Under the blazing sun, the cracked rocks shone with a pale hue, and tender yellow moss grew half-heartedly in the shadow of the stones.

In wind-sheltered spots, there were still many scattered pieces of garbage left behind by the waves and wind, and the ground of the island was pitted and uneven from their constant assault.

The island was not very large, strictly speaking, it was just a slightly bigger coral reef. After a few steps, Albert arrived in front of the Mage Tower.

The tower was probably three stories high, and the red bricks on the outside were corroded by the alkaline properties of the sea water, leaving countless small holes. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow, and weathered sand and pebbles would fall from the cracks in the bricks.

Although this was Albert's first time seeing the Wizard Tower, he was certain that it was very different from the rumors of the Wizard's abode guarded by countless golems and creatures from other worlds, constructed with mithril and precious gems.

"Excuse me, is Mr. William at home?" he shouted several times in front of the door, but there was only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks in his ears.

After careful observation, Albert felt that the wooden door was not a magical trap that would take someone's life.

He cautiously pushed it, and to his surprise, the door was not locked. With a gradually increasing force on his wrist, the decayed and deformed door scraped against the ground with a harsh noise.

The indoor lighting was dim, and the small windows on the walls were covered with thick curtains. A few rays of sunlight struggled to sneak in through the gaps between the curtains and the windows.

It seemed like nobody had cleaned the place in a long time, and there was a thick layer of dust on the old floor.

"Whoever lives here must be really lazy," Albert thought to himself, guessing that anyone visiting for the first time would have the same thought.

The entire ground floor was empty except for a narrow spiral staircase that led upwards. Albert tried to climb it, but the wooden steps immediately creaked under his weight, making him doubt whether they could support him.

With every step, his body swayed up and down with the staircase.

It really took some courage to stay in such a high-risk building.

There was still no one on the second floor. The small bed in the corner, the greasy oak table, and the utensils stacked on the table with leftover food all indicated that this was the owner's bedroom and dining room.

Many clothes were scattered on the floor, among them a special pointed hat caught Albert's eye. He picked it up and examined it closely, noting that its style was similar to the funny hats worn by clowns in the circus, except that it was not colorful but a deep, dark black.

Legend has it that this is the type of hat worn by wizards.

"Finally, someone has come?" Just as Albert was wondering where the owner had gone, a hoarse voice came from the third floor, as if answering his question.

"Is it Mr. William? I am Albert Fraley, assistant prosecutor of the First Court," Albert replied.

"Damn it, I don't care who you are, as long as you're a living person, come up quickly! Oh, I'm almost going crazy," the voice immediately became sharp, filled with excitement.

"Mr. William, the First Court needs your assistance, and we eagerly anticipate your arrival. Perhaps the mundane matters of the world pale in comparison to exploring the vast world of magic, but every employee of the First Court and citizen of Flondeck will deeply appreciate your help."

Albert remained motionless, having made up his mind to leave as soon as he delivered the message. The words "living person" and "going crazy" filled him with apprehension. Is this wizard planning to use live experiments to pursue a breakthrough in the field of magic?

"You need my help? Well, before that, who's going to help me?"The wizard complained for a moment, then suddenly realized and shouted, "Please don't be afraid. Although there are rumors that wizards are a bunch of crazy perverts who like to use other people's lives to test their spells, I assure you that the human body is the lowest form of experimental carrier. I would rather summon a small imp to achieve my goal."

"My experiment has run into a little trouble and I need someone else's help. Don't worry, it won't cause you any harm. On the contrary, it will be a rare experience for an ordinary person."

"Before you come up, please open the cupboard and bring me some food. Damn, I can't open it myself."

With an uneasy feeling, Albert took out the stale rye bread from the cupboard as instructed and headed towards the top floor.

After spiraling up two rounds of stairs, the appearance of the top floor presented itself before Albert's eyes.

If the makeshift dwelling below was as desolate as a homeless person's abode, then the top floor was like another world.

On a dozen wide tables arranged side by side, countless glass instruments were piled together. Some contained various colored liquids, others held copper-colored powder, and some bottles even had tails of lizard-like creatures or feathers of some kind of bird inside.

Curved glass tubes connected flasks, beakers, test tubes, funnels, and cauldrons into sets, which were then connected to each other to form a large group.

