The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　"Senior Pandora, could it be that she's found her mother too?"

　……

　Once the idea came to mind, it became unstoppable.

　This connects to the fact that Pandora went to the Forest of Exile to mourn after Christmas. That period coincided with the time when Basdia Prison was breached.

　Ophelia Brad was certainly not the only one who escaped from prison...

　Dark suddenly realized that he might have uncovered his senior's secret!

　"Even if she's not your mother, she should be a very close family member by blood."

　……

　“Dak, Dak.”

　"Uh-huh?"

　……

Chapter 428 Darkdemon's Light-Driven Approach (4k)

　Completely unaware that he had been distracted, Dak suddenly looked up and saw Pandora's face right in front of him.

　A faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils, snapping him back to reality. He instinctively took a step back and asked, "Senior, is the experiment over?"

　But Pandora shook her head and said with some regret, "Not yet, I'll think about it carefully these next couple of days... How about we come again this Friday? Do you have time?"

　After a moment's thought, Dak nodded and said, "Then let's do it on Friday."

　The two then tidied up the experimental residue together, stuffed the bottles and jars back into their backpacks, and left the laboratory.

　The bright moon hung high in the sky, its light casting a hazy, fluorescent glow through the castle's passageways.

　The two walking side by side looked like a golden couple from a fairy tale, and even passersby couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

　When they reached the fork in the road leading to the Magic Academy Tower and the Noble Academy Tower, the two stopped at the same time.

　Dark spoke first: "Then, senior, let's part ways here."

　Senior Pandora smiled and said, "Aren't you going to see me to the tower?"

　Dark shrugged. "I'd also like someone to take me back to the tower."

　Pandora burst out laughing: "Just kidding, goodnight."

　Dark raised his hand and waved: "Good night."

　……

　Back in his dorm, Dak didn't dwell on his senior's secret. But he was quite interested in the fusion experiment he'd conducted that day.

　This study explores the differences between magical spirits that can be used as fusion materials and those that cannot. If this "difference" is successfully extracted, could it be possible to selectively create magical spirits that can be used as fusion materials?

　Although Dark managed to create Tailmon that could be used as fusion material, that was actually based on the special characteristics of Digimon and a bit of luck.

　Just like Pandora's fusion-type magical spirits, they are also largely forged through luck.

　In such cases, it's highly likely that only one magical spirit will be created that can be used as a fusion material. As for the other fusion materials to be paired with it, it will be impossible to gather them all.

　In short, it was extremely awkward.

　If it weren't for academic research, Pandora would most likely have encountered this awkward situation as well.

　That's why she wanted to find a solution to this situation through research.

　Dak pondered for a while, then finally shook his head.

　Pandora's methods in the experiment were too sophisticated; he wanted to learn them but didn't know where to start.

　"Perhaps at some point after the ladder of knowledge has been successfully built, I will suddenly have an epiphany?"

　Dak smiled and then turned his attention back to his studies.

　……

　Peaceful times always pass very quickly.

　It's Friday afternoon in the blink of an eye.

　Dak went to the library again to meet his senior, and then they went to the same laboratory to continue the unfinished experiment.

　After Pandora summoned the Mystic Lizard, she asked him to help set up the Barosnangar array.

　As soon as he started working on it, Dak discovered that this time the Barosnanger array was completely different from the last one, and he asked in confusion.

　Pandora then told him with a smile that the Barosnanger Array is actually a variable array calculated based on certain specific rules and various factors such as time, celestial phenomena, and geography, so it will be different every time it is used.

　Dak patted his head and continued asking questions.

　Pandora answered them one by one.

　However, this made the construction of the array take much longer.

　It took them about forty minutes to complete the construction.

　Following Pandora's instructions, Dark summoned Bastymon once again at the scene.

　Pandora thus gained more information and then quickly immersed herself in the cycle of "comparative analysis → potion preparation → recording images and text → comparative analysis".

　Dark was prepared. After getting the trash slime and Ditto moving, he took out a book and started reading it with great interest.

　But the experiment lasted longer than he had expected.

　Perhaps because it's Friday, Pandora hasn't stopped even late at night.

　The clock on the wall ticked from nine to ten, then to eleven, then twelve. Even though the curfew had passed, Pandora continued her experiment methodically.

　Dark occasionally glanced up at her busy profile, and finally began to understand why she was able to become the top student in the fourth year.

　But in the eyes of his classmates, wasn't this the reason why Dark Dimon was able to stand out in the first year?

　No one's success is built on thin air.

　One step at a time, one footprint at a time, that's the norm.

　Dak didn't offer any advice, but simply stayed in the lab, silently accompanying her as she continued her experiments.

　It wasn't until 2:23 AM that Pandora, after sprinkling a prepared potion on the Mystic Lizard's disc and obtaining new textual information, suddenly felt refreshed after comparing it with the image.

　Her face became noticeably more radiant.

　The full text is available for free online, and the process of concocting the potion even sped up a bit.

　In a very short time, she reconstituted a potion exactly the same as before, then poured it onto the Mystic Lizard's disc again, thus obtaining new graphic information, which she repeatedly compared and analyzed.

　After finishing the analysis, she repeated it again, her expression becoming increasingly surprised and delighted.

　It wasn't until nearly three o'clock that she reconstituted two identical bottles. Then she wrote down the recipe by hand before finally stopping.

