Mr. Death in the Steam World

According to Arthur, the textbooks and study materials would arrive in three days, as the academy also needed to prepare these items.

But seemingly to demonstrate their determination to recruit Moen, the Academy of Arts delivered the promised containment item on the spot.

A slender little box slowly emerged from the void and landed steadily on the table; it looked quite exquisite.

Moen carefully pried open the brass clasp and lifted the lid.

Inside the box lay a quill pen, and strangely, it had a pair of tiny, fluttering wings attached to the back.

Upon seeing the pen, Arthur's expression immediately turned strange, and Phils burst out laughing.

Moen was a little confused. Upon closer inspection, he saw a note in the box, which was the "instruction manual" for the pen.

"Raine's Quill Pen"

"Rank: Level 5 Containment Object"

"Effect: After infusing magic into the pen, swinging the pen will cause you to move in the corresponding direction."

"Notes on use: Continuous use within a short period of time may cause deviations in the distance and speed of movement, which may no longer meet the user's expectations."

Moen finished reading the instruction manual, his eyebrows slightly raised.

This effect... sounds quite practical.

He tried to infuse a wisp of magic into the pen, and the wings at the tip of the quill immediately stood up. He tentatively flicked it gently to the left.

The next second, an invisible force suddenly appeared and pulled him sharply to the left.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already reached the far left of the room.

Several battle scenarios flashed through his mind:

When surrounded, you can dash out of the encirclement; when chasing enemies, you can shorten the distance. Combined with the explosive power of "Meow's Swiftness," the effect of this movement combo is likely to be surprisingly good.

But... if this pen is really that good, why did Arthur and Fils have those kinds of expressions?

"So, you two," Moen put the quill back in the box, crossed his arms, and looked at them.

"Does this pen possess some kind of magical power that makes you all smile so happily?"

Fils suppressed a laugh and spoke in a teasing tone.

"First of all, I want to clarify that I am also a correspondence student. This is just hearsay I've heard, and I can't guarantee its accuracy."

"The first owner of this pen was Ryan Alcott, who was probably a few grades ahead of me and should have graduated by now."

"Senior Renn, he actually has some magical talent, but he has one small flaw—"

Fils paused, as if considering her words.

"He has a particular, exceptional passion for appreciating beautiful women."

Moen had a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

"He developed an extremely unique use for the movement effect of this quill pen."

"He would first use invisibility to sneak into the vicinity of the girls' dormitory, hide in a corner and peek at the female students passing by, and once he was discovered, he would run away with his pen."

"Using this method, he repeatedly slipped away from the disciplinary committee members, and was once regarded as a legend in the boys' dormitory."

"But luck always runs out. One time, he used the quill pen too many times in a row, and the pen began to move uncontrollably."

"He originally intended to move directly back to his dormitory from the third-floor balcony, but the pen led him in the completely opposite direction."

"It is said that he fell into the succubus garden of the academy that day."

Moen's expression began to turn strange.

I won't go into details about what happened next.

"In short, he eventually fled back to the college with a pale face, voluntarily handed over the quill to the academic affairs office, and also voluntarily accepted a semester of confinement as punishment."

"Since then, no one has dared to apply for the use of this pen again."

Moen silently closed the box, pushed it to the corner of the table, and his expression was very complicated.

"I'm a respectable man," he said, emphasizing each word.

"The Faculty of Arts gave me this pen, definitely not because they thought I was as dissolute as that Ryan."

"That's not necessarily true," Arthur said, picking up his teacup with a calm, experienced tone.

"I heard that those old guys in the Faculty of Arts like to give freshmen 'collectible items' with stories to tell, saying it will temper their character, but actually they just want to watch the show."

Moen's expression became even more interesting.

Phils finally couldn't help but laugh out loud again, her silver ponytail swaying gently with her laughter.

Even Arthur's lips curled into a faint smile, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed at that moment.

"Marcus," Arthur began, taking advantage of the atmosphere.

"Now that you have officially become a member of St. Alice Magic Academy with our help, in return, I would like to make a request of you."

Moen was already mentally prepared.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Arthur and Fils' willingness to spend so much time and effort to help him get into college naturally has its reasons.

"Please feel free to speak."

"Please join our study group."

"Correspondence students can't get enough practical credits just by completing individual assignments," Arthur explained.

"The academy releases a large number of team tasks every year, requiring at least three team members to complete them together. The difficulty of the tasks ranges from D to S level, and the rewards increase accordingly."

"While Phils and I are decent fighters, unfortunately, our other team member's fighting ability is really worrying, so we've always lacked a reliable fighter."

"Once you join, we can take on higher-level missions together and earn more credits and rewards."

Arthur paused, his tone frank.

"This is a win-win situation. You need experience, we need manpower, and of course, team members will help each other with homework problems, cooperation in actual combat, and sharing of resources. These go without saying."

Moen didn't hesitate for long.

Arthur is right, it really is a win-win situation. Although he has now officially stepped into the realm of magicians, his understanding of the extraordinary world is still pitifully small.

With Arthur, an experienced priest, and Phils leading the way, his path to extraordinary success will be much smoother.

"I have no reason to refuse." Moen extended his hand.

A knowing smile appeared on Arthur's lips as he reached out and shook hands with him.

"Then it's settled. From now on, we're in the same boat. If you need any help, just come to me."

He released his grip, took out a small metal badge from his pocket, and handed it to Moen.

"Also, the other team member I just mentioned is currently out of Kansas on business, and I don't know when she'll be back."

"This badge is her creation, and it enables real-time communication within the group."

Moen took the badge and examined it closely, turning it over and over.

"How do I use this?"

"Just infuse it with magic and speak to it; what you say will be transmitted to other people who hold the same badge."

"The coverage area is roughly the entire Kansas City; it doesn't work very well beyond that."

Moen's eyes widened slightly.

Isn't this just a walkie-talkie?