All-Class Anti-Mage - Chapter 44 - What Do You Want from Me?

In the Mage Tower of the Mage Guild, Yang Zhen was compiling and organizing “The First Chapter of the Composite Scroll.” Roland sat across from him, gazing blankly at the young man. Ever since the end of the challenge, they had been focused on this task. Roland had also learned a deeper level of elemental simulation theory from Yang Zhen’s latest work.

This was the last thing Yang Zhen needed to complete before leaving Bidel City after repairing all four Mage Towers. With “The First Chapter of the Composite Scroll,” he was confident it would usher in the Super Scroll Era. Moreover, its unique characteristic of being inscribed on fabric also meant that the magical beast hide scrolls were now on a countdown to exit the historical stage.

Everything was going smoothly, but the only disappointment for Yang Zhen was that even after repairing the sixth floor of the Mage Tower, his sixth halo didn’t evolve much. His current strength remained at the fifth tier, just like when he challenged the Sword Cultivators Guild, and his swordsmanship was still terrible.

“Yang Zhen, can I ask you a question without making you angry?” Roland hesitated for a moment before softly speaking, looking at the young man working on the book.

“Go ahead. When have I ever been angry at you?” Yang Zhen looked up with a smile, finishing the last stroke of “The First Chapter of the Composite Scroll,” and let out a long sigh of relief.

“Do you still hate Kerry?” Seeing the young man in a good mood, Roland timidly asked.

“Is that your question?”

“Yes!”

Yang Zhen gently stroked the book’s cover, then tapped his forehead, saying, “Kerry has already fought alongside Hale. How can I still hate him?”

“What about Katie?” Seeing that the young man wasn’t upset, Roland continued to ask.

“Love can indeed change a person. Kerry has paid the price for their actions, so what reason do I have to hate Katie?” Yang Zhen sighed lightly and then smiled, “What made you suddenly think of asking these questions?”

“Hate can cause a person to lose their sanity, and I worry that you might do something to harm yourself while living in its shadow,” Roland’s concern was genuine.

“Don’t worry,” Yang Zhen nodded again with a smile, “I may be single-minded, but that doesn’t mean I’m foolish.”

Roland nodded with delight, her face suddenly flushing as she lowered her head and hesitated for a moment before saying in a voice as soft as a mosquito, “Yang Zhen, I’ll give it to you tonight.”

Yang Zhen was taken aback, puzzled as he asked, “Give me what?”

“Stop pretending you don’t know,” Roland pouted, her blushing face showing clear irritation.

“I really don’t know! What are you talking about?” Yang Zhen protested, feigning innocence.

“You keep saying you’re not a fool, but you’re the biggest idiot in the world!” Roland kicked Yang Zhen in frustration and turned to run down the steps of the Mage Tower, leaving the bewildered young man behind.

Yang Zhen scratched the back of his head, still trying to make sense of Roland’s words. Even the piglet couldn’t stand his cluelessness and a psychic consciousness exchange appeared in Yang Zhen’s mind.

“Just mate already, why make it a riddle? How boring!”

Yang Zhen’s face turned beet red, and feeling embarrassed, he wanted to grab this chatterbox of a little guy. But before he could act, the piglet wriggled its butt and head, climbing out of his arms. It jumped to the ground and disdainfully glanced at Yang Zhen before scampering down the stairs of the Mage Tower.

As Yang Zhen puzzled over what the little one was up to, the little guy’s voice echoed in his mind again, “I’m so annoyed with you humans and your mating. It takes forever! Unlike us legendary beasts, who are quick and to the point! So boring!”

Now Yang Zhen understood; the little guy was trying to give him and Roland some private space. But from what the little one said, it left because it found the tedious mating process annoying?

“Yang Zhen, I found out some things for you… Hey, why is your face so red?” Melon came running up shortly after, looking at the young man’s flushed face with a puzzled expression.

“Nothing… What did you find out?” Yang Zhen waved his hands awkwardly, thinking to himself that he certainly wouldn’t tell him about what Lan’er was going to give him that night.

“Really nothing?”

“Really, just tell me!”

“Well, remember how you said you had some random thoughts floating around in your head? I found out something about that.” Seeing Yang Zhen’s serious expression, Melon continued, “A sword cultivator from a magical beast hunting legion passing through Bidel City said that the Orcs have a legendary sword technique that has been lost to time, which involves generating a ‘second thought’ in the mind.”

“Second thought? Can you explain more about what that is?” Yang Zhen perked up at the mention of that term, as it seemed related to the thought that had been popping up in his head, urging him to unleash sword techniques.

“That’s all I have.” Melon said with an infuriatingly smug look.

“That’s it? Just the name ‘second thought’ and nothing else?”

“What more do you want? The sword cultivator said that even the Orcs themselves only know the name ‘second thought.'”

Yang Zhen took a deep breath to calm himself down. It seemed that the flamingo was right about finding something in the Beast Language Forest. However, according to the sword cultivator, even the Orcs didn’t know much about it. Regardless, a trip to the Beast Language Forest was definitely in order.

Thinking this, Yang Zhen said to Melon, “I will be leaving Bidel City tomorrow. I’ve really enjoyed my time with you all, thank you.”

The old man’s eyes widened, “Leaving so soon? There’s still so much in the Theory of Rune Consciousness that I don’t understand. You need to explain it to me thoroughly before you go.”

