Chapter 798: Visit
The meeting between Lorianne and Bernice took place at the Tower Master of Floating Flame’s private quarters within her space fortress.
From what Sein knew, Bernice was not the first owner of this Floating Flame Space Fortress.
When Lorianne purchased her space fortress, she was inclined to buy a cheaper and used one as a cost-effective option.
Perhaps this mindset was influenced by Bernice’s example.
That said, there was no denying that a new fortress was far superior to an old one.
The Divine Tower of Floating Flame’s space fortress, which had been serving Bernice for about ten thousand years, showed significant wear and tear in every aspect.
This fortress, including its aged corridors and wall decorations, seemed really old-fashioned.
It was likely built seventy or eighty thousand years ago; older than Bernice herself.
One could only imagine how many previous owners it had before coming into her possession.
Bernice was not financially poor.
She had not upgraded her space fortress because she had just gifted her lover a brand-new, medium-sized model a few centuries ago.
On top of that, the Order of the Green Bounty’s space fortress was nearly identical to Lorianne’s own.
Considering that the Rank Four female knight also wielded the power of dendro elemental law, it became evident that the two women shared even more in common.
When Sein and Lorianne arrived, Bernice welcomed them on her bed.
Sein also noticed the grand master of the Order of the Green Bounty, who was tending to Bernice in the room.
A strange, indescribable scent lingered in the air.
It was familiar to Sein, but he froze, unable to quite put a finger on what it was.
Bernice appeared genuinely delighted by Lorianne’s visit.
The female mage wore metal rings on her wrists and ankles—these were not just powerful magic equipment but also tools that aided in tempering her body.
In the Verdant Flame Faction, everyone, except Lorianne, had their own unique methods of body tempering.
The method Bernice practiced was developed by herself, and Sein was intrigued.
Bernice spoke privately to Lorianne before suddenly addressing Sein, whose presence seemed nearly invisible in the room.
“Melanie and Caesar are likely still at the frontline. You should meet them when they return,” she suggested.
Melanie and Caesar were Bernice’s apprentices, a Rank Three grand mage and a fresh Rank Two mage respectively.
They were the only apprentices Bernice personally mentored, but they each had their own apprentices as well.
Despite its smaller size, the Divine Tower of Floating Flame had a well-rounded structure and balanced development.
Sein noticed Lorianne giving him a strange look.
Realization dawned upon him and he quickly looked down, pretending not to notice.
Perhaps Lorianne was subtly reminding him that it was time for him to take on an apprentice of his own so that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring would not fall too far behind.
For now, Sein had no intention of taking on an apprentice.
He was still focused on managing himself and could not fathom the responsibility of mentoring another.
In the world of mages, finding an apprentice often came down to luck.
It was not as simple as selecting a promising talent and teaching them everything.
If the mentorship throughout the history of the Magus World were that straightforward, the deep value of magic inheritance and the preciousness of knowledge would not be as prominent as they were.
Bernice noticed the subtle exchange between Lorianne and Sein and let out a hearty laugh.
“No need to rush him so much, Lorianne. How old is Sein anyway? Mentoring an apprentice is a huge commitment. Let him focus on his own growth for now,” she advised, patting Lorianne’s shoulder.
“True,” Lorianne agreed with a nod.
Bernice was still lying on the bed, and Lorianne had to lean in to speak with her. At the same time, she was also using her crystal ball to check on Bernice’s condition.
When Sein glanced up at the two female mages, he detected a strange vibe from them, perhaps due to their close proximity.
Although Bernice was patting Lorianne on the shoulder, her hand was uncomfortably close to Lorianne’s chest.
Sein did not dwell too much on this, merely assuming that the two female mages shared an exceptionally close relationship.
However, what Sein failed to notice was the expression on the face of the female knight standing on the other side of the bed, as the two female mages joked and conversed.
Lorianne’s examination of Bernice did not take long.
As Bernice had mentioned, the blue energy particles fired by the Wild Gorilla Army had a potent paralyzing effect but caused minimal harm to Rank Four or higher beings.
Still, the paralyzing beam was strong enough to put a Magus World powerhouse in grave danger if they were struck and subsequently pursued by an enemy of Rank Four or higher.
Fortunately, the Magus World Army held a significant advantage in the war against Wild Gorilla World, preventing these “secret weapons” from causing severe disruption.
Black Oblivion was in a similar condition to Bernice’s—he was not seriously injured, though the fall from the sky had taken its toll.
Sein and Lorianne spent half a day in Bernice’s private quarters.
After leaving her with several freshly crafted potions and urging her to rest, Lorianne departed with Sein.
Like the warzone where the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was stationed, the area surrounding the Divine Tower of Floating Flame was bustling with activity.
Knights and mages moved in and out of the space fortress, and war airships frequently passed through the sky.
Thanks to the strong relationship between the Divine Tower of Floating Flame and the Order of the Green Bounty, their mages and knights were able to work closely with each other.
Many knights had unrestricted access to the Divine Tower of Floating Flame’s space fortress, and the mages could hire them at discounted rates.
This level of collaboration was something the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and the Order of the Fiery Molten Mountain had yet to achieve.
“Lady Berecca was promoted to Rank Four five hundred years ago, and she established the Order of the Green Bounty two hundred years ago, not long after I did. She and Bernice are pretty close. They’ve been good friends even before reaching Rank Four,” Lorianne began.
“I heard that after Lady Berecca’s promotion to Rank Four, the Magus Alliance offered her a suitable spot at a planar node to establish her order, but she insisted on choosing the area near the Divine Tower of Floating Flame. The hot, fiery environment there isn’t exactly ideal for a dendro elemental Rank Four knight like her though,” she explained, shaking her head.