After mastering the resurrection technique, they begged me to extend their lives.

Chapter 77 Confessional - Snowy Feet

An Xiao accepted Miss Gray Mist's invitation.

There are three main reasons for this consideration.

Firstly, if he refused, Miss Gray Mist might not make things difficult for him, but the arrival of Karendall's colleagues would likely force him to face a similar inevitable death before he could leave Stardust Harbor.

Secondly, Hela once again risked her life to help him, and she is Miss Gray Mist's beloved disciple. He owes both of them a double debt of gratitude, and it would be unreasonable not to repay it.

Third, and most importantly, as Gray Mist just mentioned, are highly practical high-level spells such as "Teleportation" and "Domain Magic," which are completely inaccessible to individuals on their own.

"Although I am nominally a sorcerer, my talent in elemental magic is almost zero. But according to Miss Gray Mist, it seems that these conventional spells only require enough magic power to activate. I have concentrated mana, but what I lack is the source of spells."

"Once I solve the problem of where to get the knowledge, and with her personal guidance, I should be able to cast teleportation spells smoothly and widen the gap between myself and other mages at the same level."

An Xiao believes that she urgently needs to improve her self-defense and travel efficiency.

As for the "price" agreed to by Mentor Gray Mist, frankly speaking, it was just to let her enjoy the vanity of having a talented disciple under her command.

Occasionally going to fight in a ring with someone doesn't seem too complicated.

Even if she loses, she probably won't punish herself, right?

"Very good, my good disciple. I will assign you homework after the first lesson and will conduct a spot check on you the next time we meet."

[”

""

"If you can successfully complete your studies through self-study, I won't drag you to Terraria to study under my nose."

Miss Gray Mist said seriously, "On the contrary, if you fail an assignment even once, I will judge you as 'lacking self-learning ability' and 'undisciplined,' which will have a huge impact on your future. Therefore, I have no choice but to take you away and send you to Egret Academy for a period of further study. Do you understand what I mean?"

"--Um."

After listening, An Xiao felt that her mentor's words were full of traps.

However, her expression was too serious, giving him the illusion that "perhaps Miss Gray Mist is really just a kind person with a strong appreciation for talent."

Just to be on the safe side, An Xiao still asked a little, "Professor, what are the assignments like? For example, the ones for the first session?"

"ah."

Gray Mist's expression froze, but he said without changing his tone, "It should be quite simple for you."

She held up a slender finger. "The first lesson for a mage is to learn all the attributes. Makes perfect sense, right?"

"oh oh----"

"Although you are a sorcerer, it doesn't matter. You can use magic, so you can master all the basic tricks and general spells."

"The assignment is very clear. My philosophy is 'If you know something, you must own it,' so I want you to collect more than 10 key items with different attributes within a certain time. These include, but are not limited to, wind, fire, lightning, ice, frost, poison, grass, rocks, light, dark, and gold."

Of course, there are also a few extremely rare attributes that you can look for; they all count towards your credits.

An Xiao: "??"

Gray Fog: "This is really quite basic, after all, I didn't ask you to figure out the laws of time and space."

If you want to learn teleportation, you'll eventually need to use spells related to "manipulating space and time," but before that, I need you to be able to use your internal energy as smoothly and effortlessly as water. Only then can you support all your future unique attribute skills.

Her words were reasonable and, at first glance, there seemed to be no problem with them.

But where do you collect 10 different items with different attributes?

"Do consumables count?" An Xiao asked.

"Of course not."

"Then—does it have to be a type of tool that I initiate or establish communication on my own?"

"Yes."

"Weapons and armor?"

"Not really."

"...

'

An Xiao pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Herbal medicine?"

"Barely, but you don't know alchemy, so the credits you collect might be very low."

"Um—by the way, what exactly are academic credits used for?"

"It will help you advance in your academic level."

Miss Gray Mist said calmly, "As I said, taking you as my disciple is not just a casual thing. So the moment you agreed, I will assume that you are a formal student of the White Heron Academy in the Upper District of the Magia Kingdom of Terraria, and my second disciple."

I will take care of all the formalities for you.

"?!"

"You'll enjoy all the benefits of the Magic Academy, such as the right to official magician level assessments, access to the library's collection, the right to tease alumni on campus, the right to challenge teachers to duels, and after graduation, official assistance in job placement and recommendations to join lucrative guilds. A variety of benefits, all available upon graduation."

