Chapter 8
Enlightenment
In fact, even without Lucy’s explanation, Nure had thought of these things himself.
It should be said that most grey-robed apprentices could think of this as well.
But this was already the best method they could think of at the moment, so even though he agreed inwardly, Nure’s face was still full of hesitation and conflict.
Just as Lucy was about to turn around and choose a corpse chamber.
Nure suddenly spoke up:
"Miss Lucy, you must have mastered some methods..."
At that moment, Lucy felt a jolt in her heart, her back already damp with cold sweat.
But she forced herself to suppress her shock and turned back slowly, her eyes slightly narrowed beneath her cloak, a faint killing intent in her gaze.
Whether it was the transmigration or the system, she absolutely would not allow anyone else to know.
If anyone dared to pry into her secrets, she would not hesitate to send them on their way in this world ruled by the law of the dark forest.
Thinking this, Lucy had already drawn her right hand back into her wizard robe out of sight.
There she hid a dagger, a gift from her mother when the original owner had been chosen by the Tower and left the village.
In truth, Lucy had not spent the past two years without learning witchcraft.
On the contrary, the original owner had achieved decent control over two zero-tier spells: Basic Magical Trick and Basic Ring of Resistance.
Unfortunately, the former focused on illusions and tricks, suitable for dealing with ordinary people, but trying to use it against a fellow apprentice of the same level would be rather naive.
The latter, meanwhile, was a defensive spell from the academic side of arcane arts, lacking any offensive capability.
Therefore, after only a brief thought, Lucy decided to resolve the threat in the most primitive and effective way.
Nure had not realized the danger he was in. Seeing that Lucy remained silent, he gave a bitter smile again.
"To tell you the truth, though I’m lazy, average-looking, and lacking in magical talent... I’ve always had a good eye for judging people and situations. Before coming to the Tower, I negotiated quite a few deals for my family."
After a self-deprecating remark, Nure returned to the topic and continued, "Miss Lucy, though you have been hiding yourself flawlessly, so much so that even Talia hasn’t noticed anything unusual, I still noticed a change in you..."
Lucy’s slender fingers had already gripped the wooden handle of the dagger, her gaze locked onto Nure’s throat.
"You are no longer the Miss Lucy of before..."
Clang!
The dagger was drawn from its leather sheath as Lucy’s body leaned forward slightly, ready to strike.
Although killing an apprentice in public would certainly lead to an interrogation by the Tower, if the fact that she had transmigrated were exposed, what awaited her would be a fate a hundred times worse than death.
Those torturous experiments that made one wish for death were the true hell on earth.
Therefore, if Nure’s words revealed even the slightest hint of suspicion, Lucy was prepared to kill him at all costs.
Unexpectedly, Nure lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously, "You must have found a way to advance to an official apprentice, that’s why you’ve become more confident than before!"
"Uh? (⊙o⊙)…"
Lucy stiffened slightly, nearly stumbling from her ready stance.
"That’s all you noticed?"
Completely unaware that he had just stepped one foot into the River of the Dead and pulled it back, Nure scratched his head.
"Of course. What else would Miss Lucy think I’d discovered? But don’t worry, Miss Lucy, everyone has their own secrets. I never intended to pry into yours. I just hoped... hoped..."
Lucy calmly put away her dagger, watching Nure’s hesitant expression, and spoke:
"Nure, I don’t have any secret method for advancing to an official apprentice. I’ve just come to see many things more clearly now, and I can’t be of much help to you."
"But you’re not completely without merit. At the very least, you have a good sense of self-awareness."
At these words, Nure gave a smile more bitter than tears.
"Is Miss Lucy sure that’s a compliment?"
"Of course it is," Lucy paused for a moment, then continued, "Since you have no talent in witchcraft, haven’t you considered developing some of your other strengths?"
"Of course I have," Nure replied helplessly. "But my Mental Strength is only 3.5, and I know nothing about Anatomy. There’s no way I can pass the assessment seven days from now."
Lucy grew so irritated by his words that she gave him a knock on the head.
"You really are pig-headed. Who said being assigned to the Anatomy Lab means you have to stay in the corpse chamber and perform dissections?"
Nure clutched his sore head, his face full of confusion and puzzlement.
Could there really be other ways to handle being assigned to the West Tower?
