Chapter 104: Human Truth, Truth Human

"Sly little brat."

Paro Wizard watched Lin Ke walk out of the office, muttering softly.

However, the more cunning Linke Grand's mind, the more slippery he became, and Paro Wizard actually appreciated him more.

Those who are overly honest, even if extraordinarily talented, cannot go far or achieve anything.

This is how the world is.

Honest people always end up losing out.

One point, two points, three points—tiny losses accumulate until they completely crush you.

Paro Wizard has weathered decades, seen too many talentless geniuses fall midway.

Picking up his smartbrain, Paro Wizard directly sent a "video call" request to Peter Leonnel.

"What's up?"

The screen was black, transmitting heavy breathing from intense activity, indistinct sounds, and Peter Leonnel's impatient voice: "I'm busy, hurry up!"

Paro Wizard silently cursed his bad luck, then bluntly said: "Just one thing—stop all petty tricks against Linke Grand, don't force me to lose my temper."

"Understood."

Peter Leonnel's tone grew even more impatient: "Such a trivial matter, you come to me? He's your son, are you watching him that closely?"

"Don't spout nonsense, just like this."

Listening to the increasingly shrill female solo, Paro Wizard felt speechless and simply hung up.

"Damn it!"

Feeling his ears were unclean, Paro Wizard grumbled, then entered the "Warvosith Forum", browsed posts about witch gender equality, to distract himself.

Meanwhile.

Peter Leonnel struggled for a long time, finally harmonizing their views, briefly ending the metamorphosis period, ascending to the Sage Realm.

A few spells cast at will erased all water stains, sweat marks, and other traces from their bodies.

Convenient, fresh, comfortable.

Letting the companion whose eyes showed ease and satisfaction change into battle armor, Peter Leonnel contacted Soren Lucia.

"Soren, your probe has feedback."

Peter Leonnel didn't exchange pleasantries with Soren Lucia, got straight to the point: "Paro just contacted me, demanding we halt all petty tricks against Linke Grand."

"Hmm. I know."

On screen, Soren Lucia kept a stern face, expressionless, coldly said: "Since we've probed Paro's attitude, just arrange people to kill him during the Two Districts Grand Comparison."

"Fine, just like that, I still have things to do."

Peter Leonnel watched the companion walk out of the changing room, having switched into a goddess outfit from the Gods' World, instantly excited, hurriedly hung up.

Another fierce battle is about to erupt.

……

Lin Ke did not waste time.

Four witchcraft skills bought from the black market remain at proficiency level, needing improvement.

One afternoon, Lin Ke stayed on the seventh floor of the experimental building, practicing witchcraft.

He practiced both the fluency of individual witchcraft and continuously combined the twelve 0-ring witchcraft skills he had mastered.

Based on the pseudo·natal witchcraft, he practiced the techniques of "continuous casting", "parallel casting", and "double/multiple casting" one by one, deepening mastery and increasing fluency.

Now, less than two and a half months remain until the Two Districts Grand Comparison.

From the sporadically disclosed information by the academy, Lin Ke learned that the highest mortality format is one-on-one combat, while the highest difficulty format is exploring secret realms and surviving desperate situations.

These three formats share a common point: the requirements for mastery and application of witchcraft for participants in the Two Districts Grand Comparison are extremely high, though each emphasizes different aspects.

One-on-one combat emphasizes offensive and defensive witchcraft, discourages but does not prohibit the use of rune items and witch tools.

The premise is that participants can provide a reasonable income source, proving that the magic stones spent on rune items and witch tools are earned through their own learning.

Exploring secret realms emphasizes detection witchcraft and various knowledge reserves.

Surviving desperate situations tests the participants' overall abilities, slightly favoring practice over theory.

Since Lin Ke started preparing early, he must list these three formats as key preparation targets.

Besides practicing the twelve mastered 0-ring witchcraft skills, Lin Ke plans to select a few more 0-ring witchcraft skills after the spring semester begins, as reserves.

Even if not perfected, just reaching proficiency might still be useful in some situations, right?

Anyway, with witchcraft talent, he can be willful!

After practicing witchcraft for an afternoon, with several light meditation sessions to restore mental and magical power, Lin Ke consumed considerable energy.

Yet Lin Ke, with his fatigued body, went to pick up Mo Li after work.

All went smoothly.

Seeing Lin Ke's evident fatigue in his brows, Mo Li originally prepared to ask a few questions about issues arising during her part-time job, but her thoughts also faded.

They had dinner at the cafeteria.

Mo Li voluntarily said: "Today I'm quite tired, so I won't go to the library or lab, just want to return to the dorm early to rest."

Lin Ke's mind shifted, knowing Mo Li was indirectly caring for him.

"Okay."

Lin Ke smiled in response, then sent Mo Li back to the dorm.

He himself did not go to the library or lab alone.

Others have good intentions; since they didn't refuse on the spot, don't let their kindness go cold.

Recently, his heartstrings have indeed been tightly wound; rare rest.

Lin Ke also had no extra plans, washed up, changed clothes, did deep meditation, then went to sleep early.

