Fanatics of the Magic Academy

After Rose and Tiana had breakfast, Rose suddenly sensed a fluctuation originating from reason.

The fluctuation wasn't particularly malicious; Rose used the [Translation] rune to translate it:

"Friends, let's get together outside."

Rose used [Wind Network Perception] to quickly locate a person standing outside.

The man was dressed very well, wearing a top hat and a formal suit, and carrying a cane.

As for the colors of the hat and clothes, they cannot be seen in the black and white images within Rose's [Wind Net Perception].

However, it appears to be styled in black.

Rose frowned, her mind racing.

He first told Tiana to go back to her room. Tiana wanted to ask what had happened, but seeing Rossel's serious expression, she swallowed her words.

Obediently, Rosemary listened to him and went into the house.

Rose has the [Bombardment] ability in his head, ready to unleash it at any moment, instantly clearing all his focus to strike.

It's daytime now, so it's unlikely that the [Ancient Dragon Followers] will be exposed for confrontation.

Rose was well-prepared and cautiously stepped outside.

Rose stepped outside and saw the newcomer's appearance clearly. He was young, even somewhat handsome.

but,

It gives people a very strange feeling, as if the entire face was sculpted from clay, and it's obvious at a glance that it's not a face that a normal human could grow.

It's the kind of face that's been surgically altered. Rose's assessment is that the surgical technique is very strong, but the aesthetic sense is terrible.

The man was somewhat taken aback by Rose's appearance; he also instantly noticed Rose's unusual body density.

And Rose was also constantly observing him while casting magic.

The man revealed an exaggerated expression and spoke in a strange tone and exaggerated manner:

"Good heavens! My friend! So you're also skilled in flesh-and-blood modification magic!"

Then, he continued to make exaggerated gestures, gesturing wildly as he circled around Rose.

"Friend! Your skill is truly astounding! How did you compress an adult's muscles to the size of a child's? How did you handle the bones? How did you manage the nerves?"

"And, and!"

He looked at Rosena's sleazy teeth as if he were looking at a work of art:

"The details are so accurate! My God, you're practically an artist!"

There are no humans left.

Then, he excitedly told Luo Sailu:

"They all say that someone like me, who alters their body to satisfy their own desires, is crazy, insane!"

Then, he raised his head high, tears streaming down his face, and said:

"We're best friends!"

Rose:

"..."

He seems to have misunderstood something.

But that didn't stop Rose from effortlessly continuing the conversation, much like a seasoned veteran:

"So, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing Rose's words, the person in front of him, who had just been holding their head high and shedding tears, instantly changed their expression.

Suddenly, his body straightened with an uncanny speed and posture, and then he revealed a serious and solemn expression.

He then bowed to Rossetti, addressing Rossetti:

"I'm sorry to bother you..."

He slightly raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly penetrating the room to see Tiana inside, and continued:

"...a refined taste."

Rose:

"..."

Rose didn't want to say anything more.

He then stood up and continued:

"Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Arnold Keaton, and you may call me Keaton."

Rose nodded in response:

"My name is Rose."

Then Keaton's face broke into an exaggerated smile again, and he said:

"I thought you were an unreasonable guy after driving Walker away and killing Morrison, but it seems your sanity hasn't diminished much."

Rose asked in confusion:

Who are Walker and Morrison?

Keaton:

"..."

Seriously? Are they that arrogant? One was driven away directly, and the other was killed outright. You don't even know their names?

Then, Rose seemed to realize what was happening and said:

"Oh, it's them."

Rose now knows that the magician behind Hope is called Walker, and the gangster is called Morrison.

Although Keaton could see from all aspects that Rose was mentally unstable,

But at least they can communicate, which is quite sensible for a magician who has been banished to the slums.

Keaton nodded and said:

"Mr. Rose, I'm here to invite you to our gathering. After all, our goal is to regain our sanity and reintegrate into society."

"However, it's too difficult for one of us to do this alone, so we need to stick together. At least for now, you seem to be quite rational, so I'd like to invite you to join us."

Rose understood; this Keaton was also a fallen mage, hiding in the slums, and they had formed a circle.

It's highly likely that they're exchanging intelligence, supplies, and knowledge, and sticking together for mutual support.

Rose's mind raced, weighing the options, and she said:

"So, how do you join?"

Seeing that Rose was interested, Keaton's exaggerated smile reappeared, and he said:

"We meet on the third Tuesday of every even-numbered month. This time it will be at number 23 in the West End. You are welcome to come."

Rose instantly became alert; he immediately spotted a logical flaw—

Do magicians really communicate using such primitive methods?

Based on Rose's understanding of this world, it definitely possesses long-distance communication methods, and these methods are exclusively for magicians.

Just like cell phones in the previous life, in theory, for this kind of gathering, you can just create a group chat and those who need it can contact each other individually.

This is reasonable and aligns with Rose's understanding of the world's technology.

To say nothing of the distant past, Kenneth once told Rose that the magic academy had a facility called the "Magic Network".

These magicians in the slums, however, use such primitive methods to gather, trade, and communicate.

These last few games are definitely not right, are they?

Rose instantly became alert, staring at Keaton and saying:

"Is it absolutely necessary to have an in-person gathering?"

Keaton paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"I didn't expect you to be so perceptive. If you'd like to communicate via the magic network, you can add me as a friend. I'm very interested in your knowledge of flesh manipulation!"

Rose didn't say anything, she just looked at him.

Keaton then continued, seemingly unconcerned:

"Your concerns are understandable, but we have a reason for doing this: the mages who come here are generally not very rational."

An experiment might fail, or a moment of carelessness could cause one's rationality to fall below the minimum standard for using the magic network.

We used to communicate via the magic network, but one of the mages, who was at the second level of sanity the day before, suddenly dropped below the minimum threshold for using the magic network for some reason.

Then he went crazy. Because he couldn't contact us, he accused us of forming a clique and isolating him. He then did some rather extreme things, almost exposing us to the authorities.

Since then, we've opted for in-person communication. Regular in-person meetings have their advantages; they prevent us from immediately revealing that our rationality has plummeted to an extremely low level.

Perhaps they can still make a final stand through communication and transactions.

We're just a small group.

Rose thought about it and felt that what the other party said made sense; not all mages' rationality met the minimum standards required for remote communication.

In the slums, not all magicians can maintain the sanity required for long-distance communication at all times.

Besides being an offline method, this approach also allows us to unite as many magicians as possible.

It also serves to maintain the dignity of a magician whose rationality may plummet to its lowest point at any moment.