Town Patrol

Dago slowly made his way back to the Wizard Inn along the snow-covered streets.

Along the way, Dago occasionally encountered wizards wrapped in gray robes, eagerly heading toward the Wizard Hall.

Compared to before, the Wizard Inn had far fewer tenants. For one thing, the rent here was indeed expensive; for another, those recruited by the academy were provided with free lodging for easier management.

When he entered the quiet Wizard Inn, he saw Mariko and Selena sitting in the tea room, brewing tea around the stove.

Dago walked over, sat down, and told them about the recruitment notice posted at the Wizard Hall.

He looked at Mariko and asked, "What do you think?"

Mariko took a sip of hot tea, set the cup aside, and said slowly, "From the wars I experienced before, hired wizards did fairly well in the early stages. But once the war intensified, there was only one fate waiting for them: becoming cannon fodder."

"Whether they are wandering wizards or commoners, they are the ones who suffer the greatest casualties in war."

"War is nothing more than one farmer's son fighting another farmer's son."

After hearing Mariko's words, complicated expressions appeared on Dago and Selena's faces.

This was practically inevitable.

It was not only Mariko and Dago who could see this. Yet it was impossible to remain unaffected by the academy in town. In the end, most people would be swept along against their will, including the three of them.

Mariko continued, "There is one more thing I need to tell you, Dago. Evan and his wife have already left town with his wealthy merchant uncle's caravan."

"They came to say goodbye before they left, but unfortunately, you were out."

"Where are they going?"

Mariko said wistfully, "South of the Emerald Forest. There are cities of Emerald Life there."

"May they have a safe journey."

Dago murmured those words, then raised his head and looked south, but all he could see was a gray sky filled with snow-laden clouds.

He had forgotten which wizard book he had read it in.

It was said that Emerald Life was an organization jointly established by elves and wizards.

Night fell, and light snow drifted outside the inn as the cold wind howled.

Yet the inn was warm and peaceful. It had a special rune array designed to ward off the cold, which was also why the rent was so expensive.

Having just finished his Meditation Technique practice, Dago stepped into a bathtub filled with hot water.

Ever since his Resonance Art had reached the Metamorphosis stage, low-activity ice elements had constantly covered his skin, making him look as though he had developed some enhanced form of albinism.

By now, both his arms, chest, and back had turned snow-white.

Dago raised his pale right arm. His entire arm had a perfect streamlined shape, and with the slightest exertion, it brimmed with strength.

The more his Resonance Art improved, the more obvious the growth in his physical body became. He had not expected that.

There were few spells in the wizard world that enhanced one's physique. That was the result of long-term development.

No matter how much one trained the body, who would dare use flesh and blood to withstand an evocation spell head-on?

However, there was the concept of a Dharma Body in the wizard world, a state in which energy particles coexisted with the flesh.

That was also one of the main reasons Resonance Art had become famous. Once the body adapted to external energy particles, one would be little different from a humanoid magical beast.

Dago greatly looked forward to Resonance Art bringing him a Dharma Body. With the Progress System supporting him, that day might truly come.

To advance to a Formal Wizard, the first step was the Metamorphosis of one's spiritual power. This was also the first great chasm blocking apprentice wizards.

Apprentice wizards whose spiritual power had undergone Metamorphosis were Half-Step Formal Wizards. They were only one final step away from becoming Formal Wizards.

Mariko had told Dago all this. Whenever he spoke of it, he became deeply dejected. Anyone who had struggled their entire life only to remain at the apprentice stage would break down.

Both Mariko and Dago practiced the Universal Wizard Meditation Method. It contained no method for transforming spiritual power, so they could only meditate endlessly, accumulating spiritual power while waiting for it to transform on its own.

Little did Dago know that Mariko had spent nearly his entire life waiting for his spiritual power to transform. Something was surely missing, or perhaps his wizard talent simply was not enough.

That was why apprentice wizards were the one thing the wizard world never lacked. From the moment they stepped onto the path of wizardry, they had already been trapped in a vast net.

Countless apprentice wizards could only peer through the gaps in that net as genius wizards and family wizards continued onward along the path of wizardry.

This was also the greatest bait in the Academy Recruitment Order. A sliver of hope for becoming a Formal Wizard was enough to make many apprentice wizards flock to it.

