Chapter 17

I still remembered how he had deliberately put on a fierce scowl and tried to intimidate me before I fell asleep, so I couldn't stop smiling.

"Xipei!" Mel said reproachfully, just as I expected. "You... you're laughing at me! I didn't mean to make it rain in the room... I was so absorbed in practicing that I forgot to work out when you'd wake up, so I couldn't get everything cleaned up..."

That made me laugh out loud. Mel's shadow stamped its foot beside him, making its owner's thoughts perfectly clear. I immediately shook my head and reassured him with a smile, "I'm definitely not laughing at you. I just remembered that I was in much worse shape the first time I practiced this method. I even burned a magister's wig, and... it happened on the lectern while he was giving a public lecture. He was so angry he nearly ended up in the hospital."

Hearing that, Mel couldn't help bursting into laughter too. "Then how long have you been practicing, Xipei? You wrote so smoothly yesterday. I only realized how hard it was after trying it myself."

"About..." I thought back. "About twelve years ago, when I was attending the magic academy and taking a rune course. Because... well, you know, I didn't have much money. I couldn't afford the special paper and ink used for writing runes, so I tried to find an alternative. I experimented for a long time before I finally established that the elements could be used to write runes."

When I finished, Mel let out an "ah," and his expression turned sorrowful again. He even seemed to give a displeased huff.

Then he raised his head and said to me, "Xipei, really, you're so much better than me. I've had an amazing teacher since I was little, and I lived a carefree life in a mage tower. I had an endless supply of paper to practice writing runes on. I could even waste it folding paper airplanes for fun. I never had to worry about those little things. I could practice to my heart's content and study whatever I liked. My teacher was willing to guide me at any time, and he even let me read all his books whenever I wanted, including his personal notes. He treated me just like a son... but Xipei, you lived in such difficult circumstances, and your mastery of magic is even greater than mine..."

I was startled and hurriedly said, "No, no, I'm nowhere near as good as you."

Mel glared at me in disapproval and answered loudly, "No way, Xipei, you're amazing!"

I... I felt a little heat creep up my ears, especially with Mel's bright blue eyes fixed on me without blinking, so earnest and sincere... Oh no, I figured I was going to blush just like Mel.

Mel wasn't finished. He went on, "You're much calmer and more composed than me. In that critical situation last night, you were able to focus in an instant and calmly identify that mech's key points. You also thought of more things than I did. You even reminded me not to let the other prisoners see me earlier..."

"All right..." If he kept going, I really would blush, so I hurriedly interrupted him. "How long are we going to keep praising each other like this? It's too mushy. Two mages singing each other's praises in a prison-how ridiculous would that sound?"

Mel paused and thought for a moment. He seemed to realize the problem too—we really had done one thing after another that didn't quite befit mages since we met. We both couldn't help laughing.

"Then let's eat. You just woke up, so get your strength back." Smiling, Mel had his shadow bring over the food. He had clearly cast spells on it to keep it warm and fresh. The prison food was actually quite good: two vegetable dishes, one meat dish, a bowl of soup, and a bowl of white rice. It was downright luxurious.

"Mm." I took the plate. "I can teach you a few little tricks after we eat."

"No." Mel shook his head, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Even if you think you've recovered, you still shouldn't cast spells or continue your research today. One night's rest isn't enough to bring your mental power back to its best after a major battle. If you do that often, it'll affect your mental power in the future. So, get at least one more night's sleep first. I won't practice today either. We'll just chat."

Seeing how stern he looked, as if he were about to give an academic presentation, I had no choice but to smile and nod. Only then did Mel's expression soften.

"It's a deal. You have to teach me tomorrow!" Mel's eyes sparkled. He nodded in satisfaction, then picked up his food and ate happily.

Although we weren't planning to study spells that day, no matter where the conversation between two mages went, it never strayed far from magic. We didn't discuss how to use any particular spell, but talked about strange and interesting stories and anecdotes from mage circles. Mel shared quite a few things he'd seen on his travels-something I agreed with strongly. Traveling was very helpful for broadening one's horizons. Throughout history, many of our fellow mages had stayed cooped up at home. Forget traveling; many mages even refused to take a walk after a meal, leaving them so frail that a gust of wind could knock them over.

Then we talked about the famous archmages of history and several ancient mages we both admired, such as Hailianna, the renowned high priest of the Shadow Moon Temple, several very famous elven dark mages, and Ya'an, the priest who had safeguarded the temple's legacy during the "Lightless Years."

In short, we had almost endless things to talk about. Whether it was our hobbies and interests or our methods of teaching apprentices, we found we had a great deal in common. When we got onto our glorious records of breaking electronics, we nearly ended up arguing-because we both thought we were the bigger electronics "jinx."

"Mel, you should know that I just broke a giant mech," I said with mock solemnity.

Mel blinked, his mouth slightly open, then nodded gravely. "Well, that's true. Master Ciprins is the world's unparalleled professional scourge of electronics! No one can match your glorious achievements!"

Hahahahaha...

We couldn't help rocking back and forth with laughter.

Chapter 17

The day passed very peacefully. Only twice did a guard stop by the door and linger for a bit to tell us the time-

Normally, prisons didn't tell inmates the time—that was deliberate. But the guard who had just come by on patrol happened to be a fan of Mel's, so when Mel asked, he explained it to us.

"Modern society's full of bullshit, that's why," the guard answered, rolling his eyes.

According to him, prison facilities these days were all ultra-luxurious. I agreed completely; this cell was more comfortable than my work-provided apartment. If word got out that prisoners in any prison were living in poor conditions, the media would swarm all over the story almost immediately. A bunch of people would take the moral high ground and accuse the government of disregarding human rights, and then the prison's leaders or senior government officials would have to face public questioning... In short, it was a huge hassle. But if they kept prisoners plump and comfortable, it wouldn't deter criminals, and wouldn't prisons just turn into convalescent homes?

"So the prison psychology experts upstairs came up with ways to punish prisoners mentally," the guard said.

Not telling prisoners the time was one such method. Over time, they would lose their sense of time, causing anxiety and panic. That would make them feel that prison was a terrifying place, so they wouldn't dare commit crimes again after getting out. Because of Mel's special status and the fact that we hadn't committed serious crimes, the mage wing's management had made special arrangements for a guard to tell us the time.

That had its advantages and disadvantages too. We had to be careful at all times not to let the guard catch us throwing spells around!

After another night of good dreams, my mental power returned to its peak, and Mel and I began practicing rune writing. We still chose to use the water element—the fire element would burn holes in the ceiling!

Mel cast Absolute Protection over the spot where I sat, but refused to put one on himself. He said that a little sense of danger would give him more motivation-

Well, if it were me, I'd rather practice in comfort than end up drenched by water every time I failed!

"That's because you've always had a strong sense of danger, Xipei," Mel replied with a smile. His long, wet hair was sticking to his face, and he was trying to brush it aside with his hands. But because his hands were cuffed together, he couldn't manage it despite his efforts, so he had to use Shadow Dance and have his shadow fix his hair again. "Compared to you, I've always lived a comfortable life, which is why I've progressed so slowly."

Watching him work so hard, I felt his fighting spirit rub off on me. Mel had already failed many times, but he wasn't discouraged. He continued writing with care and precision, showing no sign of impatience, and his manipulation of the water element remained orderly.