Are You There? Answer Now!

Carrying a large pile of materials for making scrolls, Marvin checked into an inn called "Whispering Creek" on the east side of town.

Aside from the Friendly Arm Inn, this was the town's most popular inn, catering mainly to mid- and high-level adventurers, as well as moderately wealthy merchants and travelers.

For five silver coins a day, he could rent a suite with its own toilet and bathtub.

The room's walnut bed was fitted with a wool blanket and a high-quality linen mattress stuffed with feathers, soft and comfortable. The table, chairs, cabinets, safe, and other furnishings were all provided as well.

Three meals were supplied each day and delivered to the room by a waiter.

A single job had brought a massive improvement to his living conditions. Lying on the soft bed, Marvin felt optimistic about the future.

Before long, the waiter brought dinner.

The main course was truffle steak.

Fresh venison ribs were selected, marinated in salt and spices for half an hour, then placed in a pot with a bottle of Moonshadow Island brandy and stewed for another half hour before being removed.

They were then brushed with honey and a secret mushroom sauce before being roasted until fully cooked.

Finally, it was served with asparagus and a few slices of truffle, completing the dish.

The surface of the steak was crisp, fragrant, and sweet, while the meat inside was tender and juicy.

He cut off a piece, soaked it thoroughly in sauce, and placed it in his mouth. After a few casual chews, it turned into a rich, savory broth that slid down his throat into his stomach.

He ate a few bites of meat, then took a mouthful of lettuce salad to cut the richness, repeating the cycle until the plate was empty.

He then dipped two dinner rolls in the remaining sauce and drained the apple juice in one go.

Marvin patted his belly and let out a long breath, thoroughly satisfied with the meal.

He had been able to indulge in good food before transmigrating. If he had to gnaw on black bread every day after transmigrating, wouldn't that make the whole thing pointless?

As long as he had the means, Marvin had no intention of depriving himself when it came to food, clothing, shelter, and travel.

After eating and resting for a while, Marvin sat down at the desk and began copying scrolls.

He spread out a sheet of magical parchment, then snapped his fingers and summoned Mage's Quill.

It looked no different from an ordinary feather quill, but on closer inspection, tiny droplets of magical energy could be seen dripping from its tip.

When a mage cast spells, the magic they drew upon came from the portion of the Weave covered by their own mental power, which counted as "private property."

Copying a scroll, meanwhile, involved extracting magic from the public Weave, using ink as the medium and paper as the vessel to shape and store a spell.

Thus, copying scrolls did not consume spell slots. However, the spell to be copied had to be prepared in advance.

Generally speaking, a mage had to work with complete concentration for eight hours to copy a first-circle spell scroll.

The higher the level of the scroll, the more time it took to copy.

Copying a ninth-circle spell scroll required one hundred and twenty working days!

Fortunately, Marvin's various specialties worked together to drastically reduce the copying time.

Since none of the four spells he had prepared today belonged to the Abjuration school, Marvin settled for the next best thing and chose to copy [Grease].

From six to ten, four hours passed in the blink of an eye.

For Marvin, who had often spent more than a dozen consecutive hours drafting in his previous life, this level of desk work was nothing.

When Mage's Quill drew the final magical rune, the magic on the parchment seemed to flow together, forming an organic whole.

This was the sign that the scroll had been successfully created.

"You have successfully created a first-circle spell scroll. During this process, your mental power formed a full connection with the Weave. You gained 5 experience points."

"Grease proficiency +1. Current: Beginner 12/30."

Preparing spells, copying scrolls, or simply meditating could all allow a mage's mental power to connect with the Weave, improving their perception and control of magic.

Marvin made a rough calculation.

If he worked ten hours a day and copied five Abjuration scrolls, he could gain twenty-five experience points.

He currently had 230 experience points and needed another 670 to reach the next level.

In other words, even if he simply stayed at the inn copying scrolls, he could reach level 3 in less than a month.

And he would gain over a hundred scrolls in the process!

Of course, that was only the ideal scenario. The actual result would definitely be less favorable.

Moreover, every time he copied a scroll, it was equivalent to going through the entire spellcasting process of "extracting energy and shaping a spell," which could also raise spell proficiency.

Marvin checked his spell list and discovered that only five first-circle spells had reached maximum proficiency.

Those five included [Tasha's Hideous Laughter] and [Feather Fall], which he had learned through the system when he leveled up previously.

Those were cheats, so he set them aside for now.

The other three were [Speak with Animals], [Burning Hands], and [Tenser's Floating Disk].

No wonder he had not received any proficiency increase notifications when casting them before.

Marvin recalled the original owner's life in the mage tower and realized that these were the three spells he had used most often.

[Speak with Animals] was used to command the cats kept in the mage tower to catch mice, preventing the detestable rodents from chewing up precious books.

[Burning Hands] was used to incinerate certain experimental waste products. This magic-infused garbage was extremely dangerous and could only be harmlessly disposed of with magical flames.

[Tenser's Floating Disk] was specifically for moving heavy objects.

Over ten years of being worked like a beast of burden, the original owner had forcibly grinded the proficiency of those three spells to the maximum. Marvin did not know whether to admire his perseverance or lament his misery.

Improving spell proficiency could enhance a spell's effects, reduce the chance of mistakes, and allow the caster to successfully cast it even amid all kinds of interference.

It was said that after fully mastering a spell, one could even break down its structural principles, improve it, or perhaps create entirely new spells.

Staying in the inn and copying spell scrolls could earn money, gain experience points, and increase spell proficiency.

This safe, threefold-beneficial life suited Marvin perfectly.

As for when the two quests would be completed, he was in no hurry.

Beep beep beep beep...

The next morning, Marvin had just dragged himself out of the warm, soft bed when he heard a rapid series of chimes.

By reflex, he reached to turn off his phone alarm, only to suddenly realize that he had already transmigrated.

After staring blankly for a while, Marvin laughed at himself and began searching for the source of the sound.

It turned out to be the magic necklace he had obtained from the Gelatinous Cube's stomach yesterday.

After getting it yesterday, he had used his specialized [Arcana] skill to appraise the necklace.

The magical items of Faerûn were divided into six grades: common, fine, rare, wondrous, legendary, and artifact.

The magic necklace Marvin had obtained was enchanted with an improved [Message] array, allowing text messages to be transmitted within a range of fifteen miles.

It could also store the thirty most recent messages for review at any time.

[Message] was merely a cantrip. This necklace was a common magical item and was not worth much.

Marvin had carefully examined the necklace and, after confirming that it carried no tracking spell, tossed it aside.

Who would have thought that this necklace would give Marvin such a "surprise" this morning?

"Are you there? You've been out of contact for ten days. Why haven't you reported the mission's progress?"

"Answer now! If your actions are too slow and delay the master's grand plan, none of you will escape!"

"The master has already sent his most loyal servant to take over your work. You will become puppets who know neither exhaustion nor pain. While you still possess free will, make the most of your time trembling!"

After reading only the three latest messages, Marvin realized that the gnome owner of the Friendly Arm Inn seemed to have gotten himself into serious trouble.