Half a month later, on a frostbitten morning.

Outside, breaths formed ice crystals, while frost flowers crystallized intricate patterns on the window glass, filtering and refracting the faint morning light, casting fragmented, enchanting rainbows within the room.

Standing in the warmth of the indoors, Rosalyn donned a thick cloak before turning to see her teacher had also changed into a beige trench coat, layered over a warm gray turtleneck sweater that added an air of intellectual sophistication to her delicate figure, contrasting with her youthful face.

These clothes came from the underground warehouse of an abandoned clothing factory. Perhaps due to the powerful preservation technologies of the Origin civilization, the unique nanofiber material, or some special treatment, nearly half of the garments had managed to escape decay from microbes, photo-oxidation, and thermal degradation over the lengthy passage of six centuries, finding their way into their hands. Otherwise, with their near-zero textile knowledge, they would have had to spend the winter holed up at home without sufficient warm clothing.

“Let’s go, teacher!” Rosalyn declared excitedly after adjusting the collar of Yvette’s coat.

Their destination today was the eastern district near Grayport City in Ish City. Based on her insights from the dream, Rosalyn believed there should be a military base operated by the New Eden government on Ish Island.

With the “Elemental Decay Restoration Technique” now in her repertoire, Yvette planned to recover some military-grade magitek equipment, check if any could still be operational, and if so, repair the elemental capacitors for immediate use.

Of course, the outcome largely depended on luck. If the military gear was of excellent quality and still functional after six hundred years, she could just recharge the batteries and take it home. If not, well, it would still be an interesting expedition.

Half an hour later, riding on the magitek motorcycle, they arrived at the entrance of the abandoned military base. Perhaps due to the cold weather limiting movement, they encountered almost no aberration attacks along the way, as the world felt tranquil, blanketed in a sea of white.

Upon entering the base and dispatching a few humanoid aberrations along the way, they entered several weapon storage rooms with wide-open doors. Yvette tested the remaining magitek equipment inside one by one, but unfortunately, no matter how she channeled her mana, there was no response.

After checking several rooms in succession, Yvette sensed that today might end in disappointment.

However, just then, Rosalyn made a discovery deep inside a large, open hall resembling a massive training ground.

It was a half-mechanical aberration, notably different from others. This one had military-grade alloy blades for arms, and upon noticing Rosalyn’s intrusion, it activated the blades almost immediately. Rosalyn could clearly see the electrical currents pulsating along the blades and hear their ominous humming.

Soon, Yvette arrived and dismantled the half-mechanical aberration, and after removing the organic tissue clinging to the blades, she revealed a bionic hand structure underneath. Essentially, the two alloy blades were directly wielded by this mechanical limb and could be detached for immediate use.

“How cool…” Rosalyn exclaimed, gripping the alloy blade and activating it, watching as the blade trembled, its surface crackling with electric light.

Yvette, pleasantly surprised, had been worried about returning empty-handed after a fruitless search. Unexpectedly, she had struck gold on her first attempt to salvage equipment from an aberration.

In some respects, while half-mechanical aberrations generally posed a greater threat than biological ones, they did provide items that could be recovered, making them prime targets for future endeavors.

“Teacher, what do you think of this blade? Is it powerful?” After disengaging the combat mode and calming the blade down, Rosalyn asked curiously.

“Not bad.” After connecting her magitek terminal and checking the parameters, Yvette nodded slightly.

The blade was named “Ripper Model VII,” part of the New Eden Commonwealth’s self-developed military weapon series. It had two effects: “High-Frequency Oscillation” and “High-Voltage Current.”

Since the magitek circuits couldn’t read the details, and even forcing a readout resulted in gibberish, Yvette couldn’t assess the specifications, quality, or actual parameters of these accompanying spells. However, based on the immediate testing, it appeared that when combined with “Muscle Limit Release,” the destructive power would likely rival her personal spell “Rage of Thunder,” easily capable of dispatching a basic aberration.

However, the issue of battery decay hadn’t diminished. Clearly, the aberration could supply energy for the weapon while it was bonded to its host. Now that it was separated, the elemental capacitors were inadequate.

Additionally, the energy consumption rate of “High-Frequency Oscillation” and “High-Voltage Current” seemed quite steep; without replenishing the battery’s elements, if the knife were given directly to Rosalyn, she would likely see her mana drain to almost nothing in half an hour.

…

After searching for a while longer and finding nothing more new, Yvette led Rosalyn back to the manor before noon and quickly began the elemental recharging process, restoring the two pieces of military-grade magitek equipment to peak condition.

In the afternoon, watching Rosalyn fervently training various slashing techniques with the alloy blade in the chilly wind of the manor, Yvette quietly resolved to expedite the optimization work for both “Crimson Armor” and “Muscle Limit Release.”

This wasn’t purely for her apprentice’s sake; in fact, Yvette herself had developed an interest in these military weapons from the Origin civilization.

After all…

What boy could resist the allure of swords and blades?

Right?

Of course, from a practicality standpoint, the traditional elemental bombardment produced by the Ice, Fire, Wind, and Thunder spells was far more effective than merely wielding an alloy blade; the firepower was on an entirely different level.

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…

Time flew, and before long, three months had passed. The seasons transitioned from the snow-laden days of winter to late spring and early summer.

After many rounds of careful iterations, the spells “Crimson Armor” and “Muscle Limit Release” had finally been optimized to a level very close to their limits, with significantly reduced mana consumption.

Moreover, Yvette eloquently changed the coverage mechanism of “Crimson Armor”—now, even the clothes worn by the caster would receive protection, eliminating concerns about armor shredding in intense combat.

Rosalyn was overjoyed at this revision since she had begun high-intensity practice of sword techniques and close-quarter combat during this period.

Not that she wished to change her career; in reality, practicing close-range weapons and magical training didn’t conflict in any way. However, her current mana was significantly low; for any given spell, when she poured in the same amount of mana as her teacher, the effect was still far inferior to that of Yvette.

But using the two enhancements inherent in the alloy blade made all the difference—the “High-Frequency Oscillation” and “High-Voltage Current” powers stemmed from the high-voltage input provided by the blade’s internally embedded capacitors, allowing Rosalyn to wield destructive power comparable to her teacher merely by swinging the blade.

Thus, driven by the pure desire to “share the burden with her teacher,” she naturally inclined towards utilizing this weapon that enabled her to exhibit greater instantaneous combat prowess.

As for Yvette, after a period of practicing with the close-range weapons, she silently let go of that option.

Well, it was simply too time-consuming. With that time, there were many other things she could accomplish.

Since successfully optimizing “Crimson Armor” and “Muscle Limit Release,” her next goal was to optimize the “Regeneration Pump,” enhancing it with a capability to emergency treat infections caused by aberration viruses.

However, the challenge with this research direction was that she had no knowledge of the mysterious virus that caused biological mutations; she only knew that it could be transmitted through blood, making it imperative to avoid any injuries inflicted by aberrant creatures.

Therefore, to study the filtration and purification effects of the “Regeneration Pump” against this mysterious virus, an extensive series of biological experiments involving various small animals would likely be unavoidable in the coming period.

…

Thus, peace returned to the green manor atop the wasteland, where the daily routines of the master and apprentice resumed: exploration, meditation, study, experimentation… day after day.

In this idyllic rhythm, three years swiftly passed by.