The morning sun rises over the vast fields of the Aldernan Great Plains, and in the heat of the sun, the air moves, and the dense fog that is common in this season takes on a wonderful whirlwind with the movement of the air, and gradually thins out—in the gradual fog, three black carriages driven by puppet slaves are running over the newly built road in the direction of the imperial capital.

All three carriages, all of which were common in Typhon, were designed to carry more passengers and goods as a result of their elongated and spacious carriages, making them popular with the more affluent travelers, while the blue eyes and rune-encircling markings depicted on the carriages reminded the traveler that they were the property of a great magician.

Three black carriages came from west to east, wrapped in the cold wind and mist of early winter, and the bottom of the carriage emitted a faint pale blue light, and the light spread to the entire carriage, forming a thin shield that could envelop the whole carriage, this thin shield blocked the cold air from the outside world, and kept the carriage warm and comfortable.

Mary carefully opened the cover on one side of the carriage a narrow slit, and looked out at the scenery - the slightly desolate wilderness scenery receded on both sides of the road, and in the distance was a hazy winter mist, and she looked for a long time, but she could hardly see many pedestrians and vehicles, and only occasionally could see freight wagons hanging some official insignia hurrying by: in this cold season of winter, not many civilians even Typhon had the spare time to go out at will, on such a wide road, Most of the time, only the three carriages in his sight were moving.

The young female apprentice felt a hint of unease in her heart, but also a hint of anticipation.

She had finally left the dark, eerie, terrifying Mage Tower, and the countryside, and she was on her way to the fabled capital of the Empire, to see something else.

Although she didn't get rid of her mentor, an inexplicable sense of excitement always came with her, she didn't know what she was expecting, but she felt ...... It seems that my life is finally about to change.

"There's not much to see on the roads this season."

The tutor's slightly eerie and hoarse voice suddenly came from behind her, and Mary was startled, and she couldn't help but shudder slightly, quickly closed the window panel, and sat back in her place.

The old mage Daniel sat in the middle of the carriage, still wearing his large, thick black robes, like a lifeless sculpture, while the other two apprentices sat cautiously in the corner of the carriage, looking down at the Algebra in their hands.

Mary glanced quickly at her mentor, and she saw no anger on the old mage's face, and her heart was reassured.

What I felt a while ago was not an illusion, but the teacher's temper really changed a lot.

Although he still has a gloomy temperament, is still a little mean and harsh, and still studies the creepy forbidden knowledge, the old mage has not fallen into madness for a long time, and has not punished his apprentices arbitrarily for a long time.

These improvements did not allow Mary and the other apprentices to completely relax, nor did they allow everyone to be bold enough to get close to their mentor, but at least, now Mary dared to take the initiative to ask her mentor some questions: "Teacher, how long will we stay in the imperial capital?" ”

The old mage seemed to be in a better mood today than ever, and he glanced at Mary and said casually, "Don't think about these things that are useless—just follow me honestly." ”

Mary quickly lowered her head: "Yes...... Yes. ”

"Fix your submissive fault," the old mage looked at Mary, "It's okay in front of me, don't always tremble like this in front of others—look up, you're a mage, your mentor is a great magician, and you have status in the imperial capital." ”

Mary was stunned for a moment, then replied, "Yes." ”

"Be careful, too," said the old mage, raising his voice slightly, to the other two apprentices in the carriage, "don't look like rednecks either—and don't be reckless, either. You must have the pride of the transcendental, but you must also be reserved, and you shall not trouble me, nor be bullied. ”

The apprentices were stunned for a moment, and then quickly nodded.

The mentor is actually teaching everyone the truth of being a human being in the imperial capital—Mary thought in amazement.

The old mage stopped speaking after a few words, and took out a bronze mirror from his bosom and looked at it silently.

The mirror seemed to be a magical object, and it was engraved with intricate and mysterious symbols and patterns, even the smooth mirror, and Mary just glanced at it quickly, and quickly turned her head—

The mirror was made before the teacher left, but no apprentice knew what the mirror was for, and the old master did not allow anyone to touch the mirror, not even from a distance, Mary only knew that the teacher had to take out the mirror and look at it several times a day—and each time he looked at it, his mood would get better, and even his temper seemed to be transformed by the mirror.

So whatever the purpose of that mirror is, it's definitely a good thing.

Daniel didn't care what was going on in his apprentice's head, he just looked at the mysterious symbols and patterns on the mirror, immersed in the gentle sound of the waves and the pleasant sense of spiritual relaxation, and soothed his slightly tense spirit—the mysterious symbols bestowed by his master proved to be extraordinarily effective, and the effect did not diminish even when transferred from the walls of the room to the small bronze mirror.

With the help of these symbols and patterns, he completely relaxed, and then let his spirit permeate, sensing the situation outside.

The fog had dissipated a lot, but there was still a layer of mist hanging over the heavens and the earth - this was the case in the middle of Typhon after the beginning of winter, and even when the sun was in full bloom, there was often a mist, and this mist was the origin of the word "fog moon" - and in the depths of that mist, the majestic walls of the imperial capital Aldenan were approaching.

How long has it been since you left the city?

More than ten years? Or more than twenty years?

