This wizard only wishes to be a teacher

The ordinary parchment to one side, Donn had read through the information on it three times over.

This wasn’t a behavior unique to him; to his side, many Wizard Apprentices were doing the same thing, and at that moment, their faces were filled with ecstasy, and of course, mostly a light, almost unreal feeling.

After a long while, Donn finally "came to his senses" and squeezed out of the crowd.

He staggered down the streets of Greybone Academy, his mind feeling rather empty at the moment.

But soon, a cheer nearby jolted him from this daze, and Donn immediately recalled the contents of the announcement he had just read.

Setting aside the future systems of rankings and scholarships, just focusing on the Blood Duel Mystic Realm Magic Stone incentive program as described on the announcement, First and Second-level Wizard Apprentices could receive 50 magic stones, and Third-level Wizard Apprentices could receive 200 magic stones.

This was something you could go directly to the Dean’s office to register for and claim!

A full fifty magic stones!

With this thought, Donn couldn’t stay still; he hurried toward Dean Lusian’s office, only to find that many Wizard Apprentices were doing the exact same thing.

This gave Donn a sense of urgency, and he quickened his pace, as if he feared the magic stones would all be claimed by other Apprentices who arrived earlier.

However, when Donn arrived at the Dean’s office out of breath, he was surprised by the long queue already waiting there and even spotted a few Third-level Wizard Apprentices and some strong Second-level Wizard Apprentices he had met in the safe zones of the Blood Duel Mystic Realm within the line.

Donn, though helpless, stood at the end of the queue with a heart both apprehensive and faintly expectant, and slowly moved forward with the crowd.

The queue was very quiet, as they would be received by a Formal Wizard, one who was at the forefront among Formal Wizards; no Apprentice dared to cause a stir in front of Lusian’s office, thus despite the length, the order was maintained quite well.

"Good thing I came early," Donn thought, relieved at his prompt reaction as he saw more Wizard Apprentices gradually arriving behind him; otherwise, he might have had to stand even further back in the line.

The queue moved slowly and at last, Donn reached the front. Unexpectedly, before he saw Dean Lusian, he encountered a Third-level Wizard Apprentice he was familiar with and greatly respected.

"Fairy Carly..." Entering his view was Carly, who was busy organizing some documents; Donn respectfully bowed. After all, if it weren’t for this seemingly petite girl who had carved out a safe haven for them, the weaker Apprentices in the Mystic Realm, he might not have survived to this day.

The moment he saw Carly, Donn’s trust and expectation in Lusian and the promises made in the announcement grew stronger.

"The mentor is inside, go on in by yourself. I’m currently organizing some healing," Carly smiled at the somewhat familiar Wizard Apprentice.

"The mentor... So Fairy Carly’s mentor is the great Dean Lusian!" Donn had an epiphany, yet it also felt logical; in his view, only an almost First-level Wizard of Fairy Carly’s uniqueness was a fit Apprentice for someone like Lusian, whose status was close to the Dean of Greybone.

With his mind abuzz, Donn stepped into Lusian’s office.

The spacious and brightly lit office was arranged quite simply, and beside an oak desk sat a Wizard, clad in a white robe.

He was holding a feather pen, writing and drawing on a piece of parchment; sensing Donn’s arrival, Lusian looked up, his black eyes fixing on Donn.

Black eyes deep and introspective, appeared to harbor a vast starry sky within. Although Lucien emitted not a hint of aura, Donn still felt an inexplicable pressure.

He sat down silently, somewhat restrained as he looked at the formidable wizard before him, unsure of what to say. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Name, strength, and... when you joined Greybone Academy." Lucien looked at the apprentice wizard before him, who seemed very tense, and began to inquire about some details with practiced ease.

"Donn Addis, second-level wizard apprentice..." Donn subconsciously recited his own information, while Lucien was quickly taking notes, then handed Donn a badge marked with the prominent number "3".

"Take this; according to your current progress, you will be a member of the third year at Greybone Academy from now on," Lucien said.

"Third... year?" Donn mulled over the words that sounded somewhat unfamiliar, but he didn’t dare to ask anything in front of Lucien, only nodding respectfully.

"Next, here is your magic stone compensation." Lucien looked at the restrained Donn, waved his hand, and immediately, a small pile of magic stones appeared on the desk.

Donn looked at the small pile of magic stones, his lips slightly dry.

He slowly stood up, ready to take this great wealth straight away, but upon seeing Lucien smiling at that moment, he seemed to understand something and respectfully left most of the small pile of magic stones on the desk.

This was the "rule" he had learned from the "senior brothers" under the tutelage of his mentor, Xiyani. In his excitement a moment ago, he had almost forgotten it.

"Take them all." Lucien looked at Donn’s familiar actions and shook his head with a hint of amusement, then he waved Gagarin over, who was counting magic stones to the side, signaling him to quickly come and explain the rules to the apprentice from the old era, while letting the next apprentice wizard come in.

"These fifty magic stones are what Lord Lucien fought for us; just take them and be at ease," Gagarin, who had handled such matters before, did it with familiar and efficient movements.

Donn, somewhat dazed, was led by Gagarin to collect his share of the magic stones and then left Lucien’s office.

As he carried a leather pouch, feeling the hefty weight of the magic stones inside, Donn’s mind drifted slightly.

He slowly looked down at the badge etched with the number "3" on his chest, feeling that now he needed to carefully study what exactly the grading system and scholarship plan were all about.

...

Inside the office, after Lucien had seen off the day’s last apprentice wizard, he yawned languorously, feeling that sometimes these managerial tasks could indeed be more draining than research and experimentation.

"Lord Lucien, I’ve heard that several formal wizards have some issues with you..." Gagarin spoke out when he saw Lucien pause his work.

"Whoever has issues, let them come directly to me; I still perceive some gaps in resources," Lucien scoffed, contemptuous of those formal wizards who only dared to complain in secret.

The magic stones he had brought out this time were mainly from the erstwhile supporter of Wizard Helen and the formal wizards who had defected and were taken away by the Grey Bone Wizard for disposal. The resources these formal wizards had controlled before would become the main "funding" source to drive the subsequent reforms in Lucien’s upcoming plans.

Even though he hadn’t touched the other formal wizards’ piece of the pie, it still seemed to have drawn the dissatisfaction of some of the greedier ones. Perhaps in their eyes, those unclaimed resources had already, in parts, become their vested interests.

Lucien had no intention of compromising on this matter.