Lulan caught Gwen as she passed through the lawn leading up to the Guanghua Towers. It was easy to spot the girl because no one else had a Mongolian Death Worm with a ferret riding on its head trailing behind them—that and the fact that she parted the crowd like an icebreaker through a frozen sea.

"Gwen!" Lulan called out reflexively, then instantly regretted her cavalier familiarity. Gwen looked like she had somewhere to be, not to mention she looked dog-tired.

As the Void Mage came closer, Lulan couldn't help but notice that her saviour's distinct aura had changed from brimming confidence to one resembling that of a burnt-out NoM ending a long day at the Manufactorum.

"Lulu, finished your classes?" Her saviour asked the Sword Mage. "You and Kusu settled in yet?"

"Almost." Lulan fell in step beside her. "It's not like we had anything to move."

That much was true. Herself and Kusu had decided to forgo all their' belongings,' which included some bedsheets, a dozen changes of clothes, and assorted things from the Clan. They were officially excommunicated by Huashan, including Luwei, their father, and the alliance of Clans.

"I am sorry to hear that." Gwen patted her shoulder.

"Enough about me. How about you?"

Lulan couldn't help but study her saviour's face intensely, observing Gwen's puffy eye bags and the fissure of blood vessels surrounding the whites of her hazel iris. "Saviour. Are you not sleeping well?"

"Something like that," Gwen replied vaguely. "Hopefully, once my Essences regenerated, I'll be as right as rain."

"If there's something I can do for you," Lulan wanted to help but knew not how. She hadn't had a chance to look after anything, ever. Kusu usually pampered her, even as the red mist made her brother's life a waking nightmare. Thanks to Gwen, though, those days were behind them.

"I am just tired, that's all." Gwen's voice was a little distant. "You want to come up with me? I am browsing for new spells and checking to see if my Uncle's CCs have come in. There should be some for you as well, I assume."

Lulan fell into step beside her saviour.

It felt good to have someone to follow. Lulan knew she had been the Clan's pariah, but she was still a cog in the Clan's collective. As a sterling footsoldier, she had always been surrounded by juniors and seniors. As a wayward drone estranged from the hive, she felt the sting of isolation like a rusty nail.

Her isolation wasn't so bad when Kusu was with her. Her brother's presence calmed her anxiety and reminded her she wasn't alone. But now that the Semester had begun and she was without a companion, Lulan felt directionless. Without immediate access to a Clan-sponsored quest, she had to wait to be assigned to a pick-up group for Questing.

She recalled how she used to pass the time when the red haze still held her mind hostage.

Endless training. That and adventuring for Credit, purging Green and Orange Zones with the other members of the Sects. She recalled eating at the long table, watching her fellow Clanners mock the upstarts deriding talented Rogue Mages like Gwen, like Kitty, or break out alternatively in peevish admiration and jealousy for their 'betters' like the Fungs of Nantong.

There were less pleasant memories, too: being scolded by an elder for one trespass or another, real or imagined. The frequent public beatings and the laughter of her peers as yet another bamboo rod broke against her back.

A few days ago, when she first sat alone with a takeout box in the middle of the Guanghua Tower's famously scenic lawn, listening to the sound of sycamores swaying in the summer wind, what she felt wasn't the romanticised tranquillity written on the silk-screen scrolls.

She felt, instead, a paralytic loss, a diminution, depletion, an impoverishment of her being.

The freedom. It frightened Lulan.

When she saw Gwen coming by, she felt like a woman swept into the open sea, finding a sudden length of rope extended from a passing vessel. As for the ship's destination, she wasn't inclined to know. For Lulan, the mere promise of land... was enough.

[https://imgur.com/xJGXTPm.jpg]

The duo arrived at the Administration level, took a ticket at the Spell-List counter, and then studied the list of Spells available for exchange with CCs.

When they consulted the front desk, Gwen was informed that she was sitting on 163 CCs. It meant Uncle Jun had come through with the matter involving Choi.

