Mage Potion Acquired

Amid a cluster of low, dilapidated houses, Eagle Town's church stood out conspicuously.

Its bell tower soared high, while the white granite marble of its outer walls had been eroded by time and coated with a supple layer of yellow.

A sparrow flew through an open glass window, and the morning light streamed in with it, sweeping across the slightly murky air and bathing the statue of the Lord of Light in radiance.

The creator of the Church of Light, the deity who dwelled high in heaven, sat upright upon the divine throne.

As recorded in the "Holy Word Record," the divine throne had been carved from bluestone, without the slightest decoration.

The Lord of Light was also exactly as described in the scriptures. A laurel crown rested atop His neat, short curls. His forehead was broad, his eyes wide open, his nostrils full, and his lips thin, revealing the majesty of the Lord God.

He wore a loose and plain "Peporos" on His upper body—a short-sleeved shirt made from lightweight fabric in humanity's ancient era. The craftsmen of the Holy See were exceptionally skilled. Even the folds in the clothing had been carved in exquisite detail, accentuating the lines of His powerful muscles.

His right hand was raised high, palm facing upward, supporting the sun and moon that shone against each other. His left hand rested on the divine throne, his legs slightly spread, while beneath His feet lay a giant dragon with eight heads.

The eight dragon heads were all different colors: red, yellow, white, green, black, gold, silver, and copper. They were the colors of the eight kinds of Pureblood Dragons.

Their eyes, with cross-shaped star pupils, were all wide open, while blood flowed from their mouths and nostrils.

This was the ancestor of dragons, the Dragon God Tiamat, who had once led the dragon race in enslaving every race on the Middle Continent.

Fortunately, the Lord of Light had slain her, freeing the Middle Continent from the dragons' dark rule. Through this benevolent deed, He had also become the sole true god of supreme truth and goodness on the continent.

Of course, that was the Church of Light's version of events.

At that moment, Laxus was kneeling on a cushion before the divine statue, her hands loosely clenched beneath her neck as she prayed devoutly:

"Great Lord of Light, You are the creator of peace on the continent, the protector of humanity, and the god of light and goodness. Only You are worthy of my devotion, admiration, and worship. Every day, Your compassion and mercy surround me..."

Her voice was steady and clear, like a murmuring stream.

With a sharp slap, something fell to the floor, but she persisted in finishing her prayer before turning around. When she saw the object on the ground, she could not help letting out a soft laugh.

It was a beanbag sewn from several pieces of differently patterned cloth, with several dirty fingerprints on it.

Laxus picked up the beanbag and walked outside. Several children who had been whispering and giggling turned toward the sound, their eyes lighting up at once. After a brief discussion, they pushed a little girl forward.

"Priest Laxus." The girl walked somewhat awkwardly up to Laxus and gave a solemn little bow. "Could you return the beanbag to us? We promise we won't play around in front of the church anymore!"

Placing the beanbag back into her hands, Laxus smiled kindly. "I can return it to you, and you can keep playing nearby. But promise me you won't throw it through the window again, all right?"

Clutching the beanbag, the girl's flushed little face blossomed into a smile. "Mm-hmm, I understand, Priest!"

With that, she hurried back.

"Be careful. Don't fall." Laxus drew out her warning as she turned and walked back into the church amid the somewhat noisy cries of chickens and ducks.

Eagle Town had truly changed.

Raven was a qualified lord—one could even say an unexpectedly capable one. He had divided up some of the six hundred chickens and six hundred ducks, distributing them among the residents of Eagle Territory. Every household received two hens and two female ducks.

Of course, Raven would not pay out of his own pocket for nothing. A rooster or drake was valued at fifty copper coins, while a hen or female duck cost one gold coin. There was no interest, and the deadline was very generous: the debt only had to be fully repaid within three years.

Although chickens and ducks also consumed grain, they ate far less than cattle and sheep. Once they became accustomed to their surroundings, they immediately began producing value—eggs.

Two eggs could be sold for one copper coin, while a hen or female duck could lay an average of four eggs every five days, which amounted to two copper coins.

Thus, every five days, a household could earn eight copper coins. Over a month, that came to forty-eight copper coins. Even after deducting costs, they could still earn approximately forty copper coins.

Of course, animals were not machines and would not lay eggs with such punctuality. As the number of eggs increased, their price would inevitably fall as well. Even so, this had genuinely given the residents of Eagle Town an important source of income.

With money in their pockets, their lives became more comfortable. Some clever residents had even begun considering saving up to buy more chickens and ducks.

These days, the phrase Laxus heard most often was, "Thank you, Lord Baron."

