055 Succubus (Extra update, please don't let this novel gather dust)

Soon, the shopkeeper delivered another small chest filled to the brim with magic stones.

After counting the magic stones together with Wallace, the shopkeeper took his leave tactfully. Roland and Wallace then began dividing their spoils inside the room.

Wallace was very satisfied with this first pot of gold, though it remained unclear what he planned to do with the money.

Roland was equally thrilled. Four hundred and thirty magic stones constituted an astronomical sum for a low-level apprentice, an amount impossible to spend in a lifetime!

Upon receiving the funds, Roland first repaid Wallace for the bottle of "Inviolate to Fiends."

Wallace had originally quoted twenty-five magic stones per bottle, but now charged Roland only twenty.

An eighty percent discount... The relationship between Roland and this profiteer had grown remarkably close.

"Let's find somewhere to rest," Wallace said with a beaming smile as Roland packed away the magic stones in the chest. "With these four hundred and ten magic stones, we can go shopping tomorrow, which should be more than enough to prepare for your admission."

Roland had a clear grasp of his own spending budget. After calculating repeatedly, he figured that allocating forty magic stones for admission preparations was already quite high.

After all, the red-haired freshman who was also about to enroll had only prepared a little over thirty magic stones.

And the red-haired freshman was, after all, a minor noble.

Roland had already figured out how to purchase clothing, budgeting between twenty and thirty magic stones. For a freshman, this was already a considerable sum. Entering the academy wearing such equipment would undoubtedly be respectable enough.

After listening to Roland's budget, Wallace offered only a single remark: "Not a minor noble."

Roland's expression stiffened slightly, and he secretly doubled his budget.

When the two stepped out of the shop, it was already quite late. Having rushed about for the entire day, they were exhausted.

However, rather than immediately finding a place to stay, Wallace first knocked on the door of another shop and purchased a bottle of red dragon blood.

He led Roland to the most bustling avenue in the entire wizard market.

In the central area of the street stood a dilapidated, signless antique shop.

Wallace did not mention who owned the shop, but Roland had already guessed.

Opening an antique shop in a wizard market... such a stunt was likely only something Wallace could pull off.

A seal was pasted across the door. Wallace tore it open, knocked gently, but received no response.

"Natasha, it's me, not the tax collector!" Wallace called out in a low voice, and movement stirred within the door.

Soon, a woman in her early twenties poked her head out through a crack in the door. She had small imp horns atop her head and a charming, alluring face.

Roland instinctively glanced at her chest—a bustful succubus.

Roland muttered inwardly, "Heh, this old lecher, hiding a beauty in his golden house!"

As soon as she opened the door, the woman threw herself into Wallace's arms. "Father! You're finally back!"

"Father?" Roland was slightly stunned.

He looked at Wallace's wrinkled face, then glanced at this charming and alluring succubus elder sister... It truly came as quite a surprise.

Furthermore, which demon had Wallace mated with to produce this succubus daughter?

Or had Wallace summoned her from the abyss?

Upon learning the identity of this succubus elder sister, Roland's expression turned solemn.

After all, this was his brother's daughter.

"This is Roland. He is the young lady's fian— well, I'll explain to you later," Wallace introduced.

Only then did Natasha notice Roland standing beside the door.

His commanding height, high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes... and that bright, gentle smile...

Under the moonlight, his handsome features seemed bathed in a silver radiance. His facial contours were deep and three-dimensional, resembling a meticulously sculpted piece of art.

Natasha lost herself in a brief moment of distraction.

With utmost politeness, Roland executed the most standard Valerian noble knight's salute toward Natasha.

Natasha blinked her large, beautiful eyes and curiously uttered a single word: "Muggle?"

Roland: "……"

"Get inside." Wallace gave Roland a kick in the backside, his face dark as he said, "It's about time I gave you some lessons in magical world etiquette."

In truth, Roland did possess some understanding of wizard etiquette, but Senior Sister Catherine had only tutored him for three months, most of which was spent elevating his realm and studying the *Notes of Aleye*. How much time could he possibly have had to practice etiquette?

He knew he was indeed lacking in wizard etiquette, which was why he had just resorted to a noble knight's salute in response.

After all, before this, he had received the finest knightly training and was a genuine noble knight. Using such etiquette made him appear more refined and graceful.

Who could have guessed that it would result in such a massive blunder.

Although the shop was not particularly large, it was not small either, looking quite spacious and easily managed by a single person. Situated on the most prosperous street in this wizard market, one could only imagine how much it cost.

The landlord was Wallace himself.

Moreover, judging by the interior furnishings, this place was indeed a pure antique shop—run purely for amusement.

