Chapter 216 - 7: Assessment Reward, The Pilot Sets Sail

Chapter 216: Chapter 7: Assessment Reward, The Pilot Sets Sail

Mo Ning smiled faintly and used his Spiritual Power to quietly activate the silver-white pack on his back.

The next moment.

"CLICK—CLANK—!"

A rapid series of crisp, metallic clicks echoed out as the pack unfolded at a dazzling speed.

First, a metal frame extended, assembling in midair to form the silhouette of a Triangular Wing.

Then, exquisite metal feathers sprouted from the frame. Each was intricately carved with complex Magic Patterns, glinting with a cold light in the darkness of the night.

In the space of a single breath, the densely packed feathers covered the entire surface of the wings.

At the same time, numerous intricate structures emerged from beneath the wings, instantly forming a simple yet comfortable cockpit.

In the blink of an eye, a complete Powered Triangular Wing had taken shape.

Its lines were as fluid as water, and its surface was covered in exquisite patterns. Illuminated by the flickering firelight, it looked like a work of art.

Mo Ning settled into the cockpit. Though the seat was metal, it was made of a strange, flexible metal and wasn’t the least bit hard on him.

This was The Aviator, the Triangular Wing custom-made for him by Lord Hede, the First Level Wizard who had invented the device.

Mo Ning still remembered how utterly stunned he had been the first time he witnessed the simple pack gorgeously transform into an entire Triangular Wing.

He had to admire Lord Hede’s profound mastery of mechanical structures. At his current level, Mo Ning was nowhere near capable of designing such an ingenious folding mechanism.

Originally, Mo Ning had felt a hint of annoyance that Hede was using his achievements for personal gain. But upon seeing this Triangular Wing, which could only be described as a work of art, that displeasure vanished in an instant.

The Third Level Apprentice, Nasha, had once told him that the cost of materials and manufacturing for The Aviator alone was likely no less than 2,000 Black Tower Points.

Even for a First Level Wizard, this was by no means a small sum. Although it was much easier for Wizards to earn Black Tower Points than Apprentices, they also had far more expenses.

The Female Apprentice had even done a spot-on impression of her mentor Yi Lin’s original words: "I see Hede’s sincerity."

At the time, Mo Ning couldn’t help but laugh.

He could tell from the Female Wizard’s words that Yi Lin was also a little peeved that Hede had used the achievements of a member of her lab to cause such a stir and gain a position of actual power in the academy.

During this period, the Eye of Truth had condensed several wisps of the Light of Knowledge. Mo Ning used them to perform two in-depth analyses of The Aviator, gaining a great deal of knowledge about mechanical design.

The most magical thing about the Light of Knowledge was its ability to let a person instantly understand and digest the analyzed information.

If this same knowledge were presented to an ordinary Apprentice, it might take them one or two months to fully comprehend it. Mo Ning, however, only needed the span of a single breath.

Mechanical design in the Wizard World was completely different from what he knew in his past life.

To be precise, the method Hede used was called Magic Pattern Mechanics.

All the moving parts of the Triangular Wing, from the unfolding of the frame to the extension of the metal feathers, were precisely controlled by different Magic Patterns.

The knowledge contained within The Aviator gave him considerable inspiration, sparking one creative idea after another in his mind.

All in all, the gains were immense.

Mo Ning opened a small box next to the cockpit, took out an exquisite crystal wafer, and infused it with a wisp of his Spiritual Power.

The crystal wafer silently unfolded, quickly transforming into a pair of crystal glasses.

The moment he put them on, night turned to day, his vision becoming as clear as if it were high noon.

Lord Hede had been quite thoughtful, equipping the Triangular Wing with Spiritual Night Vision Goggles to facilitate flight and combat at night.

A group of Stone Soul Beasts was witnessing a folding Triangular Wing for the first time, and every one of them stared, transfixed.

Even the leopard-headed Balute, who had been trapped in a vortex of depression, opened his eyes and stared unblinkingly at the silver-white Aviator.

Mo Ning reached out and took a firm grip on the metal handles on either side of the seat.

The surfaces of the handles were covered in fine Magic Patterns. This was the Magic Pattern Core of the Powered Triangular Wing.

With a mere thought, he sent a thread-like wisp of Spiritual Power into the core.

The Magic Pattern Array on the underside of the Triangular Wing immediately activated, beginning to draw a steady stream of Magic Power from the Low Level Magic Stones.

Low Level Magic Stones contained a large amount of chaotic impurities. If a Wizard were to absorb them directly, they would be corrupted by the Power of Chaos.

