Chapter 387: How Does it Work?

Vale didn't like being an Event Planner, although it was probably a good option if he wanted a safe environment.

However, he couldn't do that since a safe environment would be a misery for him. After all, he wouldn't find anything he could extract with such a job.

Of course, these were only his thoughts if he ever graduated... He wasn't even sure if he would still be here in the Academy in the next couple of years.

"T-that's quite a safe job indeed, Senior Nadine." Vale replied to the kind senior.

"Hahaha! I was just messing with you. What's with that reaction? I don't think being an Event Planner suits you."

Vale helplessly smiled as he realized that Nadine wasn't being serious just now.

"Anyway, the Arcane Historian or Researcher might be a good choice if you want to do plenty of research to advance this Branch. My friend is an Arcane Historian and is currently working for an organization backed by several rising nobles. He would delve into the history of dark magic, study ancient texts, uncover lost rituals and lost Dark Arts, and contribute to academic research in the field of Arcane Studies."

Vale nodded as this indeed sounds like a decent job than being a planner.

"Lastly, I mentioned that you can be a Teacher in this Academy... However, you can also be an Author. You can share your knowledge and experiences by writing. It can be about the history and practice of rituals and create educational resources for aspiring practitioners... My tutor was like that. He was teaching various courses or workshops and guided many students."

Nadine paused for a moment and added.

"I heard some rumors that you can already infuse your Intent to your writings or drawings... You might become one of the best Book Authors if you can create a book filled with your Spiritual Intent."

"That was just a single piece of paper, Senior Nadine. It would be too much for me if I did that in a whole book with hundreds of pages." Vale replied while shaking his head.

"Haha! That's indeed quite difficult. At the very least, you might finish your book for a year or two if you write a single page daily." Nadine chuckled.

The two chatted for a bit more as Vale asked about her friends working as a Ritualist.

It was such an eye-opener for him since the Dark Arts Practitioners were becoming increasingly connected to society. He certainly likes this development since he may no longer be worried about being recognized as a Dark Arts Practitioner in the future.

***

After spending some time in the clubroom, Vale made his way back to his dormitory, gathering a few essential items before heading towards the Training Hall. Among the items he carried was his treasured Golden Pocketwatch, which he suspected might hold a deeper secret.

Reserving a Practice Room for himself from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Vale entered the Training Hall with anticipation. It was time to explore the potential powers of his Golden Pocketwatch, which he now believed could be the very same Temporal Timepiece that once belonged to Katharina Carlisle, the mysterious corpse he had discovered in the Dark Soul Tower.

Using his Extraction System, Vale had managed to extract memories from Katharina's trapped Soul, revealing the existence of the Temporal Timepiece and its extraordinary abilities.

After being inspired by the memories he had witnessed, Vale was determined to unlock the pocketwatch's power and harness it for his own purposes.

Well, he was only able to do his experiment now since the pocketwatch seemed to have recovered more than half of its energy already. It should be enough to pull off some unique abilities from the pocketwatch.

Putting it together with the Stormbringer was probably a good idea as it hastened the item's recovery.

'I really want this item to be fully functional before the Competition...' Vale silently thought as he felt that the Twelve Academies Competition was too suspicious.

After all, Headmaster Jean was willing to give up his control over his shadow if he won one of its contests. It must not be that easy.

The condition was too good to be true, and there must be a catch that he wasn't aware of yet.

Clink!

With great focus, Vale began his experiments, trying to replicate the actions and intentions of Katharina as he had observed in her memories.

'Was it Time Dilation?' Vale thought as he scoured the memories of the old lady.

He carefully manipulated the flowing energy of the pocketwatch. Then, he opened the cover of the watch by pressing the button at the top. After that, he used the crown, or the small knob, to turn the hands of the pocketwatch, and whispered incantations that he recalled in the hopes of activating the pocketwatch's hidden temporal abilities.

Time passed as Vale tirelessly persisted, trying various combinations and techniques, but despite his efforts, he couldn't seem to awaken the desired powers within the pocketwatch.

Frustration washed over him as he realized that his attempts were in vain. The pocketwatch remained silent and ordinary, refusing to reveal the mysterious abilities he had hoped to unlock.

'What am I missing?' Vale frowned as he believed that he had already tried every combination he could think of.

'So is it about being a Demi-Human?' Vale silently thought.

'Should I become a Demi-Human first? How does that even work?'

He had tried researching the Demi-Humans before, but he couldn't find anything. At the very least, he doesn't seem to have any authority to access such information.

In short, he was at a dead end.

'No... There must be a different explanation... My Stormbringer is usable. I guess I really have to do the Soul Bonding method. Tsk... The only problem is that I can't tell whether my Soul is strong enough to bind two powerful objects at the same time.' Vale wryly smiled after reaching this thought.

He had thought of using the Soul Bonding Method with this pocketwatch before, but the books he got from Professor Gale Evans made him cautious of binding two Mystical Items at once, especially at their level. His Soul might torn apart if it was too much, so it might be better to follow the book and bind another item after two years.

As Vale left the Training Hall, he was thinking of having his dinner, but he was soon stopped by a familiar voice in his head.

It was Headmaster Jean...

"Vale, come to my office. Your master had sent you a gift. He probably knows you'll participate in the Twelve Academies Competition..."