Wizards: Starting with Fairy Crests

013: When the Abyss Gazes at the Wizard

Without hesitation, Lin Qi stepped forward, raised his right hand, and revealed the slit on his right hand.

"So that's how it is. Did you borrow power from the Thousand-Eyed Witch?"

Hossman nodded, his face showing no surprise.

Wizards do not object to apprentices using the power of higher extradimensional beings to enhance their strength; in fact, they encourage apprentices to do so.

They were well aware of the sinister intentions hidden behind the 'generosity' of these otherworldly beings.

But it's okay.

As the abyss gazes upon the wizards, the wizards also gaze upon the abyss.

For wizards, these high-level otherworldly beings are invaluable experimental subjects. If these otherworldly beings can be brought to life through the bodies of apprentices, it would be much easier than painstakingly capturing them across dimensions.

Hossman stopped asking questions, turned around and took out a slender crystal tube from a wooden cabinet covered with tumor-like protrusions behind him.

The tube contained a viscous, cloudy yellow liquid that constantly emitted fine bubbles, with a milky white, egg-shaped object, about the size of a sesame seed, pulsating slightly, suspended in the center of the liquid.

"Rules." Hossman handed the crystal tube to Lynch, his voice flat. "These are the eggs of the 'Heart-Eating Fly.' If you drink them, they will parasitize the area near your heart, and their microtentacles will also infiltrate your major nerve plexuses and part of your brainstem."

"This is what the Gray Tower uses to ensure the apprentices' 'loyalty,' or rather, to ensure that you don't disappear without permission, taking with you the knowledge within the tower or anything you shouldn't. It will remain silent unless you trigger certain taboos or try to escape the Gray Mist Forest. At that point, it will drain your brain and life force in an instant."

He paused, then announced, "You can choose to drink it, or leave this laboratory. Of course, the latter means you will automatically give up your status as a formal apprentice of the Gray Tower and its protection. Alright, make your choice."

Lin Qi showed no hesitation whatsoever. He didn't even glance at the nauseating liquid, but took the crystal tube, pulled out the cork, and tilted his head back to drink it all in one gulp.

The liquid slid down my throat with an indescribable sweet and numbing sensation. Immediately afterwards, a cold, crawling sensation sank rapidly down my esophagus, reaching deep into my chest cavity, and finally settling down somewhere behind my heart.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through me, as if countless tiny needles were piercing me simultaneously, followed by a strange, pulling sensation as if my nerves were being connected to and covered by a foreign object.

He involuntarily opened his mouth slightly, letting out a short gasp. In that instant, if someone were to look closely, they could almost glimpse a pair of extremely small eyes, reflecting a cold light, flashing by in the shadows deep in his throat.

The pain and strangeness quickly subsided, replaced by a faint but distinct feeling of being bound by invisible threads, as if my heart and brain were being pulled together.

A hint of satisfaction appeared on Hossman's gaunt face, and the mossy patches on his skin seemed to relax a little more happily.

Many apprentices hesitate and struggle for a long time at this step. I don't know what these fools are struggling with. They want to gain the Gray Tower's approval without paying the price.

"Very good." He put away the empty crystal tube. "Now, you are officially an apprentice of our Gray Tower."

Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew the weight of Hossmann's words; they meant that from this moment on, he would no longer be food on the table, but had been officially elevated to—

The servants at the dining table.

He quickly bowed formally again and said, "My lord."

Hossman nodded and said in a friendly tone, "Just call me mentor."

He then walked back to the lab bench, his fingers brushing across the surface, and a few tiny roots curled up three seeds of different colors, which floated above his palm.

"As your mentor, according to the rules, you have the right to choose one subject to begin with in my area of ​​expertise. I specialize in three areas: magical plant modification and cultivation, potion science, and research on parasites and symbionts. Choose one."

Without hesitation, Lin Qi said, "I choose Potions, Professor."

As a veteran player in the Wizarding World, Lynch was well aware of the importance of potions. Improving strength, earning magic stones, assassinating and poisoning... there were just too many uses for it!

"A wise choice!"

Hossman clenched his fist, and the other two seeds disappeared, while the brown seed drifted into Lynch's hand.

He pointed to a bookshelf on one side of the lab, piled high with scrolls and bottles: "There are basic bibliographies and material identification guides. In the first month, memorize the 'Grey Tower Basic Pharmacopoeia' and be able to independently prepare the three formulas in it: standard hemostatic, antidote, and energy-restoring medicines."

"I will be evaluating you at the end of the month, which will determine your future resource allocation and training."

"Of course, if you can master it faster, you can come to me for an assessment earlier. The earlier you train, the higher the value. Among the apprentices I currently teach, the fastest one has completed the basics in a week. If you can complete it within that time, there will be a special reward."

Lin Qi nodded quickly and said, "I understand, mentor."

Hossman nodded, then changed the subject, saying, "In return, you'll need to assist me with my work in my lab. As for the specifics of that work..."

"Jackman!" he called out a name.

A blond-haired boy walked out. He was about the same age as Lin Qi and was the fourth-class apprentice genius in the same class as Lin Qi.

Jackman stepped forward and said, "Mentor."

"This apprentice should be in the same cohort as you, right?" Hossman asked.

Jackman glanced at Lynch and nodded, saying, "Yes, mentor, we came to the Gray Tower together."

Hossman nodded and said, "In that case, we'll arrange for him to stay with you. You can take him to Michelle later. Starting tomorrow, the three of you will be in charge of taking care of the hummock plants and other magical plants in the nursery."

Jackman said, "Yes."

......

Back in his dorm, Lin Qi first stood in front of the mirror, opened his mouth wide, and looked down into his throat.

You can clearly see a pair of eyes shining in the darkness deep in the throat.

Heart-eating horsefly!

This is a parasitic monster that lives inside the body without causing any harm, but it puts the user's life and property under its control at any time. It is a means by which the Gray Tower controls its apprentices.

As long as the Heart-Eating Fly remains inside his body, Lin Qi will never be able to escape the control of the Gray Tower, and will be forever a slave to it.

"We need to find a way to get rid of this thing."

Lynch will definitely leave Grey Tower in the future. It's not because of the environment here. The wizarding world is cruel and dark, and all wizarding organizations are pretty much the same. No matter where you go, it's all pretty much the same.

The main reason Lynch looked down on the Gray Tower was that it was too weak.

There are only a dozen or so official wizards in the entire Gray Tower, and the biggest support behind them is only a second-level wizard. They can only make a living in this remote place on the South Coast where elements are scarce. They are not enough to be considered in the entire wizarding world.

The resources available for training, the knowledge they can access, and the network of connections they can build are all very limited.

For Lynch, who aspires to the highest positions, such a small organization might serve as a good breeding ground for newcomers, but he would never waste his time in such a small place in the long run.

Let's talk about it later.

Shaking his head, Lin Qi temporarily put the question aside and then picked up the "Grey Tower Basic Pharmacopoeia" that he had obtained from Wizard Hossman.

This is a beginner's guide to potion knowledge, containing the culmination of Gray Tower's three hundred years of experience in the Gray Mist Forest. It covers the mechanisms by which most magical plants and creatures in the Gray Mist Forest are used to concoct potions.

Once you learn it, you'll basically know how to use various magical plants and monsters in the Gray Mist Jungle to concoct potions.

There wasn't much to say. Holding the book, Lin Qi silently chanted in his heart: Study!