The bell had just rung, and the classroom was instantly engulfed in noise.
Ning Die hooked her arm around Su Yun’s, chattering excitedly about the new mechanics on the 52nd floor of the Trial Tower, her eyes sparkling with eagerness.
Chu Yu’er swung Su Yun’s wrist, her voice sweet and pleading as she coaxed, “Xiao Yun, the cafeteria on the second floor just introduced strawberry pudding. Let’s go buy some together, okay? I heard it’s a limited supply!”
Su Yun quickly pulled her hand back, her pinkish-blue ears twitching slightly. A apologetic smile squeezed onto her face as she murmured, voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, “Sorry, I have something urgent to take care of. Next time, I’ll definitely go with you—and I’ll treat you to double the portion!”
Chu Yu’er pouted but didn’t press further. She just waved a hand. “You promised, no backing out!”
“I definitely won’t back out!” Su Yun agreed hastily, grabbed her little bag from the corner of the desk, and slipped through the noisy crowd like a nimble rabbit, hurrying toward the school exit.
Her mind was preoccupied. She couldn’t even bother listening to the gossip her classmates were buzzing about. Her head was full of only a few words: “get stronger,” “custom-made divine artifact,” and “Grandteacher Lin Mo.”
The moment she pushed open the door, a wave of scents—honey, milk, and faint magical herbal fragrances—washed over her, instantly relaxing her tense nerves.
Lin Mo sat behind the counter by the window, holding a slender silver brush, tracing intricate magical patterns onto a dark brown wooden board.
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled shadows over her, highlighting the gentle warmth in her light yellow eyes. The very air around her seemed to become languid and peaceful.
“Here again?” Lin Mo glanced up at her, a faint smile curling at the corner of her mouth. She set down the brush and tapped her fingertip lightly on the counter. “What do you want to eat today? Fresh honey buns just came out of the oven—they’re still warm.”
“Grandteacher!” Su Yun ran up to the counter, tilted her face up, and her cheeks were flushed from the quick sprint. Her voice carried a hint of urgency, along with a barely perceptible nervousness. “I… I want to become stronger! I want to obtain a low-rank custom-made divine artifact!”
She mustered her courage to voice her thoughts, then instinctively clutched the hem of her shirt, her pinkish-blue ears drooping, afraid Lin Mo would refuse.
After all, Lin Mo was only her grandteacher in name.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow and paused her movements.
She leaned forward slightly, and a faint, fleeting glimmer passed through her light yellow eyes. An imperceptible flow of time law swirled around her.
In an instant, countless evolutions of worldlines were rapidly simulated in her mind.
But to Su Yun, it was just a second.
“Alright.” Lin Mo’s voice remained warm and steady, without a ripple. She reached out and gently ruffled Su Yun’s fluffy little head, her fingertips cool as a spring breeze.
“The Elder Mage’s lessons are indeed useless for you now.
You’ve already fully grasped those basic spells. Continuing to follow along would just be a waste of time.”
She paused, a glint of approval flashing in her eyes. “You came to me of your own accord, which shows you know what you want. Starting tomorrow, you’ll study with me. I’ll take care of speaking to the Elder Mage—don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you, Grandteacher!” Su Yun’s eyes lit up instantly, like stars being kindled. All her previous anxiety and unease vanished, and her voice even carried a note of joy. She nearly jumped up.
As expected, Grandteacher Lin Mo was still the easiest to talk to!
She couldn’t help but mutter inwardly. If Mo Qingqing had even one ten-thousandth of Lin Mo’s gentleness and reliability, she wouldn’t have to live in such constant fear.
Even if she really turned into a useless waste who could only act cute and whine, that wouldn’t be so bad.
But Mo Qingqing’s personality was horribly nasty—moody, unpredictable. A few days ago, she was obsessed with the internet and tormenting her; last night, she suddenly became extremely gentle. Who knew if the next second she’d turn back into that witch who loved to torture her with magical devices?
