A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 183 The Forest Tower Mage's Forgery Incident

True to his word, Rorschach was going to promote his "miracle crystals".

"It's beautiful." The mage of the Tower of Mystic Arts inspected the goods in the sunlight.

Luo Xia then took out a few more small bottles and placed them on the table: "They're the same as the samples I showed last time."

"No, it's different, Master Rorschach. The crystals you brought this time are generally finer and more fragmented. That's why the price is different."

"This price already takes into account the size and is discounted! It's extremely rare even in the Holy Kingdom!" The boy seemed to want to end the deal, and hugged the bottle he had put down back into his arms.

"Alright, alright," the monk and his colleague exchanged glances for a moment, then made up their minds: "We'll take this whole batch!" The monk who hadn't spoken until now said, "But we need your guarantee of a stable supply in the future."

"Of course, the Arcane Tower has always been my top choice for transactions!" Rorschach offered a Transmutation Dust in exchange for a hefty amount of gold coins. If he didn't sell to them, Rorschach couldn't find any other buyers!

The other party in the transaction was also very satisfied, admiring the small bottle that emitted blue light. It was a new gadget; a simple demonstration of its properties could generate numerous articles. What they held in their hands was performance, was the future!

These days, it's not easy to publish articles. On the one hand, the research of the Tower of Arcane Arts can't be easily disclosed. On the other hand, I heard that a great mage in the Tower of the Forest was reported by his eleven apprentices for fabricating the results of his plant alchemy. This has attracted the guild's attention, leading to stricter review and reproduction requirements.

"This is outrageous!" Rorschach, who was eating at the Arcane Tower's cafeteria, also got a free copy of the latest "Elemental Truth Report," which contained a report from the Forest Tower:

"Regarding the reports of academic misconduct by Archmage Gairbow of the Tower, the Alchemist Council and the Owl Court have launched an investigation. The investigation materials have found that the issues raised regarding the research data and results are basically true, and the investigation has preliminarily determined that there has been academic misconduct."

"The Forest Tower has decided to suspend all positions and work within Gelb Tower effective immediately, and maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards such incidents."

"Why are you eating here?" Ou Yeni walked over and sat across from Luo Xia at the table, and the gargoyle brought her food.

"When you're out of money, come to the Arcane Tower's canteen for free. The Star Tower's canteen charges money. In this respect, even the lowest-ranking apprentices in our empire live better than the intermediate mages in the Holy Kingdom."

Luo Xia held back one more thing: if the Tower of Stars ever dared to offer only sauerkraut soup, stone bread, and sausages, the kitchen would surely be blown up by the angry teachers and students.

"Are you watching the news about Forest Tower's research on fabrication?"

"Is there something wrong with the management of Forest Tower?" It has been infiltrated by an underground cult and exposed for academic misconduct.

Ms. Elizabeth remained noncommittal: "Gale has been controlled and has now lost his ability to cast spells."

"How did you do that?" Rorschach was curious about how he could permanently disable the archmage's spellcasting without killing him. As far as Rorschach was concerned, even with his mouth covered and his hands tied, he could still cast spells.

"They say it involves stabbing a needle into the brain through the eye socket and then rotating it three times." Ou Yeni picked up the knife and gestured in front of Luo Xia.

Ouch. Move it away! Rorschach understood; it was a lobotomy. "It's just academic fraud, isn't that too harsh?" At least the Archmage's level was based on his own strength; this turned him into a cripple.

Master Ouyeni said very seriously: "First, he not only forged things himself, but also dragged his apprentices into it. The impact on the Forest Tower is immeasurable."

"Secondly, this person swindled the Magic Guild out of an unknown amount of funds. The guild doesn't care about the money; what they care about is an explanation."

"Third, his final struggle against arrest caused damage to the Forest Tower and resulted in injuries and deaths among the law enforcement officers who arrested him, which was a slap in the face to the Senate."

Perhaps the third point is the key point—offending the abbot and still trying to escape?

Halfway through her meal, Eugenie suddenly sighed. Her voice was soft, but Rorschach still heard it. The mage's furrowed brows drew many glances, and onlookers all wondered: Why was the mage/teacher Elizabeth troubled? And who was the young man at the table opposite her?

Rorschach didn't ask first, but put down his cutlery and waited for her to speak. Elizabeth then asked Rorschach, "Are you going to Würzburg soon?"

"Yes, to attend the wedding." Rorschach had already guessed what was bothering her.

Ou Yeni stared at the sauerkraut soup in front of her with her pale blue eyes, as if it were the lake where she used to boat as a child, and then she stirred the cooked tubers in it, as if they were an island in the middle of the lake where swans lived. Luo Xia couldn't read minds, otherwise he would definitely have complained about her overly peculiar ability to make associations.

"I also received an invitation, but I really don't want to face that family. In fact, I only met Amelia once when she was a child, and I don't even know if she remembers me."

"Since you've been invited..."

"The private invitation was sent in Ludwig's name, but I recognized the handwriting; it was clearly my sister's. Our King would never write such delicate characters."

Bart also sent invitations to representatives of the Arcane Tower and the Magic Guild because of his position as the resident mage. This has another implication: if no one from the Magic Guild or the Arcane Tower attends the wedding, it becomes questionable whether the resident mage is recognized by the two major magical entities.

Perhaps the mages in the tower all knew about the Wittelsbach family and voluntarily relinquished the title of representative of the Arcane Tower to Mage Elizabeth.

Luo Xia didn't say much, but simply followed up on what the mage Ou Yeni had said: "Is it Princess Sophie's handwriting? Perhaps she really wants to see you again."

His sky-blue eyes stared at the boy for a long time before he said, "You are right, Mage Rorschach. Let's go."

A carriage from the Tower of Arcane Arts galloped through the mountains and forests, its two horses pure white, forming a striking contrast with the dark brown carriage body.

The carriage didn't shake at all as it walked along the gravel path, but Rorschach seemed a little reserved inside.

Although this carriage looked no different from the other carriages in the Tower of Mystic Arts, the leather inside was dyed a pale yellow, and it was filled with a light and clear fragrance of rose, jasmine, and sandalwood. This was the lady's carriage, the personal carriage of the sorceress Elizabeth.

After getting free food and drinks, I can even get a ride. This deal with the Mystic Tower is totally worth it!

The car owner, nun Elizabeth Ouyene, was only focused on looking out the window. Fir and pine trees flashed past the car, and shimmering lakes and dark green mountains appeared and disappeared in a hurry.

Rorschach couldn't guess her thoughts, nor did he want to gossip about the Byrne royal family's past. He simply read the newspaper quietly, turning the pages carefully to avoid making too much noise.

Then he got carsick.

It seems that motion sickness has nothing to do with the amount of bumps in the ride. Luo Xia put away the newspaper, his fingertips condensing blue light as he touched his temples, which immediately relieved his discomfort. Sleepiness washed over him, and he fell asleep, his left hand protecting his ring, his right hand cradling the head of his cane, leaning back in his seat.

Unbeknownst to the sleeping boy, the woman's gaze had already shifted from the window to his face bathed in sunlight.

(End of this chapter)