Chapter 236: Q&A and Invitation

The first thing to do upon returning to the Mage Tower was naturally to see my mentor. After more than ten days, I saw Niya again in the study on the top floor of the Tower of Time.

Lord Aipusi, however, was nowhere to be seen. Xia Duo had just returned and did not yet fully understand the affairs of the Mage Tower, but it seemed as though Niya had truly taken over the Territory.

"Mentor." Xia Duo offered a respectful greeting.

"Mm, find a place to sit yourself. I still have some matters here to handle." Niya did not even lift her head, continuing to focus on the documents on the desk.

Xia Duo looked left and right; there was only a place to sit by the window on the left. He did not stand on ceremony and sat directly on that Elf-style chair, which looked quite valuable at a glance.

It had a backrest and a cushion, fitting his back perfectly. Sitting on it, he actually felt as if he were floating on a cloud. Suddenly, Xia Duo realized that after transmigrating for so long, he had really been treating himself too poorly.

Counting it up, the only item he possessed related to comfort was a Mithril Pen, and that had been a free gift for purchasing a Magic Scroll.

Of course, 【Summon Mount】 was also quite comfortable to sit on, but that was, after all, just a spell for transportation.

If the price of reaching the pinnacle of Magic was to mistreat oneself for a lifetime and never enjoy life, then he would rather never touch that pinnacle.

His most direct purpose in learning Magic was to make his own life better; things like truth and mysteries were all empty talk.

Perhaps in the future, he would walk the path of pursuing truth and mysteries, or something else, but that would be the self-actualization need in the so-called hierarchy of needs.

But for now—just like the Ziyou Wangguo philosophy from Xia Duo's hometown, one's awareness in the primary stage is always limited!

……

While waiting for Niya to finish the matters at hand, Xia Duo took out his notes to organize and review the various questions that had arisen over the past ten days, while also observing Niya.

Perhaps because she had begun to take over the Territory, Niya's originally delicate and soft face now held a bit more sharpness, and her short black hair, which had previously been worn loose, was now tied up.

If one deliberately ignored the Mage Robe on her, Niya looked exactly like a capable urban white-collar worker; the greenness had faded, replaced by a touch of maturity.

Xia Duo could not help but compare Niya with Lady Patti. In terms of age, Lady Patti was slightly older; in terms of appearance, Niya was more beautiful.

As for temperament, Xia Duo felt that Lady Patti might have the edge. Perhaps her foundation in magical power was not as strong as Niya's, but her inner spirit and will were exceptionally firm.

However, Niya was still growing, while Lady Patti was perhaps already at her peak.

Just as he was imagining Niya's future appearance, a sudden "clatter" sound startled Xia Duo. He looked up to see Niya pressing her hand on the desk, staring at him!

Xia Duo gave a start and hurriedly stood up. "Mentor."

"Sit. If you have any questions, ask them quickly. I have an important experiment to do later; otherwise, I'll have to wait until tomorrow."

It seemed Niya had not noticed his distraction. Xia Duo breathed a sigh of relief and began to ask his questions.

He believed Niya when she said she had an important experiment; after all, every Mage had a limited number of Spellcastings per day, and if they were not used, they would be wasted.

Many mentors chose to exploit their Apprentices, using them to substitute for Spellcasting. For the time being, Niya did not have such a tendency, and Xia Duo was very grateful for that.

The two engaged in a question-and-answer session, occasionally branching out. Time passed quickly in this highly focused teaching session, and it was not until the Tower Spirit gave a reminder that Xia Duo realized it was already evening.

"Mentor, I will come to ask for guidance again tomorrow."

"Mm." Niya waved her hand, letting Xia Duo leave. A moment later, she also stood up and left.

……

Returning to his residence in the Mage Tower, Xia Duo looked around. Having been away for over ten days, the state of the room had hardly changed at all.

The position of the water cup he had left on the desk and the wool fiber caught in the opening of the box were still in their original places. He extended a finger and dragged it across the desktop; looking at it, his fingertip was covered in a fine layer of dust.

Niya was going to conduct a spell experiment, and so was Xia Duo. Many ideas he had accumulated needed to be verified one by one. Without a Spell Laboratory in the wild, he had not dared to act rashly.

As one comes into contact with deeper layers of the Magic Net, the backlash from a failed spell becomes more severe. The higher the level, the more one needs a Spell Laboratory capable of stabilizing the Magic Net.

The spells Xia Duo was currently experimenting with were all at the 2nd-ring level. Some were well-considered and truly needed testing, while others were purely to satisfy his own curiosity to see what would happen.

The former could perhaps be attempted cautiously outside, but the latter would truly be courting death without a Spell Laboratory.

……

The next day, Xia Duo went to the Material Requisition Office to process the dozen or so scrolls that had been brought into the Mythallar, only to receive 100 Gold Coins in exchange.

It was fortunate that only Magic Scrolls—consumables that could already be self-produced—had been damaged. If the Focus Ring had been broken, there would be nowhere to go to cry, and he did not know if Lord Aipusi covered repairs~

Leaving the Material Requisition Office, Xia Duo returned to the Library, where he recharged while waiting for Niya's summons.

Soon, Xia Duo received a prompt from the Tower Spirit—Niya was free.

However, even though she was free, it was just like yesterday: he had to wait for a while before the Q&A began. But after the Q&A, Niya kept Xia Duo behind to discuss another matter.

At first, Niya was a bit hesitant, stalling for a long time before saying, "Can you accompany me to the Arcane Union next month?"

The Arcane Union? Xia Duo did not react for a moment, but seeing Niya's expectant yet evasive gaze, he immediately thought of—the 【Nether Scroll】.

Xia Duo felt quite emotional, but in the end, it was a transaction based on mutual consent. He was not prepared to, nor did he have the ability to, go back on his word. He immediately replied: "The month is almost at an end; I will accompany you, Mentor, when I come next time!"

"Mm, thank you," Niya said softly. She then changed the subject and asked Xia Duo, "How is your development plan progressing? Do you need any help?"

"It's going quite smoothly. If I need your help, Mentor, I will certainly say so."

In truth, Xia Duo was unwilling to ask Niya for anything. The more one asked, the less personal favor remained. He preferred to obtain implicit benefits, such as more attentive guidance or reminders at critical moments.

Directly demanding benefits was a bit beneath him; it was better to cultivate a personal relationship, which was far stronger than just asking for some personnel or supplies.

……

Leaving the Lord's study, Xia Duo did not return to his residence but instead left the Mage Tower that night to go to the Liyadun Chamber of Commerce to inquire about the supplies on the "Lucky Owen".

Today was the entire day, plus half of yesterday, for loading cargo. Besides taking Xia Duo back, this trip was more importantly for replenishing tools.

Now that there were nearly a hundred people in Daxia Territory, they needed a large number of tools, especially the 【Long Saw】 that Xia Duo had emphasized.

Shrubs in the forest were ultimately in the minority; most were tall trees. Moreover, in the undeveloped primeval forest, the trees were lush and dense, and many had grown for who knows how many years. Clearing them with only axes and machetes was far too inefficient!

The 【Long Saw】 was not cheap, and it even required custom ordering.