Knowledge is Power

Draelsra made no secret of her interest in Rayne and said, "The teachers at Crayden Academy are far too weak. Few of them have any real ability. You should leave sooner rather than later."

"I have no intention of going back to Crayden Academy."

Rayne had spent three years at Crayden Academy and had learned little besides swordsmanship. The academy had two holidays every year. It was currently summer vacation, and there was still half a month before the next term began.

Every student could remain at the academy for at most five years. Regardless of whether they became Transcendents, they had to leave afterward.

Before he crossed over, Rayne's predecessor had wanted to continue studying for a fourth year, but his father, Bard, had refused to support him. That was why he had fallen out with his family.

Now that he was already a Combat Wizard, he naturally had no desire to return to Crayden Academy.

Draelsra's expression grew solemn. "Becoming a Wizard is only the starting point. The road of advancement ahead is extremely long. The Goddess teaches us, 'Magic is Truth, and Knowledge is Power.' As a Wizard, you must never stop pursuing truth and knowledge."

Rayne nodded. He had heard those words before.

They were the maxim of the Goddess of Magic. Every believer, especially every Wizard, regarded them as sacred principles.

Draelsra continued, "As one of the three major Schools, the Combat Wizard School may not have many members, but it is still a School officially recognized by the High Council. As a true Wizard, you must never abandon the pursuit of truth and knowledge, no matter the circumstances."

"I have several good friends in Longshande. If you want to enter Silver Star Academy or the Wizard Tower, I can help you."

"You don't need to make a decision right away. I should be staying at Basil Inn for the next while."

After saying that, Draelsra returned to her room with Roger.

Rayne watched them leave and seriously considered Draelsra's suggestion.

She had a point. Wizards had never been Transcendents who shut themselves away and worked in isolation. Casting spells was a complex and exquisite ability. The Arcane Elements in one's soul only provided spell templates. To truly unleash magic's greatest power, one had to constantly explore and master all kinds of spellcasting techniques.

The most powerful Wizards had always regarded themselves as seekers of truth, not mere spellcasters.

Aside from spells, Wizards often had to master runes, alchemy, enchanting, History and Mythology, planes, the Magic Soul Element Atlas, and much more. This nearly endless body of knowledge might not require them to become experts in every field, but it still consumed countless amounts of their energy while granting them formidable power.

The higher a Wizard's level, the broader his knowledge, and the more favored he was by the Goddess of Magic.

Longsand City's largest Wizard organizations were Silver Star Academy and the Wizard Tower, both founded by Duke Silverstar. Unless they left Longsand City, every Wizard living there had to deal with one or the other.

They either joined Silver Star Academy or entered the Wizard Tower.

Of course, Rayne could choose to enter neither. In that case, he would become a Wandering Wizard.

Wandering Wizards had no faction supporting them and lacked resources. In particular, they could not access the libraries of the various Wizard Academies, leaving them lacking in all kinds of knowledge and techniques. No matter how talented they were, it was difficult for them to go far.

Throughout the Empire's history, a few extraordinarily talented Wandering Wizards had occasionally advanced to Legendary Wizards, but not a single Wandering Wizard had ever advanced to become a Soul Saint Wizard and entered the High Council.

Rayne naturally had no wish to become a Wandering Wizard. Anyone who refused to take a better path was a fool.

He simply had not decided whether to enter Silver Star Academy or the Wizard Tower.

The environment at Silver Star Academy was relatively relaxed and more or less the same as that of the other two academies. It simply had fewer students. Everyone aimed to become a Wizard, and even those who failed to do so would become other kinds of spellcasters. The students all received excellent benefits.

Of course, "excellent" was relative to the other academies. Compared to the Wizard Tower, it was nothing.

Only Formal Wizards were qualified to enter the Wizard Tower. Its management was very strict, and its system was also different from that of an academy, relying mainly on master-and-apprentice instruction.

Every Wizard who entered the tower had to choose a teacher of a higher level and follow that teacher in study or battle.

All expenses for the members of the Wizard Tower, including the knowledge and potions they needed, were covered by Duke Silverstar. In return, every Wizard in the tower had to obey Duke Silverstar's orders.

This Soul Saint Wizard was the tower's sole ruler.

Rayne had limited knowledge of the Wizard Tower's internal situation. In any case, nearly all of Longsand City's top Wizards were members of the tower.

His background and origins were perfectly clear, so it would not be difficult for him to enter either Silver Star Academy or the Wizard Tower.

Now that he also had a Legendary Wizard as his sponsor, he could enter either place with a single word from her.

Rayne leaned more toward entering Silver Star Academy first and gaining a basic grasp of some knowledge before deciding whether to enter the Wizard Tower after learning more.

However, he had one concern. The Shadow Blade assassins seemed to have a conspiracy targeting Silver Star Academy.

Something major was likely to happen at Silver Star Academy soon.

Rayne did not want to get involved in that mess. Although he was only a First-Level Wizard and an insignificant nobody to both Silver Star Academy and the Shadow Blade, he happened to bear a Strife Mark. If it were discovered at the academy, it would cause him endless trouble.

"I'd better wait. I'll enter Silver Star Academy after the conspiracy erupts."

Rayne thought about it, but before that, he still had one extremely important matter to deal with.

He left the courtyard, went up to the second floor of Basil Inn, and entered his room.

