Chapter 542 – Escape from Etherlance

Chapter 542: Escape from Etherlance

“If there’s nothing to offer, I’d rather study on my own,” Mo Lan said. “After all these years, I’ve made it this far already. Beyond Peak level isn’t out of the question.”

Even Iverson couldn’t deny Mo Lan’s talent. Setting aside the fact that she had swept through every branch’s Library Floor, even if she had only learned three spells per element per tier—the bare minimum required by the Ancient Mage cultivation plan—she was still, to this day, the student of the Ancient Mage Class most likely to advance to Beyond Peak level, having become a Peak level mage at such a young age.

Why else would his Instructor have taken an interest in her?

But if he went back to his Instructor empty-handed, he’d be the one to suffer. “My Instructor may not be able to guide you on the path of the ancient mage, but he can absolutely mentor you in Psychic Magic and provide you with rare magical resources.”

“The leap from Peak level to Beyond Peak level is harder than the entire journey from ordinary person to Peak level. Without an Instructor’s help, the road will be incredibly difficult. If you miss your prime years, training your psychic power becomes far more arduous too. By then, it’ll be too late for regret.”

“You needn’t try to persuade me. My mind is made up!” Mo Lan said.

She now thoroughly understood the rules of mages.

A mage who treasured time above all else was willing to carve out some of it to teach a disciple—naturally because there was profit in it! It was the same principle as the Imperial Magic Academy cultivating mage students.

For everything gained, something must be given in return.

With her vast reserves of psychic power, Mo Lan encountered no difficulties whatsoever in comprehending mage Magic. There was absolutely no need to invite trouble upon herself.

Seeing that his kind persuasion fell on deaf ears, Iverson resorted to a hint of threat: “If you refuse, my Instructor will lose face. He sent me to invite you precisely because he cherishes talent so dearly. Even if you intend to decline, you should at least go tell him in person! Otherwise… you’d be making an enemy of the entire Fourth Mage Tower!”

Mo Lan sighed. “Then please ask Lord Angrboda to wait a little longer. Give me three more months. Once I finish this phase of my magical studies, I’ll personally visit the Fourth Mage Tower.”

Three months was merely the blink of an eye for a Beyond Peak level mage whose lifespan had already surpassed racial limits—not even enough time to complete a single magical research project. His Instructor had just returned from the Well of the Sky and had no plans to go out again anytime soon. Iverson’s stance softened slightly, but he wasn’t about to let this arrogant female mage have her way so easily:

“Two months at most!”

Mo Lan put on an expression of great difficulty.

Seeing her like that, Iverson finally felt a measure of satisfaction. He pressed her further: “If you’re not happy with that, I’ll go back right now and tell my Instructor that you looked down on his invitation, and have him come settle the score with you personally!”

Given his Instructor’s temperament, holding a grudge against her would be perfectly normal—but at the same time, Iverson’s failure to complete his task wouldn’t earn him any favor either.

“Fine,” Mo Lan agreed reluctantly.

The moment Iverson left, the strained expression vanished from Mo Lan’s face.

In truth, she only needed another month and a half to complete her full collection of every mage spell at Peak level and below in the Imperial Magic Academy. The moment that was done, she would leave Tower Forest immediately. Who would care about Angrboda’s recruitment then!

Iverson’s visit was like flipping a switch. Over the following month, two more Beyond Peak level mages sent people to extend olive branches, hoping to take her as their disciple.

Mo Lan used the same script as before to refuse them all, but even after being turned down, none of them gave up. She had no choice but to similarly promise that once she finished this phase of study, she would pay them a personal visit—buying herself more time.

In the Communication Card group chat, “Imperial Magic Academy Mage Infiltration Squad,” the witches told her that the ones who had approached her were all Beyond Peak level mages in Tower Forest who were especially keen on taking disciples.

They had all once been Elite Students themselves. After reaching Peak level, they became particularly zealous about recruiting disciples who were already at Peak level and had an excellent chance of breaking through to Beyond Peak.

Through a mix of half-coaxing and half-coercion, they would take on promising Peak level disciples. This way, they only needed to provide minimal resources to gain an assistant who could quickly break through to Beyond Peak level, while simultaneously transferring the debts they had accumulated as students onto their disciples. Angrboda and the others were already widely known among Tower Forest’s higher-level students as massive pitfalls to avoid.

But the chasm between Beyond Peak and Peak was exceedingly difficult to cross. Once targeted by these mages, unless one found another Beyond Peak level Instructor for protection, escape was nearly impossible.

That was why most mages strove, even during their Apprentice phase, to make themselves known in the advanced magic courses frequented by high-ranking mages—securing a backer for themselves early on.

Better to squeeze out a few extra resources and find a reliable Instructor than to end up having someone else swoop in and steal the fruit of your labors at the last moment.

The rules among mages were far more cruel and cutthroat than among witches.

After learning all this, Mo Lan only felt grateful that she was a witch and wouldn’t be bound by these conventions. She simply accelerated her pace.

Once the last of the spell books from the 47th floor of the Elemental Branch’s main tower had been committed to her memory palace, Mo Lan immediately prepared to leave Tower Forest.

Within the bounds of Tower Forest, there were not only anti-flight magic circles but also anti-spatial-teleportation magic circles. She needed to get outside Tower Forest before she could make her escape.

Recently, the librarian in her reading room had been coming by her seat to make rounds with suspicious frequency. Mo Lan guessed this was likely a spy sent by those Beyond Peak level mages.

Mo Lan first went to the washroom and drank a transformation potion, changing into a completely different appearance. Only then did she take the Magic Lift down and leave the Mage Tower.

Instead of taking a magic carriage, she used the Peak level wind-element mage spell Windstep, wrapping herself in elemental force and sweeping out of Tower Forest as swiftly as a gust of wind.

As long as her psychic power held up, she could move faster than a magic carriage at full speed—and without worrying about her destination being tracked from the moment she boarded.

When the librarian noticed she had been in the washroom for quite a while without returning as usual, he finally sensed something was wrong. He went to check the washroom, only to discover she was no longer there. He hurriedly used a Communication Card to alert the people stationed outside the tower, who rushed to the nearest magic carriage platform—but found no trace of her.

By the time they confirmed she had left Tower Forest and went to search for her, she was nowhere to be found.

Eventually, word came back from all parties: she had most likely already left Etherlance entirely.

Such a plump sheep—one that could have yielded returns in a few decades at most—had slipped away right under their noses.

That day, several Tower Masters flew into rages and punished a number of people.

“Damn it! How could they let her escape!”

“Find her! She signed an Elite Student contract—she must still be within the Mage Empire’s borders!”

“How shortsighted! Just to avoid us, she left Etherlance entirely. No matter how talented she is, without proper environment and resources, that talent will only go to waste!”

……