　"I was lucky; I didn't expect to see results in just over a month!"

　Pandora turned around and did some chest-expanding exercises, which stirred people's emotions.

　Dak was equally excited and asked, "Was the experiment a success?"

　Pandora shook her head and said, "It can't be called a success; it can only be said that we have achieved the results of the first stage."

　Then she picked up a bottle of potion, shook it, and laughed, "I found a special energy fluctuation within it, and then concocted a potion with a similar fluctuation. If successful, I plan to name it 'Fusion Factor.'"

　Dark asked curiously, "Can this 'fusion factor' be used to selectively create magical spirits that can be used as fusion materials?"

　Pandora shrugged and said, "Most likely not. But my goal is just to increase the probability a little. Here, take this bottle, and this recipe."

　Dark glanced at the potion bottle, and without the slightest affectation, asked, "Could I possibly brew such a potion with my skills?"

　Pandora blinked, but said, "The technical requirements aren't high, but the materials might be quite expensive."

　“Alright.” Dark took the potion. “Then consider this potion my payment.”

　Pandora said, "It's an advance payment. If there's an opportunity to improve it further, I'll give you the real reward."

　"I feel like I've hit the jackpot," Dak said.

　Pandora laughed and said, "I'm the one who's hit the jackpot. Although there are quite a few people who have fusion spirits, there aren't many whose fusion spirits are as stable as yours. Even my fusion spirits aren't this stable."

　Dark: "But without my senior, I would never have been able to create something like this. The 'fusion factor'... it might bring me good luck."

　Pandora couldn't help but ask curiously, "Have you already figured out how to use it?"

　Dark smiled slightly: "I've thought it through, but I'm still missing one ingredient. If I can't gather it before the end of the semester, I'll probably use it after I go home."

　After a moment's thought, Pandora guessed what Dark was thinking and asked directly, "What other materials are we missing?"

　Dark said, "A material with sufficiently pure light properties."

　Pandora thought for a moment, then turned around and started rummaging through her backpack: "Wait a minute."

　Dak narrowed his eyes.

　In fact, when he was giving his answer, he already realized that he might be living off a woman!

　But is it shameful to be a kept man?

　shame.

　So Dark put his face back on, and then watched as Pandora pulled a white bead out of her backpack.

　At first glance, this white bead appears quite ordinary, with no engravings on its surface and no light transmission. However, upon closer inspection, one can sense a faint aura of light emanating from it.

　“What is this?” Dark asked.

　Senior Pandora casually tossed the bead to him.

　Dark reached out and caught it, then habitually infused it with a trace of magic.

　In an instant, the dusty pearl released an extremely dazzling white light, illuminating the entire laboratory in a pure white glow.

　Dak quickly closed his eyes, and only opened them again after the beads had calmed down, just in time to see his senior's snickering.

　His face darkened, and he said, "So what exactly is this bead?"

　Pandora explained, "It's a white dragon ball. Although it's the smallest one in my inventory, you'll need at least this much if you want it."

　As she spoke, she held up three fingers.

　Darke raised an eyebrow: "Three hundred thousand?"

　Pandora paused for a moment, then said, "I've noticed that there might be something wrong with your values."

　Dark asked in surprise, "What? Do you mean it requires three million credits?"

　Pandora rolled her eyes: "Thirty thousand, I'll only charge you thirty thousand. I know you have it, right?"

　“Yes, we do have them,” Dark said, “but these are White Dragon Pearls, are they really only 30,000?”

　"Do you know what the White Dragon Ball is?" Pandora countered.

　“The White Dragon Ball is…” At this point, Dark suddenly paused, realizing for the first time that he really didn’t know what the White Dragon Ball was!

　Pandora yawned slightly and said, "I knew you'd react like this. The word 'Dragon Ball' is indeed very seductive. When most people hear it, they instinctively think it's some kind of bead formed inside a dragon's body. But when asked what kind of bead it is, they can't say. Of course, they can't say, because Dragon Balls aren't actually crystals from a dragon's body; they're just a mineral that's associated with dragons. The best quality, the round and smooth parts of that mineral are called Dragon Balls."

　"Dragon Balls are imbued with the aura of dragons. High-grade Dragon Balls are even formed by long-term immersion in dragon blood and have been endowed with spirituality by the dragon blood."

　Read the full text for free here

　"The white dragon pearl I'm giving you is only of ordinary quality. It has neither spiritual power nor special effects, but it's more than enough as a supplementary material for light-attribute items. Also..."

　At this point, Pandora paused and looked into Dark's eyes.

　Dark: "What else?"

　Pandora said with a strange look in her eyes, "Besides, it has a very good compatibility with the reverse scale I gave you."

　Dark blinked and immediately realized that his thoughts had been completely seen through.

　Left with no other choice, he had to remove the mask he had put on again and said, "I want to create a dragon!"

　Pandora wasn't annoyed at all. She said, "My 'Sky White Dragon' was successfully forged using the highest-grade dragon pearls and a large amount of dragon scales and blood. If you want to imitate it... I'd be happy, but it's impossible."

　Dark smiled and said, "Of course not. My goal is another dragon species. If I succeed, I will definitely let my senior be the first to witness it."

　Pandora, however, put on a serious face: "I'm looking forward to it."

　Dark pulled out an Academy card from his card pack and waved it: "Let's settle the bill first."