The black dragon, Nathaniel, was Lance’s cousin, the dragon occupying the high tower in the human world.

Mira’s chosen opponent was the dragon.

This wasn’t an unexpected answer, yet Lance still felt a sense of disappointment. The best opponent for Mira should have been the juvenile blue dragon. A spellcaster understands other spellcasters the best.

Lance couldn’t help but worry.

The black dragon was the largest of all dragon species. They were skilled in physical combat, with scales so tough that knives and swords couldn’t pierce them, and ordinary magic was also ineffective against them. They were the nightmare of spellcasters.

But Lance understood that Mira’s choice was the right one. This was a test. Though it was a real combat situation, the virtual magic ensured that no real damage would occur. She could choose powerful opponents that would be hard to face in reality.

If she couldn’t face these terrifying beings even in a test, how could she ever have the courage to face them in the real world one day?

Lance nodded in agreement, but he also reminded Mira.

“The black dragon has a strong resistance to magic. Mira, try attacking the areas where he doesn’t have scales protecting him.”

Mira kept Lance’s advice in mind. She knew that the young man in front of her had faced a fully evolved magic dragon. His words carried the experience of someone who had been through it.

Mira wanted to know just how powerful the magic dragons Lance had fought truly were. He had been able to injure one and survive under its dragon flames. Just how strong was he?

Choosing the magic dragon was because it was the challenge she would eventually face.

Mira realized just how naive and proud she had been when she first entered the tower. At that time, she had only had three artificial medium crystals, thinking she could negotiate with the magic dragon that had killed so many heroes.

If it hadn’t been for Lance, she would have already become a magic dragon’s snack after dinner.

She had called Ellin a reckless hero, but now she saw herself as a magician who had no self-awareness. Thankfully, the crisis had helped her recognize her own limitations. She needed to become stronger.

Mira was grateful for her own strength. Although her growth path was different from that of other children, she had still managed to live with effort. The sense of unease had kept her from staying foolishly in the magic hub, and her sudden decision had led her to put down the king’s recruitment order.

Now, she was grateful to Lance. Before she arrived at the tower, he had injured the magic dragon. He had patiently answered many of her questions about magic. He had also gifted her precious mediums and told her that, more important than the medium, was the heart to perceive magic.

“I’ll be careful,” Mira said to Lance. “I’m not afraid of failure.”

Failure would bring valuable experience. Mira wanted to succeed. She wanted to defeat the magic dragon, but that was for later. Right now, she needed to focus on completing her test.

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Mira was still taken aback when she entered the virtual world.

The reason was that unlike spellcasters who had clear levels, dragons did not. Lance had summoned a juvenile black dragon, but the massive form before her, towering like a small mountain, still shocked Mira.

Though Mira wasn’t short, she felt as small as a little shrimp bending over in front of the giant dragon.

And this was just a juvenile dragon.

Mira glanced at Lance in secret. He was injecting energy into the virtual magic to ensure the virtual black dragon would maintain a power level similar to hers during the upcoming assessment.

He looked extremely focused, controlling and adjusting the power contained within the giant dragon gradually taking shape before them.

Mira couldn’t help but wonder—was the dragon Lance faced even more terrifying than this one?

She felt more and more in awe of Lance’s strength.

The blue dragon hesitated over how much power to inject into the black dragon. After all, this was just the juvenile version of Nathanael.

The size advantage of the black dragon was just too overwhelming. He raised his head and looked at the massive body emerging in the virtual space.

Nathanael’s juvenile form was about the same size as Lance’s adult form.

Dragons were proud and image-conscious creatures. Though they knew that different dragon species excelled in different ways, the black dragons specialized in close combat. Their defining characteristic was their massive size compared to other dragon species.

However, they were also simple-minded, quick to anger, and obedient to their nature—traits of typical hedonists.

Their draconic magic was also the weakest among all the dragon species. It was far inferior to their red, green, and brass dragon cousins, let alone to those who were masters of magic.

But the black dragon had an impressive size, which made them look awe-inspiring.

This knowledge still made Lance feel somewhat displeased.

He wondered whether he should adjust Nathanael’s size to make him smaller, making Mira’s assessment less difficult.

