SORCERER: I WANT TO BE AN ACADEMIC PRODIGY

Chapter 532: Chapter 530: Hotter Complains

Time flew by, and half a month had passed.

The day before, Ivan had said goodbye to Jenny, who was in a hurry to return to the underworld, and to Inom, the Tree-man Guard.

The next day, Ivan was still feeling a bit gloomy, so he accepted Hotter’s repeated invitations to attend a banquet he had organized and brought along the Dark Night Elf Court wine that Hotter had been yearning for.

“Lord Ivan, please come inside.”

“Korram, we’re old friends, no need to be so formal.”

“Etiquette cannot be discarded.”

…

Just outside Truth City, Ivan, with a swamp ant, arrived at his destination, an estate completely built on top of a mountain. Though not extensive in size, the estate conveyed a sense of serene isolation.

At the entrance of the estate, Ivan met Korram, an element creature he had fought alongside before.

Korram could be said to be Hotter’s personal attendant, his status far surpassing that of ordinary servants, much like the swamp ant to Ivan.

Led by Korram, Ivan entered the ‘Lonely Mountain Manor’ and discovered it was planted with rare and ancient flora, clearly, the master of the estate had spent a great deal of effort here.

“Where’s that Hotter?” They had gone deep into the estate, yet had not seen anyone else, which Ivan found quite strange.

“The master is ahead,” Korram pointed forward.

They continued on for a while and were met with a rich aroma of alcohol; ahead appeared several odd stone structures, like hollowed-out circular low towers.

Ivan quickly recognized them as wine cellars.

“Lord Ivan, please come inside,” Korram stopped short before they got close.

“Swamp ant, you’ll stay here with Korram,” said Ivan, instructing the swamp ant nearby.

“Why not let me take Mr. Swamp Ant to the front yard of the estate? I’ll take good care of him?”

“That’s fine.”

Afterward, Ivan headed straight for one of the wine cellars where a substantial commotion could be heard from within.

He walked in and, lo and behold, Hotter had already started drinking, with several barrels of alcohol arranged on the floor to one side.

“Come on, how can you start drinking by yourself?”

“Ivan, you’re here, come join me for a drink.”

“Just the two of us?”

“What do two people matter, they do not matter at all—two can still finish all the wine in this cellar. By the way, where’s that millennium-old wine of yours? Bring it out; we’re not stopping until we’re plastered.”

Ivan could tell; this fellow was intent on drinking all the wine in the cellar and seemed to have already had quite a bit, more than just the few barrels here.

He found it somewhat amusing and a little sad; so this was what the so-called banquet was all about.

Arcane wizards are not ordinary in their resolve and are difficult to intoxicate, nor does it harm their bodies, but what was the point of such excessive drinking?

“Fine! We won’t return until we’re drunk.”

Ivan didn’t refuse; after being busy for so many years, he also wanted to relax properly.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the kind of ‘music and pleasure’ gathering he had imagined, there was only a drunkard.

“Ha ha, I knew it, Ivan, you truly understand my nature. We’re both passionate souls; it’s a good thing our Five-Colored Magic Robe organization was established. From now on, the organization will only recruit kindred spirits.”

“Your requested millennium-old wine has arrived.”

“Come on, let’s toast with this bottle!”

“——”

Given Hotter’s boisterous voice, Ivan understood why Korram had taken the swamp ant to the front of the estate; probably he didn’t want to hear anything he shouldn’t, to avoid any taboos.

Ivan was puzzled.

How could Hotter, a man born into wealth and now a powerful Arcane Wizard, highly regarded by many, possess such a capacity for alcohol?

Hotter didn’t explain, and Ivan didn’t ask; thus, they continued to drink one barrel after another.

Before long, all the alcohol stored in this cellar had entered their stomachs, which showed no signs of swelling.

“Let’s head to the next cellar.”

“Alright, this sorcerer will risk his life to keep you company.”

“Ha ha ha, it’s not like it will harm our lives.”

Walking out of the cellar, Hotter swayed unsteadily in front, seemingly in a state of semi-drunkness.

Ivan knew that if Hotter wanted, he could instantly rid himself of the drunken stupor and become completely sober.

