Magic was indeed wondrous, filling people with boundless yearning and imagination, but Gaode did not have much time to marvel at it.
The environment here was atrocious—dark, decaying, and unventilated. It was as silent as a grave. Having only stayed for a short while, he already felt gloomy.
This was clearly no place to linger.
More importantly, he had tested a Potion for Mage Seda and come back from the dead. Could this matter really end so easily?
Without a doubt, his top priority was to escape this Medicinal Garden.
But how?
Just as Amy had said, on their very first day of being brought back by Mage Seda, all the Mage Apprentices had been branded with a Tracking Mark. Unless the Tracking Mark was removed, there was no escaping Mage Seda's clutches.
Propping himself up, Gaode slowly sat up. He didn't get out of bed; instead, he leaned against the wall and seriously pondered ways to escape Mage Seda's control.
With his current knowledge, he could only think of two methods. First, since a Magic like the Tracking Mark existed, there must also be a Magic that could dispel it. Second, if he couldn't solve the problem, he could solve the person who created it—Mage Seda.
It was easy to say, but doing it would be nearly impossible. At least for him, in his current state, it was.
Magic was wondrous, and therefore incredibly precious. As a Mage Apprentice with no background who was treated like a little guinea pig, he had only mastered two Tricks so far, both taught by Mage Seda. Where on earth would he learn a Magic to dispel the Tracking Mark? Moreover, learning Magic was incredibly difficult. Even if he did obtain the corresponding Magic, he absolutely wouldn't be able to master it in a short time.
As for dealing with Mage Seda... that was basically impossible. Mage Seda was a veteran Mage who knew countless powerful forms of Magic. Meanwhile, he only knew two Tricks, neither of which had any lethal power.
Gaode turned this over in his mind several times but couldn't come up with a solution to his current predicament. He deliberated for a moment. Just as he was about to ask Amy, who had only recently quieted down, a question, a commotion came from outside.
THUMP THUMP THUMP. Urgent footsteps approached, and a noticeably older-looking apprentice pushed the door open and entered. He walked briskly, scanning the narrow room, and his gaze quickly locked onto Gaode, who was half-lying on the bed.
"Gaode, Mage Seda heard you woke up. He wants to see you right now!"
Gaode's eyes narrowed slightly as his mind raced. However, it was clear that he had no ability to resist Mage Seda's orders right now. Thus, he simply nodded. "Alright."
Gaode didn't delay. He immediately got up and followed the messenger apprentice out of the room.
Watching Gaode leave, Amy finally realized something... It seemed that Gaode was somewhat different after waking up. But as to what exactly was different, he couldn't put it into words.
Outside the room was a long, narrow corridor.
The corridor was curved like a crescent moon, with doors lining both sides at regular intervals. A candle lamp hung on either side of every door, using their faint light and heat to dispel the gloom and coldness of the hallway.
Although his predecessor had lived here for nearly two years, those memories had not been passed down to Gaode. Therefore, he was completely unfamiliar with this environment and was quietly observing his surroundings.
The messenger apprentice clearly hadn't noticed Gaode's subtle actions. In fact, in such a highly dangerous and oppressive environment, how could these apprentices have the mind to pay attention to others? So, at the very least, Gaode didn't have to worry about exposing himself or having others notice that he was different from before.
Having just arrived in this world and not even having caught his breath before having to face the enigmatic Mage Seda, it was impossible for Gaode not to feel pressured. As he followed the messenger apprentice, he tried to picture the upcoming meeting with Mage Seda in his mind.
Just then, a door on the left suddenly opened, and a young man with a gloomy expression walked out.
Gaode didn't know him, but the man seemed to know Gaode. He stood coldly in Gaode's path and, before Gaode could even speak, stared at him with a fake, mocking smile.
"Gaode, it seems you're hard to kill. Even testing Potions couldn't end you."
Gaode frowned slightly, glanced at him, and turned to walk away without saying a word. It wasn't out of fear; it was mainly because he didn't know this person. Replying would only make it easier to blow his cover. Besides, this guy was obviously looking for trouble. Why bother with him?
But as Gao Degang was about to walk past him, the young man maliciously rammed his shoulder into him. The force was so great that it felt like slamming into a solid wall, causing him to stumble back several steps before steadying himself.
"What's the matter, Gaode? Are you so arrogant now that you disdain to even speak to me?" the gloomy young man laughed mockingly. "You don't really think that just because you have a bit of talent and can concoct a Basic Spider Venom Potion, you can make the Mage look at you in a new light, do you? If the Mage truly valued you, he wouldn't have made you test that Potion." He stared coldly at Gaode, his tone oppressive and filled with a sense of superiority. "Haven't you grasped reality yet?"
"The Mage summoned me, and I'm on my way to see him. Is your business more important than the Mage's?" Gaode asked with a calm expression. "If not, then please step aside."
The young man's expression instantly turned ugly. However, he quickly regained his composure. He stepped slightly to the side, giving way, and said with a grin, "Why didn't you say the Mage was looking for you earlier? Fine, fine, go ahead. You certainly shouldn't delay the Mage's business."
Gaode shot the young man a glance and walked past him with a cold face, not saying a word.
"Do you really think that just because this Potion didn't kill you, I can't do anything to you?" The young man's low, threatening words reached Gaode's ears as they passed each other.
CREAK. Having dropped that threat, the young man returned to the room he had just emerged from and shut the door.
"Let's hurry. We shouldn't keep the Mage waiting," Gaode said to the older apprentice leading the way, his expression completely unfazed by the harsh words.
The older apprentice nodded and continued forward. After walking a bit further away, he couldn't help but say, "Sigh, Gaode, the fact that you didn't die testing the Potion for the Mage this time means it wasn't your time to die. But you won't have this kind of good luck every time. Why would you provoke Elan? Everyone knows he's the one who holds grudges the most."
Gaode's eyes flickered. So that was the young man's name.
"Elan?" he asked tentatively.
"Elan is Mage Seda's very first apprentice. Mage Seda treats him somewhat differently.
"He is the only one among us who can freely enter and exit the Medicinal Garden. Although it's to run errands for the Mage, it's enough to show that he's different from us.
"Besides, just looking at the fact that countless batches of apprentices in the Medicinal Garden have been replaced over the years, yet he has always remained perfectly safe... that alone says a lot.
"We cannot afford to provoke him."
"What, could he actually kill me?" Gaode asked in return.
"Even though he wouldn't dare kill you outright, playing dirty tricks on you would be as easy as flipping his hand," the older apprentice said. "See? If you hadn't been lucky this time, wouldn't he have done you in?"
Gaode froze for a moment before realizing where Elan's confidence came from. "My being chosen by Mage Seda to test the Potion this time... was that his doing?"
"Why else would you have been chosen? You're the only one among us who can independently concoct the Basic Spider Venom Potion..."
So that was it.
Gaode glanced back at Elan's tightly shut door, his eyes flickering with thought.