Chapter 362 - 51: Junior Black Tower Divination Medal, A Painful Kiss in the Night, He is the Lord of Thunderbolt
Chapter 362: Chapter 51: Junior Black Tower Divination Medal, A Painful Kiss in the Night, He is the Lord of Thunderbolt
The Female Wizard did not let herself wallow in sentiment. She raised her hand to activate her [Wizard Spirit Ring] and said quickly, "Witch Spirit, the paper has been reviewed."
The Witch Spirit’s will tore through the void, left a curt, "Thank you for your review," and then absconded with the paper at light speed.
*****
「Great White Birch Forest.」
Night had already fallen over the entire Yatu Plateau, and the sky was blanketed with stars like countless diamonds.
Mo Ning was piloting The Aviator, soaring beneath the starry sky.
The metallic feathers of the Triangular Wing shimmered with a faint luster in the night. Its form had switched to a nearly transparent, glass-like texture, laying the entire sky bare above their heads.
Anya sat quietly by his side, her head tilted slightly back, her limpid eyes reflecting the entire galaxy.
Reina hadn’t come.
It wasn’t that Miss Dazed didn’t want to come.
She was simply too busy. The recent hunt against the Monster Tribe had yielded a large quantity of Spiritual Materials, and she had to process them all as quickly as possible before they expired.
WHOOSH—
The cold autumn wind whipped relentlessly against their faces, carrying the biting chill unique to the plateau.
This was not Mo Ning’s first time soaring through the night sky above the Great White Birch Forest.
On many late nights in the past, he had often piloted the Triangular Wing in circles above his cabin to train the Phantom Carving that resided in his Spiritual World.
Anya had changed into a carefully chosen, embroidered purple dress. The edges were adorned with delicate, rose-petal-shaped patterns, so exquisitely stitched they looked as if they might flutter off in the wind.
The neckline of the dress was just a fraction lower than any she had ever worn in public.
It was only a fraction—just enough to be tasteful—but it was sufficient to let a sliver of the creamy skin beneath her collar breathe the fresh air.
Previously, the Noble Lady had never attempted such a bold style of dress, not even within her own estate.
The style of the dress, along with the precise—almost deliberate—height of its neckline, was inspired by a curious book she had obtained from the Royal Capital: *How to Display Ultimate Feminine Charm*.
One particular passage in the book had become her guiding principle for the evening:
"In an intimate setting, in front of the one you admire, tastefully revealing some of your lovely contours is by no means wanton, much less self-degrading.
"On the contrary, when you bravely break down the barrier of your established image, you will attract more attention and add a deeper, richer dimension to your charm.
"You must remember that maintaining a static image is the worst possible strategy. It will slowly brand you with the labels of ’rigid’ and ’inflexible,’ eventually causing you to lose all of your appeal."
Anya was convinced by this passage.
She even took it a step further, already considering another ’battle uniform’ for their next rendezvous—a casual summer outfit for a Female Knight.
’The light linen overshirt must be sheer, and the trousers should accentuate my long, slender legs. The cut has to be more form-fitting, outlining my curves perfectly without being overly revealing.’
’Maybe I should have the collar designed with a deep V-neck and wear a ruby pendant. The jewel against my fair skin would create a sharp, vivid contrast, inevitably drawing Mo Ning’s gaze.’
’Finally, I’ll hang a decorative short sword at my waist to add that wonderful tension unique to a Female Knight, a quality somewhere between alluring and heroic.’
According to the book, an outfit like that possessed a fatal charm, one that could bypass a man’s rational defenses and awaken his hidden instinct to conquer.
"You seem particularly excited tonight?"
Anya tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on Mo Ning’s profile. She couldn’t help but ask.
Mo Ning didn’t hide his feelings, sharing his joy with her:
"I reached a major milestone in my career as a Wizard today. I created the first Divination Formula to be named after me, and I also significantly optimized a powerful, Third Level Apprentice-tier Witchcraft."
Anya felt as if a thunderclap had gone off inside her head.
For a novice, either one of the two accomplishments he mentioned was absolutely staggering.
Just then, the Triangular Wing banked gracefully, and the gentle push of inertia was enough to pull the Noble Lady from the mire of her speechlessness.
She swallowed, only then belatedly realizing something else. "So, you came out in the middle of the night to test that new Third Level Apprentice-tier Witchcraft?"
Mo Ning didn’t hold back. "Testing the Witchcraft is just one reason. The other is to practice for night combat."
Anya was a little confused. "Night combat?"
Mo Ning quickly explained, "I received reliable intelligence from Flower. The Giant Swamp War is about to begin. This time, the academy will dispatch at least twenty thousand Apprentices to fight in the Bam Swamp.
"The first wave of Apprentices will be deployed to the various strongholds around the Giant Swamp in as soon as half a month, and the war is expected to last for at least a month.
"Once the academy’s forces move into the Giant Swamp, there will likely be frequent nighttime battles, so I felt it was necessary to train in advance."
He was in the habit of preparing for a storm before it arrived.
Since he could foresee the storm, he would do everything in his power to hone himself into the sharpest of blades before it struck.
Each piece of news was more shocking than the last, and Anya’s mind felt muddled.
After a full second, she managed to sort through her thoughts and offered her own deduction:
"Past Giant Swamp Wars usually only involved around ten thousand Apprentices. This time, the number has doubled. It looks like something major must have happened in the Bam Swamp."