Upon hearing this, Roy was momentarily surprised but quickly understood the situation.
"These individuals were originally wizard apprentices on the verge of promotion. After their journey to Chalkland, there was no longer a need for them to stay..."
However, when he went to check on Senior Apprentice Sophia, he realized that things were far more complicated than he had thought.
"Senior... Senior Apprentice Sophia?"
The one who opened the door for him was a fair-skinned, golden-haired little girl!
The little girl nodded, "Yes, it's me."
Roy looked down and saw, under the reflection of the Eye of Hermes, that her entire body emitted a fresh, tender glow like that of a green sprout, interspersed with hints of blue and purple, revealing the essence of an Alchemical Lifeform.
However, most of these magical auras, which originally belonged to "objects," were now overshadowed by the radiance of Life Energy.
In this interplay, the "object" aura was extremely subtle, not as obvious as other magical treasures.
Instead, the aura of the Source of Magic became increasingly prominent.
It felt as if a flame had been ignited within her, continuously radiating Wizardry Energy.
This was the true aura of a Wizard!
Roy's gaze suddenly turned towards the inner room, where he faintly sensed the presence of another person.
He quickly walked through the living room and entered.
Sure enough, "Sophia" was lying on the bed, her entire body except for her head wrapped in bandages, appearing severely injured.
"She is Celine," the golden-haired, fair-skinned little girl followed him in and said softly.
"Celine didn't die! She took over your body?" Roy turned around, asking in surprise.
"Yes, the one you encountered back then was her. I was hiding near the entrance, planning my escape," the little girl Sophia sat down in the room.
Roy suddenly understood, and at the same time, he felt a deep sense of wariness towards the real Sophia.
No wonder he always felt that the Sophia he had met back then was a bit strange...
So she was already Celine!
"Roy... Roy..."
Hearing Roy's voice, Celine—now inhabiting Sophia's old body—turned her head with some difficulty.
Roy was shocked to see that most of her face had been corroded by strong acid, leaving it in a tragic and horrifying state.
A faint medicinal scent mixed with the stench of rotting flesh filled the air, creating a complex blend of odors that mirrored the turmoil in Roy's heart.
"How did you end up like this...
Are you okay?"
Roy felt a slight pang of emotion, showing a bit of concern as he advised her.
"You need to rest and recover properly!"
"It's nothing serious, just a few injuries," Celine replied in a slightly hoarse voice.
For some reason, Roy thought he saw a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
Suddenly, he understood.
Celine had finally fulfilled her contract with Sophia and, fortunately, survived to embark on a new life of freedom.
"I will soon leave the Wizard Tower and head to the Otherworld."
Sure enough, Sophia mentioned something.
"I've heard about that," Roy snapped back to reality and nodded, "After apprentices are promoted to Wizards, they are immediately summoned by the Great Wizards to various battlefields or colonies in need of manpower.
After all, the tradition of the Wizard World since ancient times has been to conquer the outside world and plunder colonies.
Unless granted permission, they can only return for vacations, rest, or recuperation and experiments."
Sophia said, "The Wizard World holds vast interests outside, and the local talents are the true core. Going there is also an opportunity for development.
In the future, we may be scattered to the ends of the earth, never to meet again until death, or perhaps, there might be a chance to reunite, but that would be who knows when.
So, we plan to gather together before we leave, waiting for all those who went to Chalkland to return."
Roy nodded, understanding that they intended to reap some benefits before their departure.
However, returning to the Wizard Tower, it's already difficult to threaten others with mere force; more often, it relies on economic status for solid transactions.
This was also the example set by those Great Wizards who once stepped out into the Star Sea.
After discussing this matter, Roy tentatively inquired about the previous events.
But Sophia didn't elaborate, and he ultimately still didn't figure out whether she had obtained that Legendary Treasure.
...
"Who exactly took the biggest advantage?"
After leaving Sophia's place, Roy was still pondering this question.
As he walked, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Renien was carrying several large boxes, coming up the stairs alone.
"Roy?" He looked over, stopped in his tracks, and tightened his grip on the boxes.
"Seeing you safe and sound puts my mind at ease." Roy nodded calmly, speaking to him as if nothing had happened, "And congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you." Renien forced a smile.
Roy asked, "And Andov?"
Renien replied, "He also returned safely, got a bit injured on the way, but it's nothing serious."
"Let me help you." Roy stepped forward to lend a hand.
"No, no need..." Renien instinctively refused.
"You helped me move when I was promoted to senior." Roy said earnestly, insisting.
Hearing this, Renien's expression became complex.
But, he eventually let go, allowing Roy to pick up the large box on top.
...
In the following days, Roy rested while dealing with the gains from Chalkland.
He specifically went to visit Andov, learning that he had been injured while fighting those senior apprentices.
Most of those who entered Chalkland and came out alive had already made a fortune, albeit to varying degrees.
Andov and Renien had signed an equal agreement, not needing to hand over their gains like other followers, so they could afford good potions, and by now, he had recovered quite a bit.
But he was in low spirits, seemingly at odds with Renien as well.
Roy hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Right or wrong, I no longer care to pursue...
But I still want to know, what exactly did you encounter inside?
Can you tell me about it?"
Hearing this, Andov looked up at him, his lips moving.
But in the end, he slightly shook his head.
"I'm not in the mood to talk about these things right now, can I have some peace?"
Roy didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only leave a few words of encouragement before leaving.
It seems a rift has appeared, and the relationship between everyone will never be the same again.
To this day, he still doesn't know exactly what happened back then, which is another mystery besides the Legendary Treasure.
...
At the end of the month, coinciding with the end of the year.
The trade fair was held as scheduled.
Roy, who possessed the Eye of Hermes, highly valued this opportunity and arrived at the designated location early.
However, he was disappointed to find that everyone was being very cautious, keeping any benefits they had gained hidden and unwilling to easily reveal or trade them.
Even the Veteran Life Energy Crystals had become difficult to use.
In the end, the trading session turned into a casual tea gathering, with everyone chatting idly.
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