Eight Magic Stones

The ultimate purpose of a laboratory was to improve one's abilities and reputation as a Wizard by completing a particular project.

During experiments, they all needed help to some extent, so they were never stingy about accepting capable students.

To the north was also the busiest wizard market of the Tower of Dawn.

North of the Tower of Dawn.

The three of them arrived here and curiously looked around.

This was Leo's first time leaving Esmond Lodge since arriving at the Tower of Dawn.

The streets of the Tower of Dawn gave Leo a strange feeling.

Quiet.

Especially quiet.

Though it was morning and there were pedestrians on the road, it was still especially quiet.

The passersby walked slowly and spoke to one another as if discussing something, but their voices were very soft.

Molly cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

Whenever someone looked her way, Molly quickly lowered her head, afraid of drawing their attention.

Molly said, "Danville, Chris, it's so quiet here."

Chris said, "I don't even dare speak. I feel like if I say anything, mine will be the only voice left."

Chris had a booming voice; people could hear him clearly even through a door.

And just as Chris had said, the moment he spoke, Leo realized that all the surrounding sounds had been drowned out.

Molly covered her mouth, amused, but she did not dare laugh aloud.

Just then, an explosion came from a building ahead.

The building shattered amid a violent crash.

Sand and stones thrown up by the explosion hurtled toward Leo and the others.

Leo stood closest to the flying debris.

Facing the sand and stones, Leo quickly cast the Basic Body Fortification Spell, then allowed the debris to strike him.

His fortified body possessed greater defensive power, making Leo's body seem like steel.

The sand and stones could not even leave a mark on it.

Molly and Chris, meanwhile, hurriedly dodged aside and were not injured by the debris.

Once the debris had passed, Leo patted his body, which had only been stained with dust. However, he frowned when he looked at his clothes and found several tears in them.

Leo then looked toward the source of the explosion.

Figures slowly emerged one after another.

They wore white robes.

Their white robes had been torn and blackened by the explosion, but they seemed entirely unaffected as they calmly discussed the matter.

"Looks like the proportion of white fruit was wrong."

"I told you we should have used less white fruit."

Leo watched them discuss matters amid the thick smoke without being affected by the explosion in the slightest, and his expression became somewhat strange.

Especially when he saw that the surrounding people were completely unsurprised and did not even turn around to look, his expression grew even stranger.

Looks like I need to get used to this world of Wizards as soon as possible.

In the world of Wizards, failed experiments that could endanger lives seemed as commonplace as eating and drinking.

At that moment, one of the Wizards noticed Leo's group and said, "Stop discussing it for now. It seems someone got caught up in our experimental accident."

As soon as he said this, the Wizards all instinctively looked toward Leo.

When they saw Leo's damaged clothes, they began discussing it in low voices.

"This is bad. We've already changed locations twice. This place is remote enough, yet there were still people here. Now our laboratory will lose points again."

"We've already lost points twice this month. If we lose points a third time, our research project may be judged a failure."

As they spoke, worried expressions appeared on the Wizards' faces.

One Wizard said, "Let's see if we can settle this peacefully."

A young Wizard with short hair looked Leo and the others over and said, "Don't panic. They're only Wizard Seedlings. They haven't condensed Spiritual Seeds."

"Just Wizard Seedlings? Then they'll be easy to dismiss."

The expressions of the Wizards visibly relaxed upon hearing that.

The short-haired young man examined Leo's group and sensed their unimpressive spiritual energy, unable to help feeling a little contemptuous.

The short-haired young Wizard stepped forward and came before Leo and the others. He first performed a refined noble's bow, then said, "My apologies, you three. Our experimental accident affected you just now. Please allow me to apologize."

"My name is Reeves. I am a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice," Reeves said.

After speaking, Reeves lightly placed his right hand on a chair beside him.

The moment Reeves touched it, signs of corrosion appeared on the chair.

Chris and Molly's hearts skipped a beat at the sight.

Reeves was not here to apologize at all. He was clearly here to intimidate them!

Leo's eyes flickered. Reeves's move was precisely the spiritual energy corrosion phenomenon Leo had pondered over all night yesterday.

Now that he saw Reeves perform it, Leo's attention was instantly drawn to it.

Chris and Molly had no idea what method Reeves had used. Frightened, they blurted out what was on their minds.

"It's fine, Wizard Reeves. We were standing far away just now and weren't affected by your accident."

"Yes, Wizard Reeves. We weren't affected by your experimental accident."

Faced with a Wizard, Chris and Molly both behaved very deferentially.

Seeing how cooperative they were, Reeves nodded to himself.

Dealing with people who had yet to become Wizards was a piece of cake.

Reeves's gaze instinctively fell upon the badges on Chris and Molly's chests.

Ranking badges were worn by students who had yet to become Wizards, serving as proof of their identity.

Reeves merely glanced at Molly's Gray Badge before looking away, but Chris's badge made him hesitate for a moment.

However, the hesitation soon vanished.

A Copper Badge was not all that precious.

Reeves himself had obtained a Copper Badge when he had still been a student.

Reeves then looked at Leo.

When Reeves saw the Silver Badge on Leo's chest, his attitude abruptly changed. With a broad smile, he said, "My apologies, sir from the Esmond Gathering. We are deeply sorry that our experimental accident gave you such a fright."

Reeves took out a small pouch and said, "Please accept these eight Magic Stones as compensation."

Leo accepted the Magic Stones and said with a smile, "Respected Wizard, it seems I have lost my memory. I cannot remember what happened just now."

Reeves sighed in relief and said, "My apologies for disturbing the three of you."

Reeves returned to where his companions stood.

The other Wizards found his attitude very strange.

"Reeves, weren't they just a few Wizard Seedlings? Why did you compensate them with Magic Stones?"

Reeves's expression darkened when he heard that. "Stop talking. We were unlucky this time. We actually ran into a Wizard Seedling in the top ten of the dynamic rankings, and one from the Esmond Gathering at that."

After Reeves said this, the expressions of the other Wizards changed as well.

A gathering would certainly attach great importance to outstanding Wizard Seedlings.

They might not care much about someone ranked within the top hundred.

But if they were in the top ten, the teaching assistants behind those gatherings would definitely step in if anything happened.

Of course, gatherings came in all sizes, and not every gathering would care.

But the Esmond Gathering was the top-ranked gathering. If one of its Silver Badge students was bullied outside by members of another gathering, the teaching assistants—or even the mentors—would never stand by and do nothing. This concerned their reputation!