Baidimuto sneered, his malicious laughter echoing in the hall.

"Who do you plan to seek revenge against? The Senate? The Pope's Palace? Or are you going to slaughter a city like I did?" The Mage's voice no longer carried its usual depth, but instead whispered in his ear like the voice of a specter. "It's truly pathetic that you don't even know who your enemy is."

"I will find out." Rocky clenched his fists. "Anyone with the blood of the Oxias clan, I will not let a single one of them off the hook. I will annihilate them all!"

"Very dramatic." Baidimuto stopped laughing, but his tone still carried a hint of amusement. "But don't forget, in order to save your own life, you killed your own sister."

"After my revenge is completed, I will kill myself, and thus end the hatred," Rocky lowered his head.

"But you need power," Baidimuto said. "With just your current status as a mere junior priest, and as a child who can't even defeat borderland bandits, what do you have to seek vengeance?"

"That's why I came to visit you," Rocky said. "I want to become a magician. It's my last resort."

The Mage lightly tapped the armrest of his chair. All the candles burst into an unprecedented brilliance, burning at double the speed, illuminating the hall so brightly that the darkness was completely dispelled.

Rocky could finally see the inside of the magic tower. It was a much larger space than he had imagined, constructed entirely of black iron and rock. Huge paintings hung on the circular walls: in the center was a single-eyed creature surrounded by six chained wings, with a sword and a scepter intertwined at the bottom. Flames on the edge of the flags were vividly portrayed, the boiling fire seemingly wanting to break free from the canvas.

The Mage sat high at the end of the long staircase, his black robe adorned with golden embroidery, the same pattern as on the painting.

"Merlin succession, the origin of magic, the source of true knowledge, witnessing the rise and fall of countless civilizations, from 1,800 years ago until now." Baidimuto pointed to the painting, "The eye symbolizes the thirst for truth, the bound wings represent a cruel fate, the sword embodies power, the scepter represents faith, and the flames represent the determination to destroy any obstacles."

He paused, leaning down to look at Rocky. "Not just anyone can become a magician, especially a magician driven by revenge. You have to give up many things...loyalty, kindness, goodness, familial bonds, friendships, love. These things will hinder your quest for revenge."

"To become a resolute avenger, you must be involved in all the evils of this world. Your sister told me that your dream was to become a hero, right?" Baidimuto stood up and walked down the stairs, "Can someone like you, who can abandon so many attachments, do it?"

"I can," Rocky said without hesitation. "I have no other choice."

"Very well, very well. You will become my second and last disciple." Baidimuto stood in front of Rocky, reaching out to remove his own hood, revealing a young but weary face, with dull silver pupils. "I am heavily injured and may not live much longer, but in the time we have left, I will train you to become a true avenger. Then I will have you return to Nomenge and end your vengeance."

"I will," Rocky said. "Wherever we begin, that's where we'll end."

"Follow me then." Baidimuto cast a deep look at him and turned around. Rocky noticed that the Archmage walked with a slight limp, apparently related to the injuries he mentioned.

"No matter how determined you are, if I find that your talent in magic is too mediocre…" Baidimuto said, "I will still kill you. I don't need an idiot embarrassing themselves in Nomenge."

"Alright."

"You don't seem worried?" Baidimuto didn't even turn his head as he spoke. "Only one in a hundred have the talent for magic, and among those people, only one in a thousand is qualified to become an inheritor of magic... and my personal requirements for magical talent are even higher than that."

"If I do not have the potential to become a magician," Rocky said, "then kill me. It's also a way to end my hatred.""Your sister is the most talented mage I have ever seen. She learned many magical principles that even lifelong mages couldn't fully comprehend in just three months... Being siblings with the same parents, I believe your magical talent won't be lacking either."

The end of the staircase was not the end of the magic tower. After a corner, a longer staircase extended all the way to the black iron platform. In the center of the platform hovered a gray stone slab with complex textures.

"The interior of the magic tower is not shaped like a circular tower as it appears on the outside. The rules of space inside are only controlled by the mage. To move from one area to another, it's not through stairs, but through this 'key of the magic tower.' With it, the mage can control the entire tower at will, like..." Baidimuto extended his hand and lightly touched the stone slab.

