55: Magic Crystal

The person wore form-fitting armor, and her black hair was tied up, forming a stark contrast with her fair skin.

That was Consultant's old acquaintance, and also the very famous Azure Dragon Knight of the Bounty Hunter Guild—Du Ruo!

"Oh, Sister Du?"

Consultant exclaimed in surprise first, then turned his head and greeted Jiang Cen:

"Hello, Dean Jiang."

Jiang Cen nodded and beckoned Consultant over. Only when he reached the table did Jiang Cen speak:

"Consultant, don't be nervous. The main reason I asked you to come over this time is that Miss Du has something she needs to discuss with you."

After Jiang Cen finished speaking, he looked towards Du Ruo, who was standing beside him.

"Oh?" Consultant breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Du Ruo as well.

Du Ruo's expression remained unchanged; she was still as icy as before.

She looked at Consultant, crossing her arms over her chest, and said:

"Consultant, the Bounty Hunter Guild has issued a mission that requires a team of four to participate. Get ready, and we'll depart."

Du Ruo's attitude was forceful, showing no intention of discussing it with Consultant.

"Uh... what?"

However, Consultant was already used to Du Ruo's way of speaking, so he wasn't surprised, just a bit confused.

What kind of mission requires four people?

Furthermore, if the mission already included a high-level Bounty Hunter like Du Ruo, why did they need to bring him along?

Du Ruo seemed to sense Consultant's confusion and said coldly, "I think this is an opportunity for you to quickly improve your strength. Do you have any objections?"

"None!"

Consultant reacted and immediately shook his head.

Du Ruo's idea happened to perfectly align with Consultant's.

He had originally planned to try his luck at the Bounty Hunter Guild; now, being able to team up directly with Du Ruo saved him a lot of trouble.

"Very good."

Seeing Consultant agree, a slight smile appeared at the corner of Du Ruo's mouth. She took out a piece of paper from her space ring and handed it to Consultant.

Consultant casually took it and scanned it, realizing it was a mission announcement from the Bounty Hunter Guild.

It contained various descriptions of the mission... [Mission Name: Latent Aura.]

[Mission Difficulty: Level Four.]

[Recommended Level: Level 40 or above.]

[Personnel: To ensure the safety of the Bounty Hunters, this mission requires a minimum of four participants.]

[Mission Description: In an abandoned magic stone factory not far outside Dragon County, there is a mutated magical beast due to residual magic crystal stones. Bounty Hunters are requested to go there and kill the magical beast to prevent it from harming Dragon County!]

[Mission Reward: The four members participating in the mission will receive Special magic crystal stones rewarded by Dragon County.]

When they previously hunted the Silver Vine Demon Realm Flower, the mission announcement stated the reward was a weapon.

But this time, it was some kind of magic crystal stone... "What is a Special magic crystal stone?"

Consultant raised his head and subconsciously asked. Before he could hear Du Ruo's reply, Dean Jiang, standing nearby, spoke:

"magic crystal stones are industrially manufactured magic stones possessing different attributes. The magic power contained within them is higher than that of simple magic stones and magical beast crystal cores!"

"A Special magic crystal stone is generally a more advanced magic crystal stone, with more varied attributes. It might even allow the holder to learn skills from other awakened classes!"

"For example... a Warrior, after using a Special magic crystal stone, might be able to use a Mage's moves and skills."

After Jiang Cen clearly answered Consultant's question, he looked at Consultant and smiled slightly:

"Consultant, I remember your teacher should have already covered this knowledge, right?"

"Well... ahaha."

Consultant gave an awkward laugh, unsure what to say for a moment.

Perhaps Wang Xu really had covered it, but Consultant was most likely asleep at the time.

"Oh, you child..."

Jiang Cen shook his head helplessly, then looked at Du Ruo and instructed:

"Miss Du, I hope you will take the trouble to look after this child, Consultant. Also, I wish you success in completing this Bounty Mission issued by Dragon County."

