Don't Panic Just Yet

The conversation in the study ended with an overwhelming victory for Xifei. Planck swore a solemn oath that he would never appear before Wayne again. Looking deeper into his reasons, he was a respected senior figure in the field who admired Wayne's natural gifts and talent. Convinced that letting go was the truest form of love, he willingly took his leave. Xifei didn't believe a word of it. The wretched old scoundrel was rotten to the core—not a single syllable from his mouth could be trusted. Planck left, but not before giving Wayne a big hug, winking and making faces that infuriated Xifei even more. Even so, there was nothing Xifei could do. To say nothing of Planck's position as the director of the Red Leaf Forest Asylum—the equivalent of a mage prison warden combined with a grand justice—she was completely helpless against the sheer might of a legendary mage. Planck held far too many advantages. Just tossing out a few perks would be enough to tempt a youngster like Wayne into yielding. At the thought that her beloved student might one day succumb to temptation and willingly go astray, Xifei's chest ached so terribly she could hardly breathe. In the living room, Xifei clutched her chest, whimpering softly. Wayne finished feeding the carrier bird, then rose to head down to the basement to cultivate. Last night, two powerhouses had clashed all the way to the edge of the void, obliterating the very fabric of space. When gods fight, mortals suffer. Wayne wondered how many fellow countrymen had lost their homes. At the thought of them wandering destitute without even a roof over their heads, living lives worse than dogs, his kind heart twitched with pity. Don't be afraid, fellow countrymen! I'll have you living a dog's life in no time! Before he could take more than two steps, a hand seized the back of his collar and shoved him back down onto the sofa. Xifei stared mournfully at Wayne. "What on earth happened? Why is the Lord of the Void pursuing you so relentlessly?" "Teacher, you ought to ask the Lord of the Void that sort of thing," Wayne said, looking thoroughly wronged. "How could I possibly know what's going through a madman's head?" True enough! Xifei understood the logic, but if Wayne felt wronged, she felt even more so. She had worked so hard to snatch up this precious student, and before she could even warm him to her side, a legendary mage had already set his sights on him. She wished she could turn back time and land a vicious punch on that bastard husband of hers. If he hadn't frightened the boy into fleeing Londan, Wayne never would have run into the Church of the Earth's Core or the Lord of the Void, let alone drawn the attention of that lunatic director. Every mistake, every fault lies with you! I never should have married you back then! Then again, if not for her bastard husband's accidental assist, she wouldn't have met Wayne at the train station, nor would curiosity have prompted her to take him on as her student. Without that chain of accidents, Wayne would have ended up joining the Church of Moonlight. Xifei sighed. Gold would shine wherever it was. Even though she had done everything she could to conceal him, she had still attracted that giant fly Planck. "Wayne, what are your thoughts on the Free Mages Alliance?" "None in particular. If loyalty isn't absolute, it's absolute disloyalty. They think they're pulling a fast one on the deities, but they're bound to be punished by the gods sooner or later. It won't last," Wayne answered truthfully. A certain saying circulated in the workplace: *When above others, don't treat them like humans; when below others, don't treat yourself like one.* The path to success was just that unvarnished, applicable to any office. When applied to gods and believers, the rule rang truer still. The Free Mages Alliance drew its strength from freedom of belief. Yet they never stopped to consider why the gods would turn a blind eye to them if there were no benefit in it. There was bound to be a reason. The Free Mages Alliance treated the gods as tools, but Wayne believed they were the true tools. Every one of them harbored a gambler's mentality, and sooner or later, disaster would strike. Even so, the Free Mages Alliance had indeed pointed out a clear path for Wayne. At the end of the road stood a door, and behind the door lay a new world. Wayne: *I'm not relying on luck. I'm not like them at all—I'm using cheats!* "Praise the Goddess, it's wonderful that you think that way!" Overjoyed, Xifei reached out to wrap Wayne in a hug. Wayne dodged sideways—successfully—only to have his collar grabbed and get hauled straight back. Wayne: ╮(╯-╰)╭ *Teacher, I know you're panicking, but don't panic just yet. Planck was right. Your student is destined to become the shared property of the goddesses.* Xifei stroked Wayne's head, finding Planck more detestable the more she thought of him. Gritting her teeth, she said, "The magic formation failed to protect you properly; that was indeed my oversight. Otherwise, that old coot from the asylum never would have found an opening. Don't worry, in a couple of days I'll get you a better house." "This place is already fine." Wayne scrunched toward the side. His fellow countrymen couldn't do without him. "No. I considered many things before, but I never factored in a Golden mage coming to seize you in person. It won't happen again." Xifei thought of Sidney's ancestral estate—a magical fortress developed over many years. In principle, Sidney's ancestral manor was private property. Private property was sacred and inviolable; it did not belong to the Church of Nature, and even as High Priest, she had no authority to dispose of it. Yet as