My System Just Exploded, And You Ask Me to Become a God?-Chapter 51 --Nixis? Nicky!

"What kind of magical beast...?"

Headmaster Simar looked perplexed. After all, this was Ilan Royal Academy, not a magical beast sanctuary. For someone to come here asking about a beast—it was almost laughable.

The leader nodded slightly and answered in a low voice, "A bird-type magical beast. Its appearance resembles that of an oversized parrot."

Grand Duke Ilan and Headmaster Simar exchanged surprised glances. If such a bizarre magical beast had really appeared inside the academy, there was no way the two of them, as overseers, wouldn’t know about it.

Sensing something from their expressions, the man standing at the gate let out a soft sigh.

"Please rest assured," he said, "we won’t intrude on your premises without permission. Here—take this."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a crystal compass with a peculiar design, handing it to Grand Duke Ilan.

"This is a specialized magical beast detector. It will react strongly if the beast is nearby. If you find any trace of that bird within your academy grounds, you must notify us immediately. I’ll leave some people nearby to coordinate with you. And don’t worry—we’ll pay handsomely. One million mana stones."

He paused here, face darkening.

"But if you dare conceal anything from us... I swear, we’ll reduce your academy to ashes within a single day."

Grand Duke Ilan accepted the compass silently. He did not act impulsively. He understood very well that the people outside were not to be trifled with—any one of them was a significant threat.

At that moment, Joad, who had just arrived nearby, happened to overhear the conversation.

He glanced at the dumb parrot hidden in his clothes, startled. "Wow... So you’re actually worth that much?"

The parrot had just regained consciousness, only to hear Joad’s obviously scheming tone. It frowned and snapped, "You’re thinking of selling me, aren’t you?!"

Joad waved his hands quickly. "No, no—I was just saying..."

But he was clearly flustered. The moment he heard the one-million mana stone reward, his mind did start to waver.

A million mana stones!

With that, his dream of ascending to mid-rank archmage would no longer be a dream. He might even have some left over for his day-to-day expenses.

It was basically a guaranteed profit.

Seeing him standing there giggling like an idiot, the parrot sighed. "Don’t trust them. I’m just down on my luck right now, but once I return, I promise I’ll pay you even more than a million mana stones. Until then, your job is to protect me!"

Joad snapped out of his daze and sneered. "Again with this? You said the same thing earlier. But aside from those hundred thousand mana stones, have you given me anything else? No real payment means your promises carry no weight. It’s hard to trust you."

Then, glancing toward the group of mages at the gate, he added with feigned regret, "And besides, I don’t even know who those people are. Their numbers and power far exceed mine. You’re asking me to protect you in a situation where I’m hopelessly outmatched—how’s that supposed to work?"

Hiss—!

The moment he finished speaking, Joad felt a burning sensation through his clothes.

He quickly looked down and saw that a large section of fabric on his chest had been scorched.

The cause? A mysterious jet-black cauldron that had somehow appeared on him.

Though the cauldron looked unremarkable, Joad could instantly tell from the mana it emitted—it was a magical artifact of archmage rank!

From inside the cauldron, the parrot’s voice echoed out:

"This cauldron can block mana detection. As long as I hide inside it, no one will be able to find me. You just need to keep the cauldron safe. Not too hard, right?"

Joad suddenly looked like a clueless bumpkin who had just stumbled into a gold mine. He hurriedly bundled up the cauldron in his cloak and dashed back to his cabin like his life depended on it.

Once he’d made sure no one was around, he placed the cauldron gently on the table and called the parrot out.

The moment it stuck its head out, Joad slammed his palm on the table and glared.

"Just what are you?"

"Several unknown archmages are scouring the land just to find you. They’re offering a bounty of one million mana stones! One million!"

The parrot averted its gaze with a guilty expression. "Why are you asking all this? It doesn’t concern you..."

Joad was furious. He sat down and stared directly at the bird.

"I risked my life to drag you out of that hellhole. I spent valuable potions to heal you. And now you want to cut ties with a single sentence? What do you take me for—a dog you summon and dismiss at will? And after all this time, I don’t even know your name!"

Seeing how genuinely angry Joad was, the parrot lowered its head. After a long pause, it mumbled, "Nixis... My name is Nixis."

"Nixis?"

Joad frowned.

In the Ilan Principality and neighboring countries, most names were either two or three syllables. But this bird’s name—four syllables—was extremely rare. He’d only seen that kind of name in ancient texts, and it was a mouthful to pronounce.

After several failed attempts, Joad gave up.

"What kind of ridiculous name is that? Too hard to say. From now on, you’re Nicky."

"How dare you!"

Nicky tried to protest, but Joad silenced it with a hand and pointed at himself with his thumb.

"I, the great second son of House Whide, the brightest star of Ilan Royal Academy, a VIP guest at the Twisting Bird Tavern, and a well-known playboy—Joad, at your service."

"Of course, you can just call me Joad in casual settings."

Before Nicky could object again, Joad grabbed the whole bird, turned it upside down, and stuffed it back into the cauldron.

Then he stood up, stretched, and walked out.

Being forcibly assigned to the Trial of the Luminous Pearl had caught him off guard.

Naturally, this surprise could be credited to none other than Grand Duke Ilan, who made the decision entirely on his own.

And since this "gift" had been shoved down his throat, Joad had every intention of preparing a "gift" of his own in return.

So when night fell over Ilan Royal Academy, Joad would transform once again into the infamous Rogue Thief Kid, sneaking into Grand Duke Ilan’s residence to have a thorough, hands-on discussion about the true essence of mana circulation.

All of this was observed by the hidden Nicky, still concealed within the cauldron.

It genuinely shocked him.

Ilan Royal Academy wasn’t some prestigious institution known across the continent. Even its supposed ace and face—Grand Duke Ilan—was just a rather ordinary archmage.

And yet, from such barren soil had grown a towering tree like Joad?

It just didn’t make sense.

Not even twenty years old, and already at archmage level. That kind of advancement speed was unheard of!

Even in any other corner of the world, Joad’s talent would be considered overwhelming. No one his age could compare—not even older, more experienced mages could necessarily match him!

"But why would someone like him choose to stay here?" Nicky puzzled, watching the stars outside through a tiny gap in the cauldron lid.

"And why is his personality so... weird?"

No matter how much he pondered it, Nicky just couldn’t figure it out.