Versatile Mage

 The sky was overlaid with a hint of gold as the fiery red sun rose above the canopy in the distance. When its light reached the town, the people awoke.

 They were overjoyed when they learned their kids were awake and perfectly fine. They did not really care about the reason why they were sleeping in random places. They had no clue how dangerous the night before was, nor did they see the moths that had been looming over the city.

 The ashes that fell into the town were blown and scattered into the woods and mountains by the wind. The remains of the moths had returned to where they belonged.

 ——

 “Are you going to keep your promise?” Yu Shishi glanced at Mo Fan coldly.

 “Go now, and don’t ever hurt humans again,” Mo Fan said calmly.

 Mo Fan withdrew the energy binding Yu Shishi. The woman was still looking at Mo Fan.

 Perhaps Yu Shishi was struggling to believe that Mo Fan was willing to let her go so easily. She was observing him closely, to see if he was trying to trick her.

 However, Yu Shishi did not see any sign of deceit from him.

 She began to walk away. Mo Fan did not stop her. She summoned her damaged wings that were seriously damaged and slowly rose into the sky as her wings spread…

 A group of blue moths circled her as she struggled to fly properly.

 Yu Shishi turned around and saw that Mo Fan still had no intention of attacking her.

 In Yu Shishi’s eyes, now that the kids and the townsfolk were safe, there was no reason for her to be alive anymore.

 “Why haven’t you left yet? Are you waiting for the New Year to come?” Mo Fan lifted his gaze and harrumphed coldly.

 Yu Shishi bit her lips. She had been living here for a long time. She would be lying if she said she was not reluctant to leave.

 However, she had destroyed her chance with her own hands. No one could possibly accept her after what she did. She was not a pure demon creature, so it was unlikely that she could survive in the wild. She had to find a new place to stay, but she had no idea where to go.

 Yu Shishi beat her wings and flew toward the woods. The moths followed closely around her. They were not particularly fond of the sunlight, so they quickly picked up their pace.

 —

 “Sir, did you really let her go just like that? She killed Captain Feng Guangkuo,” Zhou Lixin said discontentedly.

 They would have trouble explaining why they had spared the monster’s life to the townsfolk and the City Hunters, especially after the situation had escalated. It was unlikely that the Magic Association would turn a blind eye to it too. There was no reason to let her go.

 “Fighting until the net splits isn’t going to do us any good. If we killed Yu Shishi, those moths would soon return to avenge her. They are able to reproduce quickly, are active at night, and are poisonous too. They will come and feed on the townsfolk when it’s the right season. It will end up as a worse disaster for the people in Jiangnan. It’s better to let Yu Shishi keep them under control,” Mo Fan replied.

 It was impossible to tell exactly what the right thing to do was. Not every evil presence deserved to be eliminated, and not every kind existence was trustworthy, either…

 Nature had its laws, and the cycle would just keep repeating. Mo Fan could not tell if letting Yu Shishi go would result in a worse tragedy in the future, nor did he know if the moths were better controlled by sparing Yu Shishi’s life. Since everything was still unknown, he just needed to do what he thought was right.

 As for the price that Yu Shishi was supposed to pay for the lives she took, it was none of Mo Fan’s business. He was not the police or a judge. He was never driven by righteousness, or the obligation to serve justice. He was only following his conscience, and that included saving the kids!

 —

 Since Yu Shishi was no longer using the moths to stop the flow of the water, it was flowing smoothly again.

 Bai Hongfei still thought Yu Shishi was not wholly lying to him. He had collected some water to conduct some tests.

 Unfortunately, Yu Shishi had indeed lied to him. She had deceived him with her beautiful looks, and abused his innocence. The young man was clearly having a hard time recovering from it.

 He was utterly disappointed by how cunning Yu Shishi was. On the other hand, he had almost become her accomplice in her deadly plot because of how stupid he was.

 Bai Hongfei knew he had committed a huge mistake. He did not request that he graduate With Excellence.

 He even thought that he was no longer worthy to be a student of the Pearl Institute. He chose to leave the school without asking to graduate normally.

 “Sir, I’m thinking of going on adventures. If I just keep staying in the cities, I’ll soon lose the courage to take on demon creatures, and the ability to see through their deceit… I kept thinking that I’ll be able to acquire a nice job in the renowned clans or organizations once I graduated With Excellence. I would be able to earn respect and fame, but I now realize how useless they are. Only I know what I’m actually capable of.”

 Bai Hongfei was standing in front of Mo Fan. The young man who was acting arrogantly when he first joined the team, who began to fawn upon Mo Fan after knowing that he was their mentor, was now being honest and sincere, utterly impressed by Mo Fan. Bai Hongfei knew there were many things he could learn, things he would never learn just by staying at school. It was time for him to get out of his comfort zone.

