New Life As An Overpowered Mage With Infinite Classes

Chapter 32

Arnor's expression shifted subtly. A flash of wariness crossed his eyes before calm returned.

As a prince raised amid court intrigue, he instantly read the real meaning behind Robb's words.

"You want to access the black market?" Arnor's voice dropped. "That's not a wise choice, especially given the current climate."

Robb didn't respond directly, patiently waiting for him to continue.

Arnor sighed. "If it's purely for potioneering research, I can offer some guidance."

He walked to the window, confirmed no suspicious energy fluctuations nearby, then continued.

"Underground trade in the Black Mist Order happens in three main locations. The safest is the 'Sunset Tavern' special exchange, guards there ensure transaction privacy. Next is 'Lizard Alley', no extra protections, but the variety of goods far exceeds the Sunset Tavern. Last is 'Blackwater Bay', the most dangerous place. Supposedly even Morning Star Mages occasionally shop there for things that interest them."

Robb carefully memorized this information, noting Arnor's familiarity with these locations. Clearly this wasn't secondhand knowledge.

"A few critical rules when trading." Arnor continued, his tone carrying the weight of experience. "First, never reveal your true identity. Second, bring enough Mana Crystal Fragments, but don't carry them all on you. Third, find a trustworthy intermediary for introductions, the first transaction is always the most dangerous."

He paused, his tone turning exceptionally grave. "Most importantly. don't get greedy. Buy only what you truly need, then leave immediately."

Robb nodded. "Sounds like you know these places well."

Arnor offered a complicated smile. "In the Black Mist Order, survival sometimes requires... unconventional channels."

He didn't elaborate, but Robb understood.

In this cruel world, everyone had their own way of surviving, even a prince of royal blood.

"Thanks for the advice." Robb said sincerely. "I'll be careful."

They chatted about recent developments a while longer before Arnor took his leave.

Alone again, Robb began organizing everything he'd seen and heard.

Oliver's surprise visit, the evolving black market drugs, Marcus's malice-filled parting glare, everything seemed to point toward an ominous premonition.

But he was no longer the frail Initiate of before.

The qualitative shift in spirit power gave him the ability to contend with Elementary Apprentices, and the infinite class system within was his most powerful hidden card.

"Whatever Oliver is scheming..." Robb clenched his fist, feeling little fear. "Just give me time to grow, and everything will sort itself out."

The black market channels Arnor had described brought something else to mind.

Robb spread open a recent copy of the faction's quarterly bulletin he'd stumbled upon. It recorded the past three months of significant events.

Turning to the Mentor Review Council section, he found some intriguing content.

Mentors evaluated faction apprentices each quarter, and those who excelled typically received additional resource allocation and mentoring opportunities.

But puzzlingly, the following page listed apprentices recently punished for rule violations.

Several had been executed or sent to laboratories after mutations caused by banned substances.

"Locke, Emily, Dagon..." Robb's gaze lingered on these familiar names, suspicion stirring.

If the mentors truly valued promising Initiates so highly, why were banned substances allowed to circulate so freely? Why did Initiates keep taking desperate gambles?

He flipped to earlier bulletins and found this was far from unusual, nearly every quarter had similar cases. The flow of banned substances seemed to be an integral part of the Black Mist Order.

"Is there some logic here I'm not seeing?" Robb furrowed his brow, thinking hard.

If the powerful Morning Star Mages truly wanted to eradicate the banned substance trade, their authority and capability would make it entirely possible.

Yet these drugs not only persisted, to some degree, they appeared to be tolerated.

Robb recalled Arnor mentioning that even Morning Star Mages frequented Blackwater Bay.

"Could it be..." A bold thought formed. "Could the circulation of these banned substances be something the Morning Star Mages tacitly permit, or even encourage?"

The idea was wild, yet it explained so many phenomena.

Perhaps in the mentors' eyes, this was a selection mechanism. Truly talented, disciplined apprentices would choose steady growth paths, while the ungifted and impatient would be lured by banned substances and ultimately self-destruct.

"It's like a game..." Robb concluded silently. "A 'promotion-elimination game' with rules set by the mentors."

