Chapter 39 (continued)

Perfect timing! I was originally planning to take down the Dawn Alliance anyway, but now with Ms. Angela's support, this trip might even be reimbursed by the government. Consider it a business trip, it can not only solve the troublesome extremist organization but also ease my tight financial situation.

Ms. Angela is truly kind and gentle.

As I finished packing my things, took off my clothes, and went to bed, Mel's raven summoner appeared at the window and started knocking. I opened the window and let him in. As soon as he came in, Mel jumped excitedly onto my shoulder and said, "Xipei, we can move to Tari tomorrow!"

"Wow, so fast!" I couldn't help but exclaim. "That's fantastic!"

"You should get some rest!" Mel said, gesturing for his demon servant to sit by my bedside. "I'll leave the raven here; it can guide you first thing tomorrow morning!"

"I won't get lost," I couldn't help but say with a laugh. "Your mage tower is like the morning star in the dark night, so bright and dazzling to me, how could I possibly get lost?"

The stubborn raven flapped its wings, its claws pawing at my hair, refusing to leave my pillow. Mel said, "I only take up this tiny patch of space!"

He sounded incredibly aggrieved, and for some reason, I pictured his shadow stomping his feet. So I patted the raven's head and said, "Alright, this place is yours!"

As I spoke, I deliberately drew a circle on the pillow with my finger, enclosing the raven inside. Mel tilted his head and said very cooperatively, "Thank you for taking me in, Your Excellency the Venerable Mage!"

Hahaha, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I climbed into bed, stroked the raven's cold back, and said to the raven beside my cheek, "Goodnight, Archmage Mel."

"Goodnight, my Xipei." Mel's raven nuzzled my forehead, and after I closed my eyes, I didn't notice when Mel withdrew his spiritual power until I fell asleep, as I quickly drifted off to sleep.

Early in the morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, before I even sat up, a raven let out a clear, metallic chirp, hopped onto my desk, and called out to me, "Good morning Xipei!"

"Good morning, Mel." I patted the raven, wondering if Mel had left all her mental energy here overnight.

I dressed neatly, checked one last time to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything, locked the door, and left the key outside the apartment manager's window. It was a bit early, and he hadn't started work yet. I figured I probably wouldn't be coming back.

The weather was unbelievably good. Mel's raven circled overhead, and from its flight, I could clearly see that Mel was quite pleased.

Me too!

"Mel, what would you like for breakfast?" I asked.

"Okay, sure! Buy whatever you like, I think I'll like it too," Mel replied happily.

So I bought breakfast, took a teleportation ride to the East District, and then encountered an unprecedented problem when I was about to transfer to the Sky Rail – traffic jams and flow control measures!

The skyrail station's loudspeaker kept repeating. "... We regret to inform you that due to excessive passenger volume, air traffic control measures are in place. Please wait patiently..."

I peeked out; the roads on the ground were also jammed, and the countless floating vehicles were moving slower than apprentices just learning Levitation. This baffled me—the capital's road network was world-class; traffic jams were a rare sight. Even last year, when the Federation's royal mascots paraded with the Holy Lord and High Priest of the Temple of Light during National Day, there wasn't this much congestion. And at this time, the summit had ended, but some entertainment stars were still performing at the closing ceremony; the traffic jam should be in the city center. Why were the roads leading east so packed like sardine cans?

The passenger next to me was talking to his companion. "... You know what? That's a mage tower, not just for show, it's a real, Magic Power tower, isn't it amazing! I have to go see what it looks like..."

... That's the reason? No way.

Mel and I stood silently in the bustling SkyTrain station, looking at each other, speechless.

"So, mage towers are rare for people in big cities?" Mel asked, puzzled.

Upon reflection, it's true; I've never heard of any monk building a tower in the capital. Firstly, land in the capital is incredibly expensive, and secondly...

"... There aren't many mages these days who can control a tower... If you ask me, this Evil Shadow Manipulator is really amazing..." The passengers whispered among themselves, not bothered by the traffic jam at all, but rather extremely excited.

"... Hey, don't you think the person he's set his sights on has to be even more amazing than him?"

"Tch, it's not you anyway!"

"... I don't care! Even if my crush has someone else in his heart, he will always be my husband!"

Mel: "..."

I patted Raven's head. "You'll get used to it. Young people these days are all so enthusiastic."

That's true. Modern mages rarely own a mage tower anymore, which is bound to be considered a spectacle. I don't think it's necessarily because other mages lack the Magic Power to control a tower; a large part of the reason is probably that internet service providers can't provide internet access to mage towers! So, Moli probably didn't know this, which is why she was so excited to move there with me...

Aside from a few renowned mages who serve as academy archmages and might own their own towers, the rest are just a handful of reclusive mages who hide in the deep mountains and forests with their solitary towers, like my teacher, who secretly plots to do something terrible (but fails).

A few people were complaining. "This is almost like a superstar concert... It's just a mage moving house!"

"My God? Which mage do you think that is? Evil Shadow Manipulator!"

I couldn't help but chuckle, and Raven seemed a little embarrassed.

Mel: "..."

After a while, Mel suddenly said, "Xipei, come quickly..."

He sounded very anxious, and his voice betrayed barely suppressed frustration and annoyance. I quickly patted Raven, but that didn't calm him down. Mel soon explained to me himself, "More annoying politicians have arrived, and the Prime Minister is leading them. I can't just kick them out."

Ah... Mel is terrible at dealing with politicians. I tried to comfort him while searching for other ways to get there, but Mel suddenly said seriously, "Xipei, can I throw that Five-Star Old Man out the window? He's spouting nonsense in our tower."

Hmm... that guy usually talks like he's been brain-dead... uh, no, I mean, Confusion Spell (why did I start using the warlocks' terminology?).

"No!" I exclaimed in surprise, "That old man doesn't know the Feather Fall!"

"My God!" Mel's voice became unusually shrill, "Can't Feather Fall? A mage who can't Feather Fall, my God! I..."

I could tell that Mel had swallowed back the profanities and many vulgarities (possibly including curses) with astonishing willpower, and was weakly begging me to hurry up.

Hmm... We just moved into the new tower, we can't let someone get killed right away! I don't want to see a flattened Five-Star Old Man rating lying under my window, that wouldn't look good at all!

I looked at it and realized I had no choice but to use a teleportation spell. The capital city forbids mages from casting high-level spells without permission. Some low-level spells can be used freely, such as casting a water ball to quench one's thirst. However, if the spell's level exceeds the limit, an alarm will be triggered immediately. Alarms are present in every area of the capital city, as ubiquitous as surveillance cameras. Therefore, I must cast the spell with caution.

Locating Mel's Tower is very easy; as I've said before, it's like a lone lamp in the dark, whose warmth you can feel on your face even without looking at it.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already standing on the steps of a tall tower.

Compared to skyscrapers, this tower is indeed not very tall, but the Mage Tower is a magical artifact, not just a dwelling. From its base to its towering spire, every inch of this tower flows with the pure and wonderful Magic Power of Mel —this tower is alive, possessing the will of the Archmage Mephistopheles himself, an extension of his spiritual power. Every carving is based on his thoughts, and every defensive amulet moves according to his will.