Meditation

The last item left in the Spatial Ring was a magic book. Edward sensed that its cover was made of unknown leather, covered in mottled cracks, making it appear ancient. It lay quietly in the dark space, faintly emitting an eerie red light.

Familiar with the tropes of web novels from his past life, Edward suppressed his curiosity and didn't take the book out. It clearly felt strange. He figured if he took it out, some kind of curse might befall him, and it would be troublesome if he couldn't get rid of it. If it were a tracking curse, he might be hunted by the entire Vampire clan and forced to wander the world.

Edward considered himself a homebody. Going out occasionally was fine. But to wander the world out of curiosity, embarking on the cliché of "defeating the son only to attract the father," wasn't worth it.

The two aliases Edward had adopted back then, "Destroyer Dragon of the Empire," was given by the Ayrland Empire's General Police Department after he caused a few explosions in secluded areas, destroying some abandoned buildings. "Silver-Winged Magician" was purely an alias created to steal things he needed; the tactic of creating a diversion was very effective. To this day, Edward hadn't actually killed a "person."

He used to wonder why other transmigration protagonists, who also received nine years of compulsory education, could be so amazing, capable of dominating from the moment they woke up. Why couldn't he overcome that mental hurdle?

He repeatedly warned himself that curiosity killed the cat. He decided to let the magic book lie in the Spatial Ring. It didn't take up space and didn't even affect other items. He had tested it before: he put his homemade stinky tofu into the Spatial Ring, took it out a few days later, and none of the other items smelled. The Spatial Ring seemed to isolate each item placed inside. This was one of the characteristics of the Spatial Ring he had discovered.

After putting away the cleaned gold coins and various gems, he checked the time. It was getting late, but he wasn't sleepy. Thinking that he hadn't properly cultivated in a long time, he tidied up his alchemy laboratory, returned to his room, changed into his pajamas, and began meditating.

The day before yesterday, after crafting the two Black Knives for Monica, he had nearly depleted the 'Mana Spring' in his sea of consciousness. So, he decided to do some last-minute preparation, upgrading his 'Spiritual Root'. This involved implanting the Magic Array from the formal AlchemistMeditation Method beneath the existing Magic Array in his body. He also added switches to both Magic Arrays.

Perhaps it was due to the 'Super Magic' material, Carbon Nanotubes, that the new 'Spiritual Root' worked surprisingly well. If the first-level apprentice Magic Array felt like drops of water falling into his 'Mana Spring' when running, the second-level Magic Array felt like a downpour. Therefore, he dared not keep it active for too long. This speed of absorbing magic could allow for rapid recovery, but prolonged use would be too much for his body. Moreover, the mental energy consumed still needed to be recovered through genuine meditation or sleep.

As his spirit sank into his sea of consciousness, the "water level" of the Mana Spring had risen to ten times its height when he had just Advanced. His current magic power perfectly matched his mental strength. But why was there still so much remaining space in his sea of consciousness? It seemed the " Spiritual Root" he had created earlier was quite extraordinary.

Suppressing the urge to activate the second " Spiritual Root" to fill his sea of consciousness, he began to sketch a new Magic Array in his sea of consciousness using his mental energy.

It was amusing, his Meditation Method required him to sketch the Magic Array in his sea of consciousness with a single stroke as much as possible. If not possible, he had to use the fewest strokes. The smoother the sketch, the faster and more effective the meditation.

Wasn't this just an elementary school math problem? To determine if a figure could be drawn with a single stroke, it needed to have 0 or 2 odd-degree points. For other figures, the minimum number of strokes equaled the number of odd-degree points divided by 2. Yet, at the Magic Academy, no one taught this. The Tutor would simply give you a Magic Array and have you try to draw it in your sea of consciousness.

Taking the simplest Concentric Hexagram Array as an example, he could draw it with a single stroke, while other students had to first draw a circle and then draw an equilateral triangle and an inverted equilateral triangle inside. He estimated that some people might quickly find the trick, but they were all secretive, unwilling to share. Furthermore, he had been discriminated against at the Magic Academy back then and couldn't be bothered to share any tricks.

Soon, a rather complex figure was completed by him using his mental energy as a pen at the top of his sea of consciousness. The Magic Array, shimmering with an unusual light, illuminated the entire sea of consciousness. A "light rain" began to fall within his sea of consciousness. This light rain was drops of magic power, nourishing his sea of consciousness and his soul. A strange sense of pleasure arose, surpassing the desires for food and procreation. This was a manifestation of mental energy growth and a reward for life advancing to a higher level.

He mused, no wonder many Mages were single. It wasn't because being a "virgin" made one a Mage, but rather that becoming a Mage made one no longer need a girlfriend. This was far more satisfying than "the five sisters"...

His whimsical thoughts didn't last long. The shimmering Magic Array disappeared. He felt a sense of loss. Then, he rallied his spirits, picked up his "pen" in his sea of consciousness, and began the second round of sketching...

After an unknown amount of time, he faintly heard a ringing sound. It was the doorbell outside. Reluctantly, he withdrew from his sea of consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he felt full of energy. A faint light was already shining through the curtains outside. He glanced at the wall clock; it was already 6 AM.

Still in his pajamas and slippers, he jogged to the Backyard door to open it.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Princess Andrea, Captain of the Knights Reinhardt, Mage Alice, and Priest Elwin standing at the entrance, followed by a large contingent of City Guards. The Princess and the Captain of the Knights were clad like metal cans, their expressions quite tense. The beautiful mage was also wearing a Robe, holding her exquisite magic staff. Even Elwin was carrying a wooden staff taller than himself.

"What is this?" Edward thought the Princess had brought people to raid his house, given the grand display.

"Edward, something's happened!" Princess Andrea said urgently.

"What is it? Don't rush, come inside," Edward said calmly.

Princess Andrea showed no intention of entering and said urgently:

"Yesterday, on the ship heading to White Eagle Port, and at the Flower Hotel, there were Vampire murders! We believe Vampires have infiltrated White Eagle City, and we're preparing to impose a city-wide curfew. Hurry and get dressed, we'll go search for the Vampires together!"

"Ah, those two things actually killed people. Seems they deserved their fate. Alright, tell your people to disperse and do whatever they need to do. You four, come in for some tea. I'll explain the details." Edward said with a look of sudden realization.

Andrea stepped inside, grabbed Edward's wrist, and asked urgently, "When you say 'those two things,' do you mean two Vampires came? I received news this morning that the Vampires likely disembarked yesterday during the day. Vampires that can move during the day are monsters of Great Knight level or higher. Did those two Vampires come to see you yesterday?"

"Mhm, it was nothing major. Just two guys calling themselves Counts came to cause trouble, and I took care of them." He said nonchalantly, as if killing two chickens last night had been that easy. Then he said to them, "You guys probably haven't eaten yet, it's so early. How about we have breakfast together?"