“Get up, we should go to work,” Lu Xiya snorted.
Laige Caicai didn’t refuse.
She turned off the computer, turned off the air conditioner, stood up, and followed her out of the Internal Affairs Department.
To be honest, she didn’t want to stay cooped up here either.
They got into a two-seater patrol car and, with a vroom vroom vroom, drove out through the gates of Demon Academy.
This patrol vehicle could only be driven by an Internal Affairs Unit Leader.
Usually, they drove it around the city on patrol, while regular members had to walk on foot—no such privilege for them.
“Stop thinking about all that nonsense every day.
Talent, family lineage—they’re all illusions.
The first rule of being a mage is to always believe that your magic is the strongest in the world.”
Laige Caicai sat in the passenger seat, still lecturing tirelessly.
“Hmph.
You can only think that way because you’re a mage.
We’re just Espers.
Don’t tell me you Elemental Mages are supposedly superior in theory,” Lu Xiya said.
“Your comrades also have Elemental Mages.
The Student Council President is an Elemental Mage, and he still got cut down by me with one slash.”
Laige Caicai sneered.
“Elemental Mages are just easier to inherit.
It has nothing to do with strength.
It’s a false theory made up by those Elemental Mage families to maintain their pure-blood lineage.”
“Elemental Espers have the chance to join the Elemental Mage faction, and the Archmages are happy to pass on knowledge and skills to them.
They can even become disciples by studying under an Archmage.
For Espers, this is almost the only viable and recognized path for advancement,” Lu Xiya said.
“Have you considered that Mages might just be using you as lab rats?”
Laige Caicai teased sarcastically.
“Besides, you’re not a Mage specializing in Elemental Magic.
Why do you care so much about it?
Your magic system clearly belongs to the Creation System, similar to my third sister’s path.
But from what I can see, the gap in understanding and awareness between you and her is far from small.”
“Understanding? Awareness?” Lu Xiya asked doubtfully.
But when the topic turned to core issues, Laige Caicai fell silent and no longer offered any opinions.
Lu Xiya remembered the third daughter of the Moteifei family, that gloomy, melancholic girl.
Compared to this chattering chatterbox, she was far more reticent, but her strength was beyond question—perhaps even more formidable than the eldest sister.
Her spell constructed a kind of incredibly sturdy magic crystal with magical power.
Lu Xiya herself had been defeated by that move.
That magic crystal worked on the same principle as her Illusory Weapon, but the difference in strength was vast.
If she could obtain the knowledge behind that magic, it would surely be a huge boost.
“It’s useless.
Every mage has a different constitution, and the details of their magic vary greatly—even the cultivation methods of Elemental Mages aren’t the same.”
Laige Caicai seemed to read her mind and made a sharp comment.
“…”
Lu Xiya didn’t respond.
“But if you got hold of my third sister’s magic manual, it would definitely help your Illusory Weapon make great progress.”
Laige Caicai added with a giggle.
“Mages guard their magical research tighter than their own asshole,” Lu Xiya said sarcastically.
“Stop the car,” Laige Caicai suddenly called out.
“What for?”
Lu Xiya pulled over to the side of the road, puzzled.
Laige Caicai got out of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk.
She stretched her arms and let out a big, leisurely yawn.
But the pedestrians nearby acted as if they’d seen a ghost the moment they saw a black-robed apprentice, dodging out of the way.
Lu Xiya parked the car, turned off the engine, and got out to join Laige Caicai.
She put on the Internal Affairs armband, and the passersby scattered even faster.
“Where’s your armband?
When we go on patrol, we have to wear the badge that proves we’re from Internal Affairs.
Otherwise, it’s invalid patrol and won’t be recorded in the files,” Lu Xiya asked.
“Eh, what a pain.”
Laige Caicai had no choice but to put on the black-edged, crimson-and-dark-gold armband, then walked toward a shop across the street.
“What are you doing?
No shopping during patrol!
And why are you going here?”
Lu Xiya immediately stepped forward to stop her.
“What’s wrong with a mage going to a wand shop?”
Laige Caicai pushed the door open and went in.
Indeed, this was a shop specializing in magic wands.
Though, we’ve never actually seen a mage use a magic wand.
Inside the window displays and on the shelves were all sorts of wooden wands carved with intricate patterns.
A few young customers who looked like magical operators were browsing.
But now that a real mage had walked in, everyone was stunned, including the shop owner.
“Do you have any common sense as a mage?”
Lu Xiya followed her in, still grumbling.
“These things are just for tricking noobs.
Have you ever seen anyone use a magic wand?”
She didn’t care about the customers or the owner at all.
She bluntly exposed the wands’ secret, her sharp words leaving no room for face.
“Wands increase the range of spells and enhance their power.
How can you say they’re useless?” Laige Caicai argued.
“Do you never listen in class?” Lu Xiya questioned.
“You’re right.
Since I came here, I’ve never paid attention in a single class.
I’m self-taught,” Laige Caicai said.
“The most critical part of modern spellcasting is speed.
That’s an iron law proven by countless real battles.”
Lu Xiya explained further.
“Whether Esper or Mage, everyone is striving for instant casting.
In an actual fight, the enemy won’t give you time to chant high-level spells.
Life and death are decided in the blink of an eye.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Laige Caicai responded perfunctorily as she paced around the display cases, looking for a wand she liked.
But inside the cabinets were only short wands, like the kind used in Harry Potter.
What Lu Xiya said wasn’t entirely wrong.
Short wands were truly worthless—the rod was too short, barely increasing casting range or power, pure traps for newcomers.
“Boss,” Laige Caicai called out.
“How can I help you, Miss Mage?”
The wand shop owner came over with a flattering smile.
Even though someone was clearly looking for trouble, he couldn’t afford to offend an apprentice of Demon Academy.
Though white-robed Esper apprentices were considered lower class compared to black-robed Mage apprentices, the fact that they could get into Demon Academy made them upper class in the eyes of ordinary people.
The social hierarchy was clearly defined.
“Bring out the longest wand you have in the store and show me,” Laige Caicai said with a grin.
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