High Tower

Before long, Wizard Towers began appearing outside the window. They had arrived at Shadowmoon Tower Academy!

Figures hurried about at the gates. Many apprentices wore exhausted expressions, their clothes stained with dust or blood. They were apprentices returning to turn in their missions.

After entering, Ian's eyes were filled with curiosity. This was his "first" time visiting a wizard academy.

The stone walls lining both corridors still gave off a bleak, cold glow.

The Public Lecture Hall was always packed with apprentices listening attentively, their hands rapidly recording the obscure material.

Even the air around the Potion Classroom was thick with a mingled, pungent scent of bitterness and spice.

Ian quietly observed his surroundings as he walked. Turning onto a path he remembered, he arrived at the Administration Building where apprentice promotions were processed.

At that moment, six or seven doors along the front of the long Administration Building stood open, with many apprentices waiting outside.

Ian chose a familiar window and quietly joined the line. Half an hour later, it was Ian's turn.

Just as he was about to enter, a shriek rang out above his head, piercing and grating, as if someone had deliberately pinched their throat.

"Kid, what are you doing here?"

Ian looked up to see a Raven half the height of a man hovering above him.

The Raven spoke Tua language. Tua meant pursuing knowledge and exploring truth, and it was the most widely used language in the Wizarding World.

Its two pitch-black eyes were currently glaring at him.

Ian understood the look in the Raven's eyes. It was asking for a bribe!

There wasn't any of this when I enrolled!

Ian reached into his clothes and handed something over.

A gleaming magic stone lay in his palm.

"Caw caw! Not bad, kid. I permit you to address me as Lord Umar. Now, you may ask a few insignificant questions."

After Umar picked up the magic stone and swallowed it in one gulp, its attitude immediately took a sharp turn.

Ian knew that it was the familiar of Formal Wizard Luca Marino. He could not afford to offend it.

"Lord Umar, what mood is Wizard Luca in today?"

"Luca's mood is so-so today. That counts as good news."

Umar shook its head, then suddenly paused and tilted it at Ian.

"Caw caw, I remember you. You came to the Academy two years ago. There was a genius with exceptional talent in your class, someone named Elena."

"Lord Umar truly has an excellent memory. I wonder how Elena is doing now?"

"She broke through to Advanced Apprentice a year ago! In the past hundred years, she is High Tower's greatest hope..."

Umar suddenly stopped and did not continue.

Ian asked a few more questions, but seeing Umar grow increasingly impatient, he did not press further.

The light abruptly dimmed after he entered the hall. Ian saw a man seated behind a desk ahead.

"Greetings, Wizard Luca." Ian hurriedly lowered his head in salute.

"What business do you have?"

Wizard Luca's voice was even more grating than Umar's.

It sounded like the sharp edges of two panes of glass grinding violently against each other.

"This student recently broke through to Intermediate Apprentice and has come to apply for registration."

"Mm." Luca took a Compass from the desk drawer.

"Place your hand on it."

Ian stepped forward and did as instructed. A gentle light shone from the Compass.

"That will do. Verification passed." After Luca put away the Compass, he took out a sheet of parchment.

"Sign here. Also, do your best to break through to Advanced Apprentice within ten years. Work hard, kid."

"Thank you for your guidance, Wizard Luca."

As Ian signed, he carefully read the contents of the parchment.

It listed some free benefits after promotion, as well as the opening of certain mission permissions.

He had previously only been a Low-Level Apprentice and had not even been qualified to accept many of the most basic missions within High Tower.

"You may also learn one low-tier intermediate spell for free." Luca handed him a Spell Catalog.

Ian carefully accepted it and quickly looked through the catalog.

[Repulsion]

[Flash]

[Energy Missile]

[Acid Splash]

Ian weighed his options over and over before finally choosing a spell.

"Wizard Luca, I choose this spell."

Wizard Luca glanced at it without surprise.

After rummaging through the drawer for a while, he took out an Inheritance Crystal Ball and handed it over.

Ian accepted it. He had used one of these before when learning Wizard's Hand.

His mental power lightly covered the crystal ball, and soon, a great deal of information flowed into his mind.

After the information transfer ended, Ian once again saluted Wizard Luca.

"Thank you, Wizard Luca!"

With that, the entire process was complete. Luca waved him away.

After Ian came out, Umar was already gone, probably off somewhere to extort magic stones again.

Ian decided to first visit the mission area in the square.

After turning several corners, he arrived at the mission distribution area, where a broad Crystal Screen stood in the center.

Yes, there was a Crystal Screen here too. It resembled the GG screens from his previous life, but they were entirely different things.

At that moment, many apprentices crowded beneath the screen to accept missions, along with quite a few figures in red.

They stared wide-eyed at the missions constantly refreshing across the screen.

Ian found it quite novel and moved closer.

[Clear Dust Bugs from the old library. Fixed reward: 35 magic stone fragments per day]

[Maintain the underground water-source filtration runes. Reward: Depends on the circumstances]

[Test subject for an improved Tranquility Potion formula. Reward: 5 magic stones per dose]

[Purchasing the heart cores of Wood Spirit Beasts. Reward: 10 magic stones per heart]

[Recruiting for ruin exploration. Requires at least Intermediate Apprentice rank and more than two offensive spells. Reward: Resources obtained will be distributed according to ability]

Ian watched as the high-paying missions were accepted almost immediately and vanished.

Even their names made them seem extremely dangerous, yet they were still snatched up in no time.

Suddenly, pained cries and curses rose from the crowd behind him before everyone quickly fell silent.

"It's Nolan Monroe of the Nightshadow Society. He has superior dark-element talent, a true genius!"

"Why is he so crude and rude? No one even provoked him..."

"Most people from the Nightshadow Society act like this. I think one day they'll..."

"Shh! He's an Advanced Apprentice. Don't bring trouble upon yourself."

Nolan coldly swept his gaze over the crowd, and the surroundings immediately fell silent.

He snorted and continued looking at the screen. In truth, he already had more missions than he could finish.

He had come here to wait for his younger brother, while also seeing whether there were any missions worth taking.

Ian quietly sized Nolan up as well. The man was indeed quite handsome.

His golden-red hair was tied behind his head, his nose bridge was high, and his well-fitting red robe accentuated his tall, well-proportioned frame.

Only his gaze was somewhat sinister. Together with his thin lips, it gave him an overall aura of cold ruthlessness.

Ian watched the missions refresh and disappear, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.

Some of the missions interested even him greatly.

Among them was a recruitment mission with exceptionally generous compensation, one that only Potion Masters could accept.

The employer's compensation was not a fixed daily or monthly wage, but a partnership based on sharing the profits after the potions were sold.

Moreover, the recruiter promised to provide various potion formulas at low prices.

He remembered the spell mark on that mission. It had been a green leaf.

After leaving the mission center, Ian headed to the Library.

He planned to spend more time at High Tower. Besides attending all kinds of specialized classes, he also needed to read more books and learn as much as possible about this world.

The original owner's memories were highly unreliable and could only be corrected bit by bit.

Arriving at the Library's free section, he selected more than a dozen books, carried them to a corner, and began reading.

[Structure of the Annoria Continent]

[Unspoken Rules of Wizard Society]

Wizard Hierarchy and Apprentice Code

Guide to Wizard Economics and Trade