Magicians never make wishes

"Lord Higgs, did you recommend this man?" the young man beside him asked to confirm.

The Mystic Arts Society has a referral mechanism, where members of a certain status can recommend suitable people to join the society.

It can be considered an alternative system of recommendation in this world.

"That's right, you can skip the test and go straight into the membership process," Higgs said, patting the boy's head.

"Yes, Your Excellency Higgs." The boy nodded and quickly ran to the registration desk to complete the membership process.

"I found this child ten years ago and entrusted him to the school to raise. He's grown so much since I last saw him."

Higgs looked at the boy, his eyes filled with memories and emotions.

Seeing this, Ronan was a little puzzled. This Blood Master seemed to be a good person.

"What do I need to do after joining the association?"

He wanted to understand how the Secret Arts Society operated.

The Adventurers' Guild revolves primarily around quests; everything revolves around quests.

It seems that the Mystic Arts Academy also has a similar quest system.

Grayleaf's squad number 408 had also been continuously accepting and completing missions.

"You can join a mission squad and earn resources by accepting and completing missions."

"But you need to maintain your academic level for a certain period of time."

Higgs explained very thoughtfully, "Academic rank is the hard requirement for you to stay in the society."

"From the moment you join the academy, your academic level will be 0. Within three months, you will need to submit your own research findings to advance to level 1."

"Before you reach academic level 5, you need to submit or supplement new research papers within a fixed period of time, otherwise you will drop back to level 0."

"This is how academic hierarchy is maintained."

"Of course, for the first few months after you join, the basic knowledge will be available to you for free."

Higgs shrugged. "If you can understand it."

Ronan nodded, instantly understanding that the purpose of the Secret Arts Academy's system was to expand and enrich various kinds of knowledge to the greatest extent possible.

Everyone who joins the society has their own academic research, which is why it's called the Mystic Society.

Therefore, Grayleaf's magic system and her unique ritual magic should be the subject of her academic research.

"Lord Higgs..."

"You can just call me by my name," Higgs interrupted him with a smile.

Ronan readily agreed and immediately changed his mind, "Okay, Higgs."

"What kinds of free, basic knowledge are available?" he asked cautiously. "Any magical knowledge?"

Ronan decided to look for magic related to the soul.

"Yes, there are, but you might not find what you're looking for." Higgs seemed to have read his mind.

Everyone who joins the Mystic Arts Society always tries to find what they want from this free knowledge.

"Lord Higgs, it's done, it's done."

The boy, nicknamed "Short," ran back breathlessly, carrying a stack of documents in his hand.

"Well done," Higgs praised the boy, then looked at Ronan, "Now let him show you other things..."

"You can call my name if anything happens in the future, but you also need to be careful."

After saying that, Higgs waved and left.

Although he was an undercover agent, you might not believe it...

Actually, I'm here to learn; it's not as dangerous as you imagine.

Ronan silently grumbled to himself.

Based on my interaction with Higgs today, he certainly doesn't seem like a bad person.

He also remembered that Gray Leaf had said that Higgs had given them false information in order to frame Red Star.

But now that I think about it, given Higgs's ability to take on an entire squad by himself, it seems unnecessary for him to do something like this.

However, one can know a person's face but not their heart, and he would not easily make a judgment about a person.

"Where are we going now?" Ronan asked.

He was following the boy through the dark passageway.

"My lord, your lodgings have been arranged. Let me take you there first."

The boy answered, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Ronan nodded silently. He was quite satisfied with having accommodation included, as it saved him some money on lodging.

The passage was dark and long, empty except for the sound of their footsteps.

"What's your name?" Ronan suddenly asked.

He realized he didn't know how to address the boy; calling him "little guy" was clearly a term only used between close acquaintances.

The boy turned around, his face filled with tension and fear.

"I...I didn't call out..."

Ronan: "..."

The young man's comprehension is a bit ahead of his time.

"I'm asking what your name is," he explained patiently.

"Oh, my name is Darcy, sir." The boy put his hand to his chest and let out a big sigh of relief.

Darcy had just thought that the new student behind him had heard Darcy's voice.

With nothing else to do, Ronan and Darcy started chatting idly.

"Darcy, where can you find free knowledge?"

"In the second-floor area."

"Where is my place to stay?"

"The students' accommodations are on the first floor."

Second floor, first floor...

These seem to be in different places, but is it really necessary to use two different ways of saying it...?

Seeing that Darcy answered every question and seemed to have no hidden agendas, he probed further.

Do you know Higgs' junior from school?

"Sir, which one are you referring to?" Darcy asked, turning around.

Ronan was very curious. "Does Higgs have many junior classmates?"

“There are many…” Darcy thought for a moment and explained, “Many people like to ride on His Excellency Higgs’s name.”

"Especially outside, the title of 'the junior of the Blood Master' is often very useful."

"This also leads to His Excellency Higgs often being unjustly accused of crimes that are not his fault..."

No wonder Higgs said that you can call his name no matter what happens...

It turns out that it can not only be used to maintain order, but also to be used as a scapegoat.

"Do you know about Red Star?" Ronan asked directly.

"I'm usually in charge of receiving foreign guests, and I don't know much about students below academic level 3. Let me think..."

Darcy stopped, tilted his head, and tried hard to remember.

"There was indeed a conflict between two trainees recently, one of whom was codenamed Red Star..."

"Do you know who Akahoshi's mentor is?" Ronan asked, instinctively holding his breath.

Red Star's mentor was the mastermind behind the previous underground pollution incident, and there is a high probability that he is hiding in the Secret Arts Academy.

"They don't have mentors."

Darcy looked over with a puzzled expression, as if asking who came up with the question.

"No mentor?" Ronan was taken aback.

The image of Red Star being used as an energy consumable and its soul being sucked into a spatial wormhole flashed through his mind.

Whether in their previous conversations or in his desperate cries before his death, Akahoshi mentioned his mentor.

But now, someone is telling Ronan that the mentor Akahoshi mentioned doesn't exist.

"Darcy, are you sure?" Ronan asked again, his face grave.

"Yes, you need to reach Academic Level 3 to apply for mentorship." Darcy nodded solemnly.

"I know all the Level 3 students, but none of them are this Akahoshi student."

Ronan couldn't figure out for a moment whether Akahoshi had been deceived by a mentor, or whether the other party wasn't a member of the Secret Arts Society at all.

"Sir, this is the students' living quarters on the first floor." Darcy led Ronan to the door of a room with the number "762" written on it.

The two entered the room, which was exceptionally clean and spacious enough, and was roughly divided into a work area, a rest area, and an entertainment area.

All kinds of furniture were ready, and there was a neatly folded uniform on the bed, which should be the school's uniform.

"The student uniform that was distributed to you has also been delivered; the size is definitely correct."

Darcy spoke with a hint of pride; his efficiency and visual measurement skills were second to none in the society.

"Thank you, Darcy." Ronan nodded in thanks.

"Sir, would you like to rest first, or shall I show you around?" Darcy asked.

"We'll talk about the other places later. Take me to the second floor first."

Ronan couldn't wait to dive headfirst into free knowledge.

He made his decision: his identity as a necromancer would develop in the direction of the Dark Day.