Knowledge is Power

Draelsra made no attempt to hide her interest in Rayne. "The teachers at Crayden Academy are far too mediocre. Few of them have any real ability. You should have left sooner."

"I have no plans to return to Crayden Academy."

Rayne had spent three years at Crayden Academy and learned little besides swordsmanship. The academy gave two breaks each year, and it was currently summer break. School would resume in another half month.

Every student could remain at the academy for no more than five years. Whether they became Transcendents or not, they had to leave afterward.

Before Rayne had transmigrated, the original owner of this body had wanted to continue into his 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 turned serious. "Becoming a Wizard is only the starting point. The road of advancement ahead is very long. The Goddess teaches us, 'Magic is Truth, Knowledge is Power.' As a Wizard, you must never cease your pursuit of truth and knowledge."

Rayne nodded. He had heard those words before.

They were the Goddess of Magic's maxim. Every believer, especially Wizards, regarded them as a guiding principle.

Draelsra continued, "Although Combat Wizards are few in number, they are one of the three major Schools and are formally recognized by the High Council. As a true Wizard, you must never abandon your pursuit of truth and knowledge, no matter when."

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

"You don't need to rush into a decision. I should be staying at Basil Inn for the near future."

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

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

Her words made sense. Wizards had never been Transcendents who could develop behind closed doors. Casting spells was an immensely complex and refined ability. The Arcane Elements in one's soul merely provided spell templates. To truly unleash Magic's greatest might required constant exploration and mastery of all kinds of casting techniques.

The most powerful Wizards had always called themselves seekers of truth, rather than mere Spellcasters.

Besides spells, Wizards often had to master runes, alchemy, enchanting, History and Mythology, planes, the Magic Soul Element Atlas, and more. Perhaps they did not need to study every one of these nearly endless fields to mastery, but they still consumed countless hours of effort while granting formidable power.

The higher a Wizard's level, the broader their knowledge, and the more favored they were by the Goddess of Magic.

The largest Wizard organizations in Longshande were Silver Star Academy and the Wizard Tower, both established by Duke Silverstar. Unless one left Longshande, every Wizard living here had to deal with one or the other.

Either join Silver Star Academy or enter the Wizard Tower.

Of course, Rayne could join neither. Then he would become a Wandering Wizard.

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

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

Naturally, Rayne did not want to become a Wandering Wizard. Refusing a better path would be foolish.

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

The environment at Silver Star Academy was relatively relaxed, much like the other two academies, except it had fewer students. Everyone there aimed to become a Wizard, and even those who could not would become other kinds of Spellcasters. The students' benefits and treatment were all quite good.

Of course, that was only good compared to other academies. It could not compare with the Wizard Tower.

Only Formal Wizards were qualified to enter the Wizard Tower. Its management was strict, and its system differed from that of an academy, focusing mainly on instruction through masters and apprentices.

Every Wizard entering the tower had to choose a higher-level teacher, following that teacher to study or fight.

All expenses for Wizard Tower members, including the knowledge and potions they required, were borne 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 master.

Rayne knew little about the Wizard Tower's internal affairs. In any case, nearly all of Longshande's top Wizards were members of the tower.

The circumstances of his birth and background were perfectly clear, so entering Silver Star Academy or the Wizard Tower would not be difficult.

Now, with a Legendary Wizard acting as his introducer, getting into either place was merely a matter of a word.

Rayne was more inclined to enter Silver Star Academy first, gain a preliminary grasp of some knowledge, and then decide whether to enter the Wizard Tower once he had learned more.

However, he currently had one concern: the Shadow Blade assassins seemed to have a Conspiracy targeting Silver Star Academy.

Something major would likely happen at Silver Star Academy soon.

Rayne did not want to wade into those muddy waters. Though he was only a First-Level Wizard, insignificant whether facing Silver Star Academy or Shadow Blade, he happened to bear the Strife Mark. If it was discovered at the academy, it would be far too troublesome.

I should wait a while longer and enter Silver Star Academy after the Conspiracy erupts.

Rayne thought this, but before then, he still had one extremely important matter to handle.

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

He had continued paying for the room, and no one had entered during that time. The shotgun and the longsword confiscated from Esberg were hidden beneath the bed, with no sign that anyone had touched them.