After a brief thought, he dismissed the idea.

Mira’s expression was serious. As the examiner, he couldn’t give Mira a false impression by easing the difficulty.

The strength of the dragon was unquestionable. If Lance gave Mira unrealistic hopes during training, it would lead to her destruction.

He continued pouring energy into the virtual illusion, completing the simulation of the juvenile black dragon before withdrawing his hand.

Even so, Lance knew this would still be very difficult for Mira. What made dragons truly terrifying was their resistance to magic.

For a mage, the real challenge lay in staying calm under the dual pressure of the dragon’s physical and psychological dominance, and using the right spells to target the right spots.

Dragon flame, dragon breath, tail swings, and draconic magic.

Though dragons had fewer direct attacking methods compared to mages, the black dragon never rose to its current position thanks to dazzling spells.

This was why the black dragon, Nathanael, looked down on the blue dragons and mocked Lance and his son. The blue dragons, who wielded the most magical power in the dragon species, had slowly faded over time until there was only one blue dragon left in the world.

Lance silently observed his creation.

With his magical assistance, Nathanael’s black dragon form had nearly become solid.

Mira raised her head. Lance hadn’t just simulated the dragon’s size; he had also simulated the overwhelming pressure of the giant dragon.

Standing a hundred meters away from the dragon, Mira felt her body uncontrollably tremble. This kind of trembling was beyond her control—it was a primal fear ingrained in the human soul when facing a species stronger than herself.

Mira recited calming incantations, breathing deeply.

She couldn’t help but think—Lance must have been afraid when he faced the dragon too, right? Yet, he still bravely confronted it and even injured the dragon.

Such fear was not easily overcome, and it was part of her assessment as well.

“You’re ready to begin whenever you are,” Lance’s figure also appeared in the virtual battlefield.

Mira reached up and touched the scales hanging around her neck.

She couldn’t help but think, perhaps these shimmering scales had been taken from the dragon by Lance himself.

The dragon was a black dragon, but it wasn’t entirely black as people assumed. Instead, its scales had a bluish-purple sheen.

Nathanael’s scales were very beautiful. Under the reflection of sunlight, they emitted a mysterious attraction.

The color didn’t quite match.

Mira thought, this scale was much smaller compared to the large, palm-sized ones on the black dragon, so it might have been newly grown.

It didn’t matter if the new scale was lighter in color, did it? She tried to find a suitable reason to make the assumption more believable—that it was taken from the black dragon.

The strange thought in her mind eased Mira’s fear and nervousness. She touched the scales around her neck again, and now only anticipation remained in her heart.

“I’m ready,” she signaled to Lance.

As Mira’s voice fell, the giant dragon, which had remained still like a wooden puppet, suddenly moved. It was her first time experiencing what it meant for the ground to shake and mountains to tremble.

There was no more time to be stunned.

A few low-tier support spells were instantly completed with Mira’s consciousness. Under the enhancement of the scales, these spells were cast at a higher level than their original rank.

Mira quickly distanced herself from the giant dragon, but she knew that once the dragon spread its wings and flew, the distance between them would soon shrink, so she had to hurry and find the most appropriate range.

She couldn’t get too close, or she might be crushed by its massive body. But she also couldn’t be too far. Spells below level seven had range limits, so she needed to find the best distance to ensure each spell she cast was effective.

Lance immediately understood Mira’s intentions.

She was trying to circle around Nathanael’s massive body, using floating and acceleration spells to assist her.

Compared to Nathanael, Mira’s small frame was indeed an advantage.

It was like a bird flying around an elephant—while Nathanael wouldn’t appear clumsy when facing creatures of a similar size, he was much slower when reacting to Mira.

From the start of the assessment, Mira had found the right opening.

Lance nodded with satisfaction.

However, this was only the beginning. In Nathanael’s long dragon life, he had encountered challengers like Mira who relied on speed and agility to outmaneuver him.

But before the overwhelming strength of the black dragon, these small tricks were insignificant.

She couldn’t be hit by Nathanael’s tail.

The force of that attack was beyond what ordinary humans could imagine.

Lance’s old injuries had been caused when Nathanael’s tail struck him into the mountains.

