"Adam, don't do anything — this place is... Hm?" Before Elliot's words had even landed, he saw Adam brush past Korvo and his companions.
Hearing Elliot's voice, Adam turned back to look at him and said, "Looks like I have no way in."
At those words, the ones who knew Adam well froze. Adam had spent so little time on the first gate that Elliot and the others had never noticed him being ejected over and over; they had only assumed someone had interrupted him, never guessing that he had failed the gate's test.
"Those few runes are far simpler than your meditation method. How could they possibly stump you?" James asked.
Seeing so many people come out, the quick-witted Korvo retreated to one side and said nothing more. He wasn't familiar with the others, but he did know Elliot — his potions instructor in his first year, said to be a very powerful apprentice.
He studied Adam, somewhat puzzled. From what he knew, the hardest part of entering the apprentice bar was the first gate; those runes tested not only an apprentice's rune-construction ability, but also the total quantity and quality of their spiritual power and their computing power. He himself had worked at it a long time before daring to come and try.
As for the second gate, he had never given it a second thought — his apprentice father had tested his talent back when he was a small child, so there had never been any question about his future field of research.
And that name, Adam — I feel like I've heard it somewhere. Your meditation method?
Adam shook his head. "The first gate is simple. But the second — I still haven't found my field of research. Or rather, I don't know what my soul inclination actually points to."
He looked at the others, who were exchanging glances, and said, "Sorry, I have to go on ahead." With that he rose from the ground and flew off toward the laboratory.
As for the crowd below heading back into the bar, there is nothing more to tell. After a few attempts, Korvo passed the assessment — and at that moment he suddenly remembered where he had heard Adam's name before.
The companions cheering at his side heard Korvo say, as though a veil had just lifted, "Adam — so that's who he is!"
His companion was baffled. "Brother Korvo, what are you talking about?"
"That apprentice just now — he's Adam, the creator of the Psychokinesis Meditation Method."
Adam returned to the laboratory and sat in meditation in his room, deep in thought.
It seemed the year he had wasted had made him miss a great deal. He, who had once been far ahead of everyone, had actually fallen behind.
Even William had found his direction, while he was still groping in the dark. To Adam, that was unbearable.
But for the moment he simply could not find a way to solve the problem. On top of that, the aftereffects of forcibly cutting short his soul advancement had sharply reduced his control over spiritual power; for the time being he could not run dozens of threads in parallel the way he once had, and so his thinking efficiency had dropped off badly.
In the Mage World, when you ran into a problem your own wisdom could not solve, burying your head in research alone was not the only road open. The Mage World's peculiar academic openness offered apprentices another way.
So long as you could pay the price, there would be someone capable to help you.
Adam arrived at the mission hall and went straight up to the second floor.
The first floor held apprentice-level missions, all meant for Mage apprentices, while the second floor was the mission area for Mages. Adam was confident he could find his answer here.
Out of reverence for Mages, apprentices did not come to the second floor unless they had important business, and Mages had their own special means of contact and rarely needed to come accept missions in person. So compared with the bustling first floor, the second floor was rather quiet and deserted.
Adam walked toward the center of the second floor, where an alchemical device was fixed atop a pedestal, looking like a computer.
Adam placed his identification, and a light screen displayed his identity information and his energy stone balance.
A cold mechanical voice sounded: "Apprentice Adam, state your request."
"I request that a full-fledged Mage preside over a re-verification of my soul inclination, explain the meaning of the information to me, and provide guidance on my research path."
Adam stated his request. This was a transaction; no honorifics were needed, and no courtesies. If Adam had not spelled out his needs precisely, the Mages would not kindly offer any extra explanation.
Seen this way, contracts between Mages are no different from contracts with devils. No omissions, no loopholes — otherwise nobody's picking up the tab for you.
The alchemical device uploaded the mission, then deducted the posting fee. "Mission recorded and posted."
Adam stepped away from the terminal. The mission's final payment would have to be negotiated with the Mage, and the sum might be enormous, but Adam did not begrudge it.
By the time Adam returned to the laboratory, William and the others were back as well. They looked at him awkwardly, not knowing what to say, but Adam was as calm as ever.
In the room, the devil manifested out of Adam's mind and said with a trace of gloating, "Master, it seems you've run into trouble. What if you can't find the path of a Mage and can't become a full-fledged Mage..."
"Impossible." Adam, drinking a repair potion while continually constructing his meditation method to feed spiritual power back into his soul, answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Cack cack cack, don't be so absolute. Even if you find your path, soul injuries are a hard problem on every plane. If you really can't advance, why not consider signing a symbiotic contract with me? I'm a long-lived species — my lifespan is near infinite." The devil kept at its temptation. Having absorbed so much energy, it had indeed improved, recovering part of its devil instincts.
"Heh." Adam gave the devil a lash of soul power, then faced it with a cold smile. If that day ever came, he was sure the devil would never let him off. A symbiotic contract? With power this unequal, an "equal" contract like that offers no guarantee at all.
Just then, there was a knock at the door of Adam's room. The devil opened it, and William said, "Adam, someone's here to see you."
Adam went to the door and found an alchemy puppet. "Apprentice Adam, your mission has been accepted by Mage Kino. Complete the transaction within two days at Laboratory Five, third floor of the Elemental Experiment Building."
Adam hadn't expected it to be so quick — and that name, Kino...
"Mage Kino was the one who saved you back then," William reminded him from the side.
Adam understood. William had mentioned this to him yesterday; he ought to have gone this morning to thank the full-fledged Mage, but Elliot had derailed his plans. Now he could settle it all at once.
The laboratories in the Elemental Experiment Building were all high-grade labs run by full-fledged Mages. Apart from certain designated apprentices, ordinary apprentices had no right to enter the upper floors. This was Adam's first time going up, and it felt much better than his earlier visits — the overlapping, interacting energy fields still made him uncomfortable, but at least he was no longer completely suppressed as before.
After passing one identity check after another along the way, Adam reached the door of Mage Kino's laboratory. The Mage seemed to have anticipated him: the instant Adam's hand touched the door, it opened on its own.
"Apprentice Adam, we meet again," Mage Kino said from a chair of rather sci-fi design.
Adam bowed deeply and said to Mage Kino, "Thank you for saving me that day. I'm more grateful than I can say."
Mage Kino waved a hand, and an alchemy puppet carried a bill over to Adam. "No need. It was my duty — and it isn't free."
Adam took the bill and found there were two of them. One had no specific amount filled in; that would be the payment to be settled after this mission. The other read: ten units of complete ether crystals, or goods of equivalent value.