Mage's Introduction I

With the spoils of their trip in hand, Donald and his three companions soon returned home.

In the mere five days since he first brought back his hunted prey, the old Merlinar estate had undergone a complete transformation.

The once-dilapidated courtyard had been scrubbed clean, and after spending a few Silver Moons to hire a gardener for some landscaping, it looked brand new. The house had also undergone basic repairs, now furnished with a set of simple yet refined furniture.

Over these days, old Code had not only purchased plenty of food and daily necessities but even a few small bags of expensive spices!

He had also hired a commoner woman to serve as a cook and maid. Although the woman's cooking skills were nothing to boast about, she was diligent and kept the house and yard spotless, making her well worth the monthly wage of two Silver Moons that old Code paid her.

By the gods, his current body hadn't tasted the deliciousness of salt-and-pepper roasted lamb chops or potato soup with rosemary in nearly a dozen years!

Now that he had ample funds, he should start preparing the amenities befitting a noble. Power, status! He would eventually grasp them all, one by one!

"Young Master, you've returned!"

Upon entering the house, the steward Code greeted him immediately, reporting the day's expenses.

Donald waved a hand and said:

"Very well, Code. You may handle these household matters yourself from now on; just report to me during the monthly settlement!"

Code's grandfather and father had both served as stewards for the Merlinar family; they were loyal servants for generations. He was only a few years older than Donald's father, but due to the family's decline, he had suffered much to make ends meet and raise Donald to adulthood, which was why he looked much older than his actual age.

Regarding the etiquette between master and servant, Code, who remained unfailingly loyal to the Merlinar family, always held his own principles. Even though Donald treated him like an elder, Code never relied on his seniority to disregard his status as a servant.

"The Young Master has grown up and finally become a true noble. Even if I, Code, were to die now, I could close my eyes in peace! When I return to the kingdom of the gods and meet the old patriarch and the master and mistress, I can say I did not fail their trust!"

After joking around to dismiss Code, who had been in a state of excitement for days, Donald walked briskly and with some anticipation back to his room.

In the master bedroom, now fitted with a new bed, Donald sat down and, by the bright crystal lamp on the nightstand, carefully opened the parchment book.

Elements and Meditation was a foundational mage tutorial written by an Elemental Mage five hundred years ago. Many of its theories were revered by later mages, and Elemental Mages in particular held it as a classic.

The copy Donald had purchased was, of course, not the original, but a transcript made by a later mage. However, for him, urgently needing to enter the path of magic and become an official mage apprentice, this book was comprehensive enough. To pursue deeper or broader knowledge, he would need more mage texts or the guidance of a true mage.

Heh! So that's how it is! Meditation is simply a method of inducing a state of emptiness to access one's mental power. The breathing rhythm and visualization techniques are surprisingly similar to the Qi-refining and Zen-meditation practices of the Taoist and Buddhist schools from my past life!

Seeing this, Donald couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. After all, what young man of his age in his previous life didn't have dreams of martial arts? The education he received from childhood was heavily influenced by heroic tropes.

When he dreamed in the past, he had imagined himself encountering a miraculous opportunity, learning peerless martial arts, striking down foes, punishing evil, and becoming a world-renowned hero!

As he grew older, influenced by fantasy and Xianxia games and novels, he had developed an even greater yearning for magic and sorcery!

Now that a genuine introduction to magic was laid out before him, how could Donald suppress the excitement and agitation in his heart? He didn't even bother reading the theoretical overview of spells later in the book, deciding to master meditation first.

Mentally prepared, Donald set aside the parchment book, sat cross-legged on the bed like the cultivators of his past life, closed his eyes, and began to focus, breathing in deep, rhythmic cycles, striving to enter a meditative state.

Time ticked away. Half an hour passed, and Donald, having found no sensation at all, began to grow restless and irritable.

"Hoo..."

"What's going on?"

"Why can't I find that feeling?"

After persisting for another ten minutes, Donald let out a long sigh and helplessly gave up on further attempts.

Realizing that perhaps his mental aptitude was limited, or that he simply couldn't calm his mind enough to reach a meditative state, he began to seek help from the artifact, the Book of Truth.

As a high-level auxiliary artifact, restricted by the highest authority of its creator, the Book of Truth could not communicate face-to-face with its host like a sentient being. However, it could still perform tasks similar to the electronic intelligence of his past life—detecting items, logical deduction, querying data, and other active or passive functions to help its master resolve problems and doubts.

It could be said that the existence of the Book of Truth was similar to a computer from Donald's past life: it possessed intelligence but lacked autonomous consciousness.

After communicating, regarding Donald's inability to find the sensation required to enter meditation, the Book of Truth scanned his body, quickly reached an analysis, and provided a corresponding solution.

Host Donald's mental potential was indeed lower than the average person; even after merging with a soul, this state had not changed much.

Moreover, as a shut-in, his thoughts were cluttered and his mind scattered. Without systematic training, it was difficult for him to quiet his mind and find the sensation of meditation in a short time. This required long-term training and practice, which was precisely why mages were such a rare profession.