"What are you on, Lulu?" Gwen proudly invited Lulan to verify her accumulated CCs.

The receptionist took some time to retrieve Lulan's records, emerging from the back room after some time with an apologetic smile.

"372 CCs, Ma'am."

Gwen's smugness shattered like glass.

"I did a lot of questing," Lulan explained. "But there was nothing really to spend it on. The Iron Heart technique is unique to Huashan. All my other spells are mundane versions you can acquire from the University's public records."

372 CCs! Gwen wanted to berate Lulan's unthinking naivety. This entire time, she could have demanded medical treatments! How simple was this girl not to even know that? Had her Clan withheld that information from her? Did Kusu know?

But then, Gwen was no stranger to naivety. They were both doe-eyed 'Frontier' girls, unknowingly wandering into the deep dark of the sinful city. The journey from pup to she-wolf was long and hard, but hopefully, they were halfway there.

As for Lulan's CCs, the system sheltered her. Despite Huashan usurping the girl's assets, the Tower ensured that no one could take away her contributions. From now, any injury from training could be offset by medical care paid for by the Tower. Not to mention Gwen could beg her grandmother for a favour.

Satisfied, Gwen's attention now turned to her resources.

Emboldened by her unexpected windfall, Gwen discussed with Lulan what would benefit her current repertoire, with Gwen liberally informing Lulan of her Spell list, a revelation that made Lulan stoked to be of aid.

"I am using a Specialised version of Shield by Magus Shultz," Gwen answered when Lulan asked how she managed to block her sword strikes without a hard-point Shield. "If Gunther permits, I don't mind teaching it to you guys."

Lulan shook her head vigorously. "I can't. The Clans hoarded such secrets, often kept by the Master from the Apprentice until their deathbed. It is not unusual to hear that a Clan Master had died without passing on a technique."

The girls were then directed to a small private room where they may peruse the Tome, a catalogue of spells the Tower has on record.

"How about this one?" Lulan pointed to a page gilded with a golden edge. The girls were hovering over a section with several entries on Lightning Magic. Unsurprisingly, the Nordic Lightning-Evoker Einar Larsen, the Magister generous enough to offer his intellectual estate to the public, was chief on the Spell List. Gwen scanned the entries, thinking of what Petra had suggested over tea and biscuits. Jun did say she could be the Second Coming of Thor, did he not? Maybe she could try to be the Second Coming of Magister Larsen?

The page displayed a tier 5 Evocation Spell.

Ball Lightning

Evocation (5)

Casting Time: 50 Major, 31 Minor Incantation

Range: Seeking, LoS, 100M

Components: Somatic, Verbal

Duration: Instantaneous + Persistent.

Magister Larsen's mid-tier Signature Spell remains one of his most sought-after Incantations. The spell manifests up to (N) plasma orbs of lightning which function independently as Magic Missiles. With a somatic command, the orbs strike (Y) targets within the caster's line of sight. Each orb generates a small explosion dealing electrical damage.

(N) The number of Orbs may vary.

(Y) The number of targets must be one or above.

The spell was impressive, but it was tier 5, just beyond Gwen's current proficiency. As Larsen's masterpiece, the cost was 72 CCs, more than double the tier 4 Elemental Sphere. She could purchase it now and begin training, then grow into it, as Petra would say.

The girls continued their browsing, favouring Petra's recommendations.

Grey's Warding Shield

Evocation (4)

Casting Time: 20 Major, 7 Minor Incantation

Range: Self

Components: Somatic, Verbal

Duration: Persistent + Sustained.

A modified Fire Shield allows casters of different elements to make use of the Shield's reactive capabilities. Composed originally by Magister Charles Grey, Sydney University, the spell creates an offensive barrier which retaliates against Melee and Close-Ranged Foes with 360-degree semi-dome coverage. While the spell is active, all soft-point projectiles are nulled by reactive bursts with an additional elemental bolt counter—a popular spell for pinpointing invisible or hidden attacks.

