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“How does it feel?”
“It feels…”
Mu’en gradually woke from his stupor, briefly adjusting to the glaring light. Under Teacher Meila’s urging, he moved his body.
“My body feels so relaxed, as if I were reborn, and…”
Mu’en looked at his arm, surprised:
“Why do I feel like I’ve become much paler?”
“Not like, you are reborn.”
Meila said:
“Under the erosion of mercury and the restoration from the red flame, almost all the flesh and blood in your body has been replaced, so naturally, your skin has grown anew. Being pale is normal.”
“But I feel like this pale face doesn’t fit my temperament.”
Mu’en rubbed his chin and said seriously:
“I should suit that bronzed skin of a strong man more.”
“Come on.”
Meila rolled her eyes: “As a pampered duke’s son, you shouldn’t say that. Now, get up and jump around a bit.”
Mu’en obediently got up and jumped a few times.
However, during the jump, he nearly lost his balance and fell due to misjudging his strength.
“What is this…”
Feeling an unprecedented surge of power within him, Mu’en couldn’t help but feel excited.
“It seems my realm has improved.”
After entering the academy, his martial artist realm had seen no developments due to his obsession with studying, but it seemed to have erupted in growth once again.
He was now at the late stage of the second rank.
“After being tempered in the Mercury Well for so long, such an improvement is normal. Your physical constitution was too weak before; it’s easy to make progress.”
Meila recorded something while saying, “However, there won’t be such effects in the future. The purpose of the Mercury Well is to enhance your physical resilience and resistance, not your strength. To become stronger, you still have to rely on your own steady efforts.”
“I see…”
Mu’en looked at his hands, unable to stop himself from clenching his fists.
Even though he didn’t quite understand what resilience and resistance were good for, he could feel a tangible improvement.
For Mu’en, this was enough reason to be happy.
“Hey, wait a minute, did you just say… later?” Mu’en suddenly reacted, panicking:
“Isn’t this something that only needs to be done once?”
“Once? Impossible! You wake up without any little friend. Do you think with your physique, you can endure the Eternal Clock after just one soak in the Silver Well?”
Teacher Meila continued writing and drawing, as if calculating something, then said:
“With your physique, you might need to soak about a hundred times to meet the minimum standard.”
“A hundred times?”
Mu’en’s face turned pale immediately.
Just one time nearly took his life; if he had to come a hundred times…
Even the strongest man would become weak-kneed.
“Relax, relax, the first step is the hardest. Since you’ve made it through the first time, it won’t be as exaggerated as you think afterward.”
Teacher Meila comforted:
“What’s that saying? You need to learn to find joy in pain. Perhaps as you search, you’ll genuinely find that this suffering is quite enjoyable?”
“I’m not a masochist!”
Mu’en yelled, and then suddenly felt that the bright life he had just begun was once again filled with darkness.
Just the thought of such a dangerous and painful experience, having to endure it at least a hundred more times in the future, made him feel like he should just write his will in advance.
Hmm, one for my parents, one for An, one for Celicia, and one for my senior. As for that annoying old loli teacher who likes to act young, I’ll just give her a piece of candy paper and let her cry while licking it!
Wait, one moment.
Speaking of my senior…
Mu’en suddenly came to a realization and looked at Teacher Meila beside him:
“What time is it now?”
“About nine o’clock.”
“What day is it today?”
“What day? Do you think I will remember that?”
Teacher Meila shrugged, indicating she didn’t know.
After all, having lived too long, she had long lost sensitivity to the passage of time.
Let alone the date, Meila didn’t even know what year it was, nor was she interested in understanding it.
“Then how long have I soaked in the Silver Well?”
“Well…”
A phantom clock appeared before Meila, and she casually adjusted the hands, saying:
“About thirty hours.”
“Thirty hours?”
That means…
It was already nine o’clock on the morning of the second day of the open day!
And the time Mu’en had agreed with his senior was ten o’clock!
Only one hour left!
“Oh no, I’m going to be late!”
Being late for their first date would get him teased to death by his senior!
Mu’en hurriedly got up and grabbed Teacher Meila’s shoulders, shaking her vigorously:
“I don’t care how many times you want to torment me in the future, Teacher Meila, just let me go now!”
“Huh? You want to go out?”
“Yes, I need to leave the school for something very important.”
“Perfect timing then, prepare the materials for your second stage.”
“Second stage materials? What materials?”
“Dragon’s Blood.”
Teacher Meila said:
“The academy’s stock ran out. You need to collect it yourself. I can’t proceed to the next step without it; otherwise, you’ll have to stay in the Silver Well for now.”
“Okay, okay, I got it, Dragon’s Blood, right? I’ll definitely get it.” Mu’en appeared very anxious.
“That’s good, go ahead.”
Teacher Meila suddenly waved her hand, and with a wave of dizziness, Mu’en felt the scenery before his eyes change instantly.
The sun was shining, and there was still moisture from last night’s rain in the air. Everything in the world seemed freshly washed, sparkling in the sunlight.
“Wow, that’s amazing…”
In a daze, Mu’en found himself directly sent to the bottom of his dormitory by Teacher Meila.
