Chapter 52 - 51: Magic Library Expansion

Chapter 52: Chapter 51: Magic Library Expansion

With these thoughts in mind, Gaode took out a charcoal pencil and sat down at the table.

He opened the Magic Formula for [Flaming Arrow], picked up the charcoal pencil, and began calculating in the blank margins of the page according to the formula’s detailed descriptions, looking exactly like a student tackling an exam.

It was the same old procedure: establish a Cartesian coordinate system, deconstruct the coordinates of the Magic Star Seeds in the Magic Model of [Flaming Arrow], and build an ordered 3-tuple array.

[Flaming Arrow]’s Magic Model consisted of ten Magic Star Seeds. This should already be the limit of Tricks, having one more Magic Star Seed than the Magic Model of [Acid Splash].

But for Gaode, who was about to graduate from the mathematics department of Jing University, whether it was the coordinate deconstruction of nine Magic Star Seeds or ten, it was an "elementary school math problem" that couldn’t be any simpler. Before long, the ten node coordinates were presented in the blank space of the Magic Formula.

Gaode spent another few minutes memorizing the ten coordinates before putting down the Magic Formula. He sat cross-legged, relaxed his body, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind. Quickly entering a state of Meditation, Gaode’s Spirit immersed itself in the magnificent Magic Star Sea, beginning to draw upon the Magic Star Seeds in an attempt to construct the Magic Model of [Flaming Arrow].

WHOOSH!

Gaode exhaled a heavy breath of foul air. He stood up abruptly and opened his slightly closed eyes, a faint glimmer of joy flickering in his gaze.

Time had flown by unknowingly. In the blink of an eye, nine days had passed since he opened the box and obtained Mage Seda’s inheritance. During these nine days, Gaode had become exceptionally busy, but the rewards were equally immense.

Gaode silently chanted in his heart, "Wind Spirit Moon Shadow."

Instantly, an extremely rudimentary information interface appeared in his consciousness.

Origin:

0th Ring - [Human] (2/7), [Gray-eyed Mouse] (Used), [Dark Swamp Crawler] (Used), Wolf Rat (1/7)

Magic:

0th Ring - [Mage’s Hand], [Repair Skill+], [Acid Splash+], [Frozen Ray], [Enhance Resistance], [Flaming Arrow], [Tracking Mark], [Flash Technique], [Touch of Fatigue], [Detect Magic].

Looking at the ten neatly arranged types of magic in the Magic List, an indescribable sense of satisfaction filled Gaode’s heart. The five types of magic left behind by Mage Seda had all been mastered by Gaode!

Although Gaode was currently only a First-class Apprentice, in terms of the breadth of his Magic Library, even a Second-class Apprentice was absolutely no match for him. In fact, among Third-class Apprentices, probably only those at the senior level could surpass him in the breadth of their Magic Library.

"The breadth is sufficient for now; if only the depth could be improved as well..." Gaode muttered to himself.

He looked at the continuously flashing yellow "+" signs next to eight of the magics on the Magic List, finding them somewhat of an eyesore. He wished he could click on all of them immediately, but unfortunately, he had no Origin.

From the looks of it, the best way to obtain Origin was still through Earth Vein Creatures. However, Earth Vein Creatures all lived in the wilderness outside the city. For the current Gaode, venturing into the Primitive Wilderness to hunt Earth Vein Creatures required too much Strength and was far too risky.

A First-class Mage Apprentice indeed possessed a certain degree of Extraordinary Power, but his physical body was still far too fragile. Furthermore, there were too many uncontrollable factors in the wilderness. Whether it was encountering powerful Earth Vein Creatures or running into people whose intentions were hard to discern, either could lead to Gaode dying in the wild. Unless absolutely necessary, it was better not to act recklessly.

Therefore, the thought of going out to hunt Earth Vein Creatures to obtain Origin only lasted for a fleeting moment before Gaode quickly stifled it in the very next second.

In the Commercial District.

Several more days had passed. Not only had the foot traffic on the streets failed to drop back to its previous levels, but there were even more people. The anomaly outside Hogan City continued. More and more outsiders had received the news and rushed to Hogan City to "treasure hunt." Seeing this, the unease in Gaode’s heart grew heavier. But no matter how uneasy he felt, it seemed there was nothing he could do besides hoarding food.

