So Good

Department of Lore headquarters.

Li Mo felt like his head was splitting.

As for why? He was broke!

Yes, poverty had embraced him...

At the start of this month, Brishisan had actually given him spending money, but Li Mo had never imagined magecraft materials could be so expensive!

Li Mo sighed. It was only the middle of the month. He usually ate Brishisan's food and wore Brishisan's clothes, so it would be awkward to ask him for money again now that he was broke, wouldn't it?

What if he started his own business?

As a transmigrator, wasn't writing novels or singing his way into the entertainment industry practically standard procedure?

If that did not work, he could start a company or invest in a few future big shots. Wouldn't money come rolling in then?

But that would not work either. No matter how much money there was, it would only come later...

Let me think. It's 1987 now—no, it'll be 1988 soon. What should I do?

Smartphones? QQ, WeChat, Facebook? Developing games?

Bullshit. Personal computers had not even become widespread yet, and hardware development would still take years!

Could he go into manufacturing?

No, that would not work either. Li Mo rubbed his forehead. I was born after 1995 in my previous world. How the hell would I know what made money in 1987?

What made him sad? What made him suffer?

Poverty. Poverty!

But... Li Mo's eyes shifted, and an idea came to him. It would not be good to keep mooching off Brishisan, but Brishisan would not let him take Mage Association missions yet. So how about...

Ah! The sunlight was perfect, and the breeze was gentle!

"Do you want to dance too?"

On the lawn, Li Mo waved his hands as flower petals drifted endlessly around Brishisan.

A vein bulged on Brishisan's forehead. "Go on. Why did you specifically call me out here?"

If you have something to say, say it. You've only studied magecraft for a few months, and you're already showing off to your teacher?

How much of the Department of Lore's magecraft have you even learned?

Li Mo wore a gentle expression, and Brishisan's face began to change.

Li Mo's expression remained gentle, while Brishisan's face became increasingly twisted.

Li Mo could not keep acting and began to laugh awkwardly.

"Teacher, what do you think of this Flower Mage of mine?" Li Mo tried to salvage the situation, fawning shamelessly.

Brishisan's face had completely contorted. "Not much!"

Traitorous disciple. You really called me here just to show off your magecraft?

This disciple is beyond saving!

Li Mo was dumbfounded. This had only just begun. How had it already fallen apart? Teacher, can't you just play along?

Brishisan snorted and said irritably, "If you only wanted to show me a magecraft performance, then you can leave. You spent some time cultivating at the spiritual vein recently, and now you've nearly drained my vein dry. I still need to maintain it."

Li Mo fell silent. It really did seem to be his fault...

"Well, Teacher, don't you think this magecraft is beautiful? How about we try making a movie and see if we can make some money?" Li Mo spoke timidly now, not daring to say anything else that might provoke Brishisan.

Make a movie?

Brishisan froze, then looked at Li Mo as if he were an idiot. "Merlin taught you Flower Magecraft, and you want to use it to make movies? Something every magus in the magecraft world dreams of obtaining, and that is all you can think to do with it?"

"I'm broke... The Puppet Magecraft you taught me costs so much money, and I haven't even successfully made one yet." Li Mo muttered under his breath. But was that not poverty's fault? What could he do about it?

Brishisan glared at him and said in a tone of exasperation, "If you don't have money, why don't you ask me? I can support an entire Department of Lore, but I can't support one of you?!

"And how much money can making movies earn?

"With your current mana, even though you don't know many magecrafts, you could casually take a few missions at the Mage Association and earn piles of money. Wouldn't that be better?"

"Teacher, you're letting me take missions?!" Li Mo cried out. He blinked rapidly, trying his best to look adorable. "You agreed to it yourself. I'm not being rebellious, unfilial, or disrespectful to my teacher!"

So that had been his goal all along!

Brishisan glared. Ever since taking in this disciple, his temper had become increasingly volatile...

Other people were slaves to cats or dogs. How had he become a slave to his disciple?

"Fine, fine, I agree." Brishisan waved a hand and said irritably, "But I still need to test you and see whether you have the strength to take missions at the Mage Association!"

So, in the end, they still had to fight... Li Mo sighed.

