Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Cecil sighed softly as he finished speaking.

"After that, he completely disappeared. The Vatican issued an arrest warrant for him, but they never found him. Some say he fled to the North, others say he died in the wilderness. No one could have imagined that he changed his name and hid in the cemetery on the outskirts of the capital for nearly twenty years."

"What about the evil god he worships now? Do you have any clues? How did he get involved with that being after leaving the Vatican?"

Cecil began his long recollection.

"The thing he came into contact with back then was something called 'Anubidi.' As for how it established a connection with Maurice, the records in the Vatican are vague on that. The only thing that is certain is that it is an ancient belief from beyond the abyss, whose core doctrine is related to eternal sleep."

Cecil looked up at Wayne: "You're asking this because you think he's connected to other forbidden items?"

Wayne nodded. "Yes, teacher. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Gluttony Plate appeared in that cemetery. Maurice guarded it there for almost twenty years; he must have been waiting for something. And the Gluttony Plate's loss of control is very likely the opportunity he's been waiting for."

After listening to Wayne's analysis, Cecil seemed thoughtful: "Your direction might be correct. Morris's appearance is very likely not a coincidence. His choice to settle in that cemetery was probably initially aimed at that sixth-tier remains. The Gluttony Vessel was merely a tool he used to achieve that goal."

Wayne continued to ask the teacher questions.

"Teacher, of all the forbidden object incidents you've encountered before, which one is explicitly linked to the existence of 'Anubidi'?"

Cecil did not answer immediately.

"Yes. And you will soon come into contact with it, the City of Eternal Sleep. According to reliable intelligence, the anomalies that occurred in the City of Eternal Sleep are highly consistent with Anubidi's religious rituals. The truth behind that city's severing of contact with the outside world a year ago is probably not just as simple as being contaminated by forbidden objects, but very likely that it has become Anubidi's temporary divine kingdom on earth."

Cecil continued, "Moreover, that city is now completely impenetrable, and conventional methods are simply ineffective. The only hope lies in finding a hidden key, a passage that allows entry into the city without alerting that being."

Listening to Cecil's words, Wayne understood the heaviness in them: "So the City of Eternal Slumber will be my next retrieval mission."

Cecil nodded slightly: "Based on the current clues, that's indeed the case. But if you're not ready yet, you can put it aside for now and decide on the priority once the clues for the other forbidden items become clearer."

Wayne didn't hesitate for long: "No need to wait. Now that we've locked onto our target, dragging it out will only create more variables. The sooner we set off, the more initiative we'll have."

Looking at Wayne's decisive manner, Cecil smiled and said, "Your temperament is quite similar to mine when I was young."

"Teacher, you flatter me."

Looking at Wayne's humble demeanor.

Cecil shook his head.

He thinks his disciple is good in every way, except that he is too modest.

He didn't waste any more words, but instead offered words of encouragement.

"In that case, go for it. Your successful retrieval of the Gluttony Vessel proves you have the ability to handle forbidden objects. I have nothing to teach you. The rest is up to you."

Wayne stood up and bowed respectfully to Cecil: "Then I'll go back and prepare, teacher."

"Wait!" Before Wayne could leave, Cecil's voice came from behind him.

He stood up and reached for the top shelf behind him. After searching for a moment on the top shelf, he took out a long, narrow black wooden box.

He slid the box lid open.

A staff was revealed.

The staff is about four feet long and is made of special wood. Its surface is covered with a layer of fine, scale-like patterns, and a fist-sized, light blue core is inlaid at the top.

Cecil looked at the staff with pride.

"The Arrogant Water Dragon King. A fifth-tier staff, with the core of a dragon bone that has slumbered for thousands of years beneath the ice of the abyss, and the medium of eternally frozen crystal from the frigid northern lands. It was crafted by a master blacksmith of the dwarves over three years."

He paused.

"I used it for a long time when I was young. Later, I broke through to the sixth rank and got a weapon that suited me better, so I sealed it away. I always thought that if one day I could find someone worthy of it, I would hand it over."

Cecil's gaze fell on Wayne's face.

"Today, I feel the time has come."

Wayne's gaze fell on the staff. He could sense an aura within the staff that resonated deeply with the water magic within him, a gentle yet profound energy.

He solemnly accepted the wooden box.

"Don't worry, teacher, I won't disgrace its name."

Cecil smiled.

"Alright, go on. Stop being so sentimental."

Wayne didn't say anything more. He closed the wooden box, picked it up, and walked out of the room.

After Wayne left.

Cecil sat alone in the room for a long time.

He sighed deeply and said.

"...Arrogant Water Dragon King. I hope you can accompany him further. At least, further than you accompanied me."

Inside the carriage, Wayne took the staff out of the wooden box and held it in his hand to test its feel.

The staff is lighter than it looks, and it feels completely different from holding that heavy cross.

The cross is used for smashing, swinging, and is a hard weapon.

On the contrary, when he held the staff in his hand, he could clearly feel the softness of the staff, and the water element within it seemed to be responding to him actively.

The panel appeared at that moment.

[The Arrogant Water Dragon King - Tier 5 Staff]

Status: Belonged to a master.

[Compatibility: Extremely high. The aura of the previous owner remaining inside the staff has largely dissipated, perfectly complementing your water elemental affinity. No additional adjustment period is required.]

[Attached Skills: Water Dragon's Roar, Tide of Arrogance, Dragon King's Domain (Requirements unlocked at Tier 5).]

[Note: A dwarven master blacksmith embedded a fragment of a young water dragon's will within the staff. This staff possesses a degree of self-awareness. It adjusts its elemental damage output based on the wielder's combat style. The gentler you treat it, the more generous it becomes.]

Ma Chao hadn't gone far when the coachman's voice came from ahead: "My lord... someone is stopping the carriage."

Wayne lifted the car curtain and peered out.

Across the street stood a woman dressed in dark red casual clothes. She had short, neat hair and a slender, straight knife hanging at her waist.

The person who came was Falcon!

Seeing Wayne peek out, Falcon cut to the chase: "Lord Wayne, Her Majesty the Queen wishes to see you. Now."

After saying that, the falcon disappeared.

Wayne sat back down in the carriage.

He calmly spoke to the driver in front of him.

"Turn around and head to the palace..."