Through his exchange with the artifact, learning of his own aptitude, Donald couldn't help but smile bitterly:

"I thought that by transmigrating, I would become a child of destiny, able to grasp any magic or artifact I wanted! I didn't expect that in this life, I'm still a loser!"

After a moment of decadence, Donald pulled himself together.

"Heh! Fortunately, I have the Book of Truth, this heaven-defying artifact! As long as there is energy, these difficulties are nothing! Any genius will be trampled under my feet!"

The solution provided by the Book of Truth was to raise his mental potential. He could exchange for several items from the World of Warcraft game list, such as the cheapest Minor Purification Potion, which could restore a small amount of mana—that is, mental power—and also serve to purify minor negative states and slightly improve mental focus.

The most obvious effects came from the cultivation books available only in the special shop, such as the Tome of Intelligence. Similar in function to the Book of Strength and Book of Agility, after learning from the Tome of Intelligence, the user's soul potential would be directly improved, including thinking speed, mental power intensity, and both the cap and recovery rate.

There were even higher-level magic items like the Energy Pendant or Magic Pendant, which were accessories that could increase one's maximum mental power when worn.

However, compared to the improvements brought by equipment, Donald valued the Tome of Intelligence, which permanently enhanced his own strength, much more.

Donald checked the exchange price for the Tome of Intelligence.

Tome of Intelligence +1: Increases the user's mental potential by one level, including thinking speed, mental power intensity, and both the cap and recovery rate. Equivalent to a 40% increase in current potential. Requires two units of Low-grade Elemental Crystal.

Furthermore, this enhancement had strict limits. According to the rules of this world, unless the user's life state changed, they could only use the Tome of Intelligence to enhance themselves once in a lifetime. This was a restriction imposed by both the world's rules and the capacity of the user's body and soul. Otherwise, if one could enhance infinitely like in a game, one could overthrow the gods and become a creator god oneself!

When a host had the opportunity to use the Tome of Intelligence for a second enhancement, the energy required would be ten thousand times that of the first, and it would increase further as the host grew stronger. In other words, a second use would require at least twenty thousand units of Low-grade Elemental Crystal.

Aside from the Warcraft cores, Donald had fifty Gold Sol in hand, thirty of which had been spent on the introductory mage books. Excluding the funds managed by Steward Code, he had twenty Gold Sol remaining. Since the market price for one unit of Low-grade Elemental Crystal was five Gold Sol, this meant he could purchase four units of Low-grade Elemental Crystal. Four units were only enough for him to exchange for one enhancement from the Tome of Intelligence, though he could choose to enhance other attributes of the same level instead.

"It seems the harvest from these past few days won't last long! The Book of Truth is truly a money pit. I must work hard to earn money—that is the key! By utilizing the special abilities of the Book of Truth, I should be able to earn quite a bit of wealth!"

With this thought, Donald rose and left the bedroom to find Steward Code. He handed the Gold Sol in his hand to the steward, instructing him to exchange them for Elemental Crystals in town and to purchase a cartload of iron ore.

Steward Code was somewhat bewildered and raised a question:

"Young Master, what do you need Elemental Crystals and iron ore for? Our family has no use for crystals, and surely you don't intend to abandon your noble status to become a vulgar blacksmith?"

Donald was rendered speechless upon hearing this.

"Why would I become a blacksmith? How much money could a blacksmith possibly make?"

Thinking that some of his secrets should be revealed to his loyal steward, Donald straightened his expression and said:

"Code, have you never wondered how I, with my previously frail body, was able to enter the Green Cloak Forest time and again to hunt so many magical beasts?"

Steward Code did not react with the curious questioning Donald had expected; instead, he smiled with gratification.

"The Young Master has grown up, so naturally, you must have your own secrets. Code is merely a servant; I should not ask about things I am not meant to know!"

Donald felt a warmth in his heart at these words and said softly:

"Code, you are the only family I have in this world. I have always looked upon you as an uncle, so of course, you deserve to know my secrets!"

His tone then shifted, becoming confident and powerful: "Not long ago, I encountered danger in the forest and unexpectedly awakened the potential of a mage—specifically, the rare Summoner class. That is the truth behind how I was able to hunt those magical beasts!"

Upon hearing this, Code's tall frame trembled.

"Young Master... you have truly become a mage!"

Donald nodded solemnly.

"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think those three powerful warriors, Clinton and the others, chose to follow me? They saw my potential and my status as a quasi-noble, which is why they were willing to pledge their loyalty and become retainers of House Merlinar!"

"Haha! Wonderful! Our House Merlinar is to have a mage, and my Young Master shall become a noble among nobles!"

With this explanation from Donald, the worry that had been weighing on Code for the past few days completely dissipated.

Watching the usually steady Code dancing with joy, Donald couldn't help but find it amusing, and from the bottom of his heart, he felt the warmth of familial affection.