The room's rent had been paid the entire time, and no one had entered it. The shotgun and the longsword confiscated from Esberg were hidden under the bed, with no sign that anyone had touched them.

Rayne took out the shotgun and inspected it. There was nothing wrong with it.

He had made thirty bullets before. He had used some of them that day, leaving seventeen. However, after sitting for several days, they seemed to have become a little damp. He did not know whether they could still be used.

Rayne shook his head and decided to discard the batch of bullets. He would also have to modify the shotgun from scratch.

The shotgun had only been made as an emergency measure. When he was still an ordinary person, it had been extremely useful. Now that he was a Transcendent, he had no immediate use for it.

The gunshot was far too loud, and there were few opportunities to use it in Longsand City.

Especially in the Silver Star District. The Spirit Demon Eye atop the Wizard Tower monitored the entire area at all times. The moment a gunshot rang out, its gaze would probably sweep over, lock onto him, and leave him no chance to run.

Of course, the shotgun was still quite useful. It could make up for his current inability to attack from a distance with spells.

But it had to be modified first. In particular, the gunpowder in the bullets had to be replaced with smokeless powder. It would be best if he could learn from Zoltan's experience making Soul Guns, combine the advantages of both, increase the power, and create a firearm suited to him.

Rayne put away the gun and longsword, then went downstairs and ordered dinner in the inn's lobby.

Zoltan came over and began chatting with him, complaining that Roger was fooling around with that woman in the back again and refusing to play cards with him.

Rayne listened helplessly and could only change the subject, discussing firearm manufacturing with him.

Sure enough, the moment Zoltan started talking about firearms, he immediately forgot about playing cards. He excitedly showed off several Soul Guns from his collection to Rayne.

The meal lasted more than three hours. They drank nearly half a keg of beer, and Rayne benefited greatly from the conversation.

After dark, Rayne took the shotgun and longsword and returned to his apartment.

He dismantled the gun and disposed of the damp bullets. The only weapons he could use now were an Octagonal Hammer and Esberg's Hand-and-a-half Sword.

He picked up the sword and swung it several times, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.

The Hand-and-a-half Sword was worth quite a lot, and its materials and workmanship were excellent. However, it was not an Enchanted Weapon, and it was too light, weighing only a little over ten pounds.

A "pound" in Aerenus was roughly equivalent to a "jin" on Earth.

A ten-pound sword was already quite heavy. An ordinary person would lose his strength after a few swings, making it difficult to use in actual combat. Only Transcendents could wield one.

Roger was a Legendary Demon Hunter who did not excel in strength. Even his Wolf's Fang steel sword weighed only thirty pounds.

But to Rayne, whether it weighed ten pounds or thirty, it was far too light.

He could now easily lift something weighing two thousand pounds. A weapon weighing around one hundred pounds would be ideal. Anything lighter than one hundred pounds would fail to bring out his advantage in strength, while anything heavier would affect his agility and speed and consume too much stamina in battle.

Very few swords weighed one hundred pounds. They were usually two-handed swords or greatswords.

Rayne knew swordsmanship, but he was not particularly fond of swords. Perhaps because of the nickname he had had in his previous life, he had a special fondness for hammers.

A warhammer, as a heavyweight weapon, could better display his strength!

He picked up the Octagonal Hammer beside him and weighed it in his hand a few times. The thirty-pound hammer felt like a stalk of straw. It was far too light.

"I still need to buy a suitable hammer."

Rayne remembered the several warhammers he had seen at the Mechanical Craftsman Shop when he bought the Octagonal Hammer before. There should be one there that he could use.

He immediately left, crossed the street, and soon arrived at the craftsman shop.

The shop's owner was still sitting there resting with an exhausted look. When he saw Rayne, he still had no intention of getting up to serve him.

Rayne ignored him and walked over to the area where the hammer weapons were displayed.

More than a dozen different warhammers were arranged there, mainly divided into three categories. One was the long-handled heavy hammer. The entire hammer was almost as tall as a person and required both hands to wield, appearing to weigh two or three hundred pounds. Another was the short-handled one-handed hammer, which was lighter and weighed around forty pounds.

Both types were relatively uncommon. The most numerous were warhammers of moderate length and size.

Warhammers had originally been a favored weapon of the dwarves. Their heads were large, with handles about a meter long. They were just right for the dwarves' stature, while humans could use them as well. They could be wielded with either one hand or both.

There were five or six warhammers in the craftsman shop, and nearly all of them followed the design of dwarven warhammers.

The hammerheads were mostly square, while the handles were carved with anti-slip grooves. Many small details featured dwarven decorations. Without careful examination, one might even mistake them for weapons made by dwarves.

None of these warhammers were enchanted. They were all ordinary weapons.

Enchanted Weapons cost more than one hundred Gold Shields, which Rayne could not afford at present. The craftsman shop would not casually place them here for anyone to handle, either.

So Rayne did not spend much time choosing. He casually picked up a warhammer to feel its weight and found it a little light.

He tried several warhammers in succession, all weighing around seventy pounds.

That weight might be just right for dwarves and other melee professions, but Rayne possessed an enhanced "Strength" element. Seventy pounds was still too light.

Rayne had planned to buy any hammer and make do with it. Just as he was about to ask the price, he saw a warhammer hanging on the wall behind the owner. It looked considerably heavier.

He walked over and asked, "Boss, could you let me take a look at the warhammer behind you?"