Chapter 52

Chapter 52

In the past, the Purebloods rarely interacted with Fariel, the Dusk Giant Wolf. Only a handful of the elder Purebloods had witnessed the Dusk Giant Wolf battling dragons.

Under the blood-red sunset, the wolf—taller than the Kusosbern Mountains—savagely bit through the dragon's skull. The pristine snow of the Kusosbern Mountains was stained with dragon blood, transforming them into the crimson peaks they are today.

The cursed Dusk Giant Wolf collapsed in the dragon's lair, and the place where he slept became the Dark Forest. Over time, its covered area grew, stretching east to Masida Bay and west all the way to the Haisen Fortress.

To the Central Continent, the Dusk Giant Wolf was a creature of legend, and his dwelling remained a place no one dared to tread. Yet now, the Dusk Giant Wolf had awakened from his cursed slumber—no wonder the Dark Forest had erupted into such chaos.

The atmosphere grew tense. Luo Ci bit his lip, remembering how Violet had repeatedly warned him never to approach the Dark Forest. Not only had he gone near it, but he had also brought the Dusk Giant Wolf out with him. Violet must be very displeased. Nervously, he tucked Fariel into his pocket and slowly tugged at Violet’s sleeve. "Uncle Violet, it was the big doggy who brought me out. And we made a contract—it can’t be undone now."

Violet softened his expression, realizing he had frightened the little one. "Yes... I can sense it."

As a Necromancer, Violet was highly familiar with contract magic. He could immediately discern the Familiar bond between Luo Ci and Fariel. The ancient blood pact was evident from the sigil in Luo Ci’s pink pupils—at the very least, Fariel, as a Familiar, would not harm the child.

With this reassurance, the tension eased slightly. Some questions were best not asked in front of the Dusk Giant Wolf, so Violet decided to inquire with the Familiars later to piece together the full story. Luo Ci peeked at Violet, relieved that his uncle wasn’t scolding him. Exhausted from the massive magic drain caused by the Rose Wand, his eyelids drooped heavily. Still, he murmured drowsily, clinging to his demand: "So sleepy... wanna sleep with the big doggy..."

He feared that if he fell asleep, Violet would take the fluffy companion away. But his worry was unnecessary.

Though Violet was concerned about the Dusk Giant Wolf becoming Luo Ci’s Familiar—it was far too dangerous—the fact that the wolf had willingly accompanied the child out of the Dark Forest suggested he intended to stay by Luo Ci’s side. If Violet forcibly intervened, creating conflict between the Purebloods and the Dusk Giant Wolf, the one caught in the middle would be Luo Ci. Violet refused to burden the child with such pressure.

"Take the little one to his bedroom first. We’ll observe the situation and discuss further steps later," Violet signaled to Ya Pan with a glance.

Sending Ya Pan to the bedroom also meant having him check on Luo Ci’s condition.

Ya Pan nodded.

Only after Ya Pan carried Luo Ci away did Violet’s face reveal a mix of emotions. Neyabene sighed softly. "It’s a mixed blessing. The good news is that the little one has awakened his talent. The growth period for Purebloods lasts from infancy to adulthood, approximately two to three hundred years. During this time, they awaken their abilities, after which they can embark on adventures or attend academies. Judging by historical records, his awakening is exceptionally early."

"True, but the bad news is..." Felatumo started, only to be interrupted by Tilise. "This is all your fault! You only told him not to eat strangers' candy—why didn’t you warn him about making contracts?"

Felatumo: "..." He hadn’t known what Luo Ci’s talent would be. If he had, he certainly would have warned him.

Pureblood offspring were rare, and they had relied on ancient texts for guidance, inevitably overlooking some details. Now, they faced two concerns: Luo Ci’s magical talent and his bond with the Dusk Giant Wolf, and the tradition that once a Pureblood child awakened their magic, they were allowed to venture out or enroll in an academy.

For this, the Purebloods convened a long-overdue council meeting.

...

Luo Ci slept deeply, nearly two full days, utterly content.

Half-asleep, he sensed a large, warm mass beside him and instinctively burrowed deeper, burying his face in the soft fur. He looked like a tiny cotton ball nestled in a giant black puff.

After a satisfying rest, he rubbed his eyes and sat up. Not seeing the "big doggy" in the room, he clumsily put on his sleeping robes and toddled out to the parlor.

The parlor was furnished with an ever-burning hearth, a small sofa, and various enchanted toys. The blood-servants, anticipating the Little Prince’s awakening, had prepared toiletries and waited there. However, what emerged was a looming black wolf, taller than any of them.