Rayne took out the shotgun and inspected it. There was no problem.

He had made thirty rounds before and used some that day, leaving seventeen. However, after sitting for several days, they seemed slightly damp. He did not know whether they would still work.

Rayne shook his head and decided to discard this batch of ammunition. The shotgun itself also needed to be modified.

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

It made too much noise when fired, leaving few opportunities to use it in Longsand City.

Especially in the Silver Star District, the Spirit Demon Eye atop the Wizard Tower constantly monitored the entire area. The moment a gunshot rang out, its gaze would probably sweep over in the next second and lock onto him, leaving him no chance to escape.

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

However, it first needed modifications. In particular, the gunpowder in the ammunition had to be replaced with smokeless powder. Ideally, he could learn from Zoltan's experience in making Soul Guns, combine the strengths of both, increase the power, and create the firearm best suited for himself.

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

Zoltan sidled over and began chatting with him, complaining that Roger was fooling around with that woman in the back again and would not even play cards with him.

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

Sure enough, the moment Zoltan heard firearms mentioned, he immediately forgot about cards and animatedly showed off several Soul Guns from his collection to Rayne.

The meal lasted more than three hours, and they drank nearly half a barrel of beer. Rayne benefited greatly as well.

After nightfall, Rayne took the shotgun and longsword back to his apartment.

He dismantled the gun into parts and disposed of the damp ammunition. 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 a few times, then shook his head in dissatisfaction.

This hand-and-a-half sword was worth a great deal. Its materials and craftsmanship were excellent, but it was not an Enchanted Weapon, and it was too light, weighing only a little over ten pounds.

Aerenus's "pound" was roughly equivalent to half a kilogram on Earth.

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

Roger was a Legendary Demon Hunter and did not specialize in strength, yet even his Wolf's Fang steel sword weighed only thirty pounds.

But for Rayne, whether it was ten pounds or thirty pounds, both were far too light.

He could now easily lift two thousand pounds. A weapon weighing around one hundred pounds was the most suitable for him. Below one hundred pounds, he could not fully exploit his strength advantage. Above one hundred pounds, it would affect his dexterity and speed, consuming too much stamina in battle.

Swords weighing one hundred pounds were extremely rare. They were usually two-handed swords or greatswords.

Rayne knew swordsmanship, but he had no particular fondness for swords. Perhaps it was because of the nickname from his previous life, but he had a special affection for hammers.

Heavy weapons like warhammers could better bring out his strength!

He picked up the Octagonal Hammer beside him and weighed it in his hand. The thirty-pound hammer felt like a straw, far too light.

"I still need to buy a suitable hammer."

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

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

The shop owner was still sitting there resting with a weary expression. Seeing Rayne, he still made no move to rise and serve him.

Rayne ignored him and walked over to the section displaying hammer weapons.

More than ten warhammers of various kinds were laid out, mainly divided into three categories. One was the long-handled heavy hammer, nearly as tall as a person and requiring two hands to wield, seemingly weighing two or three hundred pounds. Another was the short-handled one-handed hammer, relatively light at around forty pounds.

Both types were relatively scarce. The most numerous were warhammers of moderate handle length.

Warhammers had originally been weapons favored by Dwarves. Their heads were large, and their handles were about a meter long, perfectly suited to a Dwarf's height. Humans could use them as well, gripping them with both hands or swinging them one-handed.

There were five or six warhammers in the craftsman shop, almost all following the design style of Dwarf warhammers.

Their hammerheads were mostly square, and their handles were carved with anti-slip patterns. Many small details bore Dwarf decorations, making them seem like weapons crafted by Dwarves unless examined closely.

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

Enchanted Weapons all cost more than a hundred Gold Shields. Rayne could not afford one now, and the craftsman shop would not casually leave them out for customers to test.

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

He tried several warhammers in succession, but they all weighed around seventy pounds.

This weight might have been just right for Dwarves and other melee professions, but Rayne possessed a strengthened Strength Element. Seventy pounds was still too light.

Rayne had intended to casually buy a hammer to make do with. Just as he was about to ask the price, he spotted a warhammer hanging on the wall behind the owner, which looked rather heavier.

He walked over and asked, "Boss, can I take a look at that warhammer behind you?"