Fang Zheng had once heard a saying.
“If you haven’t gotten what you want, it’s not because you’re unlucky, but because you haven’t topped up enough.”
But now, Fang Zheng was seriously doubting the accuracy of this statement.
“...Am I just having bad luck these past two days?”
Looking at the Dimensional Codex before him, Fang Zheng didn’t even have the energy to sigh.
The Spirit Crystals promised by the Sanctuary had been delivered, and after conversion, Fang Zheng had obtained five thousand points of Crystal Energy, which, from this perspective, meant that the Sanctuary had indeed not cheated him. And with five thousand points of Crystal Energy, according to the exchange rate of Dimensional Points, he should have been able to exchange for at least a thousand Dimensional Points, definitely enough for a ten-pull.
Of course, Fang Zheng wouldn’t convert all of this five thousand Crystal Energy into Dimensional Points. He first spent 520 points of Crystal Energy to exchange for the “Soul Ring,” an essential piece of equipment for all wealthy players, then Fang Zheng also exchanged for the “Necklace of Destiny” and the “Eye of Insight”; the “Necklace of Destiny” reduced the cooldown of Soulstone Skills by 10%, and the “Eye of Insight” could lock onto unappraised items and appraise them. Don’t think this feature seems trivial, but in fact, it is quite useful. Because in the design of the “Dimensional Codex” instances, there’s a probability of “item-triggered” events, meaning that if you appraise an unknown item, you could potentially trigger a mission.
Of course, not every player can afford them, but this is not absolute. Because players can take items to find an NPC, and triggering the mission that way works the same.
However, this means more time is consumed in the process.
It’s like in many games, if players face a locked door and they don’t have a key, they might have to go back to the hub to find an NPC, then the NPC says you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, giving the player a quest, and after completing it, the NPC would finally help open the door.
But if a player has a “lockpicking” skill, they can obviously skip this step, open the door directly, and not waste time with NPCs, right?
These three top-up items are regarded by Fang Zheng as not affecting the game balance, if only by a little; they just reduce some of the time-wasting for wealthy players. He even dubbed them the “Wealthy Trio”... The result was, after he exchanged for these three items, Fang Zheng’s five thousand Crystal Energy dwindled to just over two thousand points, which when converted to Dimensional Points was only about 420 points, at most enough for four ten-pulls.
Doing the math, it felt like after decades of hard work, he was back to square one overnight.
Which bastard designed this damn exchange rate? Did they lose their conscience to a dog?
Oh, right, it seems it was me.......
So, did I just screw myself over?
Fang Zheng looked helplessly at the Soulstone in his hand, at a complete loss for words. He knew he had designed a fluctuation rate in the system, which was actually quite understandable. A person can’t always get five treasures in a ten-pull, so if he had gotten good items previously, the system would naturally lower the probability of receiving rare items in subsequent draws. Damn these designers... well, he had made his bed, now he had to lie in it, even if through tears.
Fang Zheng had wanted to try and summon a magic-based Soulstone, as he was going to study magic next, and a magic-based Soulstone would be more reliable. But what was frustrating for Fang Zheng was that, after a few single pulls, apart from Reinforcement Stones and Energy Stones, he only managed to pull two Bronze Rank Soulstones! And they were freaking assassins, of all things!
Hasn’t the Magic Rank heard of defeating the assassin rank!?
“Sigh...”
Looking at the two Soulstones before him, revealing images of a suave man draped in a white robe like the wind, and a large bald guy in a black suit, Fang Zheng let out a helpless sigh, then closed the system.
Forget it, no more draws for this month. I’ll just wait for next month’s top-up ten-pull. Bronze has already come out, is life even worth living?
“What’s wrong, Master?”
Perhaps sensing something amiss with Fang Zheng’s expression, Nymph, who was next to him, curiously looked at him and asked. But Fang Zheng just smiled and reached out to pat Nymph’s little head.
“It’s nothing, I just feel a bit unlucky.”
After spending these past days with Fang Zheng, Little Angel seemed to have become less reserved and more lively. This was what Fang Zheng liked to see, since he could barely stand her initial subservience, and now she at least seemed a bit more like a normal person.
But as for the collar, it still seemed to be a no-go subject. In fact, both Bishop Carl and Shi Dong had asked Fang Zheng several times. After all, nobody was blind; an angel wearing a collar wasn’t a good sign. But Fang Zheng was helpless too; he didn’t know why Nymph held the collar so dear, no matter what he said she absolutely refused to take it off. What else could he do but let her be?
Besides, the sight of a Little Angel with teary eyes pleading was too damaging for Fang Zheng to bear... *cough*... mea culpa, mea culpa...
At this thought, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but glance at Nymph again. The little one had obediently settled down to read a book the moment she got on the carriage. When Fang Zheng had curiously picked up the book to read, he found it was mostly about princesses and knights, or about wealthy daughters and knights, or about commoner girls and knights... Why was it always knights? Aside from knights being horse riders, not people riders!