News of the Little Prince contracting the Dusk Giant Wolf had spread throughout the castle. From Familiars to blood-servants, all rejoiced for Luo Ci—they had watched him grow up. Now that his magical talent had awakened so early, and he had even bound the Dusk Giant Wolf as his Familiar, they felt immense pride.

But hearing about it was one thing; seeing the Dusk Giant Wolf in person was another. The massive black wolf stepped out of the bedroom, his paws larger than a bear’s, exuding a menacing, corrupted dark aura. The blood-servants shrank back, huddling together in a corner.

Fariel flicked his tail impatiently.

He disliked shrinking his form, but the child’s pleading pink eyes had left him no choice. He also disliked other creatures in his territory—the blood-servants lingering in the halls already tested his patience, and now they had invaded the parlor.

Come to think of it... he had never tasted bat before.

As the wolf loomed closer, his scorching breath washing over them, the blood-servants gasped in terror.

Just then, Fariel’s ears perked up, and his dark aura instantly receded. His expression turned calm and benign.

The blood-servants exhaled in relief—the Little Prince had arrived.

Luo Ci padded over in his sleeping robes, wrapping his small arms around the wolf’s neck and nuzzling his cheek against the fur. "I was scared you went back to the forest..."

The wolf pretended indifference to the child’s affection, but his tail betrayed him, curling gently around Luo Ci’s waist.

A blood-servant whispered timidly, "Little Prince, may I assist you with your grooming?"

Luo Ci nodded. "Leave the things here, please. And tell the kitchen I’ll have my meal in my room today—with extra snacks."

The servant quickly agreed and retreated.

Luo Ci buried his face in the wolf’s mane before looking up with hopeful pink eyes. "Don’t go back to the forest. Stay in the castle with me! I’ll work hard to earn money and take care of you!"

The idea of this soft little child supporting him amused Fariel, yet strangely, his earlier irritation faded. Returning to the Dark Forest didn’t matter much to him—it had been ages since anything stirred his emotions like this.

"Promise?" Luo Ci clung to the wolf’s paw, refusing to let go.

The wolf reluctantly twitched his tail in agreement.

"No, we have to pinky-promise!" Still uneasy, Luo Ci insisted on hooking his tiny finger around the wolf’s claw.

Soon, the blood-servants brought breakfast—plasma fruit pastries for Luo Ci and various beast meat dishes for Fariel.

Luo Ci munched on a cream puff, watching in awe as the wolf devoured plate after plate in seconds. He hiccuped in surprise—this "big doggy" had quite the appetite!

Previously, he’d thought he was easy to care for since plasma fruit were self-sustaining. But now, with a giant pet to feed, he had to consider his savings. Were his magic gems enough? Maybe he needed another income source... or his territory’s taxes...

As he dragged his strongbox from under the bed to count his gems, a blood-servant knocked. "Little Prince, Lord Violet requests your presence in the council hall."

"Got it," Luo Ci replied.

The council hall was in the annex, connected by a long corridor. He took the wolf for a detour through the rose garden, eager to show off his favorite enchanted pink roses.

The enchanted garden bloomed eternally, its fragrance thick in the air. Fariel sneezed—he disliked magical plants—but the pink roses were tolerable, matching the child’s eyes.

At the council hall, Fariel stopped at the door, unwilling to enter. The Purebloods’ perfumes irritated his nose. Luo Ci tugged at his paw but couldn’t budge him, so he went in alone.

"Auntie Tilise!" He dashed to Tilise, who scooped him into her lap, shooting a smug glance at the jealous Felatumo.

Luo Ci glanced around curiously—he’d never been inside the council hall before.

"Little one," Violet began gently, explaining the Pureblood tradition before continuing, "So, by custom, awakened Pureblood offspring may choose to adventure or attend an academy. But you’re still so small—the elders believe you should stay in the castle. Still, we’d like to hear your thoughts."

Given Luo Ci’s clingy nature, they expected him to choose the castle. But after a thoughtful pause, he said seriously, "I want to go to the academy."

"I can make lots of friends there, and I want to grow stronger to protect all of you..." Plus, staying in the castle wouldn’t help him earn money—he had a big pet to feed now.

Though it was childish sincerity, the elders were moved to tears. Tilise blotted her eyes with silk, hugging and kissing him. "Your heart is so precious, my dear."

Violet supported the idea of the academy. As much as he’d miss Luo Ci, he refused to stifle the child’s talent out of overprotectiveness. Purebloods were respected for their lineage, but true power required might.

Violet said, "The Antigas Academy is the best academy on the Central Continent. There's still a month until the next aptitude test..."

