Chapter 341: Chapter 15: Mentor, Doll, and Malice

Being alone brings peace, but after a long time, it can still be quite lonely. Additionally, the unique cultivation route Lynch arranged for Annie requires constant observation, thus he keeps her by his side for mentoring.

There are certainly risks involved, but if even an apprentice meticulously nurtured by oneself ends up betraying you… In that case, Lynch thinks the first thing to reflect on would be whether there’s a major issue with his way of dealing with things.

The gentle sound of the teacup clinking against the saucer awakened the luminescent mayflies resting on the windowsill. These rice-grain-sized creatures fluttered into the air, weaving a flowing star crown above Annie’s head.

“Isn’t a certain little night owl also still up?”

Annie walked in hugging Frankenstein, the peculiar doll suddenly blinking its button eyes.

After placing Frankenstein by Annie’s side, Lynch did some modifications to it —

Mainly because this young girl had developed a dependency on it, Lynch had found her sleeping with it several times at night. No matter what, Frankenstein was still a corpse, so he considered Annie’s healthy growth.

Originally, he intended to replace it with a normal bodyguard, but Annie didn’t seem to like any of them. So, Lynch used the Mimicry Shaping Technique to disguise it as a doll; although it looked strange, at least it wasn’t so creepy.

Seeing the doll’s unusual movement, Lynch curiously asked, “What did you do to it? I saw its eyes move.”

Annie proudly lifted the doll in her hand: “Instructor, look.”

Lynch took the doll and after observing it for a while, quickly noticed something.

Astonished, he said, “Did you implant Activation Runes in its eyes?”

Annie nodded: “Yes, indeed.”

Well…

There truly is such a thing as talent in the world, especially in the domain of Wizards. Annie is only around 11 years old, while normal apprentices of the same age haven’t even opened their Spiritual Sea. Yet here she is… already able to independently cast Mid-level Apprentice Level Spells…

Of course, this is inseparable from Lynch’s mentorship.

Lynch had put considerable thought into his first apprentice, answering all her questions without reservation, teaching her step by step how to start from nothing and become a Wizard. Furthermore, he selected a special path for her:

[Dark Advance]

This is a mysterious wizard path, using Dark Elements as a relay to foresee future spiritual growth to elevate current spiritual power, thereby developing a Spiritual Sea even when spiritual power is lacking.

The prerequisite for spellcasting is that the subject is destined to gain spiritual growth and possess the potential for Soul Mutation to become a Wizard, which essentially allows starting meditation years earlier, using the accumulated spiritual power from those years to repay.

Of course, the price is quite apparent—

You won’t grow up.

Although meditation can be initiated early through this method, the body becomes fixed at the age when meditation started. This is why, despite six years passing, Annie shows no sign of growing.

However, there’s no need to worry; this age lock is temporary and will gradually unlock as future Wizard breakthroughs are made, akin to using current savings for future release.

Lynch nodded, praised: “Very impressive, I might not have done it better myself.”

After a pause, he smiled: “So, what kind of reward would you like this time?”

Lynch had promised her a new reward every time she learned a new spell.

Annie’s cheeks glowed with a crescent-shaped smile: “While telling me about the battle between Guardians and Star Whales, you fell asleep!”

Lynch actually hadn’t set limits on the rewards, but each time Annie cautiously asked for something simple, sometimes just a smile, a story, or a word of praise.

Evidently, the shadows of a dark childhood have not dispersed.

Lynch picked her up, and with a casual flick of his finger, starlight appeared at his fingertips, weaving a grand battlefield trajectory in the air.

He said, “Last time we talked about the Black Hole vortex spewed by the Star Whale…”

Lynch was narrating when suddenly—

“Whhooo!~”

A chilling wind blew in from outside, carrying with it an unmistakable malice.

At the same time, a venomous voice echoed beside his ear:

“Deception!”

“Lies!”

“Hahaha! Deception! Lies!”

“Why did you lie to me!”

Sometimes it was a manic laugh, sometimes it was an angry roar, just like a madman who has lost his mind.

Lynch frowned, looking out the window.

Over there was the direction of the Resentment Forest.

’Here it comes again…’

From Lynch’s observations over the years, there seems to be an evil spirit? A resentful soul? Uncertain, whatever it is, all anomalies in Resentment Forest are caused by this being, including the Blood Rain Beast Tide occurring every three years.

No one knows why this thing erupts every three years, with the Resentment Spiritual Field turning into Blood Rain, infecting the beasts in the forest and inciting the Beast Tide.

Every time the Blood Rain erupts, the soul power of the entity particularly expands, anyone with strong spiritual power nearby can feel it, and someone like Lynch can directly hear its voice.

’What exactly is it?’

This year happens to be the blood rain year, counting the time, it’s about this period.

’Seems it’s time to deal with it.’

Previously ignoring it was mainly due to a lack of spare time. Anyway, with the current military strength in the city, the triennial Beast Tide wouldn’t bring the slightest impact, instead purely providing welfare for all and increasing cohesion.

Now things are different.

These years, the Adventurer Guild’s expansion speed has far exceeded Lynch’s expectations. His Magic Stones are running low, the rich resources in the Resentment Forest are due for development.

To develop the resource area, this massive hidden threat must be eliminated first.

’Remembering it seems to stem from the Spiritual Field in the Underground City deep in the forest.’

’I’ll gather a party at the Adventurer Guild later, coincidentally a chance to test the development results over the years.’

Lynch quietly planned.

Annie sensibly jumped down from Lynch’s arm, yawning: “Yawn!~”

“Instructor, I’m feeling a bit sleepy, let’s continue the story next time.”

Lynch couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed.

He had promised storytelling, yet got sidetracked halfway.

Before Lynch could say anything, Annie comforted him instead: “It’s alright, instructor, I have Frankenstein with me. Every night we embark on magical adventures in dreams, it’s splendid.”

She raised up the doll in her hands high.

Alright.

Lynch nodded: “Next time for sure.”

Similar statements have been spoken many times, but there’s no helping it. Each day is packed with cultivation, experiments, and a plethora of sundries, where even the bit of company time isn’t spent teaching Magic.

Thankfully, Annie is very understanding, never once complaining, not even showing a trace of discontent.

Her smile remained crescent-shaped: “Instructor should also rest well, don’t stay up too late.”

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