Rice

After a day of classes, Lizer was once again called to Felina's office alone in the evening. The witchcraft crystal on the desk emitted a soft blue light, and the rune decorations on the wall glowed faintly.

Felina tapped her fingers on the witchcraft manual on the desk and asked,

"What exactly happened during the day? I saw you gathered with Jackson and the others, and it looked like you got into a fight?"

That was how things were in the academy; students were generally unwilling to tell teachers about their affairs.

However, Lizer had nothing to hide. He scratched his head and said bluntly,

Jackson was obsessed with their mentor and wanted to challenge him to make him stay away from Felina.

Hearing this suddenly, it was her first time learning that a student was obsessed with her. Felina felt so ashamed in front of Lizer that she wanted the ground to swallow her up.

Yet, she also felt a faint sense of pride in her charm. Her face flushed, her ears burned, and with her hands on her hips, she leaned close to Lizer and pressed,

"What kind of nonsense goes through the heads of you brats? I am your mentor, nearly ten years older than you! By the way, if you lost, would you really stop coming near me?"

The light from the witchcraft lamp in the office flickered, making her cheeks look even redder.

They were very close, and a familiar fragrance drifted into his nose. Lizer took a deep breath, spread his hands, and gave a confident, wicked smile.

"Doesn't teacher know that most of the males in the academy harbor inappropriate thoughts about you? How could he possibly beat me? Ever since I was attacked by your ghost, my potential has been stimulated, and I'm growing rapidly! I have absolute confidence."

Felina stared at him with wide eyes.

Lizer's words made Felina even more shy, but she felt her beauty naturally warranted it, while also feeling that a student saying such things was slightly disrespectful.

She wanted to reprimand him but could not bring herself to do it. She bit her lip and straightened her clothes, feeling a mix of complex emotions.

Then, when Lizer mentioned his strength improving, Felina leaned forward, her large eyes watching him in astonishment.

"You couldn't have been possessed by my ghost, right? How has your strength improved so quickly lately?"

The witchcraft lamp on the desk flickered.

Lizer touched his head and shrugged, pretending to be clueless.

"I don't know either. Ever since I was attacked by your ghost, my physical fitness and spiritual power have been rapidly improving these past few days, and I'm learning things faster and faster."

His eyes flickered quietly.

Felina looked at him half in doubt, feeling that he was hiding something.

The situation at that time was indeed bizarre. She knew her ghost had not been shot by the patrol officer but had suddenly disappeared. She suspected Lizer had devoured it to gain benefits.

According to wizard records, special bloodline talents could acquire power by devouring intelligent beings. Could Lizer have a hidden talent?

She tapped her chin with her finger and looked out the window at the witchcraft streetlamp.

Did that mean he might reach the minimum spiritual power standard for a wizard apprentice?

Felina's eyes lit up.

Felina originally felt apologetic and had a peculiar feeling toward Lizer. She wanted to tell him her conjecture to help him grow and cross that threshold.

However, she also felt this talent might not necessarily be a good thing for him, so she did not dare to say it out loud.

She clenched her fists and sighed.

Looking at Lizer with complicated feelings, she decided to take things one step at a time for now. Perhaps, as he said, it was just a fortuitous encounter?

She shook her head, and her gaze softened.

She thought of her younger sister again.

Her sister had a weak heart and could not exercise, resulting in extremely poor physical fitness. However, her spiritual power growth was abnormally close to 4. She could not enter the academy due to her physical condition, but if she survived this ordeal, she would definitely become an outstanding wizard.

Felina's eyes dimmed as she touched the photo of her sister in her pocket.

Lizer watched Felina's ever-changing expressions, not knowing what she was thinking.

He knew his changes would attract attention, so he could only blame it on that bizarre encounter. He absolutely could not tell anyone about his Pay-to-Win ability.

He scratched his neck and looked at the witchcraft props on the desk.

Felina took a deep breath to steady her emotions and took out a silver-white revolver from the desk. The runes on the gun barrel shimmered faintly in the light.

"I received a message from Rice. He will be arriving at Gray Mist Mountain soon."

