Chapter 14. The Rebuke

The next morning, warm sunlight bathed Arlin as a carriage made its way along a quiet road toward a sprawling building nestled within a dark green forest.

"Lucian, after you finish registering, I'll take you to meet Jerome and Rock, and then you can exchange the books you've recorded from the library." Lazar, still in his black double-breasted frock coat, glanced out the window at the rather desolate evergreen forest. "But you need to remember one thing—you can't privately exchange new spells that someone else has created or improved unless the hundred-year period has already elapsed."

"Studying Arcane knowledge and Arcane Magic is hard for others to detect, and the Parliament tacitly permits such exchanges. But with new spells, if you're caught using one without a record of learning it from the 'Spell Exchange Hall' or its inventor, it's a very serious crime. You either pay a hundred times its exchange price in compensation, or you'll be thrown into the Anti-Magic Prison for ten years, and a high-level mage will use hypnosis to erase those memories."

Lucian nodded gravely. "Understood."

At the same time, he greatly admired this strategy of the Magic Parliament. In Arcane and magical theory, authors receive Arcane Points and Arcane Credits when their papers and books pass review, but afterward there is no further Arcane Credit income—it all depends on citation counts to earn Arcane Points. So the authors of books in the library actually want their works to be exchanged freely, since that increases the chances of being cited. As for mages trading knowledge privately, as long as the Parliament turns a blind eye, no one bothers to police it.

New spells, on the other hand, directly meant power. Without the promise of Arcane Credits and the rich Arcane Points that followed, no mage would willingly hand one over—they had to be strictly protected.

"Heh heh, actually every major organization has quite a few exclusive spells that haven't been submitted to the Arcane Review Committee. For example, our 'Elemental Will' and the Holm Royal Arcane Court jointly possess Grand Archanist Hathaway's legendary spell 'Elemental Decomposition.' Once you join 'Elemental Will' and become a Ninth-Circle mage, you can exchange for it and attempt to analyze the spell, laying a solid foundation for your future advancement to the legendary rank." Lazar never missed an opportunity to promote the benefits of joining Elemental Will—though this was also because he regarded Lucian as a friend and had high expectations for his future.

Lucian's expression wasn't particularly bright as he replied, "Once I have an official Archanist rank, I'll consider it."

In truth, given his relationship with Natasha and his secret identity as the "Professor," Lucian was inclined toward joining Elemental Will. That way, even if his Professor identity were exposed, he would have a major organization and powerful figures backing him. But since Lucian had transmigrated to this world where souls truly existed, how could he not be fascinated by knowledge of that nature?

Moreover, if he were truly to join Elemental Will, Lucian wanted to do so as someone who was valued—not like those necromancers from the former Wilfred territory whom the "Pale Hand" had recruited.

That incident remained fresh in his memory.

Lazar understood why Lucian wasn't smiling and dropped the subject, chuckling instead. "Lucian, still hurting over the money you spent on materials?"

"Mm." Lucian's expression immediately soured. Seventeen types of purified elements had cost him two high-quality Sea Wave Stones. Now he was left with just one high-quality Sea Wave Stone, two Gold Thalers, one Arcane Credit, and a motley collection of ether, fairy hair, and other odds and ends—officially joining the ranks of the "common folk" among mages.

Lazar patted his shoulder reassuringly. "You should be glad the magic school has the other forty-eight types of purified elemental materials. When you apply to use them for experiments, they're ninety percent cheaper than outside. And if it's your turn to guide apprentices through experiments on elemental properties, you won't spend a single Copper Fel. Heh heh, the magic school even provides small garden villas for the teachers to live in—you'll save on rent too. What a great job."

"That's true." Lucian was only mildly frustrated that money was never quite enough, but was actually quite calm about it. Meanwhile, before coming here, he had already registered the Douglas Magic School as his contact address, replied to the Common Archanist Monthly's commission letter, and submitted the information to the Mage Administration Department.

The carriage came to a gradual halt before an ornate black iron gate with soaring spires, designed in the architectural style of the ancient magical empire. A black golem with a metallic sheen, cold and rigid, walked over and opened the gate.

---

The third floor of a pitch-black, spired magic tower.

Lucian, in a white shirt, brown vest, and black double-breasted frock coat, sat at a desk.

Across from him sat a bald old man with a grizzled beard, wearing an ancient mage's robe of black adorned with silver-white patterns. Apart from his deeply set blue eyes, his appearance was quite ordinary—neither fat nor thin.

"I am Donald, headmaster of the Douglas Magic School. Welcome, Evans, to our ranks." The bald old man smiled and nodded, sorting through a document in his hands. On his chest he wore the badges of a Fourth-level Archanist and Fifth-Circle Mage.

Lucian stood, politely removed his black top hat and held it to his chest, and gave a slight bow. "Greetings, Headmaster Donald. Please, just call me Lucian."