The management of Garrett Nordmarkâs Mage Tower... was really not strict at all.
After all, there were only two official members of the Mage Tower: Garrett himself and Aurora Worton, plus Mr. Andrew Lynn who was visiting. With just these two and a half people, it seemed unnecessary to deliberately establish rules and regulations for the Mage Tower, numbering up to 123.
What about students?
Those 24 apprentices, 30% counted as students, 70% as laborers, could at most be exploited for a yearâs worth of work, with virtually no chance of keeping anything for themselves. Therefore, Garrettâs approach to them was essentially laissez-faire. As long as they worked diligently and didnât fight, whatever they wanted to do or learn after class was none of his concern...
Based on all this, the one thing Garrett strictly managed was the P4 laboratory management system. Three zones, two passages, no wandering around, cleanliness when entering and exiting the lab, andâ
Absolutely no taking anything out of the lab!
No spatial equipment allowed in or out!
Many of those bacteria were deadly pathogens, taking them out could kill people!
Iâm talking to you, you bunch from Black Crow Swamp!
Outside the P4 laboratory, Garrett was much more relaxed. Whether it was culture mediums, diseased animals, or breeding penicillin, everything was just casually placed as long as the door was remembered to be shut.
These items taken out? Well, if they were taken out, so be it, itâs not like it would kill anyone...
So, Garrett, dragging along Aurora and Andrew, and Bernard who was purely there for a free meal, had a big stroll around the shopping district and had dinner. When he returned and heard that a strain of penicillin had been stolen, he was somewhat baffled:
âWhat? Who stole it? What for?â
Itâs not like itâs 1945 in the Shanghai Bund, where a dose of penicillin was worth a yellow croaker fish, desperately stolen... Whatâs the use of stealing a breeding strain?
I havenât even started the selection, purification, or made it into sodium penicillin, let alone procaine penicillinâwell, forget about the latter, the chemical industry level of this world probably wonât make it in this lifetimeâbut still, what use is there in stealing the strain?
"MOSS doesnât know why it was stolen." The Tower Spiritâs voice was still that gender-neutral, monotonous electronic tone, even when spitting out "I donât know," there wasnât a hint of questioning or guilt. Methodically, it answered:
"The one who took the strain was Mage Apprentice Kevin Aini. MOSS has recorded footage of Aini taking the strain and leaving the Mage Tower, which the master can view in the control room."
"Mage Apprentice?"
"Why him?"
Garrett and Aurora asked together. In Garrettâs mind, if anyone were to steal penicillin, it would most likely be someone from the Temple of the Spring Goddess, or at most, the Temple of the God of Warâ
Would the Magic Council be afraid of not getting their hands on it? Once he finished his research, the task of mass production would naturally fall to the Magic Council, why would they need to steal?
They both hastened their pace towards the elevator. Behind them, Mr. Andrew Lynn heaved a sigh of relief:
Thank God, the thief wasnât one of their Black Crow Swamp lot!
After this sigh, his mind began to whirl non-stop. Having faced countless battles with the Radiant Church, he instinctively thought of the worst-case scenario:
Why steal important research results?
Whatâs the background of that Mage Apprentice?
Could he be a spy from the other side?
"MOSS, what school does Kevin Aini belong to? Who is his mentor? Whatâs his background?âWhy didnât you stop him?"
He asked a string of questions. By the time the elevator reached the top of the tower, while the Tower Spirit was playing the footage for the master, it buzzed in response:
"Kevin Aini, 14 years old, an apprentice of the Curse Magic Department, medical branch. Mentor: Billy OâGran, a level 7 magician, affiliated with Chaos Magic Academy.âMaster did not grant MOSS the authority to prevent others from taking items below the second floor out of the Mage Tower."
"..." Andrew was speechless. He glared fiercely at Garrett: Thatâs what you get for not paying attention! Thatâs what you get for being lax!
"So, heâs from the medical branch..." Garrett relaxed. I thought as much, thereâs no love or hatred without reason. The medical branch being interested in penicillin is only natural. Maybe he stole it to research it for his teacher?
"If thatâs the case, Iâll ask him when he returns tomorrow..."
Garrett yawned. He was full and felt sleepy...
"No way!" Both Aurora and Andrew objected in unison. Aurora even went as far as to push his shoulder:
"Go find the teacher! Now! People from the Curse Magic Department, stealing stuff and bringing it to our Mage Tower!"
"Youâre right, letâs go now!" Andrew followed at a leisurely pace. "What if he is a spy? What if his teacher is a spy? What if he was robbed by a spy on his way here? If you report it now, itâs his responsibility. If you slack off, the responsibility is yours!"
"But..." Garrett really didnât think it was that serious. He was still looking around:
"Itâs very late now... The monorail has stopped... Letâs wait until tomorrow..."
"Now!" Andrew pushed him. "Iâll summon a Phantom Steed! Iâll accompany you up the mountain!"
"Meowâ"
Mr. Troka let out a sharp roar, raising its claws in support of its master. Behind, shadows moved restlessly, seemingly ready to transform into a black panther at any moment to grab Garrett by the collar...
Pressedâeven forced by two friends, Garrett finally let the Tower Spirit copy a magic crystal footage, rushing to the mountain top. He had no choice, he was a level 3, against two level 5s, he couldnât win.