Even now, she seemed to be able to hear people calling out, "Lord Baron."

No, it was not just her imagination. The voice was getting closer.

With a creak, the church doors opened. Raven nodded in greeting to a resident who hailed him, then stepped inside. "I heard there's news about the Mage Potion?"

"Hmph!" Laxus glanced sideways at him unhappily. "I knew it. If you hadn't heard this news, you absolutely wouldn't have come to see me. What, are you unwilling to face your creditor?"

Raven rubbed his nose and smiled sheepishly. "It's not that. I've simply been too busy lately. You know a lord has a lot of work to do, and Eagle Town is still waiting to be rebuilt from the ground up..."

"Of course I know that, but surely you could spare some time for prayer?" Laxus's attitude softened somewhat. "Don't forget, in another three months, if you still haven't mastered Elven, you'll have to compensate me two thousand gold coins."

Raven's eyes lit up. "So the potion really arrived?"

"I knew that was all you cared about. Come with me." Her tone was still somewhat displeased, but Laxus was not truly angry. When she had learned that she could become a Divine Spellcaster, she had been just as excited.

Laxus walked ahead while Raven followed behind. Soon, they arrived at the study on the second floor.

The layout here surprised Raven quite a bit.

It was nothing like the orderly room he had imagined. Various books were piled haphazardly throughout the not-so-large study—at least a hundred volumes—and more than half were stuffed with colorful bookmarks.

The writing on the spines made Raven click his tongue in amazement.

"Chronicles of Kains II," "Kains VI—Tyrant or King," "Studies on the Customs of the Elven Race," "Empire on the Grasslands: The Origin of the Insar Empire," and "The Lava Forge: The Rise and Fall of the Dwarf Kingdom."

The books grew thicker one after another. From their titles alone, it was obvious that their contents were extremely dry and serious. "You've read all of these?"

"Of course." Laxus opened the bookcase and took out a small box. "History is very interesting."

Raven gathered the books on the desk and moved them aside. Only then did Laxus place the box on the desk. "All right, this is the God-Given Potion you wanted. Open it and take a look."

At those words, Raven's heartbeat quickened slightly. He drew a deep breath and carefully opened the box.

At once, an exquisite potion appeared before his eyes.

Its overall shape resembled a water droplet. The stopper was made of pure gold, while a hollow silver shell protected the relatively fragile glass within.

A pool of viscous liquid rippled inside. Flecks of silver glitter scattered through it and continued to move, resembling a star cluster in the universe—mysterious and captivating.

This was the Second-tier God-Given Potion, capable of awakening a mage talent in a chosen direction.

"It's beautiful..." Raven gently ran his hand over the bottle. Through the Eye of Truth, he could clearly see the dense energy contained within.

"Cough!" Laxus gave a light cough, snapping Raven back to his senses. With both hands behind her waist, she said, "This potion is yours. Once you take it back, you can look at it for as long as you like. But before that, I need to tell you a few precautions."

Raven nodded and said with a smile, "I'm all ears."

Laxus spoke like a teacher. "Becoming a mage isn't as simple as drinking the potion. To better withstand the power within it, you should calm your emotions as much as possible before taking it."

She drew out her right hand, raising her delicate fingers one by one like tender bamboo shoots. "You could bathe and burn incense, fast and pray, meditate, go for a long run, or exercise."

As she spoke, Laxus clenched her fingers into a fist, leaving only her index finger extended. "In short, there's only one goal: to completely calm your mind, or even empty it. That way, your chances of success will be higher."

Raven nodded to show that he understood. He knew how to calm himself down.

Once he returned, he would have to trouble Patti.

"There's one more thing you must be extremely careful about." Laxus's voice rose as she emphasized each word. "Even a second-tier potion has a chance of failure after being consumed. If you sense any sign that the energy is losing control, absolutely do not try to control it, and do not fight it. Just let it dissipate naturally. Otherwise, it could very likely cause irreversible damage."

It seemed she had completely immersed herself in the role of a teacher. Laxus asked, "Those are the most important points. Do you have any other questions?"

To become Transcendent, one was destined to bear risks. Raven had already prepared himself for that. What he was more curious about was something else. "Laxus, when you awakened, did you also take a God-Given Potion?"

"Yes, but the specific method is different from that of mages and knights." Laxus said, "Unfortunately, if you chose to become a Divine Spellcaster, I could help you a little more."

Raven asked a question that had concerned him for a long time. "Then what exactly is the difference between mages, knights, and Divine Spellcasters?"

Laxus did not answer immediately. Instead, she walked to the bookshelf and took out three thick scholarly works.

