New Life As An Overpowered Mage With Infinite Classes

Chapter 34

He couldn't help reaching for it, but in the next instant, Lady Elena slowly closed the book. The gemstone seemed to flicker once, as if bidding a reluctant farewell.

She set the book gently on the counter, her hand still resting on top, with no intention of pushing it toward Robb.

"Brat. It seems you don't quite understand the universal rules of the Magus World."

Her gaze was sharp as a raptor's, boring directly into Robb's eyes. Her voice carried a note of displeasure.

"Knowledge has weight. It can never be given away casually. Things of value demand equivalent exchange, an eternal, immutable law."

One slender finger, tipped with blood-red nail polish, traced slow circles above the book.

"Greedily taking without willingness to give is the beginning of countless apprentices' falls. So before I hand over the meditation method, I need to confirm whether you're truly worth my... investment."

Robb spoke up immediately. "My apologies, Lady Elena. That was presumptuous of me. I'm absolutely willing to pay the appropriate price."

Lady Elena gazed at the young apprentice before her, seemingly evaluating the sincerity behind his words.

Those green eyes appeared capable of seeing through all pretense, straight to the soul.

After a moment, the pink-haired mage's lips curved upward. She'd seen the hunger in the boy's eyes.

"Good." Her tone carried a note of approval. "Then I have a small task for you."

From another drawer beneath the counter, she produced a sheet of parchment that emitted a faint glow.

The text wasn't written in ink but appeared branded into the surface, giving off a dark red luster under the light. In places, it even had a metallic sheen.

"I need these materials to complete an important line of potion research..."

She slid the parchment toward Robb, tapping several items with her crimson nails. "Someone who truly masters The Stargazer's Delirium needs not only powerful spirit force, but the means and courage to acquire knowledge."

Robb accepted the parchment carefully. It felt cool to the touch with a slight sting, as though the paper itself contained concentrated mana.

He studied the list. Each material name was written in Ancient Sorcerer Script, accompanied by symbol annotations he couldn't fully decipher.

As his eyes traveled down the page, his frown deepened.

Most of these materials weren't even mentioned in Introduction to Potioneering, Dream-Devourer Spider Eye Fluid, Moonshade Bat Heart Ash, Crystallized Moss...

And the handful he vaguely recognized, such as Night-Whisper Pollen and Parched Tongue Lichen, were firmly on the faction's list of prohibited trade goods.

"These..." Robb looked up, feigning ignorance to test her. "Most of these materials can't be found in the apprentice market."

"Is that so?" Lady Elena tilted her head, anticipation glimmering in those green eyes.

"Then someone as clever as you should know where to look for them, shouldn't you?"

Her tone was light, but her gaze cut like a blade.

Robb instantly understood her implication. In the mage's world, possessing knowledge alone was far from sufficient.

How to acquire needed resources in dangerous, complex environments, how to navigate gray areas without losing your life, these were essential survival skills for any competent mage.

Robb was silent for a moment, studying the list again, his mind already calculating possible acquisition routes.

He looked up, meeting Lady Elena's gaze with resolve. "Understood. I'll find a way to collect these materials."

Lady Elena nodded with satisfaction, a hint of gratification in her eyes. "Good. Remember, this isn't just for The Stargazer's Delirium. It's for your own sake. Surviving in the Black Mist Order sometimes requires... special channels and techniques."

Her fingers tapped the counter, the rhythm turning somber. "As for Oliver..."

Lady Elena's expression abruptly turned severe. On that young, beautiful face appeared a darkness wholly incongruent with its appearance.

"Be extremely careful with that one. Especially now that he may have developed an interest in your sonic spell research."

She leaned forward, her voice dropping to barely a whisper, practically at Robb's ear.

"Oliver's research direction is dangerous. His 'living curses' have crossed forbidden boundaries that many Morning Star Mages refuse to touch. If he's interested in your sonic magic, it's because he's found a connection between the two."

"Could you elaborate on what connection, exactly?" Robb pressed, though he imperceptibly increased the distance between them. The radiation field unique to a Morning Star Mage stung his skin.

She seemed to notice his discomfort. Her aura contracted slightly, and Robb felt the stinging sensation ease considerably.

Lady Elena's eyes grew distant and troubled. "The carrier problem of sound waves and curses. Traditional curses require physical objects as carriers, their greatest limitation. But sound waves..."

She paused, choosing her words. "Sound waves can penetrate material barriers. They can transmit energy without touching the target. If Oliver successfully uses sound waves as a curse carrier, his curses could spread as pervasively as sound itself. The range and effectiveness would be countless times greater than traditional methods."

A chill crawled up Robb's spine.

If true, Oliver's research would create a weapon that, at the High Apprentice stage, at least, no one could defend against.

"What would you advise?" He'd already made up his mind, but wanted her opinion first.

Lady Elena's answer was exactly what he expected. "Continue refining your sonic spell, but make sure only you know the critical details. Some knowledge produces entirely different outcomes depending on whose hands it's in."

She didn't lean closer, merely offered a quiet hint. "And sometimes, the best defense is a preemptive strike. Do you take my meaning?"

Robb nodded slowly. He understood Lady Elena's implication perfectly.

In this world, waiting for danger to arrive usually meant death. Only by seizing the initiative could one command one's fate.

He carefully stowed the list, folding it into an inner pocket. "I'll collect these materials as soon as possible."

"No need to rush." Lady Elena waved elegantly, her pink-violet curls swaying with the gesture.

"Safety always comes first. After all, dead men can't study The Stargazer's Delirium."

An inscrutable glimmer passed through her eyes. "Now go rest. Come to work at the normal time tomorrow, I still have a great deal left to teach you."

Leaving the herb shop, Robb's emotions were tangled beyond measure.

Night had fallen deep. The Black Mist Order's shadows stretched across the ground beneath his feet, like countless invisible hands grasping at his ankles.

But after the cold wind brushed his cheeks, his gaze hardened with renewed determination. In the world of the arcane, crisis and opportunity were always two sides of the same coin.