Wizard: My magic facility can be upgraded!

Chapter 20 The Fall of Li Ang

When Li Ang regained his senses, he was already holding the heavy wooden tray in his hand.

The steaming hot noodles on the plate were drizzled with a red sweet and sour meat sauce, the steak mixed with black pepper and fat exuded a rich milky aroma, and the cool, emerald green fruit wine, with its rich fruity aroma and faint alcohol smell, kept wafting into Li Ang's nose.

Li Ang, Li Ang, how could you be so wasteful? But I'll let it go today. Next time, remember to only order the cheapest set meal, he muttered to himself.

He carried the tray, his eyes searching for an empty seat.

The dining hall was crowded, mostly with prospective apprentices dressed in their own clothes. Occasionally, one could see a few formal apprentices like him wearing gray robes, and even rarer were novice wizards in brown robes.

Finally, he found an empty seat at the end of a long table in the corner, and sitting opposite him was the female reserve apprentice with braids and a bitter look on her face.

On the tray in front of her was only a piece of hard-looking black bread and a glass of water.

She was taking tiny, laborious bites of bread, needing to drink water every now and then to swallow.

When Li Ang walked over carrying that lavishly presented set meal, the girl was clearly stunned for a moment, a great surprise flashing in her eyes. Then she quickly lowered her head, almost burying her face in the tray, and subconsciously shrank back, trying to minimize her presence.

Li Ang sat down opposite her. The slight sounds of metal knives and forks cutting steak, the slurping of noodles, and the rich aroma of meat were like an invisible torment, permeating the small space between them.

The girl ate even more absentmindedly, her eyes fixed on the black bread in front of her, her Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

She tried hard to avoid looking at the plate opposite her, but her nose twitched uncontrollably, greedily inhaling the tempting aromas with each breath.

She took a bite of the dry, hard bread, then gulped down a large mouthful of water, as if swallowing the food with the imagined gravy and aroma.

Li Ang chewed on the tender and juicy steak and enjoyed the satisfying feeling of the meat sauce noodles, but this dinner, which should have been enjoyable, became increasingly unpleasant.

The subtle, suppressed sounds from across the way, filled with intense longing, were like tiny thorns, making him restless and uneasy.

The girl's forced endurance, coupled with her inability to find solace in fantasy, reminded him of the days he spent gnawing on sour, dark bread at the bottom of a ship.

The silence continued, broken only by the distant noise from the cafeteria and the soft clinking of tableware on Li Ang's side.

The girl finally finished the last bit of dark bread, picked up her water glass, drank the last sip of water, and stared at the empty glass as if studying the pattern on the bottom. She didn't dare to look up or leave, as it was good for her to smell the aroma of meat a little longer.

Li Ang paused, his fork still in his hand. He looked at the small piece of steak left on his plate and the half-eaten meat sauce noodles, then at the girl opposite him with her empty tray and petite figure.

Li Ang sighed silently. He deftly cut the steak in half with his knife, then used his fork to pick up the larger piece and gently placed it across the table onto the girl's empty wooden tray.

"Want to grab something to eat together?" His voice was low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible helplessness.

The girl suddenly raised her head, her eyes wide open, her face filled with bewilderment, and then her cheeks instantly turned bright red.

"I...I..." She opened her mouth, her eyes darting nervously back and forth between Li Ang's face and the steak dripping with juices.

"No...no need...sir...I've already eaten..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, but her gaze was as if drawn by a magnet, unable to leave that piece of flesh.

"Don't be disgusted, eat up. I don't have the money to buy you another serving," Li Ang interrupted her stammering refusal.

"No...no...I didn't mean it," the girl explained, blushing. As time passed, the temptation of the food eventually overcame her shyness.

She didn't have a fork, so she could only pick up the small piece of steak with her hands, put it in her mouth and chew slowly, savoring the aroma of the meat after a month.

After finishing the meat, she subconsciously sucked the remaining meat juices from her fingers, but she suddenly seemed to realize that this was extremely unladylike, her face flushed even more, and she secretly glanced at Li Ang.

Looking at her pitiful, half-eaten appearance, Li Ang gave a helpless, bitter smile.

He thought of his pet cat, who always seemed hungry and kept pestering him for cat treats. He wondered how the little guy was doing now that he had died from overwork…

Li Ang was already seven or eight tenths full, and the feeling of fullness in his stomach overcame his initial craving.

He simply pushed the remaining half plate of noodles forward, saying, "Here, have this too, I can't eat anymore."

The girl suddenly looked up, her eyes widening even more, her cheeks flushed red as if they were about to bleed.

Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only nodded very slightly and said in a weak voice, "Thank...thank you, sir..."

Li Ang smiled slightly, "No need to call me sir, I've only just become an apprentice."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left the cafeteria. He could feel the grateful gaze following him until he walked out of the cafeteria and into the corridor.

He followed the route he remembered up the stairs to the third floor, returning to the independent dormitory area.

It was much quieter here than downstairs, and the thick carpet absorbed the sound of his footsteps.

Just as Li Ang reached the door of his room, B045, he stopped in his tracks.

An unfamiliar female wizard attendant stood quietly by his door.

Upon seeing Li Ang approach, she immediately stepped forward and bowed slightly, her movements fluid and respectful.

"Leon Carlson's apprentice?"

"It's me." Li Ang stopped in his tracks, a slight thought stirring within him, a vague guess forming in his mind.

"By order of your mentor Eve, please come with me to see her now."

The female attendant's voice was clear and steady, with a businesslike tone, but her posture was very humble.

Eve, the mentor? So fast? Old Maurice is certainly quick.

Li Ang suppressed his surprise and nodded calmly, "Okay, please lead the way."

The female attendant bowed slightly again, then turned and led the way.

Instead of heading in the direction Li Ang had come from, she walked along the three-story corridor to the other side, eventually stopping in front of a dark wooden door carved with a pattern of intertwined vines.

She took out a runestone and pressed it into the groove next to the door. The door opened silently, revealing the floating platform behind it.

"Master Eve's workshop and residence are on the upper floor. Please follow me."

The female attendant stepped onto the floating platform first, followed by Li Ang. After they were all on the platform, the wooden door closed silently and then opened again.

Huh? What's going on? Li Ang was a little confused. He thought this thing should be an elevator, but he didn't feel any upward movement at all.