Chapter 52: Silver Badge
The Corrosive Wand marked the pinnacle of Sein’s craftsmanship in alchemy, a product of years of dedicated study.
The name itself alluded to its roots as Sein’s reinterpretation of the Acid Wand, bestowed upon him by his mentor.
Unfortunately, Sein lacked the extensive experience in alchemy, focus, and elemental sensitivity that Master Morsidor possessed.
Coupled with the constraints of available materials, Sein’s efforts brought the wand to the verge of barely qualifying as an intermediate magic item.
Even so, it was still an achievement that filled Sein with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment!
Under normal circumstances, both Morsidor and Zorro would have marveled at this remarkable feat.
However, given the present circumstances, only Sein, Leena, and Marie know about the Corrosive Wand’s existence.
Sein explained, “The Corrosive Wand is crafted using the magic crystals and skull of an intermediate-level magic beast, the Giant Saltwater Crocodile, as its primary materials. Due to the scarcity of some crucial raw materials and the fact that I have yet to attain my mentor’s level of expertise, the Corrosive Wand has a long cooldown period of forty hours.”
“It releases only an intermediate magic spell, “Corrosive Slime”, so its usage must be carefully timed,” he cautioned Marie.
The source of power behind the Corrosive Slime spell was not the magic array that Sein engraved on the wand, but rather the elemental energy stored within the giant crocodile’s skull and magic crystal.
This accounted for the extended cooldown period, and the lack of the dual benefits of replenishing focus and mana points, that Sein’s original Acid Wand possessed. Excavate this data, retracing it to n0v*lbin★
Marie received the Corrosive Wand from Sein, her emotions reflecting a mix of conflict and gratitude.
She considered expressing her feelings, but when she met Sein’s sincere gaze, she found herself unable to decline his kindness.
Over four years had passed since their initial meeting, and Marie had blossomed from a timid girl into a gorgeous young woman.
The final attendee to enter the meeting room was Sein’s mentor, Morsidor.
By the time he arrived, sixteen full-fledged black mages , including Vice Dean Dedaelon, were already seated.
Despite his late arrival, no objections or protests were voiced.
It was well-known that Morsidor’s recent endeavors were of paramount importance, and the prospect of successfully opening the space-time rift at the Shadow Valley rested largely on his shoulders, instead of the three vice deans.
With Morsidor’s presence, the meeting officially commenced.
The first to speak was a black mage who had always maintained a low profile and seldom appeared at the academy.
He voiced his concerns directly, “Can we truly succeed by expediting the mission by seven years? Moreover, there are no divine towers or orders of the knights near Gloomhaven. Even the smaller mage councils and knight houses, for most part, maintain covert ties with us. How can we be certain that the looming threat is associated with the forces from one of the Divine Towers?”
His tone conveyed impatience, and his frustration was entirely understandable.
Anyone who just stepped out of a research laboratory, only to receive sudden notice of a mission originally planned for decades, now rescheduled a full decade earlier without any prior warning, would likely share his frustration.
Magic experiments demanded substantial time and energy investments, particularly among the higher ranked mages who frequently undertook longer experiments.
The full-fledged black mage who spoke had reached the late stages of the Rank One, positioning him among the elite of the seventeen black mages present.
His recent five-year experiment had isolated him at home, causing him to miss crucial updates and developments.
Vice Dean Dedaelon, seated at the head of the conference table, turned to the black mage named Jada, saying, “Jada, I’ll leave it to you to explain.”
The attention of most of the mages in the room shifted to Jada, who was heavily bandaged and bore visible scorch marks from a pyro-element incident.
His right eye had been lost, and his body had suffered severe burns, leaving everyone in the room puzzled about his remarkable survival.
Jada did not offer an extensive explanation. Instead, he raised a silver badge with his right hand.
The sight of the emblem elicited a notable change in the expressions of most of the black mages present.