stjorthotic Chapter 4 Facing a Formal Wizard
Chapter 4 Facing a Formal Wizard
A calm voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, rang out. It wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the noise of the room.
Lor and his men turned around abruptly.
Hick was walking slowly towards them, with Kurt following half a step behind him.
Hick's apprentice grey robe was identical to Lor's, but the unhurried demeanor he exuded and the faint smile on his lips gave Lor a sudden fright.
Especially the almost overflowing fawning and gloating on Kurt's face made Lor feel vaguely uneasy.
"Hick?" Lor steadied himself, forcibly suppressing his unease, and his face once again contorted with arrogance.
"You've come at the right time. This area where crescent-shaped flowers are planted will be under my jurisdiction from now on. Your people were ignorant, and I've already taught them a lesson for you."
He pointed to the injured apprentices guarding the entrance, his tone as if he were offering charity.
Hick didn't even glance at the mess on the ground; his gaze fell directly on Lor's face, his expression as calm as if he were examining experimental material. "It's your business? What right do you have? Because you've just been promoted to Level Three Apprentice?"
"Based on strength!" Lor puffed out his chest, his mental energy as a third-level apprentice slightly projected outward, attempting to put pressure on Hick.
"Everything here belongs to the strong! It's a waste for a second-level apprentice like you to occupy such an important area! If you know what's good for you, just give it up obediently, and you'll avoid trouble in the future."
He emphasized the word "important," staring sharply at Hick, seemingly trying to catch the subtle changes in his expression.
important?
Hick's sneer inwardly deepened.
Crescent moon flowers are of little value and have limited uses; unless needed for the professor's experiments, they would be completely ignored. Lor specifically emphasized their "importance" and so deliberately tried to seize them…
This almost confirmed Hick's previous guess—the forces behind the other party not only knew what experiments Professor Perot was conducting, but also knew that the crescent flower was the key to the experiment!
There really was a mole among the mentors!
"The strong rule?" Hick repeated, his tone as flat as if stating a fact.
He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly brushing across the chest of his apprentice robe, where a dark silver pendant, engraved with intricate alchemical symbols, reflected a restrained and cold light in the dim light.
"So, do you think... a disciple of a formal wizard counts as a strong person?"
Lor's pupils suddenly contracted! He and the apprentices around him instantly fixed their gazes on the pendant on Hick's chest!
They recognized the pendant; it was the mark of a formal disciple of Wizard Pero—one of the masters of this wizarding tower, a big shot who was about to be promoted to a second-level wizard!
A chilling coldness instantly shot from the soles of Lor's feet to the top of his head! The arrogance and swagger on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by disbelief, horror, and a hint of barely concealed fear.
"This...this is impossible!" Lor exclaimed, his voice trembling. "How could Lord Pero...how could he accept you..."
The apprentices behind him turned pale with fright and involuntarily took a step back.
The disciple of the wizard Perot! This status completely elevates him above any other apprentice!
In the rules of the Wizard Tower, the status of a formal wizard's disciple, even if he is only a first-level apprentice, is far superior to that of an ordinary third-level apprentice!
Because the disciples represent the will and face of the wizard!
"Impossible?" Hick's playful smile finally blossomed, carrying a cruel, cat-and-mouse-like quality. "My mentor is in a good mood today, and the experiment has just achieved a crucial... breakthrough."
He deliberately emphasized the words "breakthrough progress," his gaze piercing Lorre as he observed his reaction.
Lor's body stiffened visibly, his face drained of color. The experiment was a success? Lord Perot... is going to become a second-level wizard?!
This news was like a bolt from the blue, shattering all his and his mastermind's schemes! They dared to provoke a first-level wizard's assistant, but they would never dare to touch a second-level wizard's formal disciple!
That's suicide!
"Now," Hick's voice suddenly turned cold, like icicles in the dead of winter, "tell me, Lorre, 'Third-Level Apprentice'..."
He deliberately emphasized the other party's rank, but now it was full of sarcasm: "You, do you still want to talk to me about rules? Or do you think you have the right to teach my people a lesson on my behalf?"
Hick's gaze swept over the scattered items on the ground and the injured apprentice, finally settling back on the pale-faced Lor.
The entire planting area was silent. All the apprentices watching held their breath, watching the once arrogant Lor, now trembling like a frozen quail under Hick's cold gaze.
Hick felt a chill run through him. Lor was nothing more than a pawn pushed out, a pathetic test subject.
The real threat is the mole hidden among the mentors who leaked such crucial information!
The controversy surrounding the crescent flower can be easily suppressed, but this venomous snake must be brought to justice!
The mentor's promotion is imminent, and there is no room for the slightest mistake.
As a newly recruited disciple, Hick could use this incident to prove his worth to his mentor.
"Alright, let's leave it at that."
Just as the situation became increasingly mysterious, a voice suddenly came from the side.
Then a middle-aged man dressed in a dark gray wizard's robe appeared beside them.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the apprentices quickly bowed.
"Greetings, Instructor Klin."
The person who arrived was none other than the formal wizard who had a falling out with his mentor.
Clint Hughes!
"You just said that Wizard Perot's experiments have made crucial progress? Is that right?"
At this moment, Hick was sweating profusely. He never expected that what he thought was just a probing conflict was actually a result of his own actions.
This mentor, Klin, actually got involved himself; how much does he not want his mentor to become a level two wizard!
Feeling the venomous gaze of the wizard Klin, Hick knew he had to answer, or the consequences would be far worse than he wanted to bear.
"My advisor's research has indeed made progress, but..."
"But what?"
Clearly, Wizard Klin did not stop; instead, he continued to press for answers.
"This concerns the progress of my supervisor's experiment, I'm afraid..."
Hick still wanted to struggle a little longer, hoping to avoid a complete breakdown in relations, but unfortunately, his plan failed.
"What if I just want to know!"
Klin the Wizard's gaze sharpened, his tone carrying an unquestionable air, and Hick felt an intense killing intent lock onto him.
Countless thoughts flashed through Hick's mind. To withstand it head-on? Certain death!
Lies? To try and play mind games with a legitimate wizard is tantamount to suicide!
Reveal it directly? That would be betraying the mentor, and the curse of Number Six might really befall him!
Hick has now figured it out: this plantation conflict is meant to get him out of the wizard's tower.
Wizard Klin wanted to know the results of this morning's experiment.
The mentor's presence today during the experiment likely demonstrates immense confidence in front of the mole, which is why Wizard Klin is eager to know the answer.
And so this conflict ensued!