Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 80 Prosperity
"Kuku, I thought you were going to disappear."

"Giggle. No rush. No rush."

After exiting the elevator, the senior student walked ahead, with Rean following behind.

The scenery in the lower mage tower was nothing special; the familiar wooden floors and furniture reminded Rean of his office.

But Rean was a little surprised to see Little Kusla slowly walking up to him.

He thought that once he entered the mage tower, Kuku would disappear without a trace. Although he could only use first-level spells now, Rean felt that the mage tower could not stop him.

Wasn't this guy already eager to go to the Mage Tower Library to "read books"?

"Here. Sooner or later. No rush." ​​Kuku walked steadily, swaying slightly as he went, acting quite like an ordinary low-intelligence puppet.

The implication is that since Rean can enter this mage tower, the library inside is essentially already part of the Kuku family!
So, with a little patience, there's indeed no need to steal the book now; being too hasty might alert the enemy. But does Kuku have the patience? Will he suppress his desire for the new spell and wait for a better opportunity?
“To be honest, I won’t cooperate with you unless you explain yourself clearly.” Rean sighed; he already knew how to deal with Kuku.

No need for socializing or even playing the emotional card. Just say what you mean. If it works, great; if not, nonsense and favors are useless.

Rean has already determined that once the heroic spirits can jump out, the satisfaction level will probably become nothing more than a decoration.

"Uh, it's outside, pretty fun. On the streets. Super interesting! Looking forward to it."

Now, Rean understood completely.

The street outside is filled with alien races and various shops, naturally featuring new-era technologies and goods. Compared to the familiar mage tower, the unknown technologies and products of the alien races are naturally more interesting.

With a new toy, the original plan was naturally abandoned. That's so Kuku, so dog-headed.

But at that moment, Rean immediately thought of the steam locomotive that had exploded; many of those shops must be run by dwarves and gnomes.

Instantly, Rean felt a chill run down his spine, sensing impending doom.

"Don't mess around, at least don't drag me into it." The longer Kuku possessed him, the more Rean felt that he was being corrupted by bad company. The moral standards that Brother Sue had painstakingly raised were rapidly declining.

"Hey. Trust my skills. You won't be discovered! Even if you are, you won't be implicated!"

Okay, you don't deny that you'll definitely mess around, but you're confident that you won't get implicated.

Rean nodded. He decided to trust Archmage Kuku's integrity. He had forgotten the words he had uttered that morning: "Don't trust the kobolds' confidence."

Kobolds are fearless! Who would the Dragonborn fear?! Whether they can win is one thing, whether they charge in is another!

"Lord Rean." Suddenly, the senior brother in purple robes spoke up.

"Just call me Rean, Mage Skol."

"Are you a warlock?" The senior brother looked thoughtfully at the little guy who had seemed normal at first but had started running around curiously after only a few steps.

Mechanical creatures with magical pets are rare, but not nonexistent. This level of self-awareness suggests that it is not an artificial puppet, but a mechanical life form from the Mechanical Realm.

This junior brother, who can summon such a rare magical pet, is likely not only a warlock but also possesses a special bloodline.

Could they be of alchemical lineage? A hybrid from another dimension? In the current supernatural world, alchemists and potion makers are very popular.

"Yes. I am a first-circle warlock." Spellcasters often use the highest-level spells they can cast to describe their skill level.

"This is a good thing. Remember to add it when you fill out the form later; it will give you extra points." Master Skol calmly accepted everything and gave Rean some advice on development.

Hard workers are easily resentful of those who reap without sowing, but millionaires are unlikely to be envious of the lucky ones who find a wallet.

Times have changed. The magical civilization of the beastman world is now powerful enough, and the mages are confident enough to face spellcasters from other systems. At least they don't care about low-level warlocks.

This is because, apart from some warlock families with unique lineages, many warlocks now come to mages to learn spellcasting, such as the mind warlock, Sallyman.

The fact that he was a first-ring sorcerer was also the result of discussions between Rean and Kuku.

On one hand, he needed the identity of a warlock to conceal his specialness; on the other hand, this was already a seller's market, and the mage tower had no shortage of apprentices. Instead, Rean needed to prove his potential and his difference to gain more opportunities.
"Tsk." Kuku was very unhappy. Comparing the past and the present, he felt more and more that he had been subjected to racial discrimination.