The supremely useful spell reminded Gwen of Yue's early experiments. She felt tempted by its utility, though she was satisfied with her non-newtonian variation. With her absurd VMI, she could weather hard-point assaults for hours.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

With some effort, she shifted the catalogue's encyclopaedic entries to another section, scanning through the index until she found the Conjuration-Familiar section. A familiar name greeted her.

Morden's Bloodhound

Conjuration (5)

Casting Time: 48 Major, 33 Minor Incantation, Preparation

Range: Close

Components: Somatic, Verbal, Glyph

Duration: Persistent, 24-72 Hours

Another Signature Spell of Magister Morden, Conjurer Supreme. A continuation of Morden's lifelong preference for quasi-magical hounds, the spell Conjures forth a bloodhound capable of tracking a target through any terrestrial terrain. The hound is capable of combat, varying from tier 3 to tier 4. This spell is best paired with Morden's other Signature spells, as intended by its creator. As with many of Morden's magic, this variation remains incomplete due to damage to the original manuscript. Elemental Shift is not a part of this spell.

Thinking of Henry's teaching in her 'complete' Morden's Faithful Hound, Gwen quickly located the 'other spells' in the series.

Morden's Bloodhound Pack

Conjuration (6)

Casting Time: 201 Major, 42 Minor Incantation, Preparation

Range: Close

Components: Somatic, Verbal, Glyph (M)

Duration: Persistent, 24-72 Hours

Another Signature Spell of Magister Morden, Master Summoner. A continuation of Morden's lifelong passion for quasi-magical hounds, the spell Conjures forth up to a dozen bloodhounds. Each hound possesses the equivalent combat ability of tier 4 - 5 Magical Creatures. The hounds are telepathically linked and are capable of employing pack tactics against single enemies. Morden originally designed the spell for the hunting of Trolls in his homeland of Scotland. A Hound Pack accompanied by a Creature Mage versed in support Magic would find no trouble dealing with a tier 6 - 8 Troll, Hill or Stone Giant, and other Demi-humans of the Giant subclass. As with many of Morden's spells, this variation remains incomplete due to damage to the original manuscript. Elemental-Shift is not a part of this spell.

Gwen imagined herself commanding a dozen handsome hounds, exhausting a 10-meter giant. Even as a speculative projection, the scene set her heart to quicken with anticipation. The cost for the spell was a whopping 118 CCs.

She flipped the page. There was one more, a spell Gwen had seen Elizabeth Sobel use once before.

Morden's Sword

Conjuration (7) Evocation (5+) Transmutation (5+)

Casting Time: 512 Major, 217 Minor Incantations

Range: Close

Components: Somatic, Verbal, Material

Duration: Persistent

The famous Signature Spell of Magister Morden, Master Summoner. This spell creates a blade of compressed force, which is near-invisible. The sword possesses a Vorpal edge capable of passing through most non-magical constructs. The conjured implement can be commanded to attack one's enemies, equating a Dancing Blade with the indestructible attribute. Morden's descendent famously used this spell to behead the Stone King of Dunsinane in a single stroke, breaking the morale of the Giant-kin's army during the Battle of Perthshire in 1922. As with many of Morden's spells, this variation remains incomplete due to damage to the original manuscript. Elemental-Shift is not a part of this spell.

Sobel had used a Void-version, Gwen recollected. It was so sharp that not even Whetu's thousand-latticed Punamu Shield could withstand more than a few blows. She shuddered to think that the sword could persist for hours in combat, striking every few seconds.

As for its purchase, the cost of the spell was not only astronomical; it also required an application for a face-to-face interview and three referees to satisfy some place called the "Greyhawk Citadel" in Suilven, Scottland.

The girls pressed the book against the table. It was a hefty tome.