It seemed that the experiment had stopped very hastily.

The residue filtered out on the filter membrane of the funnel had not yet been cleaned up, and the device, made of metal and engraved with mysterious symbols on the side, which seemed to be a heater, had used up all its fuel, causing the large mass of jelly-like substance in the cauldron to solidify into a block.

A mysterious atmosphere filled the room, but one thing that broke the mood was the First Court's emblem, which Albert noticed on both the table and the prominent cabinet against the wall.

Although Albert had only been at the First Court for two months, he had heard many interesting stories, including one about "furniture disappearing for no reason". Handcrafted tables and chairs ordered from famous stores and bookshelves made of high-quality wood often disappeared in the middle of the night, like ice under the scorching sun, leaving no trace.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

This led to a significant increase in the First Court's spending on updating equipment.

The guards swore they never slacked off in their patrols.

As a result, rumors about "furniture possessed by ghosts" gradually spread.

Albert thought to himself, "I think I have discovered the truth."

It was obviously the result of the wizard's corrupt behavior, but how did the large cabinet manage to evade the guards' eyes and be transported to the small island in the sea?

Surely, this is the wonder of magic.

"I never have any visitors here, and I almost thought I'd be stuck in this form forever," the wizard exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "Please give me the bread. Hunger is truly a painful experience."

The voice came from underfoot, and when Albert looked down inquiringly, he saw a weak and feeble mouse lying among the pile of books on the floor.

It had gray fur, sparse whiskers, beady green eyes, and a long, bald, pinkish-red tail.

It was definitely a real gray mouse.

Albert was a bit nervous as he placed the food beside the mouse, but the starving creature immediately began to wolf it down, as if it were not expired bread but a succulent sausage stuffed with meat.

"This is too delicious. I never knew bread could taste this good," the mouse sighed contentedly, gulping down the last few crumbs and closing its beady eyes in satisfaction.

A mouse with such a human-like expression and the ability to speak human language left Albert feeling as if the entire world had become unreal.

"I really don't know how to express my gratitude. Now, please help me open the third drawer of the cupboard marked 'human hair,' the sixth drawer marked 'phosphorous stone,' and the seventh drawer marked 'bone meal.' Take some of each and put them in the cauldron filled with 'jelly' in a one-to-one ratio," said the mouse.

Seeing Albert's hesitation, the mouse explained, "Please believe me, I am William, the first court honor magician. Due to some kind of mistake, I am trapped in this cursed form."

"To restore myself to my original form, I must refine an ointment, but I cannot do it in this form. I can't even reach the drawers in the cupboard," said the mouse, calling itself a magician.

"This is correct. Put the materials into the cauldron, then take the bottle filled with black liquid next to the table and pour it into the heater under the cauldron," the Wizard instructed as Albert followed his orders. "Don't ignite the fire oil directly, it will explode. You can find saltpeter on the other table. It can suppress the intensity of the fire oil without reducing the temperature of the flame."

After the preparation was complete, Albert ignited the heater and a pure white flame suddenly burst out. Soon, bubbles of various sizes emerged from the solidified jelly in the cauldron, bubbling and rolling.

The smell was unpleasant, like fermented fertilizer in a field. Albert tried hard not to vomit and followed the Wizard's guidance to add a piece of stardust to the pot.

"You seem to be quite proficient, not like a beginner?" the Wizard asked, tilting his head in a strange way.

"I also conduct some experiments in herbology in my spare time, it's my little hobby," Albert replied.

"Oh, herbology," the Wizard's mouse face showed a disdainful expression. "But it's no wonder that in the eyes of ordinary people, it is already considered a profound knowledge."

As the stardust was added, the murky liquid in the cauldron gradually formed two distinct parts. The lower part was a grayish residue, while the upper part was a layer of transparent mucilage.

"Now, filter out the residue with a sieve, and wait for half an hour. After the mucilage condenses into a greenish-blue ointment, I can return to my original form."

"Mr. William, what kind of experiment are you doing? You can turn yourself into a mouse!" Albert asked curiously as he filtered the potion. "Is this the legendary transformation magic? It's really amazing."

