"I'm afraid Sister Alsha has completely forgotten about me!" the golden-haired girl pouted dramatically. "You came back to the city and didn't even tell me!"
"Your Highness Erin, I specifically remember mentioning it in last week's reply—the exact timeframe I would return to the capital," Damian sighed helplessly, perfectly mimicking Alsha's polite but slick tone.
The golden-haired girl standing before him was named Erin Syl. She possessed an incredibly exquisite appearance. She wore an off-the-shoulder, emerald green dress with a straight neckline, complemented by white gloves that extended past her elbows. Her long, golden hair cascaded over her fair shoulders, and a small fishtail braid on each side of her face added a touch of playfulness to her elegance.
Erin Syl was true nobility. She was the daughter of the Acting Speaker of the Court Wizard Headquarters and the direct cousin of the current King of the Blizzard Kingdom.
From Erin's slightly pointed and elongated ears, it was immediately obvious that she possessed the bloodline of the ancient Long-Eared Clan.
The Long-Eared Clan of the Other World was physically very similar to the Elves of human mythology. They were naturally attuned to magic, their average attractiveness vastly exceeded that of ordinary humans, and their natural lifespans were incredibly long.
However, the ancient race had possessed a fatal biological flaw: an abysmal fertility rate. The original Long-Eared Clan members were emotionally dull, rarely experiencing significant emotional fluctuations or desires. Coupled with their extremely low reproductive success rate, pure-blooded members of the Long-Eared Clan had gone completely extinct thousands of years ago.
The Long-Eared Clan members alive today were all technically human hybrids.
After the remnants of the clan had interbred with humans, it was as if their genetic defects had been magically mended. The paralyzing emotional dullness disappeared entirely, and most modern hybrids actually possessed quite passionate, fiery personalities.
They also successfully inherited a portion of the clan's innate magical talent and their terrifying longevity. Even if a hybrid completely failed to advance to a Formal Wizard, they could still easily live for two or three hundred years.
The Syl Family was the premier noble house of the Blizzard Kingdom possessing this bloodline, and Erin Syl was one of their most prominent hybrids.
"You didn't say exactly which day!" The golden-haired girl, still pouting, crossed her arms tightly over her chest. The motion pushed up her assets, making her look even more fierce.
But soon, Erin laughed again, her face full of pride. "Fortunately, I had the wizards on duty at the teleportation arrays keep an eye out for me! I knew if you came back, you would definitely use the arrays instead of taking a carriage into the Third Ring~"
Damian looked at the golden-haired girl, who was looking quite pleased with her own stalking, and immediately felt a headache forming.
The relationship between Erin Syl and Madam Alsha was incredibly unusual.
Erin Syl was deeply obsessed with physical beauty. After initially meeting Alsha at a high society function, the hybrid noble had been instantly captivated by the Syndicate Boss's stunning looks.
However, Madam Alsha was strictly straight and had absolutely zero romantic interest in Erin.
Despite this, because of Erin's terrifyingly high political status, Alsha had never actively rejected her. Erin's father, Prince Philis, was the Acting Speaker of the Court Wizard Headquarters.
Because the current King of the Blizzard Kingdom was still extremely young, the official position of Speaker was temporarily vacant. Prince Philis, acting as the regent Speaker, was the undisputed, de facto ruler of both the Blizzard Kingdom and the massive Northern Wizard Alliance.
In order to secretly connect with Prince Philis, Alsha had warmly accepted Erin's advances and actively befriended her. To the clueless public, they were simply high-society best friends. In private, however, Erin had launched direct, passionate offensives at Alsha many times—all of which were deflected by the Syndicate Boss's superb, slick diplomatic skills.
Ultimately, Alsha had gotten exactly what she wanted. Exploiting an invitation to the Syl family estate, she had successfully connected with Prince Philis and secretly introduced the Moon Candle Society's mutagenic "Divine Brew" to him.
Now, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom was just another corrupted noble addicted to the secret medicine.
Madam Alsha, you really are a damned menace, Damian thought to himself. Seeing Erin Syl reminded him just how deep the Syndicate Boss's treasonous conspiracy had truly gone.
