This wizard only wishes to be a teacher

"It seems there aren’t any major issues, and even bears some similarities to the Earthfire Body Refining Technique practiced by Edison previously..."

Lucien quickly flipped through the half-booklet of the lesson plan, simultaneously weighing it in his mind.

However, as Lucien scrutinized the pages more carefully, his movements soon paused slightly, even causing Saud, who was smiling and waiting nearby, to stiffen his expression momentarily.

Fortunately, as a Physical Refining Wizard of a Formal Wizard level, his control over his muscles was far superior to that of ordinary people. He quickly managed to soften and naturalize his expression through subtle facial muscle control.

Yet, Saud couldn’t help but mutter to himself, wondering if Lucien had noticed something amiss or something contrary to the plans of Greybone Academy.

However... even if he did notice something, it wouldn’t matter. After all, according to the contract, the Body Refining Method we from Winter Fort provided was unquestionably sound, even exceeding the demands of the contract. At most, it just didn’t meet their own hidden expectations...

At this thought, Wizard Saud felt a surge of satisfaction.

This act of forcing the other party to accept a losing deal was extremely gratifying.

Rustle—

Soon enough, Lucien gently turned the page of the lesson plan but said nothing, continuing to read with his brows furrowed more deeply, causing Saud’s just relaxed heart to tighten slightly again.

"Could he really have some knowledge and understanding of the Body Refining Wizard’s methods?" Saud now stealthily observed Lucien, attempting to glean useful information from his movements or microexpressions.

However, it didn’t take long for Wizard Saud to feel like he was facing an expert. After all, Lucien’s deeply engrossed expression of contemplation appeared genuine.

"But... he is an Elemental Wizard! And a very capable one at that, even capable of using Elemental Sorcery to learn and mimic some Bloodline Magic or Talent... How could such a talented wizard, who has achieved so much on the path of Elemental Wizardry, possibly bother learning Body Refining Witchcraft, which he fundamentally can’t practice?"

"So, he must be acting, trying to ’bluff’ me."

Wizard Saud felt uncertain, but upon noticing Carly nearby, he slightly relaxed. He felt that all of Lucien’s actions were a "performance," intended to expose some flaws for the upcoming discussions, or even to extort further Body Refining Methods or other knowledge from Winter Fort.

Following this train of thought, Wizard Saud completely relaxed, casually sitting down in his chair, and even pulled out a bottle of the northern specialty "vodka" from his Witch Tool storage.

Just as he was about to take a swig to refresh himself, he remembered he might have to engage in some "haggling" with Lucien later. Therefore, after a brief pause, his hand reluctantly turned towards a small cup, sipping like one would coffee from time to time to fend off craving, preparing himself for a drawn-out battle.

Meanwhile, Lucien, now tagged as an "actor" by Saud, was utterly focused on the half-booklet of the lesson plan.

Comparing it to the knowledge of Earthfire Body Refining Technique he had previously seen, the more Lucien read this Body Refining Method, the more he was satisfied. The high quality of the Body Refining Method provided by Winter Fort far exceeded his expectations, even causing him to harbor some suspicion about whether their counterpart was a Grey Bone Wizard who had infiltrated Winter Fort earlier.

Of course, such a thought was fleeting. Lucien didn’t believe that Grey Bone Wizards had the charm to incite defection among other wizard factions’ key members, especially not for a wizard like Saud, who had significant potential to join the core decision-making circle of Winter Fort.

Lucien pondered as he continued to flip through the lesson plan, but soon his movements paused, having finished reading the small stack of lesson plan pages.

Sigh—

Lucien slowly closed the half-booklet of the lesson plan. Then, observing Saud in a seemingly forced composure yet fully prepared stance, he seemed to understand something. It appeared that the Winter Fort wizard had overinterpreted his actions.

Upon reaching this realization, Lucien’s thoughts diverged from the initial excitement prompted by the lesson plan. Soon, he noticed a significant flaw of this Body Refinement Method—it was exceedingly difficult to practice.

In short, it was a method with high thresholds but also high outcomes.

This disadvantage was fatal for most Wizard Apprentices. After all, no matter how good a method is, if one cannot learn or practice it, it’s merely a decoration, even less useful than a simpler method that one can start practicing.

