Chapter 102: Preparing to Depart

Herrick let out a long belch, then vigorously rubbed his nose, clearly pleased with Lin Wei’s reaction. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing Lin Wei’s surprise.

“Mental power can be freely controlled,” Herrick offered as a piece of advice.

Lin Wei gently slipped the black ring onto his finger, letting his mental power slowly seep into it. He sensed a hollow, cubic space within.

He casually picked up a storybook about Herrick’s former master. With a thought, the book instantly vanished from his hand and appeared inside the cube-shaped space of the black ring.

“Well? Isn’t it marvelous? The greatness of alchemists is beyond the grasp of you natives from Starlink Isle!” Herrick couldn’t resist another jab at Lin Wei’s astonished expression, deliberately repeating “Starlink Isle” to flaunt the superiority of his own origins.

Lin Wei ignored Herrick, instead drawing a Book Beetle from his sleeve and focusing his thoughts.

In a flash, the Book Beetle disappeared.

“I thought you said the ring couldn’t store living things?” Lin Wei questioned Herrick.

Herrick looked at him with disdain. “Spatial existence is consistent—whether a creature is alive or dead, it can enter the ring’s space. I only said it could store dead objects because a living creature, once inside, will die soon enough. After all, the ring’s space is completely sealed, cut off from the outside world.”

Lin Wei frowned slightly, immersing his mental power into the ring again. As Herrick had said, the Book Beetle had lost the ability to move and lay quietly in a corner, seemingly on the brink of death.

With a thought, Lin Wei retrieved the feeble insect and tossed it aside.

“Food!” Herrick shouted, dropping to the ground and grabbing the beetle, stuffing it into his mouth, apparently unbothered by the memory of the stomach fire the Book Beetle had previously caused him.

Lin Wei glanced at Herrick indifferently; this time, he had not secretly manipulated the beetle to ignite, sparing Herrick any further torment.

“You wasteful creature!” Herrick exclaimed, licking his long front teeth with his tongue.

“This piece of flesh…” Lin Wei studied the chunk of meat in his hand, pondering. “Is it considered dead or alive? Dead? No, it can regenerate on its own. But the energy it absorbs seems to come from another space. Neither the external environment nor the ring’s space is its comfort zone…”

This piece of flesh was the most valuable thing Lin Wei had acquired since his arrival in this world. He had always carried it in his pack—not only inconvenient, but far from safe. If it could be stored in the spatial ring, it would be an ideal solution.

“Core, monitor the flesh for any changes. Alert me immediately if there’s any mutation,” Lin Wei ordered his intelligent Core.

He focused his mental power, and the flesh was stored inside the spatial ring.

“Well, Core, any adverse changes in the flesh?” Lin Wei asked urgently.

“No abnormality detected in the flesh.”

Lin Wei nodded slightly. “My guess was right. If it draws energy from another dimension, then neither the outside world nor the ring’s space affects it in any way.”

Next, Lin Wei picked up the old book Herrick had given him.

“What’s this?” Lin Wei glanced at Herrick. The book’s cover was blank, offering no clues.

“A book that teaches you how to alter your appearance. It’s quite useful—you can change your identity completely, and there’ll be no wizard power residue. Of course, you’ll need to pair it with certain aura-concealing spells,” Herrick explained. “But you can’t take this book with you. Read it and return it to me. I even lent it to Brent once…”

“Speaking of Brent, he hasn’t visited me for over half a year. My food supply…” Herrick sighed.

Lin Wei cut in, “Brent is dead. I killed him.”

At this, Herrick flew into a rage. “You killed my food supplier?!”

“But I killed him a week ago,” Lin Wei added.

Herrick was momentarily stunned, then his attitude flipped. “Good riddance! He stopped bringing me food after he got his benefit from me. Ungrateful wretches like him deserve to die!”

Watching Herrick’s mood swing, Lin Wei said nothing more, directing his attention to the book in his hand. He had previously wondered how the fake Brent, a mere mortal, had managed to deceive his eyes—how his disguise had escaped all suspicion. Now, he realized Brent had gained this advantage from Herrick.

“Core, scan and transmit.”

Without hesitation, Lin Wei gave the order.

“Scanning… scan complete… transmitting…”

The knowledge contained within was not extensive. Lin Wei quickly absorbed it: “I can completely alter my facial features, and even adjust my physique by up to twenty percent…”

Feigning interest, Lin Wei flipped through the book, careful not to let Herrick detect his true intentions. Herrick had no idea that in just a few minutes, Lin Wei had memorized the book’s contents, organized its key points, and identified the practical steps.

“All right! Since you’ve finished, get out!” Herrick barked as soon as Lin Wei closed the book.

Lin Wei didn’t take offense. He handed the book back. “I’ll be back. I hope you’re still here when I return.”

“Come back? No, no, don’t come back!” Herrick waved his hands dismissively.

“You say you can return to the Wizard Continent with your own strength, but do you really believe that?” Lin Wei’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.

“Uh…” Herrick was left speechless, a trace of sadness in his eyes.

Lin Wei patted him, his voice persuasive. “When I become a third-level wizard, we can cross the endless sea together, reach the Wizard Continent, and return to your homeland.”

“And why should I believe a mere wizard apprentice like you?” Herrick snorted.

Lin Wei remained unbothered, smiling faintly. “I’m about to break through to the third level of wizard apprentice, and I’ve only been practicing for less than three months.”

“What?!” Herrick’s small eyes widened in disbelief.

On the verge of becoming a third-level wizard apprentice in less than three months of formal training? On the Wizard Continent, that was the mark of a true prodigy!

Herrick pondered for a moment, his gaze growing complex. At last, he looked at Lin Wei. “I can wait for you here for thirty years more… If you haven’t reached the third level by then, I’ll leave and seek my own way back to the Wizard Continent.”

“No problem,” Lin Wei replied.

What Lin Wei did not know was that the standard Herrick had set was one reserved for the most outstanding geniuses of the Wizard Continent.