Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

"Brother-in-law," Corey sighed, "I'm just here to bring you something."

He slipped the basket through the gap in the railing; inside were several pieces of bread, a bottle of water, and twenty gold coins hidden underneath.

Amat looked at the basket of things, then suddenly realized something, and the light in his eyes dimmed little by little.

"Corey, you...you're not going to save me?"

Corey took a step back and shook his head.

"Brother-in-law, you've messed with the wrong person," he said.

"Even Viscount Colby had to treat that man with respect... I can't save you."

"I'm already prepared to let my sister remarry, so let's cut ties."

Amat stared at him blankly.

Corey took another step back, then turned and walked away.

A roar came from behind: "Corey! You traitor! You're not my brother-in-law! You'll die a horrible death!"

The sound echoed in the corridor, growing fainter and fainter.

Corey didn't look back and walked even faster.

……

For the next twelve days, Lance taught his students, copied scrolls, reviewed cases, and dealt with the scattered gangs that dared not take the pressure, thus improving the rule of law in Rield City.

I've settled into a regular life again.

On the afternoon of the twelfth day, in Lillian's study.

Lance leaned back in his chair, looking at the little girl opposite him with her eyes closed.

I've already cast [Fox's Cunning] on her.

She was currently attempting to cast the [Light Spell] for the seventh time.

Lillian suddenly opened her eyes.

Something flashed in his amber eyes.

Then--

A sliver of white light shone from her hand.

It was very small and faint, about the size of a firefly's bottom, swaying as if it might go out at any moment.

Lillian froze for two seconds, then suddenly jumped up and pounced on Lance: "Teacher! I did it!"

Lance was knocked backward by her bump, almost tipping over with his chair.

He steadied himself, looked at the little koala in his arms who was bursting with joy, and reached out to ruffle her hair: "Alright, alright, get down, your mother is watching."

Lillian then released her grip and turned around to look—

Arya was standing at the doorway at some point, holding two cups of tea.

"Mom..." Lillian ran over, "Did you see? I just succeeded in casting the spell!"

Arya put the teacup aside and patted her daughter's head: "I see it, my little star."

She looked up at Lance.

In those amber eyes, there was gratitude, relief, and a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

"Thank you." Arya bowed deeply to Lance.

Lance waved his hand: "It's the result of her own hard work."

[Mission: "Teaching Lillian" has been completed!]

[Quest Reward: Second-level spell - Lesser Elemental Guardian - learned!]

"Huh? It worked already?"

Lance was startled.

"So that level of light spell is considered successful..."

[Secondary Elemental Guardian: You summon a miniature elemental essence, which condenses into a tiny elemental guardian in an unoccupied space within 5 meters of you.]

It can only last for one hour, with a maximum flight speed of 20 meters per second. It will automatically deactivate once it is more than 5 meters away from you.

The guardian spirit manifests as a hazy form of one of the four elements: wind, earth, fire, and water—a swirling breeze, a spinning pebble, a flickering flame, or a flowing drop of water.

The specific type is chosen by you when casting the spell. It has 10 health points and is immune to physical damage.

The effect of directly dispelling magic (such as dispelling magic) can destroy it.

Every 6 seconds, you can use your mind to command your guardian spirit to launch an attack.

The guardian spirit immediately fires an energy arrow toward a creature or object within 120 meters. You need to make a ranged spell attack check to hit the target.

If it hits, the target takes 10 damage. The damage type depends on the element you choose when casting the spell: wind is thunder, earth is blunt, fire is fire, and water is freezing.

The guardian spirit can only launch a maximum of ten attacks before it immediately dissipates.

Furthermore, if you command your Guardian Spirit to attack a target that you or your Guardian Spirit have already damaged within the previous 6 seconds, the Guardian Spirit's attack roll has an advantage, and the damage is increased by 2.

Lance looked at the panel,

"This spell is really painful..."

Lillian ran up to Lance, her eyes sparkling: "Teacher! When will I learn the second magic trick?"

Lance looked down at her and said, "You should practice this until you're proficient."

"Oh..." Lillian pouted, but quickly smiled again, "I'll definitely practice until I master it!"

Evening, at the restaurant of Silverlight Manor.

Arya prepared a sumptuous dinner to celebrate Lillian's first successful spellcasting.

Lillian sat in the chair, her little face flushed with excitement. While eating, she kept staring at her fingers, as if hoping they would light up again at any moment.

Lance, cutting his steak, suddenly spoke up: "Arya, I need a map."

Arya looked up: "What map?"

"The area around Rild City, where monsters are roam," Lance said. "The more detailed the better."

Arya paused for a moment, then said, "So, after you've wiped out the gang, you're now planning to cause trouble for those monsters?"

"Yes." Lance nodded. "There's nothing... nothing threatening left in the city. I need to go outside the city to wipe out the monsters and protect the safety of the people."

Arya put down her knife and fork and stared at him for a few seconds.

She stood up, went to the study, and returned a few minutes later with a roll of parchment.

"These are maps of the surrounding area collected by the Silvershine family." Arya spread the maps out on the table.

"It lists known monster gathering places, their danger levels, and approximate numbers."

Lance leaned closer to take a look.

The map was drawn in great detail, with mountains, forests, rivers, and ruins all clearly marked.

Arya pointed to several red circles: "These are the more dangerous places—"

"To the northeast, in the Deadwood Forest, there is a gnoll tribe, numbering approximately five to eight hundred. Their leader is a gnoll chieftain, an elite."

"To the southeast, in an abandoned mine, there are thousands of kobolds, but they are weak individually. The leader should be a level 2 or 3 kobold warlock."

"Due south, Ash Hills, there are goblins, their numbers... countless. The leader is a level 4 goblin shaman, but he may have already reached the elite rank."

"To the northwest, at the foot of Frostwolf Mountain, there is a pack of 20 to 30 Frostwolves. Their leader is the Winter Wolf Chief, an elite-level wolf whose strength is no less than mine."

"And here—" Arya's finger landed on a black skull symbol, "Shadow Valley, there are ogres, the fewest in number, but the strongest individually, the weakest are at level 5, and some may even have reached the Exemplary Path. I don't recommend you go."

Lance's eyes grew brighter as he looked at the markings.

"Aren't these all top-notch experience packs?"