Wasn't this just like window shopping? Gwen amused herself with the delightful realisation. She was with a girlfriend; they were looking at costly Spells of Mass Destruction and fantasising about using them on their foes while being too frugal to afford the goods.

Amused, Gwen turned to another section of the Spell List and found what Magister Birch had noted earlier.

Shielded Teleportation Circle

Conjuration (5) Abjuration (1)

Casting Time: 70 Major, 11 Minor Incantation, Preparation

Range: Translocation

Components: Somatic, Verbal, Material

Duration: Persistent

Created by Magister Luis Birch of Fudan University, Shanghai, this variation of the Teleportation Circle spell has an additional component which allows a Party Abjurer to directly protect the Circle's Glyphs by expanding a half-dome Shield toward the extremity of the Magic Circle. An improved mandala algorithm likewise has given this variant a shorter activation delay.

The spell was listed at 64 CCs, implying that Birch's 55 CCs was a sizeable discount for his students.

She also browsed the utility spells for lower tiers.

Divination had a suite of Detection Spells she could pick up from between 5 and 20 CCs.

Enchantments had several self-buffs, from Heroism to Strengthen Body. However, the spell she'd likely covet was the tier 2 Hold Person. Lulan said that even she had been the victim of such an Enchantment. The problem was that such spells were sanctioned and required Mind Magic licences.

As for Illusion, a simple command of Phantasmal Sound allowed her to create music like Tao, while Illusion staples like Invisibility hinted at almost limitless opportunities for abuse. Another spell of great interest was Disguise Self, which allowed one to change one's appearance subtly. Both Invisibility and Disguise Self required a registered Practice Licence grading of M, meaning Military or Para-Military.

Abjuration likewise offered keen options for defence or dispelling.

At 5 PM, Gwen felt again too hungry to continue. Escorted by her Familiars and joined by Lulan, she discovered a congee-hotpot joint and ordered for the table.

When the small cauldron of congee arrived, she piled in Wildland wood-ear mushrooms, a South Sea seafood platter, and other ingredients. When the admixture was cooked into the congee, she dug in with a ferocity that frightened her companion.

Lulan herself was bloated after two bowls, making small talk as an excessive amount of mana-rich congee flowed into Gwen's stomach.

As Gwen sucked out the creamy filling of a prawn head, she noticed Lulan staring.

"Did you er... want one?" Gwen felt her cheek redden.

Lulan shook her head. The girl had eaten her usual diet consisting of grains, pickled vegetables, and steamed flesh of Magical Beasts.

"I am just..." Lulan searched for a word. "Happy?"

"That's nice." Gwen stretched out her arms. "You had enough, Lulu?"

"I am full, thank you."

At first, Lulan demanded they split the bill, but as Gwen had eaten enough for four, her friend grudgingly accepted Gwen's generosity.

The girls thus returned to B1, where Lulan bid Gwen goodbye, then returned to her new abode in B14, happier than when she'd left it.

As for Gwen, she felt the urge to retreat quickly to her apartment. The congee had been as delicious as anything, but it appeared to disagree with her somewhat fiercely.

[https://imgur.com/xJGXTPm.jpg]

Gwen didn't show up for Transmutation Utility the next day.

When she did not answer her Message, Mayuree was worried enough to truant, returning to Guoding Road B1.

She knocked on the door of 2204, then became supremely surprised to be greeted by a kind grandma with an aura of benevolence. It took her a moment to acknowledge that this was Klavdiya Song, Gwen's grandmother, as the woman had a white doctor's coat and wore her hair in a tight, severe bun.

"Is Gwen…?"

"She's inside, dear. Come in. You are Gwen's friend from upstairs, Mia, am I right?"

Mayuree nodded. The woman had a face with Gwen's likeness, though she lacked the height and the natural arrogance. As a healer, the grandmother appeared youthful everywhere except for her neck and the skin of her hands, as well as a slight sag to her shoulders which betrayed her real age.

When Mayuree entered the bedroom, she saw that Petra was there too, looking worried.

