Necromancer Dust

Chapter 24: Necromancer Dust

Necromancer Dust?

The people of Black City call it Soul Powder.

What it's called doesn't matter. Judging by Hibel's expression, I can guess that this item is quite valuable in the eyes of a Wizard.

Karl's spirits lifted.

It wasn't a wasted trip to cross worlds and collect so many things. He had finally found something useful.

"Necromancer Dust usually appears on undead creatures. When mixed with honey, purple lotus, and crystal shards, it can create a potion that enhances Mental Power."

Hibel's beautiful eyes flickered.

"Do you have any more Necromancer Dust at home?"

"Hmm..." Karl hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Maybe twice as much as here?"

He wasn't entirely sure. He had just grabbed a handful when he arrived and didn't have a clear memory of the exact amount.

"Twice as much?"

Hibel stood up, her voice filled with excitement.

"Sell it all to me, and I won't charge you for today's lesson or appraisal fee. What do you think?"

"Senior Sister," Karl didn't decide immediately. Instead, he asked, "Is this item very important to you?"

"This..." Hibel paused for a moment before nodding.

"Potions that can increase Mental Power are important to every Wizard Apprentice, and I'm no exception."

"Because of The Church's existence, undead creatures rarely appear in this world, making Necromancer Dust very rare. That's why I got a little excited."

She wasn't lying.

There was no need to lie; this was all basic knowledge in the Wizarding world, and Karl would learn it sooner or later.

"Senior Sister," Karl said.

"You can have the item, but I don't want to offset the lesson fee."

"Oh!" Hibel's beautiful eyes moved.

"Then what do you want?"

"This..." Karl tentatively asked.

"Sorcery?"

"Impossible," Hibel shook her head.

"Not to mention that your Meditation Method hasn't even begun to take shape, so you can't learn Sorcery. Besides, this Necromancer Dust isn't worth that much."

"Hmm..."

"However, there is a cantrip. I wonder if you're interested?"

"Cantrip?" Karl straightened his back.

"What is a cantrip?"

"You can think of it as a simpler Zero-ring Witchcraft. The cantrip I can teach you is called Light Spell."

Hibel lowered her voice and gently pointed her index finger forward.

Her finger was slender and fair, like a piece of jade bamboo shoot, a perfect work of art. But what drew more attention was her fingertip.

A gleam of light gathered at her fingertip before suddenly exploding. The dazzling white light made Karl instinctively close his eyes.

It lasted only a moment.

Everything returned to normal.

"This is Light Spell," Hibel said.

"Without preparation, it can affect vision and has a certain weakening effect on shadow creatures. If controlled stably, it can also provide continuous illumination in darkness."

Light Spell?

Karl stroked his chin.

This cantrip wasn't powerful. When facing an enemy who was prepared, it could even be considered useless. However, it could certainly startle someone if encountered unexpectedly.

Moreover...

It seemed very suitable for the dark environment of Black City. He immediately clapped his hands.

"Deal!"

Hibel pursed her lips and smiled.

The Light Spell was worthless to her. Being able to exchange it for key ingredients for potions that increased Mental Power was a good deal.

"Senior Sister," Karl said again.

"Can I learn to refine potions?"

"Of course, no problem," Hibel replied affirmatively. "Our mentor's major is Pharmacy. How could his student not understand knowledge related to potions?"

"However..."

"You understand."

Karl gave a dry laugh.

He did understand.

Knowledge required payment.

He just hadn't expected that learning to make potions in the Wizard's world would be so expensive, and its complexity even surpassed learning the Lesser Force Field.

Herbalism, Compendium of Low-level Enchanted Drugs, Detailed Biology, and even anatomy...

These books were all essential introductory texts for Pharmacy. Each was as thick as a dictionary and not cheap, costing at least one to several Gold Coins.

And attending lectures required separate payment.

By the time Karl left the manor, his pockets were empty. The wealth he had obtained from traveling to another world was depleted, and he even had to owe the fare for the carriage.

His expression was extremely grim.

Fortunately, his gains were substantial.

Just like the Lesser Force Field, learning the Light Spell also required meeting certain prerequisites.

Fundamental Principles of Light, Eight Elements of Stable Light Sources, Arcane Principles. However, he had already studied Arcane Principles, which would save some time.

"Many Sorcery principles are universal. Therefore, after mastering one type of Sorcery, learning other types becomes much smoother."

Karl put down the books and picked up a crystal ball beside him.

This was an enchanted item he had bought from Hibel, costing him half of his savings.

For an enchanted item, it was quite cheap.

It could be used three times.

He checked it one by one, ensuring there were no errors.

It would automatically become scrap after three uses.

Crystal balls with near-infinite uses also existed, like the one Hibel held, but they were by no means obtainable for a mere few Gold Coins; they required trading Magic Stones.

The Sorcery imbued within the crystal ball was the Scrying Spell, which could help the holder understand their own condition in depth.

The crystal ball, about the size of a human head, was not heavy. It was likely not solid inside, and one could see ripples resembling water waves.

"Scrying Spell?"

Karl steadied himself and, following the method Hibel had taught him, held his breath and placed his hands on the crystal ball.

He uttered strange syllables:

"Hng... Ou..."

The next moment.

Karl's body trembled. He felt a faint warm current emerge from the crystal ball, flowing into his limbs and bones.

The warm current came and went quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it retreated back into the crystal ball. The interior of the crystal ball also changed. The originally clear water flow was now filled with various colors, fluctuating incessantly.

Different colors could be analyzed into corresponding data.

"Constitution level one, Mental Power level one and a half, Sorcery Talent level four..."

"Hmm."

After some thought, Karl held the crystal ball and went to the Divine Domain.

He was curious. If he cast the Scrying Spell here, would the results be different?

"Hng... Ou..."

On the ancient, mysterious chair, Karl uttered the syllables. Before the crystal ball could show the results, a strange feeling surfaced in his heart.

It seemed...

In this Divine Domain, he already possessed the ability to scry?

His eyes flickered, and he gently raised his hand, following some instinct hidden deep within his mind, and waved it forward.

"Whoosh!"

Starlight gathered before him, transforming into a text display.

Name: Karl (Lord of the Divine Domain Fragment)

Physique: 0.77

Mental Power: 0.96

Source Quality: 0

Profession: Knight Squire, Wizard Apprentice (Untrained)

"This actually works!"

He received a response, and compared to the vague classifications from the crystal ball, the Divine Domain provided clearer and more precise numerical values, along with additional information.

However, the talent level was gone, replaced by an inexplicable Source Quality.

"Lord of the Divine Domain Fragment?"

Here, Karl's emotions remained completely calm; there was only absolute rationality, thus no excitement or agitation. He calmly analyzed:

"Meaning, this is a fragment of some Divine Domain. Since it's a fragment, it must have been whole once."

"I am the Lord of the fragment..."

"If I can obtain other fragments, can I become the Lord of the Divine Domain?"

"What exactly is a Divine Domain? Is the Lord of a Divine Domain a Deity? Or is there some relationship with Deities?"

Many questions remained unanswered, so he decided to stop thinking about them. However, he was certain that the Divine Domain fragment likely possessed other abilities yet to be discovered.

Just like this time.

If he hadn't brought the crystal ball, Karl probably would have never known that within this Divine Domain fragment, his own strength could be presented before him in a quantifiable way.

Concise and clear, easy to understand at a glance.

Returning to reality, Karl suppressed his fluctuating emotions and, as usual, attempted to practice the Contemplation Method before sleeping.

This time, whether it was a breakthrough after long accumulation or a natural progression, he succeeded in one go.

Contemplation Method, entry-level!