Chapter 91 - 79: Geniuses Are Omnipotent
This alone made one thing clear: "Outer Disciples" were simply not valued by the academy.
Mo Ning recalled the notes and journals he had read, and a realization dawned on him. ’No wonder the apprentices are all fighting tooth and nail to join the various Witchcraft Laboratories.’
The normal path to advance from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect was to first get into a laboratory, then use outstanding performance to become a Preparatory Member of an organization like the Rose Council.
His path, by contrast, was undoubtedly an unconventional one—he had easily gained entry into the Rose Council on the back of a few high-quality papers.
It was a path that would be difficult to replicate.
Mo Ning didn’t hesitate, responding directly, "I am willing to join the Rose Council, and I am also willing to sign a contract with the Deep Red Rose Laboratory!"
Feedback from the Guiding Ring followed immediately, information pouring forth like water from a spring:
[The Rose Council welcomes you! On the winding, thorn-strewn path, may you carry wisdom as your lamp and diligence as your staff, to finally pluck the undying rose of wisdom from deep within the thicket!]
[The Deep Red Rose Witchcraft Laboratory welcomes you! May you remain steadfast on the long road to exploring Mystery, and at last inhale the intoxicating fragrance of the Deep Red Rose!]
[A one-time signing bonus and this month’s stipend, totaling 540 Black Tower Points, have been transferred to your Guiding Ring account. Current balance: 3144 Black Tower Points.]
Hearing this huge number, Mo Ning felt it was a little unreal.
In just a short while, a total of 1740 Black Tower Points had been deposited into his personal account.
That was an insane rate of earning money!
The messages from the Guiding Ring weren’t finished yet.
[The Rose Council’s Second Level Preparatory Member Badge will be delivered to the secure locker in your residence shortly.]
[You have been granted the corresponding permissions. Activate the badge at the entrance to your residence to enter the Council’s public hall—the Rose Hall.]
[The Deep Red Rose Witchcraft Laboratory’s Assistant Researcher Bracelet will be delivered to the secure locker in your residence shortly.]
[You have been granted the corresponding permissions. Activate the bracelet at the entrance to your residence to enter the laboratory’s public hall—the Deep Red Rose Secret Hall.]
Mo Ning grew even more cheerful. ’Nice! I’ve unlocked two new maps!’
For many apprentices, this was something they could only dream of.
But for him, it had all come too easily—so easily that he didn’t even feel much of a sense of accomplishment.
Mo Ning didn’t plan on exploring the "new maps" just yet.
The reason was simple—it would draw too much attention.
*****
Deep within the Black Tower.
Inside the Observation Room.
The clock hand quietly swept past 12:30 AM.
But the Sharp-eared Female Apprentice, Nasha, showed no signs of fatigue, her emerald eyes fixed unblinkingly on the largest sphere of light.
Within the sphere of light, Mo Ning was retrieving a badge and a bracelet from a pitch-black space.
This so-called "pitch-black space" was the academy’s secure locker.
Under the strict protection of the Witch Spirit, it was impossible to spy on the locker’s contents from the Observation Room; one could only see pitch-black darkness.
Nasha was all too familiar with these two items.
The badge depicted a blooming, vivid red rose. Though merely carved onto a flat surface, it created the illusion that it was "about to sprout forth at any moment."
The bracelet’s surface was carved with dozens of dark red roses. To the naked eye, the roses seemed to tremble slowly, but this was merely a visual illusion.
A feeling of profound imbalance instantly overwhelmed the Female Apprentice.
Her voice was laced with bitterness. "It took me nearly thirty years of hard work to get those... and this kid got them just like that?"
Nasha suddenly turned vicious. "I’ll apply to Master Yi Lin to get this kid assigned to my research group. I’ll dump the hardest Divination problems on him and work him to the bone!"
This little revenge fantasy did much to dispel the feeling of imbalance in her heart.
In a world where "the gap between one person and another is greater than that between a person and a dog," you had to learn how to console yourself. Otherwise, you’d eventually become mentally twisted.
The Female Apprentice also knew that according to academy regulations, Mo Ning, not yet even an official Apprentice, wasn’t qualified to join the Rose Council.
But geniuses always had a way of making the impossible possible.
A Silver Pen Badge, plus two papers with the word "innovative" in their titles, had convinced Master Yi Lin to decisively make a "special exception."
Add to that the fact that the Rose Council was backed by that awe-inspiring Third Level Wizard.
And so, precedent was broken once again.
Nasha continued to observe Mo Ning. She watched as he studied the Divination Model for the Wind Chasing Needle for a while, apparently attempting to optimize it further.
It wasn’t until one in the morning that the Female Apprentice saw Mo Ning dab a bit of Calming Oil on his forehead. He then lay down on his single bed, a "hissing" sound, like a snake flicking its tongue, emanating from his mouth and nose.
「Fifteen seconds later.」
Mo Ning was fast asleep.
Nasha murmured to herself, "That must be the Snake Sleep Technique, right?"
Her gaze fell upon Mo Ning’s sleeping face, as if she were looking at an enigma.
’I remember when this kid first entered the academy, he could use the Snake Sleep Technique to fall asleep within thirty seconds on his first try.’
’In the past few days, this Secret Technique seems to have been constantly evolving.’
’Now he’s got it down to fifteen seconds, and it even seems to have the added effect of restoring a good amount of Spiritual Power.’
Even though it was just a mundane Secret Technique, his rate of improvement was frankly staggering.
She guessed, ’The Snake Sleep Technique must be his next project, right? I wonder how many Black Tower Points the kid will rake in from it.’
When it came to Mo Ning’s knack for making money, Nasha felt she couldn’t even hope to compare.