Chapter 68

It was unclear whether it was the bit of conscience deep in his heart that had not been completely assimilated by the group of black mages.

Or if Sain had been moved by the special emotional bond between Mari and Stanson.

Or perhaps Sain had always adhered to the principle of equivalent exchange followed by mages.

After the intensity of the three suns in the sky had slightly diminished, Sain got up and continued on his journey.

Before leaving, he sighed lightly and left the remaining half of the nutrient potion for Mari and Stanson.

This act of kindness made Mari bow respectfully to Sain and say solemnly, "Stanson and I owe you a life, and we will definitely repay it in the future!"

Ignoring Mari's oath, Sain continued on his way.

...

The journey, which Mari had said would take ten days, was nearly half off. Just four days later, Sain saw the camp set up by the black mage apprentices.

Faced with Sain's inquiring gaze, Mari, who had been following him resolutely, replied awkwardly, "Stanson's judgment isn't very good, maybe he remembered it wrong?"

"No, it's not necessarily that he remembered it wrong. It could also be that the camp is constantly moving," Sain shook his head and said, looking at the camp built on the leeward side of a large sand dune.

After several days of close observation, Sain, who was experiencing the desert environment for the first time, had made some significant discoveries.

The sand dunes were moving, a situation Sain had suddenly noticed during the night he had experienced.

But regardless, finding the camp set up by the black mage apprentices was a good thing.

Even Sain's heart, which had been dormant in the desert environment, gradually became active. He was eager to see Lina.

With a mix of excitement and nervousness, Sain walked toward the camp.

However, before they could get close to the camp, a senior apprentice came forward.

"Hand over your elemental beads; they are your identity proof to enter the camp." This senior apprentice was unfamiliar to Sain, and the cold and disdainful tone in his voice made Sain very uncomfortable.

But he was a senior apprentice with greater strength than Sain, and unlike Stanson, he was not in poor condition.

To avoid any trouble, Sain decided to take out an elemental bead.

Due to his mentor's instructions before departure, Sain did not take out all his elemental beads, but only one.

Just as Sain took out the elemental bead, a familiar and pleasant voice sounded.

"Kantona, get lost!"

"This is my junior, do you want to taste my fire magic?" came the voice of Senior Sister Phyllis.

This voice was like a refreshing spring in the desert, nourishing Sain's long-dry heart.

Senior Sister Phyllis was not weak among the senior apprentices, and with her numerous and impressive magical tools, she had consistently won the annual awards at the academy.

Kantona, the senior apprentice, was only of average strength among the senior apprentices.

Under normal circumstances, he couldn't even beat Stanson at his peak.

The appearance of Senior Sister Phyllis made Kantona's face turn red with embarrassment.

Without further harassing Sain, he slunk back to the camp.

It was unclear if he had suffered some loss at the hands of Senior Sister Phyllis before, but he was clearly afraid of her.

At this moment, Senior Sister Phyllis looked no different from Sain's memory.

Her face was a bit tanned, but this did not detract from her overall beauty; instead, it gave her a healthy glow.

"Junior, you're finally here!"

"I've missed you so much these past few months!" Phyllis, maintaining her lively personality, directly opened her arms and hugged Sain.

The softness of Senior Sister's chest made Sain's heart flutter.

To the point that something in his magic robe even perked up.

However, Sain did not indulge in it; instead, he was first attracted by another piece of information in her words.

"Months? Senior Sister, have you been in this desert world for months?" Sain asked urgently.

It had only been about twenty days since Sain arrived in the desert world.

Adding the week he was delayed in the Shadow Valley, it was only a month's difference, not several months.

Senior Sister Phyllis seemed unclear about this as well. In response to Sain's question, she said a bit confusedly, "Yes, we have been here for four months."

...

"This is because when we pass through the spatial rift, it consumes some time."

"Our personal perception might only be a moment, but in reality, a considerable amount of time passes in the material plane and the Astral Plane." In the central tent of the camp, Senior Brother Zorro explained to Sain.

"Senior Brother, the profound truths you understand are truly vast, even including knowledge of spatial magic." Sain said with admiration.

"It's just some basic knowledge of spatial magic. We will need to learn some of it when we make spatial rings and other spatial magic items in the future," Zorro said modestly.

"Moreover, this knowledge was not something I actively learned. When we traveled from the Western Isles with the mentor, he casually mentioned it while passing through some magic portals."

"The spatial rift in the Shadow Valley is still too crude. Even after the Dean and the mentor processed it, it remains a relatively primitive spatial rift."

"If we could set up a more advanced magic portal, even when we cross dimensions, there shouldn't be such a significant time discrepancy." Zorro sighed and shook his head.

Mages who can set up spatial portals are relatively rare among black mages.

And setting up a cross-dimensional portal would likely require at least a second or third-level mage.

Given the size of Mithral City, it would be difficult to find such a specialized spatial mage.

"By the way, where is Lina? Why haven't I seen her?" After a brief reunion with his senior brother and sister, Sain asked this question urgently.

This time, it was Senior Sister who answered, "Lina went to another camp. There are four quasi-mages stationed there, corresponding to our camp as twin coordinates to set up the spatial generator required by the official black mages of the academy."

"Don't worry, I've already informed Lina that you've arrived at this camp."

"The other camp is not far from here. I believe she will come over in half a day." Phyllis said.

Since staying in the same tent with Lina in the Shadow Valley, Sain noticed that the relationship between Senior Sister and Lina had improved.

Hearing Senior Sister's answer, Sain let out a long sigh of relief.

At this moment, Senior Brother Zorro said, "Give me your crystal ball first; I'll help you modify it."

"Although the environment and elemental energy of this plane are different from our wizard world, causing many crystal ball communications to be cut off."

"But after my modification, the crystal ball can still勉强 work over short distances, which will make it easier for us to stay in touch." Zorro said.