Chapter 115: Magic Control Union Employment

"Indeed, I possess a pass to the Open Maze."

"Then that's settled."

Sharon clapped her hands excitedly, "Actually, maze passes are distributed through spiritual or soul-based methods! Those who hold a pass are, to some extent, part of the maze itself!"

Luo De suddenly understood.

No wonder Naulin had been able to cast a 【Far Speech Chain】 on him from such a distance back then.

"So what's the grafting method? You're not seriously going to stick me headfirst into the desert, are you?"

The witch Demia laughed at him, covering her mouth and chuckling softly twice.

"Not at all, Mr. Luo De. We only need a bit of your blood."

"Just blood?"

"Of course, the more the better—but we must also consider your tolerance."

"Would a whole arm be enough?"

"Mr. Luo De, you're joking. Our estimates say the flesh and blood from a single finger is sufficient."

Without hesitation, Luo De grew a finger and slashed it off with his sword.

Blood and finger plopped onto the table.

"Aaaah!!!!!"

Everyone turned pale with shock.

Sharon screamed outright and collapsed backward.

"Are you insane?!"

Kali Site 's face darkened; she snatched up the severed finger and rushed over, knocking her chair flying.

The witch Demia turned ashen and immediately cast a healing spell.

Only when she saw Luo De proudly displaying his intact five fingers did they all realize the truth.

The elf snorted coldly.

"Flesh magic? Another dark art you picked up somewhere."

"Mr. Luo De, you nearly gave me a heart attack—please don't pull stunts like that. Daphne would kill me."

Demia walked over with a wry smile and gently took his wounded hand.

The glow of the healing spell flickered.

But it was clear she wasn't skilled at it—at least not as skilled as the half-deer Ko.

Sharon got up, exhaling in relief.

"Go ahead and run your experiments. Don't worry about my flesh and blood."

Luo De smiled.

The Death Desert directly threatens the forest—it must be the highest priority.

The three women felt his trust and felt new motivation surge within them.

"By the way, I have more than one pass. Will that cause issues?"

Besides the Open Maze pass, he also held one for the Flawless Crystal Ground.

"Don't worry. Kali Site can tell them apart. She's the most learned mage I've ever met," Demia said.

Demia said.

Come to think of it, why choose the Open Maze at all?

The witch seemed to read his thoughts and said:

"Because the Open Maze doesn't involve spatial manipulation. When it appeared beside Blazing City, it neither added nor subtracted land—its spatial changes were minimal. We must control the maze's variables."

The next morning.

At the edge of the Death Desert.

The three mages—Kali Site, Demia, and Sharon—performed a small grafting ritual for the maze.

Before submitting to the Magic Control Union, they needed to gather preliminary experimental data.

You can't just submit a proposal and expect approval without doing anything.

They calculated the location, set up the array, moved with seamless coordination, as if they'd worked together for years.

Luo De watched from the side.

He couldn't help but marvel that Kali Site was also such a cooperative person.

Eventually, they formed a circle, crafting a circular array on the ground, placing various ritual materials along precise patterns.

Chants and hand gestures synchronized; magic converged in the air into special pathways, flowing smoothly through the spell formula.

Luo De understood nothing. They were fully focused on casting and couldn't explain.

He could only wait silently.

An hour later.

The desert at the target site transformed into a small patch of pinkish mud.

Scorching heat waves rose from the patch, twisting and spreading upward through the air.

"Unbelievable. It worked on the first try."

Demia exclaimed in surprise.

Ritual magic is difficult, especially a combined ritual—each mage's magic differs, requiring considerable practice before success.

Usually, three to five attempts are considered few.

That's why they had brought a whole pile of ritual materials afterward.

"It proves our synergy!"

Sharon grinned optimistically.

She had once abandoned magic, but these few days of brief collaboration had rekindled her joy in it.

"No."

Kali Site stepped to the center of the array, where the most crucial material lay.

That was Luo De's severed finger.

Now, the finger showed signs of decay, faintly emitting pink-purple Yuan fire.

She looked at Luo De.

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

"Just a little better than ordinary."

Luo De smiled.

The elf scowled at his smug expression, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"A high-grade pass?"

Demia gasped, "So they really exist? I always thought they were just rumors. High-grade pass holders must connect more deeply with the maze—that's why we succeeded so smoothly."

"So it's not because we're talented?"

Sharon's face fell like a disappointed puppy, her tail drooping.

After these few days of brief interaction, she had opened up, revealing her true personality.

But then, she perked up again.

After all, the experiment had succeeded.

They packed up; Sharon placed the recording crystal into her satchel.

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

"Mr. Luo De, have you thought about what I mentioned to you a few days ago?"

Her face glowed with hope.

Now that a solution to the disaster was in sight, this looked like a very favorable deal.

If I can get bonus points for recommending talent, I might actually get promoted!

"Oh, the Magic Control Union employment thing?"

Sharon had mentioned it a few days ago.

Luo De had initially refused—he was used to freedom in the forest and couldn't stand office hours.

But then he learned it was a part-time position: available when needed, free otherwise.

Plus, a 30% staff discount in the Market Zone, five free unlimited-distance teleports per year, and very generous pay.

It did make him consider it.

Mostly because of the 30% discount and free teleports.

The Market Zone had everything—very appealing.

But how expensive it was goes without saying; and since Luo De couldn't learn to craft Overload Rings, he was living off his savings—so a 30% discount was welcome.

Also, the Market Zone allowed anonymous sales—he wouldn't lack a market for Overload Rings once he made them.

As for the free teleports...

He had confidence in the Jade Branch's growth, certain that one day he'd use 【Spatial Tree Form】, and then his Magic Control Union status could serve as cover.

"Let me ask again—you won't assign me missions beyond my strength, right?"

"No. Considering you're an official of Aithelon, the Magic Control Union has applied for a Guapai mercenary position for you. You choose your own missions, but you must meet an annual point quota—or you'll be demoted."

Acceptable.

After a moment's thought.

Luo De agreed.

(End of chapter)