But Magic Patterns had no soul, so corruption wasn’t an issue. This made Low Level Magic Stones and Magic Patterns a natural, perfect match.

"WHIRRR—"

A strong gust of wind surged from beneath the wings. The Aviator rose as if lifted by an invisible hand, rapidly ascending ten meters.

The Triangular Wing was forged entirely from an ultra-lightweight Spiritual Metal, weighing no more than five kilograms in total. Even with Mo Ning’s weight added, it was hardly a burden.

"WHOOSH—WHOOSH—"

The two metal wings began to flap up and down just like a real bird’s, and its rate of ascent suddenly quickened.

Soon.

The Aviator climbed to an altitude of three hundred meters in one go.

Strictly speaking, Mo Ning was exploiting a loophole.

The Taming Center had one clear regulation: the use of the Flying Technique was forbidden without permission.

After all, this was a breeding ground; a Wizard or Apprentice flying carelessly overhead could disturb the Spiritual Creatures being raised there.

The problem, however, was that the Triangular Wing was a new invention. The academy’s regulations hadn’t yet been updated to cover such a device.

And an act not forbidden by the regulations was an act that was permitted.

Mo Ning cunningly exploited this loophole, boldly piloting The Aviator into the skies above the Taming Center.

Besides, it was already nighttime. All the Spiritual Creatures had returned to their resting areas, so the chance of disturbing them was virtually zero.

His gaze swept past the ring-shaped building and fell upon the jungle, which was illuminated by clusters of glowing Spiritual Plants.

From what he had read in books, nearly a tenth of all Spiritual Plants in the Wizard World possessed luminescent properties.

Their luminescence served various purposes: some used it to attract insects, secreting sap to kill them and turn them into fertilizer; others had a hallucinogenic effect, allowing them to control insects and drive them to clear away surrounding plants, thus making more room for themselves to grow.

All the plants in the academy were Spiritual Plants, making the jungle below look as beautiful and surreal as a dream.

Mo Ning’s fingers went to his waist, where he took a small pinch of powder—it was Shimmering Powder.

He quietly cast the Trick, Wind Roll, scattering the powder into the air.

With his extremely precise control, the powder spread into a specific shape the moment he released it.

He then ignited the powder with his Spiritual Power. A brilliant white light erupted, instantly illuminating the entire night sky over the Taming Center.

Down below.

In the Chief Wizard’s office.

The First Level Wizard, Budi, immediately noticed the Triangular Wing as it took to the sky.

His gaze, sharper than a hawk’s, instantly recognized the pilot’s face—Mo Ning.

Had it been anyone else, even an Apprentice from the Taming Center itself, Budi would have ordered them to land immediately.

But the Suggestion Letter had left a deep impression on him. Now, the Wizard found himself growing curious, wanting to see just what this kid was up to.

A moment later, the Shimmering Powder erupted in a blaze of glory, its intense light banishing the darkness from the sky.

In the instant before the bright light flared, a shadow seemed to fall over Budi’s pupils, cleverly dampening the ensuing glare.

The next second.

The Wizard’s pupils dilated slightly.

He clearly saw a silhouette sketched out by the brilliant light, taking the form of an agile leopard that appeared lifelike in the night sky.

The leopard was not stationary; it took a stride and began to run with an agile grace.

To a Wizard, this was merely an insignificant little trick.

But for a novice to achieve this with just a pinch of powder and a Low Tier Trick demonstrated a control over Magic Power that was far above average.

"Interesting."

Budi murmured to himself.

His gaze shifted to a stone pillar beside the paved path. "Is this the performance for the Stone Soul Beasts?" he said in a low voice.

The Lord Wizard knew the Taming Center like the back of his hand, so of course, he knew that the Stone Soul Beast named Balute was chronically in low spirits.

He was also quite interested to see if tonight’s performance could alleviate Balute’s depression.

And so, Budi decided to allow the boy to do as he pleased in the skies above the Taming Center.

In all his years, the Wizard had seen many faces come and go, but this boy was the only one he had ever seen reach out to help Balute.

For such a rare young man, he was willing to grant the utmost leeway.

Budi swept a fingertip over the Witchcraft Ring on his left wrist and issued a rare order to the Taming Center staff:

[No one is to interfere with the performance in the sky.]

Once the order was issued, the few Apprentices who had been preparing to stop Mo Ning immediately backed down.

Everyone knew that Lord Budi was a rather aloof man, and no one dared to defy his will.