Chapter 146 - 021: Worth it or not

Chapter 146: 021: Worth it or not

Shadow Land, Lynch Mansion.

“Crackle!”

The fireplace was ablaze, the wood inside crackling as it burned, and the dancing fire elements transformed into tiny figures that held hands and danced in circles within the fireplace, bringing a touch of warmth to this cold winter day.

Beside the fireplace was a delicate carved wooden shelf, displaying some quirky alchemical gadgets, like mechanical puppets, intricately crafted music boxes, and ships in bottles.

Nearby were several tall oak bookshelves leaning against the wall, filled with yellowed parchment books and manuscripts, exuding an aura of ancient knowledge.

Simple yet exquisite, with a strong scholarly atmosphere.

This was Avery’s first impression of the mansion, as if she were a mortal who had just arrived in the Magic World, full of curiosity about everything around her.

“Click!”

At this moment, there was a soft sound, the door of the laboratory opened, and Lynch walked out holding a small bear by the scruff of its neck.

The bear’s originally brown fur had now turned somewhat fiery red, and as it moved, faint sparks could even be seen.

Flame Bear bloodline.

This extraordinary demon bloodline, belonging to the bear family, had a relatively high compatibility, and being just an Apprentice Level low-level demon, the host body easily accepted it without collapsing under the strength and dying violently.

Of course, the downside was its cost—although the Flame Bear’s bloodline itself was not valuable, the materials used for fusion were exceedingly expensive, easily costing over ten thousand magic stones.

Spending over ten thousand magic stones on a low-level apprentice magic beast was not a matter of worth but rather a foolish act.

Avery turned her head: “How’s it going?”

Lynch placed the small bear on the ground, and the little creature instantly scrambled towards Avery and dove into her arms, where a large number of sparks hovered around, reacting to its emotional changes.

Feeling the warmth in her arms, even before Lynch answered, Avery’s mouth curved into a crescent: “You really didn’t let me down.”

Lynch said, “Twenty thousand magic stones, thank you for your patronage.”

Avery pouted and grumbled, “Don’t worry, I won’t disgrace Tavendish’s reputation over such a trivial amount of magic stones.”

Alright…

The bloodline transformation was complete, yet Avery showed no intention of leaving. Instead, she wandered around Lynch’s house, occasionally picking up an alchemical ornament from the shelf or fiddling with the magic plants by the windowsill.

She asked, “Did you create all these yourself?”

Lynch nodded, tidying the items that Avery had disturbed: “Sometimes, when I’m bored, I improve my skills and learn some new knowledge along the way.”

Avery said, “I almost forgot, your interests are broad.”

Lynch didn’t pick up the conversation but busied himself organizing the shelf.

Avery frowned subconsciously but quickly broached a new topic: “Why not move into the Tower?”

Lynch said, “I’m used to living here.”

The major benefit for a Netta Apprentice to live in the Tower was proximity to their mentor, making it convenient to find answers when faced with doubts. But Lynch never saw his mentor, so he was too lazy to move in.

Others asked questions; Lynch answered, feeling he had been nothing but polite, yet for some reason, Avery frowned.

She suddenly asked, puzzled, “Are you angry?”

Lynch was at a loss: “Angry?”

Avery continued on her own: “Assigning Wizard Somda as your mentor wasn’t my intention; it was a decision made privately by two apprentices from the Inheritance Corridor. I wasn’t in the Tower at that time and knew nothing of it.”

“And when I returned, the ship was already built, the rules were thus, and I couldn’t change it.”

After a pause, she apologized: “Sorry, that was my oversight.”

Hmm…

Was there such a thing?

Lynch shook his head: “No need for that, your help has already been substantial, and I find my current mentor quite agreeable.”

This was the truth.

Although he had some opinions when he first learned his mentor was unreliable, he now found it excellent after adapting to his role.

No restrictions, free use of the laboratory, the benefits of a Netta Apprentice were intact—what more was there to complain about?

As for not learning anything…

This wasn’t entirely true either; at least Somda left him a room filled with books.

Lynch had already read part of the books in the room, initially thinking such pure theory with no structure was worthless, but only after delving deeper did he realize he was terribly wrong.

Indeed, these were theories that couldn’t morph into a mature model, but they brought Lynch something other forms of magic knowledge couldn’t—

Insight!

These books contained much philosophical interpretation, even exploring the foundational rules of the world in magic, significantly broadening Lynch’s magical thinking and enhancing his philosophical insight from a macro perspective.

Knowledge that no amount of spell can provide.

Avery was skeptical: “Really?”

Pausing, she frowned: “Then why do you…”

She wanted to ask why he wasn’t enthusiastic when he saw her, but the words stuck in her throat, ultimately swallowed back down.

Lynch looked at her, puzzled.

“Nothing…”

A fleeting blush of embarrassment and awkwardness graced her cheeks but was quickly concealed by Avery.

She immediately changed the subject, picking up the little bear: “Is this considered transcendent now? My Ruby can live longer, right?”

Ruby was the name Avery had given to the little bear.

Lynch nodded: “It has now integrated with the Flame Bear bloodline and possesses a certain elemental power; however, this power is very weak, and the talents it can awaken are few, as the Flame Bear itself is not a high-level demon.”

“As for lifespan, conservatively it should live around 30 years.”

Avery frowned: “So short?”

Lynch said: “It’s not short at all, okay? This was just an ordinary brown bear, originally living about ten to twenty years, now extended by one-third of its life—isn’t that enough?”

Avery shook her head: “No, still too short.”

Compared to a wizard’s lifespan, 30 years was indeed too brief.

She continued to say: “I’ll have to trouble you again later.”

Lynch said: “That’s a minor issue, but…”

He looked at the little bear in Avery’s hands, puzzled: “Is it worth it?”

“Every being in this world has its time; adding extra time forcefully carries unimaginable costs.”

Ordinary creatures are ordinary, with an insurmountable chasm between them and the transcendent.

To let an ordinary creature become transcendent, the cost is tremendously high.

The resources needed here could buy the top-tier magic pets, but spending them on an ordinary brown bear is truly not worth it.

Avery stroked the little bear in her arms, her smile curving like a crescent: “Why should it matter if it’s worth it or not.”

“Can’t it just be…”

She raised her head and looked at Lynch: “Whether you want to?”

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