Magic Armor: Pale Mask

Richard took the Crystal Ball and probed it with his spiritual power, discovering that it contained a design blueprint.

It was a Magic Armor design blueprint called Pale Mask.

Gerald looked at the notes in his hand and said calmly, "Make this thing, then hand it over to me.

I'll give you three months.

If you can't make it after three months, that will prove your talent isn't as good as it seemed."

After speaking, Gerald glanced at Richard.

"Do you understand?"

Richard nodded. "I understand, Master Gerald."

"Then go back. I still have experiments to conduct."

Gerald waved his hand, and Richard and Anna silently withdrew.

After leaving the room, Richard patted his chest.

"So this is a wizard? When he looked at me, it felt like he saw right through me."

Anna rolled her eyes at him.

"What's so scary about that? Seeing that you're a Low-level apprentice, Mentor even reined in his life radiation. Go back and make your Magic Armor properly. A mask isn't hard to make. I'll wait for your news in three months."

With that, Anna swung her long legs over the stair railing and dropped down as if in free fall.

"Tsk, Levitation really is impressive. But why do I feel like I've forgotten something?"

Richard stroked his chin, then suddenly rushed to the railing and shouted at Anna.

"Senior Sister, you haven't paid me yet!"

After finding Anna and settling the payment for the Magic Stones, Richard received an extra ten Magic Stones because his Red Mercury was of exceptionally high purity and they might become fellow disciples in the future. Anna also hoped that, once he finished the Magic Armor, Richard would refine another batch of Red Mercury for her.

Richard could only say that they would definitely work together again in the future.

Looking at the full one hundred and ten Magic Stones in his pocket, Richard could not help sighing. Anna really was a rich woman.

She had handed over more than a hundred Magic Stones without even blinking.

"I'm rich, I'm rich. First thing, I'll pay Ellie back." Richard counted the Magic Stones in the pouch. He had been buried in the Library lately, spending every last Magic Stone he had. Even the money for buying Bloodline Alchemy materials had been borrowed from Ellie.

"After paying her back, I'll take a stroll through the Commercial District, gather the materials for the Magic Armor, and start making it as soon as possible!" Richard clenched his fist, brimming with motivation.

Back at the dormitory, Richard knocked on the neighboring door.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

Click.

Ellie opened the door in a thin nightgown, her eyes still bleary with sleep.

"Richard, what is it?" Ellie rubbed her eyes. As she moved, her thin nightgown revealed a broad stretch of springtime allure.

"Nothing much. I came to repay the Magic Stones."

Keeping his eyes straight ahead, Richard handed Ellie a pouch of Magic Stones.

"Five Magic Stones. Take a look."

Ellie casually tossed the pouch behind her without even glancing at it.

"What's there to look at? It's not like you'd cheat me. Come in and sit for a while. I recently bought a tin of Green's Black Tea in the Commercial District."

"I won't sit. I just found a mentor, and he assigned me a task."

Richard gave a vague reply and turned to leave.

"You met that woman named Anna?"

"Hm?" Richard turned back. "How did you know?"

"The scent. She had that same scent on her the day of class," Ellie said carelessly.

Richard sniffed himself and, sure enough, caught a faint fragrance remarkably similar to the smell of Red Mercury.

"Impressive. You could smell that?"

Richard gave her a thumbs-up, then waved and quickly left.

Ellie watched Richard's retreating figure and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Standing behind the door, her cheeks were flushed red, yet she was also somewhat annoyed.

"He still wouldn't come in! Is his heart made of stone?!"

Ellie stamped her foot furiously, then deflated and flopped onto her bed, picking up the Chronicles of the Wizard World she had borrowed from the Library.

"Ah, knowledge, knowledge—you are the true enchantress. How many people have been bewitched out of their minds by you, spending their entire lives in pursuit of nothing more than a glimpse of your iceberg's tip.

How could I possibly win against an opponent like you?"

Upon arriving at the Commercial District, Richard began searching for suitable materials according to the blueprint.

"Inferior Wind Pattern Stone, Sticky Mushroom, Black Mercury, Poisonous Wisteria Ink, Enchanted Wood from a ten-year-old tree..."

After wandering the Commercial District for half the day, Richard finally gathered most of the materials needed to make the Pale Mask. He had also spent a full three thousand five hundred Academy Coins, equivalent to thirty-five Magic Stones.

"One more left—the Black Striped Water Python Skull."

Richard looked at the last item on the materials list. He had visited more than a dozen shops without finding it.

"A Black Striped Water Python Skull? We don't have that here." The clerk shook his head.

Richard sighed at those words. This was the last Alchemy Shop in the Commercial District.

"Then where can I get one?" Richard smiled as he slipped ten Academy Coins into the clerk's hand. After making sure no one had seen, the smile on the clerk's face immediately became far more sincere.

"The Black Striped Water Python has habitats in the Black Stone Mountain Range. If you're in a hurry, you can go hunt one yourself. That kind of Magic Beast isn't difficult for a Low-level apprentice to kill. Also, if you really plan to go there, you can check whether the Academy has any missions to patrol the Black Stone Mountain Range. Academy missions let you ride the Academy airship for free, saving you the price of an airship ticket."

"The Black Stone Mountain Range... Thank you for the advice."

Richard pondered for a moment and decided to follow the clerk's suggestion and visit the Mission Hall.

The Mission Hall was bustling with people. Richard searched through the mission list for a long time before finally finding an Academy mission to inspect the living conditions of White Crystal Deer in the Black Stone Mountain Range.

Richard walked toward the counter, preparing to accept the mission.

"I'm sorry, but due to the danger of the mission, Low-level and beginner apprentices need at least two people to accept it," the Wizard Apprentice behind the counter said as he looked at the Crystal Ball.

"I need to form a team? That's a bit troublesome." Richard frowned tightly.

Since arriving at the Academy, Richard's daily life could even be described as reclusive. Other than the Library, he stayed in his dormitory. As for interacting with others, apart from Ellie, there was no one at all.

Richard pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Should I ask Ellie to team up?"

Just as his head was aching, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Hey, friend. Looking to form a team?"

Richard turned around and saw a fat man in a wizard robe looking at him. The man appeared simple and honest, and his eyes shone with sincerity.

"Friend, want to form a team? I'm Loken. I'm looking for someone to go to the Black Stone Mountain Range with."

Richard turned to look at the clerk. He had only just asked whether he could accept the mission, and someone immediately came over asking to team up.

That was a little too much of a coincidence.

The clerk shot Richard a glance. "It's very common for Low-level apprentices to form temporary teams in the hall. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill."

"Sorry, I already have a teammate."

Richard gave Loken an apologetic smile and turned to leave.

Going into the wilderness to carry out a mission with someone he did not know was far too dangerous in Richard's eyes.

Back at the dormitory, Richard knocked on Ellie's door again.

"Richard, what is it this time?" Ellie opened the door, her expression somewhat strange.

Has this block of wood finally caught on?

"Uh..." Richard looked at Ellie, hesitated for a moment, then said, "I saw a mission in the Mission Hall that requires a team. Are you free lately?"

Ohohohoho!

Ellie cheered wildly inside, but her expression remained indifferent.

"I'm free. How will we split the reward?"

"Three hundred Academy Coins. Half each."

Richard's main task was to hunt the Black Striped Water Python. As for the Magic Stones from this Academy mission, he did not think much of them anymore.

"Fine, I agree. Wait for me to change clothes."