Chapter 194 – The University's Internal Library
This expedition into the Meteorological Tide had its gains and losses. While he obtained a rather impressive unidentified mysterious ring, the price he paid was the loss of a trump card that could have saved his life. Even worse, the battle was so intense that he used up nearly 600 rounds of special ammunition and consumed two charms worth 300 Veckta each—an incredibly heavy loss.
Despite his repeated, subtle hints about getting reimbursed for the bullets, Edwin didn't seem to catch on at all. He simply asked if Zhou Ning wanted to ride the carriage back to the university.
Unbelievable.
After a moment of thought, Zhou Ning still decided to return to Vick University with the expedition team.
He had a D-rank mission, which had been upgraded to a C-rank one—[Join the Expedition]—that remained incomplete. Most likely, he'd have to return to Vick University to submit the mission.
Noticing the two players still trailing behind him, Zhou Ning gave it some thought, then drafted several new missions and tossed them to Qingbai Wild Sake and Haicheng.
The missions tasked them with investigating the whereabouts of players captured by the Cursed God Cult and reporting their findings to him. These tasks could also be shared with others, since players had a thing called a forum—it was ridiculously easy to find other players using players.
These two were Zhou Ning's personally selected potential candidates. Having them handle some of the more troublesome tasks was not only a way to put their talents to use, but also a great time-saver for himself—a win-win situation.
After sending off the two players, Zhou Ning boarded the carriage prepared by the expedition team and made his way back to Vick University.
On campus, Zhou Ning saw many students gathered in small groups on stone benches and round tables, dueling with Yu-Gi-Oh cards in hand.
From time to time, he could hear shouts like "Draw!" and "My turn!"
"John's really done a great job promoting this…" Zhou Ning couldn't help but silently sigh at the scene.
Because several students and professors had died during this expedition—and due to some baffling discoveries—Edwin immediately dragged Zhou Ning to report everything to the headmaster upon their return.
——
In the headmaster's office, Vick University's Headmaster, Nielan Witters, was seated in a chair reading a book on magic. He was a powerful arcanist with white hair and beard. The moment Zhou Ning drew near, he could feel an incredibly intense aura of mystical brilliance radiating from him.
Seeing the two enter, he looked up and said, "Edwin? You returned so suddenly—did something happen during the expedition?"
"…Yes," Edwin replied without hesitation.
"What happened?" Nielan Witters asked, rubbing his forehead.
"Two things. First, we lost quite a few people during the expedition to the Meteorological Tide, including Professor Lucas and Professor Hawthorne," Edwin said.
Nielan Witters let out a sigh and said,
"A great man once said, 'Truth may be bitter, but it is vivid.' Sacrifices are inevitable in the pursuit of truth and knowledge. What's the second thing?"
Edwin explained in detail, "We discovered a Death God temple in the Meteorological Tide. Inside, we encountered Sir Archibald in a state of undeath. He attacked us and nearly wiped out our entire group."
"Sir Archibald?" Nielan Witters frowned. "Are you certain it was really him?"
"Yes," Edwin affirmed. "I'm absolutely certain."
At Edwin's signal, Zhou Ning supplemented the report with details of the expedition, especially his battle with Archibald, during which he expended many precious bullets and charms.
Nielan Witters might not have caught on to his subtle plea for reimbursement, but he listened very attentively, asking questions from time to time. Finally, when Zhou Ning took out Archibald's rune sword, Nielan accepted it, examined it briefly, and nodded lightly. "Understood. The school appreciates your efforts and contribution. May I hold onto this sword for now? I'll submit it to the Sanctum of the Temple of Earth and see what they make of it."
"No problem," Zhou Ning replied casually. With Frostmourne in hand, this sword was practically useless to him. It wouldn't sell for much either, so he might as well use it to curry some favor.
"Thank you very much," Nielan Witters said solemnly.
At that moment, his system finally delivered a notification:
[C-rank mission – Join the Expedition – Complete. You have earned 66,000 experience points.]
[Vick University's favorability toward you has increased by 1,900 points.]
[Vick University: Respect (4,900/6,000)]
[Knowledge Council's favorability toward you has increased by 1,200 points.]
[Knowledge Council: Friendly (1,200/1,300)]
[You've earned the right to select 3 rare formulas from Vick University's internal library.]
The rewards were quite generous—including favor from a hidden organization: the Knowledge Council.
In his previous life, this organization hadn't appeared much, but Zhou Ning vaguely remembered that they worshipped the God of Knowledge and were dedicated to the teaching and dissemination of knowledge. Most of its members were professors and scholars. The massive ironclad warship docked at the western military port was repaired and completed by the Knowledge Council's members. That ship had played a vital role in the war against the Walrus Men and Lavendel. It definitely had some prestige.
The three rare formula selections were also a great prize. Zhou Ning had long coveted the university's expert-level alchemy formulas.
His alchemy skill had been stuck at the Expert level for a while now. In reality, his proficiency had long reached the threshold for advancing to Master level—he just hadn't met the requirement of mastering 12 expert-level alchemy formulas.
Once he advanced to Master-level Alchemist, not only could he begin crafting Limit-class Super Potions, but he'd also unlock a new specialization. His secondary class level as an alchemist would also be able to break through to level 30, allowing for further growth.
After accumulating for more than a month, he now possessed six expert-level alchemy blueprints. If he could select three more, he'd be only one step away from advancement.
The only problem—how would he claim the reward?
Just as he thought that, Nielan Witters spoke, "As a reward… Let's do this. Edwin, take Sturwell to the internal library and let him pick a few rare fields of knowledge as compensation."
Sure enough—this game's rewards were always conveniently timed.
Zhou Ning gave a wry smile.
"Let's go." After leaving the headmaster's office, Edwin retrieved two umbrellas from his own office and casually handed one to Zhou Ning.
The two made their way to the southeastern part of campus and took a secluded path.
This area was equipped with an alchemy formation similar to the one at the Withershire Church Plaza, except this one was filled with fog and rain.
"This road is the only way into the university's internal facilities. Usually, only the top graduates or core staff of the university are allowed entry."
Edwin continued, "Don't let the simple layout fool you. Unless you're proficient in meteorology or familiar with the weather patterns here, it's extremely difficult to get through."
Zhou Ning nodded. Some players had made it here in his past life, so he was familiar with the university's internal library. It housed many rare and limited formulas, usually requiring a large number of credits to exchange for.
This was also one of the reasons Zhou Ning chose to stay at Vick University long-term.
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