As for an alcohol strong enough to knock out an Arcane Wizard, nobody in the sorcerer world had really delved deeply into this area, so naturally, such a drink did not exist.

“Not this one, the next.”

They arrived at another cellar, only to find that it, too, was full of barrels toppled haphazardly, clearly emptied by Hotter.

“`

So, the two continued to walk to the side and came to the next wine cellar, which stored another kind of fine wine.

After a day and a night had passed.

Ivan didn’t know how much he had drunk before a hint of drunkenness finally washed over him.

Meanwhile, Hotter was completely unsteady on his feet, the epitome of someone who is drunk beyond reason.

“Brother Ivan, do you know why I want to drink up all the wine here?”

“Why?”

“I’m happy.”

“——”

Ivan looked on speechlessly, nearly commenting that Hotter didn’t look very happy at all.

“Don’t believe me?” Hotter glared at him.

“A little.” Ivan was an honest man.

“Don’t be skeptical, brother. I’m truly very happy. You must admit that I played a role in your growth, and my contribution was there when you became an Arcane Wizard, right?”

Hotter argued.

Ivan couldn’t help but nod, though he didn’t understand what Hotter was getting at.

“That means, when you become a top-notch big shot in the sorcerer world, I’ll have had a hand in that too, which means I, Hotter, have made significant contributions to the sorcerer world.”

“A top-notch big shot? I still have a long way to go.”

“You’re not like me, I believe you can definitely make it. Am I right?”

Ivan still didn’t quite grasp what Hotter was trying to convey, but that didn’t stop him from nodding along.

“And Tanaya, she’s destined to become the Knight King, don’t you think?”

“Right.”

“See, the sins I owed before can all be cleared now. Can you blame me for being happy?”

“Indeed, that’s something to be happy about. Let’s keep drinking, drink up.”

It wasn’t until then that Ivan really saw clear. Deep down, Hotter had been haunted by the matter concerning Tanaya; his previous actions carried the weight of seeking atonement.

Ivan didn’t know that the wines stored in the Lonely Mountain Manor were actually intended for that banquet.

At the banquet, Tanaya met with disaster, and Hotter had never touched those wines again; they were moved here and had been kept until now. For Hotter, these wines held a remarkable significance.

“Ivan, do you have someone you love very much?”

The drinking went on, and after a considerable pause in the conversation, Hotter posed another question.

Ivan was stunned, at a loss for what to answer.

“I know, for a sorcerer like you, you must love knowledge and truth more, am I not right?” Without waiting for a reply, Hotter roared out loud.

The statement was indeed not wrong, and Ivan nodded in agreement.

It was also the life creed of most sorcerers.

“I’m not like you. I used to have someone I really loved, but fate is so unpredictable,” Hotter kept blabbering.

“Fate is indeed unpredictable, always beyond comprehension.” In Ivan’s mind surfaced an image, a particularly stern and beautiful silhouette—that must be the person Hotter couldn’t forget.

Still, he never pursued further inquiry. It was really not his place to interfere.

“Yeah, it’s beyond comprehension!” Hotter slapped his shoulder, nodding emphatically and after mumbling his vague lamentation, he blurted out suddenly:

“Can you believe it? The first time I fell for someone, and she had to be such an old-fashioned woman. How could she belong to someone else as a concubine?”

“——”

Ivan was rendered speechless by his words again.

Not that there was nothing to say, but he hardly dared to gossip.

It was utterly unexpected—Gerry was actually the King of the Long Sky’s woman. No wonder Hotter was so afraid of the King of the Long Sky, no wonder he was so unwilling to arrange a marriage with Tanaya. There was indeed great risk involved.

It was not hard to guess that Hotter must have confessed his feelings to Gerry before, and with just a sentence, she had completely shut him down.

Life is indeed like intestines encasing smaller intestines—such an ordeal!

“Ivan, I’m so unlucky, I—”

“Drink up, bottoms up.”

“Drink, we must finish all the wine here.”

That day, the two Arcane Wizards fulfilled their bold claim, drinking up all the wine in the entire manor. Only then did the drinking spree come to an end.

This was also the first time Ivan had ever drank so freely and thoroughly.

“`

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