Chapter 9

The meeting with the Great Mage Camila lasted much longer than Xu Yi had anticipated.

Surrounded by the magic array in the magic fan, the Great Mage Camila asked many questions. In order to gain the Great Mage Camila's favor, Xu Yi had to answer each question in great detail.

However, many of Camila's questions were not closely related to the magic array itself. After all, this wind vortex array was just a low-level wind magic array. No matter how many changes Xu Yi made, it wouldn't be something that a Great Mage like Camila couldn't understand.

The reason for these questions was mostly due to his lack of understanding of the overall design of the magic fan.

Questions involving design aspects included a lot of mechanical and industrial knowledge.

This kind of knowledge had never appeared on the Sains continent, so explaining it to the Great Mage Camila was quite troublesome for Xu Yi. Sometimes he even had to start from the very basics.

But precisely because of this, when Xu Yi finished explaining the issues to the Great Mage Camila, she unexpectedly praised him greatly.

"I thought this magic fan was just something you designed casually, but I didn't expect it to contain such rich knowledge. Even if we set aside the things you mentioned that I don't quite understand yet, just the magic array itself shows that you have a very high talent for magic." At this point, the Great Mage Camila paused, and her gaze towards Xu Yi became more expectant. "Xu Yi, I think you're very good. How about it? Are you interested in assisting me with my magic research?"

Xu Yi was stunned at the moment.

Assist the Great Mage Camila in magic research? According to the traditions of the Sains continent, this was equivalent to the Great Mage Camila wanting to take Xu Yi as an apprentice!

Any other mage would be overjoyed and would agree without hesitation.

Camila was a top-tier three-star Great Mage on the entire Sains continent. Being her apprentice was the dream of many young mages!

If the other mages in the magic tower knew, they would be envious of Xu Yi to the core!

However, after thinking for a moment, Xu Yi did not immediately agree but said he needed to consider it.

The Great Mage Camila was clearly somewhat surprised and disappointed, but she did not force Xu Yi to agree immediately, and she waved him off.

Leaving the top floor of the magic tower, the sudden heat wave made Xu Yi break out in a sweat, but he also calmed down.

Become the apprentice of the Great Mage Camila?

If it were two months, or even one month ago, he would have agreed without hesitation. But now, he found that he wasn't really moved by the proposal.

"Why am I suddenly not moved?" Xu Yi frowned, asking himself.

After a few moments of mixed thoughts, a familiar object appeared in his mind—the magic fan.

Right, the magic fan!

This fusion of magic and Earth's mechanical technology had made Xu Yi almost fully immersed in it recently. While doing this research, he often felt as if he had returned to the research institute on Earth.

At the time, Xu Yi didn't think much of it, but now, upon reflection, he realized that it was entirely due to the influence of the mechanical engineer's soul within him.

Indeed, he had loved mechanics since childhood and had devoted his entire being to the mechanical industry in his previous world.

Although coming to this magic world had prevented him from pursuing his passion and talents, forcing him to learn magic, his heart had remained unchanged.

Now, through the magic fan, he had rediscovered the joy of researching mechanical engineering. How could he be willing to give it up?

"Yes! I want to research mechanical engineering in this magic world! I want to completely combine magic and mechanical engineering! Not just fans, but air conditioners, refrigerators! Even ships and airplanes! I want to establish a complete industrial system on this continent! I want to build a magic industrial empire here!"

Thinking this, Xu Yi suddenly felt his mind become clear, and his entire body was filled with energy.

He understood that after aimlessly drifting for three years in this world, he had finally set a new goal.

And this goal was so grand, even bordering on the impossible, but as long as there was a goal, there was motivation!

As for the difficulties? They were meant to be overcome.

Xu Yi returned to the laboratory with a light step, greeted by envious, jealous, and questioning gazes.

His colleagues couldn't understand why this newcomer, who had been in the magic tower for less than two months, had suddenly been summoned by the Great Mage Camila. After all, they rarely saw the Great Mage Camila, let alone be summoned by her.

Xu Yi didn't care much about these strange gazes from his colleagues. Now that he had a goal, he cared even less, still smiling and returning to his position with ease.

Although he didn't plan to become the apprentice of the Great Mage Camila, Xu Yi also didn't intend to leave the magic tower immediately.

