Apprentice

Fortunately, Evan learned from the diary that only those with true aptitude could see the anomaly of the notebook under the moonlight.

This meant that Evan possessed the most crucial prerequisite for becoming a Wizard!

The only thing Evan regretted was that the notebook only contained one basic Meditation technique and a mere three Potion recipes that could be considered knowledge inheritance. If Evan chose to be a part-time Wizard, he would have to find all the mysterious knowledge needed for future advancements himself, which was far less convenient than his Knight training.

However, after careful consideration, Evan ultimately decided to pursue both!

Although there might be some risks, the benefits were clearly greater. After all, Wizards were at the top of the extraordinary power hierarchy. Anyone who had the chance and didn't pursue it was a fool.

Even Uncle Gell, a peak Second-Order Extraordinary Person, was somewhat dissatisfied with the current situation of Knights. Evan naturally didn't want to be just a high-level combatant.

Only those who have experienced it know how important it is to have more choices at critical moments!

"Hoo--!"

Having made a major decision, Evan felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. After carefully storing the notebook close to his body, he realized he hadn't eaten in almost a day.

Patting his rumbling stomach, he decided to ask Gary to join him at a restaurant to catch up on his late breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

It was then that he had the chance to learn about the aftermath of last night from Gary.

"We waited at the dock for a long time. Strangely, after they took inventory, they said nothing was missing. We clearly saw the thief carrying a package!"

Last night, after taking inventory, the officers on the supply ship found no valuable items missing. They simply assumed the thief was scared off in time and hadn't managed to steal anything.

After thanking Gary and the others for their reminder, the matter was dropped.

Evan touched the item in his pocket, finally putting his last bit of worry to rest.

He didn't know that...

This precious Sorcery notebook was actually treated as an ordinary book and was mixed in with at least a hundred other books, all prepared to be transported to the next naval base to supplement the library's collection.

The supply ship's manifest listed these books under the unit of measurement "a pile," which was why the escorting officers didn't notice anything missing.

"How strange!"

If even the quartermaster didn't notice it, how did "Zorro" know about it in advance? Moreover, from his layered "packaging," it was clear he was being extremely cautious with this book, obviously knowing its true nature long ago.

It was only after reading Leon's diary that Evan realized he had once again acted rashly.

The best way to handle mysterious Sorcery items was to not touch them at all. Even if he had to touch them, he should have at least taken sufficient safety precautions like "Zorro" before doing so.

Fortunately, Leon's diary contained no curses or Sorcery traps, allowing Evan to escape potential misfortune.

In the middle of the night, the entire city fell silent. The occasional gentle sound of waves from outside the window only made the room feel more tranquil.

The moonlight, soft and cool, shone on the sleeping youth.

Strangely, he wasn't lying on the bed but was sitting cross-legged, his eyes gently closed, a faint smile on his lips, as if he were immersed in a peculiar state of peace.

The clock ticked away, and this state continued for an unknown duration.

"Ding--! Spirit attribute unlocked!"

Evan's eyes snapped open. In a vision invisible to others, a line of data slowly appeared.

Name: Evan Garratt

Gender: Male

Military Rank: Captain (Belonging to the Faletis Kingdom's Third Fleet, Silver Wing)

Class: Peak Apprentice Knight / Apprentice Wizard

Attributes: Constitution 0.95

Strength 0.92

Agility 0.98

Spirit 0.28

Skills: Basic Meditation (Novice), White Sail Swordsmanship (Proficient), Faletis Sabre Art (Proficient), Archery (Proficient), Grammar (Proficient), Navigation Knowledge (Novice), Apothecary Arts (Novice)

The principle behind Data Vision was too esoteric for Evan to bother investigating anymore. Now, even the ethereal Spirit Power could be quantified. He felt he had underestimated this "Golden Finger." Calling it a "golden fingernail" when he first got it was truly unfair.

The Intelligence attribute in the status bar had been replaced by the Spirit attribute, and its initial value was already as high as 0.28, not starting from zero as he had imagined. In hindsight, it made sense. Just because his Spirit Power hadn't been activated through Meditation didn't mean it didn't exist originally.

It was like how, before Knight training, his Constitution, Strength, and Agility attributes already had base values.

Although Evan didn't know what level this initial 0.28 Spirit value represented among Wizards, judging by how quickly he entered a state of Meditation and unlocked the Spirit attribute on his first try, his aptitude should be quite good.

After closing the attribute list, Evan noticed that his senses had become much sharper with the unlocking of his Spirit Power. The things in his eyes appeared more vivid, he could hear the rustling of small insects outside his room, and his sensitive skin seemed to feel the imperceptible airflow in the room.

This was an experience he had never had during his Knight training. For some reason, a line from a Taoist scripture from his past life suddenly popped into his mind: "Cultivating only life and not nature is the first illness in cultivation; cultivating only nature and not life, a spirit that has endured ten thousand eons will find it hard to attain sainthood."

Could dual cultivation of magic and martial arts be the correct approach? However, Evan would only learn the answer to this question much later.

He jumped off the bed.

Evan flipped open Leon's notebook again and marked the three extraordinary methods within – the three Potion recipes. They were all Leon's own ingenious inventions, using relatively inexpensive materials to achieve magical effects comparable to Potions.

Although none of them possessed the powerful offensive capabilities he had imagined for Wizards, he didn't feel disappointed. An apprentice-level Wizard's combat ability might not even be as good as a fully armed ordinary sailor. As a full-time Knight, he didn't lack this bit of combat power.

It was the auxiliary abilities of Wizards that he valued the most. With these, Evan was already very satisfied.

The three potions are as follows:

The first is the Birdsong Potion. This potion is not for human consumption, but rather serves as an auxiliary agent. After being prepared, it is fed to birds to cultivate intelligent flying creatures. These spirits of the sky can become excellent scouts, with their eyes and ears spread far and wide, greatly expanding the range of reconnaissance.

The second is named the Whale Potion. It is a cultivation-assisting potion for Formal Knights. The daily life of a typical knight involves combat, cultivation, and a very important point... eating. For knights, eating is a crucial aspect; sufficient energy replenishment is the foundation of a knight's powerful physique.

Its effect is to greatly accelerate digestion. The more one eats, the faster the Savage Body Transformation will progress, eventually allowing one to rival large fierce beasts like lions and tigers. In Evan's view, this is like a strengthened version of "stomachic tablets, chew before or after meals."

The third is named the Extraction Potion. It is used in conjunction with the Whale Potion, capable of converting the essence of flesh and blood from ferocious beasts or large sea beasts into nutrients that humans can absorb. It is a sacred medicine for those on the Knight's Path, and it also has a very strong auxiliary effect for the fragile bodies of Wizards.