Chapter 27 Lilith's Cottage

Yuli Burns of Lilith's Cottage wore a gloomy expression as she spoke a few words into an emerald-embedded ring on her finger. After receiving confirmation from a Formal Wizard of Lilith's Cottage,

Yuli Burns finally glared at Gregor with displeasure. "The deal is settled."

Without waiting for Gregor's reaction, Yuli turned her gaze to Locke, Raun, and the other five. "From now on, you lot will follow me."

"The Wizard Ship will arrive at the territory of Lilith's Cottage in ten days."

"At noon ten days from now, assemble on the deck."

Yuli shot an angry glance at Ruixing, who still wore a faint relieved smile, and said, "Lilith's Cottage isn't a place where just anyone can come and go as they please."

"I hope certain people won't regret this decision later!"

Ruixing quickly wiped the smile off her face and lowered her head guiltily. "I'm sorry, Teacher Yuli, I—"

Yuli Burns didn't wait for her explanation and turned away, heading off to find the Wizard Seedlings originally assigned to Lilith's Cottage on this level.

For Lilith's Cottage, this was undoubtedly a humiliation.

Raun gave Locke a bitter smile and whispered, "Who would've thought we'd run into such trouble right after entering the Wizard World? Let's hope Lilith's Cottage doesn't make things difficult for us."

Beside Locke and the others, the Wizard Seedlings originally belonging to Verdantia University also wore expressions of concern.

Ruixing could swagger right into Verdantia University, but they were to be exchanged into Lilith's Cottage.

Now that Verdantia University and Lilith's Cottage were at odds over this matter, they might very well be the ones to bear the consequences.

Locke, however, wasn't so pessimistic. He said to Raun, "No need to be so gloomy. Though we were trained as Wizard Seedlings by Verdantia University, now that we're joining Lilith's Cottage, we're their Wizard Seedlings."

"I don't think we'll be treated any differently."

"Otherwise, that'd just be ridiculous."

Locke added, "Though I am curious—how will the Magic Stones I owe Verdantia University be handled now?"

Raun replied, "Most likely, our debts will be transferred from Verdantia University to Lilith's Cottage once we sign the new student agreement."

"Still, Lilith's Cottage is a mid-to-upper-tier wizard organization in the southeastern region. You're right—this might not be such a bad thing after all."

After bidding farewell to Raun, Locke returned to his room to continue his studies.

With the Rose Ruby, his mental energy could improve further.

However, lacking an Amethyst Matrix, he couldn't monitor his mental energy in real time.

Ten days later, the Wizard Ship docked at the shore, where a lush green plain stretched out before them, with dozens of rolling hills in the distance.

As Locke disembarked, he could see the hills covered in clusters of unknown purplish-red flowers and towns dotting the slopes.

The architectural style of these towns was vastly different from that of the Corfu Continent—far more fantastical in design.

Some towns were prosperous with red bricks and white walls, while others were dominated by dark green buildings where trees coexisted with houses...

Among the port cities where they disembarked, Locke saw several non-human races walking about the docks.

There were dwarves pushing small carts, lizardmen setting up stalls in the alleyways while swaying their reptilian tails, and tall female elves carrying bows and quivers on their backs...

Of course, the majority of the port city's population was still human.

Yuli Burns stepped off the ship and stood before the thirty-plus Wizard Seedlings, saying, "As you can see, the southeastern corner is a mid-magic environment."

"Unlike the mortal world you came from, there are many non-human races here—though humans still make up the vast majority."

Yuli Burns chuckled hoarsely. "As the largest Magic Potion-selling wizard organization in this region, Lilith's Cottage is open to all and highly tolerant. That's why within our jurisdiction, you'll find many non-human races and their cities. Even within Lilith's Cottage itself, there are non-human wizards."

"You'd better prepare yourselves mentally."

"Coming from a low-magic world to a mid-magic one, you might struggle to adapt at first. But don't panic—just sleep it off."

Yuli Burns continued, "Strictly speaking, you're already within Lilith's Cottage now. We are an open wizard organization that welcomes most wizards into our territory."

"The nearby cities and towns are all part of Lilith's Cottage. Our wizards live in scattered wooden cottages throughout these settlements."

"Every year, we also hold a grand Magic Potion Auction here."

"Within Lilith's Cottage's domain, there are many rogue wizards and failed wizard apprentices who attach themselves to our academy, renting land and shops from us."

"Because of this, the population here is quite mixed. Stay vigilant—don't let yourselves be deceived."

"The academy won't intervene in such matters."

Locke keenly noticed the word "failed" in Yuli Burns' speech.

Yuli Burns swept her gaze over the thirty-plus clueless wizard apprentices who had just disembarked and chuckled hoarsely. "Lilith's Cottage is not a charity. We nurture you and give you opportunities—but only to a certain extent."

"Any Wizard Seedling who fails to advance to Second-Class Wizard Apprentice within five years will be expelled."

"Look around this port city—you'll find some of those failed Wizard Seedlings here."

Yuli Burns grinned viciously. "Many apprentices on the verge of failure have no choice but to join dangerous experiments as test subjects. Others accumulate massive debts, hopelessly trapped in repayment for life."

"But all that is still too far off for you."

"Right now, you're at your most promising moment." Yuli Burns reined in her gloating smile and said, "I hope you all advance to Second-Class Wizard Apprentice as soon as possible."

"Only by becoming a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice will you truly join the academy and avoid the risk of failure."

"Additionally, as Wizard Seedlings, each of you will be assigned a Formal Wizard as your teacher upon joining Lilith's Cottage."

"Of course, generally speaking, Formal Wizards don't have time to bother with you. The ones who will actually guide you are First-Class Wizard Apprentices personally taught by Formal Wizards, just like me."

"Only Second-Class Wizard Apprentices are valuable enough to receive direct instruction from Formal Wizards."

"Furthermore, you'll each receive a class schedule containing two types of courses: public classes offered by Lilith's Cottage and specialized courses for your respective Magic category."

"You can attend public classes weekly at designated locations, while the specialized Magic category courses will be arranged freely by your Wizard Mentor."

Yuli Burns said, "Alright, that concludes the introduction and guidance."

"Wizard Seedlings with fifth and sixth-level qualifications, follow me. The rest of you should find your own mentors according to the materials I've provided."

"You should learn to be self-reliant now."

Yuli Burns muttered to herself, "Completing this academy mission actually took over half a month. Seriously. I only earned 20 Contribution Points in total—what a loss."

"I need to save some time and speed up this mission."

"Next time, I won't accept the academy mission of being a new student mentor."

(End of Chapter)