If he wanted to do something in Bonta City, especially something related to magic, maintaining a good relationship with the Great Mage Camila was essential. Xu Yi wasn't foolish enough to sever this connection.

###

About three kilometers west of Bonta City, there was a small estate covering less than ten thousand square meters.

Although this estate wasn't very large, it was extremely famous in Bonta City because it was the only magic academy in the city—the Baron Rector Magic Academy.

As the only magic academy in Bonta City, the Baron Rector Magic Academy gathered almost all the children with magical talent in and around Bonta City.

For these children who aspired to become powerful mages, studying here was naturally very important, even to the point of neglecting sleep and meals.

According to tradition, students learned magic theory every day and also studied some knowledge related to magic arrays.

However, when it was time to study magic arrays today, the teacher in charge of the second-year fourth class unexpectedly brought out a strange-looking iron device.

"This is the magic fan!" Some sharp-eyed students immediately recognized it.

In recent days, the magic fan had sold well in Bonta City. This device, which was not particularly expensive, had very low consumption, and could bring coolness, was welcomed by almost everyone.

Many students at the Baron Rector Magic Academy came from families with good conditions, and quite a few had bought the magic fan for their homes, so they could easily recognize it.

Recognizing the magic fan was one thing, but why did the teacher bring it out in class?

"Students, today's main lesson is to study this magic fan. To be precise, we will study the magic array inside this magic fan." The teacher quickly explained to the students.

"Tch, it's just something that commoners use. What value is there in us studying it? Did you bring the wrong thing, teacher?"

The one who said this was a slightly chubby boy, about sixteen or seventeen years old.

This boy was named Olin Zetaman, the second son of the Zetaman Viscount in Bonta City. He had the best family background in the second-year fourth class, and it was said that every room in his house was equipped with a large ice magic array, so he naturally looked down on the magic fan.

Hearing Olin's words, the teacher's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Olin, you can look down on the magic fan, but as a mage, you cannot look down on the magic array inside it. I can responsibly tell you that the magic array in this magic fan is extremely intricate, far beyond what an ordinary mage could design. I can even boldly speculate that the mage who designed this magic array might have the strength of a Great Mage!"

"Ah?"

"Really? A Great Mage?"

"Exactly, why would a Great Mage do this?"

"Isn't there only one Great Mage in Bonta City, Sir Camila? He never liked to mix magic with merchants, right?"

"Maybe he changed his mind?"

...

After the students chattered for a while, they understood the teacher's meaning.

Regardless of whether the magic array was designed by a Great Mage, it was clear that the magic level contained in this magic array was much higher than they had imagined.

Given this, it was reasonable for the teacher to have them study it carefully.

When the teacher disassembled the magic fan and revealed the magic array in the base for the students to observe, they were even more astonished.

As second-year students at the Baron Rector Magic Academy, they were no longer beginners who knew nothing about magic. They could see the astonishing magic level contained in this magic array.

Although many students could determine that this was a variant of the wind vortex array, none of them felt they could fully understand it.

Many students couldn't even figure out how the magic array maintained and operated successfully, let alone understand how it made the magic fan work.

After all, the second-year fourth class had several magic geniuses, even being hailed as the most talented class since the founding of the Baron Rector Magic Academy!

The more the proud young men and women studied this magic array, the more they felt it was infinitely profound, and they had great admiration for the mage who designed it.

What they didn't know was that the mage they were secretly admiring was not far from them.

In the student management office of the Baron Rector Magic Academy, the head of the office, Hiler, frowned and scrutinized the unexpected visitor for a while before confirming from the black robe's emblem that he was indeed a subordinate of the Great Mage Camila.

"Young man, what brings you here? Or did the Great Mage Camila send you?"

"No, it's not related to the Great Mage Camila. It's my personal matter," Xu Yi smiled and shook his head.

"Personal matter? What kind of matter?"

"It's not a big deal. I came here to hire some students to work for me."

Hiler's face darkened. "This is a magic academy, not a mercenary school. You've come to the wrong place!"

Xu Yi remained unperturbed and still smiled. "Director Hiler, if I told you that this job would not only pay the students but also help them improve their magic skills, would you reconsider?"

Hiler was taken aback. "Are you joking? How can there be such a good job?"

"Of course there is." Xu Yi smiled warmly. "If you don't mind, let me explain it to you in detail..."