Wizard: The exploration panel keeps me pure.

One hour later.

Ron walked out of the cafeteria with a calm expression and steady steps, followed by Fiona, whose face was full of disbelief.

"Junior, don't you find this disgusting?"

Hearing the incredulous voice of my senior, I couldn't help but think of my past life.

Compared to those even stranger foods, what is a mere snake belly stuffed with rats?

Not to mention, this thing actually has quite a few uses for me:

[Consuming special food will alleviate your mental state and reduce your contamination level to -0.01 (effective only on first use)]

When Ron saw the message, he said he wanted to order another one, which left Fiona, who was standing next to him, completely stunned.

If the girl hadn't sensed that he wasn't mentally abnormal, she would have suspected that he had been corrupted by an evil spirit.

"Senior, where are we going next?"

Seeing that he didn't answer her question, Fiona gave the boy a deep look before speaking:

"Go to the college's primary office."

Upon hearing this name, Ron once again recalled the information he had seen in the admissions handbook regarding the division of responsibilities for the college's public affairs.

This junior office seems to be a place where new students and novice wizard apprentices handle their business.

Thinking of this, he didn't ask any more questions and just silently followed behind the girl.

Fiona didn't say anything more at this moment; she was still recalling the scene of the boy eating the mouse.

It was simply "horrible to look at".

The two walked in silence to the outside of a white building.

"arrive."

"Is this the academy's primary office? Senior, what are we doing here?"

"This is for you to receive subsidies."

The Tower of the Red Moon is considered one of the most reputable wizarding academies in Valantia, mainly due to its four-tiered student stipend system.

According to regulations, new students at the academy who have not reached the level of a junior wizard apprentice can receive a subsidy of one magic stone per month.

Novice wizard apprentices receive five pills per month, intermediate apprentices receive ten pills per month, and advanced apprentices receive thirty pills per month.

Fiona brought Ron here for the compensation of this magic stone.

"Junior, do you think one magic stone is too little?"

"I don't know, senior. To be honest, I still don't know what a magic stone can buy."

The girl smiled; she really liked his honesty.

"Then let me tell you, junior, one magic stone can buy a one-on-one lesson for an intermediate wizard apprentice, or a quest request for a novice wizard apprentice."

"If used to buy slaves, it can be used to buy a human in his infancy."

"That's why I'm helping you so much."

As she spoke, the girl gave Ron a meaningful look, as if to tell him:

I am a materialistic woman.

Ron smiled, seemingly unconcerned, and instead asked with interest:

"Senior, is this what they call an equivalent exchange? Because I gave you magic stones that exceeded the value of my service, you have to compensate me elsewhere?"

He glanced approvingly at the boy in front of him, neither angry at his own words nor annoyed by the so-called deal.

Only those who maintain a calm demeanor and converse with themselves throughout can become qualified wizards.

After thinking for a moment, Fiona answered his question seriously:

"That's the general situation."

"My mentor was a formal wizard who walked the path of observing fate. He told me that everything gained actually had a price tag attached to it."

"Therefore, never take your gains for granted, and always maintain awe for the unknown."

Upon hearing this, Ron couldn't help but look at the mentor Fiona had mentioned with new respect.

At the same time, he was also curious about the girl's identity.

Logically speaking, since she is a formal wizard's apprentice, she shouldn't lack magic stones.

Why did this senior waste a whole day of my precious time yesterday just because I only took out three magic stones?

Seemingly noticing his confusion, the girl smiled and spoke:

"Don't even think about it. Although I am the teacher's disciple, I still have to rely on myself to do experiments and buy reagents."

"As the teacher said, relying on yourself is the only way out."

Ron became even more interested in the teacher Fiona had mentioned.

What kind of person could cultivate such a disciple?

"Alright, let's hurry inside. The sooner we get everything sorted out before school starts, the more relaxed I'll feel."

"it is good."

He responded and followed Fiona into the office.

Once inside, he found that quite a few people had already formed a long queue.

"Go ahead and join the queue, I'll wait for you over there."

"it is good."

After receiving their subsidies, the two went to the Red Moon Library.

In the lobby on the first floor, the girl picked out nearly ten books on basic wizarding knowledge. As she handed the books to him, she didn't forget to give him some advice:

"You should read all of these; they will be helpful to you in the future."

Looking at the tall stack of books in his hands, Ron couldn't help but sigh inwardly once again:

"This money was well spent."

On the way back, Fiona was still reminding the new students of a series of things they needed to pay attention to. Looking at the girl beside her who kept talking, she was completely different from when they first met.

"Okay, senior, I understand. It's getting late, you should go back now."

"Okay, remember, all the new students will be here in three days, and you'll start classes. Be careful when choosing your courses. After you've read the books I've picked out for you, if you still have any questions, be sure to ask me."

"Yes, I understand."

"it is good."

After saying "okay," Fiona didn't hesitate and turned to leave without lingering for a moment.

Ron stood at the door of his dormitory, watching the girl's departing figure, thinking about what he needed to do next.

He only went inside and closed the door after the figure had completely disappeared from sight.

He first glanced at the book in his hand.

[You are viewing cursed knowledge, corruption level +0.00001...]

He glanced at it once, then immediately closed the book in his hand, and checked his own level of contamination:

[Pollution Level: Physical 18.2%, Mental 1.43/1.81]

[Comment: You finally glimpsed a sliver of the truth about the world, but now you're about to die.]

Yes, it's down 0.01 from this morning, but that's still far from enough.

Thinking of this, he lost interest in reading and sat down on his bed, closing his eyes and beginning to meditate.

Time passed quickly, and the blood-red moon slowly climbed to the highest point in the sky.

Ron, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly shuddered and broke out of his previous state of emptiness.

He was panting heavily, his forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat.

"What happened?"

Your mental pollution level is too high, so your meditation time is shortened.

The words that appeared on the panel in front of him made his heart tighten. He hadn't expected that the increase in mental pollution would also affect his meditation time.

Originally, I thought that based on my previous cultivation speed, I should be able to advance to the level of a junior wizard apprentice before the pollution reaches its peak.

However, it now seems that if we continue with the original plan, we will most likely go insane.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety.

Let's turn our attention back to the panel:

[We recommend improving the pollution conversion rate through the following methods]

[Option 1: Meditate while absorbing the juice of a glowing grass longer than three centimeters on a red moon night; conversion rate increased by 200%; Option 2...]

"It seems we'll have to try unconventional methods."

The boy's eyes, hidden behind his long black hair, flickered, and he murmured to himself in a voice only he could hear.