another saying went, rules were dead, but people could be dead too. Sidney had been tossed into the Red Leaf Forest Asylum, going from researching others to being researched by others. He wouldn't be getting out for thirty to fifty years. Letting such a fine ancestral manor sit vacant was a dreadful waste of land. Corrupt officials were bound to invent all sorts of pretexts—like tax evasion—to claim it under their own names. Since the outcome was the same, why couldn't it be placed under her student's name instead? It eliminated a case of corruption and preserved the government's reputation. The current cabinet ought to thank her if they ever found out. Having successfully convinced herself, Xifei felt entirely rid of guilt. She patted Wayne on the shoulder, smiling as she promised to hand over the deed. Wayne didn't refuse. Not because Xifei was offering too much—it was just a luxury manor, and he wasn't someone blinded by greed—he simply felt there was no need for such formalities between teacher and student. Besides, because of Planck, his teacher currently lacked a sense of security. A lack of security led to insomnia, insomnia ruined work performance, and ultimately that meant getting laid off and sent home to be a full-time housewife. For the sake of his teacher's career, and so he could bully the locals and read luminous scripts with the Holy Maiden in the future, Wayne gritted his teeth and decided to yield. A property deed, right? Bring it over quick so I can sign! "Teacher, is that house very big?" "It's all right. A bit more spacious than where you're staying now." *So a billion times more spacious, then!* Wayne raised an eyebrow. For a manor that large, he would need to hire a butler. And if he was hiring a butler, he had to get the best. Fra! Keep something in mind, and it will eventually echo back. For the first time, Wayne felt that the distance between him and the butler was so close. Soon he wouldn't be Young Master Wayne anymore, but Lord Wayne. Yet there was still a snag: Fra was the Landau family's butler, fiercely loyal to them. No amount of money could poach him. Setting loyalty aside, Mr. Landau ran banks and was so rich he had nothing left but money. No matter how wealthy Wayne became, he couldn't compete. Wayne: *Here's two thousand. Sell me Fra's employment contract.* Landau: *Here's twenty million. Scram.* Wayne: *Right away, Daddy.* "How pathetic. I couldn't even refuse him in my own imagination..." At that thought, Veronica's figure surfaced in Wayne's mind. When all was said and done, the breakthrough still had to come from the magical girl. "What are you muttering over there? Refuse who?" Xifei raised an eyebrow. "Teacher, I was thinking about the house. Do you remember Butler Fra from Enrold Town? I want him so badly, but he's the Landau family's butler, so I can only daydream about it," Wayne said regretfully. "Fra, you say..." Xifei smiled mysteriously. "If you really want him, I can help you." "You know people from the Landau family too, Teacher?" "A few. Not many." Xifei patted Wayne on the shoulder and instructed, "I'll handle this for you. Study hard and don't let your mind wander to nonsensical things. An asylum doesn't sound like a clean place to begin with; that old coot might just be a madman himself." "Don't worry, Teacher. I've already forgotten who Schrödinger was." "Schrödinger?!" "The asylum director who just left. Did you forget too, Teacher?" "..." Xifei fell silent for a moment, then kept a straight face. "That's right, that was his name. Don't bring it up again." *** Xifei drove off, but before departing, she shared some good news with Wayne. Sidney was hopelessly entangled with the Lord of the Void, so his faction was destined for a purge. Not just a purge, but repeated screenings to ensure not a single fish slipped through the net. Once the dust settled, Londan would be peaceful again. Wayne would then be free to move about without worrying that his identity as the High Priest's student would bring him trouble. Along the way, he would accompany his teacher to a family banquet to meet her relatives. Wayne immediately set out to share the good news with Veronica. When he went to place the call, he discovered the mansion's telephone line had been cut. "Damn it. As expected of a Golden mage, meticulous to a fault. Far more professional than those four guys from before." Wayne stepped out into the street, found a payphone, and shared the good news with Veronica at the second opportunity. Habitually cautious, he didn't reveal his teacher's identity, saying only that his teacher's troubles had been resolved and that he was about to be released from prison and regain his freedom. "How much of the diary have you written?" Veronica got straight to the point. "Uh, is that all you care about? Can't you show a little concern for me?" "Why would I care about you?" "Because I can write the diary!" "..." Fair point. Veronica couldn't fault the logic. To celebrate Wayne's release from prison and his joy at regaining a chance to live like a human being, she planned to host a small party with Senior Chris and Villy, set for one week from now. Wayne calculated the time. His teacher worked with ruthless efficiency; one week would be more than enough to sweep away the remnants of the previous regime. He agreed readily. "Wayne, remember to bring your diary notebook. Write more over the next few days." "Do you really love reading non-fiction that much?" "It's so-so. Mainly, Chris's detective novels are dreadfully written, yet she keeps making me read them." "Senior Chris writes novels too? How interesting. I'll have to read her work sometime." Piqued, Wayne continued, "By the way, if you don't mind