177: Chapter 177 The Mage's Apprentice! Helena! A Young Girl's Confession!

Golden Flame Castle, penthouse master bedroom.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the sky was bright.

A solid wood round table was placed by the window.

Rowan and Helena sat opposite each other.

Helena was wearing an elegant off-white long dress today, her black hair pulled back into a bun.

Her gaze fell on the object in Rowan's hand.

A crystal the size of a baby's fist, perfectly clear and transparent, forming a flawless hexagonal prism.

When light passed through the crystal, it refracted into tiny, fragmented rainbow hues within.

Rowan handed the crystal to her: "Helena, try it, press it against your forehead."

Helena was slightly startled, a little confused, but still did as she was told.

She took the crystal, slowly raised it to her forehead, closed her eyes, and pressed it on.

The moment the crystal touched her forehead—

Buzz—!

A low, prolonged hum, as if it exploded deep within her mind.

Helena's body suddenly tensed.

The crystal on her forehead lit up.

At first, it was just a faint glow.

But in just a breath, the light rapidly expanded, transforming into a soft, silvery-white halo that enveloped her entire face.

Immediately after, Helena's consciousness felt as if it was violently pulled away from her body by an invisible hand.

She felt herself falling—

No, rising?

Everything around her disappeared.

The floor-to-ceiling window, the room, the sunlight, Rowan...

All sensations were stripped away, leaving only an boundless void.

In the void, there was nothing.

No light, no sound, no direction, even the concepts of time and space were fading.

Just as she felt a hint of unease, a point of light appeared before her eyes.

It was a crystal.

A hexagonal crystal suspended in the endless void.

It hung there silently, utterly flawless.

Each facet was smooth as a mirror, reflecting a light that seemed not to belong to this world.

Helena's consciousness was involuntarily drawn to it.

She moved closer.

Even closer.

The moment she touched the center of the crystal—

Boom!!!

Countless pieces of information flooded into her mind like a torrent.

She saw how to construct an identical crystal in her own spiritual sea.

She felt how spiritual power gathered into a sea under the guidance of consciousness.

She understood how to filter out distracting thoughts, purify her spirit, and strengthen her spirituality by visualizing this crystal.

At the same time, Helena felt a subtle change occurring in her spiritual power.

Originally, her spiritual power was like a scattered mist, pervading every corner of her consciousness, chaotic and disordered.

But now, as the Crystal Meditation Method operated, those mists began to converge in the same direction.

They began to condense.

First, transforming into a clear dewdrop, suspended in the center of her consciousness.

Then, that dewdrop began to grow, extending outwards, gradually outlining a vague silhouette—

It was the embryonic form of a crystal.

Though still dim and unstable, like a candle flickering in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment.

But it was undeniably there.

In reality.

Helena's body trembled slightly.

Then, she woke up!

The crystal's light extinguished.

It returned to its original appearance—

A clear, hexagonal crystal, resting quietly in Helena's palm.

Helena slowly opened her eyes.

In the depths of her pupils, a faint, crystalline halo seemed to linger, slowly fading.

She blinked, her gaze refocusing, falling upon Rowan opposite her.

After a long silence, she spoke.

Her voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a tremor that had not yet fully subsided:

"I saw it."

"I saw a crystal."

She looked up, a hint of daze still in her eyes, as if she had just woken from a dream.

She looked at Rowan, her red lips moving as she asked in confusion:

"My Lord, what is this?"

Rowan heard her, and the corners of his lips curved slightly upward:

"Crystal Meditation Method!"

Helena suddenly looked at Rowan, her usually calm eyes now swirling with ripples of disbelief.

She opened her mouth, her voice trembling:

"My Lord, I..."

Rowan waved his hand, interrupting her:

"Don't rush."

He took out another crystal.

This crystal was slightly larger than the previous one, displaying a deep aquamarine color.

When light passed through the crystal, it refracted flowing light and shadow within, as if tides were ebbing and flowing inside.

Rowan handed the crystal to Helena:

"Same as before."

Helena's gaze fell on the aquamarine crystal, her pupils constricting slightly.

She didn't reach out immediately, but instead took a deep breath, as if to calm the turmoil within her.

A moment later, she finally reached out and took the crystal.

Then, she raised the crystal to her forehead.

And pressed it on.

Buzz—!

Another low hum.

But unlike last time.

This hum was like a whale song from the deep sea, low, rich, and distant.

An aquamarine light burst forth from the crystal.

Helena's consciousness was once again drawn into that void.

But this time, she heard sounds.

At first, it was a very faint dripping sound.

Then, the sound gradually grew louder, turning into the gurgling of a stream, clear and joyful.

The stream merged into a small river, and the river water surged forward, making a rushing sound.

The small river flowed into a great river, and the river current was vast and majestic.