The stone slab changed, splitting along the textures and then rejoining. At the same time, the outside world experienced a drastic change. The staircase, walls, and candles rapidly receded, and a new structure emerged from the darkness. It was as if the entire magic tower had been reassembled. When Rocky came to his senses, he and Baidimuto were already inside the library, with the black iron platform as the center. The tall stone bookshelves were neatly arranged, seemingly boundless.

"This is my library, with one billion, eight hundred and thirty-two thousand, and twenty-two volumes. Anything that can be called a 'work' from the creation of human writing until now is here." Baidimuto beckoned with his finger, and a book thick and over twenty centimeters flew from the darkness. The book seemed to have a sturdy black rhino leather cover and was wrapped in reflective metal on the edges. He handed the book to Rocky, who had to hold it with both hands. "Elemental Origins, this is the first magical work you should read, the foundation of all foundations, the essential path for every mage."

Baidimuto continued, "This world is made up of the four basic elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. Above the basic elements are advanced elements, born from the fusion of two or more basic elements. For example, earth and wind can create the lightning element. Above the advanced elements are compound elements, created by combining two or more advanced elements."

"The elements can be endlessly fused upwards?" Rocky asked.

"No, they cannot," Baidimuto said. "The fusion of elements is very difficult. Most lifelong mages only reach the stage of advanced elements, even the majority of legacy mages can only fuse up to the stage of compound elements. And no matter what means they use, when undergoing the third fusion, which is the fusion of compound elements with compound elements, it will always lead to the same result."

"What result?"

"One of two ultimate elements, light or darkness. We call them the ultimate elements... These are two unusable elements, very unstable. Forcing them into magic will harm the caster, so don't attempt it lightly," Baidimuto said. "This is common knowledge among mages. I want you to master the content of this book within one month."

"Yes, teacher."

.........................................................

The Gezhong Library.

Rocky stood on the upper section of the bell tower and looked out from the windows on the exterior wall, overlooking half of the academy. Perhaps it couldn't be called windows, as there was no glass, and the window frames were covered in dust and cobwebs. A faint chill wind blew in through the empty space in the middle.

The sound of high heels meeting the metal staircase echoed as someone descended from above.

Rocky looked up at the newcomer and nodded slightly, "Your Highness."

Michian walked past him expressionlessly, followed by a tall woman Rocky had never seen before. She wore a loose black robe, her purple hair tied into a simple bun at the back of her head. Half of her face was covered by a black veil, revealing only a pair of light brown eyes. She carried a huge weapon that was disproportionate to her body, resembling a sword yet also resembling a pillar. It was engraved with red magical runes.

She was Michian's apostle; Rocky noticed that her collar had the same legacy marking as Michian's.

"I've never seen Michian so angry before." When passing Rocky and Alice, Michian's apostle paused for a moment and whispered softly, "After she came home that day, she practically dismantled her room.""As a princess, it's only natural for her to have a temper," Rocky said casually.

"Sigh..." Michian's apostle sighed, "That's because she cares about you. You are her best friend."

"No, I'm not," Rocky turned around and continued with Alice, "Nomenge has no friends of mine."

The two once again arrived at the doorstep of the small house at the top of the clock tower, and Rocky knocked on the door.

Old Sarda opened the door and invited Rocky and Alice in, "That child argued with me for the first time. She thinks I shouldn't have revealed the information to you."

"It's contradictory. On my first day at school, she was instigating me to seek revenge," Rocky sneered. "Now she's trying to hinder me again."

"Perhaps it's because your way of seeking revenge is different from what she had in mind," Old Sarda helplessly shrugged. "She's a straightforward child, who never understands what revenge truly means... She probably thinks that revenge means standing in court and fighting a few legal battles to vindicate your family."

"Let's get back on track," Rocky said. "I came to see you not because of her."

"I know... it's about Prince Skiart's matter, right? This issue has been making waves recently. You were so focused on investigating the case that you forgot what this case itself represents. I think that's what has confused you," Old Sarda explained.

"I'm listening."

"Prince Skiart is a hostage. The consequences of a hostage dying in another country are self-evident."

Rocky suddenly realized, and this explained the strange actions of the police chief.