Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 43 Appraisal (Please continue reading)

Richard's pupils constricted instantly! He was quite certain that no one else knew he had taken the Mysterious Egg, because everyone else was dead. How did the other party know that Stephena's Mysterious Egg was with him?

First, the other party is trying to scam me; they're not sure if I took it or not.

Secondly, the item the other party mentioned might not be the mysterious white egg, but rather other items on Stephena's person. After all, the situation was urgent at the time, and he didn't have time to search the belongings of the others before fleeing in haste.

Therefore, it's plausible that Stephania might have other valuable items on her.

The third and worst-case scenario is that the Knight family, as mentioned by the second-level apprentice, possesses some secret method or magical item that can track down the whereabouts of the mysterious white egg.

But regardless of the reason, Richard has no intention of admitting that he should return what he earned through his own abilities.

If he wasn't strong enough, he would have died like the others, killed by the Shadow Hunter's arrows.

From this perspective, the Knight family should actually thank him. First, he avenged Stephanie, and second, he retrieved the mysterious white egg, preventing it from falling into the hands of the night elves.

Now look what's happened! The Knight family actually sent people to come knocking on our door in a menacing manner to demand their money back. The worst part is, they don't even intend to pay any price. They're really dreaming!

"I don't understand what you're talking about!" Richard vehemently denied it!

"Hehe, young man, don't get excited. I'm just passing on a message. I've already taken care of things as requested by my employer."

"My name is Seymour, Seymour Michelle. If you change your mind, you can come find me in room 201 of the teaching area for the next three days. Remember, you only have three days!" After saying that, Seymour gave a cold laugh and turned to leave.

Richard's clenched fists revealed his inner turmoil!

The power of the top nobles is indeed extraordinary; they can actually command a level two Earthquake Wizard apprentice. Fortunately, I am within the school, so no one dares to make a move!

Damn it! I finally have enough energy points. If I just give myself two or three months, my strength will increase several times over!

At that time, even if the opponent is a second-level wizard apprentice, he will not be afraid at all!

On the eighth day, when Richard returned to Serales's laboratory on the second floor, he found the door slightly ajar.

"Is that Richard? Come in." A familiar voice came, and Richard's face lit up with joy.

"Okay, mentor."

When Richard entered the room, he found a tired-looking Serales sitting in a chair.

"Mentor, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just a little tired. Last time you killed not just one Night Elf, but a whole squad, including a Night Elf witch and several Spider Witches."

The school of thought expended considerable effort to defeat them, and now that the passage has been sealed, things should be fine for the time being!

"But if you go out, you should still be careful, there might be some who slipped through the net," Seras said slowly.

Richard was immediately startled; as expected!

Fortunately, I retreated quickly enough; otherwise, if I had continued wandering around in the cave, the outcome would have been unimaginable.

"By the way, regarding your incident last time, the security department will soon make a conclusion. They found the bodies of those students. Although they were completely mutilated by the monsters, the examination of the remains confirmed that the fatal wounds came from the Shadow Hunter's steel arrows. So, Richard, your suspicion has been cleared."

Serales glanced at Richard and said with a smile.

Richard thought this was a good thing, at least the school of thought would no longer restrict his personal freedom.

At that moment, Richard suddenly remembered why he had come to see Celeste, and immediately took out the mysterious white egg from his pocket, saying, "Mentor, this is something I obtained by chance on the Spider Trail. Could you help me identify it?"

"Hmm, this looks like it," Seras's eyes lit up, and he immediately stood up from his chair.

"However, Richard, are you sure you want me to do the appraisal? My appraisal fees are quite high. Although you are my disciple, I cannot violate the wizard's principle of equivalent exchange."

"However, as my disciple, you should receive a discount, so I can only charge half the fee, fifty magic stones. Do you have them?" Seras said with a smile to Richard.

Upon hearing this, Richard knew that his plan to pique Seres' interest with the mysterious white egg and then get a free appraisal was doomed.

But just because Seras went to the School's Security Office to support him, Seras has to earn the appraisal fee!

Therefore, Richard said without hesitation, "Master, thank you for your trouble!" and respectfully handed over fifty magic stones.

Seras took the magic stone and the mysterious white egg, then walked to another experimental table, placed the white egg under an instrument similar to a microscope, and began to observe it carefully.

Not long after, Seras said:

"This should be an egg of the Soul-Devouring Spider, currently undergoing mutation. Judging from the level of energy accumulation, it should be transforming into a more powerful form!"

"Soul-Eating Spider?" Richard asked, looking puzzled.

Seemingly aware that Richard was unfamiliar with the Soul-Eating Spider, Seras continued.

"That's right, a relatively rare spider-like monster that feeds on souls, and it has a strong restraining effect on spiritual beings."

By the way, there's another theory about the Soul-Eating Spider: after forming a blood pact with it, the souls of enemies it absorbs after each battle are simultaneously fed back to the pact partner as a wisp of pure soul energy, which, over time, can gradually improve a person's aptitude.

However, I have only heard this claim and have not verified it.

Secondly, your Soul-Eating Spider has mutated; whether it will have this effect is debatable! Seras added two more sentences very carefully at the end.

Wow! That was well spent! You were even able to identify the mutated item, mentor, that's impressive!

Moreover, it can improve a person's aptitude—this is the key point! Richard thought to himself.

It seems this can't be returned to the Knight family. I was thinking of exchanging it for some magic stones, but now? Heh, I'll just keep it for myself!

"Mentor, how long will this mutation period take? And what's this blood pact all about?" Richard continued to ask.

After a moment's thought, Seras said, "Based on my current observation, your Soul-Devouring Spider mutation period should take more than half a year. If you can provide pure spiritual nourishment, this process should be greatly shortened."

Regarding the blood pact, it's very simple. After the Soul-Devouring Spider hatches, you simply feed it a drop of essence blood, and then recite the blood pact incantation. If you still don't understand, you can borrow relevant books from the library!" Seras didn't intend to answer Richard's question in any more detail about this simple matter.

"Thank you, mentor! That..."

Richard hesitated for a moment, but then chose to continue.

"Mentor, after these few wilderness missions, I feel that alchemical products greatly enhance combat power, so I would like to choose your paid knowledge course on alchemy to learn more."

Seres shook his head and said, "No! Richard, the fact that you've mastered the Rodrigo meditation method proves that your comprehension is quite good."

However, alchemy is a subject that requires practical experience, skillful hands-on ability, and precise mental manipulation. When you've mastered the basic necromancy tricks of controlling skeletons to a proficient level, then come and enroll with me!

This left Richard, who had been quite disappointed after hearing only the first half of the sentence, completely stunned.

(End of this chapter)