Mira identified her position and tried casting her first spell at the dragon.

A blazing fireball, conjured from her incantation and the spark of her medium, flew towards Nathanael.

When the spell touched the black dragon’s scales, it flickered a few times and disappeared completely.

As expected, it had an extremely strong resistance to magic.

Mira silently noted the position. A fourth-tier fireball spell left no trace on the black dragon; she would need to use her strongest available magic to strike at its weaknesses and cause damage.

First, she needed to find its weak spots.

Mira cast two acceleration spells on herself again, relying on her speed and agility to start circling around the black dragon, Nathaniel.

At the same time, fireballs began to gather behind her, flying toward the black dragon.

The fate of these fireballs was the same as the initial test: they disappeared completely shortly after making contact with the dragon’s hard scales.

Fortunately, Mira could cast the fourth-tier spells frequently, but if she used higher-level spells, her mana would quickly be depleted.

Fireball spells became the most suitable option for her to search for the dragon’s weak points at this moment.

To Nathaniel, these trivial attacks were not worth mentioning, but they were becoming quite annoying, like a fly buzzing incessantly. The weak magic was merely scratching at him.

It was time to teach this little fly a lesson.

The black dragon knew how to deal with enemies that dared not face him head-on.

Stretching his wings, even though he was a juvenile dragon, the span of his wings was enough to block out a small portion of light.

He began to flap his wings, and the immense wind pressure created by his movements surged.

Mira, who was maintaining her flight with levitation and acceleration spells, was instantly thrown off balance by the powerful gust of wind. She couldn’t control her flight direction and kept being blown backward.

It was at this moment that Nathaniel used his favorite move.

When prey was swept into a hurricane and couldn’t move freely, they would be unable to avoid the dragon’s flames coming directly at them.

Those who used magic would never be able to face a dragon head-on, and Nathaniel loved to crush these poor spellcasters by doing things they couldn’t even attempt.

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Lance squinted his eyes. He instantly recognized Nathaniel’s signature move.

When he faced Nathaniel himself, he had used the same technique. Although Lance's dragon form couldn't compare to the black dragon's, he was never helpless against the powerful winds created by the black dragon’s wings.

He too had dragon flames.

Furthermore, dragon flames were a form of magic, and Lance’s dragon flames were not weaker than Nathaniel’s.

Mira, however, was different. She couldn’t maintain her balance in the hurricane. Facing the dragon flames, it was nearly impossible for her to avoid them.

Lance quickly thought back to all the sixth-tier spells. They were too low-level. Spells below the sixth tier couldn’t possibly withstand the dragon’s flames.

Mira looked at the flames rushing toward her.

At that moment, she forgot that this was just a test. Lance’s simulated magic was so real that she could even feel the heat rushing toward her and the unbearable rise in temperature.

For the first time, she truly felt death approaching. But Mira remained unusually calm.

Levitation and acceleration spells were useless in this situation, so she dispelled them.

Even without the two spells’ assistance, Mira’s body didn’t immediately fall under the wind’s pressure.

The dragon’s flames engulfed her position in an instant.

Lance smiled slightly.

Yes. There were no spells below the sixth tier that could withstand dragon flames, but Mira’s only high-tier spell came into play at this moment.

Just before the dragon flames enveloped her, Mira used a portal spell to distance herself from the dragon’s flames, reappearing behind it.

Although this was a test for spells below the sixth tier, in real combat, no one would restrict the level of spells used.

Against an opponent like Nathaniel, Mira had to avoid his direct attacks.

The moment Mira appeared behind the giant dragon, two fireballs flew toward Nathaniel again.

Still spewing dragon flames, Nathaniel wasn’t quick to adjust his body. The two fireballs struck the junction of his wings and body, areas where the thin scales remained, and the fireballs lingered much longer than they would have in other areas.

Found it.

Mira smiled, then began chanting a spell.

Nathaniel let out an angry roar.

Not because of the pain, but because of the frustration.

This was his favorite direct attack, and yet this little fly had used magic to evade it.

Magic users were always the ones to sneak attack.

