Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 508 - 365: Massively Inflated Physique, Skeleton Heart Slaying Spear! (Part 2)

Wasting no time, Fang Zhou picked up his personal terminal and sent a message to Liu Diewu.

[Ordinary Black Iron] (Fang Zhou): Senior Diewu, are you free lately? I would like to discuss something with you.

Shortly after the message was sent, Liu Diewu’s reply came back.

[Green Robe, My Heart Swings] (Liu Diewu): "Oh, Fang Zhou, you’ve already broken through to Black Iron, passed the advancement exam, and become a second-year student. Why are you still calling me senior? I’m currently practicing skills in the greenhouse garden. If you have something to discuss, you can come find me anytime."

[Ordinary Black Iron] (Fang Zhou): "Okay, I’ll come over right away. I mainly wanted to ask if you’re interested in becoming a research assistant for our Undead Mage research group?"

Fang Zhou stood up, quickly drafted a research assistant agreement, and then hurried toward the greenhouse garden.

Outside, the winter wind was fierce, but inside the Natural Professional Association’s greenhouse garden, it was like spring all year round, as warm as summer.

Fang Zhou and Liu Diewu sat across from each other with exquisite tea sets before them. The aroma of tea wafted through the air, and their minds relaxed as well.

"Fang Zhou, you broke through the bottleneck and advanced to Black Iron so quickly. It really exceeded all of our expectations," Liu Diewu said with an incredulous expression as she elegantly poured him a cup of tea. "In just one semester, less than half a year, you went from a novice who had just awakened as an Undead Mage all the way to the Black Iron Tier. You’ve progressed at an astonishing pace. This is unprecedented in the history of Sea City Military Academy."

Fang Zhou smiled slightly and said humbly, "It’s mainly because Sea City Military Academy received substantial resource support from the Federation Military Department during this time, so my cultivation speed increased significantly. I also have to thank you, Senior Diewu, for selflessly sharing your cultivation experiences with me earlier. It really helped me a lot."

Liu Diewu took a gentle sip of tea, shook her head, and laughed. "During this time, especially after you passed the advancement exam and officially became a second-year student, many classmates have been asking me about you. Everyone is very curious. Although your combat videos are saved on our school’s internal network, people are still very curious about what you’re like in your daily life and cultivation. Even our instructors are getting restless, eager to take you off the first-year instructors’ hands. This is the kind of treatment a genius like you receives."

Fang Zhou sipped his tea and did not respond.

In fact, he was well aware of the shock his breakthrough and advancement to the second year had brought to the students and instructors of Sea City Military Academy. His name was already known throughout the academy after he led Sea City Military Academy’s team to win the First Military Academy championship, but this sudden attention and expectation still put some pressure on him. Everyone had expected Fang Zhou to progress rapidly, but no one anticipated he would reach his current height so swiftly.

Liu Diewu looked at Fang Zhou with an admiring smile and continued, "Now everyone is eagerly waiting to see which Seed Student from the second year you’ll challenge next. Currently, we have about fifteen Seed Students who have already advanced to the Black Iron Tier and could serve as your opponents. Some think that, given your character, you won’t be content in a lower position and might directly challenge the number one seed, Gu Yueyuan. Others believe you’re composed and plan your moves carefully, so you might challenge the lowest-ranked Black Iron student first just to secure a spot among the second-year Seed Students. So, Fang Zhou, what are your plans?"

Fang Zhou looked up at Liu Diewu and smiled. "It’s only been a little over a week since I broke through the bottleneck to the Black Iron Tier. I haven’t even had time to build a basic combat system for a Black Iron Tier Undead Mage. The skills that were decent enough during the Apprentice Stage are now unusable. You especially know, Diewu, that our Undead Mage Skill Tree was already very incomplete. I still need to spend a lot of energy to develop and enhance my skills. As of now, it’s hard to say who I should challenge. If I can establish a preliminary combat system within two months, I might try challenging Senior Gu Yueyuan. But if I don’t make much progress on my skills in that time, I’ll probably play it safe."

Liu Diewu nodded. "That aligns with my own thoughts. Fang Zhou, your potential is limitless, but realizing it requires an investment of resources and time. There’s no need to rush. With your talent, I estimate it won’t be long before you leave us in the dust again. By the way, what did you mean about a research assistant for the Undead Mage research group?"

As the conversation turned to the main topic, Fang Zhou got straight to the point, taking out the prepared research assistant agreement and handing it to Liu Diewu.

"Diewu, please take a look. This is the research assistant agreement I prepared for you. If you’re willing to become a research assistant for our Undead Mage research group, I’ll provide you with a base monthly salary of 100 Basic Contribution Points. Additionally, there will be a reward system based on your contributions to our research project. The specifics are all detailed in the agreement."

Fang Zhou persuasively explained the rights and responsibilities of a research assistant. "Diewu, you should be familiar with Meng Hongzhuang. Back when I was at the Apprentice Stage, I hired Meng Hongzhuang, Bai Xiaochan, Shen Ziwei, and other first-year students as my research assistants. They were a huge help, especially in collecting the Skill Materials I needed to develop Undead Mage skills, which saved me a lot of effort. I also rewarded them with a considerable amount of Contribution Points and other Cultivation Resources according to the agreement. It’s a mutually beneficial situation. However, now that I’ve advanced to Black Iron, Meng Hongzhuang and the others can’t assist me much for the time being. So I was hoping I could ask you for help. I believe with your experience and capabilities, you can definitely be a great asset to our research project."

Fang Zhou paused, his eyes full of anticipation.

Liu Diewu took the agreement and skimmed through it. Her expression shifted from initial surprise to seriousness, finally settling into a slight smile.

She looked up at Fang Zhou and said, "No problem, Fang Zhou. I’ve reviewed the agreement. Just as you said, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. I provide research support, and you provide the corresponding payment. This is a great gig. After all, like you, I’ve also just recently broken through to Black Iron and haven’t established a stable, mature combat system yet. I need some time to consolidate my abilities in the safe environment of the academy before I can take on real combat missions. At this stage, the part-time pay you’re offering is a very significant source of Contribution Points for me."

Liu Diewu thought for a moment before continuing, "Actually, I’d already heard about the terms you offered Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang. If I were at the Apprentice Stage back then, I would have been incredibly envious. According to Meng Hongzhuang, aside from the research agreement, you and Bai Xiaochan also had a ’Buff Agreement.’ Bai Xiaochan would play Lullaby and Song of Triumph for you every day to increase your Spiritual Power recovery and Soul Nourishment speed. In return, you paid her a monthly part-time salary in Contribution Points. Fang Zhou, are you still interested in something like that? My Natural Druid profession isn’t as specialized in support as Bai Xiaochan’s Chanting String, but I do have two Support Skills focused on Mana Recovery and Soul Nourishment. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to take over for Bai Xiaochan and provide this service for you at the Black Iron Tier. Of course, that comes with an extra fee."