 “I’m relieved to hear that. It’s good going out on adventures, it will help you grow faster. There’s no need to dwell on the past. When you’re finally as experienced as I am when it comes to dealing with women, you will not be easily tricked by Yu Shishi again!” Mo Fan patted Bai Hongfei on the shoulder.

 “Sir, apart from how you’re able to just follow your heart, I’m also impressed by your shameless bearing. I’m afraid I will never learn these two things,” Bai Hongfei smiled.

 Mo Fan’s expression stiffened. Mu Nujiao laughed so hard that she could not even stand straight. Her pleasant laughter and her gorgeous smile…

 “Bai Hongfei, I believe you no longer want to graduate for the rest of your life,” Mo Fan glared at him.

 “Sir, I actually decided not to graduate. Anyway, thank you for being our mentor. I didn’t manage to graduate With Excellence, but I’ve learned something more valuable than that. I’ll be going. Feel free to visit the Bai Clan whenever you want,” Bai Hongfei said.

 Bai Hongfei waved and left the Pearl Institute with his belongings.

 Mo Fan waved back helplessly. Seriously, where was the kid’s respect for his mentor?…

 “Mo Fan, it seems like you’re actually pretty good at being a mentor.” Dean Xiao walked toward him with a smile.

 Even though having one extra student graduating With Excellence would bring more fame to the school, Dean Xiao believed Bai Hongfei was going to achieve much more than mere fame from here on. He was still young, yet he was already an Advanced Mage. The only hindrance was his pride and stubbornness. If he was willing to take the step, he would be reborn and soar even higher and further!

 “Dean Xiao, Bai Hongfei has willingly given up his chance to graduate With Excellence. Doesn’t that mean I can take his spot instead?” Mo Fan said.

 “…” Dean Xiao was left speechless. It turned out that it was what Mo Fan had been planning all along!

 ——

 Dean Xiao gave Mo Fan the Pearl Badge of Excellence as he wished. As a matter of fact, Dean Xiao was willing to make Mo Fan an official mentor, too…

 However, Mo Fan had gotten used to enjoying his freedom. It was just too tiring to lead a bunch of inexperienced students on a job!

 “Mo Fan, come with me and get yourself some equipment. Apart from the Black Snake Armor, nothing that you are wearing is worth your achievement of winning the World College Tournament. I thought you were pretty rich, how come you didn’t even have a full set of magic Equipment? It’s going to be a disgrace if you tell the others that you have graduated With Excellence from the Pearl Institute. Look at you, you’re still wearing the Blood Tabi that I gave you ages ago…” Dean Xiao said.

 Mo Fan’s face darkened upon hearing Dean Xiao’s words.

 -Damn it, since when was I rich? I am nothing but a povo. The others only need to worry about getting enough resources to feed their three Elements, but what about me?-

 The Lightning and Fire Elements were the most expensive Elements to maintain. The cost needed to improve the Shadow Element was not too bad, but the Summoning Element was a bottomless pit. Little Flame Belle and the wolf could digest every yuan he threw at them. He could not even afford Little Flame Belle’s milk powder with the petty money that he earned from his part-time work.

 And then there was the Space Element…

 The Space Element was just another bottomless pit too, as spending resources on it would actually make a huge difference. Yang Bao from the Golden Battle Hunters was a Space Mage too. However, because of how poor he was, his Space Element was basically useless. It was extremely unlikely that he could find something like the Stone of Will to improve his Space Element. If he tried to buy it from an auction, it would cost at least a few billion!

 A few f**king billion, the whole country only had just over a billion people. Everyone else only needed a billion at most at the Advanced Level, yet it was only enough for him to buy something that could improve his mental strength!

 Luckily it was Dean Xiao that was talking to him; if anyone else said that he was rich, he would simply have the urge to slap them to death!

 As for his magic Equipment… Each of his Elements was a bottomless money-burning pit, how could he possibly afford some high-quality magic Equipment!?

 “Don’t look at me like that. Considering the things you have done for the school, I’ll discuss with the other deans and see if we can give you one of our heirloom treasures,” Dean Xiao chuckled. He was well aware of Mo Fan’s struggles.

 Either way, Mo Fan had won the World College Tournament. The name of the Pearl Institute had spread across the world. On top of that, Mo Fan had successfully graduated. It was necessary for them to give him rewards!

 “Don’t even bother if it’s worth less than a hundred million. Save it for my juniors instead,” Mo Fan said indifferently.

 Mo Fan suddenly felt a great esteem after finishing the sentence. He once had to risk his life and fight against demon creatures just to earn a few million, but he was no longer interested in things that were worth less than a hundred million. Tsk tsk tsk…but it did not really change the fact that he would be a povo forever…