Tilise, who had initially been firmly opposed to our cub attending school, now grew furious upon hearing about the aptitude test: "Aptitude test? Our cub needs to take an aptitude test to enroll?"

The Antigas Academy is located in the Kingdom of Dianthi, a neutral kingdom but still within the jurisdiction of the Purebloods. Strictly speaking, the Antigas Academy also belongs to the Purebloods.

"You haven't let me finish," Violet gestured and continued, "I'll write a letter of exemption. With that, these steps can be skipped."

In fact, such letters of exemption are quite common. For example, royal descendants of certain kingdoms or heirs of renowned mages, who prefer not to reveal their magical attributes or dislike undergoing public assessments, often choose to enroll with such letters.

Luo Ci swung his little legs and asked, "What's an aptitude test?"

"It's a test using a magic monolith to detect an individual's magical attributes and strength," Violet explained. "For instance, if someone's magical response is weak, the academy might recommend them to study as a spellblade, which requires training in physical combat and runic arts—runic arts require less magical energy. If the test subject's magical response is strong, they are assigned to different colleges based on their elemental affinity, such as mages, alchemists..."

Ya Pan took over: "But most people don't possess magic. Magic is a rare gift, with only a handful of individuals in even a small kingdom having such aptitude. Some low-level mages are even treated as honored guests in minor kingdoms."

"Thus, most kingdoms conduct large-scale magic screenings for children at the age of ten. Only those who pass can become candidates for magic academies. The Antigas Academy is particularly strict with magic testing—if someone's magical response is weak, they’ll still be rejected."

So complicated... Luo Ci felt dizzy listening to all this. Violet had a blood-servant fetch vellum and an enchanted quill to begin writing the letter of exemption. Felatumo tapped the table and said, "Make sure they assign an experienced teacher—oh, I think their Archmage would be perfect."

Violet nodded. "I know."

Archmages are so rare across the Central Continent that they can be counted on one hand, yet Felatumo spoke of them as if picking vegetables at a market.

This was understandable, however, as the Purebloods ruled the Central Continent, and power was concentrated in the hands of the Purebloods. Though Luo Ci was a newly born Young Prince, he was still a Pureblood. Even for a renowned Archmage, the honor of teaching a Pureblood was immense.

Luo Ci's ears twitched as he suddenly remembered something: "Can I bring pets to the academy?"

"Of course," Ya Pan replied kindly, then muttered to himself, "Come to think of it, our cub doesn’t have a dimensional storage yet. Since he’s going to the academy, he’ll need to pack a lot—better prepare one. I’ll go craft it." With that, he left the meeting chamber.

Hearing that he could bring a familiar, Luo Ci was overjoyed. He eagerly jumped off his seat and dashed outside to hug the black wolf’s neck: "Da Fa, we’re going to a magic academy! I’ll earn lots and lots of mana crystals to buy meat for you!"

Da Fa was the new name he’d given the Dusk Giant Wolf.

The name Fariel was too hard for his little tongue to pronounce smoothly, so he’d settled on this instead.

Fariel had been waiting outside, growing impatient, his eyes narrowed. Though his expression didn’t change at the news, his tail gave a light flick—a sign of the black wolf’s contentment. The soft, fluffy tip of his tail brushed against Luo Ci’s nape like a feather, making the little one giggle.

Perhaps due to their bond as soul-bonded companions, Fariel could keenly sense the cub’s presence. When the cub was out of sight, his restlessness gradually turned into a hunting instinct, agitating his own emotions. Yet, the moment Luo Ci hugged his neck, pressing his sweet-scented little body against his face, that irritation was effortlessly soothed.

A month later, the Antigas Academy’s arcanum trials began.

Luo Ci had been particularly busy this month, packing his little belongings.

Uncle Ya Pan had crafted him a dimensional ring made of magic crystal, enchanted with a temporal stasis enchantment so that even large quantities of Plasma Fruit and pastries made from them wouldn’t spoil.

His little treasure chest had to come along, of course, as well as his magic diary. Aunt Tilise and Uncle Felatumo had prepared many clothes for him...

Ya Pan handed him a philter vial. Luo Ci shook it, hearing the liquid slosh inside. "This ointment is freshly concocted," Ya Pan said. "Applying it to your skin will effectively block sunlight."

"Thank you, Uncle Ya Pan!" Luo Ci hugged his neck affectionately.

Besides Ya Pan, all the uncles and aunts had prepared many things for our cub—various hex scrolls, a mirror for summoning monsters from other realms, a homunculus doll for death-simulating, and more. Fortunately, the pocket dimension was large enough; otherwise, there’d be no room for everything.