"Of course there are," Lucy said. "Just now, there were at least three ways mentioned in what Karen said that could get you through the assessment."
"First, of course, is to follow the usual process of extracting enchanted organs in exchange for magic sand. Second, you can pay an amount of magic stones equivalent to the number of corpses times 50 magic sand. Third, you can produce valuable knowledge."
As long as one fulfilled any of these three conditions, they could secure a place in the Tower.
"The first and third options are likely difficult for you, but aren’t you the son of a merchant? Use your strengths."
"If you don’t know which port you are sailing towards, then no wind will be favorable."
Lucy’s words struck Nure’s ears like a thunderclap.
Since joining the Tower of the Four Sages, all the apprentices had focused solely on wizardry, striving toward becoming official witches and wizards, never considering any alternative paths.
Although no amount of magic stones would greatly increase Nure’s chances of advancing as a wizard, it would at least ensure his survival.
But as far as Nure knew, no one had ever dared to do business with wizards, nor was there any precedent to follow. How was he supposed to conduct business within the Wizard Tower?
Nure pinched his chin and furrowed his brows.
Seeing that he had finally begun to shift his thinking, Lucy casually added, "Supply and demand determine the market. As long as there is demand, you can profit through supply. Think about what wizards need most."
A flash of insight crossed Nure’s mind, and a gleam began to flicker in his eyes.
At this moment, Nure was no longer the underachieving apprentice, but rather a merchant perhaps not shrewd, but one who had seized an opportunity.
After a while, Nure finally emerged from his thoughts, his expression now full of renewed vigor.
"Miss Lucy, please accept my sincerest gratitude."
Nure placed one hand over his chest and gave a slight bow this was the most formal gesture of respect among wizards, usually reserved for one’s mentor.
"Your words have given me many ideas, but I will need more time to verify the thoughts forming in my mind."
Lucy showed a faint smile. "Aren’t you going to choose a corpse chamber?"
"My wizard talent is too poor. Staying here would only be a waste of time," Nure shook his head and continued, "Just as you said, if I haven’t chosen the right port, no amount of effort will matter."
"I’ve saved up quite a few magic stones over the past two years. I don’t have to worry about the corpse chamber work for now. It’s time for me to search for my own port."
After speaking, Nure gave another bow, then pulled up the hood of his grey wizard robe and left the West Tower with a quick, swaying gait.
Nure’s departure did not stir much emotion in Lucy’s heart.
The words she had spoken earlier were less about guiding Nure and more about reminding herself.
Now that she had her port, it was time to set sail.
...
Following the habits she had as a Chinese person in her past life, Lucy chose the corpse chamber marked "No. 66" on the door without hesitation.
At the entrance of the chamber stood a scarlet wooden box taller than a person, its surface etched with various runes.
Next to it were some glass jars filled with murky liquid these were containers for storing enchanted organs, which would be collected daily at sunset.
Lastly, there was a toolbox about the size of a satchel, containing some basic tools needed for dissection.
She glanced around and noticed that the door to the adjacent No. 65 corpse chamber was actually locked from the inside, meaning that someone was in there.
However, she had not seen any apprentices from her cohort choose this room, so it was clear that the occupant was an apprentice from a previous cohort.
Lucy did not disturb them. She pushed open the heavy, weathered iron door, and what she saw inside greatly exceeded her expectations.
She had imagined it would be bloodstained and filthy, but instead she was greeted by spotless white walls, floors, and ceiling.
In the center of the room stood a dissection table the size of a double bed. One end of it was fitted with a rusted iron door, and behind this door was a large iron pipe.
On both sides of the room were rows of shelves for placing tools and organ samples.
Lucy quickly recalled the basic knowledge of Anatomy recorded in the Black Book.
Anatomy was divided into two major branches: "Cadaveric Dissection" and "Vivisection." Its essence lay in desecrating life forms to steal forbidden knowledge.
The corpse chambers on the lower levels of the West Tower mainly dealt with relatively easier cadaveric dissections.
The goal was to extract enchanted organs or materials of certain value from these bodies.
The former was the key to constructing witchcraft models within the Anatomical School, while the latter served as raw materials for the creation of flesh constructs.
This was not some empty, esoteric practice; it was a well-established wizardry tradition with a complete lineage.