Chapter 1335: 93. Teacher and Disciple

"This...... From that perspective, there really are a lot of suspicious points."

Muen frowned as well.

To give an example, if an honest man who normally neither smoked nor drank suddenly told you he'd been arrested for visiting prostitutes, your first reaction would definitely be that someone had probably set him up.

This bargain-bin senior fellow disciple of his was much the same.

A man who studied nothing but magic, had no interest whatsoever in anything else, barely possessed any desires at all, had remained a virgin for over a hundred years, and had already become an ultimate Grand Mage in the truest sense......

It was genuinely difficult to imagine an Evil God finding some weakness through which to invade him.

Not to mention, he was a genius personally instructed and praised by Teacher Mela. His strength was unfathomable, and he occupied a lofty position. There was no way he would be completely unguarded against something like this.

"Unless he approached one willingly...... No, that doesn't make sense either. At this point, what could he possibly still lack badly enough to pray to an Evil God for it?"

Muen couldn't think of anything.

Even putting himself in the man's shoes, he couldn't think of anything at all.

In short, there were far too many things that didn't add up.

Which made the whole affair extremely suspicious.

"That's exactly why I'm sending you there. That brat and I do share some history, so I can't simply ignore this matter," Mela said.

"Why are you sending me?"

The corner of Muen's mouth twitched. He was extremely reluctant to get involved in something so obviously troublesome and dangerous.

"Why don't you just go yourself?"

"I can't leave the Sea of Flowers. You know that."

"But didn't you used to send projection clones running around everywhere?"

"Would a clone be useful?"

Mela turned around, her face filled with the helpless expression of someone wondering why all her disciples were so stupid.

"Would sending over a powerless projection clone somehow let me see {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the truth?"

"This......"

Muen fell silent.

True.

There was no way a mere projection clone could investigate the truth so easily.

Not to mention, given Teacher Mela's identity, appearing there recklessly would only alert the enemy.

If there really was something hidden behind this incident, doing that would undoubtedly cause the situation to deteriorate rapidly in a direction that could no longer be reversed.

And even someone as powerful as his bargain-bin senior fellow disciple had fallen into this mess.

The currents beneath the surface were probably far more turbulent than he could imagine.

"So I can't go, and you can't go using your real identity either. Among certain high-ranking mages, your relationship with me isn't exactly a secret."

"Huh?"

Muen stared blankly.

"You mean......"

"Disguise yourself. Infiltrate the place."

Mela's tone allowed no argument.

"No...... Isn't that difficulty level a little too high?"

Muen's eyelid twitched.

Anywhere else would have been fine. With his current strength, he could blend in almost anywhere.

But this time, the target was the Origin Tower!

That place was practically overflowing with mages. You could walk around with a lantern and still probably fail to find a single pure martial artist!

And it was also the place that looked down on and despised pure martial artists the most!

A brute like him who only knew how to cast Illumination going there would be like tossing a mountain gorilla into a troop of monkeys.

No matter how you looked at it, he'd stand out far too much.

"Relax. You're still my disciple, after all. How could I possibly not help you?"

Mela revealed a captivating smile so reassuring that anyone could lower their guard.

Then she tossed something toward Muen.

Muen hurriedly caught it and discovered that it was an item resembling a badge. Engraved on its surface was a strange design that looked almost like a flexed arm. Judging from the lines and signs of wear, it was already extremely ancient.

"This is......"

"Before I explain that, let me first introduce you to the basic structure of the Origin Tower."

Mela didn't answer.

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers, and the screen of light behind her instantly changed. ⅇ𝒃𝚗ℴ

The towering structure transformed into an extremely detailed chart filled with various classifications.

"The Origin Tower is called a tower, but in reality, it's an extremely loose organization made up of various schools of magic."

"At present, there are four major mainstream schools: the Elemental School, the Magitech School, the Illusion School, and the Summoning School. Among them, because of its versatility, practicality, and relative ease of learning, the Elemental School is currently the largest school of magic. Explosion magic, wind magic, water magic—anything that uses mana to derive the forces of nature falls under it."

"Besides those four major schools, there are also all sorts of smaller ones. For example, the Life School studies healing magic, while the Formation School studies military formation magic, and there are many others...... But those fields are relatively niche, and some overlap with other organizations, so their presence within the Tower isn't particularly strong."

"Beneath these schools are the individual classrooms. Any mage who has reached the Sublimation Rank or above is qualified to establish a classroom of their own, recruit students, and pass down their own magical system and accumulated knowledge."

"That's roughly how things work. Understand?"

"I understand...... I've heard about most of this before, but......"

Muen scratched his head.

"A Sublimation-Rank mage can establish their own classroom? Isn't that requirement a little too low?"

"You think Sublimation-Rank mages grow like cabbages? Too low?"

Mela rolled her eyes.

"Mercury, Gold, Arcane, Sublimation, Radiance, Truth. Sublimation is a major threshold. Someone without magical talent may spend their entire life unable to cross it."

"It's that exaggerated?"

"It's not exaggeration. It's fact. Magical talent is probably one of the cruelest things in this world. It's fixed from the moment you're born."

Mela sighed softly.

She seemed to think of something, and an inexplicably complicated expression appeared on her face.

