A Sharp Sword on the Road to Growth

Hearing this,

Wayne sat upright and looked seriously at the Rose Marquis.

The Rose Marquis held up three fingers.

"There are three key points in total.

First, your wizard rank. While you are at the academy, work hard to absorb its resources.

Raise your own level.

The Imperial Capital is the center of the Empire, and the Central Academy is the center of that center. The resources available there are abundant enough. With your talent,

it will be easy enough!

This is the foundation.

Second, during this time, show your talent as much as possible.

Do not play the fool to catch the tiger.

Only by displaying enough talent can you gain enough followers.

Third, acquire as many sprites and dragons as possible."

After listening to those three key points, Wayne thought briefly before asking,

"Sister,

I understand the first point, but what do you mean by followers in the second?

And the third point—setting sprites aside for now, how could dragons possibly be so easy to acquire?

And why should I acquire as many as possible?"

Hearing these two questions, the Rose Marquis explained calmly,

"Lord wizards

are called the protagonists of this era because even after three thousand years of development,

even now,

although not a single Level Eight rule lord wizard has been born, they can still occupy an academy alone.

What is more,

the Elemental Wizard Academy and the Knight Wizard Academy must serve them.

That is the reason."

At this point, the Rose Marquis looked at Wayne.

"Having heard this much,

Little Wayne, you should have some idea now, right?"

Wayne nodded slightly.

"You mean elemental wizards and knights become followers of lord wizards,

right?"

As Wayne finished speaking, the Rose Marquis said proudly,

"Correct.

Even the Elemental Wizard Academy, which has produced a Level Eight rule existence, and the Knight Academy, which has produced a Level Eight rule knight,

must bow their heads

before the surging tide of the times.

Lord wizards are the protagonists of this era. You must display enough talent to win the allegiance of knights and wizards.

They will be the foundation of your territory,

or rather, your initial core.

Compared with followers recruited from outside, their talent is high enough, and they are loyal enough."

She paused.

"As for dragons and sprites, you can think of them as resources.

Sprites can cultivate magical plants in bulk,

while places inhabited by dragons

will produce magical crystals, mineral deposits, and so on alongside them.

Having a sprite or a dragon can help you gain more followers.

As for how to acquire them,

sprites are the easiest. In the twelfth year of study at the academy, an assessment will be arranged.

Those ranked first through third

will have the opportunity to obtain a sprite.

As for dragons,

after the assessment ends, there will be a trip to Dragon Continent,

a six-year course.

During that time, you may search Dragon Continent for a dragon willing to form a contract with you."

After listening to the Rose Marquis,

Wayne nodded slightly, his tone solemn.

"Sister, I understand."

The Rose Marquis nodded gently.

"Good, as long as you remember. Next, it is time to take you home.

Pack your things.

I will take you to live at Rose Manor and give you some investment as well.

In three days, I will lead the team to send you to the Imperial Capital."

After saying that,

Ice Dragon Ivy did not need the Rose Marquis to say anything more. She spread her wings and flew toward Xun Lie's residence.

A quarter of an hour later,

the dragon landed before the villa. The Rose Marquis brought Wayne down from the dragon's head,

where Butler Zobel had already been waiting at the entrance.

He bowed.

"Young Master, Marquis."

Wayne nodded slightly.

"Grandpa Zobel, rise. I awakened dual top-tier talents in spirit and elements.

I will soon head to the Imperial Capital to study.

I came back now to pack my things."

Zobel smiled. "The heavens have blessed us.

Congratulations, Young Master."

As he spoke, he stepped aside to let Wayne and the Rose Marquis enter.

As they walked inside,

after arranging a seat for the Rose Marquis, Wayne went to pack his things.

The Rose Marquis,

meanwhile, sat in the reclining chair Wayne often used and looked up at the sky.

Meanwhile,

in Wayne's room, Zobel watched Wayne pack his things.

Though calling it packing was less fitting

than calling it taking things,

because there were only three items in total. The first was the two spatial rings left behind by his parents.

What was inside them

was unknown to everyone, including Wayne himself. Without the corresponding bloodline and the extraordinary energy of an entry-level knight or wizard,

they naturally could not be opened.

As for having someone else force them open, heh, do not joke.

He still wanted to live a little longer.

Although this era was very safe, given how dangerous it was to obtain resources in the wilderness,

a child like him, powerless as a chicken,

seemed to be

a better target.

The last item was the academy graduation keepsake his father had left behind.

Once he had taken it,

Wayne turned to Zobel.

"Grandpa Zobel, I will be going to live at Rose Manor next,

then heading to the Imperial Capital to study in three days.

You now have two choices."

Seeing Zobel about to speak, Wayne raised a hand to stop him.

"Do not worry. Listen until I finish.

The first choice is to follow me to the Imperial Capital.

I will need someone to handle matters for me later.

As for money, do not worry. My father and mother left me enough money while they were alive.

The second choice:

this villa will be yours, for you to retire in. You can bring your family here.

This is the center of Rose Territory.

You know what that means."

Zobel froze slightly, then fell into thought.

Seeing this,

Wayne nodded slightly and spoke directly. "Then the villa is yours.

As for the ten thousand gold coins in monthly pension funds issued by Rose Territory, just give me ten purple gold coins.

Keep the rest

as your retirement money."

With that, he left Zobel's side. Zobel could only give a bitter smile.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea,

Zobel watched the soaring dragon and sighed softly.

"How decisive.

Enormous benefits always stir the heart, yet when I faced such enormous benefits,

I fell into indecision,

and thus lost an opportunity."

Elsewhere,

atop the dragon flying high in the sky, Wayne played with ten purple gold coins the size of a baby's fist.

At that moment,

a cool voice rang out.

"Little Wayne, I did not expect you to have such a decisive side."

Wayne's face darkened.

"Sister, why are you eavesdropping on people?"

"Hehe,

you cannot blame your sister for that. At my level, that little distance is no different

from speaking right into my ear."

Then she asked,

"I am more curious why you would act like this."

Faced with that question,

Wayne casually replied, "Isn't it normal?

If loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolute disloyalty.

The moment he hesitated,

he had already considered too much in his mind. Since he had not harbored any other thoughts these past two years,

I will let him retire."

Hearing this,

the Rose Marquis shook her head, though a trace of admiration appeared in her eyes.

"Your nature is certainly decisive. Although I do not think

that is the real reason,

it does not prevent me from seeing that you do not want familiar people to remain by your side."

But that wasn't wrong.

Keep it up. This decisiveness would become a sharp blade on your path to growth."

Hearing that,

Wayne said nothing. He merely glanced into the distance. Naturally, that wasn't the real reason.

The real reason was,

the slots of Infinite Slots would soon be put to use.

A butler who had been

by his side since childhood would be difficult to keep in the dark about all sorts of things. Since that was the case, it was better to cast him aside from the start.

Leave him sufficient compensation,

and there was no other emotion involved. When he returned here decades later, even if he encountered Zobel again,

that would be an opportunity gained over those decades,

not because he carried secrets.