The dragon roared in anger, rising into the air. The dragon flames ignited the surrounding environment, and in an instant, a heatwave spread, forcing Mira to quickly cast levitation and acceleration spells again to create distance.

The dragon’s wings stirred up wind, and this time, burning plant fragments and embers were swept into the air.

Mira’s energy couldn’t sustain frequent use of the portal spell to evade the attacks. She struggled to dodge through the firestorm, her dress and cheeks inevitably scorched by the sparks.

She had to think of something quickly.

The black dragon’s temper was as volatile as legends described. When angry, it would vent its fury on everything around it, not just Mira.

Because of the scattered sparks, Mira could no longer easily approach the point where the dragon’s wings connected to its body.

However, she discovered a new weak point.

Mira waved her hand and opened a new portal. Her mana was running low, and after completing the portal, she could only cast the simplest spell.

“Whoosh.”

With a simple sound, the spell was cast.

Light spell. A spell that didn’t even count as a tiered spell.

But Mira had positioned the portal between Nathaniel’s eyes.

The little fly had flown right up to the dragon’s eyes and threw a blinding light bomb at his vulnerable eyes.

The dazzling light pierced Nathaniel’s pupils. This spell didn’t cause real harm, but it inflicted a deep insult to the magic dragon.

The black dragon was known for its fiery temper, and being angered in this way triggered an explosive response.

Nathaniel flapped his wings angrily, leaping into the air to try and crush this troublesome little insect. He shut his eyes tightly in pain.

Stamping, tail swinging, and wildly thrashing, but the sheer force of the dragon's actions caused the ground to shake.

Mira couldn’t dodge in time, and her projection was shattered into countless fragments by the dragon's tail.

The burning heat and the sound of explosions slowly faded away. Mira lay on the ground, her gaze catching the azure sky.

She blinked, and the pain from being struck by the dragon's tail disappeared.

She lay on soft green grass, and the sound of birds singing filled the air.

Lance walked toward her, stepping on the grass. The terrifying firestorm had vanished.

He stopped in front of Mira, bent down, and helped her up.

“Not bad,” Lance smiled and said. “The eyes are indeed a weak spot on a dragon’s body.”

But the light spell was too low-level. If a higher-tier spell had targeted Nathaniel's eyes, that would have been a truly fatal blow.

Mira stood there, stunned.

She knew she had still failed.

The magic dragon wasn’t a clever opponent. Its attacks were simple, but its strength came from its innate power.

Mira was just a fragile spellcaster. With one swing of its tail, she was turned into fragments.

Lance stood before her, smiling.

He seemed pleased with the result. After all, she had already shown everything she could do.

Mira hazily recalled the moment when she was locked in the dragon’s flames.

She remembered when she first met Lance. He was charred, weak, lying at the base of the tower.

Experiencing a similar situation, Mira could finally understand what it was like to face such a terrifying magic dragon alone. She suddenly hugged him.

“Lance.”

The blue dragon looked surprised, his arm hanging at his side. He didn’t know how to react to Mira’s unexpected behavior.

“You were scared too, right, when the dragon’s flames came at you?” Mira buried her face in Lance’s chest, her voice sounding unusually muffled.

When faced with danger, she was remarkably calm. But once the surrounding environment had settled, she couldn’t avoid feeling the aftereffects.

What she had gone through was only a magical simulation. After the illusion ended, she had Lance’s encouragement, but not long ago, the young man in front of her had faced the terrifying magic dragon alone, with its flames, injuring it, but still unable to move due to severe injuries, lying alone at the bottom of the pitch-black tower.

Lance was momentarily stunned.

“It’s okay,” he suddenly understood Mira’s change in emotions, recalling how he had looked when they first met.

Lance admitted he had been in a sorry state.

But that wasn’t because of Nathaniel; it was because of the lightning trap and the world it connected to.

Lance gently patted Mira’s back.

“Passing the test is something to be happy about, Mira.”

“But I died,” Mira raised her head. “Does that still count as passing the test?”

“Even though you were scared, you still gave it your all,” Lance smiled and changed the topic away from dragons.

“We’ll start the formal lessons in the afternoon, beginning with meditation.”

Mira stepped back a few paces, creating some distance from Lance.