Lizer leaned forward, frowned, and asked,

"Where are you meeting?"

Felina spread her hands, her expression grave.

"I don't know. We have to wait for his notice."

Lizer raised an eyebrow, sensing the gravity of the situation.

This was an extremely cautious guy. They had to be careful recently; he might already be observing from the shadows.

He touched the witchcraft gold coin in his pocket and looked toward the door.

Sensing that Rice would be difficult to deal with, Lizer crossed his arms with a serious look, trying to learn more.

"What kind of person do you think Rice is?"

Felina tilted her head and rested her chin on her hand in deep thought. Her tone was uncertain.

"Very mysterious. I simply can't figure out his thoughts or his next plan."

She looked out the window at the witchcraft tree.

Lizer frowned deeper and tapped the desk.

"No wonder he suddenly changed his itinerary and method when entering the border. There's no way to guess what this guy will do next."

His gaze sharpened.

Lizer looked around, shrank his neck, and rubbed his arms.

"He won't suddenly rush into the academy to kill me, right?"

His eyes were nervous.

Felina rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"This is the academy! He's a spy, not a lunatic. Even a lunatic wouldn't rush in to kill students!"

"Cough, cough, I'm just scared from being attacked by a ghost before. This world is too dangerous."

Lizer touched his nose and patted his chest with lingering fear, his eyes flickering.

"You're always going to bring that up, aren't you!?"

Felina's gaze turned dangerous as she leaned closer to Lizer, knocked on the desk, and asked with a smile.

"I just want to leave a deep impression on teacher. It's best if you never forget it for the rest of your life."

Seeing that Felina was about to blow up, Lizer waved his hand, grinned, and quickly changed the subject.

"How strong is he?"

Felina closed her eyes to recall for a moment, frowned, and replied,

"An advanced wizard apprentice. His area of expertise is unclear."

"Are you sure!?"

Lizer gasped and took a step back, his eyes filled with surprise.

Their main force was only an intermediate wizard apprentice. Ambushing an advanced one would be quite difficult, right?

"I'm sure."

Felina nodded, her gaze firm.

"Oh? How are you so sure?"

Lizer tilted his head, his eyes full of doubt.

"The detection spell that basically all wizards know can probe the opponent's approximate level. The police station's energy detector is based on this witchcraft."

Speaking of the energy detector, Felina blinked and looked at Lizer with a smile, clearly thinking of their previous minor confrontation.

"Is it also possible that he has a way to hide or disguise his energy aura?"

Lizer leaned forward, his eyes curious as he continued to press.

"Of course there is. You can lower or raise your aura. But if he were a formal wizard, he shouldn't need to take on this kind of mission. It's also unlikely for a spy to raise their aura and make themselves more conspicuous."

Felina touched the witchcraft crystal on the desk, her analysis logical and clear.

Lizer licked his lips, frowned, and touched the gold coin in his pocket, feeling a bitter taste at the base of his tongue.

He was still an ordinary person, yet he had to face off against an advanced wizard apprentice with magical energy fluctuations. He wondered if there was a way to turn invisible so the other party couldn't see him?

He looked at the rune decorations on the wall, feeling somewhat helpless.

Seeing Lizer fall silent, Felina roughly guessed what he was thinking. She patted his shoulder and comforted him in a low voice,

"When the time comes, you'll meet him with me. Just focus on protecting yourself.

The captain said, a successful capture earns 5 merit points, and a successful counter-intelligence operation adds another 5 points—merit points can be exchanged for sorcery scrolls, you know."

Hearing that the merit points could total 10, bringing him a step closer to obtaining a meditation method, Lizer clenched his fist, his eyes lighting up. The sorcery tools on the table cast a reflection on his face:

"Fortune favors the bold, as they say. It's worth it!"

He leaned forward, propping himself on the table, and asked curiously:

"So how many merit points do you get?"

"Twenty."

Felina raised an eyebrow, tapped the table with her finger, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

"That's bloody rank discrimination!"

Lizer slapped the table, causing the sorcery crystal on it to wobble, his eyes filled with indignation.

