Chapter 41
NO·6: Degenerated Dragonkin First Atrium
"The key to resonance lies in observation and control."
"Observation requires dissecting the frequency of the organ, controlling the rhythm of one’s own magical energy, and adjusting the scalpel’s speed in cutting the magical veins."
Fernando’s fingertips guided the scalpel, allowing the blade to slowly wander within the atrium of the dragon heart.
Lu Xi concentrated fully, following her mentor’s guidance.
In a daze, she even heard the powerful rhythm of this heart when it was alive.
The pulsating sound, full of rhythm, seemed to penetrate time and space, producing a subtle resonance with her mental sea.
Gradually, the mental strength within Lu Xi’s body resonated along with the rise and fall of the heart.
When she completely immersed herself in this mysterious state, she didn’t even notice that her mentor had quietly withdrawn his guiding fingers.
Wizard Fernando took half a step back and gazed at the silver-haired witch, who was utterly immersed before the dissection table.
"She… is simply a genius born for anatomy."
Even in his own heart, a fleeting flash of jealousy rose at her talent in anatomy.
If he had possessed such talent in his youth, his current achievements would have far surpassed that of a mid-level wizard.
When the dark red essence membrane covering the surface of the bright red organ was neatly peeled away, a complete organ specimen slice appeared before her like a perfect work of art.
As if awakening from a dream, Lu Xi placed the specimen slice into the glass jar prepared by Fernando, immersing it fully into the preservation liquid.
But at that moment, Lu Xi suddenly felt a bout of palpitations and instinctively clutched her chest.
Fernando said, "You felt it?"
Lu Xi nodded. "Teacher, what was that?"
"It is merely the bloodline curse from the dragonkin. When a wizard desecrates a creature carrying an ancient bloodline, its residual will marks your soul. From now on, the weak who carry dragonkin blood will fear you, while the strong will see you as an enemy."
The girl shrugged indifferently, her attention remaining on the system prompt on her retina:
[NO·6: Degenerated Dragonkin First Atrium]
[Comment: An almost perfect dissection]
[Academic Points: 180 (90)]
"Thank you, Teacher."
She sincerely expressed her deepest gratitude to this selfless wizard.
Although she only earned half of the academic points due to his assistance, it still exceeded the total academic points Lu Xi had accumulated so far.
Moreover, if it weren’t for Fernando, she might never have understood frequency resonance in her entire life, let alone dissect a Tier-3 lifeform like the degenerated dragonkin.
Judging from these two points alone, Fernando was undoubtedly a teacher of great selflessness.
"This is quite a good Tier-1 magical vein. If you properly construct the model, it will suffice for you all the way to peak apprentice level."
Fernando paused for a moment, then continued, "Don’t forget the two trials I assigned you. You must attend the enfeoffment ceremony of the Principality of Kolo in half a month."
"Yes, Teacher. But why must we accept the enfeoffment from the principality?"
Lu Xi truly could not understand the necessity of this so-called enfeoffment ceremony.
Upon hearing this, Fernando explained:
"This is a necessary procedure to counteract the cults."
The old wizard looked out at the gloomy clouds outside the window.
Every wizard who advanced to official apprentice would receive a noble title from the territory where the Tower was located and be bound to the royal family.
Those quasi-divine believers constantly sought to establish coordinates of faith.
And a sufficient population base was fundamental to ensuring the number of wizards.
Once a true god descended, vast regions would be contaminated into divine kingdoms. Even if the invading deity was eventually driven out by wizards, it would take a century to restore vitality.
Therefore, accepting the noble enfeoffment also meant taking on the responsibility of maintaining regional stability.
...
Although she hadn’t slept for two days and nights, Lu Xi’s mental state was unexpectedly good.
When she stepped out of the West Tower in an excited state, she found Talia waiting in Green Vine Garden, her expression heavy.
Lu Xi keenly sensed something was wrong.
"Is there a problem with the materials for the Silverleaf Awakening Potion?"
The brown-haired girl bit her lip and nodded slightly.
"I’ve already inquired. The North Tower has all the materials you need, but one of the main ingredients is quite troublesome. That ingredient..."
