Chapter 91: Chapter 80: Painter Long Yi_2
Long Yi decisively took Ai Lin outside to wait. As the first witnesses, they were naturally to be questioned. Since they hadn’t left, they would certainly face many questions later.
A moment later, the results came out. Excluding the damaged office, the Mage had lost three crucial manuscripts. They contained formulas he had noted while working on certain derivations. The Mage had a very good research habit—he never threw anything away. Occasionally, an old note might provide a solution to a current problem.
These three pieces of paper were among the past manuscripts stored in a cabinet. There were many manuscripts in the cabinet, but only these three were missing. This indicated that the person involved was undoubtedly a master of magic, as an ordinary person could not have identified their target in such a short period of time.
The good news was that most of the important manuscripts had already been secured by Long Yi. Several of them contained newly derived formulas which would herald a significant advancement in the Empire’s magic level.
When Ai Lin returned the manuscripts to the Mage, the Mage was so moved he was nearly in tears.
One can see how important the research was to him—it was like his life.
This time, if it wasn’t for Long Yi and Ai Lin’s timely arrival, the loss would have been awe-inspiring. It was not only a loss to the Mage but also to the entire White Dragon Empire. Moreover, the impact of losing research materials may reverberate into the future, something that cannot be estimated. Such a loss could boost the magic advancement of enemy nations if the information was leaked to them.
In summary, the spy had escaped, and his unique black wormhole technique made it impossible to trace. However, using the spatial fluctuations left by the magic, a mage who specializes in spatial magic could infer a general direction and location.
The Dean had already ordered people to report the matter to the Emperor, who would then make the subsequent decisions.
The incident of the missing research manuscripts indicated a high likelihood of spies within the Empire, particularly within the Imperial Magic Research Institute. Especially among the researchers, the suspicion was greatest. The Emperor’s decision would be crucial to how the matter proceeds.
The office was sealed off for further investigation, and everyone left.
Just as Long Yi was leaving, the Mage suddenly stopped him and asked straightforwardly, "Wait, Long Yi, would you be interested in learning how to make magic scrolls?"
"Why?" Long Yi asked in return.
"Because you are a dragon fighter, but you also possess mana. If you switch between melee and magic during combat, it may not be ideal. However, if you convert your excess mana into magic scrolls, it can indirectly enhance your combat effectiveness. Given your profound drawing talent, I believe you would pick up scroll making quite easily," the Mage explained.
"How difficult is it to make scrolls based on Draconic as the standard?" Long Yi asked.
"If we rate Draconic at a difficulty of nine, scroll making would be about a three," the Mage replied. "Scroll making requires a high level of mental control and enduring mana. Normally, at your age, it would be impractical due to the requirement of completing it in one go. However, it seems like your power endurance exceeds the ordinary, so I think you should give it a shot."
Long Yi was intrigued; he was captivated without even needing to think it over. Indeed, in battle, tossing out a bunch of scrolls was unspeakably cool and imposing, especially with each toss, the illusory thrill of wanton expenditure from within stimulated Long Yi profoundly. Why did he like cannons more than missiles when he was in the air force? Wasn’t it just because he didn’t have enough missiles? If he had as many missiles as a bomber, who would be crazy enough to go for close combat with cannons!
"I’ll learn!" Long Yi stated definitively.
"Great!" the Mage said joyfully. "It may not be possible now because of the task at hand. But after that, come find me, I’ll provide a special course on Scroll Making just for you!"
Being versatile is never a burden, Long Yi wouldn’t pass up such a good opportunity.
Before leaving, Long Yi remembered his mission. After the Mage confirmed the mission’s completion, Long Yi and Ai Lin left the office area and returned to the mission hall to report the task.
Upon task completion, Long Yi and Ai Lin each received a reward of one hundred credits. Of course, apart from that, there wasn’t much else. It was originally just a runner’s task—nobody expected a spy incident to occur. Nonetheless, this spy incident was not sufficient to affect Long Yi’s mood.
Both of them returned to their dormitories. When Long Yi opened the door, Bajie was still sleeping, with the Shadow Dragon lying beside him and the Fairy Dragon on his head. These three dragons perfectly epitomized every fairy tale description of dragonkind—greedy, slothful, and lazy.
Dragons were not humans; they were born powerful without training. Whether in strength or the magical Dragon Power, they exceeded human imagination. Therefore, unlike humans, dragons don’t need to cultivate strenuously. They only need to sleep, and their power will naturally grow.