"Rest assured, Dean Jiang."

Du Ruo nodded and bowed slightly to Jiang Cen. "Then Consultant and I will take our leave. I will bring him back before the start of the semester next week."

"Be careful... Oh, wait."

Jiang Cen first nodded with a smile, then, as if remembering something, called out to Consultant and Du Ruo, who were about to leave.

What is this old man up to now?

Consultant looked at Jiang Cen, his heart filled with vigilance.

Jiang Cen picked up the shorter black wooden staff from the side, silently chanted something, and then waved the staff.

A wisp of blue magic power suddenly appeared, then quickly transformed into a dust-like substance.

The magic dust scattered, adhering to both Consultant and Du Ruo.

Consultant suddenly felt a faint coolness.

He subconsciously used the system's Observation ability to take a look, and was immediately startled.

A shared status effect had appeared on both him and Du Ruo.

[Frost Magic Shield: An Ice-type magic attached to others by the caster, which can significantly increase physical and magical resistance. The effect and duration change based on the caster's magic power.]

[Description: Magic originating from the mysterious Undead race, which can only be learned by the Undead race and High-level Mages.]

When Consultant saw these descriptions, he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Although the old man Jiang Cen always had a slightly malicious smile, he truly deserved to be called a High-level Archmage!

Moreover, Consultant remembered the rumors he had heard.

It was rumored that besides Ice-type magic, Jiang Cen also mastered the even more mysterious Arcane magic. He wondered if it was true.

Dragon Knight Du Ruo, standing beside him, did not understand magic, but based on experience, she could feel the magic power protecting her.

"Thank you very much, Dean Jiang!"

Although Du Ruo was cold, she was not arrogant.

When facing someone whose strength was clearly superior to hers and who showed goodwill, she would express respect.

"It's nothing. This spell should last until you complete the mission. Go ahead."

Jiang Cen put down his staff, waved his hand at Consultant and Du Ruo, and sat back down behind the table.

After Consultant bid farewell to Jiang Cen, he and Du Ruo left the Deans Office together, exited the academy, and headed straight for the outskirts of Dragon County.

This was Consultant's first time leaving Dragon County.

The area outside Dragon County was noticeably much more desolate. Fortunately, the mission location wasn't too far, and they arrived quickly.

Just as described in the Bounty Mission, it was a massive abandoned factory.

Although it was clearly noon, a dark cloud hung over the sky, and the air was filled with an indescribable pungent smell, like pollution left over from the industrial manufacturing of magic crystal stones.

However, this world was too different from the one Consultant used to inhabit, so he couldn't be sure.

Consultant followed Du Ruo to the entrance of the Abandoned Magic Stone Factory and found that two people were already waiting for them.

These two people must be the temporary teammates Du Ruo had mentioned.

According to what Du Ruo mentioned while chatting with Consultant on the way, they were not Du Ruo's acquaintances but were randomly assigned by the Bounty Guild.

But of course, they all met the minimum requirements for this mission.

As Consultant walked, he used the system's Observation ability to check the information of these two people.

[Name: Han Xu.]

[Race: Human.]

[Awakened Class: Samurai.]

[Level: Level 45.]

[Faction: Bounty Hunter.]

[System Evaluation: No opportunity for class advancement, a simple and crude offensive class!]

The professional Samurai named Han Xu appeared short, with black short hair and a scar on his face. He had a Long Saber at his waist and looked like an experienced Bounty Hunter.

The other person was tall and robust, bearded, with dark skin, carrying a heavy Shield on his back and a heavy Axe at his waist.

This person's information was... [Name: Liu Guang.]

[Race: Human.]

[Awakened Class: Protection Warrior.]

[Level: Level 48.]

[Faction: Bounty Hunter.]

[System Evaluation: A class advancement from the Warrior awakened class, specializing in team defense and possessing decent offensive capability!]

After seeing these two people, Consultant roughly understood why Du Ruo had called him to join.