As for Gwen herself, she was propped up on pillows, looking deathly.

"Oh, Goddess." Mayuree swallowed, her heart catching in her throat. "Gwen! What happened?"

"Argh…" Gwen appeared to be in pain. Her once shining eyes formed two thin lines, and her whites were wholly bloodshot.

Caliban was coiled up in what looked like a laundry-basket baby carrier, while Ariel was purring softly by the end of the bed, warming Gwen's feet.

Mayuree touched Gwen's clammy hands.

Unexpectedly, Petra chuckled.

Mayuree shot Gwen's cousin an annoyed look. Gwen's life was not a joking matter! If the Void had consumed the sorceress, she could have died then and there. If Gwen were to perish, what would happen to herself? Who was going to be her 'saviour'?

"I…" Gwen grimaced, too troubled to speak. "Petra, explain-"

"Gwen!" Mayuree urged her friend to remain in bed. "What can I do? I can get anything, Ancient Ginseng! Life Lotus! Just let me know! I got crystals!"

"Calm down, Mayuree." Petra rose from her seat, her face devoid of worry. "Gwen's not sick from her magic. She's got food poisoning."

Mayuree looked from Gwen to Petra, then to Gwen again.

"Too much junk food, too quickly. There's not enough vitality even in Wildland ingredients, so she over-ate. Her body couldn't take all the gunk she was stuffing into it. The food around Fudan has far too many NoM ingredients, sugar, salt, oil, and soy sauce. Lord knows what else. I'd dare say she ate the seafood in that congee a little too soon, or maybe it was the mushroom. Who knows?"

"Oh…" Gwen groaned. "It's like two roos are boxing in my gut."

Mayuree felt like ten bags of rice had been lifted off her chest.

"What does she need?"

"Essence, for the lack of a better word. She needs to feed the Void."

"Like…" Mayuree looked over at Gwen. "You know..."

"Yes, I know about it," Petra affirmed that they were on the same page. "That or survive on a steady diet of Wildland fruits, the rare ones."

That would be several hundred HDMs a meal, assuming one a week, Mayuree calculated. It was a fair upkeep for such a preciously rare talent. Maybe, if she put up the HDMs, she could keep Gwen on as a retainer?

[https://imgur.com/xJGXTPm.jpg]

While her friend schemed, Gwen was in pain for herself and her piggy bank.

She needed money and a sustainable income.

Perhaps, as her babulya and Jun had stated, it was time to diversify herself into Adventuring or Dungeons Crawling. There was a verdant buffet out there, one which she could partake at her leisure. The minimum attendance for a course to pass was 10 out of 13 weeks, though further absences could be negotiated pending a student's final results. With her grades, it shouldn't be difficult to take a week or a day out of Economics or Management to ravage the Wildlands.

When Petra had discovered her faint-headed and famished in the morning, The Mineral Mage had immediately infused her cousin with a Lesser Restoration. Serendipitously, it was the one she'd initially kept for Lulan after the girl returned from the Astoria vomiting seven ways to Shanghai.

Nonetheless, the ordeal was an experience and a valuable one. Gwen now knew the extent of the debilitation brought by her deficiency in Essence.

Thanks to a further infusion of healing energies from her babulya, Gwen's deficiency of vitality was momentarily replenished, kicking her Druidic Essence with the necessary agitation to multiply. If there was a valuable lesson learned here, it was that she could not sustain herself by eating non-stop unless she was willing to live, like the fabled Elves, upon the fruits and produces of the Wildland.

The destructive and volatile nature of oily stir-fry, hot rich soup, and icy dessert only contributed to her woes.

"She needs a healthier diet." Her Babulya motioned for Petra. "Dear, you keep an eye on Gwen. She is only allowed healthy and hearty food until after Saturday."

Petra stood to attention.

Klavdiya then turned to Gwen. "Call Kumiko, dear. I don't care what Wen thinks. We're getting you fed."