"Last time I invited you to join me, you declined, so I found some others to explore with.
Luckily, we managed to obtain a treasure...
Unfortunately, Olen happened to stumble upon us.
After that, you all saw what happened."
Olinda explained the whole story to Roy, connecting all the dots.
"What exactly are these so-called treasures?" Roy asked curiously.
He began to suspect that the Thunder Demon Eye in his possession might be one of them.
The war between the Fishmen Tribe and the Giant Tribe was also because of this.
Olinda said, "Actually, you don't need to be envious. Most of them are just inexplicable flesh scraps and fragmented debris. Apart from causing mutations in magical creatures and bringing radiation pollution, they're pretty much useless.
Only a very few...
Only a very few are actually useful."
"Like the thing in your hand?" Roy raised an eyebrow.
Olinda remained silent, clearly unwilling to discuss it further.
Roy didn't press her too much and changed the topic. "Alright, I won't pry into your secrets. Please continue."
Olinda said, "Olen had the means to advance over a year ago, but he delayed it to avoid being forcibly conscripted and losing the chance to enter that place and retrieve the treasures!"
Roy was surprised again. "That's possible?"
But the Wizard Tower indeed had such a rule.
After advancing to Wizard, unless granted special permission, one could not remain in their homeland.
Newly advanced Wizards would be dispatched by the Seven Towers Alliance to various worlds for external conquests and colonial rule.
The vast universe, the brutal Plane Battlefield...
Not everyone could survive.
"So, what exactly needs to be done to utilize that passage?" Roy refocused on this crucial question.
Olinda explained, "Someone from the Astrology Wizard Tower divined that every 23 years or so, a Dark Star passes near our Wizard World, affecting the Astral Void.
That signifies spatial tides.
This year, on December 12th, that Dark Star will be in the sky.
Astrologers have declared that the entire week starting from that day is the Week of Demonic Nature, highly favorable for the evolution of magical creatures, but it also has the function of opening spatial passages."
"December 12th..."
Roy estimated that if he could speed up his cultivation and manage to materialize all his Willpower Runes, his mental strength would reach the top tier among advanced apprentices.
By then, he might even be able to compete with someone like Olen.
"There's still enough time to grow!"
Thinking of this, he felt a bit excited.
But then he remembered something: "With such a long time, Olen could accumulate even more resources!"
Olinda said, "You're very sharp... He is indeed collecting materials from there, reportedly planning to craft a very powerful Automata."
Indeed!
Roy immediately felt a strong sense of crisis.
...
A few days later.
A errand servant knocked on Roy's door, bringing him good news.
"Master Roy, someone has responded to the message you posted on the bulletin board. They are willing to trade some of the materials you need and 3000 Magic Stones for that Lord-level Fish Pearl!"
"Really? Take me to them."
Roy didn't bother resting and immediately said.
Not long after, Roy arrived at another location within the same residential area to complete the inspection and transaction with the other party.
This was a great thing—finally, someone had taken the bait for this valuable item.
Without delay, Roy immediately headed to the shops on the commercial street to purchase a large amount of materials, stocking up on the Blood Mercury raw materials needed for the upcoming full-body blood replacement.
"Finally, it's time. Inject the second tube and continue increasing the Blood Mercury ratio!"
Returning to his residence, Roy got busy.
Over the past few days, he had verified Olinda's words through various means and confirmed many things.
"Olinda didn't lie. Olen is indeed planning to craft Automata, actively preparing for the Dark Star's appearance in December to venture inside and search for treasures.
Moreover, Sophia and two other Elite Apprentices also know about this and might be vying for the same opportunity!"
Some things aren't secrets within specific circles; secrets are always for those who lack access to information.
For something of such widespread influence and involving so many people, she had already heard about it.
Roy suddenly realized that his current status as an advanced apprentice and his level of strength were far from sufficient.
Only by advancing to a position equal to Olen and Sophia would he be qualified to plan for the 'treasure mountain' within that spatial rift.
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Fortunately, he still had time.
Perhaps he could grow during this period.
...
Roy had already personally gone through the entire process of refining Blood Mercury, so he was still familiar with it as he pondered.
After a while, he once again refined this liquid metal, which had the properties of mercury but a deep crimson color and emitted a faint fluorescent glow.
This time, it was still a 100-milliliter portion, which he injected into himself using a syringe.
This Blood Mercury would slowly absorb ordinary blood within the body, adjusting blood pressure, oxygen levels, and blood sugar according to physical conditions...
Thus, it needed some time to fully integrate.
Roy paused, planning to meditate for a while and then head to the library to read.
Aside from enhancing his physique to the level of an advanced knight, or even a Grand Knight, through Blood Mercury replacement, he had many other tasks ahead.
For example, materializing all 24 Willpower Runes.
Another example was mastering more Spell Models, even if only at a superficial level rather than delving deeply into the inherited series.
Additionally, he needed to purchase Enchanted Items, stockpile various consumables like Alchemy Bombs and Healing Potions, as well as all kinds of talismans and equipment.
All of these were the accumulation of foundational strength!
...
After a night.
Uruz!
The Willpower Rune appeared in the form of a three-dimensional projection, emitting a silver glow above Roy's palm.
This was the second Willpower Rune materialized.
His mental strength had once again seen a slight increase.
"The diluted Meditation Potion I made works well...
If I can keep this up, condensing two or more Runes each month, there's hope of reaching the level of an Elite Apprentice by around December!
However, apprentices of this level aren't just qualified in terms of mental strength; knowledge and the accumulation of various foundational reserves are also necessary."
After setting the goal of 'advancing to Elite,' the originally ample 300-plus days suddenly felt insufficient.
He could only seize the time to improve himself.
Roy got out of bed, dressed, and washed up.
Afterward, he didn't even have time for breakfast and went straight to the Alchemy Room in the suite to examine the Thunder Demon Eye he had seized from the Fishman Lord.
"It's time to deal with this thing.
If utilized fully, it might significantly enhance our combat power in a short time!"
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