Chapter 78

So, why would the thugs want to destroy this thing? I looked at Mel, and he didn't seem to understand it very well either. After all, we're both orthodox mages who stay at home and behave ourselves. Reynold talked a lot about the strategic significance, political significance, military strength, and so on, but we two really couldn't grasp it or feel it very deeply. Mel might be a little better than me... well, but only a little.

Reynold thought for a moment and said, "Moreover, once the central hub of this defense system collapses, the energy supply will malfunction, so the Federation's civilian and military internet services may be suspended, and it could even affect the Dwarven Gray Mountain Kingdom and the western part of the Holy Dragon Empire."

"Ahhh! That's terrifying!!!" Anna, Moli, and Xuefeng immediately exclaimed in alarm.

Disconnect from the internet! That's a very straightforward explanation!

--Wouldn't that cause nationwide chaos!

Those who have no online games to play and fewer online movies and TV shows to watch would probably tear down the government building! Fortunately, Reynold has a strong will and didn't utter a single word despite being tortured. I watched the video that was still playing and felt a deep respect for the pitiful Reynold in it.

"Ah!" Anna screamed, "My drafts are still on the cloud drive! Oh my god, if the internet goes down, I'm going to kill those idiot kidnappers!"

"Anna!" Mel roared.

Good girl, you actually secretly lifted the silence spell and then put on a show for us???

Chapter 78

Anna quickly covered her mouth, and then I saw Mel flick her hand swiftly, and with a "poof," Anna transformed into a black-furred, red-eyed bunny. This bunny needed no time to adjust; it skillfully curled itself into a round ball, trying its best to pretend it didn't exist.

Without any hesitation, Mel poked Rabbit's bottom. Rabbit was ticklish and wiggled to peek out. Mel then grabbed the black rabbit by the ears and lifted her up like a straight rabbit stick.

I silently turned to Moli.

"Teacher! I admit my mistake, please punish me!" Moli bowed deeply and held that position, so sincere that it made me... um... sigh...

How can you punish someone like that! An apprentice who doesn't talk back or cause trouble makes it impossible for the teacher to know where to start!

To be honest, it's quite an achievement that they were able to break the spell silently right under our noses. If the spell they broke wasn't such a good one that regulates their behavior, I probably would have rewarded Moli.

"Hold her up." Mel handed Anna to Moli, Moli frantically tried to hug her, but Mel slapped her hand away and explained, "You can't hug a rabbit around the waist, you might dislocate her joints and she'll die. Hold her by the ears."

"..." Moli gasped. Anna the rabbit, as usual, rolled her eyes at her teacher and wagged her tail. Moli reached out her hand hesitantly, as if Anna were a bomb. She said, "But... it looks so painful."

"That's how rabbits are raised," Mel said seriously.

"..."Forehead.

Although I've never owned a rabbit, I've at least seen my classmates hold them. Those fluffy pets sleep soundly in their owners' arms, their soft, pink ears drooping. I haven't seen any of them get their backs dislocated from being held so tightly! They're not as fragile as Mel described... But Anna, being carried, looks so obedient and sensible (at least on the surface). Since it's punishment, let her experience it properly. If she gets deformed from the punishment but still gets to be held and enjoy herself, then it won't serve its purpose.

This kid could be an actor.

... But I feel like her ears seem longer.

As they walked, everyone secretly petted the black rabbit. When Reynold touched its tail, Anna kicked him hard, making Reynold hand swell up.

But suddenly Mel raised his hand to stop us. He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly waved his hand, and a beam of light flew toward us, only to collide head-on with a huge black shadow—the shadow of the White Dragon Xuefeng! His dragon-shaped shadow was awakened by Mel, blocking a very dazzling light, and then dissipated, leaving only a human-shaped shadow at the foot of the Xuefeng.

I coordinated with Mel's movements, throwing out a Gravity Field that slammed into the ground with a dull thud.

Then we see that the one who just launched the sneak attack was a mecha warrior who appeared out of nowhere. He was over two meters tall and was the most common type of humanoid mecha. However, what was unusual about him was that he could become invisible.

"It's not invisibility!" Reynold examined it confidently. "It's a coating, a refractive coating. The surrounding area is bushes, the background is already quite flashy, which is why he can hide."

Hmm... Can a mage who gets kicked by a rabbit for touching it be trusted?

"Since you're using the environment for concealment, that's easy!" Moli suddenly said cheerfully. "Please rest for a moment, teacher, and let your apprentice do it for you!"

After saying that, she tried to roll up her sleeves for a cool starting pose, only to realize she was still holding Anna the rabbit. So she had to raise her hand properly, and in the blink of an eye, she set the sky ablaze with fire...

I really need to wonder if this child has sorcerer blood in him?

Oh, I was just talking nonsense in anger. Warlocks can't learn magic spells. Moli may be bad at some things, but at least she can still conjure Ice Needle.

... It seems to me that Moli's arson skills have improved again.

The fire spread, waves of heat rising in waves. I sighed and tossed a small blizzard overhead, letting the falling snowflakes cool us down. Moli's arson was always so reckless; otherwise, my Absolute Protection wouldn't have been so well-trained... This was a close call; Moli almost burned herself to death, and more than once!

The fire quickly burned away the twisted shrubs, revealing the pitted and uneven hilly soil. Now, the mechs with their strange coating could no longer hide; they were clearly visible, their outlines shimmering in the air like ripples on water.

Without saying a word, everyone started to work.

Even Reynold pulled out a broken staff and started waving it around in a rather serious manner.

Hmm, it really is a staff, not a walking stick...

That was a fine staff, one of those high-end, luxurious staffs inlaid with many magic crystals and engraved with an amplification magic circle! Reynold is really wasting his time!

I've never even touched a magic staff before!

Personally, I'm not picky about the magical artifacts I use... mainly because I'm broke. Before I met Mel, all I owned was a spell ring, a gift from my first teacher when I graduated from magic academy. When I was with Reynold, he preferred to give me useless decorative items, like those swan figurines with their necks twisted together to form a heart shape... those look so painful! How can a swan's neck be twisted like that! And some gold and silver jewelry, because it takes up too much space, I melted it down for materials...

My second teacher did have quite a few good things, but unfortunately the designs were too outrageous. They were either skulls made of human heads or the head of the Goddess of Annihilation. Taking those out would definitely make you look like a lackey of an evil god. Just grab them and go to the Temple Inquisition. Heaven knows how heartbroken I was when I burned those things.

Hmm... I wish I could buy a staff too. It would feel nice to hold, and I could use it to hit my assistants on the head, so I wouldn't have to use my hands. I had an assistant with some kind of decoration embedded in her hair before, and it hurt my hand when I hit her.

Mel looked at me, and seemingly noticing my gaze, he suddenly asked, "Xipei, do you want one too?"

I turned to look at him and nodded a little shyly.

"Although I'm not used to using staves, I've learned how to craft them! After we get married, let's go to the Elven Sanctuary for our honeymoon. I can craft you a stave using the elves' high-precision mithril." Mel's blue eyes curved into beautiful crescents as he smiled and said, "Do you prefer a long staff or a short staff?"

I felt even more embarrassed. "Actually, I just wanted to try it out casually, so I'll like whatever you do."

"Great! I'll take one long and one short. If you have the right materials, you can also make a magic sword so you can switch between them!" Mel said enthusiastically.