Lynch said, "I can, but we have to pluck Yuri's fur first."
Before Alice could say anything, Yuri quickly cut in, "It's okay, ladies first. I'll go look for my dagger."
Alice sweetly smiled and said, "Big brother Yuri, you're always so considerate."
Seeing this, Lynch couldn't say much more and handed the dagger over to Alice.
Alice held the dagger, examining it from every angle, injecting her spiritual power into it from time to time, making it shift into various shapes, clearly enamored by it.
She couldn't stop herself from exclaiming, "What a marvelous piece of Witchcraft, it can change endlessly!"
After a pause, she began flattering, "Lynch, you're truly amazing, achieving first place in the last assessment and earning such a magical item as a reward."
Saying this, she tugged at her hair, putting on a look of melancholy, sighing and lamenting pitifully, "Sigh, unlike me, I don't have much talent. It was sheer luck that I even passed the assessment. I wonder when I'll ever own something as magical as this."
Lynch knew she had her eye on his Magic Wand and was angling to get him to hand it over for free.
Truthfully, her ploy was quite effective. She had often used similar tactics to get benefits from other male apprentices, be it Magic Potions, scrolls, or homework assistance.
Another apprentice might have caved in the heat of the moment and given it to her, especially since men often value face and opt for generosity and magnanimity.
Unfortunately for her, she was facing Lynch this time.
Faced with her teary-eyed performance, Lynch pretended not to understand. After all, he was widely known in the Tower as the dim-witted farmer, a fool. It was only fitting that such sophisticated tea art flew over his head.
So, he replied earnestly, "As long as you work hard, you'll get one eventually."
Alice's lips twitched slightly; clearly, this earnest reply caught her off guard.
But she wasn't ready to give up just yet. She sighed again, looking all the more pitiful, and added, "Sigh, but I'm not a genius like you, Lynch. Hard work won't be enough for me."
Still sincere, Lynch said, "If you persevere, you can do it."
Alice: "......"
She was utterly speechless. Where did this fool even come from? Even among peasants, one as stupid as this was rare, no?
Yuri, unable to watch any longer, interjected and said to Lynch, "Lynch, disappointing a lady is far from gentlemanly. Why not give your Magic Wand to Alice? Wouldn't it be great to have your generosity celebrated?"
Internally, Lynch rolled his eyes. "Being generous with someone else's things? Playing the simp and expecting me to join in? What kind of logic is that?!"
Alice, secretly delighted, hurriedly put on a worried front, saying, "Oh, that's not right, I couldn't possibly accept that..."
As if!
Lynch shook his head firmly. "No, this was a reward from the Tower, and it's explicitly prohibited from being gifted to others."
The rule did exist, but in reality, nobody would have cared if he gave it away. Lynch was simply using this as an excuse.
Yuri frowned. "Why are you so stubborn? Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Adaptation, you know? Both Alice and I would be grateful to you. Isn't it worth exchanging a cheap magical item for our friendship?"
Lynch insisted, "No, it's against the Tower's regulations."
Yuri and Alice were left speechless. They had never met someone so stupid before. A peasant will always be a peasant. Bringing someone like him into the Wizard World had been a grave mistake!
He wasn't going to get far at all!
...
After traveling together for two days, the three of them parted ways at noon on the third day.
In truth, they could have continued together for a while longer, but whether it was due to Yuri and Alice being upset over not receiving the Magic Wand or something else, Yuri hastily suggested parting ways at the first fork in the road.
"Probably Alice badmouthed me behind my back," Lynch thought.
He could clearly sense the shift in Yuri's attitude over the past two days, seeing the disapproving looks he occasionally flashed him.
So be it.
Since they clearly weren't compatible, sticking together would only make things awkward. Thus, Lynch didn't say much, bid them a straightforward farewell, and continued on his journey.
Two days later, Corrupted Forest.
The Corrupted Forest lay to the east of the Shadow Tower, deep within the Dark Forest.
The environment here was damp and gloomy. The corrosive elements in the air caused the trees to wither and decay unusually quickly.