Of course, he didn’t forget his little potted plant.

Though this arcane hybrid still showed no signs of sprouting, Luo Ci treasured it, carrying it carefully in his arms.

He fastened the Rose Wand to his waist, then hugged each aunt and uncle, giving them loud kisses. "I’ll bring gifts back for you!"

"The best gift you can give us is taking care of yourself," Felatumo fretted. "Keep the homunculus doll close, and stay away from argentum items—it won’t be fatal, but it can burn Pureblood skin..." His heart ached at the thought of the little one, who should still be coddled in their arms, now heading off to a magic academy.

Tilise dabbed her tears elegantly. "If you miss us, remember to use the crystal ball. I want to see your face too."

Luo Ci nodded, enduring several more rounds of reminders before finally boarding the bone-chariot.

He had never traveled far alone before. This time, a bone-chariot would take him to the gates of the Antigas Academy.

The spectral steeds raced faster than the wind. Luo Ci leaned against the window, watching the scenery blur past. When the chariot slowed, he knew they’d arrived.

The architectural style of the Kingdom of Dianthi was vastly different from that of the Haisen Keep. Here, the buildings were white, with rows of elegant ivory spires standing in neat rows. The Antigas Academy followed a similar design.

Close to the Despairing Sea, the white towers were dotted with snow-white seagulls, and nests could be seen in the trees. As the foremost magic academy on the Central Continent, the line of aspirants stretched from the academy’s fountain all the way to the outskirts of the royal city.

The bone-chariot soared through the sky, kicking up dust. Those below looked up in envy—spectral steeds were notoriously untamable greater fiends. For someone to arrive in such a chariot during the assessment period, they must be the descendant of a famous mage or royalty from a major kingdom.

Though his exact identity remained unknown, whispers spread that this year, the Antigas Academy would welcome a personage of importance.

"Greetings, Young Prince?" Several academy staff in uniform waited at the gates, immediately spotting the eye-catching bone-chariot. When they saw our cub step out, accompanied by a proud and fierce black wolf, they hurried forward eagerly.

Luo Ci tilted his head curiously. "You are...?"

"We are heralds, here to help the Young Prince familiarize himself with the academy and give you a tour. My name is An Ge..." The herald stammered nervously.

They had already noticed the black wolf beside the cub.

A massive beast with pitch-black fur and an imposing stature.

Like an alpha predator straying into hunting grounds, he moved with quiet elegance, his gaze lazily surveying the surroundings. His dark pelt gleamed faintly, as if painted with delicate strokes.

Though he exuded no aura, the instinctive dread of a superior hunter was etched into everyone’s hearts.

An Ge tread carefully, afraid of misspeaking.

Luo Ci smiled brightly. "Okay, thank you!"

An Ge led him into the academy with reverence. Past the grand gates, a massive statue and a plaza fountain came into view.

Luo Ci gasped in awe, his eyes darting everywhere, barely noticing the uneven ground until his little foot caught on something. He stumbled, nearly falling on his bottom.

A tug at his collar saved him—Fariel had caught him by the scruff.

"Thanks, Da Fa!" Luo Ci beamed.

Fariel must have been watching him closely to react so fast. He stood on tiptoe, trying to pat the wolf’s head, but failed. Then he noticed the bas-reliefs on the ground—the very things that had tripped him.

An Ge explained, "These are commemorative bas-reliefs of the academy’s history, marking important events every decade. Most importantly, they were crafted by the Archmage himself..."

Infused with profound magic, many paused to meditate upon sensing its pull.

Luo Ci looked around, curious how far the bas-reliefs stretched.

Following them, he arrived at the grand atrium.

Inside, the magic assessment was in full swing. Several venerable magi in robes sat solemnly, an ochre-hued magic monolith before them. Aspirants placed their hands on it one by one, and the monolith’s runes glowed in varying brightness and colors. Luo Ci’s sharp eyes noticed the differences in the magi’s robes.

"Of course, they differ. Robes are strictly categorized by rank and element," An Ge quickly answered the cub’s question. "The one on the far left is the Archmage Emeritus, close to the dark element and specializing in dark magic, so the pattern is a moon. The one on the far right is a High Magus, a rank below, specializing in fire magic—hence the flame patterns..."

Luo Ci nodded, latching onto the key point: "So, the element you’re aligned with determines the pattern emblazoned on your robe?"

An Ge: "Generally, yes."

Luo Ci thought pyromancer's vestments looked cool, aeromancer's robes were nice too, and umbramancer's robes weren’t bad either...

He rubbed his plump hands together, peering down. Suddenly, he grew curious about his own arcane alignment.