Chapter 113 - 97: Guidance and Helpers

Chapter 113: Chapter 97: Guidance and Helpers

After Evelyn left, the laboratory fell quiet. The Rune Lamp on the Recording Platform emitted a faint BUZZ. In the Temperature-Controlled District, Surtr rolled over, its dark red flames casting dancing shadows against the wall. Nearby, the Golden Crow flapped its wings without making a sound.

Chen Shang sat in his chair, staring at the ceiling in deep thought for a long time.

This was his first time encountering the dark side of the Wizard World. Of course, he had known for a long time that Wizards as a group were no saints. The history books were very clear about the massacres, plundering, and enslavement in the ancient era... They had only changed their methods later because they found those practices too inefficient. It could be said that every tiny step forward in the old era of Wizard Civilization was accompanied by mountains of corpses and a Sea of Blood from countless races—sometimes even those of the Wizards themselves. It was only through endless sacrifices and explorations that their currently relatively complete knowledge system had come to be. Even the most foolish race in the Pan-Wizard Alliance wouldn’t believe that the organization was built on rules rather than sheer strength.

Previously, Chen Shang hadn’t been qualified to be schemed against. Or rather, he hadn’t even been significant enough to be noticed. He was just a small, newly initiated Apprentice who had reaped a few benefits by riding the surging waves of Wizard Civilization’s development. Countless Apprentices like him appeared every year. Only someone bored out of their mind would target him. Therefore, the seniors he had interacted with before were all Mr. Nice Guys. Even those at a much higher Level than him were mostly the type willing to guide the younger generation. This was because Chen Shang had no conflict of interest with them; once he grew stronger, there was even a chance he could pay them back.

But things were different now. Haimer’s promise acted like a spotlight shining on Chen Shang, drawing many gazes toward him—like sharks smelling blood in the water. Haimer, when it came down to it, was merely a Third Level Wizard. However, he was an externally appointed principal who had a higher legacy in the Core Layer of the Truth Continent. The Star Force Field Series Witchcraft was by no means insignificant in the Wizard World.

Chen Shang suddenly smiled and muttered to himself, "Only the mediocre escape envy. This just means I have truly grown."

Moreover, such a simple issue could be figured out by any random Wizard Apprentice. Thus, Lord Haimer had most likely leaked the news of taking him as a disciple on purpose. It was probably to force Chen Shang to break away from being an Ordinary Wizard Apprentice as soon as possible and face the harsh reality of the Wizard World head-on.

Chen Shang shook his head. Those people used compliant methods to throw stumbling blocks in his path, issuing mandatory tasks to occupy his time and drain his energy, fully believing this would slow down his progress. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t know Chen Shang’s true abilities. The claim that it took him a day to complete Force Touch Perception was absolute nonsense, because it hadn’t even taken him fifteen minutes!

He hadn’t relied on comprehension at all; he had "harvested" it from the Nebula Plaza. As for those Apprentices who had Cultivated for months or even years, their talent fragments had been collected piece by piece by Chen Shang and then merged. So over these seven years, however much others managed to progress, he could harvest just as much. Furthermore, he could fuse it all together. His progress wouldn’t be worse than theirs; it would only be infinitely better. Not to mention, if he encountered a Wizard Apprentice who had mastered the Repulsive and Attractive Dual Force, he might even reach his goal in a single bound.

Calming down, Chen Shang opened the mission system. The detailed information for the mandatory task popped up:

[Guide Apprentice ID N-0721. Gender: Female. Age: 12. Completed six full years of schooling. Basic Rune Array completed. Assistance required to pass the First Level Apprentice examination. Reporting time: 9:00 AM tomorrow.]

He turned off the Crystal Plate, stood up, and walked to the window. The small garden in the night was as quiet as a painting, with Luna Xiya’s canopy glowing with a pale Blue light under the moon. Seven years to complete the Repulsive and Attractive Dual Force. All he really needed to do was patch up his basic knowledge and then find a suitable target. If someone wanted to use tasks to hold him back, then let them try.

The next day, Chen Shang went to the designated location in the Teleportation Hall to wait. Soon, a small, thin figure stepped out from the white light. The twelve-year-old girl wore the standard gray robe of the Starfall Laboratory, revealing a pair of slender wrists. She had a small face and large, dark brown eyes. Her jet-black hair was tied into two braids resting against her chest, with Blue ribbons fastened at the ends.

Carrying a backpack completely out of proportion with her small frame, the young girl wore an expression that was an equal mix of nervousness and anticipation—the classic look of someone who had just left school. She stopped in front of Chen Shang and tilted her head up to look at him. Then, she bowed, performing a flawless Apprentice greeting.

"Hello, Senior! My name is Amy Green. Please take good care of me!"

Looking at her, Chen Shang remembered what he was like back when Leia had guided him out of the Teleportation Gate. He had been exactly like this—nervous, curious, both terrified and yearning for the unknown world. He nodded warmly. "I’m Chen Shang. Follow me." He turned and headed in the direction of the laboratory. Amy trotted after him, her massive backpack bouncing behind her.

Back at the laboratory, Chen Shang had Amy sit down on a chair while he sat opposite her. He turned on his Crystal Plate to record her basic information.

"Amy, twelve years old, right? What is your completion rate for the Basic Rune Array?"

Amy sat up perfectly straight, her hands resting on her knees, answering as earnestly as if she were in a classroom. "I have completed thirty-one out of the thirty-seven Basic Runes. The remaining six can be activated using external forces, but the teacher said it’s best to carve them all out myself..." Her voice trailed off toward the end.

Chen Shang nodded and made a note on the Crystal Plate. At the same time, he opened his interface.

[Extractable attribute detected: Potion Affinity (Blue) — Source: Amy Green. Completeness: 81%. Extract?]