White Tower Province, outskirts of Ryan City.

    A vast manor, planted with dense, crimson fruits.

    At a glance, it seemed as if one had entered a sea of red.

    On the path between the gardens, Xieman looked at the thriving Dragon Blood Fruits, a genuine smile blooming on his face.

    The apprentices behind him also beamed with joy.

    “The first batch of Dragon Blood Fruits are about to mature, indicating that the magic plant garden’s formation is functioning without issues. We succeeded!”

    “This counts as completing the task!”

    “I told you, with Senior Xieman around, there’s no problem!”

    “Right, it’s all thanks to Senior Xieman.”

    The group buzzed with happy chatter, filled with a joyful atmosphere.

    Xieman turned back, smiling. “The development of the magic plant garden isn’t just my achievement. It’s thanks to everyone’s help. You’ve all worked hard during this time. I’ll submit a report to the base according to everyone’s contributions. I’m sure the task rewards will be coming soon.”

    The apprentices’ expressions brightened even further upon hearing this.

    They had traveled thousands of miles to White Tower Province to develop the magic plant garden. It had been hard work, but the rewards were also incredibly generous.

    These four months of effort had earned them more than their past six months of mission income combined.

    Xieman was also in high spirits.@@@@

    As the main force behind the magic plant garden, he would receive the most contribution points, enough to exchange for several Super Ability Potions and four or five First-Ring Spells.

    “Senior Xieman, when are we going to the next location?” an apprentice asked eagerly, fists clenched.

    There were two teams in charge of developing new magic plant gardens, led by Xieman and Kore respectively.

    Each team was responsible for developing three new magic plant gardens, all located near the six knight academies.

    Ryan City was only their first magic plant garden, and they had two more to go.

    Xieman pondered for a moment before replying, “I’ll submit the report to the base later. Once the stationed personnel from the base arrive to take over, we can leave. Ra?o??E?S?

    “Also, we need to harvest and preserve this batch of Dragon Blood Fruits, deliver them to the Dragon Claw Knight Academy in the city, and plant new magic plant seeds. This time, we’ll add some other types of seeds, including Silver Moon Flowers and Calm Mind Flowers.”

    Hearing that Xieman had already arranged for everything, everyone agreed.

    “Everyone has worked hard today. After we return to the city, I’ll treat you all to dinner at the Blue Rose Restaurant,” Xieman said with a smile.

    “Senior Xieman is treating us? Then I’ll be sure to eat my fill.”

    “Senior Xieman is generous. The Blue Rose Restaurant isn’t cheap.”

    “Cut it out, how could Senior Xieman be short of gold coins?”

    The group laughed and teased each other.

    Except for two apprentices who remained on duty with envious expressions, the rest left the magic plant garden together.

    Four luxurious carriages were parked outside the main gate, their walls engraved with the family crest of Ryan City’s lord.

    Upon seeing Xieman and his companions emerge, the coachmen immediately jumped down, placed footstools, and stood respectfully to the side.

    Ryan City’s lord didn’t dare to neglect these Wizard Apprentices from the capital base. He had arranged their accommodations at the lord’s mansion, prepared four carriages for their use, and provided dedicated personnel to attend to their every need, from travel to meals.

    After all, these were the students of that great person.

    Everyone boarded the carriages one by one, and the convoy set off for Ryan City with a series of neighs.

    Inside the carriage, Xieman took out a spell model book and immersed himself in its pages.

    After being promoted to Second-Rank Wizard Apprentice, he was finally able to start learning First-Ring Spells.

    The first First-Ring Spell he chose was [Shield Spell].

    “First-Ring Spells are indeed much harder than Zero-Ring Spells. I’ve been learning for almost half a year, but I haven’t fully mastered Shield Spell yet.”

    Only after actually experiencing it did Xieman truly understand the difficulty of First-Ring Spells, and he felt even more admiration and respect for his teacher.

    Teacher could master one First-Ring Spell per month, according to Ms. Amy!

    That was something he couldn’t even imagine!

    Time flew by as he studied.

    Before long, Xieman felt the carriage slowing down, followed by the coachman’s voice outside.

    “Sir, we’ve arrived.”

    Xieman put away his book, opened the carriage door, and stepped down.

    The convoy had arrived at the gate of the lord’s mansion.

    Stedd Ponte, who had already received the news, was standing at the gate. Upon seeing Xieman get off, he greeted him with a warm smile.