She suddenly realized how rash her earlier actions had been. Mira cautiously studied Lance’s expression, but he didn’t seem to notice that such behavior was inappropriate.

Thankfully, thankfully. Mira silently sighed in relief. Lance’s interest in magic clearly outweighed everything else. She promised herself not to act so impulsively next time.

Mira had taken magic courses at the Magic Energy Hub. In her understanding, magic classes were supposed to be like those at the hub, with the teacher lecturing and the students learning. But she knew Lance wouldn’t teach like that. He had said before that magic is a natural product, and understanding magic comes from feeling nature.

Their first class took place beneath a large tree.

Lance told Mira,

"There is a legend that the tower has 9,999 rooms. However, this is not entirely accurate. The tower does indeed have many rooms, but these rooms are used as storage spaces, exhibition rooms, and more. Many of these so-called ‘rooms’ are not even confined to the shape of a square."

This was just like the assessment earlier this morning. Lance had led Mira into one of the rooms in the tower, where they completed the virtual magic exam.

Their meditation class would also take place in a similar room.

A large tree, an especially tall and lush one.

Mira estimated the height of the tree, thinking it was even taller than the dragon Nathaniel she saw earlier, at least a hundred meters tall.

Lance led Mira to the base of the tree.

This tree was his mother’s collection— the last dream tree in the world.

When the tower was occupied by the black dragon Nathaniel, Lance had been worried about the damage to this collection. It seemed that, apart from taking a few rooms to store the eyes he had collected, some jewels, and livestock offered by humans, as well as taking over a few bedrooms to house beauties, Nathaniel had not explored the other rooms in the tower.

“Today, we’ll meditate here,” Lance said, looking up at the tree.

“Mira, what kind of tree is this?” Mira asked out of curiosity, since she had never seen such a large tree.

The trunk of the tree was so wide that ten people couldn’t even wrap their arms around it.

She circled the trunk once and returned to the starting point.

“It’s incredible,” Mira exclaimed sincerely.

“It’s a Dream Tree,” Lance explained. “Legend has it that the leaves of this tree are made from all the beautiful dreams in the world.”

This answer surprised Mira even more.

The tree was not only awe-inspiring on the outside, but its core was even more remarkable.

“This is the last Dream Tree,” Lance said, resting his hand on the trunk, closing his eyes as images of his flight over the ocean came to his mind.

It was a leaf of this tree that he had placed there when he was traveling abroad. When he crossed the ocean, he felt an unprecedented peace, and that night, his dream was of the vast, blue sea. He recorded that beautiful dream and placed it on the Dream Tree.

“Come, Mira,” Lance said, thinking this process would be interesting for her as well.

“Place your hand here and try it,” he urged, eager to share this feeling with her.

Lance believed that there were many things in the tower that he liked, and Mira, being a lively mage, should also enjoy them.

“Will anything happen?” Mira asked, a puzzled expression on her face. She mimicked Lance’s motion, placing her hand on the Dream Tree and slowly closing her eyes.

After a while, Mira opened her eyes again.

“Nothing happened,” she said, looking at Lance in confusion.

Her response surprised Lance.

The Dream Tree was meant to store beautiful dreams. For humans, its effects were not something that needed to be consciously awakened.

Lance could alter dreams because he was a magical blue dragon.

“Mira,” Lance looked at her, “Have you never dreamed?”

Mira paused for a moment, then nodded before shaking her head.

“I don’t know if what I’ve had could be considered dreams,” she said, retracting her hand from the tree. “But I don’t see anything here.”

No dreams. No beautiful dreams.

Lance fell silent, and the letter that had appeared in Mira’s memory came to his mind again.

“Let’s start meditating,” Lance said, withdrawing his hand. “Aside from recording dreams, the Dream Tree also has the ability to calm and soothe one’s emotions. It’s a good place for your first meditation session.”

“Mmm,” Mira didn’t think further on it. She looked up at the large tree, perhaps because she hadn’t yet had any beautiful dreams that the tree could record.

Lance guided Mira to sit quietly under the tree. He softly encouraged her to relax and feel her inner energy.

As Mira’s breathing gradually became steady and calm, Lance’s consciousness moved to another part of the tower.

