Chapter 83: The Companion Flower
The outside world didn’t seem as terrifying as he had imagined.
Life beyond the Wizard Tower might not be so different from the ancient times of Saul’s past life.
However, in the next second, Mentor Kaz shattered his illusions.
"Those sealed carriages? They mostly transport materials."
"Materials?"
"Mostly contaminated corpses from the outside world. After all, there are only so many people in the Wizard Tower. If we relied solely on the bodies produced inside the tower, you’d all have run out of work long ago."
No wonder so many of the corpses looked unfamiliar to Saul.
"Do the surrounding towns willingly send people over?"
"They don’t have the power to do that. It’s usually third-level apprentices who actively collect contaminated corpses. In a way, this also helps protect the nearby territories. Otherwise, why do you think they’re so willing to send their children here?"
Kaz smiled. It was hard to tell if his expression carried more pride or sarcasm.
The two continued walking toward the garden.
As they approached, a small window in the wooden hut swung open, and a middle-aged man with sallow skin poked his head out.
His facial features were unremarkable, except for his long, protruding nose—it looked almost like Pinocchio’s.
Perhaps he had undergone modifications as well.
"Good afternoon, Mentor Kaz!" he greeted warmly.
Kaz gave him a slight nod in response, then turned to Saul.
"That’s the gardener. Once you’ve picked your companion flower, he’ll teach you how to cultivate it."
Saul quickly nodded toward the gardener, who responded with a wide grin, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth.
As they reached the entrance of the garden, a breeze swept past, carrying with it the rich aroma of freshly baked bread.
The place before him was more of a vegetable patch than a garden.
The land was divided into sections, with rows of flowers planted in neat lines. Each stem was slender, yet its bud was large, with only two leaves on each plant.
Some flowers were in full bloom, while others remained tightly closed.
When the wind blew, they swayed like a field of little heads dancing.
The scent of bread grew even stronger.
Even though Saul had already eaten, he suddenly felt hungry again.
"Mentor, are all these companion flowers?"
Kaz nodded. "They are. 'Companion flower' is just a general term for this type of plant. They may look different in shape and color, but their growth process and properties are the same."
The two walked among the rows of plants.
Saul couldn't shake the feeling that the flowers were subtly following their movements, as if they were turning to look at them.
"These companion flowers thrive on the fumes of decay, so ordinary soil won’t support them. Once you’ve chosen a flower, go to the gardener—he’ll transplant it into a small pot and give you a bag of fertilizer."
Fertilizer?
Saul froze mid-step.
Was it the same kind of fertilizer he had almost become?
"Companion flowers bear fruit roughly every six months—one fruit per plant. The type of fruit they produce is varied and unpredictable, and currently, we don’t have a way to control what kind of fruit they yield. Blue fruits increase magical power, red ones enhance physical strength…"
Saul hurriedly pulled out a notebook and began recording.
Kaz glanced at him and shook his head. "You should have started taking notes earlier. Green fruits are detoxifying, purple ones are poisonous, and if you ever get a white one, be sure to hand it over to the Wizard Tower."
Saul stopped writing and hesitated.
"Mentor, is there something wrong with the white fruit?"
"Not really. White fruits stabilize the spirit body, and the Tower has a shortage of them. If you manage to grow one, you can exchange it for 20 academic credits."
Twenty credits… That was six months' worth of wages!
That was incredibly valuable!
Looking at the flowers again, Saul now saw them as a field of gold.
"Fully bloomed ones are hard to transplant. Just pick one that’s still a bud."
"Yes, Mentor."
Saul put away his notebook and approached the flower beds.
There were hundreds of companion flowers, most already in bloom, with only a few still in bud form.
Since academic credits were at stake, Saul took his time choosing, hoping to somehow guess which one might bear a white fruit.
If not white, at least a blue one.
But there was no clear pattern—each flower looked different. Some resembled roses, others tulips. None had any fruit yet; those must have already been picked.
As Saul carefully examined them, Kaz suddenly spoke again, his voice carrying a knowing tone.
"Is Rum trying to recruit you?"
Saul paused and turned around immediately.
After a brief hesitation, he answered honestly. "Yes."
Kaz nodded but didn’t seem angry.
"I thought so. When you chose me as your mentor, you had other reasons, didn’t you?"
Saul had originally chosen Kaz because of Kongsha’s manipulation. That potion had temporarily boosted his sensitivity to dark elemental particles, making it his highest affinity.
Unknowingly, this had led him to pick Kaz instead of Rum.
"Do you regret it now?" Kaz asked.
"No, I don’t." Saul responded without hesitation.
He wasn’t just saying that to flatter his mentor—he genuinely felt there was nothing to regret.
If not for Kongsha’s intervention, he wouldn’t have even qualified as an apprentice.
Instead of resenting her manipulation, he chose to see it as the price of entering the Wizard Tower.
It was a perspective that fit Byron’s philosophy well.
Kaz smirked slightly, though his smile was somewhat cold.
"Indeed, you’ve already undergone bodily modification. Your affinity is now firmly aligned with the dark element. There’s no turning back."
Saul suddenly felt that the sunlight wasn’t quite as warm as before.
He quickly added, "I really don’t regret it, Mentor! If it weren’t for working in the Morgue, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the modification—"
—Damn, he nearly exposed the fact that he had been stealing materials.
Saul hurriedly changed the subject. "—Besides, I actually enjoy the work in the Morgue. It’s perfect for focused research and study."
Whether or not Kaz picked up on Saul’s little slip, his expression visibly improved.
"Sigh…" Kaz hunched slightly, his hands behind his back, and let out a quiet sigh. "If only everyone learned to be as content as you are."
Everyone?
Who was he talking about?
Who was discontent?
Ever since learning the Tower Master’s identity, Saul had suspected that his work in the Morgue was part of the Tower Master’s plans.
Since the Tower Master wanted him to study corpses and souls, how could he refuse?
And it wasn’t just empty words—Saul truly found the work well-suited to his current needs.
But Kaz’s words left him with an uneasy feeling.
Who was so "discontent" that it troubled Kaz this much?
Kaz didn’t pursue the topic further, leaving Saul full of unanswered questions.
"With your current abilities, you’ll be fine working in the Morgue. As long as you deliver the required materials on time, I’ll make sure you pass the evaluations."
Was that all he needed to do to pass from now on?
"Thank you, Mentor. I’ll make sure to complete my tasks."
Saul had been worried about what new sorcery they’d demand from him in future evaluations.
He already had too much to study, and he couldn’t afford to spend too much time learning new spells.
Thinking back, senior apprentice Mark’s evaluations also seemed to involve task-based assignments, like organizing the lab.
This further solidified Saul’s earlier suspicion:
The Wizard Tower wasn’t really a school—it was a workplace.
The intense early learning phase was just job training.
After that, if a newcomer couldn’t handle any assigned tasks, they’d be "fired."
The Wizard Tower was a strict employer.
And those who were "fired" had to give back to the Tower in another way… as resources.
That meant the two apprentices who left the classroom first during the initial test—who hadn’t even learned a single compound rune—were in real danger.
Now that he thought about it, Saul hadn’t seen them in class today.
Had they… already been "fired"?
"Thank you, Mentor. I’ll continue working hard."
"Good." Kaz turned to leave. "Take your time picking your flower. Once you’re done, go find the gardener. Just be back in the Tower before sunset."
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