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"You should learn to wear watches," Lusien said seriously. "Digital watches are very convenient."

"No, there is radiation," Mel said.

Lusien looked at us, feeling... like Moli looking at an older relative forwarding false information on their social media.

"Watches are just for decoration these days," Luolan retorted. "Checking the time on your phone is so much easier."

"This year, the 'Such a Big Dragon' brand of digital watches released a couple's version." Angela suddenly took out her phone and showed a picture. The watches were of two dragons coiled together and kissing, with a watch face on the dragon's belly.

"Hmm, then we should buy a pair." So Mel changed her mind.

Angela immediately said coolly, "I specialize in purchasing for others. This couple's watch is a limited edition, only available at the official store in the capital of the Holy Dragon Empire. The queue is extremely long, and you definitely won't be able to get in by yourselves. I only charge a 5% travel fee, and I guarantee you'll get it. Hmm... if you two are willing to spar with me sometime, I'll buy it for you for free."

"No problem." Mel nodded.

"It's delivered directly to my door by a Druid deliveryman who flies right there. I called Ciprins before it arrived so someone could sign for it at your place," Angela told us as she operated her phone.

"... The Mage Tower blocks cell phone signals."

Ms. Angela looked shocked. "My God, confiscating electronic devices, blocking cell phones and internet signals—that's the most torturous punishment I've ever implemented in prison!"

Really... really?

Mel and I exchanged glances, starting to wonder if we'd been too harsh. While neither of us spent much time online, Moli and Anna weren't like us... well... like ancient sorcerers from another era. So, was not being able to use the internet or cell phones really that damaging to them?

"Smartphone addiction," Lusien said. "I think that kind of situation requires psychological intervention. Many people experience severe anxiety if they are away from their phones for too long. Although I also think that excessive reliance on smartphones is bad, completely cutting off their use would be inhumane."

Yeah?

So, were Mel and I really inhumane teachers all along?

Hmm... We need to make some changes when we get back. After all, we don't want to raise two black apprentices who want to take revenge on society. Although we use Black Magic, we are still law-abiding black mages. Putting too much psychological pressure on the apprentices could easily lead our teacher-student relationship into the most dangerous mode—a life-or-death struggle!

This kind of teacher-student relationship is common among evil sorcerers in ancient times who were determined to do evil. Their purpose in taking on apprentices was mostly to raise henchmen, gather materials, prepare sacrifices, and so on for evil purposes. Therefore, their apprentices spent their days in fear and resentment, and in the end, they either killed their teachers or were killed by their teachers. This apprenticeship model is a textbook path for villainous growth, and I do not want Moli and I to eventually reach this stage.

Imagine this: the sky is overcast, the ghosts of the dead wail on the battlefield, the earth beneath our feet boils, and Hellfire, a symbol of destruction, coils around the long hair of teachers and students. Then, Moli's face contorts, blood dripping from her lips, and she says to me with venomous resentment, "Teacher, these past years have been worse than death for me! I have no cell phone, no Wi-Fi, no television! I was forced to leave behind the novels I loved, and those wonderful and heartwarming soap operas. You destroyed my precious youth. Today, let's fight to the death!"

I shuddered. No, that's too terrible. My Moli is a good girl. Even though her aesthetic sense is so peculiar that she likes death-themed heavy metal smoky makeup, she's still a good apprentice! I don't want her to one day end up on the wanted list, becoming a world-destroying demon king, and being hunted down by heroes from all over the world.

So go back and get a network cable installed as soon as possible!

Our tower is so tall, how long would the cable have to be?

The ground trembled slightly, and we saw Luolan's ears perk up instantly. He made a quiet gesture, then listened intently, his expression turning serious for the first time.

"Something big is coming," Luolan mouthed.

Big guy?

What kind of "large enemy" could appear in this dwarven mine that would make a high-ranking priest of light tense? A huge, muscular cyborg?

Mel and I looked curiously into the tunnel ahead, which remained pitch black. Lusien stood directly in front of us, longsword in one hand and a magic-wielding pistol in his left. Lady Angela, meanwhile, pulled a staff from her magic storage bracelet—a classic, ancient-looking druid staff that resembled a tree branch. Before our astonished gazes could fade, Lady Angela, true to form, snapped the branch open, revealing a dark, gaping muzzle...

Well, a dual-purpose staff and magic gun is quite an amazing invention.

The tremors beneath our feet grew stronger and stronger, and Mel and I prepared our spells, since caution is always better than carelessness.

Something was indeed hurtling towards us from the darkness ahead at an incredible speed. I judged it to be some kind of beast-like creature; I could sense its life force, which came from the ground and leaped up the walls at varying speeds and with astonishing jumping power. The tremors caused some soil and rocks to fall from the tunnel ceiling. Then, in the next second, the druid transformed into a giant bear, and after a wild roar, she collided with the lunging thing—

"Your Excellency Angela, be careful!"

Lusien roared, unleashing a burst of Dou Qi that prevented the blurry behemoth from continuing its attack on Ms. Angela's vitals. I threw out Air Shield, catching the giant bear that had been flung away—the Druid Bear was actually outmatched in physical strength in a single exchange! Upon landing, Ms. Angela immediately reverted to human form, but she transformed her legs into bird claws, gripping the ground and firing several shots—

The explosion of the magic cannonball briefly illuminated the enormous creature that attacked us. It was indeed some kind of four-clawed behemoth, but I also became more cautious. I felt that what I was seeing was probably not some kind of naturally grown ferocious beast.

"By the God of Light!" Luolan cried out in alarm, "We've traveled through time!"

We turned back to look at him again, at an inopportune moment. Since our eyesight wasn't as good as Luolan's, only he could see clearly. He pointed ahead, forgetting even to cast a spell, and yelled, "That thing, did it travel out of some sci-fi horror movie?"

So, do the priests of the Temple of Light also enjoy time travel stories???

I cast Absolute Protection, and Mel raised her hand, immediately unleashing a barrage of Illumination Spell. Fighting some kind of beast in the dark would be unwise; their eyesight is far superior to humans. So, the orbs of light illuminated the entire space, and then we were all stunned. No wonder Luolan shouted that we had traveled through time—

The monster before us was half-mechanical, half-flesh, with a grotesque appearance and blood-red skin. Tubes, like blood vessels, delivered battery fluid throughout its body. Tentacles floated around its head—the kind of wriggling, elongated objects that gave me a physiological unease. The tips of these tentacles would open like flower petals, revealing mouths on the monster's face as well. These mouths, when opened, resembled swirling petals, but were anything but aesthetically pleasing; they only sent chills down my spine. These grotesque mouths would occasionally hiss and roar, revealing concentric rings of constricting throats. The flesh walls were covered in barbs and sharp teeth, perfectly triggering trypophobia. Aside from the mechanical parts, its body looked like a mutated dog magnified a hundred times, almost identical to the alien creatures in recent popular science fiction disaster movies.

But my surprise wasn't because it felt like time travel.

Rather, it's because I recognize this thing.

... In my teacher's basement, there used to be many sealed cylindrical petri dishes, filled with a viscous blue-green potion containing these mutated creatures. I was responsible for feeding the creatures in the lab, using some of my tragically deceased fellow disciples, or various creatures that my teacher captured from who-knows-where, or simply letting the monsters kill each other.

They were called "Artificial Demon" by my teacher, born from extremely vicious Black Magic, and there was more than one of them, which also required the use of alchemy and sacrifice.

At that time, the endings I listed for myself included not only being turned into a puppet of the teacher after death, but also the option of becoming fodder.