Daniel couldn't remember clearly for a while, but he knew that he had indeed been away for a long time, in the past ten or twenty years, he had changed from a great magician who was in the limelight in the Royal Mage Association to a self-exiled, secluded in the countryside, a lonely and gloomy dark wizard, he didn't know how many people in the imperial capital remembered him, but presumably those who excluded him, ridiculed him, and even secretly harmed him will not forget......

Daniel, the great magician who is obsessed with the theory of neural interaction magic, but has achieved nothing for half his life, has returned - with the will of his master.

On the misty streets of Aldernan, three black carriages crushed the damp and smooth stone pavement in the direction of the Royal Mage Society.

As the sun swept past the highest point in the sky, Daniel took his apprentice Mary to the headquarters of the Royal Mage Society.

The other apprentices had already been sent to settle their belongings and clean their quarters - in Daniel's opinion, those apprentices who had been unable to keep up with the great knowledge given by their master for most of the year were mediocre, and it would be a shame for them to bring them out, but Mary had some talent in mathematics and could be brought out to see the world.

The solemn black façade and multi-layered spires of the Royal Mage Guild stood in the mist, and the solemn and straight lines of the façade gave the impression of a stern and old-fashioned old mage, the "stone mage" standing at the end of the street in Aldenan in his robes, and the spire of the building was the old mage's magic hat - Daniel glanced up at the roof of the mage guild headquarters, and then threw aside the meaningless memories in his mind.

Mary tried to knock on the door, but before she could take a step, she was stopped by her mentor, and the young female mage from the countryside was surprised to see a faint glow floating on the surface of the dark wooden door, and then an old face appeared in the glow: "Visitor, explain your identity." ”

"Daniel, Daniel Fred," said the old mage, with a glimpse of it, "the last wise man in your old moldy house. ”

"Oh—that's familiar, haha," the demon guarding the gate let out a hoarse laugh, "arrogant young man, middle-aged man, old man...... Self-exiled wizard, what are you doing back? ”

Daniel's tone was cold and calm: "Windsor Marpel knows, go ask her." ”

The black door fell silent, and after a moment, the old face squirmed again: "President Windsor Mappel invited you to the East Tower—but the girl next to you can't go in." ”

"Mary was my apprentice, and she was able to go in – to tell Windsor Marpel that I was as impatient as I was then."

This time, the door was silent for a longer time, and it was only when Mary felt a little uneasy that she heard the incredible magic door respond, "You may come in." ”

The heavy magic door slowly opened, and Mary, with a full curiosity and a hint of nervousness, raised her legs to keep up with the old mage.

The door to the Royal Mage Guild's headquarters closed behind them.

Following the route of his memory, Daniel walked through the vast and complex building, the corridors and rooms as he remembered, the long dark red carpets, the magic crystal lamps inlaid on the walls, the intricate ornamental patterns on the columns, the reliefs on the roof...... These extravagant and meaningless things are a testament to the essence of the Mage Guild and the lack of taste of the transcendentals, yet the faces of those who pass by in these corridors that have not changed for many years are very different from those of the past.

There were many people in the Mage Guild, but at least half of their faces were unfamiliar, they were dressed in sumptuous robes, with pointed hats or precious rings and tiaras, they walked slowly in the brightly lit classical corridors, and they maintained a certain sense of reserve that rejected people thousands of miles away, but they couldn't help but sneak a look at Daniel, who was wearing a black robe, leading an inconspicuous female apprentice, swaggering through the corridor.

Mary and Daniel's "shabby" appearance is indeed very unusual in this stately and luxurious building, but even less common is Daniel's unmanned, proud and confident posture - the old mage wears his robe that has not been changed for many years, artificial nerve cords wriggle in his robe, making a creepy grinding sound, this strange and terrible creature is extraordinary even for most of the strange mages, it naturally attracts everyone's attention, but in these attentions, The old mage just walked forward as if he were walking in his own back garden.

Mary had never seen her mentor look like this.

The surrounding mages cast curious, concerned, questioning, and scrutinizing glances, which made the young female mage a little nervous and uneasy, she knew who these people were, these were people with outstanding talent in magic, and they also had a very high status in the mage community, representing the pinnacle of Typhon's magical power, and she was only a low-level little mage from a small place in the countryside, if it was under normal circumstances, she would not even be qualified to walk side by side with these big men......

"Raise your head," the guru's voice suddenly came to her ears, and Mary suddenly came to her senses, "If you walk with your head down again, I will turn your neck into stone, and you will not be able to lower your head for the rest of your life." ”

Mary swallowed, and she struggled to look up to see that the long corridor had finally come to an end.

A wooden door depicting a golden-red pattern with runic brilliance floating on its surface stood there.

Daniel stopped in front of the door, and Mary followed suit, and the runes on the door lit up, and a small crystal floated out of a hole in the door, circled the two of them, and then the door opened automatically.

Behind the door was a spacious, bright room, very different from the cramped, gloomy and oppressive mage laboratory that Mary remembered, in the center of the room, illuminated by a magic crystal lamp, with a circle of bookshelves and large floor-to-ceiling windows, a large semicircular desk facing the direction of the door, and a middle-aged woman in a blue skirt mage robe stood in front of the desk, as if she had been waiting there for a long time.