Slept till dawn, very comfortable.

Lin Ke even felt his spiritual power had increased considerably.

Calling up the system panel, he saw—indeed, his spiritual power was now 45, up by 2!

Alternating tension and relaxation is the way of both civil and martial.

That saying is still sound, and it equally applies to a wizard's training.

Joining Mo Li, the two took the rail transit train straight to the Southern District.

Yes, the Southern District.

At noon yesterday, while having lunch at the shop restaurant, Witch Selrin called out Lin Ke, Mo Li, and Witch Tina, and together they headed to a factory in the Southern District to help debug the new production line of the Lixuan grass series.

With the rise and development of the witch equality movement on the Lewosith Forum, Linke Grand's popularity gradually waned, while the Lixuan grass series' popularity skyrocketed.

Female witches and witch apprentices flocking to Witch Selrin's potion shop to buy the Lixuan grass series, especially its fragrances and perfumes, nearly burst the shop's doors.

Witch Selrin hastily added two more production lines.

The factory there was already working overtime to speed up production, lacking technical staff to debug the new production line.

Witch Selrin had no choice but to do it herself.

Bringing Tina is because she, as a potion-packaging assistant, follows the standard learning and growth path of a potion maker; the next stage is potion-crafting assistant, until she becomes a qualified potion maker.

Unlike Lin Ke, who relies on his botany and potion-making talents to grow wildly.

And bringing Lin Ke and Mo Li is an unwritten rule of the academy.

That is, units that hire apprentices for part‑time work must, besides paying wages, also foster the apprentices' relevant abilities.

Mina Havrcheck paid a high price for exactly this side‑by‑side cultivation.

Unfortunately, she herself was unpromising.

Southern District, the platform nearest the destination.

Lin Ke and Mo Li had just stepped off the train when they saw Witch Selrin's big red hovercar.

"Good morning, Witch Selrin."

Opening the car door, boarding the hovercar, Lin Ke and Mo Li greeted in unison.

"Hn."

Witch Selrin casually replied, stepped on the accelerator, and the hovercar shot forward with a swoosh.

Unlike the fully autonomous vehicles they'd ridden before, Witch Selrin's hovercar is extremely retro manual operation.

Lin Ke saw some components similar to those of cars from his previous life.

For example, a control handle like an F1 racing steering wheel, manual gear shifting, and the accelerator, clutch, and brake.

A long‑missing shock.

The hovercar's speed is extremely fast, like lightning.

Fortunately, Lewosith City separates pedestrians and vehicles, and the hovercar can choose ground‑hugging, low, medium, or high altitude modes, so there's little worry about hitting people or cars.

Mo Li had never been to the Southern District.

Previously, she looked out the train's window but saw nothing.

But now, even if the hovercar goes faster and the buildings outside blur past quicker, she can still see a very obvious contrast and disparity.

Mo Li seemed to see the difference between her family's castle and the slums.

It turns out that just a few streets apart can create such a huge gap.

The hovercar stopped, and the three got out.

Mo Li looked at the endless rows of factory buildings ahead, like matchboxes, and even before entering felt extremely oppressive.

"What are you staring at?"

He waved his hand, catching the dazed Mo Li's attention, and Lin Ke called her to follow Witch Selrin into one of the many factories.

The factory area is very clean, and the layout of the buildings is very orderly and standard.

No one came out to greet them.

Witch Selrin brought Lin Ke and Mo Li to the clean area.

Each of the three entered the respective male/female changing rooms, put on protective gear, and immediately entered the workshop.

In the workshop, aside from the noise of running machinery, almost nothing else can be heard.

On the assembly line, workers in tight protective gear wearily performed dull operations.

Either supplying magical power, casting spells, handling materials, or operating equipment……

Movements are precise, with no redundancy whatsoever, even more mechanical than the noise‑making machinery.

Looking through the goggles at the workers' eyes reveals a blank, lifeless stare.

Like withered vines and rotten wood.

"Lin Ke…"

Mo Li watched the scene before her: Lixuan grass seeds, in an extremely short time, were sprouted and matured by magic and special potions, pre‑treated, refined, fed into the alchemy potion chamber, diluted, blended, bottled—yet none of that moved her as much as those pairs of numb eyes.

She tugged Lin Ke's sleeve and whispered, "Are they the Storm Sea Newbloods who haven't become full witches in four years?"

"No."

Lin Ke shook his head.

Upon hearing that, Mo Li's eyes suddenly filled with intense anticipation.

She hoped to hear the answer she wanted.

Unfortunately, all she heard was Lin Ke continuing: "There are also some local witch apprentices with low aptitude or special circumstances."

The light in Mo Li's eyes suddenly vanished.

The truth was even crueler than Mo Li had imagined.

Not only Storm Sea Newbloods are subjected to extreme exploitation; even those born on the mainland cannot escape suffering and numbness.

This is the true world, the reality of the world.

Some people are herded like cattle and horses.

Some spend their whole lives as cattle and horses.

(End of chapter)