Chapter 256 - 20: Freakish Magic Pool Capacity (Part 2)

Chapter 256: Chapter 20: Freakish Magic Pool Capacity (Part 2)

「Five minutes later.」

Mo Ning walked into Residence 804 and immediately saw a ring lying quietly on the table.

The ring’s style was similar to the Guiding Ring, but its craftsmanship was far more exquisite, with a thin silver thread wrapped around the outer band.

This was the Apprentice’s Magic Ring.

For most newcomers, this was an item they could only dream of. Very few could see it without getting excited.

But Mo Ning simply removed his Guiding Ring calmly and slipped the Magic Ring onto his finger.

The next instant, the Magic Ring vibrated slightly, and a stream of information flooded his mind several times faster than the Guiding Ring had.

Identity binding confirmed.

First Level Apprentice: Mo Ning.

You are the first to be promoted in this cohort. You have received a one-time reward of 200 Black Tower Points.

You will receive a monthly apprentice subsidy of 10 Black Tower Points from the academy. You have obtained the Third Level Elite Apprentice Badge and will receive an additional 80 Black Tower Points per month.

A hint of a smile flashed in Mo Ning’s eyes.

He knew, of course, that the monthly subsidies for the three apprentice levels were 10, 20, and 40 Black Tower Points, respectively. In addition, the academy had also established three levels of elite badges, which provided monthly subsidies of 20, 40, and 80 Black Tower Points.

This subsidy model was, in essence, a way to give more resources to the most outstanding individuals.

His Golden Pen Badge from "Shine" alone was enough for him to be rated as a Third Level Elite Apprentice.

The two subsidies combined came to 90 Black Tower Points a month, or 1080 points a year. This was not a small sum.

Mo Ning had thought that was the end of the academy’s subsidies.

However, the messages that followed left him slightly stunned.

You have been added to the Rose Council’s "Rose Thorn Crown" special funding list. This list is exclusively for new Council members who possess Zhuoyue talent for Secret Techniques. There are 10 slots per year, and the subsidy lasts for 10 years. You will receive a special monthly subsidy of 100 Black Tower Points from the Council.

You have been added to the Black Tower Academy’s "Black Tower New Star" special subsidy list. This list is exclusively for newly promoted Apprentices with extraordinary talent in Witchcraft. There are 20 slots per year, and the subsidy lasts for 10 years. You will receive a special monthly subsidy of 150 Black Tower Points from the academy.

Mo Ning was stunned.

He had read through so many notes and journals, yet he had never seen a single word about the "Rose Thorn Crown" or the "Black Tower New Star." Only now did he realize that such generous funding even existed within the academy.

The two subsidies, lasting for 10 years, totaled a staggering 30,000 Black Tower Points. If this number got out, the tens of thousands of Apprentices in the academy would probably erupt into chaos.

To earn 30,000 Black Tower Points, they had to toil endlessly, shedding who knows how much sweat and enduring countless sleepless nights. And yet, here was someone who did nothing and had a fortune in Black Tower Points fall from the sky.

How could anyone find that fair?

Mo Ning made a wise decision: he would take the information about these two subsidies to his grave and never speak of it to anyone.

This month’s four subsidies, totaling 340 Black Tower Points, have been transferred to your Magic Ring account. Current balance: 13,985 Black Tower Points.

You have been granted access to Dormitory Area 43. You have been granted residence rights for Residences 1-68. Please complete your check-in registration as soon as possible.

The 3,000 Black Tower Points from the sixth general assessment, plus over 3,400 points from his share of the Spiritual Materials loot, had pushed his balance to a dazzling height.

Staring at the string of digits, Mo Ning, for the first time in his life, had the strange feeling of being ’so poor that all I have is money’.

Next up was moving.

Fortunately, this residence already had a secure storage locker activated, and the new residence would automatically have the same feature, which made moving exceptionally simple.

All he had to do was put his personal belongings into the locker and take them out at the new residence.

Most of his possessions were his study manuscripts, but they were all stored in the Cabin in the Woods. He had very few things actually left in his residence.

Mo Ning quickly cleaned up the residence.

The four walls were bare, the desk was as clean as new, and even the nib of his Ink Tube Pen had been wiped spotless. Everything was restored to how it looked before he first moved in.

He took a deep breath, activated the Magic Ring with his Spiritual Power, and said softly, "I want to go to Dormitory Area 43."

The response came immediately:

A temporary spatial passage has been opened for you. Open the residence door to enter Dormitory Area 43.

Mo Ning glanced back at the vast Nu Ti Grassland outside the floor-to-ceiling window, then reached out and pushed the door open.

The sight that met his eyes made his breath catch in his throat.

Outside the door was a mountain valley.

Though it was clearly daytime, the sky was filled with countless stars. A massive astrolabe was slowly rotating, and brilliant starlight poured down, coating the entire valley in a dreamlike, silvery glow.

Countless glowing jellyfish floated leisurely in mid-air. Their bodies were iridescent, and they waved their soft tentacles, swimming through the starlight like Elves.

Swarms of glowing insects flitted overhead. Motes of light drifted from their transparent wings, floating on the night breeze before finally dissolving into the starlight.

Mo Ning stood dazedly in the doorway, unable to tell if this was reality or some dreamscape forgotten by the gods.

He had read about the Floating Jellyfish in a book; they were called Spirit Jellyfish.

Their innate Spiritual Power allowed them to control the power of the wind, and since their bodies were also unbelievably light, they were capable of floating in the air.

Spirit Jellyfish had a unique trait: they only lived in places with dense Magic Power. As a result, most places were unsuitable for their survival.

Mo Ning unconsciously recalled a passage he had once read in a notebook:

"When you become an Apprentice, you will find that many of the academy’s residential areas are beautiful beyond description.

"Their very existence is ironclad proof that Wizards possess astonishing creativity in the realm of aesthetics as well."