"I broke through and became a First-Level Sorcerer recently. After returning to the capital, I was in a massive hurry to exchange my contribution points for a High-Level Meditation Method, so I didn't have time to contact you, Your Highness," Damian said smoothly, actively changing the subject.
"You want to change your Meditation Method?" Erin tilted her head, thinking about it. "Didn't you tell me before that you wanted to exchange for Heart of the Earth?"
Damian hesitated for a perfectly calculated moment before replying. "I've changed my mind. I want to exchange for Wizards Manual - Part One."
"Your Highness should know better than anyone that with my abysmal magical aptitude, even if I continue to burn massive amounts of alchemical resources like Azure Jade Incense, it will be nearly impossible for me to ever reach the Second-Level."
"However, the Wizards Manual - Part One can actively reinforce my newly formed spirit crystal core, giving me a sliver of hope to eventually break through to the next stage."
"There is, however, one technical detail I don't quite understand," Damian continued. "Is the crystal core strengthening effect of the Wizards Manual magically compatible with external mental secret techniques?"
"I haven't seen you for a few months, and you've suddenly become so diligent in your cultivation!" Erin was a little surprised, but she didn't question it further. She merely assumed that Alsha's ambitions had wildly expanded after successfully brute-forcing her promotion to a Formal Wizard.
Pursuing a higher realm and a longer lifespan was the natural mindset of every First-Level Sorcerer.
"There should be compatible mental secret techniques listed in the exchange catalog," Erin said helpfuly. She picked up the magical booklet on the table and flipped through the synchronized pages. However, after scrolling through the entire list, she frowned. "Huh? Sister Alsha's security clearance isn't high enough to see them."
Damian couldn't help but be genuinely stunned. He hesitated, breaking his character slightly. "Are you saying my Level 5 Adjutant badge and my status as a First-Level Sorcerer aren't enough to even view those secret techniques?"
Erin thought for a moment, tapping her chin. Then, she seemed to suddenly remember something.
She rested her elbows lightly on the table, using her gloved hands to gently support her chin. Smiling brightly, she said, "Oh, right! I remember now."
"The God Gathering Method and the Spirit Condensing Method are ancient mental secret techniques passed down strictly by the Long-Eared Clan. They are our Syl Family's private, inherited techniques. They aren't stored within the Court Wizard Headquarters' public vault at all."
Damian frowned deeply. "Can no other standard mental secret techniques be stacked with the Wizards Manual - Part One?"
"No, they can't. Most standard mental secret techniques inherently overlap with the core-fortifying effects of the Wizards Manual, meaning practicing both simultaneously would just be a massive waste of effort," Erin explained. "And the God Gathering Method and Spirit Condensing Method are actually just the separated contents of Wizards Manual - Part Two~"
"Wizards Manual - Part Two?" Damian was genuinely surprised. He hadn't seen a 'Part Two' listed anywhere in the catalog.
"The Wizards Manual is actually an ancient grimoire passed down by the Long-Eared Clan. It is the core Meditation Method of our Syl Family," Erin explained proudly.
"A thousand years ago, when the Blizzard Kingdom and the Court Wizard Headquarters were first being established, the Northern Wizard Alliance desperately needed to recruit powerful sorcerers. To encourage rogue wizards to join the newly formed headquarters, the ancestors of many pioneering noble families donated a portion of their private Meditation Methods, secret techniques, and runic spells to the public vault."
"They established the contribution point reward system based entirely on those donated texts to encourage more wizards to swear loyalty to the Alliance," Erin finished.
Damian felt a wave of disappointment. "I see. If ordinary mental secret techniques cannot be stacked with the core-fortifying effects of the first half, then there's absolutely no reason for me to waste my points on Wizards Manual - Part One."
"Oh my, whatever shall we do? Sister Alsha simply doesn't have the necessary permissions~"
Erin Syl, still gently supporting her chin, gave a deeply mischievous smile and slowly stood up.
She reached her gloved hands directly across the small round table and boldly took hold of Damian's hand. Leaning her face incredibly close, she stared straight into the transfigured emerald eyes belonging to Alsha, her voice dropping to a slow, sultry whisper.
"But... I have the permission~"
[75 STONES] - Unlock1 Bonus Chapter
[150 STONES] - Unlock 2 Bonus Chapters
[300 STONES] - Unlock 3 Bonus Chapters