"I'm an official special agent, you're just auxiliary!

And I'm a wizard apprentice, you're an ordinary person. The price can't be the same, can it?"

Felina put her hands on her hips, her eyes triumphant. The runic decorations on the wall glowed faintly.

Seeing Lizer's resentment, Felina found it amusing. She took out two small pouches of bullets marked with runes and a silver revolver, handing them to him:

"Know how to use it? 'Silver Lightning', 12mm caliber, 7-round cylinder.

Practice with it a lot recently. Don't hit the wrong person in a crisis. It has to be returned after the mission is complete."

As she handed them over, her fingers lifted slightly, her movements crisp.

Lizer took the gun, running his fingers over the runes on its body, frowning with a grievance in his tone:

"It has to be returned? This gun feels so good in hand..."

"Auxiliary members aren't qualified for issued firearms. Talk about it when you become a formal member."

Felina spread her hands, smiling at him. A page of the sorcery manual on the table flipped over in the breeze.

Lizer leaned forward again, rubbing the edge of her clothing with hopeful eyes:

"Isn't there any defensive sorcery tool I can have?"

Felina shook her head, her eyes helpless. The sorcery crystal on the table dimmed slightly:

"No."

Lizer put his hands on his hips and stamped his foot, his tone exaggerated:

"Mentor! Great beauty! This is facing a high-level wizard head-on!

What if he really attacks me?

I protest, without protective gear I'm going on strike!

That 'Resistance' sorcery Gloria has, don't you know it?"

His eyes lit up slightly when he mentioned Gloria, then he frowned again.

Gloria couldn't be by his side during the meeting. He could only rely on himself and Felina if danger arose, so boosting his defenses had to be considered in advance—right now, there was no telling if Rice would suddenly attack.

Lizer frowned, looking toward the door, his hand touching something in his pocket.

Felina spread her hands open, her tone resigned:

"'Resistance' is a signature Abjuration school sorcery. It's hard to obtain outside the police department, purchase prices are exorbitant, and opportunities are rare...

I'm not from the Abjuration school, nor do I have that many gold coins to buy sorcery tools."

Lizer tilted his head, propping his chin with his hand, and asked curiously:

"You're not specializing in Necromancy, are you? A great beauty like you, tsk tsk, how rare!"

Felina lowered her head, her eyes dimming as she twisted the hem of her clothes, as if recalling something sad:

"Originally, I wanted to research human organ cultivation and transplant surgery, but my talent in that area was too poor, I never really got started. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had to..."

Her voice trailed off.

Lizer remembered the matter about her and her sister, scratched his head awkwardly, and changed the subject:

"Necromancy is still very powerful, ghosts are fierce!

Isn't there any way to boost my defense? Otherwise, it's too dangerous, I really don't dare to go!"

His tone carried a pleading note, and he blinked his eyes.

Seeing him change the subject, Felina gave him a reproachful look, then pondered carefully, her eyes lighting up:

"The academy has a formula for 'Inferior Defense Tonic'. Like the 'Lesser Healing Powder', ordinary people can theoretically concoct it.

The academy has the materials. Want to give it a try? Your alchemy talent is so freakish..."

She tapped the sorcery scroll on the table, her tone expectant.

Lizer facepalmed and sighed, feeling his teammate was unreliable:

"Can't you brew it for me?

You're a mid-level wizard apprentice!"

His tone was helpless, his eyes looking up at the ceiling.

Felina blushed, lowered her head, her hands clasped together, too embarrassed to look at him:

"I've always failed Potions..." her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum.

Lizer had Felina retrieve the academy's formula scroll for the "Inferior Defense Tonic".

With the scroll, he could study it slowly, but unfortunately, there was no time now.

He focused on the "Inferior Defense Tonic" scroll, and his 【Pay-to-Win】 talent indeed reacted:

【Discovered formula scroll for "Inferior Defense Tonic". Consume 20 energy points to analyze and acquire the skill.】

His eyes lit up, and he clenched his fist—this talent was truly a godsend!