Magic beads

A three-story stone building rooftop.

A young man with grayish-white slightly curly hair and a strong facial contour sits on a wooden chair on the rooftop, gazing at the glass bead in his hand. He murmurs to himself.

"Strange, what is this thing used for?"

He is Carlos, a twenty-year-old junior teacher at the Palos Magic School.

He is called a magic teacher, but he doesn't know any magic at all. The reason he can be a teacher is mainly because of his extensive knowledge in magical theory, which makes him suitable for teaching beginner magic apprentices.

He was only frustrated by the fact that, without any magical talent, he had no hope of becoming a powerful sorcerer. How could he dominate in this world of magic?

While he was worrying, a dull and hoarse voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Carlos!"

Peeking out, Carlos saw an old man wearing a black magic robe standing outside the courtyard gate.

He recognized him at a glance, it was Elder Allison, the dean of Palos Magic School.

Carlos walking down the stairs, tidied up his messy gray and white curls. Soon he arrived on the first floor and opened the old courtyard gate.

"Elder Allison, please come in." Carlos extended his hand to welcome him.

Allison, holding a wand in her hand, shook his head and said,

"I won't go in. How have you been considering what I told you last time?"

Upon hearing this, Carlos suddenly showed a face of sorrow: "Oh, my dear Elder Allison, please forgive me for daring to answer. It is just too difficult to accept the closure of Red Leaf Academy. It is even worse than the pies made by our neighbor Susan."

"Speak in plain language!"

Allison's wrinkled face squeezed out a look of disdain, wondering where this kid learned such flamboyant way of speaking. And who is Grandma Susan?

"I refuse!" Carlos's face changed, and he firmly said, "Even if you kill me, I will not let you close down Red Leaf Academy."

The Red Leaf Academy is a subsidiary branch of the Palos Magic School, but in recent years, it has been experiencing a decline in talent and a gradual decrease in student enrollment. What's even more devastating is that three months ago, the dean of the Red Leaf Academy went missing while on a high-risk mission.

The school administration has basically confirmed his death and decided to close Red Leaf Academy, transferring the teachers and students to other schools.

But Carlos disagrees, as he grew up in Red Leaf Academy and if the academy closes, it would mean losing his home.

"Don't be so persistent anymore!" Allison glared, somewhat annoyed. "The other three teachers at Red Leaf Academy have already been transferred, and now there's only you, a junior teacher. What else can you teach?"

"This estate is not your private domain, but a resource of the school. The school cannot waste such a large piece of land on a hopeless institution."

"Elder Allison, this is somewhat unreasonable. Our dean has only gone missing, you cannot so hastily destroy the years of effort he put into building this institution!"

Elder Allison expressed his displeasure, "How many times do I have to tell you for you to understand? Fein was on a highly dangerous mission and he went missing during the operation. The chances of him being alive are almost zero."

Fein is the principal of Red Leaf Academy.

"And even if Fein is still alive, what does it matter? Red Leaf Academy was already on the verge of bankruptcy."

"Don't forget, the school has regulations that if a subordinate college ranks last in the comprehensive graduation assessment for five consecutive times, it will be deemed to have no development prospects and face closure or restructuring. And your Red Leaf College has had dismal performance for four years!"

Speaking of which, Carlos also refused to compromise and replied, "Don't we still have one more chance? It's not time to close the school yet."

Alison wished he could use his wand to hit Carlos hard on the head. Growing angrier, he said, "What's the point of delaying? Do you think with your status as a junior teacher and the remaining students at Red Leaf Academy, you can achieve good results in the graduation assessment? Stop daydreaming!"

"The only student left in your college with some talent is Mia. It would be better to close down Red Leaf College and transfer Mia to another institution, as there are still three months left for the graduation assessment. This way, she will have access to better resources during the final three months and her chances of passing the graduation assessment will also increase."

Upon hearing this, Carlos was somewhat shaken. Mia is a student at Red Leaf Academy and in terms of talent, she can be considered above average in other academies.

