Two Realms: The Dark Wizard Evolves Madly in the Wasteland

Raven skillfully dispensed the medicine into bottles, labeled them, and then neatly arranged them on the shelf.

After doing all this, he didn't leave, but stood still.

"Is there anything else?"

Colton turned around, his deep eyes, visible through his gaunt face, sweeping over Raven.

Raven took a deep breath, bowed again, and said respectfully:

"Dear Instructor Colton, I have accumulated enough magic stones... I would like to choose to learn paid knowledge related to elementary constructology from you!"

"Oh?"

Colton glanced at Raven without any emotion. He remembered this apprentice; the man had been with him for many years and had never made a mistake.

"Structural Engineering..."

The old wizard chewed on the word, his tone flat and devoid of emotion.

"For an apprentice like you with average talent and mediocre magical affinity, this path is actually not a safe one. Have you thought it through?"

Raven bowed slightly: "Your Excellency Colton, I've made up my mind!"

"Constructology is a bottomless pit for burning magic stones, and it's teeming with so-called geniuses!"

Colton shook his head and stated bluntly.

"With your meager savings, it's unlikely you'll achieve much on this path."

"Since you insist on taking this path, I will not stop you."

"It takes courage to explore and put ideas into practice, even if it's blind, you still need to try!"

Colton shook his head.

The other person has been following him for so many years. Although he hasn't said a word, how could he not understand the apprentice's little thoughts?

He was still unwilling to consider becoming the other person's mentor, and the reason was quite simple.

This apprentice's aptitude is too poor, only second-class. Such an apprentice may never become a formal wizard in his entire life. At best, he can only reach the second-class wizard apprentice level and then he will not be able to make any further progress.

It's better to spend more time on experiments than wasting time on him.

"Thank you, Professor Colton!"

Raven sighed inwardly. The thought of working for this person for so many years, only to find they couldn't even remember his name and wouldn't even offer him a discount of half a magic stone…

He actually bowed respectfully, and then took out two hundred magic stones from the Void Magic Stone.

However, Colton is considered relatively normal among the dark wizarding academies, at least much better than those mentors who use their apprentices for experiments at the drop of a hat. Of course, this is also largely due to the fact that Raven has followed him for so many years without ever making a mistake.

The faint smile on Colton's lips did not fade. He made a light stroke in the air with his thin fingers, as if tearing apart some invisible barrier.

"Take this; this knowledge will save you from taking a few detours on your path of construct science."

As he moved, five memory crystal balls, emitting a faint glow, appeared out of thin air and slowly landed on the experimental table in front of Raven.

After taking the memory crystal, Raven bowed again, and only stood up slowly after Colton had left the laboratory.

He took a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions and turned to begin cleaning the laboratory.

However, just as he finished washing and putting the last crucible back in its place, a rather unfriendly figure was leaning against a stone pillar in the corridor.

But this wasn't Balu himself, but one of his henchmen.

A first-class apprentice named Tom has been at the wizarding academy for four years now, making him more senior than Raven.

Tom wore a brand-new black robe and had a gentle smile on his face, a smile he had learned from Palu.

"Hey, Raven, still here?"

Tom straightened up and glanced at Raven's faded apprentice robe.

A flicker of eagerness flashed in his eyes.

Raven remained calm and asked indifferently, "Is there something you need, Senior Tom?"

"Don't be so cold."

Tom grinned and took two steps closer, lowering his voice to say, "I've recently come across a great way to earn magic stones. We're acquaintances, and considering your steady personality and tendency to make mistakes, I thought I'd consider it."

"A good approach?" Raven raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That's right."

Tom snapped his fingers, a greedy glint in his eyes.

"Tomorrow morning, I'm going with Karl to the outskirts of Mirkwood."

"As you know, it's the season for Dark Mushrooms to ripen. Those magical plants are hard to find, but with a little care, you're bound to succeed. From what I've observed, a steady and reliable apprentice like you is quite rare. If you're willing to go and follow us... for every Dark Mushroom we find on this trip, we'll give you two magic stones!"