    “Sir Xieman, I heard you were planning to have dinner at the Blue Rose Restaurant. I’ve already arranged a feast there. If you wouldn’t mind, let me be your host tonight.”

    Xieman readily agreed. “Then I’ll trouble you, Lord Stedd.”

    Facing the charging Dark Land Dragon, Xieman calmly completed his spell preparation and launched a Stun Spell at the Dark Land Dragon.

    Bang!

    The Dark Land Dragon stumbled and fell to the ground, sliding several meters along the ground due to the immense inertia, kicking up a cloud of dust.

    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Stedd, along with the two other knights, charged forward.

    However, dragons were naturally resistant to magic, and while the Dark Land Dragon was only a sub-dragon species, it still inherited some of its abilities, making it significantly more resistant to magic than strange beasts of other species.

    Shaking its head, the Dark Land Dragon climbed back up from the ground, seemingly unharmed, and attacked again.

    “Zero-Ring Spells have little effect on the Dark Land Dragon. Unfortunately, I haven’t mastered any attack-type First-Ring Spells yet.”

    Xieman sighed, seeing Stedd and the others struggling against the Dark Land Dragon’s attacks. He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly took out a gem.

    The gem, engraved with intricate patterns, sparkled beautifully in the sunlight.

    Xieman then threw the gem, shouting at the same time:

    “Move!”

    Stedd and the three knights immediately retreated to the sides, and the next second, the gem in mid-air suddenly burst into a brilliant light, transforming into a bolt of lightning that slammed into the Dark Land Dragon.

    Boom!

    The Dark Land Dragon immediately let out a terrifying roar.

    When the lightning dissipated, the Dark Land Dragon lay motionless on the ground, smoking and silent.

    A knight cautiously approached to check, then revealed a joyful expression.

    “It’s dead!”

    Stedd breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Xieman with awe.

    This was the power of a wizard!

    That bolt of lightning just now was incredibly powerful!

    Even a Great Knight might not dare to face it head-on, right?

    Unbeknownst to him, Xieman was equally astonished.

    This was the first time he had used a Rune Gem in battle, and he never expected it to be so powerful. Even the Dark Land Dragon, with its high magic resistance, was killed in one hit.

    “Rune Gems are expensive, but they’re worth it.”

    Xieman sighed inwardly.

    Coming back to his senses, he immediately found Stedd and said, “Lord Stedd, it’s very unusual for a Dark Land Dragon to appear on the surface. It might be related to the underground world. I have to report this to my teacher. Would you please allow me to handle this corpse?”

    Stedd’s expression turned solemn. “No problem, Sir Xieman. If you need help, please just ask.”

    Xieman thanked him and asked Stedd to move the corpse to the lord’s mansion for safekeeping.

    Back at the lord’s mansion, Xieman immediately returned to his room, ready to write a letter to his teacher, reporting today’s events.

    Stedd went to his father’s study to report what had happened.

    “Why would a monster from the underground world appear here?”

    Lord Haus of Ryan City couldn’t help but furrow his brow after listening to Stedd’s report.

    After the spread of South’s deeds, the nobles of Starsea Duchy had begun to actively collect information about wizards, and so Haus had some understanding of the underground world.

    Having creatures from the underground world appear in his territory wasn’t a good sign.

    Perhaps there was an entrance to the underground world somewhere in a corner.

    If that were the case, it would be a real headache.

    “Forget it, it’s better to leave this matter to the wizards.”

    Haus rubbed his temples, then suddenly remembered another matter.

    “How have you been getting along with Xieman these past few days?”

    “It’s been fine.” Stedd smiled slightly. “Sir Xieman is indeed as the rumors say, he’s very approachable, and doesn’t put on airs at all.”

    “That’s good.”

    Haus nodded slightly, his expression becoming meaningful.

    “South has many students, but the most outstanding are Xieman and Kore.”

    “Kore comes from a noble background and has a proud personality, making him difficult to approach. Xieman is much more approachable in comparison.”

    “This time, Xieman led a team to develop magic plant gardens in our Ryan City. It’s a great opportunity. You should take advantage of it and build a good relationship with him. It will be very beneficial to your future development.”

    “Yes, Father!” Stedd replied solemnly.

    Anyone with a bit of foresight could see how important the base would become in Starsea Duchy in the future.

    Therefore, befriending wizards who came from the base was a win-win situation for any noble.

    They were lucky in Ryan City to have Xieman come over, and of course, they had to cherish this rare opportunity.