"Beyond God, There Is Nothing Else."

"The Path of the Mage: On a Mage's Growth, Goals at Each Stage, and Points to Note (Excluding the Illusion School)."

"The Self-Cultivation of a Knight."

With a thud, she placed them on the desk and said proudly, like someone presenting a treasure, "All three were written by Sanctuary-level experts. Although the sections concerning specific details are inevitably somewhat vague, once you finish reading them, you'll have a clear and comprehensive understanding of all this."

Raven looked at her sapphire-colored eyes and realized that the girl was not joking. He could only smile bitterly. "Reading is certainly a good thing, but could you explain it briefly first? I'll take these three books with me and study them in detail later."

"Mm, all right." Laxus seemed to enjoy lecturing people. "Simply put, the fundamental difference between Divine Spellcasters, mages, and knights lies in the energy within their bodies."

"What mages possess within their bodies is 'mana.' They can guide the elements of nature to achieve the effects they desire. In essence, it has no attribute. It's just that every mage has a different Elemental Affinity, which is why different schools of magic arise."

"What Divine Spellcasters possess within their bodies is 'Divine Power.' This is a blessing bestowed by the Lord of Light, allowing them to wield the power of holy light. Incidentally, many people say that Divine Spellcasters and mages are the same thing, but in reality, they're completely different. Mages chant incantations, while we recite prayers."

"What knights and warriors possess within their bodies is 'battle aura.' It naturally has different attributes, and they can unleash its power without chanting. It can also greatly strengthen the body. The higher the tier of the battle aura, the stronger its resistance to magic."

There were certainly benefits to reading extensively. Although Laxus's explanation was not particularly lively, it was clear and well organized. She truly was a qualified teacher.

Pushing the three massive books toward Raven, Laxus said solemnly, "I brought all three of these from the Papal Library in the imperial capital. You must be careful not to damage them."

The Papal Library.

Raven was stunned. His gaze swept across the room. "Are all these books from the Papal Library?"

"Most of them. Why?" Laxus asked.

"Nothing..." Raven shook his head, but his heart remained deeply shaken.

In this world, the primary medium for written words was parchment, which was expensive and inconvenient to circulate.

Knowledge was an extremely expensive and scarce commodity.

Even the Griffith Family, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, possessed only the few dozen books in its study. More than half of them were poetry collections and Knight Novels, and that was already considered quite impressive.

Yet the books of the Holy See were so numerous that they had to establish a library specifically to store them. Even a second-tier Divine Spellcaster could borrow large quantities of books from it for long periods, taking out over a hundred volumes at a time.

The richness of its collection was probably no less than that of most libraries in Raven's previous life.

The profound foundation of the Church of Light was plain to see.

"Right, there are these as well." Laxus placed four parchment scrolls on top of the three books. "These are four different first-tier magic cultivation methods, corresponding to earth, water, fire, and wind. If you become a mage, you can see which one suits you best. They can help you find the direction of your school."

Raven's expression brightened.

He had previously asked Fili to purchase some spells for him, but there had been no news. Yet now, he had obtained four of them in one go!

"Thank you so much. Otherwise, even if I succeeded this time, I wouldn't be able to cast a single spell."

"No need." A trace of smugness appeared on Laxus's face. "They were included for free. I didn't spend any money."

"I still have to thank you." Looking at that adorable face, Raven raised his brows and said, "I'll send ten bottles of Angel's Tear over later."

"Don't think you can buy me off with that." Laxus rolled her eyes. "If you can't master Elven, I won't collect any less interest from you."

"Heh heh, don't worry. I certainly won't go back on my word." Smiling, Raven picked up the books on the desk. "Then I'll head back first."

"You're a baron. Carrying things back yourself is hardly proper." Laxus entwined the fingers of her hands behind her waist and said, pretending not to care, "Why not have your servant come collect them? You can bring the Angel's Tear at the same time. How about we have lunch together?"

Raven was in a hurry to awaken as a mage. "No need. There aren't many things anyway. I can still carry them."

With that, he turned and left.

Watching Raven's back disappear without returning—even without looking back—Laxus sighed with slight reproach. "Hmph, if I'd known this would happen, I should have stalled you for a few days..."

Completely unaware of Laxus's little scheme, Raven ordered Patti to prepare a bath for him as soon as he returned to the castle.

He bathed for three whole hours.

Once everything was over, Raven, refreshed and invigorated, went to the Secret Chamber he had not visited in a long time and held the Second-tier God-Given Potion in his hand.

"Whether I can become a mage before the end of the year depends on this."

He opened the stopper, raised his head, and gulped it down in one go!