Increased Power

After parting ways with the Old Priest, Shade followed the map and found the carriage rental company's office, a three-story gray building three streets away. Its main business was booking carriage services in advance for important journeys, but it also had carriages for hauling cargo.

Shade knew it was best not to let ordinary people see his books, so he specifically asked whether the coachman would inspect the goods.

"We are a professional carriage rental company. Even if you were Pulling a corpse—no, even if you were Pulling an entire carriage full of corpses—as long as you don't leave any traces, it has absolutely nothing to do with us."

The middle-aged accountant, who had taken the money from Shade's hand, emphasized this with drooping eyelids:

"We are very professional."

A cargo carriage was far cheaper than a passenger carriage, even though it also had to take Shade back. By the time Shade had personally carried the books into his home at No. 6, St. Derain Square, trip after trip, he had spent less than 8 shillings in total.

Although Room One on the second floor had Seemed quite spacious In the Past, after so many books were moved in, it became clear that there was not enough room for a study. As Shade kept the curious orange cat Mia from touching his books, he thought that once he had the time, he definitely needed to make use of the remaining space in the house.

He did not go out again that day. The exaggerated Great Fog outside was unsuitable for going out anyway, so he obediently stayed home, reading the books he had bought for 50 Pounds while consuming gas and steam whose prices he still did not know.

Most first-year Ring Arcanist courses involved only knowledge and not the supernatural, so they were largely subjects tested through memorization. As an Outlander who had received a complete education, Shade was quite skilled at this. He believed he was confident of finishing most first-year courses during the examination season at the end of the year.

As for courses requiring practical operation, he was highly curious about power and also trusted his self-study ability, so he believed he would not need too long to complete them.

Now that he had obtained the textbooks, what Shade cared about most were, of course, spells and Thaumaturgy. Those were the paths through which he could directly obtain power. Although he kept the Doctor's warning in mind, Shade still believed he needed at least the most basic power to protect himself.

As a first-year Ring Arcanist who had just enrolled, Saint Byrens Comprehensive College did not directly cover much Thaumaturgy or many spells in the two courses, "Ring Arcanist Basic Course - Miracle Technique" and "Ring Arcanist Basic Course - Spell." The few Thaumaturgies and spells it did mention were clearly rather ordinary just from their effects.

Saint Byrens Comprehensive College provided first-year correspondence Ring Arcanists with three spells and four Thaumaturgies for free.

The free spells followed a standardized system. No matter which Academy a student belonged to, the first spells they encountered were the same.

The recommended spells to learn and use first were Ignite, Summon Water, and Move Object. These were the most primitive manifestations of mysterious power since ancient times, and they could be developed into more advanced spells.

Moreover, these three spells did not require many materials to learn, nor did they require Spellcasting Materials when cast. They were among the most convenient spells. Shade learned and mastered them in half an evening—

"Ha!"

He stared intently at the newspaper in his hand. At last, a wisp of burning green smoke began Emitting from it, startling the orange kitten that had been batting at the pages on the other side. It immediately leaped into Shade's arms.

"Ha!"

He kept shaking the empty water cup in his right hand. As he shook it, the inner wall of the cup actually became damp. Shade wiped the sweat from his forehead and put the cup back on the table, but before he could inspect it, the soft orange cat Mia in his arms curiously pounced toward the cup.

"Ha!"

He Looked Towards the water cup as though he intended to make his eyes bleed. The cup automatically moved backward across the tabletop. The orange cat flying toward it abruptly changed direction in midair, kicked off the table with her little Paws, and jumped back into Shade's arms. She Seemed frightened again.

She was a somewhat timid cat. Her fierceness toward strangers was merely a way of protecting herself.

The Thaumaturgies Saint Byrens Comprehensive College provided for first-years, meanwhile, were determined by a Ring Arcanist's core Spirit Runes.

Shade's talent was quite good. Although Spacetime and Silver Moon were rare, they were not obscure. In Ring Arcanist Basic Course - Miracle Technique, the Academy's recommendation leaned more toward Thaumaturgies related to Silver Moon. After all, for a novice mystical Scholar, Spacetime Spirit Runes were both dangerous and complicated.

Therefore, among the four free Thaumaturgies provided by the Academy, the only one related to Spacetime was Sense Time, which allowed Shade to know the exact point in time he occupied at any moment.

Although this Thaumaturgy did not sound particularly useful, it was quite troublesome to learn. As a basic Thaumaturgy provided by the Academy, the required materials were naturally also supplied by the Academy. A pocket watch with a century of history was easy enough to find, but the peculiar plant known as the "Four-Leaf Clock Flower," though cultivated in the Chemistry College's nursery, had a troublesome harvesting process. Therefore, Shade would not be able to obtain it from the Doctor until next month.

As for Thaumaturgies related to Silver Moon, the Academy provided three—

Cindyia's Silver Moon Gift: gain healing abilities under Silver Moon's radiance. It could heal oneself or others. This was a Thaumaturgy that only holders of the Silver Moon Spirit Rune could learn and use, and it could only be used at night.

Its naming style made it clear that this was a Thaumaturgy developed by Academy Faction Ring Arcanists, hence the name used as a prefix. If Shade's Silver Moon Light Spell became powerful enough, he could name it Shade's Silver Moon Light Spell.

Moon Shadow Illusion: on any night, use the power of Moonlight to cast simple illusions. Any holder of a Spirit Rune related to the moon could learn this Thaumaturgy, but the illusions varied slightly depending on the Spirit Rune and the user. It too could only be used at night.

Silver Moon Slash: draw a streak of Silver Moonlight through the air to attack an enemy. It dealt excellent damage to enemies with Enlightenment and Blasphemy Elements. Only holders of Silver Moon could learn this Thaumaturgy, but holders of Spirit Runes representing other moons, stars, and even the sun had similar Thaumaturgies, though with different effects.

This was the only offensive Thaumaturgy among the three.

The night sky of this world had Three Moons: silver, yellow, and red. The Three Moons held different meanings in mysticism. The Red Moon was associated with Flesh and reproduction; the Yellow Moon represented "Moonlight" and "guidance"; while Silver Moon was synonymous with "Guardians," "holiness," and "mystery."

Therefore, Thaumaturgies related to the concept of Silver Moon differed from those of the other moons. If Shade's Spirit Rune had been the higher-order concept of the moon itself, he would have been able to learn even more Thaumaturgies.

The three Thaumaturgies had clearly been specially selected by the Academy. One leaned toward healing, one toward illusion, and one toward attack. They were extremely comprehensive.

The learning materials were still included with the books: a mercury-like liquid called "Silver Moon's Moonlight" in a thumb-sized glass vial, a piece of silver silk embroidered with the holy emblem of an unknown Old God, and a broken silver knife with only the blade remaining, engraved with a waxing crescent moon.

But merely having the materials did not mean he could learn them. Shade also needed to prepare the corresponding environment and master the appropriate incantations. None of that could be resolved in a single day, so by that night, he had only learned Silver Moon Slash.

The requirement for learning Silver Moon Slash was merely that a Ring Arcanist be able to attach Silver Moon's Moonlight to the broken silver knife. That was quite simple for Shade now.

He repeated the process beneath the moon at night. Each attachment of Moonlight made the knife shorter. On the thirteenth attachment of Silver Moonlight, the broken blade within the light completely transformed into light and vanished. Shade looked at his faintly glowing hand and understood in Heart that he had learned this offensive Thaumaturgy.