Sorcerer: I want to be an Academic Prodigy

Chapter 417: Chapter 416: The Qingqi Clan

It is said that long ago, there existed a legendary fox species, renowned for their ever-changing appearances and elusive movements, known as the “Qingqi beasts.”

The Qingqi clan was the race that inherited this ancient bloodline.

Years ago, when the Qingqi clan faced difficulties, sorcerers extended a helping hand, and after being rescued, the Qingqi clan pledged their allegiance.

The people of the Qingqi clan had distinctive features, the women beautiful and graceful as water, the men handsome, and they liked to attach themselves to the strong, always maintaining their loyalty.

Such people were hard for powerful sorcerers to dislike.

As time passed, the Qingqi clan, through their attachment-style “marriages,” gradually became an integral group within the sorcerer world.

...

Among all the alien races that had sought refuge, the Qingqi clan was not ranked first in terms of time, but it was the fastest to integrate into the inner circle of sorcerers, actively trying to cultivate their own sorcerers.

In the living room, after hearing the explanations of two people, Ivan immediately recalled various information about the Qingqi clan.

“This Qingqi clan really knows how to seize opportunities,” he laughed.

“Indeed, ever since your Black Magic Wind Fire Array was introduced, the difficulty of becoming an official sorcerer has decreased significantly, and the Qingqi clan was the first to respond,” Dorothy agreed, complimenting him in the process.

“Since you’re practically naming me, I agree to help.” Ivan wasn’t going to discuss the Qingqi clan further; he wanted to honor the request of the two in front of him, especially since helping an alien race become official sorcerers could be profitable for him too.

“That’s wonderful.”

“Where are they?”

“At Qingqi Lake, could Scholar Ivan possibly make a trip there? We both would like to accompany you,” said Dorothy, somewhat embarrassed, but finding it necessary.

Angus had the same demeanor.

“I owe them a favor.” Seeing his puzzled expression, Angus explained.

“Alright then,” Ivan nodded lightly, not pursuing further inquiry. “However, I can’t leave right away, it will take a few more days.”

“No worries, no worries, whenever you’re free is fine, and we’ll adjust to your schedule. The matter there is not urgent,” Angus and Dorothy had no objections.

Shortly after, Dorothy left first, and Angus chatted with Ivan for a while longer.

From his words, Ivan learned just how frequent the Qingqi clan’s “marriages” were, almost to the point of being ubiquitous. Any sorcerer who showed promise had Qingqi clansmen attach themselves, regardless of gender.

Not all were like this, but close to half.

Angus’s household had a Qingqi clan concubine, who also served as a link to maintain contact.

Moreover, the Qingqi clan was adept at indebting sorcerers in various ways, big and small favors, without causing resentment.

Hearing this, Ivan felt enlightened.

“Don’t laugh at me; you’ll understand once you visit Qingqi Lake,” Angus said slowly, shaking his head, as if implying, ‘You won’t get past this either.’

“Is that so? I will see for myself.”

Ivan wasn’t concerned; he was someone who stood firm even among the dark elves.

…

Time slowly passed, and a few days later, Hotis’ subordinate arrived at Rapid Wood Tower, the same Wind and Thunder Elemental Being as last time, in human form, with four pairs of Wind and Thunder Wings and a peculiar face.

The two were old acquaintances by now, and Ivan knew his name was “Korram.”

“Korram, you’ve come faster than last time.”

“Last time I was delivering items, this time I’m collecting them; it can’t be the same.”

“Alright, could you take these bottles of elvish wine to Master Hotis as a small token of my appreciation?”

“So it’s wine, then I must return even quicker, otherwise my master might be displeased.”

Hearing this, Ivan felt somewhat speechless. He didn’t want to delay Korram’s precious time and decided to present all the fine wine he had prepared.

However, Korram said there was no need for such trouble, suggesting to simply exchange Space Rings instead to avoid shaking the wine during transport which could alter its original flavor, leading to unnecessary scolding by his lord.

He seemed to have had this experience before.

Ivan had no choice but to comply with Korram. @@novelbin@@

Nevertheless, he could tell that his own superior, Master Hotis, definitely cherished wine deeply, evident from the attitudes of those below him. In the future, he would need to pay more attention to this matter.

“So, Sorcerer Ivan, until next time.”

“Until next time.”

Once he had the items, Korram immediately flew away from the Rapid Wood Tower and vanished into the air in the blink of an eye.

Ivan watched him leave and his spiritual power instinctively explored the Space Ring, suddenly startled. Not only was the space inside the ring large, but it also contained many items.

“Is this a return gift?” Director Cherie said the chairman’s family was affluent—it must be true. Such generosity in his giving.”

Ivan felt somewhat embarrassed. He hadn’t expected to exchange the wine for the items inside the ring, which included a General Arcane Scroll identical to the one he’d used previously.

Another scroll detailed a Secret Technique—Activation Technique.

There was also a brightly colored sorcerer robe, as well as numerous high-grade magic stones and high-grade space crystal stones.

“No wonder Korram left silently. He was probably worried that I would refuse and also afraid of being scolded by Chairman Hotis.” To be honest, had he known beforehand, he certainly wouldn’t have accepted so easily.

It wasn’t that he was being pretentious, but rather that he believed in not accepting rewards without merit and could not repeatedly accept gifts from others, even if it was his own superior.

He couldn’t feel good about this situation.

“Well, I guess in the chairman’s eyes, the wine is worth that much.” Ivan pondered for a while, finding a possible reason, and suddenly had nothing more to say.

Good things are priceless to those who value them—others can’t object.

Among these items, the General Arcane Scroll didn’t need special mention. Though it was somewhat impractical, its power was immense. Not long ago, it was used to resist an attack from the Lava Lord.

The Activation Technique was a special spell capable of animating certain objects like armor, magic puppets, and stone statues.

This spell had no fixed rank but depended on personal strength and comprehension. It could be seen as a kind of ‘enchantment,’ where the enchanted magic puppets possessed some cognitive abilities, usually a notch above alchemy puppets, making them excellent guardians.

Ivan subconsciously glanced at his sorcerer tower and immediately dismissed the idea.

“That won’t work. The sorcerer tower is too large, involving too many elements to animate.” He had not heard of any sorcerer tower being animated, indicating that the technique was not yet mature.

Maybe when his abilities improved, he could delve deeper into it.

“The Wind Thunder Robe is actually a 1st Class magic artifact, focusing on escape. Is it because he fears I might encounter beings like the Lava Lord again?” He realized the colorful sorcerer robe was no ordinary item.

Looking flashy and overwhelming, which matched the style of Hotis himself. It was a low-grade magic artifact involving the power of an elements domain, invaluable.

“Too conspicuous, not fitting the style of this sorcerer.”

Ivan then tried it on, finding it impervious to water and fire with excellent defensive power. But unable to change its flashy color, he decided to wear it as an undergarment.

After all, there’s no rule against wearing two sorcerer robes at the same time.

As for the other items in the ring, the high-grade magic stones were less critical, but the high-grade space crystal stones were a rare find.

For someone proficient in spatial methods like him, high-grade space crystal stones could be used in many areas and also helped in further exploring spatial knowledge.

“Maybe, I should learn how to brew wine?”

Ivan didn’t consider himself a person who liked to flatter his superiors. But then, who could blame him when Chairman Hotis had given him so much?

He gently shook his head, discarding this thought. Newly brewed wine wouldn’t please the chairman. It would be more sensible to try his luck with long-established races.