Two magic stones!

For an ordinary junior apprentice, this is an absolute fortune.

You should know that Raven worked hard for a month doing odd jobs for the teachers of these general courses at the academy, and he only received a stipend of two magic stones.

"Just to pick Dark Mushrooms?" Raven seemed somewhat tempted, but his eyes were clear-headed.

While the outer edge of the dark, dense forest is relatively safe, it is by no means a safe place.

The Dark Mushroom, a magical plant, usually grows in places where sunlight cannot reach and the surroundings are full of filthy miasma. Wouldn't a low-level apprentice like myself be just throwing my life away if I went there?

"Of course, besides you, there's Carl and me, just the three of us."

Tom said casually.

"Karl, you know the old-timers at our Shadow Academy. The three of us going together, with Senior Brother Karl in charge, what danger could there be? Besides..."

"Raven, you can't live off washing test tubes for your advisor forever, can you?"

Raven remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

"Two pieces...that does look very tempting."

Raven slowly raised his head, looking directly at Tom.

"However, I've heard that the Darkwood is very dangerous lately, with night elves appearing. I also need to help Professor Colton process a new batch of Dead Soul Grass tomorrow..."

"When can't we deal with that piece of junk called 'Dead Soul Grass'?"

Tom's expression changed, and he impatiently interrupted him.

"Raven, don't push your luck. I'm only doing this because you've never gotten into trouble all these years. So many people in the academy are begging to go but can't get in!"

"If you miss this opportunity, don't blame us for not taking care of you when we're on missions later."

By the end, Tom's tone had taken on a threatening undertone.

Raven stared blankly at Tom's aggressive smile.

This isn't an invitation; it's clearly coercion.

It seems these guys have their eyes on me.

As for what will happen after we go there, only God knows.

Raven suddenly smiled, revealing a set of white teeth.

The smile seemed both sincere and helpless. "Senior Brother Tom is right, I do lack magic stones, but... I have to deal with the Dead Soul Grass tomorrow. If I anger Instructor Colton, I can't bear the consequences..."

"Could you help me ask my tutor, Colton, for leave?"

"Raven, you..."

Tom saw that even after all that, Raven still wouldn't take the bait and even dared to use Colton to pressure him.

His fake smile vanished instantly. If it weren't for the academy's rule against internal strife, he would have already made his move.

He really wanted to throw a fireball right in Raven's face.

"Okay, okay!"

Tom laughed even more heartily, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

"In the dark, dense forest, gather the dark mushrooms..."

Raven sneered inwardly.

This clumsy excuse, which even a three-year-old wouldn't believe, can only fool those naive young people who have just entered college and are eager to succeed.

He just took out a loan from the goblin bank yesterday, and today Tom couldn't wait to jump out and "invite" him to Mirkwood, and even offer to open two magic stones. Does he really think he's a fool?

What a coincidence!

"It seems that Baluna definitely has connections in the goblin bank."

A sharp glint flashed in Raven's eyes.

Balu must have learned about his loan and knew that he now had a large sum of money.

Taking action within the academy would be too conspicuous and easily attract the attention of the instructors. Therefore, the best approach is to lure him out of the academy and into a lawless place like the Dark Forest, where there is no way to prove anything.

"Trying to use me as an ATM?"

"Just you wait. Once I become Colton's apprentice and a second-level disciple, I'll deal with you then."

Having lived two lives, Raven found it laughable that these young children were trying to outsmart him.

However, this incident still put him in a bad mood and reminded Raven that in the black wizard's system of raising venomous creatures, it was not a good idea to keep hiding forever.

He still needed a mentor; he couldn't remain a wanderer forever. Besides, Balu's mentor was the formal wizard Brand, whom he couldn't afford to offend!

"I need to become a junior construct master as soon as possible, try to learn constructs quickly, and find a big tree to hide under..."