<h4>Chapter 327: A Year</h4>


    Sein was not the type of mage to stubbornly waste time on a wild goose chase.


    He prioritized the efficiency and value of his research over exploration of any specific school of thought that might not prove beneficial in the long run.


    “Knowledge on constructs might appeal to the mechanics of the Magus World, but my focus is on elemental magic. I’ll only require surface knowledge. My efforts are better spent on more pressing research areas,” Sein reminded himself.


    With that thought in mind, Sein began another incantation, and the expandedboratory reverted to its original size.


    The mechas were stowed away in the storage of theboratory, leaving it uncertain whether they would ever see the light of day again.


    Once theboratory was back to its initial setup, Sein took a deep breath and dove into his next experiment.


    His primary research focus remained on unraveling the secrets of verdant me magic and its body tempering technique.


    Apart from that, Sein also needed to figure out a way to integrate verdant me magic into alchemy.


    It was crucial to address this promptly, as it held the potential to drastically power Sein up.


    ***


    It was easy to lose track of time when one was immersed in research in theboratory.


    Although Selina made sure to ask Sein out for meals every few days, Sein barely realized that nearly a year had passed.


    A year might seem brief, yet it was filled with achievements.


    Through relentless effort and sleepless nights, Sein made considerable progress in his verdant me magic.


    He gained a deeper understanding of the Verdant me Body Tempering technique and sessfully integrated the power of the verdant me magic into alchemy. He also managed to enhance the Sr Eye mask in the process.


    At this point, it was apt to rename the Sr Eye spell to Verdant me Eye spell.


    During this period, Sein also focused on increasing the total number of rounds and shots for the Verdant me Eye spell.


    Any breakthrough could significantly amplify the potency of his signature spell.


    With the Sr Eye spell now evolved into the Verdant me Eye spell, its power had already increased. Sein could hardly imagine its destructive might if he could sessfully amplify its discharge.


    Beyond Sein’s personal achievements, he also received a magic letter from House Grantt.


    His father, Earl Grantt, was going to make another attempt to break through to Rank One. He advised Sein to continue his research at the divine tower and promised to share any good news of advancement.


    As Earl Grantt entered seclusion to focus on advancing his life level, Sein’s younger brother, Solon, officially assumed the role of the family patriarch, bing the new Earl Grantt.


    With that, Sein’s stepmother, Lady Thea, finally fulfilled her ambition to be the dowager countess and an influentialdy within the Lysian Alliance.


    The past two decades had gradually dulled Sein’s resentment toward her.


    During his infrequent visits home, Lady Thea had ceased to antagonize him. Instead, she showed a conspicuous effort to win his favor.


    By Sein’sst visit, he realized that Lady Thea’s beauty had faded.


    Despite her use of expensive cosmetics essible to only noblewomen, signs of aging had appeared on her skin.


    Although she appeared younger than her peers, she could not conceal her age entirely.


    Life’s fleeting nature was all too apparent to Sein. One could only go so far without attaining the life level of Rank One.


    While Sein was engrossed in research, he scarcely noticed that a year had slipped by.


    His perception of time might further diminish as he delved into greater mysteries in the future.


    Sein anticipated that the experiments conducted by mages of Rank Four and above probably took hundreds of years toplete.


    ***


    All the mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring who had fought in the Viridian Venom me World had returned over the past year.


    The homing of 417 mages, including Sein, brought vitality to the businesses near the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring but also underscored the harrowing reality of internar warfare.


    Initially, over five hundred mages had embarked on this campaign.


    Among them, Sein’s friend, a Rank One mage named Grimm, was in the third and final batch of mages returning to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.


    Engrossed in his experiments, Sein had not reached out to Grimm upon his return.


    Considering Grimm’s even more reserved naturepared to Sein, he had not made any attempts to reach out to Sein either.


    Their reunion only urred “by chance” in themercial area near the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, where they caught up on each other’s experiences over thest few years.


    When Sein stumbled upon him, Grimm was selecting a few extranar nt creatures at a stall.


    “I’d like a pair, one male and one female please,” Grimm told the stall owner, gesturing toward a group of adorable nt creatures that bore a striking resemnce to cabbages.


    The stall was run by a Rank Two mage from another divine tower, who looked somewhat bemused by Grimm’s request.


    “nt creatures are gender-neutral. They might vary in appearance, but they all reproduce asexually,” he rified.


    “You can just break off its arm or one of itsteral roots and nt it in y. With enough water and a small amount of elemental energy, it should grow into a new creature,” the owner exined while shaking his head.


    The owner’s exnation left Grimm with an awkward expression on his face.


    Coincidentally, Sein and Selina arrived in the vicinity just in time to overhear the exchange between Grimm and the stall owner.


    “I’ll take these two then,” Grimm decided, pointing to two of the “little cabbages”.


    Grimm had only noticed Sein, whom he had not seen for years, when Sein walked up to him with Selina.


    Despite losing contact after advancing to Rank One, the camaraderie between Sein and Grimm remained intact.


    Grimm’s survival and return from the Viridian Venom me World as a newly promoted Rank One mage spoke volumes of his abilities.


    Observing the two nt creatures Grimm had acquired, Sein curiously browsed the Rank Two mage’s stall.


    Being the apprentice of a Rank Four dendro mage afforded Sein slightly more insight than Grimm. Although Sein had not deeply explored dendro magic, he had absorbed considerable knowledge about it.


    Beyond their basic asexual reproduction and remarkable regenerative capabilities, Sein noticed that those nt creatures exhibited some extraordinary traits.


    “This is... the power of activation?” Sein furrowed his brow slightly and asked with uncertainty.


    “You have really keen eyes!” the owner eximed.