You can’t just get on someone just because ‘knight’ is in their title, can you? Shouldn’t there be some dignity?
Of course, leaving aside the fantastical exterior of another world, Fang Zheng saw it for what it was – just the fantasy version of those girl’s novels, like the overused trope of the domineering CEO that never tires after a hundred uses... What Fang Zheng didn’t expect was that Nymph would actually enjoy reading such novels.
He just hoped she wouldn’t be led astray.
“Master, it’s time.”
“I know.”
Fang Zheng stood up and straightened his clothes. Today was the day the mentor from the Tower of Heaven was coming to the Sanctuary. If all went well, the mentor should be his. To be honest, Fang Zheng was feeling pretty nervous now, because mages were reputed to be temperamental and hard to approach. If this mage was anything like the rumors, it would indeed be troublesome for Fang Zheng.
But no matter what, since he had made a decision, he had to follow through to the end.
Although he was mentally prepared, when Fang Zheng saw the mage before him, he couldn’t help but be startled.
“Are you the kid that old coot talked about, the Paladin who wants to learn magic?”
Sitting on the sofa was a man nearly two meters tall, looking to be in his fifties or sixties, with a swept-back Mediterranean hairstyle already pure white. However, what was truly shocking to Fang Zheng was the man’s physique—the old man, though he was wearing a wizard robe, filled it out so it almost looked like a tight shirt, and with the man’s movements, Fang Zheng could clearly see the outlines of the six-pack under the robe...
Hold on a second, this is a mage? Are you sure he’s not a Barbarian from the Northlands?
“I am Rex of the Tower of Heaven.”
The self-proclaimed Rex waved his hand casually, crossed his legs in a cavalier manner, and stared at Fang Zheng with eyes as big as bronze bells.
“I really didn’t expect someone to give up being a Paladin to become a mage. What’s so great about mages? A bunch of weak and incompetent creatures that can’t even run properly! Aside from chanting a few spells and releasing a spell or two, they are almost good for nothing! Why would you want to become a mage?!”
Excuse me, sir, but aren’t you a mage yourself? Are you sure it’s okay for you to say that?
Fang Zheng felt like ever since he returned to this world, things were just getting weirder; first, he encountered a vampire that could cast Holy Light, and now a mage that looked like a Barbarian...
“It’s like this...”
Although inwardly Fang Zheng was full of sardonic thoughts, he quickly organized his language in his mind and then answered Rex’s question.
“In a previous mission, I fought against two mages, so I want to delve into the mysteries of magic and learn and understand...”
“What’s there to understand?”
Rex interrupted before Fang Zheng could finish speaking, waving his hand dismissively.
“Mages are nothing but a bunch of weaklings who can cast a few Magic Missiles, BIUBIUBIU. Just charge at them and smack them! Once you smash their shields, these weaklings are no different from dead fish, and you can beat them however you like!”
Hearing this, Fang Zheng silently glanced at Rex’s six-pack.
Those words had zero persuasive power.
“Forget it, you’re the one with the screw loose, not me. Just don’t come crying to me later, and besides, you might not even be able to join the White Tower.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Facing Rex’s words, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. It seemed there was more to the story.
“Is that even a question?”
Despite showing an extremely impatient expression, Rex still spoke.
“You think the Tower of Heaven is some charity of the Sanctuary? Do you think just anyone can get in? That’s the Sacred Land of Mages! You, a Templar, who can’t even recognize a single Magic Rune, want to run to the White Tower to learn? You must be out of your mind! I hold some clout in the White Tower, and if I bring out a dimwit student, it’s my reputation on the line! So, I made a deal with the Sanctuary.”
“A deal?”
“That’s right.”
At this point, Rex narrowed his eyes, his face that resembled a Barbarian’s showing, for the first time, the cunning and wisdom of a mage.
“To be honest, nobody knows if you’re just a flash in the pan because guys your age are as fickle as they come, like their interest in bed or food lasts only for three minutes; who knows how long you’ll stick with it. So... I will take responsibility for teaching you here for one month! After one month, you have to meet the minimum standards of the Tower of Heaven! If you don’t, then just roll back to Sanctuary to be your Knight, and stop fantasizing about other things, got it?!”
So that’s how it is.
Watching Rex, Fang Zheng immediately grasped his meaning.
It seems that the Sanctuary still isn’t willing to give up on me just yet... but when you think about it, it makes sense.
Although Fang Zheng had no idea what the minimum entrance standard for the Tower of Heaven was, considering the Tower’s reputation, he had a rough estimate—the task was almost like asking a primary school student to pass an exam for Tsinghua and Peking Universities.
But regardless, there’s no harm in trying. And besides, if all else fails after a month... he could always try his luck with a Top-up Ten-Pull!
With that in mind, Fang Zheng made up his mind and then bowed deeply to Rex.
“I understand, Mr. Rex. I’m willing to accept this condition.”

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