Due to the lack of resources at Red Leaf Academy, it is unable to provide Mia with effective improvement. If Mia transfers schools, her chances of passing the assessment are indeed higher.

"I'm not going anywhere!" came a crisp shout from inside the yard.

A blonde girl, her clothes soaked with sweat, stood not far away. Her determined eyes, the color of lake blue, spoke stubbornly: "I will stay at Red Leaf Academy and won't go anywhere else!"

The girl in question is Mia. She was running inside the campus just now and overheard the conversation between Allison and Carlos.

Currently, most of the students who are still willing to stay at Red Leaf Academy are actually orphans adopted by the former headmaster, and they consider this place as their home. Now that the old headmaster has gone missing, it would be impossible for Mia to abandon this vulnerable big family and run off to another academy. How could she accept that?

However, the Dean of Academic Affairs, Elder Allison, does not share this view. He forcefully tapped the ground with his staff and angrily exclaimed at Mia.

"Do you know what you're saying? You're already 15 years old this year, and if you can't pass the assessment again, you won't have a chance to become a formal wizard!"

"I can learn anything here and pass the assessment!" Mia said, then she walked away quickly.

"Stop right there!" Allison angrily shouted at Mia's back.

Carlos was afraid that he was too excited, so he quickly supported him and said, "Elder, let's not get too worked up. I will talk to Mia and try to persuade her."

"What's the use of trying to change her mindset? Mia clearly doesn't want to leave Red Leaf Academy. Only by closing this place and eliminating her aspirations will she obediently transfer to another school."

"Carlos, don't hesitate anymore. You must not delay Mia!"

Carlos, feeling troubled by this, could only nod in understanding and say, "I know, I know. Let me think about it..."

However, his response only made Allison angrier, and his reprimanding words became even harsher. In theory, it wouldn't be difficult for the school's higher-ups to reclaim Red Leaf Academy since it is already defunct.

But each of the branches within the Palos Magic School was originally established by their respective deans who offered their own territories to build the academy. Furthermore, it was stipulated that each branch has autonomy. In the absence of a dean, the highest-ranking teacher assumes authority.

So as long as Carlos, the only teacher at Red Leaf Academy, doesn't give up, the school won't close down. After reprimanding for twenty minutes, Ellison left disappointed when Carlos still didn't give him a definite answer.

However, before leaving, he took a small piece of magic crystal and gave it to Carlos, asking him to deliver it to Mia.

Looking at Allison's departing figure, Carlos let out a heavy sigh. It is really difficult to handle such a big mess well.

Looking down at the magic crystal in his hand, Carlos knew that Elder Allison didn't necessarily want to destroy Red Leaf Academy, but rather it was for Mia's own good.

This girl clearly possesses excellent magical talents. If she were in another academy, she would have probably already obtained the official qualification of a mage and had the opportunity to pursue further studies.

At the Red Leaf Academy, there is a lack of qualified teachers, limited access to medication resources, and inadequate equipment. These factors have resulted in Mia failing three consecutive assessments.

If she fails again this year, she will no longer be eligible for assessment due to exceeding the age limit.

With a sense of loneliness, Carlos closed the door to the courtyard and put the magic crystal into his pocket. However, as soon as he put it in, he suddenly felt a scorching temperature emanating from inside his pocket.

He quickly took out everything from his pocket and found that the troublesome glass bead was absorbing the magical elements inside the magic crystal. In a matter of seconds, the magic crystal turned from green to gray.

Just as Carlos was in a state of panic, a cold voice directly echoed in his mind.

[Please set the coordinates.]

Carlos was taken aback and instinctively asked, "What coordinates?"

However, he did not receive any response.

Suddenly, the voice in his mind resounded once again.

[Coordinates recorded: 67, 89]

[Initiating teleportation].]

Carlos suddenly felt a tearing sensation in his body, and the next second, he disappeared from the courtyard.