Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Lyle returned to the Cup of Extravagance as if returning home, and to the gentleman she hadn't seen in a long time.

Leaning against the arched doorway leading to the balcony, his face was obscured by the hanging curtains. He was still wearing the same crisp light gray clothes, and the same withered rose pinned to his chest. He was holding a clean white handkerchief and patiently wiping a slender flute.

It is entirely black, with tiny vents no bigger than a grain of rice, and has a jade-like luster. Apart from being pitch black, there is nothing else that is particularly eye-catching.

"Peaceful, gentleman."

"Peace, doctor of plague." The greeting lasted only a moment; the gentleman bent down to glance at Lyle through the curtain before returning to his leisurely posture.

“Welcome back. How was your trip to Narancia? Ariana was talking about your visit just an hour ago. She’s already left. There’s a concert tonight.”

"It's much more exciting than I expected. Gentleman, it's been a long time."

"I recently conspired with a reporter to pull off a big heist, and it took me quite a while to deal with the spoils," the gentleman said, then seemed to remember something and burst into laughter with a trembling body.

Is that a flute?

"Yes, it's still my wand. I need to clean it occasionally to maintain its tone. If I have time, I'll play you a short piece."

"It would be my pleasure, sir. However, I think I need to leave quickly; Shui Shui's body still needs some rest. Perhaps next time, sir."

"I'll be waiting anytime." The gentleman was still smiling as Lyle stepped through the gate of bones. Lyle didn't know whether he should say it aloud; black and a gentleman really didn't match.

……

"Because of a little disturbance, Naslan's mausoleum was demolished by Raymond?" The scholar was readjusting the small clump of black dust from the Sword Dance Mandala in the magic circle, reconstructing the magic model to distribute it evenly, chatting idly until he heard about Raymond's arrival.

“It’s mainly my fault, I guess so,” the scholar said, his attitude uncertain as Lyle was unsure of the scholar’s ​​stance, given that the scholar and the Naslan family were old acquaintances. “Is it serious?”

“I’m just a little surprised. Don’t worry, Adolf is a powerful alchemist, and those buildings will soon repair themselves. I’m just curious about Mr. Raymond’s abilities. Demolishing Adolf’s alchemical town won’t be an easy task for me either.”

"The scholar is unaware of Mr. Raymond's fighting prowess."

“I’m an academic, focused on research, and I don’t have many opportunities to interact with other people. Although I know of Lord Raymond, who is famous throughout Andrei, I have never personally fought him. If it weren’t for the fact that he clashed with my student, Apocalypse, once, I might not have paid any attention to him.”

"Mr. Raymond won?"

"Yes, that's what puzzles me. Conceptually, Apocalypse shouldn't lose."

Is it possible for the president of the Advanced Magic Research Society to fail? We don't know his abilities, but as the leader of Death Star II and Mr. Electromagnetic, he's probably not a safe person.

"Ready? Come on, Plague Doctor."

Shui Shui climbed onto the scholar's chain and slid towards the suspended powder, just like last time, a black eye of the storm formed.

"Medical doctor, please hand me the scroll tied with a dark blue ribbon on the third shelf on your left."

Lyle looked at the indicated bookshelf. Last time he was here, Lyle remembered that it was completely empty, but this time it was filled with tightly packed scrolls. He found the corresponding scroll, on which was a short passage of Emorian script, which Lyle could understand to some extent after studying it.

"Summon Enhancement Type 23?"

As the scholar moved his finger, the scroll unfurled in the air and flew to him.

"Yes, spells that enhance summons and control soul links, as long as the basic framework is borrowed and slightly modified, will also apply to your talents."

"Will it strengthen our bond?"

"Yes, it will also enhance your performance in the process of bestowing the gift, making the talent more closely aligned with your ideas."

Lyle sensed it; with the subtle changes in the eye of the storm, he seemed to see a black phantom in his mind, as if walking on the deep sea, wading closer and closer.

"Scholar, I saw it, it's an illusion."

"It's normal. You'll see an illusion that keeps walking towards you, a completely black version of yourself. This is one of the manifestations of a split soul. It means that your body is ready to lose your talents. This illusion will become clearer, closer, and more unfamiliar. When you can see it clearly, that's when the bestowal of the Dharma begins. What you see is what Shui Shui will become."

"Alright." Shui Shui, now back in her spherical shape, returned to Lyle's shoulder.

"Next, just wait for the moment you imagine in your mind, and when he is about to get close, imprint his image onto Shui Shui's body."

"Here you go, Plague Doctor." The scholar took off the precious jade from his chest. Its deep blue color was like a gloomy sky. On its smooth, icy surface, wisps of blue smoke slowly rose and filled his mouth and nose. You could feel the intoxicating, flowing magic.

"what is this?"

"A little gadget that can help you quickly increase your magic power."

"Your strength is still too weak to withstand the impact of the surging magic. You need to take advantage of this time to strengthen your training and try your best to get closer to the level of two locks. Enchanting spells requires the support of a powerful energy source, but you must first be able to withstand it yourself."

"A powerful energy source?"

"Or rather, the nodes of the magic network. The sky node, Moonnefar; the ocean node, Moshui; the earth node, Sahazane; and the fourth node, Moroki. They are all powerful energy sources, and the magic within them can sustain a city."

How do I get such a MagicNet node?

The scholar smiled and tapped his mask. "This is called Moroki."

"The fourth node is also one of my titles."

“Relax, child,” the scholar said, fiddling with his chains. “I will transfer some of my magic to you. Don’t worry, it’s just a temporary weakness for me.”

"But, sir, why would you do this? Is it merely because of Mr. Dragon's request?"

