Chapter 31: Pollution, Destruction
The improvement of the meditation technique was very smooth.
After four hours of meditation, Dave had successfully " strung " the two moon rings together.
Although he had not started to repair the part that he had broken, the 95% number on the system interface had jumped to 96%.
"It looks like it really is a problem with the meditation technique."
Dave was glad.
If the system didn't help him correct his meditation technique, who knew how long it would take for him to advance to a level 2 acolyte?
Half a year? A year?
No matter what it was, for acolytes who had little time every day, saving time was very precious.
"In this way, it won't take long for me to get the shapes of the three moon rings right.
"I reckon I'll be able to advance to level 2 acolyte in a short period of time."
Dave was looking forward to becoming a level 2 acolyte.
There were hundreds of level 3 acolytes in the same batch, and there was no one who had advanced yet.
There were quite a number of seniors who had advanced, but those people did not attend classes together.
In other words, if he successfully advanced, he might really become the first batch of acolytes to advance to level 2 acolyte!
Although this " title " did not have any practical use, it was not even as valuable as being accepted as an official apprentice by Mrs. Izu.
However, this was at least proof of his hard work in studying, right?
"Could it be that I have outstanding talent?"
Dave thought to himself and lay back in his sleeping bag.
There would be a lot of things to do tomorrow, so he had to ensure that he slept well today.
..
There was not much that Dave could learn from Mrs. Izu's lessons.
His knowledge of Potionology had completely surpassed the content of the lecture. Even so, he still took notes seriously in class.
At the very least, some things that weren't mentioned in books, like experience, were still very valuable for reference. After a Potionology class, Dave went to Andre as he had planned.
"The information you want is not cheap."
Andre's words were as Dave had expected.
Even though Andre was now in awe of Dave's identity, he was still unwilling to give up the advantages of a good deal.
".. Tell me, how many magic stones?"
Dave had expected it, so he asked weakly.
As long as it wasn't too much, it was fine to let Andre earn some money within a reasonable range.
His current income from magic stones was completely incomparable to before.
"Two magic stones."
Andre demanded a high price.
"One."
Dave bargained.
It was true that he had the Magic Stone, but this did not mean that he was willing to spend it freely.
".. It's too much to half the request immediately. Do you know how to bargain?"
Andre's exaggerated expression made Dave sneer.
"If it really doesn't work out, I can go to the apprentice market to buy it. It probably won't be higher than yours, right?"
Of course, his words were fake. Before confirming that the matter was over, he would definitely not go to the place above the thirtieth floor.
He only planned to come to the 30th floor during the day when there were people.
Perhaps it was because of this concern, but in the end, the two of them still made a deal for one and a half magic stones.
At the same time, Andre wanted to give Dave a piece of important information.
"I don't know if you've heard of it."
Andre had a mysterious expression on his face.
"There's a particularly dangerous contamination spreading among the acolytes."
"Contamination?"
It was the first time Dave had heard that term.
"That's right."
Andre nodded.
"It's said that some damned acolytes performed some sort of ritual in an attempt to summon an unknown existence.
"I don't know if there's a problem with the ritual, but the thing that was summoned in the end... It's a little strange.
"It also caused those apprentices to be infected with 'pollution,' and this pollution is contagious. I suggest that you stay away from those strange-looking apprentices for the time being…"
He handed a stack of notes to Dave, and the deal was done.
Dave was still thinking about the so-called " pollution " when Andre went back.
What summoning ritual of an unknown existence, what infectious pollution...
Why did it feel like the academy had been through a lot recently?
Dave shook his head and sighed.
The academy would probably take action if things got out of hand. It didn't sound like something a low-level third-party acolyte like him could handle.
It was better to attend class and study obediently and prepare for the assessment in peace...
..
"The organization you mentioned, Gray Table or something, seems to have been taken care of by the academy."
The laboratory now ordered takeout, paying people to deliver food to their door once a day.
During dinner, Glenn shared the latest news with Dave.
Dave put down his notebook and bread as he heard the news. He was all ears.
"Ahem."
Glenn coughed twice before continuing.
"I have to thank you for the information you provided. The stronghold academy sent people to investigate Shop number thirty-two. They really found those guys' nests and destroyed them. It was said that two official Mages personally did it!
"We caught more than ten people in a row. Their strength doesn't seem to be that great, and they're all acolytes.
"Unfortunately, those people all committed suicide without exception. Even the Mages could not get the information they wanted from them…It's just like those white robes.
"Although the academy must have discovered something in this matter, I have no way of knowing the specifics."
Knowing that Glenn's source of information was Mrs. Izu, Dave was not surprised that Glenn was so resourceful.
"More than a dozen people have died."
Dave frowned.
Originally, he thought that there should be quite a large number of people at this table.
He didn't expect that there were only a dozen of them!
But with only a dozen apprentices, how could they create such a big scene?
However, Dave was relieved when he heard that the organization was finally destroyed.
As expected, the academy was still the strongest!
Fortunately, he found a backer and successfully survived.
Otherwise, he might die before the academy made a move.
"What about the missing acolytes?"
Dave hadn't forgotten that dozens of apprentices had gone missing.
"That I don't know."
Glenn shrugged, and a mischievous look flashed across his face.
"Why are you concerned about this? Could it be that the female acolyte called Millie and you..."
"Stop, stop, stop. It's nothing."
Dave interrupted him.
"However, does that mean that everyone can return to their normal lives like before?"
"That should be it."
Glenn gulped down a mouthful of dark beer from the bread and mumbled, "But don't you think there's something strange about this?
"The teacher also said that she didn't realize the disappearance of the acolyte at the beginning. This means that she is the same as you. Her memory has been tampered with.
"I've been thinking, is it that easy to destroy an organization that has the ability to influence the memories of Mages?"
-- Gift
received