After chatting for a few more minutes, Lynn picked up the wooden box and took his leave.
Lupa watched Lynn's figure disappear into the crowd, subconsciously taking a bite of the bread in her hand.
Although the bread was made of ordinary ingredients, thanks to Aurora's culinary skills and the addition of cheese, the coarse bread, while a bit tough, was not dry enough to get stuck in her throat.
It was salty and delicious.
...
Tens of minutes later,
At one end of town, inside Gray's room at the Mages' Association,
There did not seem to be many members in the Mages' Association. When Lynn arrived this time, the guards at the entrance recognized him even before he could present his apprentice member badge.
“Mm, I appreciate the gesture.”
Gray looked at the wooden box placed on his desk and nodded in satisfaction.
He had only taken Lynn under his wing because of the boy's outstanding talent and humble background, unwilling to see such a genius commoner Mage go unnoticed.
However, Lynn's character was also something Gray valued highly.
The Mage class wielded destructive power far exceeding that of other classes. If a person's character was lacking, no matter how powerful they became, they would only bring harm to the continent.
Outside the Kingdom of Vallenia, there were nations controlled by Mages where slavery had still not been abolished to this day.
Even the Paladins of the Church were utterly powerless against them.
Therefore, in Gray's eyes, character was even more important than talent.
Looking at it now, Lynn had not let down his expectations.
Gray opened the wooden box, took out a piece of Moon Fungus Cake, and placed it on a plate.
After examining it briefly, Gray was somewhat surprised.
“Your elven friend's culinary skills seem quite impressive.”
Opening his hands, Gray summoned a pair of silver cutlery through some unknown magic.
He cut off a small piece of the cake, elegantly speared it with his fork, and put it into his mouth.
As the cake entered his mouth, Gray closed his eyes to savor it carefully.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, his tone tinged with nostalgia.
“Ever since I left the Academy, it has been a long time since I last tasted such a specialty of the elven race.”
Having said that, Gray closed his eyes again, letting his taste buds fully enjoy the delicacy.
Lynn sat down on the leather sofa to the side, not wanting to disturb Gray's nostalgic reverie.
However, he was somewhat curious about this Academy that Gray kept mentioning. What kind of place was it?
From what Gray implied, he must have eaten elven delicacies quite often while at the Academy.
To be able to supply even rarities like Moon Fungus Cake, this Academy sounded like a very large-scale organization.
A moment later, Gray finished enjoying two pieces of the cake and closed the wooden box.
To a Mage of Gray's level, the Moon Fungus Cake could no longer stimulate his mind, so he was not affected by any hallucinations.
In fact, Lynn suspected that with his 【Truesight】 Feat, he probably wouldn't have been affected by the Moon Fungus Cake's hallucinatory effects either.
Yesterday... perhaps the Moon Goddess really had cast her gaze upon him.
“Minari's research on her new recipe seems to be progressing quite smoothly, and she has already concluded her seclusion. You can probably find her in Room 203.”
Gray handed back the wooden box, which now contained only one piece of cake.
Lynn said his goodbyes and departed.
After he left, Gray tapped his desk, seemingly deep in thought.
...
Lynn walked up to a room with a wooden plaque marked "203" and knocked gently on the door.
“Is that you, Senior? Just come on in.”
It was indeed Minari's voice, but who was this "Senior"?
Was it Gray?
Were Minari and Gray from the same school?
And Minari's question reminded Lynn of another issue.
Minari didn't seem to know his name yet.
He also didn't know if Mentor Minari still remembered him, her apprentice.
Just as Lynn was hesitating on how to introduce himself, Minari spoke up again from inside the room.
“Is that Lynn? Come in, Gray already sent me a message.”
Lynn breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the door open.
Fortunately, Mentor Gray had arranged everything.
The furnishings inside the room were rather cluttered, with various alchemy apparatuses piled together. Lynn could barely find a place to step.
As for Minari, she was sitting directly on the only long table in the room. Her Mage robes had been casually tossed aside, and she was wearing only comfortable loungewear.
In her hand, she held a flickering crystal.
Lynn had seen Betty use this before. It was likely a magical device used for communication.
It seemed quite useful.
However, considering how uncommon it was, the price had to be extremely high.
“I heard from Gray that you want to enter the volcano?”
Minari asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Can you tell me your purpose? What's inside the volcano?”
Lynn was slightly put on the spot.
If Gray had asked him this, Lynn would most likely have told him about the Construct.
But facing Minari...
Minari seemed to notice Lynn's hesitation. She covered her mouth with a chuckle but didn't press further, changing the subject instead.
“You should have heard from Gray by now that if you want to enter the volcano, relying solely on fireproof potions won't be enough to sustain you.”
Lynn nodded.
Minari continued, “I do have an advanced recipe for fireproof potions. I've named it the ‘Obsidian Skin Potion’.”
Lynn's eyes lit up, and he quickly handed over the wooden box.
Minari accepted it naturally. She had likely already heard from Gray what was inside the box.
“I can brew this potion for you, but unfortunately, I don't have enough materials here either.”
Lynn didn't rush to speak, waiting for Minari to elaborate.
“This potion requires a primary ingredient that can only be harvested in the volcanic region: the ‘Obsidian Rose’. This item is in high demand, and within the Kingdom of Vallenia, it is basically only produced near Wingen Town. As a result, most Obsidian Roses are exported to other cities.”
“As long as you can harvest some Obsidian Roses, I can brew the potion for you.”
Obsidian Roses.
Lynn had heard of this name before.
When he first registered his identity at the Wingen Town Adventurers' Guild, there were adventurers in the first-floor hall recruiting teammates to harvest Obsidian Roses.
It seemed this item was relatively rare, and there wasn't much stock left in Wingen Town.
However, if this thing only grew in the volcano...
Lynn's original plan was to head toward the volcanic region only after condensing his class.
Minari saw Lynn's concerns and explained, “No need to worry. Obsidian Roses grow throughout the entire volcano, including the outer regions. Even an apprentice wouldn't need to worry too much about their safety in the outer areas, as long as they use fireproof potions properly.”
Lynn breathed a sigh of relief.
That was good.
Minari opened the wooden box and took out a piece of the cake. Without even using a fork, she began eating it directly, completely unbothered by the cream sticking to the side of her mouth.
Even with her mouth full, Minari still mumbled:
“You can also ask Gray to keep an eye out for you to see if you can buy some. It's not as rare as moon dust fungus, so it can be bought occasionally.”
Rate on N.U.
