Chapter 135: A New Mentor

Shadow Forest.

The dense forest, once ravaged by war, had regrown. Thick branches and lush foliage intertwined, though it lacked the deep, weathered charm of its former self. The academy buildings had also been almost entirely renovated; while their designs and styles remained unchanged, they had lost their mottled, ancient character.

"We're here!"

The third-rank wizard apprentice piloting the Gale Birds controlled the ten creatures as they slowly descended to the ground.

"Finally..."

Lin Wei looked at the academy environment, which felt both familiar and strange.

"Dismissed!" Kibur ordered in a low voice.

From this moment on, the Shadow Forest's Ségavi Lake camp had effectively ceased to exist.

"Lin Wei, Ingmar."

Saniel called out to the two of them. His wounds had already been treated, and he only needed to undergo a limb-regeneration surgery to return to his former self.

"Remember to keep in touch," Saniel said with a smile.

Lin Wei and Ingmar exchanged a glance and nodded.

"Don't worry, you still owe me for saving your life," Ingmar said, patting Saniel on the shoulder.

"Lin Wei, what are you going to do now?" Saniel gave a helpless smile at Ingmar before turning his gaze to Lin Wei. They were all aware that Lin Wei's mentor had died, and the manner of that death was far from normal.

"I’m going to find my senior sister and inquire about Mentor Celes. I hope she’s still alive..." Lin Wei replied after a moment of contemplation.

"Be careful."

There was a profound look in Saniel's eyes as he looked at Lin Wei. Lin Wei understood the implication; the matter concerning Celes clearly involved a formal wizard, and Saniel was warning him to know when to stop.

"I know," Lin Wei smiled faintly.

"Then I’ll take my leave." Saniel glanced at the already departing Wizard Kibur and hurried to catch up.

"Lin Wei, we’re heading off, too." Ingmar was followed by Shelis.

"Right."

Lin Wei watched their departing figures, lost in thought.

"I suspect that trying to uncover the truth about Celes on my own will be difficult to yield results. Furthermore, the enemy is clearly not on my level; to harbor thoughts of revenge at this point is simply foolish."

Although Lin Wei did have thoughts of avenging Celes, he would resolutely abandon them if his own life were threatened.

"Let's find Ambis first..."

Lin Wei paused, deciding to seek out the senior sister with whom he had the closest nominal connection.

...

Ambis's dormitory building had been renovated, but otherwise, there were no changes.

"The immense power of a wizard is something mortals can hardly match. If mortals were to rebuild so many structures, it would take at least two years," Lin Wei thought as he entered the building, sensing the residual magical energy still clinging to the walls. "But for a wizard, I suspect it took less than two days..."

He arrived at Ambis's door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Lin Wei tapped lightly on the door.

"Who is it?"

Ambis's voice came from inside. Before Lin Wei could answer, the door swung open.

"You are...?"

Ambis froze, momentarily failing to recognize him. After grafting the deep blue flesh, Lin Wei’s entire aura and even his appearance had undergone significant changes.

"Senior Sister Ambis."

Lin Wei smiled politely, relieved that she had survived. "It’s me, Lin Wei."

"Lin Wei?!"

Ambis covered her mouth, looking at him in disbelief. She inspected him again. His originally brown hair had turned black, his sky-blue pupils were now tinged with purple, and two faint purple marks extended from the corners of his eyes, giving him a sinister, otherworldly appearance.

"It really is you..."

Ambis managed to recognize him by his features. "How did you end up looking like this?"

She stepped aside and pulled him into the room.

"There was an accident while I was practicing witchcraft," Lin Wei replied offhandedly.

Ambis did not doubt him; after all, it was not uncommon for accidents during magical practice or experimentation to lead to physical mutations. It was just that she had never seen one like Lin Wei's, which seemed to be a positive transformation. Lin Wei was even more captivating than before.

Ambis leaned closer to him unconsciously. "Did you finish your mission?" She was clearly aware of the task Lin Wei had accepted in the Layton Kingdom.

"Yes..." Lin Wei nodded. "But right after I finished, I was summoned to the Ségavi Lake battlefield. Now that the war has just ended, I’ve returned to the academy."

"The war..." Ambis's expression suddenly turned melancholy. "It was too cruel. Even Mentor Celes perished while resisting the Fanged Blood Shadows..."

"Hm!?"

Lin Wei’s gaze locked onto Ambis’s eyes, startling her. "Are you saying Mentor Celes died in the conflict between the two sides?!"

"Y-yes..." Ambis looked confused. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing..." Lin Wei frowned. "It’s just a pity that Mentor Celes had to die like that..."

Ambis sank into grief as well; Celes was truly one of the few good teachers at the Shadow Forest Academy.

"Ambis’s account is different from Kibur’s..." Lin Wei pondered. "Kibur has no reason to lie to me... and naturally, Ambis has no motive to deceive me either."

"That leaves only one possibility. The truth about Celes's death has been buried. Perhaps only a few formal wizards know the truth, and Ambis is completely in the dark."

Lin Wei vaguely deduced the situation: "What exactly did Celes touch upon?"

"By the way, Lin Wei," Ambis adjusted her emotions quickly. "Because of Mentor Celes's accidental death, we have been assigned a new mentor."

"Another biology teacher?" Lin Wei asked.

"No, it's Wizard Lorna," Ambis replied.

"Wizard Lorna?"

Lin Wei understood instantly. This was definitely Lorna's doing. He thought to himself, "Did Lorna take out Celes to tighten the connection between me and the Fanged Blood Shadows?"

"No... Lorna has no reason to take such a risk for a reward that doesn't justify it... And from Kibur's tone, there must be a deeper reason for Celes's death."

"If that's the case, I'll just have to wait until I meet Lorna to ask about what happened." He couldn't rush this, and he didn't feel an immediate sense of urgency.

"If it's convenient, you should go see Mentor Lorna as soon as possible. Don't leave a bad impression," Ambis said, looking at him with concern.

"I will, Senior Sister." Lin Wei nodded in gratitude.