Thinking back to the time he had excitedly gone to Brishisan for praise after filling his body with mana, Li Mo felt his head start hurting again...

Not even the harshest beatings of socialism had hurt this much, okay?!

"Let's make this clear first, Teacher Brishisan. You can't use high-level magecraft!" Li Mo's eyes widened, though his expression remained timid.

Last time, he had been beaten to tears by the Department of Lore's secret magecraft!

Real tears! He had never experienced pain like that in his life!

Jumping off a building? Wasn't that just closing your eyes and getting it over with?

Brishisan's face reddened, and he said irritably, "Fine. I won't use high-level magecraft this time."

Is that necessary? I'm a Lord. Do I need high-level magecraft to deal with you?

Last time was an accident, okay?!

Having received confirmation, Li Mo hurriedly ran farther away. "Teacher, don't move yet. Let me apply my buffs first!"

Brishisan: ???

I have to wait for you to apply buffs? Have you ever seen magi wait for someone during a fight? We're magi, not knights!

Yet before Brishisan could react, Li Mo had already begun his performance. He bent down and pressed both hands to the ground. A magic circle immediately appeared on the ground around him. "Attunement: Soul Devour!"

"Reinforcement: Source of Ten Thousand Sounds!"

"Hahaha! Didn't expect that, did you, Teacher Brishisan? I use the Reinforcement Magecraft I learned from you to reinforce my tongue!"

This intelligence-lowering other world! Li Mo laughed madly. As a frail and delicate magus, was Reinforcement Magecraft not meant to be used on one's own tongue?

"Word Spirit: Flow!"

"Projection begins: Heaven's Chalice!"

"Command Chant!"

"Final step! Mana Burst!"

Li Mo's mouth moved wildly. The sequence of actions seemed complicated, but because he had reinforced his tongue beforehand, he completed everything in a very short time.

That took two beats this time. I've improved again! Li Mo rejoiced inwardly. His chanting time was getting shorter and shorter. If he kept training, could he eventually reach the chantless casting of Age of Gods magecraft?

After all, if an ordinary magus used these magecrafts, they would first need to prepare instantaneous contracts. The chant alone would take more than ten seconds, while the preparation took several hours. Yet after using Reinforcement Magecraft on his tongue, Li Mo had shortened the time tenfold!

Mana stirred the surrounding airflow, making Li Mo's magecraft robe billow continuously. At that moment, he truly looked like a god descending upon the world. He gave Brishisan a smug smile. "Teacher Brishisan, face the gale!"

"Ha-sa..."

"Stop!"

Brishisan raised both hands and stopped him just before the mana transformed through the projected Holy Grail was about to erupt. Gritting his teeth in helplessness, he said, "I acknowledge your current strength! You can take missions now!"

Who the hell could withstand this?!

Li Mo had 108 Magic Circuits that had drained Brishisan's spiritual vein dry. The mana stored within them could probably rival that of a Magician!

If he unleashed that wave, was this even a matter of whether Brishisan could withstand it? In that flood of mana, he would probably not even have ashes left!

A brute among magi! Who the hell had the capital to use those three moves just for fun?!

If his mana ran out and the enemy was still alive, would he not be completely finished?

But Li Mo's mana...

Fine. Brishisan nodded sorrowfully. Li Mo really did seem to have that kind of strength...

Whether he knew high-level magecraft or not, under a magical torrent of that intensity, even the later-ranked Twenty-Seven Ancestors of the Dead Apostles probably would not be able to take it...

His face green, Brishisan seemed to want to reclaim some of his dignity as a teacher. He roared, "Who taught you to use mana like that?! Who taught you that kind of projection?! Who taught you to use Reinforcement Magecraft on your tongue?!"

Why was he yelling so loudly?!

Li Mo was unhappy. Just because you couldn't think of it yourselves, you won't let me think of it?

"But after I reinforced my tongue, a chant that originally took three beats—one beat is about one second—only takes one tick, less than a second. Didn't you just see that, Teacher?"

Brishisan's face was full of suspicion. "Really?"

Before Li Mo could answer, Brishisan curled a finger. "Reinforcement: Tongue!"

Screw your Source of Ten Thousand Sounds. Can't you just say tongue properly when you mean tongue?

Eh...?

"Command: Darkness Surge!"

So good!