Finally, all rivers returned to the sea—

Rumble—!

The sound of waves crashed in her mind.

Her consciousness felt as if it had been swept into a massive storm.

All around was an endless ocean, with towering waves and howling winds.

She felt like a tiny boat, tossed and turned in the raging waves, ready to be swallowed at any moment.

But she felt no fear.

Because she sensed—

Those waves, those tides, those bottomless undercurrents, were all transmitting some kind of information to her.

It wasn't words, but a resonance.

The resonance of water elements.

Halos began to appear in her spiritual sea, and knowledge of various water magic flowed in like a tide.

She didn't know how much time had passed.

When Helena opened her eyes again.

The world in her eyes was already completely different.

She could see the fine water vapor floating in the air, and perceive the dewdrops rolling on the leaves in the garden outside the window.

Those water elements were like countless tiny points of light, scattered in every corner of the world.

She lowered her head, looking at her hands.

With a slight movement of her fingertips, a thin stream of water appeared out of thin air, swirled around her finger once, and then quietly dissipated.

Helena looked up at Rowan opposite her.

Her eyes were slightly red:

"My Lord... thank you."

...

Rowan didn't reply, but thoughtfully observed Helena.

In his mind, the system panel appeared.

[90 points]

No temporary increase.

But he could perceive that her extraordinary characteristic had been activated, carrying a vibrant eagerness.

So he casually asked: "How do you feel? Any discomfort?"

Helena shook her head, a novel and excited glow on her face:

"No discomfort... instead, my mind feels especially clear, as if the whole world has become sharper."

"I can feel the free-floating water vapor in the air, I can sense the water flow from the fountain outside the window... I've never had this feeling before."

Rowan nodded, indicating satisfaction.

He didn't continue the topic, but naturally reached out his arm, wrapped it around Helena's slender waist, and gently pulled her into his embrace.

Her body was warm and soft.

He lowered his head and whispered in her ear:

"Helena, congratulations!"

"You are now a Magic Apprentice; strive to become a formal Mage soon."

"And now, we can do some things we love to do." Rowan chuckled softly.

Hearing this, Helena's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed again.

Although it wasn't the first time.

She still felt a tremor mixed with shyness and anticipation.

She lowered her head slightly, a faint blush rising on her cheeks, her voice tinged with shyness and hesitation:

"My Lord... I... I just came back from outside, I haven't bathed yet..."

Rowan lowered his head, burying his face in her warm neck, and took a deep breath.

She carried a faint scent of sweat.

The scent was not repulsive; instead, it carried a real and vibrant quality.

"It's alright." His voice was somewhat muffled.

Helena stopped speaking.

She gently closed her eyes and relaxed her body.

Clothes silently slid off in the fireplace's glow, piling up on the thick carpet.

Two figures slowly intertwined in the flickering light and shadow, their breathing gradually mingling...

...

After an unknown amount of time...

The clouds dispersed, and the rain ceased.

Rowan leaned against the headboard, habitually bringing up the system panel for a quick glance.

[Charm lv3 Proficiency +2]

[Drain lv3 Proficiency +4]

[Gained Free Attribute Points +6]

He silently calculated in his mind.

The daily Drain from a ninety-point maiden had a relatively stable yield; although far less abundant than when it first blossomed, it had the advantage of being a steady stream.

However, with the same lady, too frequent use meant no accumulation of emotional energy, resulting in low returns.

To maximize the yield, it still required nurturing for a longer period.

In Sylvia's era, he had no choice.

He could only fish to exhaustion.

As a result, after three years, she simply ran away.

He learned his lesson from this.

In the future—

Spreading the favor evenly was the true way!

As he was thinking, there was a slight movement beside him.

Helena hadn't fallen into a deep sleep like last time.

She was lying on her side, her cheek gently pressed against his chest, her breathing still a little uneven, but her emotions seemed to have calmed down from the earlier intensity.

A moment later, she spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of laziness and hoarseness, beginning to recount her experience returning to Frostwind City this time.

From discovering her father was deceived, to Baron Harper's arrogance, then the church's intervention, and finally the entire process of successfully bringing her family back.

She narrated in a calm tone, without excessive emotional embellishment, merely stating the facts.

"Mm," Rowan responded after listening, then said casually:

"Just handle it yourself."

"Next time you encounter something similar, don't worry, just use whatever title is appropriate."

Helena heard him, gently rubbed her face against his chest, and curled up quietly beside him.

The two of them lingered in quiet affection for a moment.

Rowan gently patted her back:

"Get up, let's bathe together."

Helena softly hummed in response, propped herself up, her long hair falling like a waterfall.

She got out of bed first, picked up the bathrobe nearby and put it on, then turned around and extended her hand to Rowan.

Rowan chuckled, taking her hand...

...