He appeared in the library.

The origami spirit, Xingxing, quickly flew to his side.

“Where can I find records related to the Dream Tree?” Lance asked Xingxing.

After a brief moment of recall, the origami spirit answered, “In the section on natural creations.”

Lance nodded, his expression serious as he walked toward the shelf where these books were stored.

Initially, he hadn’t paid much attention to the letter that had appeared in Mira’s memory. It seemed to only indicate the human obsession with artificial mediums.

But Mira had no dreams. The absence of dreams meant she wasn’t recognized as a natural life form—how could that be?

Lance could sense the vitality within her. As the blue dragon king who attuned to nature to understand magic, his judgment would never be wrong.

Yet the Dream Tree contradicted him.

Lance flipped through records related to the Dream Tree.

The tree in the tower was the last one that his mother had moved from its original location to avoid it being destroyed in the wars.

Since then, his mother had been the one taking care of it. Lance had only learned of this tree after reclaiming the tower. He didn’t know much about it.

As he read the pages of the book, countless words filled his vision, but his mind was distracted, thinking of other matters.

What had the Magic Core Mages done to Mira? She had such lively eyes, strange thoughts, and many questions.

At her age, Mira should have been adept at dreaming. Whether it was aspirations or literal dreams, she had enough vitality to draw the Dream Tree’s attention to record the beautiful energies of her life.

Yet when she reached out to touch the Dream Tree, she couldn’t sense any beautiful dreams?

Lance faced a dilemma.

He closed the book about the Dream Tree and quickly left the aisle for natural creations.

To unravel this mystery, he needed to read books related to artificial mediums.

Artificial mediums. Lance didn’t want to associate this term with Mira.

But now, it seemed like an unavoidable truth.

However, Lance’s collection contained very few books on artificial mediums. He had never needed or liked them.

Lance fell into deep thought.

He stood in the center of the hall, surveying the surrounding shelves.

Suddenly, he looked up.

The black market. He needed to visit the black market. He had to ask the surviving goblin descendants what exactly the Human Mage Associations had acquired from them.

The meditation process felt like exploring the deep sea. At the beginning, Mira was worried whether someone as mentally active as she was could quickly immerse herself into her inner world. However, under Lance's guidance and after several breaths, she began to feel her thoughts gradually sinking. First, they gently pressed into the sea's surface, slowly crossing the shallow waters, and gradually sinking deeper into the abyss.

It was a strange feeling. Mira knew she was sitting under the Dream Tree's shade, on soft grass. Yet, she felt as though her body was surrounded by water, as if submerged in the boundless ocean.

This sensation was truly unique.

Mira realized that the waves surrounding her were not gentle water currents, but pure energy—energy that belonged to her. This realization surprised her, yet it felt perfectly natural in her mind.

At that moment, she seemed to understand why Karl had told her she would eventually become a Tower Mage. Her body held far more energy than her current circle of power, but she couldn't yet access it—she had yet to find a way to channel it.

Karl knew everything.

Thinking of this made Mira feel sad. Karl had been her mentor, a pale and frail young man. Although Mira knew his real age was far beyond that of a young man.

She wasn’t sure how to feel about Karl. She had been by his side since childhood. He hadn’t particularly cared for her, but neither had he mistreated her. The mages from the Mage Associations didn’t like her, mostly because she had never advanced in rank. Only those disliked by their mentors were denied promotion. They didn’t know that Karl had allowed her to study magic beyond her circle, or that he had her clean the study, giving her opportunities to learn.

Was he only doing this out of guilt? Mira didn’t want to think about it. She knew the answer would be sorrowful.

She had once wanted to consider Karl as a father figure, but his youthful appearance made it too confusing. She thought of him as an older brother, but Karl never treated her with the care an older brother might. He was Mira’s mentor, the powerful eighth-circle mage everyone spoke of, while Mira saw him as a forgetful, fragile mentor.

But the same mentor who could never find his magic books had destroyed an entire race with magic, and the one who constantly forgot to close the windows, causing rain to soak the books, had seen her merely as a tool.

Did she have no happy dreams because she had never felt happiness at the Mage Associations?

