"It's just a temporary idea with no place to start. Over the years, there have been countless whimsical ideas from everyone."
The middle-aged Second Ring Wizard with a full head of golden hair and a resolute face glanced at Mala and said calmly, "But if there's no way to start, what's the point?"
"Gu Lei, don't be anxious, I didn't say I would increase the quota." Mala waved his hand, "Let's keep watching, I still feel there's a surprise waiting for me."
Gu Lei frowned slightly and glanced inconspicuously at the elder next to him.
The elder smiled peacefully, "Gu Lei, take another look. After all, it's a tenth of the apprentice quota, we can't decide lightly."
"Alright." Gu Lei replied helplessly.
Mala felt a slight heaviness in his heart upon hearing this.
They had already made an agreement, if Lor could come up with a surprise within a month, his quota would double to two-tenths.
If not, it would reduce to one-twentieth.
The Earth and Fire Faction could also choose to stop halfway without any special circumstances, providing a tenth of the quota.
A tenth of the quota could recover half of his losses, but if it reduced by half again...
"What a pity, Agular is really patient," Mala sighed inwardly.
He had confidence in Lor's future, but doing it within a month was really too difficult.
...
An hour later, in the Central Library Pavilion.
Lor and Kateya met at the staircase entrance. They exchanged a glance without a trace of joy on their faces; everything was unspoken.
"Forget it, take me to find a Floating Technique book," Lor said helplessly.
There was no ready-made Microscope Witchcraft, and he had to wait for the laboratory application to go through so he could slowly experiment.
The Floating Technique was one of the attribute-less apprentice-level life-saving witchcrafts he had planned to learn in advance.
Once this witchcraft is performed, it can make the body light, reduce weight, but maintain strength, with the speed during escape being imaginable.
"Alright." Kateya nodded and led Lor down three floors to the attribute-less witchcraft storage area.
Then she went straight to a bookshelf near the left side, flipped through it casually, and handed a piece of parchment to Lor.
"Thank you."
Lor took a look and found it recorded the Floating Technique model.
"No need to thank me,"
Kateya smiled and said, "As your future laboratory assistant, it's only right to help with these things."
"Also, the witchcraft model here can't be taken away. You either memorize it here or copy a copy to take away. If you need, I can help copy it."
"No need for the trouble." Lor shook his head, "I'll just memorize it."
"Sure." Kateya stood aside, occasionally glancing around, waiting quietly.
When other apprentices approached, she would step forward to drive them away and let them wait for a while.
Most who came to learn the Floating Technique were Level One Wizard Apprentices.
Upon seeing the Level Three Wizard Apprentice badge at Kateya's neckline, they all tactfully stepped aside to wait.
And Lor, focused on memorizing the Floating Technique, didn't notice this happening at all.
It wasn't until twenty minutes later, when he finished memorizing the model and looked up at Kateya that he suddenly froze.
"Kateya, what's this?" Lor asked in confusion, pointing to the five Level One Wizard Apprentices behind her.
"They all want to learn the Floating Technique, I told them to wait." Kateya explained matter-of-factly.
"It's really unnecessary," Lor rubbed his brow in slight exasperation, "There should be more than one sheet of Floating Technique model rune diagrams besides the one in my hand, right?"
"Indeed, there are more than a hundred sheets, but if they came over, it would disturb your memorization of the Floating Technique and waste your time."
Kateya had abandoned a lucrative job to help Lor handle chores, basically betting her future, so it was natural to save as much time for Lor as possible.
"Forget it, let's go check the witchcraft model optimization verification area." Lor was too lazy to argue about this trivial matter, and turned to head towards the stairs.
"Okay," Kateya replied, quickly following him.
The remaining Level One Wizard Apprentices looked at each other in dismay and whispered:
"Could that person be a child of some Wizard master? Acting so high and mighty!"
"I'm curious why he's learning the Floating Technique, which is supposed to be a must-learn life-saving witchcraft for Level One Apprentices?"
"Why bother guessing what those big shots are thinking? Just honestly learn the Floating Technique." A young apprentice shook his head, heading to the bookshelf to pick up a parchment with the Floating Technique recorded on it, walking to another side of the Library Pavilion.
Generally, they all went there to memorize the model.
...
Moments later.
Lor and Kateya arrived at a stretch of sandy ground, a mile square, with no one there, making it exceptionally quiet.
Behind the sandy ground was a small house with an open door, inside which a brown-haired apprentice from the Earth and Fire Faction was dozing.
The two walked straight into the cottage, and Kateya stepped forward to tap the table, "Lus, wake up and get to work."
"Hmm?"
The brown-haired apprentice rubbed his eyes and looked at the visitors. Seeing it was Kateya, he seemed puzzled:
"Kateya, you're not guarding outside the Wizard Tower, what are you doing here?"
"Lor here has improved a witchcraft model, and I'm bringing him to test it," Kateya said, lacking some confidence.
To be honest, she really didn't believe Lor could come up with something from his days on the Flying Ship.
She was already thinking about how to comfort him after the test.
Lus turned his head to look at Lor, standing beside Kateya, "Hmm, why aren't you wearing an apprentice wizard robe? And has your spiritual power suffered any damage? Seems a bit weak?"
Having Kateya lead the way, Lus instinctively thought Lor was a Level Three Apprentice.
The wizard robe was basically a kind of benefit distributed to wizard apprentices.
It bore the Dust Avoidance Technique and the Micro-Element Attraction Technique inscriptions, which could accelerate Meditation and the recovery of Elemental Power. No one would leave such good items unworn.
"I haven't taken him to get the wizard robe yet."
Kateya replied, "Also, he's currently a Level One Apprentice, so isn't a bit of weak spiritual power normal?"
Actually, Kateya had long wanted to take Lor to get a wizard robe, but he was too focused.
After setting down their luggage, they first wanted to visit the Library Pavilion, and then came to test the optimized witchcraft model, so she had to postpone this itinerary.
"A Level One Apprentice? Optimizing witchcraft?"
Lus patted his head, "Kateya, could it be that you like me and are just finding an excuse to get close to me?"
"Lus, I don't have time to joke with you, now please do your job!" Kateya said somewhat impatiently.
"Alright, seems like you're serious."
Lus exhaled, sat up straight, and his demeanor became solemn. Taking a blue card from the table, he said:
"Please pay the 5-point contribution test fee."
To test an optimized witchcraft model, you must pay a 5-point contribution fee in advance as a guarantee.
If, after testing, the witchcraft is unchanged or even weakened, these 5 contribution points will be forfeited.
If the witchcraft becomes stronger in any aspect, the points will be returned, and the optimization value assessed to provide contribution point rewards.
This was set as a threshold to prevent apprentices from aiming too high, which was why this place was so deserted.
"Alright." Kateya took out a white card, tapped it, and linked it with the blue card in Lus's hand.
When putting away the card, a look of heartache appeared on her face.
An entire 5 points of contribution were wasted just like that.
"This future experimental assistant is really useful,"
Lor mused while watching the two interact, "If I had come alone, I'd probably have been brushed off casually by that Lus guy!"
"Oh no, I don't even have any contribution points, so I wouldn't even qualify to come."
"If there's an opportunity in the future, maybe I can consider dragging this future experimental assistant along and escaping together."