Of course, he didnât ask anyone to accompany him, nor did he summon a magic horse. Instead, he activated the teleportation spell carried by the ăEndless Ink Penă, self-reliantly teleporting next to the Igor Lock. freeđ€ebnovel.com
Garrett walked into the Thunder Tower, familiar with the route, and reported to Archmage Carlisle. The Archmage indeed got angry:
"What is this! Thieves have made it to the Horn of Thunder! Whereâs the footage?âDid you bring it? Show me!"
Garrett hurriedly handed over the magic crystal. Archmage Carlisle inserted the chip into a slot on the desk, and in a moment, a light tomb opened in the study. Archmage Carlisle watched intently, growing angrier as he watched, and slammed his hand on the desk.
Papers, pens, books on the desk instantly floated up, their edges sparking with electric light. And right in the center of the desk, that small hand-cranked generator made a snapping sound, as the fuse melted again...
"Letâs go!" He grabbed Garrett:
"Come with me to the Tower of a Thousand Laws, to settle accounts with that old thing!"
A level 14 against a level 3, Garrett had no power to resist, being dragged stumblingly out.
The Tower of a Thousand Laws of the Curse Magic School and the Thunder Tower of the Energy Shaping School stood opposite each other, located on either side of the Tower of Heaven. With each step Archmage Carlisle took, his aura rose, charging into the Tower of a Thousand Laws. When he stepped out of the elevator on the 23rd floor, the electricity around him had already triggered the Tower Spiritâs warning:
"Please be cautious, esteemed Mage! Your energy fluctuations are too dangerous, please control yourself to avoid triggering the Tower Spiritâs defenses!"
Archmage Carlisle paid no heed. He dragged Garrett forward, straight into a laboratory. With a loud bang, the laboratory door was slammed back, and a tall, red-haired man raised his head from the microscope, frowning and yelling:
"Carlisle!!!"
He pointed a finger, and a rainbow of light shot out, entangling towards the door. Garrett instinctively dodged back:
Two high-level mages messing around, they might just be greeting each other or expressing some dissatisfaction, the defensive spells they carried could easily dissipate it. But if I get hit, heh...
Especially since that one was level 15! Level 15! One level higher than Archmage Carlisle!
Archmage, please block it...
Archmage Carlisle did not disappoint his expectations. With a casual wave, a wall of force rose, protecting Garrett securely. Then he roared back:
"Old Morton! Your discipleâs disciple has stolen stuff and brought it to our Horn of Thunder!"
"What?"
Mage Morton was stunned. He waved his hand subconsciously, and the test tubes, flasks, and petri dishes on the table flew out in a clatter. Garrett, hiding behind Archmage Carlisle, was so scared that his eyes widened:
[Ahhhâ]
Donât smash it! What is in these things? Please donât let it be contagious germs!
Archmage Carlisle seemed to sense it too, his finger slightly raised, and a gentle breeze picked up, holding those flying objects in the air. The two mages, one holding and one gathering, quickly put things back in order. Only then did Mage Morton have time to ask:
"Whatâs the situation? Which disciple of mine? What did he steal?"
Archmage Carlisle slammed the chip in
front of him.
The screen pulled open again, showing a sneaky youth, slipping into the laboratory, putting the contents of a petri dish into a bottle, tucking it into his chest, and taking it back to the dormitory. He finished packing his things, carrying his luggage and leaving the Mage Tower, his figure getting farther and farther, smaller and smaller, and the youth never looked back from beginning to end.
Archmage Carlisle coldly said:
"Kevin Aini, an apprentice from your department. The Public Health Department was recruiting recentlyâ"
He shifted to the side, letting Garrett out, indicating it was his matter. Garrett hurriedly nodded and bowed to Mage Morton, and Archmage Carlisle pointed at Garrett, standing aside and continuing:
"That kid was sent to his Mage Tower, and then he did thisâ"
"Iâve heard of this." Old Morton nodded.
He was aware of the establishment of the Public Health Department and Garrett, a level 3 mage who got a high-level Mage Tower, as well as the research projects released by Mage Towers that several in the medical branch were vying for, he even made a few callsâ
Thinking of this, the Archmage felt a bad feeling rise in his heart: "Who is his mentor?"
"When he was sent over, a resume was attached, that kidâs mentor is Billy OâGran. Old Morton, thatâs your disciple, right?"
Mage Morton choked. His face turned from red to white, then from white to red, his fists clenched with a crackling sound. Standing silently for a moment, he pulled out the chip from the experimental table, carefully stored it, and walked towards Archmage Carlisle:
"OâGran is my disciple. âLetâs go, if that kid really is under OâGranâs tutelage, I will definitely give you an explanation!"
The three left the Mage Tower together. Mage Morton strode meteorically, heading straight towards the north side of Igor Peak. Coming to the edge of the cliff, Garrett thought there would be a magic carpet, or at least a Phantom Steed to ride, but to his surprise, Mage Morton grabbed his wrist and leapt outâ
"Ahhhhhh!"
Garrett screamed uncontrollably. This side was a cliff! A cliff!
Falling straight down more than two hundred meters deep!
He didnât want to become a lich now!