That wasn’t quite it. When learning new magic, she was always happy. But that joy never made it into her dreams.

Perhaps that was why the Dream Tree hadn’t recorded her beautiful dreams.

Her sadness interrupted the meditation, and the deep sea in her mind vanished.

Mira opened her eyes. The bright, yet gentle light brought her back to reality. They were in a small world within the Tower, home to the last Dream Tree.

She tried to return to her meditative state. Mira closed her eyes and tried for a long time, but she couldn’t return to the deep sea.

She turned her head to see Lance sitting beside her. He had his eyes closed, with deep blue eyelashes resting on his fair skin, casting a small shadow.

Mira had rarely seen someone with blue eyelashes.

She thought that the Mage Associations, which gathered mages from all over, didn’t have anyone with blue hair either.

But she had lived in the Mage Associations since she was small, and the only sky she had ever seen was that of the Associations. She couldn’t claim that no one in the world had blue hair.

After all, Lance was right in front of her.

Mira stared at him.

He really was an unexpected encounter.

She couldn’t even imagine what might have happened without him. Mira thought she had only used a piece of artificial crystal but had received so much help from Lance.

He was indeed mysterious and powerful.

Mira knew there were many holes in Lance's words.

With a little thought, she realized that Lance had said that his mother's lover had given her the Tower.

Mira knew this Tower had been created a thousand years ago.

Because he had said "his mother’s lover," not "his father." That was a big difference. Was it the lover before or after her father? Was Lance born before or after his mother received the Tower?

No matter the answer, Lance was already several hundred or even a thousand years old.

He had no intention to harm her and had even guided her in magic.

Mira decided to ignore her inability to figure out these relationships. It wasn’t really important.

She continued to watch Lance quietly.

It was rare for her to have no thoughts. Meditation was an exceptional case, but this wasn’t one of those moments.

Lance had many, many secrets. She was a curious mage.

She really wanted to understand the secrets he held, and recently, this thought had crossed her mind more than once.

Mira sighed. She remembered the rose on the table. A single rose.

Did Lance understand what a rose symbolized? He clearly didn’t. He must have seen the biographies of those wicked mages and thought it was appropriate to give her one.

Although Mira liked magic, she had to admit that many mages were scoundrels.

What was worse, some of these scoundrels wrote their disgusting romantic histories into magic books, which was an insult to magic and corrupted other spellcasters.

“That's despicable,” Mira clenched her fists and said angrily.

At the same time, she quickly covered her mouth and turned to look at Lance, carefully gauging him. She didn’t think her voice was loud, but the silence in the air made it feel like it echoed.

She was afraid that Lance, in his meditative state, would notice her watching him. Though Mira couldn’t explain why she was afraid of being caught.

She quietly returned to her position, closed her eyes, and pretended to meditate, glancing up occasionally to steal a look. Lance remained still, focused and serious.

He probably didn’t hear her.

He truly seemed to love meditation.

Library.

Lance remembered that last time when Mira wanted to go to the black market ahead of time, his response was that they needed to wait for the right moment.

"Star," Lance called the origami spirit and instructed, "Go find out when the next black market gathering starts."

"Master, master, I can't leave the tower right now," the little spirit raised its paper head to look at Lance.

Lance knew its little trick. Recently, the origami spirit had been spending all its time with Mira. It helped Mira search for books in the library, and in return, Mira would tell it strange stories whose origins it didn't know.

The origami spirit had become very much like Mira, always scheming in its words.

Lance stretched out his finger and tapped its forehead.

"You can leave the tower now."

Star was overjoyed. Thanks to Mira, it had received magic from its master twice in just half a year, and was now a high-level spirit.

It happily circled around Lance.

"Take care of business," the blue dragon reminded it.

The origami spirit quickly flew out of the tower. "Master, I'll be back soon."

After sending off the spirit, Lance didn’t stay long in the library. His consciousness returned to his body under the Dream Tree. Just as his awareness settled, he heard a faint complaint.

"That's so annoying."

Lance nearly lost control of his body.

He barely managed to keep his eyes closed, his muscles tensed, trying to maintain the meditative posture.

Had Mira noticed that he had slipped away?