After soaking for a while, Dago felt the bathwater beneath him growing a little cold. He rose, dried himself, and put on his robe.

He began another round of Meditation Technique practice. As his Meditation Technique underwent Metamorphosis, he refined the dark-blue spiritual power liquid in his Mental Space faster and faster.

Inside the Mental Space, a sun-like sphere of light hung amid the mist on one side, while a vast black ocean occupied the other half, churning without end.

As the sphere of light slowly rotated, it drew in large amounts of mist and refined it, transforming it into droplets of dark-blue spiritual power.

The droplets of spiritual power circled Dago's soul body continuously before sinking into the space between his brows.

At this point, Dago's soul body was already four-fifths complete. Once it was fully completed, he would achieve Soul Completion at the apprentice stage and become a High-Grade Third-Level Apprentice Wizard.

At his cultivation speed, excluding the kind of wizards who relied on drugs, he could be considered astonishing beyond belief.

He had once asked Mariko about it. An apprentice wizard's Soul Completion was extremely slow because the size of their Mental Spaces varied. A larger Mental Space contained more Mental Mist and thus allowed more spiritual power to be refined, while a smaller one was the opposite.

That was determined by wizard talent.

Then there was the speed at which the Mental Core refined the mist, as well as the amount of Soul Entropy produced. Both were obstacles to Soul Completion. Usually, an apprentice could only practice the Meditation Technique four or five times a day.

That was determined by the quality of the Meditation Technique.

Dago let out a deep sigh. Though the system's support meant none of these would become an insurmountable chasm for him, did those apprentice wizards struggling bitterly have a system?

Even apprentice wizards found every step difficult, let alone ordinary people.

What a despairing world.

The next morning, an unexpected person arrived at the Wizard Inn.

Vissel, dressed in an ornate robe, sat in the tea room brewing tea while the Wizard Inn staff stood respectfully nearby.

The inn's attendants invited Dago and the other two downstairs. At the sight of Vissel, the three of them were briefly stunned before looking at him with faint contempt.

They had not forgotten how this man had used his teammates as shields.

When the Wizard Inn staff saw Vissel signal that they could leave, they all departed politely.

Vissel held up his teacup and took a sip. A trace of venom flashed through his eyes as he said calmly, "Captain Dago, and my former Patrol Guard teammates, it has been a long time. Please, have a seat."

The three of them slowly approached the tea table and sat down. Dago spoke first. "Go on. What do you want from us?"

"Captain Dago, there may have been a misunderstanding at the academy gates last time. My mentor, Raymond, had some doubts about your identity, which was why he did not allow you into the academy."

"Oh? Then who was whispering slander into his ear?"

Vissel said awkwardly, "Dago, your strength improved a little too astonishingly, which led to the misunderstanding. I was recently promoted to a High-Grade Third-Level Apprentice Wizard, and I came to discuss something with you."

Dago said coldly, "Go on. What is it? If it is something trivial, please do not disturb our peace."

"The academy recently assigned me a task. I need to form a patrol team in town, and I wanted to bring back my former teammates. That is reasonable, isn't it?"

"Then I am sorry, but the Forest Patrol no longer exists. Vissel, please leave."

"Do not forget your identities. Dago and Selena, you are both academy wizards. Now that the academy is in trouble, you must return and take part in the academy's mission."

"We are merely wandering wizards who paid tuition. Has the wizard academy ever truly valued us?"

Vissel looked at the two of them darkly and said with a hint of threat, "That is not my concern. You wear the academy's robes, yet ignore the academy being invaded. Are you undercover agents sent by the Duskblood Council?"

"Dago, think this through. The next people to come will not be me, but the Academy Guard Office."

Dago found himself in a difficult position this time. This was a naked threat, and he pondered how to respond.

At that moment, Mariko stepped forward to ease the tension. "Enough, Vissel. We can join the town patrol team, but you must ensure that the three of us remain together."

Seeing Mariko say this, Vissel did not wait for Dago's response. He rose directly and said, "Fine. The three of you can come to the Academy Guard Office at noon today to find me."

With that, he turned and left the Wizard Inn.

Selena said timidly, "Grandpa Mariko, you are not an academy wizard. There is no need for you to get involved."

"We are family, aren't we?"

Dago felt bitter after hearing that. Without strength, one would be bullied wherever one went.

In the end, the three of them had no choice but to join the town patrol team together.