"So, instead of killing them, I chose this safer method to permanently seal them away, saving the trouble of them resurrecting and causing havoc again." Dean Hen Gedymdeith lightly tapped the jade statue on the table.
Karl was astonished. A single high-level vampire was enough to rival an army.
Yet, there were three high-level vampires, collected by Hen like action figures.
This display of power and methods once again updated his understanding of his teacher's capabilities.
Immediately, Karl thought of another question he cared about and asked, "Teacher, then how should I guard against curses?"
Hen smiled, seemingly finding Karl's question very pertinent.
"For you, curses, to some extent, are less threatening than sealing spells like the Transfiguration Sealing Art."
He explained, "Most powerful curses require a meticulously drawn magic circle beforehand, and must obtain the cursed person's hair, blood, or other mediums."
"More importantly, the power of a curse is directly related to the strength of the cursed person."
"The caster needs to pay a corresponding price in magic power, or even lifespan."
He looked at Karl, narrowing his eyes, and said with certainty, "With your current physical prowess and the energy contained within you, if someone were to try to curse you—"
"An ordinary sorcerer would simply be unable to bear the terrifying casting and backlash cost. The curse wouldn't even fully form before the caster themselves would be drained of magic and die."
Then, Hen changed the subject, adding an exception, "However, there's one situation you need to be wary of."
"In the world, there are many natural magic nodes or rifts formed after the Conjunction of Spheres, where magic is extremely chaotic and unstable."
"Even a malicious, casual curse from an ordinary person could potentially trigger the magic in these nodes, forming an extremely accidental and unpredictable instant curse."
"The power of these curses varies, but because of their strange trigger mechanism, they are extremely difficult to guard against."
Then, Hen offered the most direct advice: "The best way to guard against them? Is to make those who bear ill will towards you shut up completely before they have a chance to curse you."
Karl nodded seriously, engraving every one of Hen's teachings into his mind.
He couldn't help but sigh, marveling at how rare a sorcerer like Hen was—one who had lived for nearly five hundred years, was so knowledgeable, and like a walking encyclopedia.
As a top-tier Primeval Sorcerer, Hen had witnessed too many things. He was essentially familiar with all the monster weaknesses and magical common sense that even a Witcher knew.
And even ancient secrets and rare phenomena unknown to Witchers, Hen very likely knew about as well.
Before he left, Hen called out to Karl, took out three items shimmering with a soft magical glow, and handed them to him.
They were a finely crafted silver necklace with a perfectly cut ruby pendant, inside which flames seemed to flow; a silver ring set with a deep blue sapphire; and a seemingly plain silver bracelet inscribed with intricate runes.
"This necklace can automatically trigger an energy shield, effectively protecting against most common offensive spells."
"The ring will guard your mind, resisting mental probing and influence like psychic energy and mind-reading, keeping you clear-headed."
"And this bracelet is for saving your life at critical moments. Once it determines that your vital signs are critical—"
"It will immediately trigger, teleporting you to one of my hidden safe houses, where there are enough supplies and medical items for you to recover."
Hen looked at Karl, his tone extremely serious, even with a hint of unquestionable authority: "Remember, Karl. When carrying out missions, never feel bad if these magical artifacts are damaged."
"If a magical artifact is damaged, I can always spend time and effort to make another."
"But being alive is the most important thing. No matter what situation you encounter, preserving yourself is the top priority."
Karl accepted these three heavy gifts, embodying Hen's thoughtfulness and concern, and felt the warmth contained within them.
He bowed deeply to Hen: "Thank you, Teacher."
Immediately after, through the teleportation gate opened by Hen, Karl arrived at a desolate wilderness.
He shook his head slightly, quickly adjusting his senses, which were slightly uncomfortable from the spatial shift, the hum of teleportation magic still lingering in his ears.
Just then, two male sorcerers dressed in peculiar attire walked out from beside an inconspicuous cave.
The leader wore a long robe predominantly dark red, with numerous straps woven with ancient script or metal buckles decorating the shoulders, arms, and lapels.
He appeared to be middle-aged, with a steady countenance, and his sharp gaze scrutinized Karl, with unconcealed doubt.
"You're the new team member sent this time? You seem a bit too young, probably less than a hundred years old?" His voice carried a certain regional accent, and his tone was very direct.
He gave a brief self-introduction: "My name is Dredy."
"And this—is Aelfar."
Then, he pointed to his companion beside him, who was dressed in light blue, with a similar but more elegant decorative style.
Aelfar did not speak, merely nodded slightly in agreement with Dredy's comment about Karl's youth.
His calm eyes also assessed Karl.
Their concerns were not unfounded; Karl was too young—at least by sorcerer standards.
And youth often meant inexperience, a limited repertoire of spells, and a greater likelihood of implicating teammates due to recklessness in dangerous missions.
Although they didn't have much confidence in their new companion's abilities, they did not directly question the Witcher's arrangements.
They vaguely heard that this operation was originally the responsibility of another department.
However, the Upper Council's Dean Hen Gedymdeith personally intervened to supervise, reportedly to ensure that Yalisandora could not escape.
But they both guessed that this was likely related to the young new companion before them, so they maintained appropriate friendliness.
If it were normally, they would have protested long ago about assigning an inexperienced and completely unfamiliar sorcerer to join.
Karl was unconcerned by their slightly dismissive attitude; he showed a humble smile.
"Greetings, both of you. My name is Karl. I'm delighted to work with two such experienced and outstanding sorcerers."
"This is my first time undertaking such a mission. If there are any shortcomings, please guide me."
Seeing his humble and eager-to-learn attitude, the lines on Dredy's and Aelfar's faces softened slightly, and they showed a faint smile.
"Follow us, rookie." Dredy said no more, turning and walking towards the cave.
Aelfar gestured for Karl to follow, and the three of them entered the cold cave in turn. Inside, the light was dim and the air damp.
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