“Damn it, no time to marvel at this.”
Gritting his teeth, Mu’en hurriedly rushed back to his dormitory while he still had a little time.
…
Shower.
Change clothes.
Fix hairstyle.
He even sprayed on a few spritzes of expensive men’s perfume.
After checking himself in the full-length mirror and confirming he looked perfect, Mu’en hurriedly jogged to the agreed meeting point with his senior, in front of the academy’s gate.
On the open day, ninety percent of the students had gone out to have fun, making the academy appear quite empty. He didn’t encounter anyone along the way, so Mu’en quickly spotted his senior, Anna, waiting by the giant stone engraved with “St. Maria Academy.”
“Senior.”
Anna was wearing a light yellow long dress, white leather boots on her feet, and holding a simple woven fabric bag in her arms. It didn’t look like anything expensive, but it was very eye-catching.
Her long hair was tied with a simple hair tie at the ends, habitually let down in front of her chest. Her elegant face was adorned with light makeup, and upon seeing Mu’en, she smiled brightly, with her charming tear mole at the corner of her eye immensely captivating.
“Mu’en, you’re late.”
“Uh, am I?”
Mu’en’s heart raced, and he hurriedly took out his gold-plated pocket watch to take a glance.
The slender hands still had a few segments to go before reaching the top position.
“Wait? I’m not late!”
“Really?”
Anna gently touched her cheek, pretending to be serious:
“But it’s normal for boys to arrive half an hour early when inviting girls out, right? I even arrived half an hour early to avoid making my junior wait.”
Sighing, she continued: “As a girl, standing alone in the cold wind for half an hour, I was even thinking about what to do if I caught a cold, or if someone approached me, or if I got taken away by some rogue on the road, and what if someone stood me up…”
“Stop, stop! Hold on! Senior, stop!”
Mu’en quickly interrupted Senior Anna. If she continued like this, he would be labeled a scumbag before the date even started.
With the previous statement taken back, even if he wasn’t late, he would still be teased.
“I was wrong, Senior, I’m sorry.”
Mu’en pleaded:
“Please forgive me.”
“Alright then, for the sake of your sincerity, I will forgive you. Who asked you to be such a cute junior?”
Anna chuckled, a flirtatious gaze emerging from her eyes, making Mu’en momentarily dazed.
“But from now on, junior has to make me a little happier, okay?”
“Of course, I will definitely make this date… this repayment, fully satisfactory for you, Senior.”
Mu’en stood tall, looking as if he was making a solemn vow.
…
In the carriage, while Anna rested her chin in her hands, gazing at the scenery outside, Mu’en secretly opened the “Bairland Dating Guide” he had prepared for a long time.
It was at this moment that his inner turmoil spilled out like a toppled cup of water.
Originally, according to the plan, he was supposed to spend the entire day yesterday reviewing the guide, making a plan, and even scouting the locations personally.
However, due to being suddenly summoned by Teacher Meila and soaking in the Silver Well for thirty hours, he was now not only unable to make any plans, but even wasn’t sure of the next destination. When he got on the carriage, he hadn’t even told the driver a specific place, only to let him drive towards the city center and stop when he was told.
“Ah, has it really changed this much? It’s only been two years.” Senior Anna suddenly exclaimed with a small surprise.
Mu’en followed her gaze out the window and saw a street that seemed to have been renovated, appearing very bright and tidy, looking quite prosperous, perfectly contrasting the vibe of the entire lower district.
“This is…”
Mu’en felt it was somewhat familiar, quickly flipping through the guide.
“That’s right, this is the newly renovated commercial street in the lower district.”
“It seems it’s part of a plan to revitalize the economy of the lower district. Quite a few businesses and interesting shops have been introduced, and the foot traffic is not bad either.”
“Recently there’s a special event, recommended with… four stars, which is already pretty good.”
“The most important thing is, it seems Senior enjoys it here quite a bit!”
Mu’en’s eyes lit up, decisively confirming: this is where they would go!
…
…
“Ah, Head Maid, I’m so tired.”
The little maid Noel stumbled along the bustling street, carrying a large pile of ingredients.
“Speaking of which, why did we have to cross most of the city to come to a place like this to buy supplies?”
Noel, already exhausted, looked at the figure ahead dressed in a black-and-white maid outfit, still dignified and elegant, even as passersby continuously stared at her, confusion filling her eyes.
The Duke’s Mansion was in the western suburbs, but she didn’t know what got into the Head Maid today, insisting on taking her to the eastern city to shop for supplies without even bringing a guard. The lower district is full of dangers; what if they ran into bad people?
“Sometimes, we need to understand the products from other places, don’t we?”
An was selecting fruits at a nearby stall, though it was clear her mind was elsewhere.
Suddenly, she lifted her head and looked in a certain direction.
Her nostrils flared as if trying to confirm something.
A few breaths later, a strange smile that sent chills down Noel’s spine slowly appeared on her lips.
“What… what’s going on? Head Maid?”
“Young Master.”
“Huh?”
“I sensed it, Young Master’s presence.”
An’s eyes gleamed:
“The Young Master is within a ten-mile radius!”
