NABC 075: Self-worth
075: Self-worth
As Lynch stepped out of Hossman's wizarding room, his mentor's teachings on alchemy echoed in his mind, as he pondered how to apply this new understanding to his next experiment.
"Lynch's Apprentice".
Just then, a calm female voice rang out beside him, interrupting his thoughts.
Lin Qi paused and turned to look.
A female apprentice wearing a black slave collar appeared behind them; she was Mars's number 16 female slave.
Number 16 spoke up, "Master invites you to have afternoon tea together."
The previous collaboration seemed to have earned Mars considerable prestige, and since then Lynch has frequently received invitations from him.
Small academic salons, private resource exchange gatherings, or "afternoon tea" like today.
After a moment's thought, Lin Qi nodded: "Thank you for leading the way."
Over the past two years, Lynch has gradually figured out the identity of this Mars; his full name is Mars Soren Barrick.
That's right, it's the Barrick family, the family behind the Grey Tower.
The Abyss Witch Domain is centered on family politics. The pure-blooded members of these wizard families are worlds apart from Muggle apprentices from the human world like them, and they cannot be easily offended.
In addition, it is also necessary to appropriately expand one's social network.
Therefore, Lynch would generally accept Mars' invitations whenever he had free time.
Number 16 said no more and turned to lead the way.
The two walked through several corridors and arrived at Mars' dormitory.
It was still that magnificent palace, and Mars was sitting at a small white round table by the pool, relaxed and serene.
Number 16 stopped in front of the round table, bowed his head, and announced, "Master, Lin Qi's apprentice has arrived."
Mars looked up at the sound, saw Lynch, and immediately gave her a warm and just-right smile.
He put down his teacup, stood up, and took two steps to greet him: "Lin Qi! You're here, that's great! Please, have a seat! I hope I haven't disturbed your important research or experiment."
His tone was warm and his movements were natural, as if he were meeting a long-awaited old friend.
At first, Mars befriended Lynch casually, thinking that this "pragmatic" little Muggle had potential.
However, after several subsequent gatherings, Lin Qi's calm and composed demeanor satisfied him greatly.
Later, Mars conducted an in-depth investigation into Lynch's background and learned about his rocket-like advancement speed, the hard work behind it, and his tireless pursuit of knowledge.
All these events combined made Mars feel that this little Muggle had a lot of potential.
Promising people are welcome everywhere, especially the scions of prominent families.
After all, they need to cultivate and enjoy themselves, but there are a lot of things to do and handle within the family.
Compared to the sycophants who surround them, they naturally prefer and favor those who are truly capable of getting things done.
Lynch stepped forward, stopped at an appropriate distance, and gave a standard apprentice wizard greeting, his posture polite yet reserved: "Good afternoon, Apprentice Mars. It is my honor to be invited."
Mars smiled and waved, gesturing for Lynch to sit down in the wicker armchair across the round table. "Don't be so polite, Lynch. We're practically 'old friends' now. There aren't many people in the Gray Tower who can chat like you and me. Just call me Mars."
Another female slave standing to the side silently stepped forward and poured Lin Qi a cup of steaming golden-red tea. The tea was mellow and had a strange, refreshing fragrance that could invigorate the spirit.
"Try this, 'Dawn Dew,' which I got from the East Coast. It's produced in very limited quantities and has a slight benefit for calming the mental ripples after meditation," Mars casually introduced, as if he were talking about something insignificant.
However, Lin Qi knew that this thing was a rare treasure in the wizarding world, costing several hundred magic stones per gram on average.
Mars then introduced the snacks on the table to Lynch, which was clearly one of the highlights of today's "tea party": "Take a look at these, these are what I specially invited you to try today."
He pointed to a plate of small, translucent cubes, as if carved from purple crystal, with nebulous mist slowly swirling inside: "This is 'Phantom Mist Purple Crystal Cake.' It's made with the essence of 'Nightmare Mist Berry,' which grows at the boundary between shadow and starlight, mixed with 'Starry Sky Sand' powder."
"After consuming it, it will slightly enhance the sensitivity to illusion and starlight energies for the next two to three hours, which will be helpful for constructing related spell models or conducting certain observations that require a high degree of mental concentration."
Then, he pointed to a plate of thumb-sized pastries on the side, which appeared to be burning with faint golden-red flames: "'Molten Heart Pastries.' This one is a bit more extravagant. The main ingredient is the essence extracted from the heart of a 'Lava Lizard'..."
Molten Heart Crisp, which temporarily enhances affinity with the fire element; Jade Meditation Leaf Jelly, which can cleanse the mind of impurities; Jelly made from Wisdom Grass...
Each of these items is a rare treasure worth hundreds or thousands of magic stones, enough to sustain an ordinary apprentice's entire fortune, but for Mars, it's merely an insignificant afternoon tea.
The power and resources controlled by wizarding families are evident.
Lynch remained expressionless. After Mars finished his introduction, he politely nodded his thanks: "Mars, you're too kind. These snacks are unheard of, with extraordinary effects. Thank you for your trouble."
He didn't rush to touch the expensive pastries, but instead picked up the glass of "Dawn Dew" and took a sip.
It wasn't that he was afraid Mars would poison him or anything; it was just that these things were too luxurious and expensive, and Lynch worried that he couldn't afford to enjoy them easily.
He is soft on people, but short on mouth when eating people.
Every gift from fate has a price tag attached in secret.
It's best to be cautious about associating with these powerful families.
The tea soup was smooth and warm on the palate, and a warm current accompanied by a refreshing aroma slid down my throat, which indeed relieved a lot of the mental fatigue brought on by thinking about alchemy.
"Excellent tea," Lynch genuinely praised. Regardless of Mars's intentions, the quality of these resources was undeniable.
Mars seemed quite pleased and sat down again, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed posture, as if he were simply enjoying a leisurely afternoon with a friend.
"I'm glad you like it," he said with a smile, and the conversation naturally turned to some interesting anecdotes from the Gray Tower, the recent experimental activities of some mentors, and some rumors circulating in the apprentice circle that were hard to verify.
He was witty and knowledgeable, and had insightful views on many things, as if he genuinely regarded Lynch as someone with whom he could have an equal exchange.
"...The island girls there have three forms: in the sea they are mermaids, on land they can maintain some mermaid characteristics, and they can also maintain the appearance of a human girl. They have a unique charm, believe me, you will definitely like them."
Lynch smiled and nodded, offering a fitting comment: "Just hearing about it is already captivating."
Mars smiled slightly and said, "If you like, I'll have someone send you a few."
"Speaking of this..."
He paused, then continued, "The batch of female slaves I mentioned to you last time has arrived. They're all fresh, top-quality women that no one has ever touched. I told you last time I'd send you two. What do you think about it?"
After the last gathering, Malt specifically suggested sending Lynch two female slaves for his amusement.
While it was said to be sending female slaves, in reality it was just about planting two spies around Lin Qi to strengthen their bond.
Lin Qi politely declined, saying, "Let's forget about it for now."
"I recently acquired an alchemy book, so I don't have much time to spend on leisure activities."
Mars's brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.
He held the teacup, his expression unchanged, but his tone seemed to have gained a hint of coldness: "Lin Qi's apprentice."
He squinted at Lin Qi: "These are all top-quality goods, carefully selected treasures. Have you thought it through?"
Mars raised his voice slightly: "Are you really going to refuse?"
Winning someone over means valuing them.
But if you really think you have some ability, you can't distinguish between the king and the queen...
That's incredibly ungrateful!