"Fame?"
"Funnily enough, true to your research direction, the True Spirit Mages have always wanted to develop a way for ordinary mortals to have a role in the Mage World, and thanks to your research..."
The Transdimensional Mage was unexpectedly chatty, Adam thought to himself.
"Part of your research belongs to the Tower according to the contract, but for your sake, I'll let you choose -- cooperate with me, or publish your research independently," she said. "No matter what you choose, we won't do anything to you, so rest assured."
Adam chose to cooperate with her without any hesitation.
He had no foundation in the Mage World, neither did he have the strength to protect his achievements. Someone stronger could easily steal his research, putting millions of lives at stake.
Moreover, even though Adam was optimistic in his path of research, he wasn't sure if it would really bring that much benefit.
She nodded, "Wise choice. It seems that you are wise and not blinded by your own ventures -- the reason why the Mage World can traverse through time and space depends on the power of the Mage themselves; there are countless worlds out there, and there are millions of precious resources. If you are able to become a transdimensional mage, you will see that everything you valued before becomes irrelevant."
Adam nodded. Ever since he discovered that mages were able to traverse across time and space, he knew it was meaningless to be entangled in this single world. Every single world out there represents an inexhaustible resource.
Adam gradually felt uncomfortable the longer the conversation went on; it seemed that he was having trouble taking in this information.
She could tell that Adam was uncomfortable, and took a bite out of her apple. With a single crunch, the world returned to its colour and Adam was alone in the experiment room.
She was no longer in front of him, neither was Mage Morde, completely erasing the traces of his existence.
The Dean appeared before Adam and asked, "Could you tell I was warning you back then?"
"Yeah," Adam nodded. "And intuition."
Adam was repeatedly analyzing the contract ever since that day and found that the contract was full of loopholes. It seems that this was a deliberate decision by the Dean to catch Mage Morde in the act.
The Dean produced a new contract and placed it in front of Adam, "We are very optimistic about your research, but Jino's research in alchemy alone isn't enough. Fortunately for us, that idiot sent himself to our doorstep. Besides, the Tower Master and I have been monitoring your situation closely to ensure you weren't in danger."
Dean Victor swiped his hand across the air and a dimensional crack was formed before Adam. Within the crack was Mage Morde's former possessions and the Dean suspended them before Adam, "Ancient mages like him have a habit, which is carrying things of value to them, be it their own knowledge, magic, or even precious equipment."
As he spoke, the Dean's magic surrounded the items. The ether crystals and all of Mage Morde's equipment was pushed towards Adam. The Dean copied all of Mage Morde's knowledge and passed a copy over to Adam.
"With this, Jino will be promoted to a Level 2 Mage," the Dean smiled.
Adam looked at this and asked, "Even though he died, are you sure it's okay to steal his knowledge?"
"Hah!" the Dean chuckled. "Of course it is! Did he not try to attack you within Academy grounds? This is the price he must pay."
Adam was speechless, but in the end, this was good for him. Although he didn't know how alchemy works, it wouldn't hurt to have all of this equipment. Besides, he was sure that his research direction would overlap with alchemy at some point, so this knowledge would be great to have.
Adam signed the contract which detailed that the Tower will bear all of the expenses of the lab, taking 30% of the benefits generated from this research.
Adam knew that he didn't have to worry about funding forever.
"Did the Tower Master come to visit me specifically?" Adam asked suddenly. He couldn't help but feel flattered.
"No, but I guess she did," the Dean explained. "Thanks to you bringing her the crystal skeleton, she was able to locate the coordinates of the world where the god who tried to invade us resides in. If this goes well, you will have a share of the plunder."
Adam was fascinated, imagining the process of a mage transcending through dimensions to enter another world.
"Another thing," the Dean said before leaving. "After we leave for that world, a group of exchange students from the Monte Carlo Academy will be... visiting us, and I heard they have a few geniuses that are destined to become battlemages. Don't disappoint us."
Adam was stunned, "Didn't we have a war with them? How dare they send their apprentices over!"
"Well," the Dean snorted. "The Fifth Element Sacred Tower stated that the war ended and a peace period was established. However, this 'peace' only applies to mages and not apprentices. They can't let us nurture a genius like you, can they? Don't fail us, Adam."
