At these words, Fikat and Keira's expressions changed simultaneously.
They immediately looked in the direction of Hen's finger and saw the inconspicuous box.
Then, expressions of incredible surprise appeared on their faces; there was dimeritium here? Neither of them had felt anything just now... And Hen, without even deliberately searching, could detect subtle changes in the surrounding magic.
And thus accurately pinpoint the existence of dimeritium? What incredibly powerful perception this was.
Triss also marveled inwardly. She only clearly felt the magical disruption and loss of control caused by dimeritium when she was casting a spell.
In her normal state, unless she got within a certain distance, she couldn't detect its presence either.
But Hen not only sensed it instantly but could also pinpoint its exact location. This understanding of the essence of magic and his perception was simply... Among those present, only Karl was most calm about this.
As far as he knew, Hen, Tissaia, and other high-ranking sorcerers who had survived from the Golden Age, their power was already unfathomable.
Especially Hen, who was nearly five hundred years old, his accumulated knowledge and power were immeasurable.
If he remembered correctly, even when faced with an anti-magic field or being restrained by dimeritium shackles,
High-ranking sorcerers like Tissaia and Hen could still cast spells silently.
In comparison, merely detecting the presence of dimeritium from a distance was probably nothing to Hen.
Immediately after, Hen once again demonstrated his powerful magical prowess to Triss and the other two.
He didn't even make any gestures, nor did his lips move to chant a spell.
In that environment permeated with dimeritium's interfering energy, he conjured a stable portal out of thin air before them.
The entire process was as natural as breathing; Hen didn't even lift a finger.
This miraculous scene filled Fikat with longing, and Keira with both awe and despair.
Before Karl stepped into the portal, Triss quickly went forward to warn him: "Karl, listen, if you don't want... you to be torn to shreds by uncontrolled energy during the teleportation."
"That box of dimeritium absolutely cannot be taken into the portal; it will severely interfere with the stability of the teleportation spell!"
"Afterward, I will arrange for a reliable person to send it to the Academy and give it to you."
Karl heard this and gave an awkward laugh, feeling embarrassed about his previous oversight that led to the lab exploding.
He certainly didn't have such a foolish idea of taking dimeritium into the portal now.
"Thanks for the reminder, Triss. I'll trouble you with that then."
As Karl took his final step towards the swirling orange light door, he paused slightly and turned his head.
A barely perceptible sneer flickered across his face, and his gaze, full of profound meaning, swept over Keira, who stood frozen in place.
That look was like a cold sword's edge, instantly piercing Keira's last psychological defense, and she trembled violently.
As Karl's figure disappeared into the portal, Hen followed closely behind him.
The next moment, the portal emitted a faint energetic hum, then rapidly contracted and dissipated into the air, as if it had never appeared.
With a 'thud,' Keira completely lost the strength to stand, slumping dejectedly onto the cold ground.
She despairingly plunged her hands into her meticulously styled golden hair, scratching at it, her face etched with regret and fear.
At this moment, she no longer possessed a shred of the sorceress's usual elegance and arrogance.
Fikat witnessed all of this, a sneer of undisguised mockery playing at the corners of his mouth.
Although he wasn't clear about what exactly had happened, seeing Keira in this state, he could guess with his toes.
She must have offended Karl earlier, not knowing her place, and now realizing she had bitten off more than she could chew, she was beginning to fear retaliation.
He said nothing, merely nodded to Triss as a signal, then turned and left the ruins with a schadenfreude-filled heart.
Triss looked at Keira, who was sitting on the ground, almost hysterical, and finally just sighed softly, not going over to comfort her.
She had warned Keira many times not to provoke Karl; her current predicament was entirely her own doing... Ban Ard Academy was located in the Blue Mountains, far from the hustle and bustle of the secular world, within the territory of Kaedwen.
The discomfort of passing through the portal quickly faded, and Karl found himself standing in a grand hall filled with an ancient and mysterious aura.
Hen did not follow the usual procedure of arranging for Karl to attend classes with the Academy's ordinary students.
And when Karl raised this question, Hen merely shook his head calmly.
His tone carried a sense of course: "With your talent... mixing with ordinary students who are still naive and easily distracted by play."
"That would only slow down your progress, or even lead to bad study habits."
"And the level of the teachers at the Academy is not sufficient to guide you; that would be a complete waste of your valuable time, so I will personally be responsible for your magic studies."
Karl had no objection to this; to be personally taught by Hen, the Headmaster, was naturally something to be desired.
The next day, Hen handed Karl a book with an ancient cover, but not very thick.
"Read it carefully, treat it as your initial reference. If you don't understand anything, you must ask me immediately, don't feel embarrassed," Hen instructed him.
The name of this book was [The Dangers of Magic]. The book was indeed very thin, only about twenty pages in total.
But the content within was exceptionally experienced and rich, with hardly a single superfluous word.
It meticulously explained various situations that beginners might encounter during their first spellcasting.
Potential risks, and common mistakes that apprentices were most prone to making.
And most importantly, how to safely draw the initial magic from the four elemental sources of earth, air, water, and fire, according to one's own characteristics.
Karl read quickly; in just over ten minutes, he closed the book, indicating that he had memorized the key points.
To ensure Karl hadn't missed anything and to avoid any potential dangers caused by misunderstandings or deviations, Hen took the book and, with an extremely rigorous attitude, repeatedly and thoroughly questioned and confirmed Karl on the key concepts, risk warnings, and guidance methods within the book.
Karl, however, answered fluently, not only accurately reciting the book's content but also providing appropriate explanations based on his own understanding.
A satisfied expression finally appeared on Hen's serious face. He praised him, a rare occurrence: "Very good, your memory and comprehension are both excellent; this will save you a lot of time in your studies."
He put away the book and looked at Karl, his tone becoming serious: "Then... we are now going to begin your first spellcasting."
"However, Karl, you must understand that your physique is different from that of ordinary Source sorcerers."
"The spellcasting process might encounter some unexpected difficulties or anomalies, and it may not be so smooth. You need to be mentally prepared."
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