Yang Zhen nodded with a smile, “No problem!”

Inside the Bidel Mage Guild, they studied the unedited version of the “Theory of Rune Consciousness,” which was quite challenging for most people to grasp due to their outdated concepts. When Yang Zhen first arrived at the guild, Melon was the first one he met, so naturally, he would explain as much as he could before leaving.

However, as time passed, Yang Zhen started to grow impatient. He enjoyed academic discussions, but it was also important to consider the time; the sun was about to set.

“Let’s stop here for now. We’ll have more opportunities to study together later,” Yang Zhen hinted that it was time for Melon to leave.

“This won’t do. There’s still so much I don’t understand. Since you rarely rest, why don’t we discuss it tonight as well?” Melon was unwilling to let go and seemed to insist, “You have a responsibility to explain.”

“That won’t work; I have other plans tonight,” Yang Zhen firmly refused. I’m supposed to leave the beauty of Lan’er for an evening with your old face? I’m not that foolish.

“What’s so important? It shouldn’t interfere with our study of the magic principles,” Melon wouldn’t leave, thinking, when will you be back next, and who will I ask if I don’t understand something?

“It’s like this, Lan’er is coming,” Yang Zhen said helplessly. How could that not be an interference? Are we supposed to do it while I explain the Theory of Rune Consciousness to you?

“Lan’er is coming? Great, we can study together,” Melon immediately became excited.

If it wasn’t for his age, Yang Zhen would have kicked him out. But Melon was genuinely committed to academic rigor, and Yang Zhen couldn’t bring himself to resort to violence. After hesitating for a while, he whispered, “Lan’er said she has something for me tonight.”

“Something for you? Can I see it?” Melon perked up, thinking it must be something good if it was for Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen was speechless, realizing that fools and idiots weren’t limited to just him. With the conversation at this point, how could Yang Zhen shout to the old man, “We’re going to make love, get out!”? Even faced with a twelfth-level forbidden incantation from a flamingo, Yang Zhen had never felt so helpless.

Poor old man, devoting his life to magic research, how would he know about affairs between men and women? In fact, aside from the president Roban, only the magic apprentice at the reception could understand the meaning of that sentence.

This was a group with a strong academic atmosphere, so after the guild became famous, it also refused to admit those without genuine skills. Seeing Melon’s enthusiastic demeanor, Yang Zhen decided not to bring up the topic anymore.

Soon, Roland, dressed to the nines, also entered the Mage Tower, although Melon still hadn’t caught on. The old man saw the girl arrive and looked up, saying, “Lan’er, you’re here. Let’s study together.”

“You look beautiful tonight!” Yang Zhen whispered to her, pulling her close. Roland’s cheeks turned peachy pink, and she gripped the young man’s hand tighter. Seeing the young man’s wry smile, Roland seemed to understand something. But she wasn’t annoyed; instead, she joined the discussion on rune principles.

No one understood better than Roland what Melon and the other elders had contributed to the guild. Even during the guild’s most difficult times, they had remained steadfast. Could they really drive the old man out of the Mage Tower for personal desires?

But tonight, our little piglet suffered, listlessly sprawled outside the Mage Tower, looking up at the moon and grumbling, “The two of them have been at it for so long, and now the third person have to join in! Looks like I’ll just have to spend the night watching the moon, how boring!”

…

To avoid drawing attention, not many knew about Yang Zhen’s departure from Bidel City. Those seeing him off included Roland, Roban and Philip from the big three, as well as the red-robed bishop Karl and his followers. As for Melon, the old man hadn’t slept all night and was now sound asleep. Of course, there were also numerous eyes secretly watching Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen held Roland tightly, and the girl whispered in his ear, “If love lasts forever, what matters the mornings and evenings? I’ll wait for you in Prague.”

“Why go to Prague?” Yang Zhen asked softly.

“I’m a mage now, I don’t need the anti-magic sword anymore. Anyway, I have to meet Master Trolley,” Roland said with a smile. “And the Prague Mage Guild, that’s where grandpa used to live, I want to go see it.”

“Alright, once I’ve taken care of things in the Beast Language Forest, I’ll come to Prague to find you,” Yang Zhen kissed her forehead gently, then greeted each person bidding him farewell.

Yang Zhen wasn’t surprised that Karl had come personally to see him off. He had already figured out that Karl mistakenly thought he had someone backing him; the bishop had even tested him a few days ago. As long as Karl didn’t cause trouble, Yang Zhen was willing to play along with the formality.

After the pleasantries, those who needed to leave had left, and those who needed to return had done so, leaving only Karl and his followers watching the young man’s fading silhouette.

“Wuxue,” Karl softly called.

“Here,” a figure dressed as an assassin emerged from hiding.

“Follow Yang Zhen, but don’t spy on him. Just make sure no one gets close to him, especially people from Curis, kill anyone you see!”

“I received news yesterday that Hughes from Elven City has started to make moves. What should I do if they try to assassinate Yang Zhen?”

“Your task is to prevent other red-robed bishops’ people from contacting Yang Zhen. His safety is not your concern. If Hughes’s people want to touch him, they’ll have to get past the saint-tier powers behind him.”

“Yes!”

Karl watched his subordinate disappear into the shadows, a slight smile playing on his lips. As long as the other saint-tier powers were not vigilant, who could know that he was of the golden bloodline? Yang Zhen, you are the best gift given to me by the Elemental God.