Hate Me, Miss Witch!

The soft glow of the magical lamp illuminated Xaya's eyes as he sat at his desk, calmly writing with a fountain pen.

"...During the Fire Sacrifice incident with the Ashen Church, I broke through the third-tier bottleneck and unlocked my third soul contract."

"At the same time, through a twist of fate, Silver turned a piece of the Ashen Church's corrupted artifact into a tool for himself and gained the ability to control the Black Flame, the lord of Ash."

"This event occurred within Saint Roland Academy, causing quite a stir. It may attract the attention of certain individuals who might notice my connection to the Black Tower, and possibly to you as well."

"However, I believe that with the Black Tower's status and your position within it, even if they are intent on investigating, they will likely not take any direct action against me."

Xaya paused and refilled his fountain pen with ink before continuing to write.

"Both Shiny and Silver have relatively unique attributes. While they can cover their shortcomings in various ways, direct combat—especially in terms of taking damage—isn't their strength."

"Therefore, for my third soul contract, I intend to choose a pet beast that excels in direct combat, particularly a physical-type beast."

"Currently, my pet beast capabilities are more focused on law-based abilities, and I do lack raw power when pure strength is needed."

"Of course, with Aurora around, this shortcoming will turn into an advantage in an instant. But, as you have said... no one can defeat a Black Tower wizard armed to the teeth. A qualified beast master should not overly rely on the help of others."

"At present, my top choice for the third soul contract is the Hill Giant species... I hear one of your colleagues, a legendary dwarf known as the Thunderlord from Black Tower's Eight Pages, has one of his main combat beasts, a Storm Giant Emperor evolved from a Hill Giant."

"However, the Hill Giant tribe has a complete and tightly protected clan, and their cubs typically don't form contracts until they reach adulthood, which conflicts with my philosophy on training pet beasts."

Xaya paused, considering the situation, before adding a few more lines.

"Additionally, I have recently discovered some clues about the Cangting Duchy while exploring archaeological sites."

"This was an ancient duchy that perished centuries ago, and based on the clues I have found, its fall seems to be related to an evil god known as 'Dusk.'"

"This event occurred during the Era of Calamity and is likely connected to the establishment of the Chalk Tower."

"As far as I know, the Black Tower also underwent significant changes during that period, with several members of the Eight Pages falling... I believe you may find this information about the lost history intriguing."

"Your student, Xaya Egut"

After finishing his letter, Xaya checked it once more before folding the paper. He then retrieved three Rhine gold coins from his drawer and placed them on top of the letter.

"Hayesway."

"Hayesway."

Xaya paused for a moment, repeating the name a third time.

"Hayesway."

After a breath's pause, a ripple of air stirred in the room. Xaya suddenly felt an odd sense of being watched, but the source wasn't from the material plane. The gaze seemed to come from a higher, distant realm, as though it could ignore spatial coordinates, dimensions, and planes, directly targeting Xaya.

The sensation gradually faded. In the next moment, the folded paper, along with the three Rhine gold coins, disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.

To anyone else, especially common folk or low-tier Beastmasters, witnessing such an event would seem like an unexplainable miracle.

However, Xaya, well-aware of the circumstances, wasn't fazed by it. This was the ability of his master's pet beast, a space-type creature under the command of the Black Tower's legendary gold elf.

As for the Rhine gold coins, they could be understood as the fee required for the summoning.

Xaya had come to greatly appreciate high-tier space-type pet beasts. That's why he had invested considerable effort into Shiny's training to develop space-type abilities. Though the initial cost and results were slow, once developed, the potential of space magic was enormous—far beyond simple fire and water abilities.

Of course, although the letter had been sent, Xaya didn't expect a quick reply. His master was infamous for being casual and unpredictable, often vanishing without a trace, even from her own pet beast.

Moreover, high-level elves had exceptionally long lifespans and a different sense of time compared to ordinary humans. It was common for them to embark on dimensional travels that could last decades.

Since leaving Arcane City Lokiya, Xaya had not seen his master, and it was likely she was still wandering in some dimension or void.

Therefore, for Xaya, these letters were more of a habit or a journal entry rather than a genuine means of communication.

Boom—Boom—

The sound of a minor explosion came from the direction of the pet beast training room. Immediately, Xaya sensed Shiny's excitement, which was being transmitted through their soul contract.

In the next moment, a dusty, gray-covered golden monkey appeared on Xaya's shoulder, looking very pleased with himself.

Xaya quickly grabbed the little monkey, tossing him into the water basin. Despite being dunked, Shiny couldn't hide his joy.

"Kiki! Kiki! (Master! Master!)"

"Kiki! Kiki! (I did it! I did it!)"

"I know you did. Well done," Xaya said, nodding.

A series of blue text appeared in Xaya's mind.

"Shiny's low-tier passive skill 'Explosion Resistance' has reached proficiency: 'Perfect'.""Shiny's low-tier skill 'Throw' has reached proficiency: 'Perfect'.""Remaining free experience points: 10,340."

Beast skills could be categorized as innate racial abilities or acquired learning abilities. For high-tier skills like "Tsukuyomi" and "Amaterasu," Xaya needed to use skill seeds and go through a complex process to unlock them. However, for regular low-tier skills, as long as the pet beast didn't have a significant incompatibility, they could be learned through practice.

To learn "Explosion Resistance" and "Throw," Shiny had endured hundreds of explosions and thrown thousands of rocks at targets. Though it might seem wasteful to invest so much experience into such common skills, Xaya was still pleased with Shiny's newfound abilities.

"Kiki! Kiki! (Big sis, if we have to fight now, please let me be the first to take on the opponent!)"

Upon hearing Shiny's confident voice from his shoulder, the snow ferret couldn't help but roll its eyes.

"Chirp~ (As if I'd steal your kills.)"

"How about resting for a bit?" Xaya asked, as he wiped Shiny dry with a towel.

"Kiki, kiki! (No need, Master! I'm in perfect condition!)" Shiny responded energetically, clearly eager to try out his new abilities.

"That's good."

Xaya placed the little golden monkey back on his shoulder and, after a moment of thought, walked into the second-floor bathroom.

He locked the brass door, and with a mental push, activated the twisted time-space mark deep in his soul. In an instant, everything around him froze.

Xaya once again entered the "Historical Echo."