It was this uncertainty that forced her to rack her brains, trying every way to survive, every way to get stronger. Only by having enough power in her own hands could she find a shred of security around Mo Qingqing.
Lin Mo saw the mixed expression of joy and slight grievance on her face and couldn’t help but chuckle. She gently pinched her cheek with her fingertip. “Don’t just get excited. Don’t rush into studying today. Help me with some work first.”
“Okay!” Su Yun nodded firmly, not feeling the least bit put out. Instead, she looked very serious.
“Whatever you need, Grandteacher, I’m willing to do it!”
When asking someone for a favor, you have to pay a price—that was a principle she’d summed up from two lifetimes.
There’s no free lunch in the world. A parent’s love might be the only relative exception, but she had long since lost her parents.
She would never complain about having the chance to learn from a strong person like Lin Mo.
Lin Mo looked at her obedient and sensible appearance, a hint of understanding passing through her eyes. She spoke slowly, “I know about the low-rank custom-made divine artifact you want.”
Su Yun’s little ears twitched. She lowered her head a bit sheepishly, her cheeks reddening further.
So her little scheme really couldn’t hide from Grandteacher Lin Mo.
“That thing—it’s marked as ‘low-rank mages can participate,’ but in reality, it requires the apex of high-rank mages at their limits.”
Lin Mo leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers lightly on the counter. Her tone was calm but carried an unshakable certainty.
“The power of a custom-made divine artifact is too heaven-defying. It’s tailored to the holder’s magical attributes and combat style. Once properly mastered, combat power increases geometrically, which means it can’t be obtained easily.”
She paused, then added, “Besides, it’s too unbalancing. If a low-rank mage wields such an artifact, it easily triggers unnecessary conflicts.
More importantly, the power contained in the artifact is too great. If the holder’s mental strength and magic power aren’t enough to control it, one mishap could lead to backlash—at best, their cultivation is ruined; at worst, they die on the spot. It might even affect the surroundings and destroy the hard-won home.”
Su Yun’s heart tightened. She gripped the hem of her shirt until her knuckles turned white.
So the threshold for a custom-made divine artifact was actually this high, and it carried such huge risks.
“The challenge for the mid-rank is even higher—you need to be at the limit of a transcendent mage to succeed. As for the high-rank, you need to fully master at least three kinds of origin magic.”
Lin Mo saw her tense little face and a trace of amusement flickered in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything more to make her back out.
In fact, she already had a plan in mind.
If the palace in Su Yun’s spiritual world was perfected and filled with enough law patterns, and if she helped Su Yun raise her magic level to the limit of a low-rank mage, letting her mental strength and magic power reach their peak, then obtaining the low-rank custom-made divine artifact wouldn’t be a problem.
As for those law patterns, she’d have to trouble those original owners.
After all, each type of law pattern was extremely precious and not easily obtained.
But for Su Yun’s sake, this little trouble was nothing.
Lin Mo didn’t explain these deeper considerations to Su Yun. She just patted her shoulder and pointed to the few tables in the shop.
“What you need to do is simple. When guests come, help carry the cats over to accompany them.
Also, whatever milk the guests order, you bring it over.
After guests leave, wipe down the tables and collect the dishes. That’s it.”
“Also, watch the shop for me.”
Lin Mo stood up and said, “I’m going to go get you something good.”
She walked to the door, then turned back to glance at Su Yun, her light yellow eyes carrying a soothing smile.
“Now, you’re the acting shop manager of this store. Don’t worry about Qingqing—I’ll talk to her personally. She won’t make things hard for you. Just watch the shop properly, don’t let guests skip out on payment, and take care of these little ones.”
“Got it! Grandteacher, rest assured! I’ll take good care of the shop and the kittens!”
Su Yun nodded her little head vigorously, puffed out her chest, and looked extremely serious, as if accepting an important mission.
Just helping watch the shop—that was too easy!