Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"But, Karen, you were indeed wearing a nun's habit when you first appeared. Do female paladins also have the habit of wearing casual clothes?"

Karen paused for a moment, and you could clearly see her face beginning to flush red.

"That's because... my armor was stolen, my Silver Knight Armor."

"..." Lyle looked at the girl in front of him with her head down and her mouth barely moving. This was clearly a very shameful thing.

When was it stolen?

"It was stolen while I was sleeping, the one I had placed next to my bed."

"You're so careless!"

“I never expected it to be stolen. It has the mark bestowed by His Excellency the Bishop, a family heirloom that only my bloodline can use.”

"As a result, your family heirloom was stolen."

"Hmm." Karen wilted like a vegetable, listless. "It's a stain on my life."

Seemingly blaming himself, Lyle patted Karen on the shoulder. "It's alright. You're working at the police station now, so you won't need that armor for the time being."

"Yes, I have shamed the Holy Light. This training trip was of my own volition. However, to encounter Your Excellency the Pure One here must be a revelation from the Light! Praise be to the Holy Light!"

"Praise the Holy Light!" If the Holy Light truly had a will, it would probably be furious with you. I've lost my armor and am now working alongside a necromancer apprentice.

"So, Karen, what do you mean by 'pure one,' a kind of identity?"

"The dogmatic legend says that they possess bodies with pure souls, are said to be descendants of angels, and have an unparalleled affinity for the Holy Light, making them the natural leaders of the church."

That's really a pity.

“Lord Lyle, aren’t you tempted right now?” Karen’s large eyes were fixed on him. “Have you not considered joining the embrace of the Holy Light?”

Your manipulation is laughable compared to your force; Ariane's persuasive skills could take on ten of you.

“I regret that I cannot be so selfless. The Holy Light requires us to dedicate ourselves, and I cannot abandon everything to serve Him.”

"Become a paladin, Lord Lyle!"

"Hmm... is there any difference?"

“Monks and nuns are servants of the Lord, and they will dedicate everything to the Lord. But we paladins are not like that. We are soldiers of the Lord. We can only praise the Lord with force and glory. Therefore, we have far fewer constraints. Paladins can marry and have children, and can even have their own families.”

Ralf should be happy to hear this, but Lyle has joined Andrei, and the world of magic is no less powerful than the Holy Light.

Karen was still enthusiastically discussing the matter, fantasizing about Lyle becoming the leader of the Crusades and initiating the Second Crusade. Lyle even suspected that her zealous missionary work was an attempt to wash away the shame of having her armor stolen.

"Karen, will losing your armor affect your fighting ability?"

"Of course not. I'm already a Silver Knight. Creating armor phantoms with holy light is one of my abilities. I just feel sorry for it. After all, that armor was passed down from my father. I was planning to pass it on to my children. Hehe, although I never thought about that myself, I just thought about my children."

Karen's gaze drifted into the distance, her eyes sparkling with hope like jewels, filled with longing for a bright future and pure innocence—very...beautiful.

"Lyle!" a voice called out to itself.

It was a person shrouded in a black robe.

Before Lyle could respond.

"Scout out evil!" Karen rushed forward like lightning, her right arm swinging behind her, and the silhouette of a warhammer was taking shape.

"Spare me!" From beneath the black robe, William's disheveled figure appeared. He raised his hands in surrender, a small talisman tucked between his fingers.

"Karen, that's my friend."

William quickly hid next to Lyle, quietly putting away the talisman in his hand, and then whispered in Lyle's ear.

"You're really something, a necromancer who walks with the Holy Light."

“I have special hiding skills. Who asked you to dress so strangely?”

"That's because I'm afraid of running into that jinx, your uncle."

Lycanthrophobia.

"What do you need me for, William?"

“Of course, great news, my brother Lyle. I’ve discovered a secret realm. The entrance is in Cassandel, and it may lead to the legendary holy land of mages, the legendary city.”

"what is that?"

“I’ve recently found a clue about a hidden city of spellcasters. How about we team up and go on an adventure?”

"Is it dangerous?"

"I'm not sure. Why would I contact you if there's no danger? To do charity?"

"make a deal."

Chapter Sixty-Five: The Magic Lock

Lyle, the dragon, Ariana, and the gentleman stood in the moonlit open space, surrounded by many shadowy figures, all waiting silently like them.

