Not to mention that Ian was not even part of the protagonist’s group. In the plot, a side character would, at best, die from some unknown AOE, and at worst, be the ‘incompetent so-and-so’ who could only watch a certain scene while being unable to do anything.
Having lived for several hundred years, Marguerite naturally noticed Ian’s hesitation and resistance.
“What? Scared? Or do you feel that as my closed-door disciple, crushing a group of little fellows in the academy is beneath your status?”
“Ahaha… This student’s appearance and name, I promised someone not to easily reveal them in front of others…”
Having been seen through, Ian did not hide it; he indeed promised Bert Marquis not to easily show his face in public.
Marguerite gave Ian a sidelong glance, slowly turned around, and let out a cold snort.
“Sly brat…”
However, Marguerite did not press further.
“But this face of yours and your ability to cause trouble are indeed not small.”
Immediately after, Marguerite raised her hand and gestured in the air, her fingertips drawing out a strand of flowing starlight.
The light converged, gradually condensing into an item in her palm.
That item looked like a half-face mask made of a peculiar material.
The base color was a deep, dark silver, with extremely fine points of stardust light floating on the surface, flickering like breathing. The edges were outlined with simple and ancient star-track patterns, appearing mysterious and restrained.
“Take it.”
Marguerite tossed the mask to Ian.
“This is the ‘Phantom Star Mask’, a semi-finished little toy I refined when I was bored in my early years. Put on the mask and inject Mana, and it can distort the surrounding light and perception, changing your appearance, body shape, and even your most basic Mana fluctuation characteristics in the eyes of others. As long as you don’t encounter someone who specializes in the Soul or Prophecy schools and is of a higher rank than me investigating closely, it is more than enough to deceive those instructors and students at the Royal Academy of Magic. Remember, it changes ‘perception’, not reality. Don’t be too reckless.”
Ian took the mask; it felt slightly cool to the touch, carrying the ethereal sensation unique to starlight.
With this mask, combined with the System’s familiarity with the plot and his own cautious behavior, Ian felt that this was a sure win!
With the blessing of this ‘Trinity’, how could there be a single enemy capable of matching him!
Woohoo!
“Thank you, Teacher!”
“Don’t be happy too soon…”
Marguerite poured cold water on him. This brat had just become her student and hadn’t even started learning yet, but he had already ‘extorted’ a valuable magic tool from her. If she didn’t show him who was boss, would he really think she was some kind of kind and loving teacher?
A ‘cruel’ arc curved at the corner of Marguerite’s mouth.
“Student Ian, if you cannot master the basics I teach to a degree that satisfies me within this month… you know the consequences…”
Hearing Marguerite’s ‘kind’ words, Ian felt as if the word ‘Danger’ had lit up over his head.
Looking at Marguerite’s wrinkled smiling face, Ian felt a bit of a chill down his back.
***
The following days were like a “remodeling” for Ian.
Marguerite’s teaching style was just like her personality: precise, harsh, merciless, and completely targeted at Ian’s current state of being like a “savage holding a divine weapon.”
They did not start with any cool middle or high-tier magic, but returned to the most primitive, boring, yet most fundamental practice.
They started with the “Basic Common Sense of Magic.”
From the test just now, Marguerite discovered that this kid Ian only had a tiny bit of basic knowledge about magic and knew nothing about the rest. It was as if he were a savage dug out of some cave. Marguerite had no choice but to teach Ian how to understand and use magic ‘from zero’.
It was also because of Marguerite’s teaching that Ian understood the divisions of the Magic Hierarchy in this world.
From low to high, they were:
– Tier 0, Magic Apprentice – Learns basic knowledge, cannot cast spells independently or can only cast cantrips.
– Tier 1, Junior Mage – Can officially cast magic, but still requires chanting and wand guidance.
– Tier 2, Official Mage – Can graduate from a general academy, can cast magic without chanting.
– Tier 3, Intermediate Archmage – Can cast Tier 3 magic through chanting and wand guidance.
– Tier 4, Advanced Archmage – Can cast Tier 4 magic, usually the master of a magic tower or a court chief mage.
– Tier 5, Chief Archmage – Can cast Tier 5 magic, also the limit that an ordinary person can reach.
– Tier 6, Legendary Archmage – The name itself has become a legend with its own title, can use one or two types of Forbidden Curses.
– Tier 7, the pinnacle of humanity, Holy Archmage and Magic God – They are regarded as myths walking the world, the peak of the path of magic. They can cast nation-destroying Forbidden Curses at will.
And Marguerite happened to belong to the Tier 6 Legendary Archmage rank; her title was ‘Stargazer’.
Under Marguerite’s pressure, Ian frantically crammed the common sense of this world.
Inside the Tower of Stars, there was no distinction between day and night, only eternal starlight and regular Mana tides.
Ian’s rest time was compressed to the limit; the rest was nothing but endless basic practice and learning. It was comparable to the 007 treatment before his transmigration.
Marguerite seemed tireless, always appearing when he was about to collapse or slightly slack off to arrange tricky exercises.
The process was painful, but the results were surprisingly significant.
Ian could clearly feel that his “touch” for the vast power within his body was becoming clear.
In the past, he would crudely push open the floodgates and let the torrent rush out; now, he began to try to understand the direction of every “stream” and control the subtle angle of the “valve” opening.
Although he was still far from being able to control it as easily as his own limbs, at least he was no longer a dangerous element who might blow up the entire tower at any moment.
Time flew by in the boring yet fulfilling ascetic cultivation. Ian gradually became accustomed to the rhythm of the Tower of Stars and Marguerite’s severity.
He also became accustomed to the terrifying power brought to him by the S-rank talent [Heart of the Platinum Dragon God].
Only after understanding it did he realize how heaven-defying the S-rank talent [Heart of the Platinum Dragon God] given by the System was.
What it brought was not only infinite Mana but also extremely efficient Mana conversion abilities and endless physical strengthening.
In other words, as long as enough time passed, the [Heart of the Platinum Dragon God] could even strengthen Ian’s body to be like a ‘giant dragon’ or even surpass a dragon!
Of course, for Ian to use the [Heart of the Platinum Dragon God] to strengthen his body to be like a dragon, the time required would be measured in units of a thousand years.
That was already the lifespan of a Tier 6 Legendary Archmage.
Ian was currently still just a pseudo-Tier 1 Junior Mage, still cramming the knowledge of a Magic Apprentice.
While Ian was studying hard.
***
On the other side, Sherivelle and Otillia arrived together at the Imperial Capital, ‘White Star City’.
Riding in the Filimon Family carriage traveling on the roads of the Imperial Capital, Otillia’s mood was very unpleasant.
Clearly, she had already found out that her beloved Ian was near ‘White Maple City’, yet because of that damn ‘Prince’, she had to come to the Imperial Capital to attend his consort selection banquet.
If not for her father’s bitter pleading, she wouldn’t have come no matter what.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend this leisure time smelling Ian’s scent?
Moreover, she hadn’t smelled Ian’s scent for ten days. If she didn’t smell it again, she was going to die…
Otillia was like a zombie that had lost its spirit, leaning weakly against the carriage window.
Inadvertently, Otillia saw the Connalt family carriage, and through the window, she saw a beautiful white-haired girl with Red Eyes staring resentfully at a Black Cat outside the vehicle.
After the Connalt family carriage passed by, what appeared was Otillia’s face of surprise, shock, and disbelief.
She smelled Ian’s scent…