This wizard only wants to take students

Chapter 35: What a Wonderful Student!
August 20, 2024

“Hiss…”
Lucien leaned back instinctively, suddenly feeling that Carly’s figure seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

It was as if she were shrouded in a layer of golden light, making her dazzling.

After shaking his head vigorously, Lucien finally cleared his mind of those strange thoughts. However, when he looked at the slightly nervous Carly, his smile subconsciously softened and became more kind.

After all, to Lucien right now, Reverence Points were just as precious as magic stones—if not more.

Since killing Apollo, Lucien had managed to acquire a few resources, and at least he wasn’t as tight on magic stones as before.

But after upgrading the system, Lucien now needed a large amount of Reverence Points to be invested in the identification module to accelerate his learning and progress in potion-making.

From this perspective, Carly herself was currently Lucien’s most valuable productive resource—bar none.

Thinking this far, Lucien felt he had to do something to squeeze a few more Reverence Points from this “little rich girl.”

And coincidentally, right beside him was the wizard robe he had just repaired. Originally, Lucien had planned to keep it for a while and give it to Carly as a reward when she performed well. But now, for the sake of Reverence Points, Lucien decided to be flexible with his principles.

“Here, this is for you,” Lucien said with a smile, handing the robe to Carly.

“Thank you, Mentor Lucien.”
Carly instinctively reached out to accept the robe but quickly realized that it wasn’t just an ordinary robe.

“Mentor Lucien, this…” Carly found the robe a little too hot to handle and hurriedly tried to return it.

She knew full well that Lucien wasn’t exactly swimming in resources. Even Lucien’s own robe was just a regular garment. But this one—this was clearly a rare magical item.

“It’s not of much use to me,” Lucien smiled and gently encouraged her to accept it.

“N-no, I can’t! According to the principle of equivalent exchange…” Carly’s voice was small, her mind buzzing.

Deep down, Carly couldn’t help but feel a sense of absurdity: while other new bloods were racking their brains to protect their interests and playing mind games with their mentors and senior apprentices, she was the one struggling to figure out how to repay Lucien for all his one-sided generosity.

She truly felt guilty.
From the moment she entered the academy, Lucien had been guiding her step by step on the path of becoming a wizard. She had never been able to do anything helpful for him in return.

Not to mention that Lucien had repeatedly invested in her. Even the alchemical armor she wore now had been paid for with Lucien’s magic stones.

Although he had once said she would have to repay the cost of the armor herself, Lucien had never once reminded her about it.

Wasn’t that basically a disguised gift?

Carly bit her lip gently and looked down at the robe in her hands, her eyes gradually filling with determination.

“I… I can’t accept this!”
Carly took a step back, gathered her courage, and looked up at Lucien.

She simply couldn’t accept it with peace of mind.

Lucien looked at the stubborn girl before him and instinctively tapped his fingers on the table.

Carly noticed the subtle movement and lowered her head nervously.

After all, disobeying one’s mentor was a serious matter.
[Your student Carly feels awe toward you. Reverence +5]

“Alright then, let’s follow the rules of equivalent exchange between wizards,” Lucien said after some thought, seeing Carly’s nervous expression.

“For the time being, I’m planning to delve into potion-making. You’ll be my lab assistant and help out with chores. While handling certain materials might still be a bit much for you, you can take care of cleaning test tubes and tidying the lab. Once you’ve solidified more spirit runes and your strength improves, I’ll gradually start teaching you about magical potions. At that point, you’ll also take on the responsibilities of a potion apprentice.”

“Yes, Mentor!”
Carly’s head popped up, her eyes curving with joy. The smile on her face was completely uncontrollable.

[Your student Carly feels admiration for you. Reverence +10]

Lucien looked at Carly grinning foolishly and was a little speechless.

Other mentors’ students never did anything without being told. But why was his student volunteering for everything? Now the reward he had planned to mention seemed utterly unnecessary.

Uh… and she even rewarded him with 10 points of Reverence.

Lucien tapped the table a little harder to pull Carly back to attention before finally speaking.

“I’ll need about four hours from you every day. During that time, I’ll also teach you potion knowledge, so the payment won’t be high… let’s say two magic stones per week. That way, it’s still equivalent exchange.”

Carly blinked.
She had been talking with other new bloods lately and was well aware of their situations.

In other mentors’ labs, learning basic potion knowledge usually required at least twenty magic stones as tuition. Lucien, on the other hand, was calling it “lab assistant” work, but in reality, he was letting her learn potions directly. Other apprentices were expected to do chores without question. Yet Lucien seriously insisted on “equivalent exchange”?

Carly felt like Lucien was going to ruin that phrase with how seriously he took it.

“I… I don’t need the magic stones.”
Carly spoke carefully after making sure Lucien wasn’t upset, trying her best to protect his interests.

“Equivalent exchange!”
Lucien scolded with a serious face and reached out, pretending to knock on her head.

“T-then… one magic stone… One is enough. I can’t accept more!”
Carly looked at Lucien and timidly held up one finger.

She truly didn’t feel worthy of the pay.
As moved as she was by Lucien’s help, she still had her principles!

[Your student Carly feels deep admiration for you. Reverence +50]

As Carly tried to negotiate down the payment, Lucien was greeted with a system prompt.

Lucien: !!!

After the initial shock, Lucien looked at Carly, his gaze as gentle as water.

What a wonderful student!