Entering this forest, Lynch carefully observed his surroundings.
The first sight to greet him was the towering trees reaching into the clouds, but they were no longer lush and vibrant. Instead, they exuded a sickly greenish-gray hue, their bark riddled with black cracks. The sparse branches and leaves hanging limply were many times already dead, dangling precariously and occasionally falling with a heavy thud.
The forest floor was covered in thick layers of decaying leaves and moss, soft and spongy underfoot. Mushrooms and strange fungi grew rampant, and the air was thick with an indescribable stench.
Even the sunlight here seemed thin and pale. Initially, it managed to filter through the canopy, leaving faint dappled patterns on the ground. Yet, as Lynch delved deeper, the light gradually disappeared until, even in broad daylight, the surroundings turned as dark as night.
Quickly, Lynch retrieved a few thumb-sized metal spheres from his Space Pocket. He tapped the runes etched onto them, and soon, the sound of whirring gears filled the air. The spheres unfolded, extending wings and legs, transforming into small mechanical insects with bulbous bodies.
The peculiar insects buzzed their wings with a droning hum, rapidly rising into the air. Meanwhile, their round, bulbous abdomens lit up with a warm white glow.
These were Alchemy Fireflies, a basic alchemy tool with a simple lighting function.
For this mission, Lynch had done plenty of research and came well-prepared for this environment.
"Buzz buzz!"
The little insects darted around Lynch, their warm, white light illuminating his path, their glow chasing away the suffocating darkness.
At that moment, something stirred within Lynch's cloak pocket. A triangular little head popped out, its long neck craning to peer curiously at its surroundings. Its bulging eyes were filled with wonder.
Lynch used a finger to rub its little head and chuckled, "Awake now, little guy?"
After months of careful nurturing, Parker was entering its Evolutionary Stage. To store up enough Evolution Energy, it spent most of its time sleeping these days.
"Yawn!~"
Parker let out a big yawn, then affectionately nuzzled Lynch's hand with its head, before stretching its neck and letting out soft cries, like a hungry baby begging for food.
Lynch casually pulled a few dried lizard legs from his Space Pocket and tossed them to Parker, who swallowed them whole in seconds, licking its jaws clean.
"Burp~"
Satiated, Parker let out a loud burp. As it did, its belly briefly glowed red, and a few sparks even flickered from its mouth.
Apprentices familiar with Fire Dragon Lizards would immediately recognize this as the hallmark of their famous magical talent: Flame Breath.
Over these past months of nurturing, Parker had awakened two talents beyond its Steel Claw ability: Extreme Speed, which allowed for momentary bursts of speed rivaling a hunting falcon, and Hard Skin, granting it iron-like defensive power.
In addition to these three physical talents, the magical talent Flame Breath was finally showing signs of awakening as well.
To think this Fire Dragon Lizard had only been a newborn when Lynch purchased it, not even half a year ago.
The average time for a newly hatched Fire Dragon Lizard to awaken Flame Breath was ten years. Even with wizard intervention and training, the average was about three years. Lynch managing this in just six months was nothing short of extraordinary.
Over the past six months, Lynch had spared no effort in raising the little creature, personally sourcing materials, preparing food, building a nest, and crafting the best energy environment. He worked tirelessly day and night.
His Basic Extraordinary Cultivation Level told the whole story. In half a year, he had gone from Level 0 to nearly max. Every bit of that vast skill progress was painstakingly earned by his own hands.
"Hiss hiss!~"
A well-fed Parker began nuzzling Lynch's hand, even sticking out its tongue and licking him like an affectionate puppy. Its clingy behavior showed how completely it had grown attached, regarding Lynch as family, entirely devoid of the timidity and fear from six months ago.
He remembered that when the experiments had just ended, this little guy's every glance at Lynch had been filled with terror.
"The scars seem to have completely healed."
Observing these changes, Lynch then picked Parker up and placed it on his shoulder.
"Come on, let's see what this forest holds for us," he said.
With Parker in tow, Lynch continued his journey.