The scholar put the magic lock back in the cabinet, transforming from a powerful spellcaster back into a wise scholar. "I once thought I was the strongest, and that my students only needed to follow the path I designated and become like me."

“I was so wrong. Apocalypse woke me up in a way that I find hard to accept.”

"But that's the truth, he was right. Without my interference, my students have all gone their own way. Andrei went from a solo performance to a flourishing of diverse talents."

“Smart people don’t repeat their mistakes. I won’t stifle your potential. You should become the people you want to be.”

"Plague Doctor, your talent is unique. You are on a new path, and you will add new color to Andrei. Although your talent is facing some troubles at the moment, this is precisely the role of a teacher, to teach a fledgling to fly."

"If you can shine brightly in Andre in the future, that will be my greatest comfort."

Lyle smiled, having no more words to say.

"Thank you, teacher."

"Will the dragons be jealous of me?"

"If I were a blue-feathered turkey, I think he would."

Chapter 121 The Top Student

The course ended pleasantly with the scholar.

When it came time to say goodbye, Lyle hesitated a little.

"Mr. Dragon asked me to remind you to attend the séance course tonight, at the usual place."

Is this a case of someone finding a new lover and their original spouse already showing up at their door?

This anxiety only disappeared when they reached the basement level of Andre.

Gently pushing open the door to the old classroom, I saw layers of figures standing on the seats. As Lyle moved, my gaze shifted, and now I wasn't so afraid anymore. Shui Shui even extended a tentacle to greet them, and casually straightened the hat of the student near the door.

The student didn't say anything, but simply took off his hat and used his bone wand to scrape off the sticky substance stuck to the hat's surface.

Upon reaching his seat, a classmate sitting next to him surprisingly stretched out his hand. His palm was covered with a thick layer of scales, artificially applied—yet another cross-dresser. He had covered his disguise with various reptilian scales in a riot of colors. Lyle wasn't sure if it was a protective mechanism, but the chaotic colors certainly made him feel dizzy.

"My name is Shining, the Plague Doctor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shiny." Indeed, you are quite shiny. "Your scales are beautiful."

“Yes, they are beautiful, but they could have been even more beautiful,” Shiny tilted his head back, revealing a mask also covered in scales, which, due to their different colors, formed a smiling face. “Since becoming Mr. Dragon’s student, I have been unable to remove the scales from those live lizards. I can only collect the ones that fall off on their own, and those are usually dull or damaged.”

"What a misfortune."

"No, tonight, it is probably you who will be unfortunate."

Lyle looked at the glitter, not understanding its meaning.

Mr. Dragon clapped his hands, interrupting the students' conversation. "Alright, now that you've all gotten to know each other, let's begin our lesson. Today, we'll be learning a major category of necromancy: curse magic. After the theoretical lesson, we'll have a practical session. Yes, your deskmates will be your targets. You'll curse each other until one of you falls. Anyone still standing will receive an excellent grade. The reason I'm having you reveal your names is so you know who you'll be beating up later. Yes, I believe most of you are magnanimous, but it's our right to feel good. If you've been bullied because of the curse class, Andre welcomes you to resolve your disputes privately. For capable students, the Black Abyss Arena is open to you."

Lyle looked at Shiny, who seemed to sense Lyle's gaze as well. Shiny's scales stood up like an animal, threatening Lyle.

Lyle intended to feign weakness and prioritize peace. Shui Shui chose the hard mode, and a large glob of snot-like mucus was sprayed onto Shiny.

"Mr. Epidemic Doctor, your pet is really cool."

Lyle had no intention of replying to him anymore. Since their side had chosen to fight, strengthening their combat power was undoubtedly more dignified than begging for mercy. The knowledge they had gained in class now was the foundation for standing up straight later.

"The curse of aging..."

"The Curse of Pain..."

Lyle frantically learned the pronunciation of each curse, reciting them silently to himself at an even faster pace. Under this pressure, the scholar's precious jade emitted a ghostly glow.

"Students, I believe you're already tired of theoretical lectures, so use your bodies to memorize these curses."

"The curse begins."

As Mr. Dragon announced this, everyone at the table pulled out their wands and pointed them at each other, instantly turning the room into a noisy marketplace.

As a time traveler, the cunning Lyle chose to sneak away. He already had the Holy Spirit Staff in his hand, and with just a flick of his wrist, he used the fastest speed he had ever seen.

"The curse of pain, the curse of silence, the curse of oppression."

The curse of pain disturbs the mind, the curse of silence silences speech, and the curse of oppression hinders action.

If successful, Shiny will become a punching bag that can only be beaten.

However, there are no "ifs" in this world. Shining brightly and stubbornly standing there, it seemed that only the oppressive curse had a slight effect.

"The curse of fragility, the curse of slowness."

Lyle felt as if an invisible layer of armor had been shattered, and his body suddenly became sluggish, even his thinking and breathing became sluggish.

Shining was still spouting nonsense.

"Your spellcasting speed is very fast, Mr. Plague Doctor. It seems that the top student in Mr. Dragon's eyes is indeed well-deserved. However, aren't you being a little too arrogant, using curses that have no effect on our race? Even if you are skilled in curse casting, shouldn't you be more careful? Are you treating me like an idiot?"

"Hopefully this lesson will serve as a warning to you, Mr. Epidemic Doctor. Accept your failure."

"The Curse of Exhaustion requires some preparation time, but I have already lowered your resistance with the Curse of Weakness. The Curse of Slowness is simple, but it is effective. You have already lost before I can finish my spell."

What he didn't know was that Lyle's side had a numerical advantage over them.

"Gurgle, gurgle."

The watery tentacles pointed straight at the shiny head like sharp cones.

The curse of fragility, the curse of slowness.

Now there are two people working at a snail's pace.