Chapter 115: Joining the Magic Control Union

"Indeed, I possess a pass to the Open-Air Labyrinth."

"Then that is correct."

Sharon clapped her hands excitedly. "In fact, the labyrinth passes are distributed through mental or spiritual means! Those who possess a pass can, to a certain extent, be considered part of the labyrinth!"

Rod suddenly understood.

No wonder Nolin was able to cast the 【Chain of Far Speech】 spell on him from such a great distance back then.

"So what is the method of insertion? Surely you don't mean to plant me upside down in the desert like a tree?"

The witch Dimia laughed at his joke, covering her mouth with two light giggles.

"It is not like that, Mr. Rod. We only need a little of your blood."

"Blood is enough?"

"Of course, the more the better, but we must also consider Mr. Rod's endurance."

"Is one arm enough?"

"Mr. Rod is joking. According to our calculations, the flesh and blood of a single finger is sufficient."

Without a word, Rod proliferated a finger and chopped it off with his sword.

Blood, along with the finger, plopped down onto the table.

"Ahhh!!!!"

Everyone was so frightened that their faces lost all color.

Sharon even screamed directly, falling backward.

"Are you mad?!"

Kali's face changed; she grabbed the severed finger and rushed over, knocking her chair flying.

The witch Dimia turned pale and immediately cast a healing spell.

But only when they saw Rod proudly displaying his five intact fingers did their expressions turn to realization.

The elf even let out a cold snort.

"Flesh magic? Another evil path learned from who knows where."

"Mr. Rod, you nearly scared me to death. Please do not make such jokes; Daphne will scold me to death."

Dimia approached with a bitter smile and gently held the cut on his hand.

The spiritual light of the healing spell flickered.

However, it seemed she was not skilled at it, at least not as skilled as the half-centaur Miss Xiao Ke.

Sharon climbed up and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go ahead and try your experiments; do not worry about my flesh and blood."

Rod smiled.

The Death Desert directly threatens the forest and must be treated with the highest priority.

The three ladies felt his trust and a surge of motivation rose within their hearts.

"By the way, I have more than one pass; will that have an effect?"

Besides the pass to the Open-Air Labyrinth, he also had one for the Flawless Crystal Land.

"Do not worry. Lady Kali can distinguish them; she is the most learned mage I have ever met."

Dimia said.

Come to think of it, why must the Open-Air Labyrinth be chosen?

The witch seemed to see through his confusion and said:

"Because the Open-Air Labyrinth does not involve space. When it descended beside the Scorching City, it neither reduced nor added land, so the changes in space were minimal. We must control the variables of the labyrinth."

The next morning.

At the edge of the Death Desert.

The three mages, Kali, Dimia, and Sharon, performed a small ritual to insert the labyrinth.

Before submitting to the Magic Control Union, they first had to obtain certain experimental data.

They could not simply propose a plan and have it approved without any review.

They calculated the location and arranged the formation array; their actions flowed like clouds and water, their coordination perfect, looking like old friends who had cooperated for many years.

Rod observed from the side.

He could not help but sigh that Kali was also such a person with a sense of cooperation.

Finally, they formed a circle, creating a circular formation array on the ground, with various ritual materials placed on the appropriate patterns.

The incantations on their lips and their hand gestures coordinated with each other; mana gathered in the air into special paths, flowing smoothly through the spell formula.

Rod understood not a single bit, and since they were focused on casting, they could not stop to explain.

So he could only wait silently.

One hour later.

The desert at the target location changed into a small patch of pinkish muddy earth.

A scorching heat wave rose from this small patch of earth, twisting and spreading upward in the air.

"Unbelievable... it succeeded on the first try..."

Dimia said in surprise.

Spell rituals are difficult, especially combined spell rituals; everyone's mana differs, so they must undergo a certain period of adaptation before succeeding smoothly.

Generally speaking, three or five attempts would be considered few.

This is why they still had a huge pile of spell materials left.

"This shows our chemistry is good!"

Sharon laughed optimistically.

She had once given up the path of magic, but during these few days of brief cooperation, she had rediscovered the joy of it.

"No."

Lady Kali stepped to the center of the magic formation, where the most important material lay.

That was, Rod's severed finger.

At this moment, the finger showed signs of collapse, and faint pink-purple vengeful fire flickered out.

She looked at Rod.

"This isn't an ordinary labyrinth pass, is it?"

"Just a tiny bit better than ordinary."

Rod smiled.

The elf, seeing his smug, punchable look, clicked her tongue hard.

"A high-grade pass?"

Dimia was surprised, "So they really do exist. I always thought it was just a rumor. A high-grade pass holder must have a deeper connection with the labyrinth, which is why we've been able to proceed so smoothly."

"So it wasn't because we're skilled?"

Sharon's little dog drooped dejectedly, its tail hanging down.

After these few days of brief interaction, she had loosened up a lot, showing her true personality.

So right after, she got excited again.

After all, the experiment went smoothly.

After packing up, Sharon put the recording stone she'd been using for documentation into her pack.

These needed to be submitted as data to the Magic Control Union.

"Mr. Rod, how have you been thinking about the matter I mentioned to you a few days ago?"

Her face was full of hope.

Now that a solution to the disaster was in sight, it looked like a pretty good deal.

If I can also get points for recommending talent, then my promotion at the Magic Control Union is in sight!

"Oh, you mean joining the Magic Control Union?"

A few days ago, Sharon had taken time out to mention this matter.

Rod had refused at first — he was used to being free in the forest and couldn't stand the idea of a desk job.

But later he heard it was a part-time position, meaning he only had to act when there was business and was free the rest of the time.

On top of that, there was a 30% employee discount at the market district, five free unlimited-distance teleports per year, and very generous pay.

It actually made him a little tempted.

Mainly the 30% discount at the market district and the free teleports.

The market district had a wide and abundant selection of goods, very appealing.

But there's no need to say how expensive they were. Combined with the fact that Rod simply couldn't learn to craft overload rings, he was currently living off his stockpile, so a 30% discount wasn't bad.

Moreover, the market district allowed anonymous sales, so he wouldn't have to worry about having no outlet once he could craft overload rings.

As for the free teleports—

He was confident in nurturing the Emerald Remnant Branch, believing that one day he'd be able to use 【Space Tree Form】, and when that time came, his Magic Control Union identity could serve as cover.

"Let me ask once more — you won't send me on missions beyond my capabilities, right?"

"No, we won't. Considering you're an official of Etheron, the Magic Control Union applied for a position similar to a registered mercenary for you. You choose your own missions, but there's a certain point requirement each year. If you don't meet it, you'll be downgraded."

That's alright.

After thinking for a while.

Rod agreed.

(End of chapter)