Chapter 84: Richard Manor

While Chu Yun was contemplating, a man dressed in luxurious attire approached.

“Master Mage, why not conduct the training at my estate? I am Richard, Nancy’s father,” Richard said with a warm smile.

He was a wealthy merchant, but even the richest merchants could not compare in status to a mage. His greatest wish in life was for his only daughter to become a mage.

This opportunity to enter the Mage Academy was an incredible stroke of luck, and he was determined to secure every possible advantage for his daughter’s smooth admission.

Chu Yun glanced at Richard and the student beside him. Nancy was one of the candidates who hadn’t passed the initial selection, but being chosen by Chu Yun proved she possessed hidden potential.

“What’s this estate of yours like? Can it accommodate so many people?” Chu Yun asked directly, not averse to some parental assistance. The academy was still under construction, and arranging accommodations for the students was proving troublesome.

Relief washed over Richard at Chu Yun’s lack of refusal. He quickly explained, “There’s plenty of space—it’s my summer retreat outside the city, usually used for entertaining guests and hosting banquets. It can accommodate many people.”

“Outside the city? How’s the security?” Chu Yun inquired, his brow slightly furrowed.

The wilderness of this world was far from safe; magical beasts could appear at any time.

“Rest assured, the estate is located in the Blackstone City Special District. Many noble families, merchants, and professionals live there. Not only is there a joint noble guard, but the Blackstone Knights also maintain a constant patrol,” Richard replied with confidence.

Anna nodded as well. “The Special District is indeed very safe; my teacher used to live there.”

“There’s a barrier around the district to ward off magical creatures. I worked there for a while myself,” she added.

Her so-called work involved recharging the barrier, much as she had done at the Mage Outpost—an easy way to earn crystal shards by saving on maintenance costs.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Mr. Richard. There are quite a few students, so please make the preparations in advance,” Chu Yun said with gratitude.

“No trouble at all! If you need any equipment or supplies, just let me know and I’ll see to it,” Richard replied, for him these arrangements were trivial.

Chu Yun smiled. “There’s nothing needed for now. If we do, I won’t hesitate to ask. Rest assured, Nancy has great potential—otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen her.”

Nancy, plucked from the ranks of those who had failed the selection, was a lucky exception; for this, Richard was deeply grateful. Were it not for Chu Yun, her opportunity would have been lost.

“That’s wonderful, truly wonderful.”

Afterwards, Chu Yun instructed Richard to inform the students of the address and have them make preparations at home, then returned to the Mage Outpost with Anna.

“Chu Yun, do you think five days is enough? How should we organize the training?” Anna asked.

The task was clear: ensure the students mastered a simplified spell. But the reality was not so simple. The spell in question, “Spark,” involved fire elements, which were unstable and required precise mental control.

“Tonight, let’s deconstruct the necessary basic runes and find the most efficient drawing method. Tomorrow, you’ll teach them rune work and meditation, while I optimize the spell model,” Chu Yun replied.

Though the book laid out the construction process for Spark, Chu Yun did not consider it perfect. With his specialty in fire element mastery, he could refine the process, perhaps even amend flaws in the model.

This was a test for the instructors as well. Rote methods would make it hard for students to pass.

As they discussed their plans, neither noticed the figure trailing behind them.

Their stalker was none other than Anna’s fellow apprentice, the mage Cassido.

When he saw Anna enter the Mage Outpost with Chu Yun, Cassido’s eyes burned with naked jealousy.

He and Anna had studied under the same teacher, yet Anna—a commoner—had outstripped him. To make matters worse, Anna possessed a pure beauty absent among women of high society, and Cassido had quickly grown fond of her.

But Anna cared only for her studies, paying him no heed. He’d hoped she would seek him out with questions after their teacher’s departure, but after a handful of attempts, she stopped coming altogether. Cassido assumed it was because he was unattractive.

Unbeknownst to him, Anna simply found his abilities lacking and considered further discussion a waste of time.

Now, seeing Anna so close to Chu Yun—a “pretty face”—Cassido’s suspicions seemed confirmed. Why else would she be so taken with a near-stranger? It had to be Chu Yun’s looks.

“Lowborn commoner mage, I’ll make you regret this!” Cassido’s fury smoldered.

Failing to be chosen as an instructor had already angered him, especially as Anna, a fellow student, had been selected. His standing within the Mage Association suffered, and he felt the derision in others’ eyes.

At first, he hadn’t cared, but seeing the newcomer Chu Yun not only made an instructor but also paired with Anna, his rage was finally set ablaze.

“Just you wait!”

—

The next morning, Anna took the basic runes she and Chu Yun had prepared and made her way to Richard’s estate.

Within the estate, each student was already provided with their own room, fresh linens, and, thanks to Richard, a supply of premium ingredients and a professional chef to support the training camp.

For Richard, this was not only for his daughter’s sake, but also a chance to make connections with future mages.

Among so many students, there would surely be some who would become full-fledged mages, and it was far shrewder to befriend them now than to curry favor later.

Many others shared Richard’s thinking, and almost every group had secured a training ground.

However, besides Chu Yun’s two groups, the others only attended classes during the day and went home at night; none attempted Chu Yun’s immersive, closed training. Some found it too troublesome, others lacked experience or time—after all, they were only one person.

Meanwhile, Chu Yun’s task for the day was to optimize the mage model, but there was still an unfinished matter.

Since his last foray in the Blackstone City prison instance, several days had passed without a return visit.

Now, Chu Yun had amassed considerable experience points: Class Experience Lv9 (5/1300), General Experience: 825 points—just a little more grinding and he’d reach Lv10 and gain a new spell.

Yet what he truly looked forward to was the transformation at Lv11. Though he was recognized as a second-tier mage by the Mage Guild, the Lv1–Lv10 range belonged to the first rank of wandering mages; only at Lv11 would he become a true second-tier wandering mage.

At that point, his legendary skill “Mirror Realm Sovereign” would undergo significant changes. As a growth-type skill, it would improve along with his rank!