After listening to Talia’s explanation, Lu Xi roughly understood the situation.
Just like the anatomical laboratory, Green Vine Garden was also divided into four zones according to apprentice levels.
They were: Flower, Grass, Tree, and Vine.
Among them, one irreplaceable ingredient for the Silverleaf Awakening Potion was called Star Dew Grass, which grew in the Grass zone that only official apprentices could enter.
Talia, who was currently limited to the Flower zone, still could not access it.
"...However, I’ve already entrusted someone to negotiate with the Star Dew Grass. It’s willing to make a trade with us at the boundary between the two zones, but the meeting is set for tonight after the tower closes."
The azure eyes under the hood narrowed slightly.
No matter how she looked at it, both the time and place of this transaction seemed suspicious. But Star Dew Grass was one of the three main ingredients of the Silverleaf Awakening Potion and the key to passing her trial.
She sized up Talia from head to toe.
The girl had developed quite well over the past two years. Aside from having a slightly thicker waist than her own, there was almost no difference in their body shapes.
"What creation do you have in the North Tower? And how do you evade them?"
To be able to bring the material out of Green Vine Garden, Talia clearly already knew the weaknesses of the guards in the North Tower.
Talia didn’t understand why her friend asked this, but still explained, "The Symbiotic Mutation Studies’ creation is called Rootvine Construct. It’s a mass of entangled vines coiled at every intersection..."
...
In the dead of night, Green Vine Garden was as silent as a tomb.
The outermost fence of the garden had long been shut, and the plants inside had fallen into slumber with the setting sun.
At a certain moment, a trainee apprentice wearing a gray robe quietly climbed over the person-and-a-half-high fence.
The Rootvine Construct guarding the entrance wriggled as if sensing something, raising its rough vines like Medusa’s hair.
But the Rootvine Constructs had neither eyes nor noses. They relied entirely on perception to search for prey.
Even the slightest tremor of the ground or disturbance in the air would attract their attention.
Therefore, to smuggle medicinal materials out of Green Vine Garden, the apprentices of the North Tower developed a potion specifically to deal with the constructs the Sound Concealment Potion.
Sprayed onto the body, it could isolate all sound for a short time.
After confirming she wouldn’t become the target of the Rootvine Construct’s attack, the gray-robed figure lightly leapt over the slumbering yet irritable flowers.
After walking for more than ten minutes and applying the Sound Concealment Potion once more, the sea of flowers finally disappeared, replaced by an endless expanse of grassland.
Countless weeds of various shapes and lengths grew wildly in every visible corner.
This was the Grass zone, which only official apprentices could enter.
The gray-robed figure did not advance any further but stood quietly at the boundary between the two zones, waiting for midnight to arrive.
When the flipping clock pointed to zero.
The weeds not far away suddenly shuddered, and then a gigantic pitcher plant, as tall as two people, stood up.
More than ten slender, twisted leaves hung several brown-green, narrow, ovoid cylinders beneath them, these were its external digestive chambers.
Once an animal fell inside, it would be trapped by the sweet, sticky liquid and eventually dissolved into a thick fluid to be slowly absorbed.
The gray-robed figure unfastened the backpack, which contained two snow rabbits acquired through trade at the Exchange Office. This was the price demanded by the pitcher plant.
"Where is the Star Dew Grass?"
A crisp female voice sounded from beneath the hood.
The pitcher plant dragged a few grass tendrils forward with its long leaves, stopping precisely at the boundary between the two zones.
"Stretch it a bit closer."
"I... cannot... cross... the barrier..."
A stammering voice came from one of the digestive chambers of the pitcher plant.
But the gray-robed figure did not yield. "Then toss it over."
After a brief silence, the slender leaves trembled slightly, and the tendrils floated forward by a dozen centimeters, just enough to land within the Flower zone.
The Star Dew Grass fell to the ground.
The gray-robed person suddenly flung the snow rabbits, and as the digestive chamber snatched up its prey, she reached out and grabbed the Star Dew Grass.
But just as she was about to get up, a sunflower behind her quietly awakened from its slumber.
From its orange petal-wrapped flower disc, a row of sharp teeth emerged.