Tonight is the night of ascending to the city of wandering.

Due to an expected unexpected event, we waited for quite some time.

"Mr. Faceless, the target is now within twenty miles east of Mount Caqui. Please establish a portal."

"Okay, twenty miles east of Caquite..."

"Wait, Faceless, the target has moved. It's now thirty meters from the underground ruins of Gangdlin."

"Okay, thirty meters underground..."

"Adjustment! Target shifted to Cuenca's side wall!"

"..."

Wumian looked at his colleague who was checking coordinates, the pale mask scanning the back of his head.

On the auxiliary landmark book, the target text is flashing.

Faceless stood up.

"Andre Teleportation Department is recruiting new teleportation mages. Excellent employee benefits, salary negotiable, members of the Magic Research Society preferred, hardworking and kind-hearted individuals are given priority!"

"Mr. Faceless, what nonsense are you talking about? There are no vacant positions in our department."

“Now that I have it, I’m applying to resign.”

"..."

"They set up coordinates three times in less than a minute. Those sorcerers in the City of Wanderings are messing with me. If they can do it, then they can do it. I'm quitting!"

It seems there's been a big problem.

Just when Lyle thought his trip tonight was ruined.

“Faceless.” The scholar wearing a dark blue ancient mask stepped out. He was wearing a long robe with gold thread trim, and the edges were tattered like they had been burned. Ms. Wenli followed closely behind him.

"Teacher!" Wumian bowed slightly to the scholar.

"Is something wrong?"

"The City of Wanderings is unusually active tonight; it's probably not a good time to visit."

“Do you remember what I taught you?” The scholar walked to the inscribed magic circle. “The creation of a portal is bidirectional. The important thing is not the effort put in, but finding the connection between them.” Pale blue magic burst from the scholar’s ​​fingertips and penetrated into the symbols of the magic circle. “Since the other side of the portal is not easy to capture, why not capture us from the other side?”

The symbols on the magic circle lit up one by one, and a tall, oval-shaped portal unfolded in the air, like a full-length mirror suspended in mid-air. On the other side of the portal was a man in a purple robe lying on the ground.

"See, that's how you do it."

Wumian looked at the man across the door, whose mouth was wide open and whose unkempt beard dragged on the ground.

"This is Andre Academy. Hello, Mystic. The portal is complete. Please step back a little to give us room to stand."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the man on the other side of the portal hurriedly stood up, brushed off his clothes, and stood to one side.

The Andrei members began to line up one by one to pass through the portal.

"Teacher, you always do things so easily, making it seem like you can do things we can't."

"Is there?"

"Capturing the coordinates of movement and forcibly controlling the target magic circle to establish a connection with our own is like a non-swimmer cutting through the ocean and walking across the exposed open space. Although I'm used to it, it still feels... weird."

"Faceless, what level has your magic reached?"

"Four locks, teacher."

"That is indeed a bit low."

"...Teacher, you should hurry up and get back to your work."

"Okay, goodbye. Remember to study hard, Faceless." The scholar stepped into the portal.

Lyle looked away.

Is this the true reaction of underachieving students?

"Sir, what are four locks?"

"That's the magic power assessment level we used to use. Before the concealment of aura became widespread, we had the habit of binding our bodies with magic power shackles to prevent our fragile bodies from being destroyed by our own power. The Magic Research Society still uses this old assessment method. It represents magic power. The more shackles, the more magic power. By the way, I have three shackles."

“Four locks.” Ariana.

"Six locks." Mr. Dragon gazed at the portal, but it wasn't his turn yet.

"what about me?"

"Less than one lock."

I am a piece of trash.

Mr. Dragon turned to look at Lyle. "Don't take the scholar's words to heart, Plague Doctor. Ever since the Apocalypse incident, the scholar's standards have risen considerably. Don't compare yourself to geniuses. The scholar reached the Eight Locks level ten years ago, and among his students, there are very few who have surpassed him."

"The magic lock rating is a bit outdated. It can't prove your ability. Even if the total amount of magic is the same, different outputs will result in vastly different results."

"For example, in necromancy, I am a six-locked being, but I also have the ability to create seven-locked undead."

“A more typical example is advanced magic research; you never know their limits.”

Lyle felt much better; he had the potential to defeat monsters of a higher level, provided he didn't get beaten up in a reversal.