"Are academic credits a prerequisite for graduation?"

"That's right. It's a total of 160 credits over 4 years, with 40 credits per year. Once you've completed all the credits, you'll advance to the next year. It's not based on age."

Of course, as long as you perform well or complete your assignments, I will record it in your file. You don't need to worry about anything else. With me here, you will undoubtedly be the most focused and dedicated student in the entire academy.

Miss Gray Mist's words were half true and half false, leaving An Xiaoyun completely confused.

But one thing is certain: with such a powerful backer, at least the risks I face before heading to Endedes can be resolved.

"If there are no problems, please sign."

As if it had been prepared in advance, she took out a pre-prepared "enrollment contract" from her magic ring, with An Xiao's name even listed as the second party.

"wrong----"

When someone realized the problem, his fingers were already being gently pinched and manipulated by the gray mist, pressing a red mark onto the parchment with ink.

"Finish."

Miss Gray Mist couldn't suppress a hint of pleasure on her face.

She quickly covered her pale face again with her large witch's hat.

"I will protect you during this time."

"Don't bother going to the inns in Stardust Harbor. Let's stay at the house I bought here. It has my magical barrier."

"When you decide to leave, use this amulet to inform your master. Your master will watch the ship sail before returning to Terraria."

.

She casually mentioned her recent plans and handed An Xiao a pendant-style communication talisman.

The magical fluctuations above were astonishing; it was clearly no ordinary object.

An Xiao was flattered and could sense that Miss Gray Mist had indeed thought things through quite thoroughly and had invested a considerable amount in her.

However, is it really that simple that she values ​​herself so much?

【hiss----】

An Xiao was preoccupied with worries.

He had already learned about the White Heron Academy in the Magic Kingdom during a casual chat with Hela.

Not only are the entrance requirements extremely high, but if you can't awaken your magical talent before the age of 14, you can't even get into the most basic preparatory class.

The school district is divided into four major academic levels: Azure Dragon, Golden Lion, White Falcon, and Azure Deer.

Each class admits students based on their social class: geniuses, nobles, clergy, and commoners.

The total number of years of further study was 4 years.

Above that are the trainees.

In other words, he was noticed by a professor at the university and taken in as a disciple.

Hela was such an individual.

Now that I'm directly in the trainee program, earning credits right under the professor's nose, it's like skipping the most troublesome part.

Therefore, the homework assigned by the Gray Fog tutor must be "compressed knowledge" for skipping grades.

"If that's the case..."

"Let's complete the first lesson's assignment by creating something."

"Creations with different attributes must be considered 'things I possess'."

L6

The homework was difficult.

However, An Xiao already had a plan in mind.

After confirming that everything was correct, he led his entire team into the teleportation screen.

The sun sets below the horizon, and a new moon rises in the sky.

The confessional in the back courtyard of Stardust Harbor Church.

The courtyard was bathed in moonlight, and inside the sealed little house, a blood-red curtain sealed the doors and windows.

Snap, snap—

The sound of liquid dripping was faint, accompanied by a gurgling sound, which could be faintly heard from the crack in the door.

On the roof tiles, an owl seemed to sense something, spread its wings, and flew away in the opposite direction amidst the chill.

The direction it flew off in seemed to be the location of the central area.

Silence.

Peek through the crack in the confessional door.

The dark black blood came from someone's severed fingers.

Inside the door, a man with a buzz cut was lying face down on the ground.

His body had been cold for some time.

The shield tip shattered the skull, and the longsword pierced the heart.

Black magical energy emanated from his withered body, spreading outwards in concentric circles, meandering along the cracks in the floor tiles like mudslides after a rainstorm.

"Sin, desire, greed, rest."

A sweet, clear voice echoed, and a pure, holy face sat serenely to one side.

A person dressed in a nun's habit, spotless and unstained by blood, stood with hands clasped together, facing the confessional, whispering as if in prayer.

Beneath his bare, snow-white feet, the corpse fluid of Mercenary King Sean was blocked by an invisible force field and flowed away.

the other side.

At the fountain.

The long-dormant plaster statue, under the whispers of the owl, finally sensed something.

His eyes gleamed with a murderous red.