"Don't play pranks, at least not while I'm around." "Wait a minute. Take me to the dwarf shop first!"

"Row."

Soon, Rean realized that his plan was probably overthinking things.

Even though he passed the preliminary test easily, he was still not qualified to meet his mentor, who was a great mage.

The senior student simply led him to a logistics warehouse and gave him a set of supplies.

"If you're coming to this street, you'd better wear this robe. This is a spellcasting materials kit, and this is the general textbook. The next generalist class should start tomorrow afternoon, so you've come at the right time. The tuition, miscellaneous fees, and equipment fee total 136 gold coins, let's round it down to 130."

Rean was stunned.

Tuition fees are bad enough, but they're so expensive?! That tuition is enough to buy a house!
"You can use it first, and you can pay it back in a month. If you have any difficulties, uh, the gray goblin bank at the end of the street can provide it, but the interest rate is a bit high."

The senior apprentice didn't seem to mind that the apprentices couldn't afford the tuition. In fact, most apprentices from ordinary backgrounds couldn't afford it. They basically worked while studying, and the mage apprentices working in the shops below all had "student loans."

Considering this junior's background, I heard he used to be a paladin, it's normal that he can't come up with the money. Uh, he wouldn't actually kill those gray goblins who lend money at exorbitant interest rates, would he?

But that's none of his business; he just needs to do his own thing.

"It's not that the teacher is putting on airs and avoiding us; the teacher is just genuinely quite busy. Recently, the royal family and the city lord's mansion have been holding meetings with mages every day. The general education class is actually an opportunity. If you have other ideas during your studies, you can definitely work on them and decide for yourself. If you are still interested in us after graduation, you can formally become our apprentice then."

Rean suddenly realized that they must have been discussing the underground ruins and the beasts.

The so-called "generalist class" is actually a "crash course on general basic knowledge for monks," a training course organized by monks and jointly run by several monk towers.

In the past, monks would mentor a group of apprentices, selecting students from among the best. However, with the shortage of resources and the increase in apprentices, this one-to-one or one-to-several-apprentice mechanism is no longer cost-effective.

It's possible that in a group of apprentices, not a single one will excel (this is the most common case), and the great masters will no longer want to devote their energy to this area after spending their efforts and energy on ineffective work.

Therefore, as long as enough mages gather, this rather mature training mechanism will naturally emerge.

Intermediate-level monks act as teachers, bringing together newly recruited apprentices for short-term training. Only those who excel are qualified to become disciples.

Of course, from another perspective, if you are particularly skilled, you can also become somewhat famous at this stage, and then a great mage who is suitable for you will take you on as an apprentice.

While a two-way selection process may lack some personal touch, it is significantly more efficient.

The fact that this kind of gameplay is possible is a result of the large number of mages, which has even created a market for mutual selection.

"Not bad! Not bad! That's progress."

Kuku was very satisfied, but Rean, who had changed into a white mage's robe and walked into the street, felt increasingly uneasy.

It feels more like a tutoring institution and a postgraduate entrance exam preparation center.
"That's a good thing. This mentor probably isn't right for you."

Suliman's teacher was an "enchanting archmage," whose magical school was not suitable for Rean. In Kuku's opinion, Rean, with his red dragon bloodline, was clearly more suited to evocation and conjuration.

But the class can wait until tomorrow; for Rean, the most important issue right now is...
"Where can we get the money?!" 130 gold coins is an astronomical figure in this era.

A few gold coins are enough for a family to live on for a year, but I don't know if 130 gold coins would be enough for Rean even if he sold his house.

If he had a choice, Rean would never want to borrow money. Even if he didn't, knowing the Grey Goblins' temperament, he vaguely guessed that it was basically a loan shark operation.

"I have a way! I have a way!"

At this moment, Kuku suddenly said excitedly.

"I," Rean wanted to refuse, his experience telling him there would definitely be problems, but considering the astronomical figure of 130 gold coins.

"Okay, give it a try, as long as you don't implicate me."

(End of this chapter)