They wanted promising newcomers to emerge, but not in an environment so comfortable that apprentices lost their sense of urgency.

Measured danger and competition actually stimulated stronger survival instincts and drive for improvement.

Robb had previously oversimplified it as the strong oppressing the weak. Now it appeared far more complex.

If so, his risk of being seized as test material might be lower than he'd imagined, particularly as long as he demonstrated sufficient potential and discipline.

The mages would rather see him grow into a future colleague than become a mindless experimental specimen.

Taking out Dagon's notebook, Robb prepared to review the sonic spell concept.

Since Oliver had shown interest, this spell could become a critical asset in any future confrontation.

Undistracted research continued for hours. The sky had gradually darkened.

Robb rubbed his eyes, stood, and decided to visit the herb shop.

Partly to inform Lady Elena of his early release, partly to consult the experienced old potioneer on some questions, especially regarding Oliver and higher-tier meditation methods.

A faintly reddish sunset cast an eerie halo over the Black Mist Order. The market crowds had thinned considerably.

When Robb reached the herb shop, the door was shut tight. The animated vines on the door had twisted into the words. "Shop Closed."

Robb found this odd, Lady Elena's shop shouldn't be closing this early.

He was about to turn and leave when he froze mid-step.

His Elementary Apprentice perception clearly detected abnormally active magical energy behind the door.

Not dangerous, but definitely not the calm one would expect from a closed shop.

After a moment's hesitation, Robb knocked gently.

"Who is it?" A weary, aged voice came from within, unmistakably Lady Elena.

"It's me, Robb." He answered quietly.

A brief silence behind the door, then a nearly inaudible sigh.

"I'm busy right now. Come back tomorrow morning."

Robb could hear irritation carefully hidden beneath Lady Elena's words. As someone with basic emotional intelligence, he had no desire to impose.

"Understood. I'll return tomorrow morning." Robb said tactfully, already turning to leave.

"Wait..." Lady Elena suddenly changed her mind, a note of hesitation in her voice. "Come in after all. Since you're already here."

With a scrape of metal, the sealed door opened on its own.

Robb stepped cautiously inside. The familiar herbal fragrance greeted him, but mingled with a scent he'd never encountered before, something like night-blooming jasmine, yet richer and more cloyingly sweet.

The lighting was dimmer than usual, with only a few faint Mana Crystal lamps flickering, lending the space a hazy atmosphere.

The moment Robb entered, his gaze was drawn to a figure behind the counter, a young woman organizing a ledger.

She had stunning, long pink-violet curls cascading like a waterfall, shimmering with a dreamlike luster under the lamplight.

Her profile was exquisitely beautiful. Porcelain-white skin glowed with a healthy radiance, and her large, bright eyes sparkled like jewels.

Most striking was her high, straight nose, carrying an arc of proud elegance that combined with her other features to create something almost impossibly perfect.

"You are...?" Robb asked with uncertainty, scanning the shop for Lady Elena.

The woman wore only a loose silk nightgown, its collar and sleeves slipping to reveal expanses of fair skin and a breathtaking figure.

That casual, unselfconscious poise was more devastating than deliberate seduction, utterly at odds with the wrinkled, hook-nosed, hunched old crone in Robb's memory.

"What's the matter, boy? Don't recognize me?" The woman half-turned her face and spoke in a hauntingly familiar cadence.

Those faintly green-glowing eyes, unmistakably Lady Elena's.

"Lady Elena?!" Robb could hardly trust his own judgment, but those eyes were impossible to mistake.

She let out a soft laugh, exactly Lady Elena's slightly hoarse, aged chuckle.

But hearing it from someone who appeared no older than eighteen or nineteen created a profoundly disconcerting effect.

"It seems my transformation has given you quite the shock." She set down the ledger and leaned forward on the counter, propping herself up with both hands, an unconscious movement that loosened the nightgown's neckline further.

Author's note: The inspiration for Lady Elena's character comes from Genkai from the anime Yu Yu Hakusho. I wonder how many veteran readers still remember her. Also, this story likely won't have a female lead in the strict sense. Mages are essentially immortal beings, there's really no need to get hung up on that sort of thing.