. One would choose their priority direction of advancement based on the type they could sense most clearly.

Anglie sat on the bed with his eyes tightly shut. As time passed bit by bit, the noise outside the door gradually disappeared. All the students slowly began to rest.

When the crystal clock pointed to two in the morning.

A faint green glow suddenly appeared beneath Anglie's eyelids. At the same time, his eyelids twitched violently, as though he were having some nightmare. This phenomenon lasted for a full half hour.

Afterward, Anglie's face slowly began to turn gray. Then another half hour passed, and his complexion actually began to darken. A faint fishy stench gradually spread from his body.

Black, sweat-like liquid slowly began to seep from the skin of Anglie's exposed neck and hands. The black liquid was exceptionally viscous and gradually soaked through his clothes.

Suddenly, Anglie's eyes flew open. With a retch, he spat out a mouthful of black blood, splattering it across the floor. A strong fishy stench immediately filled the room. Anglie let out a long breath.

"I didn't expect the Soul-Death Grass, combined with meditation, to have a body-tempering effect as well. After spitting out that blood, I feel much lighter." Anglie's open eyes were bright with vitality. There was not the slightest sign of exhaustion or pain from vomiting blood. The leaf of Soul-Death Grass in his mouth had already melted away on its own and seeped in through the blood vessels beneath his tongue. "Zero, did you record the brainwave activity just now?"

"Recording complete. Integrated into the database." The chip responded.

"Display my current physical condition."

"Anglie Leo: Strength 2.9. Agility 4.1. Constitution 2.8. Currently at the genetic limit. Status: Healthy."

"My constitution actually increased by 0.3!" Anglie was delighted. His constitution had previously been only 2.5, and he had scanned it just a few days ago. He had not expected a single meditation session today to raise it by such a large margin of 0.3. One had to know that he had already reached his genetic limit, which meant this improvement had fundamentally changed his constitution at the genetic level.

"Meditation truly deserves to be called a wizard's training method!" A trace of anticipation rose within Anglie. This path could actually evolve life itself. It made him even more curious about the future.