"Mana affinity, mana sensitivity, maximum mana capacity—these things are all decided by heaven. They have nothing to do with cultivation afterward. Cultivation merely excavates what already exists. It doesn't expand it...... Take you, for example. Your maximum mana capacity is fairly decent, which is why you can bear the consumption of the alchemical cores. But your mana affinity and sensitivity...... All I can say is that they're worse than those of a stray cat by the roadside."

"......"

So this was the truth behind House Campbell producing generations of muscle-brained brutes?

When it came to magic, they really couldn't even beat a cat?

"Of course, overall you're still a little stronger than a cat. For example, you're fairly good at Illumination, aren't you? It's just that you'll probably only know that one spell for the rest of your life."

"......"

Damn it.

Why did that somehow hurt even more?

"Of course, if you feel unwilling to accept that, I can perform a minor operation on you. Even without talent, you'd at least be able to use ordinary spells up to the Truth Rank......"

Mela smiled faintly.

"F-Forget it."

Muen waved his hands repeatedly.

Who knew what Teacher Mela's idea of a "minor operation" would actually involve?

That little maintenance session just now had already left him feeling like he'd gone to heaven and hell.

"In short, magic has two core components: talent and knowledge. Some people lack the talent and may never cross the threshold of Sublimation in their entire lives, but knowledge is something anyone can accumulate. The Origin Tower established this rule precisely so that those who have spent their entire lives researching something still have the opportunity to pass down their life's work...... Of course, whether they can actually recruit any students is their own problem."

Mela shrugged.

"......I see."

By this point, Muen had basically understood everything and nodded.

It was a very reasonable system.

There was indeed a reason the Origin Tower had managed to stand for nearly a thousand years without falling.

"So, Teacher Mela, the reason you've explained all this to me......"

"Back to the point. The badge in your hand comes from another one of the Origin Tower's schools——the Enhancement School!"

"The Enhancement School?"

Muen's eyes lit up, and he immediately sensed something.

"Exactly. By using magic to strengthen one's own body and obtain power and physical capabilities no weaker than those of martial artists, this school was once extremely prominent within the Tower and held an exalted position. Even now, it still retains the qualification to establish its own classrooms!"

Mela very solemnly patted Muen on the shoulder and said seriously:

"In other words, as long as you take that badge to the Origin Tower, you can directly become part of the upper ranks! You won't need to struggle your way upward at all. You'll easily be able to gain access to some of the Tower's core information!"

"Hiss......"

Muen sucked in a sharp breath.

Having spent so much time scrambling through all kinds of situations, he understood almost instantly just how enormous an advantage this was......

Using this method to cut straight into the upper ranks was practically no different from the Origin Tower throwing its back door completely open for him!

He could enter whenever he wanted.

And go very, very deep.

"B-But won't someone notice something is wrong? Isn't suddenly parachuting in like this way too suspicious?"

Even in the face of such an enticing opportunity, Muen didn't let it go to his head and remained cautious.

"Relax. Do you really think I'd make such a minor mistake? I've already secretly handled everything concerning your identity at the Origin Tower. I guarantee that no matter who investigates you, they won't find the slightest problem."

"You're being that generous?"

"Who do you think I am? Back when the Origin Tower was first established, I contributed a tiny bit as well."

Mela chuckled.

"Something this small is still easy enough for me."

"I see......"

Muen swallowed.

"But even if I have officially recognized credentials, I don't know magic. Even if the Enhancement School can blur the distinction between mage and martial artist, how could I possibly......"

"Also a small problem."

Mela simply pointed a finger at him.

In an instant, Muen felt a peculiar fluctuation merge into his body.

He hurriedly checked himself, but discovered that nothing seemed to have happened.

"This is?"

"A tiny spell. It can transform every trace of battle aura on your body into the aura of mana."

"That's it?"

"How complicated do you need it to be? Sometimes the simplest solution is the most practical."

Mela smiled confidently.

"Of course, since I personally arranged this little trick, there probably isn't anyone in this world capable of seeing through it."

"Hiss......"

Muen sucked in another sharp breath.

Only now did he realize that Teacher Mela had prepared far more for this matter than he'd imagined.

She might even have begun planning all this before he returned to Belrand!

"You'll have to handle the rest of the disguise yourself. I know you're very good at that sort of thing."

"But I'm still a little uneasy. After all, in the past, you always......"

"I know. But that was the past!"

Mela's little face suddenly turned serious.

She floated over and forcefully slapped her small hand onto Muen's shoulder.

Muen raised his head and met those amber eyes in surprise.

"In the past, I may have been slightly cruel to you, but that was for the sake of your growth. Look at you now. Could you have reached your current strength without my relentless encouragement?"

"And now you've grown up. You no longer need to be tested by wind and rain, so naturally, I'll give you the greatest possible support!"

"Teacher Mela......"

"Don't say anything. This matter may look complicated, but I've already arranged everything properly for you. You only need to move forward fearlessly. There's nothing else you need to worry about!"

"Leave everything to me. Go! My beloved disciple!"

"......Mm!"

That gaze was so sincere.

So sincere that even all the wariness in Muen's heart gradually began to melt away.

In the end, he nodded firmly, as though casting aside every last concern.

The two stared into each other's eyes.

Although there had been a few bumps and misunderstandings just now, both of them could clearly feel the emotion surging forth from the other's heart.

It was the purest and most sincere love for one's teacher—or one's student!

In short......

Don't worry about anything.

A loving teacher and a filial disciple.

What more could anyone possibly ask for!