Nowadays, Wallace was left with only this single shop, and its shelves were empty.

Nevertheless, the entire store was impeccably clean.

A cup of milk sat on the counter. After leading the two inside, Natasha leaned against the counter and took a small sip from the cup.

Roland noticed that after she finished the milk, the horns on her head seemed to shrink slightly... perhaps it was just his imagination. He had never heard of succubi drinking milk to help conceal their demonic appearance.

Seeming to notice Roland's gaze, Natasha flashed him an alluring smile.

"Natasha, you didn't kill anyone, did you?" Wallace asked, frowning at the cup of milk.

Natasha froze slightly. She looked at the milk in her hand and suddenly understood her father's implication.

"You misunderstood, Father. This is just milk. It simply has some herbs mixed into it. Sheldon treats me very well, and as his wife... No, even if I weren't married, I wouldn't lower myself to drinking that sort of thing."

Natasha explained gently, "My recent food has been purchased in the mortal world using silver coins. A single magic stone can be exchanged for a pound of white silver. Although the magical beasts in the mortal realm are not of high quality, they suffice, and buying them with silver coins is much more cost-effective."

With that, the elder sister specifically clarified to Roland: "I am referring to blood rich in life force and magical power."

Roland blinked, failing to understand why Natasha felt the need to explain this specifically to him—what else could life essence and magical essence be other than blood rich in life force and magical power?

"Sigh, you've already started buying magical beasts from the mortal world... It's been hard on you," Wallace sighed, taking the bottle of dragon blood from his tunic and handing it to his daughter. "Drink this."

"I don't need it this week, Father," Natasha said after finishing her milk. "Save it for next week. I still have a surplus this week, and we need to be frugal lately."

Roland thought to himself, 'So succubi require magical power and life force to feed when hungry. That makes them somewhat similar to vampires.'

After conversing with his daughter for a while, Wallace led Roland upstairs.

As they ascended, Roland kept feeling an eerie, creepy sensation down his spine. Unable to help himself, he looked back and discovered that the elder sister leaning against the counter downstairs was flashing him a benevolent smile.

Wallace suddenly lowered his voice behind Roland and said, "Roland, as the heir of the Aleye family and a member of the Alexandra family, you should have been taught your persona by my stern housekeeper a decade later. Later on, the heir of Alexandra personally tutored you for three months. It is unreasonable for you not to know wizard etiquette, but I temporarily have no time to tutor you alone."

Roland blinked and asked, "Are you planning to have Natasha give me special training?"

Wallace glared furiously: "You brat, keep dreaming! My daughter is already married!"

Wallace's conversational leaps were too rapid, leaving Roland puzzled: "I was merely asking what your plan is."

Wallace narrowed his eyes and said, "We're both men, don't think I don't know what's on your mind—today you expect my daughter to tutor you, and tomorrow you'll be thinking about sleeping with her!"

Roland: "......"

Returning to the original topic, Wallace stated, "Since you don't know wizard etiquette, then when others salute you, you simply needn't use any etiquette at all—or perhaps do something like this, a slight nod, kept subtle and casual. Or simply glance at them and ignore them entirely."

Roland was dumbfounded: "What if I encounter descendants of other major aristocratic families? Should I pretend not to see them too?"

Wallace declared, "Aside from formal wizards, treat everyone like that! Remember your identity, arrogance, show me arrogance! Be arrogant! If the people of Alexandra start becoming polite to worms (apprentices) and whelps (apprentices), our enemies will come looking for trouble! Therefore, you must keep up appearances even if it kills you."

Saying this, Wallace let out a deep sigh: "Besides, since you don't know wizard etiquette, this is the only way to avoid exposing yourself. Other than arrogance, you have no other choice."

Summarizing Wallace's words into a single concept: if you don't act arrogant, you die.

Roland was left utterly dumbfounded.

Isn't this just asking to be beaten up?

The current Black Abyss Academy was no longer entirely under the control of the Alexandra family.

Not only had a group of fault-finding White Chess wizards arrived at the academy, but the descendants of White Wizard families were also growing increasingly numerous.

These rigid, proud White Wizard factions placed great emphasis on reputation and etiquette. If someone saluted you and you responded with cold indifference... that was an insult! An utter insult!

........

PS: I am hoping to push for a major recommendation next week and need everyone's continuous readership. Please do not stockpile chapters, or it will kill the book's momentum. Once the book is officially published, I will unleash explosions of chapters for you.

The academy plot is not a slice-of-life daily routine; it contains plenty of bizarre and mystical elements, treat it like an arc dungeon. This book features no dragging romance and will remain deeply wizard-centric.