With these thoughts in mind, Gaode first went to Phil’s Magic Pharmacy to sell the Basic Spider Venom Potions he had brewed recently.

As the store clerk handed Gaode the receipt, he casually asked, "Why is it that the Magic Potions you’ve been delivering these past few days are all Basic Spider Venom Potions?"

Gaode’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained completely unruffled as he explained, "The Mage has been away on business recently and hasn’t been in the Medicinal Garden, so we can only provide Basic Spider Venom Potions for the time being."

The clerk had only asked in passing and didn’t think much of it. "That’s fine. It just so happens that Basic Spider Venom Potions are selling extremely well right now."

As soon as he left Phil’s Magic Pharmacy, Gaode thought to himself, "In a few days, I’ll need to spend some time attempting to brew the Basic Endurance Potion."

For now, he still had to trade with Phil’s Magic Pharmacy using Mage Seda’s name. In the short term, he absolutely could not let slip the news that Mage Seda was no longer around. Although the apprentices in the Medicinal Garden had already reached a consensus to conceal this news together, if it really aroused someone’s suspicion and they decided to investigate intentionally, their cover wouldn’t be completely flawless. At the very least, he couldn’t guarantee that the other apprentices could truly remain completely tight-lipped.

As Gaode pondered how to continue keeping up the charade and use Mage Seda’s name as a shield, his steps never ceased, and he soon arrived at Pierre’s shop.

He stepped inside and was surprised to find that the small grocery store, which was usually empty save for Pierre himself whenever he visited, actually had three or four customers today.

Gaode waited patiently on the side for a while until all the customers had left.

"Business is pretty good today," Gaode remarked with some surprise. These three or four customers hadn’t just been browsing; each of them had actually bought something.

"It’s not just today; it’s been decent for the past few days." Pierre didn’t feign any false modesty. "With more and more outsiders coming in, the number of customers naturally increases. Now, the merchants in the city are all wishing the anomaly outside the city would last forever," he sighed.

"You businessmen have made a small fortune these days, then," Gaode nodded thoughtfully.

"I would rather not make this fortune." Pierre’s tone was rather helpless.

Gaode knew Pierre wasn’t "Versailles" humblebragging; after all, Pierre was the one who had reminded him to hoard food just to be safe.

"You coming to see me this time—do you have another big deal to bring to my doorstep?" Pierre shook his head and asked casually.

Gaode first glanced around to confirm no one was nearby, then leaned closer to the counter and asked in a low voice, "Boss, are you still able to contact that Mr. Yom who sold me the Magic Formulas before?"

"Hmm?" Pierre’s already small eyes narrowed until they were almost just slits. But from within those slits, a sharp gleam shone forth.

"The finder’s fee is still 10 Silver Coins." Being thick-skinned, Gaode rubbed his fingers together, indicating a substantial reward.

"Didn’t you look down on those remaining two Magic Formulas back then?" Pierre cast a sidelong glance at Gaode.

"That was then, and this is now," Gaode chuckled. "Besides, wasn’t money tight back then?"

"Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you want to completely master all three Magic Formulas, it will cost you quite a bit of time." Pierre frowned slightly, offering a word of advice that seemed to hold a deeper meaning.

"I know. It’s just to be prepared," Gaode didn’t argue with Pierre, simply offering a plausible excuse.

"I can still contact him, but I’m not sure if he’s still willing to sell the Magic Formulas." Seeing Gaode’s insistence, Pierre didn’t press the matter further, only speaking very conservatively.

"Whether he’s still willing to sell the Magic Formulas or not, as long as you help me contact him, I’ll pay you the 10 Silver Coins as compensation." Now barely considered flush with cash, Gaode added painfully, "Also, if he’s unwilling to sell the Magic Formulas anymore, you can hint to him that I’m willing to pay a little extra..."

"Deal!" Pierre chuckled, sweeping a meaningful gaze over Gaode. "It seems you’ve reaped quite a harvest this time."