"Oh my, you really don't know what you're talking about. You think this great achievement is just transformation magic? Well, you're just an ordinary person. If it were another wizard, they would have been so shocked that their eyeballs would have flown out." The wizard's tone was full of pride.

Albert was a bit confused, "Although I have not previously come into contact with the secrets of the magical world, isn't transfiguration a spell that can transform into any animal?"

"Transfiguration is just a second-level spell that any mage can break with a dispelling spell, and it can only change the appearance," The wizard patiently explained. "Have you heard of the Druids?"

"I heard of them in the propaganda of the church. They are a group of heathens who claim to be beasts. It is said that their aesthetic standards are even the same as those of beasts, and they even mate with beasts to reproduce."

"Oh, don't mention the damn church. Besides spreading rumors, what else can those bishops do?" The wizard said indignantly. "In their eyes, anyone is a heretic, even if a mage summons a small monster like a skeleton, they will say that the soul is dedicated to the devil."

"Although the natural magic of the Druids is not worth mentioning in the eyes of wizards, their transfiguration spells are something that wizards cannot match. A Druid elder can even transform into a dragon and retain skills such as breathing fire and dragon's might that only true dragons can perform. The Oak Path still has its unique features."

"For ten years, I have been imitating the talent of the druids, trying to create a truly powerful transfiguration. My research has finally made a breakthrough earlier, although for now, I can only turn into small, weak creatures like rats and toads. However, even the true eyes of the Holy Warrior cannot dispel the transformation."

"But it almost cost me dearly. About half a month ago, I discovered that I was able to mimic some of the low-level druid transformation techniques with magic, and I couldn't wait to cast the spell. As expected, I turned into a mouse, a genuine mouse. I could run agilely, with better hearing and low-light vision than humans."

"I ran wildly in the tower, experiencing the world with the perception of a mouse, until I was exhausted. When I tried to restore my human form, I regretfully realized that I had forgotten to prepare the necessary media for the restoration spell."

"Please accept my gratitude once again. If it weren't for you arriving in time, I would probably have had to survive by gnawing on wood." The magician smiled, but to Albert, a smiling mouse-like human was a bit creepy.

"Dear Albert, you have won the friendship of a wizard, but to maintain this friendship, please do not share what you have seen today with others. My research is only useful when I can transform into powerful creatures like minotaurs and manticore. Otherwise, I will be mocked as a weirdo who spent ten years researching how to transform into a rat."

"Of course, please believe the words of a prosecutor," Albert said.

The transparent slime in the cauldron had cooled down, emitting a green glow, and the previously disgusting smell had turned into a faint fragrance.

"I can't meditate in a non-human form, and unfortunately, my magic was almost depleted during the previous experiment. I can only manage to cast one restoration spell." The wizard said, jumping into the cauldron and rolling around, then jumping back out with extremely agile movements.

A sentence with strange syllables and completely incomprehensible meanings slowly and elegantly flowed out of the wizard's mouth. Even with the naked eye, it could be seen that the air seemed to become a visible and tangible film, surrounding the wizard's rat body. Albert was amazed to see a rat gradually turning into a human.

This experience is truly unique, and most people may never encounter it in their lifetime.

This is a middle-aged man in his forties with a small mustache, completely naked, with a pale complexion and lips devoid of color. This is not the "noble white" of a noble who has lived a life of luxury, with a complexion so fair that blue veins are visible, but rather malnutrition caused by neglecting his diet for a long time.

The wizard stretched lazily and combed his dirty, unkempt hair with his fingers. Just as he was about to take a few steps forward, he stumbled and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Damn it, I've forgotten how to walk on two legs." The wizard complained in frustration.

"Mr. William, perhaps I could have the honor of inviting you to dinner, well, judging from the current time, it should be a late-night snack." Albert reached out to help the wizard up. "Of course, could you first take a bath and change into some clothes? I will wait for you outside the tower."

Walking out of the tower, the stars were like tiny jewels sparkling in the night sky. Under the moonlight, the endless dark blue shimmered, and the damp sea breeze blew by, making Albert feel comfortable.

"Sir, you finally came out." The fisherman's voice carried a hint of crying, having waited for who knows how long by the shore, as promised.

"What kind of expression would he have if he knew that a real wizard was boarding his fishing boat?" Albert thought apologetically as he looked at the fisherman.