my asking, is the sponsor of that evening's party our dear Miss Veronica?" "Yeah, who else? Are you paying?" "Nope, just checking." Wayne laughed awkwardly, daring not dispute Veronica's arrogant tone. From the few remarks dropped by Butler Fra, he had acquired a rough idea of the Landau family. Arguing was out of the question. Her father operated under the principle of taking from the people and spending on the people, currently sitting as the top donor on the police department's benefactor list. When it came to money, what did Wayne have to compete with her? Hanging up the phone, Wayne sighed with profound emotion. He patted the two thousand shillings in his pocket, deciding to buy himself a nice outfit in the near future so as not to embarrass his teacher. "Come to think of it, Veronica gave me these two thousand shillings too..." Wayne reviewed his life over the past six months. For the first three months, he had eaten potatoes. For the latter three, he was either kept by Veronica or mooching food and drink at his teacher's house. His economic income was practically zero—a pure, unadulterated kept boy living off women. "Delicious!" *** Down in the basement, Wayne sprawled out flat, striving for the maximum surface area to contact the four elements drifting around him. Following the clash between two legendary mages, vast quantities of the four elements had been left homeless. This time they truly had no home. The Lord of the Void had bitten the dust; with him gone, their home was gone too. The four elements had wandered aimlessly through the sewers before being drawn together by the magic formation in the villa's basement. Wayne opened his chest, providing them a new home. As the saying went, in the face of such profound generosity, Wayne really ought to kowtow three times before the Lord of the Void's grave. The man had risked his life to push Wayne forward step by step, and even in death, he had made his apprentice surrender his home for Wayne to live in. "From south and north, passing goddesses, lend an ear! Your faithful, unwavering believer Wayne has something to say: please bless the Lord of the Void with an afterlife, so that in his next incarnation he can meet me once again." Wayne prayed devoutly, his life essence filled by the endless stream of four elements. Dreaming back to the mansion in Enrold Town, he couldn't help chanting praises of the Lord of the Void's virtues. Far too many of the four elements had gathered in the basement—so many that Wayne didn't even need to use his tentacles. As long as he lay still, fire elements would take the lead in rushing over to seek refuge. The situation was essentially fire elements surging forward, jostling and shoving one another, sweeping the other three elements into Wayne's body alongside them. Five days later, Wayne's life essence was finally filled to the brim. The moment it was saturated, the light and shadow of a hexagram flashed past, making Wayne shudder involuntarily. He could not describe that wave of pleasure. Extraordinary, beyond words, like an elevation of consciousness. It made him feel that his spirit and flesh were bound more tightly together, that he had established a connection with the world. Perceiving the world through pure thought, his vision was clearer than ever before. *I am gradually coming to understand everything!* *Squelch!* Wayne looked down at the large eyeball on his chest and punched it shut. "Who said you could look? What does this have to do with you?" Wayne's life essence was completely filled, but the hexagram had blossomed for only a fraction of a second. Earth, water, and wind remained unlit, whereas the long-lit fire element had once again widened the gap between them by a billion leagues. He remembered his teacher saying that one had to first fill the life essence, then illuminate the six points of light, and only after achieving balance could they be linked to form a hexagram. "Too much fire element. This is tricky..." Wayne faced a dilemma. He was simply too popular with fire elements; earth, fire, water, and wind could never achieve balance in his body. He could perhaps cast fire-element magic to gradually deplete his fire-element reserves until a perfect balance among the four elements was reached. But he suffered from severe squirrel syndrome and could not bear such wastefulness. Furthermore, the books stated that diminishing elemental reserves was equivalent to weakening the hexagram's power. A magic apprentice could only begin the next step of balancing after forcing out all of their potential. Once the six elements—earth, fire, water, wind, void, and self—achieved perfect balance, everything would fall into place naturally. Without any deliberate effort from the apprentice, the hexagram would link together on its own. "So my problem isn't having too much fire element, but having too little of the others!" Wayne furrowed his brows. Here was the question: when would the goddesses bestow upon him a second Lord of the Void? He glanced at the Book of Greed. The latter possessed a massive hoard; whenever spoils were divided, it always took the lion's share. The Book of Greed averted its large eyeball, refusing to meet Wayne's gaze. Had it possessed a mouth, it would have started whistling. With that route closed, Wayne could only seek another way. Counting on the goddesses was unrealistic; in the end, one had to rely on oneself. Wayne thought of Planck. That wretched old coot lusted after his body something fierce. As long as Wayne nodded, the man probably wouldn't mind spending a little extra. Besides, it wouldn't cost much anyway; the Lord of the Void had already covered the bulk of it. "I choose you..." "Free Mages Alliance!"