As his knowledge steadily accumulated, Lynn's Analysis function grew increasingly powerful.
Several minor unresolved nodes he had secretly noted in the laboratory became clearer and clearer.
He had even identified the problems with two of them and been given the optimal direction for solving them.
One morning, Lynn returned to the laboratory.
He silently tidied up the lab and placed several bone plates, arranged according to specific correlations, beside Gregor's hand.
Gregor merely gave an impatient snort.
Clearly, Lynn's "attentive" performance over this period had not satisfied Gregor.
He had taken Lynn in because of his claim that he could "provide some unusual perspectives and verify the feasibility of certain ideas."
But Lynn's recent performance had been mediocre, with nothing remarkable about it.
If all he did was tidy the room, Wraith servants would have been enough. Why would he need this eyesore?
Lynn understood what Gregor was dissatisfied with. The old man had really taken his words back then to heart.
Pretending not to understand the meaning behind that cold snort, he casually pointed at two energy circuit nodes on the bone plate that had been tangled for a long time.
"Mentor, the energy dissipation rates of these two nodes seem impossible to balance. If we tried introducing a reversed Soul Prism to redirect them instead of forcibly constraining them, would that..."
The moment he said this, Gregor abruptly stopped what he was doing.
He spun around and stared fixedly at Lynn, a sharp gleam erupting from his cloudy eyes.
"Reverse redirection? A Soul Prism? How did you think of that? Go on!"
Lynn's heart settled. The panel's Analysis really was reliable.
Based on the Optimization direction produced by the Analysis, combined with the foundational knowledge he had crammed from the library over the past few days, he voiced his "hypothesis."
As Gregor listened, his expression shifted from suspicion to astonishment, before finally sinking into deep thought.
He snatched up the bone plate, his fingers rapidly tracing over it as he muttered under his breath.
"Brilliant... brilliant! It may only be theoretically possible, and constructing a Soul Prism is itself a difficult problem, but the direction... the direction might be correct! At the very least, it offers a new line of thought!"
Gregor suddenly slapped his thigh, and the way he looked at Lynn changed completely.
He was no longer looking at a troublesome burden, but with the delighted surprise of someone who had discovered a treasure.
"Good, good, good! Kid... Lynn, was it?"
That question nearly broke Lynn's defenses.
Good grief, I've been serving you hand and foot for so many days, and you didn't even remember my name?
But Gregor's tone had grown much more enthusiastic.
"Your idea is very innovative. From now on, you can come to my laboratory whenever you wish and consult all the research materials here!"
"If you can truly provide help with this project, I won't treat you poorly. Based on your Contribution Points, I'll pay you in Contribution Points or Magic Stones!"
However, he soon sighed, his enthusiasm fading somewhat as that weary air returned.
"But as you can see, the Death Metamorphosis project has been ongoing for too long. The Academy gave up hope long ago, and the funding they allocate is pitifully small."
"I often have to take on assignments myself to subsidize the experiments, so... don't expect to get rich overnight."
"I understand, Mentor. I'm merely interested in knowledge itself," Lynn replied calmly.
What he valued was never short-term resources, but the vast body of knowledge he could access through this laboratory.
And... the enormous benefits he might gain from the Death Metamorphosis project in the future.
Gregor seemed afraid that insufficient rewards would make Lynn slack off, so he hurriedly promised to apply for a "research assistant" position for him, which came with a fixed monthly allowance of one hundred Contribution Points.
Lynn was quite satisfied with that.
One hundred Contribution Points was not much, but it was enough to cover his living expenses and let him eat a few good meals each month.
At present, he did not have much need for Contribution Points. If he needed Wizardry or knowledge, he could simply ask his mentor directly.
Now that the old man needed something from him, he would certainly do his best to satisfy Lynn.
In the future, he would no longer need to compete with other apprentices for those poorly paid assignments just to make a living. He could use the time he freed up to cultivate in peace.
If he could offer a few constructive suggestions, he might even earn a small fortune.
The next day, Lynn's application for the role of "research assistant" was approved. He received a set of white experimental robes and a silver badge engraved with a brain.
From then on, Lynn's life settled into a stable routine between three places.
Participating in research and studying in Gregor's laboratory, scouring the library in the Bone Vault, and meditating and resting in his dormitory in the Bone Lair.
Only occasionally did he attend a public class on the nature of negative energy, the classification of Undead creatures, or the principles of basic curses, enriching the panel's database.
His life as a Wizard Apprentice had officially gotten on track.
Just as Lynn immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge and the thrill of growing stronger, Mary came to his dormitory.
Seeing Kevin meditating like a door guardian outside the dormitory, Mary was somewhat puzzled but had no time to care about it.
She turned sideways and cautiously slipped past him.
Kevin watched Mary's petite figure pass by him. As she swayed, she inadvertently revealed her slender legs beneath her wizard robes.
They were actually covered in... black stockings?
Seeing Mary enter the dormitory and casually close the door behind her, Kevin could not help but mutter to himself.
Good grief, that kid really knows how to enjoy himself.
She even delivered herself to his door!
But... they're doing that inside while I'm listening outside?
Lynn's all skin and bones. He probably won't have any strength left after a few minutes.
Should I go in and give him a push? Maybe I can use the chance to get on Lynn's good side?
Leaving aside Kevin's absurd thoughts, Mary had already successfully met with Lynn.
She wore a somewhat shabby apprentice robe. Her complexion was paler than it had been on the ship, and she had gained many corrosive wounds. Her eyes carried a trace of ingratiation and unease.
"Lord Lynn, good evening..."
Her voice was weak, as though she found it difficult to speak.
Lynn emerged from meditation and frowned as he examined her.
This stupid woman had come looking like this, so she definitely wanted something from him.
"Go on. What do you want from me?"
Mary took a deep breath and muttered softly.
"I... I'm almost out of Contribution Points. My body has been badly eroded by negative energy, and I simply can't calm my mind enough to meditate."
"Could you... lend me a few Magic Stones? I want to buy some medicine to repair my body and some cultivation materials."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back later!"
Though the young woman acted as if she found it difficult to ask, she had actually been thinking about it for a long time.
Lynn had "extorted" quite a few Magic Stones on the ship. Mary had coveted them for ages and wanted to squeeze a few out of him to spend.
She had originally intended to bring it up if they "happened" to meet within the Academy, but Lynn's movements had been extremely regular lately. He rarely attended public classes, so the two had never run into each other.
After learning of Lynn's dormitory from others over the past two days, she had made her way here under the cover of night.
Lynn looked calmly at Mary, as if trying to see through her true nature.
He could sense the faint fluctuations of Mary's Mental Power. With that little talent, she did not even qualify as cannon fodder at Bone Spire.
"My Magic Stones have also been exhausted."
His voice did not rise or fall, as though he were merely stating a fact.
Even if he had enough Magic Stones, however, he would use them to accelerate his cultivation. There was no way he would waste them on a pointless investment.
Mary's face turned even paler. She bit her lip, tears glimmering in her eyes, then suddenly tore open her tattered wizard robe.
Inside was an extremely enticing sight, seemingly whispering Victoria's Secret and gleaming with a different kind of radiance beneath the cover of night.
Only the scattered corpse spots and the vicious wounds corroded by negative energy ruined the view.
Hmm... it gave off the distinct feeling of Crazy Baby from biohazard mode.
Before you continue