Yet, for apprentices like Edison with unique talents, perhaps these demanding and arduous methods were the most suitable.

Especially for Edison, some common Body Refinement methods couldn’t even stimulate his body enough, leading to an incredibly slow progress in Body Refining Witchcraft.

Perhaps only such a challenging and harsh method, which is incredibly difficult for ordinary apprentices, could possibly provide Edison with the proper amount of stimulation.

However, Lucien had seen through Saud’s cunning plan behind this affair, he obviously wanted to use this arduous Body Refinement Method to obstruct the path of most Wizard Apprentices at Greybone Academy who wished to delve deeply into becoming Physical Refining Wizards...

"What a sly old fox, but I happen to have another Earthfire Body Refining Technique and accompanying Body Refining Method that is more suitable for ordinary Wizard Apprentices to practice. After the special Body Refinement class is set up, I can include this technique in the list of items available for points redemption..."

"Hmm, by then those ordinary Physical Refining Wizards will practice the Earthfire Body Refining Technique, while the ambitious or talented Wizard Apprentices can learn this high-threshold Body Refinement Method. It can indeed serve both purposes without delay..."

Lucien’s lips slightly curled upward, then he looked at Saud, who was sipping his drink at that moment, and revealed a smile. "I think I feel the sincerity from Winter Fort, so shall we settle it all like this, Wizard Saud?"

Waiting for Lucien to bargain, Saud was somewhat stunned when he saw Lucien extending his right hand.

It was too smooth! So smooth that even the anticipated verbal sparring and bargaining hadn’t occurred at all!

"It seems... he really hasn’t noticed any issues. Those problems I was worried about seem to have just been me frightening myself." Saud berated himself internally, feeling that his earlier stance of being on high alert was overly tense.

"That is also what I hoped for." Wizard Saud smiled as he shook hands with Lucien’s extended right hand.

At this moment, both of them were smiling, but both smiles seemed somewhat stiff and superficial.

"That Wizard Saud... seems to be harboring some sinister thoughts." Carly, who was observing from the side, had a flash of disapproval when looking at Wizard Saud. However, when she saw Lucien also smiling in a somewhat insincere manner, Carly’s eyes curved up slightly.

"But trying to play tricks on Mentor Lucien, he’s definitely going to end up on the losing side, hehehe..."

...

"You’re back..." On the deck of another airship carrying Wizard Apprentices, Monica looked at the dull grey walls of Greybone Academy and felt a multitude of emotions stirring.

She glanced down at the cross badge pinned in front of her chest.

"Healer... that’s quite a nice path too!" With this thought, a smile appeared on Monica’s face, and she tightened her fist slightly, her gaze now showing none of the laziness from before.

The next moment, she turned to Sally, whose face was still somewhat pale, "Sally, are you really going to that class?"

"Whether I get selected is still uncertain." Sally gently shook her head, but her expression was calm.

Monica thought about the class Sally had signed up for and her expression became conflicyled, wanting to persuade her friend, who still had the chance to change her mind, to reconsider. "But..."

"I’m not like you, Monica." Sally smiled, yet her eyes remained serious and determined. "My dream is to become a Wizard, a real Wizard. So, even if there are difficulties and unexpected dangers, I’m not afraid; actually, I even enjoy them."

"I want to see a higher level of scenery, to understand what lies above a Formal Wizard, to see what differences and changes there are. For this dream, what does touching upon some dangers matter now? Moreover, Greybone Academy has given us the right to choose. As long as I am selected, I can access better resources and better training."

"It’s just competition, I’m not scared of that!" Sally’s tone was unusually firm, causing Monica to become slightly lost in thought.

"Perhaps this is the best choice for you." Monica hesitated briefly, then still extended her hand. "Then... let’s strive together."

"Of course, after all, you are my best friend at Greybone Academy." Sally hesitated momentarily, but still extended her hand, her smile filled with sincerity. "But if you become a powerful healer and I get injured later, you better not refuse to treat me, hahaha..."

"Definitely." Monica’s grip on Sally’s hand tightened slightly, seeming to show her resolution to turn her life around.

Sally then lifted her head, looking into the distance, her mood also becoming stirred.

Danger? Perhaps, but it would also be the most thrilling highlight of her Wizarding journey.