Chapter 148 - 023: Is there something?

Chapter 148: 023: Is there something?

Looking at Lynch being all chummy over there, Avery felt an unexplainable wave of irritation surge in her chest.

Of course, she didn’t think the woman next to him—Lanice—could even begin to compare to her, but irritation was irritation.

“You seem pretty relaxed, huh?” she said, her tone slightly sardonic and cutting.

Lynch froze for a moment. He hadn’t quite caught what she said, only surprised to run into this particular lady here of all places.

Avery was incredibly well-known in the Shadow Land—highborn, approachable, and always eager to help. Many apprentices had benefited from her kindness, earning her tremendous popularity among them, to the point where nearly every apprentice recognized her.

Now that she appeared in this area, the surrounding apprentices eagerly stepped forward to greet her with enthusiasm.

“Miss Avery!”

“It’s so wonderful to see you here! Are you here to take on a task as well?”

Meanwhile, Lynch continued helping Lanice move toward the tree up ahead, intending to get his companion settled under its shade.

Avery felt even more annoyed.

She marched straight over. “Hey, did you not hear me talking to you?”

“Huh?”

Only then did Lynch realize she’d been addressing him earlier. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is there something you need?”

Avery was momentarily at a loss for words.

The way he asked this left her unsure of how to respond.

“Heh.”

Fortunately, having been trained in social etiquette since childhood, Avery managed a graceful smile, perfectly masking her awkwardness.

She quickly came up with an excuse. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just wanted to ask if Apprentice Lynch might have some free time right now. About my pet bear’s next phase of modifications, I was hoping we could discuss it.”

This came out of nowhere, didn’t it?

Lynch was taken aback. That bear had only completed its bloodline fusion a few months ago—wasn’t it far too soon to think about the next phase of modifications? Was this really necessary?

Yet before he could voice these thoughts, Lanice, who was beside him, seemed to catch onto something.

She glanced at Lynch, then quickly darted a few discreet glances at Avery, releasing the arm Lynch was supporting her with and putting a little distance between them.

She said, “Apprentice Lynch, perhaps you should go take care of that. I’m fine here.”

“Alright then.”

Avery turned and walked into the forest, and Lynch promptly followed after her.

As they walked, Lynch began explaining, “Here’s the thing. That Ruby… was that the name? Wait, doesn’t matter. What matters is that your bear just completed its first bloodline fusion and is still in its adaptation phase…”

Employing his professional knowledge, Lynch thoroughly detailed the bear’s current condition in an effort to persuade Avery to abandon the idea of such an early second bloodline modification. Doing so would pose enormous risks and was completely unnecessary.

He droned on passionately, but Avery, noticeably impatient, interrupted him. “Alright, enough with this load of irrelevant nonsense. I didn’t come to hear any of that.”

Lynch was dumbfounded. Wasn’t this what she said she wanted to discuss?

Avery suddenly asked, “It’s been, what, over three months since we last saw each other, hasn’t it?”

Lynch replied, “That sounds about right.”

Avery continued, “Do you know what I’ve been doing for the past three months?”

Lynch shook his head and truthfully said, “No idea.”

Avery elaborated in detail, “Listen up. I wake up at six a.m. sharp to complete my meditation. After that comes breakfast. Fifteen minutes for breakfast, and then I dive into learning magic courses until noon. After lunch, my afternoons are dedicated to three hours of magic potion baths, followed by etiquette training and handling family affairs. Then there’s dinner and receiving reports on the current situation, all the way until I go to bed at 11 p.m.”

“Etiquette, magic knowledge, social responsibilities, staying updated on family reports and dynamics, organizing tasks assigned to me by my family—day in, day out, without a moment to catch my breath.”

She paused, looking at Lynch. “You know, I’ve been busy nonstop for three whole months, and it’s only today that I’ve had a chance to relax for a bit. Before long, I’ll be heading into seclusion within the Magic Mirror, and who knows when I’ll emerge again?”

“I’m telling you all this because I want to make one thing clear: my time is extremely valuable. And with such precious time, you want to discuss… whether or not it’s the right timing for your bear’s bloodline modification?”

Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Do you think that’s an appropriate use of my time?”

But wasn’t this the topic you brought up?

Lynch was utterly speechless.

He tentatively asked, “So… what you’re saying is, you’re adamant about going through with the second bloodline fusion for your pet bear so soon?”

Technically, it wasn’t entirely impossible—it just really wasn’t worth the cost-benefit ratio…

Avery replied, “Do you know what you should try doing?”

“Try reworking your brain. Maybe it’ll help you think more clearly instead of making people feel like it’s filled with a fairy’s excrement.”

“Honestly, you’ve been studying magic so much that it’s made you stupid!”

With that, Avery left without turning back, disappearing into the forest in no time.

What the hell? Was she just trying to pick a fight?

Lynch had no idea how he’d offended her to make her go out of her way to mess with him like this.

“Utterly irrational.”

He thought about it but couldn’t make sense of it. Ultimately, he decided not to dwell on it—this wasn’t anything particularly troublesome, after all.

Shaking his head, his focus shifted back to magic. Lynch opened his system panel and continued reviewing the skill improvements from the spells he’d just used…

…

Reportedly, Tower Apprentice-level public spell templates totaled 1,286.

Over the last three months, Lynch had initiated training in 36 of them, consisting of 25 Low-level Apprentice spells and 11 Mid-level Apprentice spells.

Out of these 36 spells, he had already improved 28 to mastery, and he was confident that within two weeks, he could raise the remaining eight to mastery as well.

But this was just the beginning. His goal was to “freeload” his way through all the public spell templates in the Tower.

At the current pace, he had only completed about 2.8% of the entire collection. There was still a long road ahead.

Keep pushing!

As the two weeks zipped by, on the final day of the second week, Lynch finally accomplished his set target, upgrading the proficiency of the last remaining spell to the mastery stage.

With this, the first wave of freeloaded 36 spells was complete and perfected. It was time to start freeloading the second batch.

The day after Lynch wrapped up his spellwork, Lanice unexpectedly sent him an invitation, organizing a feast at the Fairy Tavern for their circle of acquaintances.

Was there something worth celebrating?

Yes, indeed. Just recently, Lanice had the good fortune of being selected by a Wizard from the Magic Potion Manor to become their apprentice—

A department under the Tower, somewhat akin to the Law Enforcement Team, though this one focused on magic potion-related duties. Its status and treatment were equivalent to that of Inner Ring Apprentices, leagues above her current position as an Outer Ring Apprentice.

Unlike the Law Enforcement Team, which was stationed in the Shadow Land, the Magic Potion Manor was based far away in the Fairy Forest. Once separated, there would be little chance to meet each other again, so Lanice decided to host a feast before her departure.

Why would the Magic Potion Manor, located far away in the Fairy Forest, suddenly choose an unremarkable Outer Ring Apprentice from the Outer Ring District?

Everyone found it quite puzzling.

…

White Castle, living room.

Avery entered the living room, holding a cup of red tea. She eagerly asked Lisa, who was inside, “Well? Is it all taken care of?”

Lisa nodded. “Of course. As per your instructions, I had the Magic Potion Manor send that girl an invitation.”

Avery inquired, “And her response?”

Lisa chuckled. “Do you even need to ask? For a Low-level Apprentice from the Outer Ring District, this is like the goddess of luck herself descending. Naturally, she had no reason to refuse.”

Avery took a sip of her tea. “At least she knows her place.”

Lisa laughed. “What’s this? Are you feeling nervous?”

Avery replied, “Not exactly.”

She had at least that much confidence. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been content with just getting the girl out of the way…

Setting the teacup down, she added, “I’m just annoyed, that’s all.”

Lisa furrowed her brows. “This isn’t a viable long-term solution. An unclaimed prize will inevitably attract others’ attention. You drove away one girl, but who’s to say there won’t be another one? You can’t possibly banish every female apprentice in the Shadow Land. If you keep this up, your only rivals might eventually be witches.”

Avery remained silent.

Lisa spoke with a tone of sincerity. “If you want something, you have to make others aware of it.”

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