On the return journey, Ivan and his companions walked and paused, making brief visits to other cities.
After eight months, he finally returned to the entrance of East Capital East Blade City, arriving at a particularly busy time at the city gates, with an especially large number of caravans waiting to pass through.
“Look quickly, that’s Master Marichadon.”
“So young, with such strong abilities, and so well-educated and talented, truly a perfect person.”
“Of course, Master Marichadon is the ideal sorcerer, the hope of dawn—”
The announcements had already been taken down, and so much time had passed, but as more and more apprentices graduated to sorcerers through the Black Magic Wind Fire Array, Ivan’s reputation not only remained undiminished but had grown even deeper in people’s hearts, earning him the honorific ‘Master’ from many.
Indeed, the moment he appeared, he was immediately recognized.
Many apprentices respectfully saluted him from a distance, and others whispered among themselves, making no secret of their admiration, the likes of which was hard to come by in other cities.
Ivan had no choice but to pause briefly, nodding and waving to people nearby.
Only after his figure vanished at the city gates did the situation by the city tower return to normal, though the discussions did not cease.
“It really is him.”
A sorcerer who had arrived just after the scene unfolded watched everything, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
“So what if it’s him; Dean Marichadon doesn’t take kindly to us,” his companion sighed inexplicably. He was none other than Aaron Lidia, who had once met Ivan in Blood Plains’ Sweeping Light City.
The speaker was Ford Steele.
This time, there were four of them, traveling together to the East Capital.
From their previous visit, it was clear that the Dean had treated members of the Three Great Families with indifference, much to Aaron’s regret.
“Regardless, there is a connection, and we will surely find a suitable way to become acquainted,” said one of the two from the Watkin family.
“If only we had someone from Mongna Ant Land Cottage here,” Aaron reflected, adding, “I hear one of them is on good terms with him, that kid Carmel Lidia.”
“They’re different from us; bound by the academy’s new contract, even the Dean’s two lovers must comply, not to mention others.”
Hearing this, the group fell silent.
They wished to associate with Dean Marichadon, of course, to profit from it—ideally, to receive his recommendation and thus join the East Capital Enchantment Guild.
The Enchantment Guild was a colossal entity spanning two continents; to become a direct member would mean access to endless resources, a prospect that filled them all with anticipation.
…
On the other hand, Ivan was unaware that there were those scheming to gain his recommendation.
Even if he knew, even if the person seeking the recommendation was someone he knew, he wouldn’t just give it lightly. A recommendation was merely a chance to showcase talent; it relied on genuine skill and knowledge, and recklessly giving recommendations would compromise his own dignity.
Especially if it were people he didn’t even know.
If he were aware of their intentions, he would surely dismiss them as ‘wishful thinking.’
Before long, Ivan and his party returned to Rapid Wood Tower.
“Remember Angie? She often comes around here; last time I was back, she came several times and probably still hasn’t given up,” laughed Locke.
“Did you manage to find out what her relationship with Rothkins is?” Ivan asked.
“Elder Rothkins is quite fond of her; I suspect she’s either his daughter or granddaughter, but as to this matter, Rothkins has never made any public claim,” Locke considered before replying.
“There’s nothing that can’t be spoken to others, if she doesn’t speak about it, it means there’s a problem with her origin, something too embarrassing to discuss,” Ivan wasn’t afraid of trouble, but he didn’t want to invite it willingly because of a pretty face.
For a sorcerer, beauty is merely a skin, and if one is so desired, it can be easily adjusted and repaired; this is childhood’s play compared to the complexity of Bloodline Alteration.
Therefore, no one would pay too much attention to the beauty of one’s skin.
As they talked, the two arrived on the third floor of the high tower, where the energy particle pool was located. The space energy in the room was noticeably denser than other places, and in the corner, there was an additional pool with the Pan Iron Root lying quietly inside.
“You don’t need to worry about it; it’s growing very slowly now, not even half a meter a month. Who knows how many years and months it will take to grow to the size it was during its last transformation.”
“What about yours?”
Locke had previously visited the Lank Mercantile Association and spent a fair amount of magic stones to buy an intermediate quality Pan Iron Root, prompting Ivan’s question.
“Uh— it ruptured.” Hearing this, Locke’s face was flushed with embarrassment: “The guild said the Pan Iron Root can take in anything, so I thought to let it grow faster, but in the end—”
“That indicates one thing, your control over energy particles is too weak.”
Ivan could guess the general reason: Locke’s energy particles were of high quality and comparatively complex, his control was weak, coupled with a lack of patience, these factors combined led to the outcome.
The Pan Iron Root naturally has an upper limit to what it can bear.
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As for Ivan’s own Pan Iron Root, its slow growth was only because it hadn’t been fully cultivated, being nurtured only by the space energy in the energy particle pool and the crystal fragments he obtained from Shadow Lake.
As for other Space-type Crystal Stones, he wasn’t so affluent to readily consume them.
“Yes, yes, I’ll strive to improve,” Locke promptly agreed in haste.
“Alright, there’s no need to keep following me,” Ivan waved him off.
Hearing this, Locke ran off at breakneck speed, so fast that Ivan was left in the dust.
Watching him go, Ivan shook his head slightly.
He wondered if Locke’s mercurial temperament was partly due to some trait of his Spiritual Body, which made Ivan reluctant to let him go unattended or entrust him with serious responsibilities.
He didn’t delve too deeply into the issue, his thoughts shifting to upcoming plans.
The next focus would be the exploration of space knowledge.
“The School of Space is a discipline that is difficult to initiate, to control, to master, and to deepen,”
Ivan knew his limitations; at Shadow Lake, he had relied solely on the fantastic item “Small Bronze Square” and the might of the “Shadow-Space Suppressing Array” it bore to regard spatial rifts as nothing special.
In reality, he had just begun his journey in space exploration, learning only how to utilize existing space energy.
As for understanding and controlling the essence of space, he admitted he had not even touched the surface.
“However, a tall building rises from the ground. Compared to other learners in the dark, I possess far more advantageous conditions.”
Ivan never imagined that unraveling the mysteries of space knowledge would happen at once. With the “Book of Milor,” “Pure White Star,” his counterpart Locke, and the pet beast Silkworm Queen, along with many other factors related to the Space-type, he definitely had an edge over others.
“Right, as a member of the School of Space, there must be places or fantastic items beneficial to the study of space knowledge—”
Ivan glanced at the simple energy particle pool in the middle and suddenly envisioned another possibility, the brilliance in his eyes growing brighter.
If such places or items existed, with his current status, he presumed it wouldn’t be difficult to apply.
At the very least, he could ask for more space energy to at least fill the energy particle pool.
With these thoughts, he couldn’t stay put any longer. He headed straight towards the Troika Tower, where the Enchanters Guild was located, intending to first consult with Elder Mendenez.