Letters

Some time ago, Kenna had volunteered to help, yet he had never mentioned payment.

Ian had formed a suspicion. After weighing it over, he decided to make tentative contact. First of all, Kenna's character was beyond reproach.

What he mainly needed to observe were Kenna's teammates. He had never dealt with them before.

Ian vaguely sensed that Kenna was no longer as casual around him as before. In both speech and manner, he took Ian's feelings into consideration.

After talking for a while, the two agreed on a time to formally meet Kenna's other teammates in a few days.

By the time he returned home, it was already late. Ian leaned back in his chair and fell silent.

Kenna was a knight with an unyielding temperament. The enormous change in his attitude toward Ian in such a short time left Ian deeply moved, scenes flashing through his mind one after another:

The surrounding neighbors, all doing their utmost to seek resources outside in order to earn magic stones for lessons...

The weary figures of Low-Level Apprentices on the streets of Nightfall Town...

The pitifully low commissions offered on notice boards...

The expensive potions displayed behind the counters of the Magic Potion Shop...

"Looks like I knew absolutely nothing about the true circumstances of low-level apprentices."

Even after spending nearly two years at the High Tower, he was, in essence, still a child raised in a honey pot!

His aptitude was not bad. He had never endured much hardship, never lacked magic stones, and never ventured into the Wilderness Forest to hunt Magic Beasts...

The original owner's memories had greatly distorted Ian's understanding of this world!

That night, as usual, he finished brewing a potion and began meditating.

[Star-Moon Lower Meditation Method Proficiency +1]

[Star-Moon Lower Meditation Method Proficiency +1]

Less than two hours later, he opened his eyes. The bedroom was pitch-black.

He was not surprised that he had gained one less point of proficiency.

Meditation had now become another level harder. With the same potion, its focus-enhancing effect naturally weakened as well.

It was like asking a pony to pull a heavy cart. How could it possibly run?

As he continued to improve and his drug resistance increased, the proficiency gains would keep decreasing.

Although his maximum meditation time had increased by an hour after his breakthrough, he did not dare cultivate for too long without resolving the problem of Magic Power erosion.

Advancing to Advanced Apprentice required forming twenty-seven Will Runes.

His aptitude was not particularly exceptional. If he wanted to advance quickly, he needed to raise the proficiency of his meditation method in addition to relying on potions.

Otherwise, breaking through within ten years would still be very difficult.

"Looks like it's time to start working on the next formula."

He also needed to buy a Magical Thermostatic Box to store the large quantities of potions he brewed and exchange them for magic stones.

But the thing was extremely expensive, costing a full eighty magic stones. He now had a fairly clear understanding of the purchasing power of a single magic stone.

After today's breakthrough, he planned to rest early. Tomorrow, the magic stones from home would once again arrive at the post station on schedule.

Ian dug out a thick stack of family letters from the corner beside his bed.

Leaning against the headboard, he began reading them carefully and discovered that every one had been personally written by his father, Latour.

"To my beloved Ian, all is well at home, so do not worry. The magic stones have been sent as scheduled. As for your studies now..."

Ian read from beginning to end. When he finished, he sat on the bed in silence for a long while.

Early the next morning, Ian got up early.

After getting himself ready, he headed straight out for Nightfall Town.

With his current strength, he no longer feared Simon coming after him.

Nothing unexpected happened along the way, which surprised Ian somewhat.

"Could Simon really have given up after Kenna drove him away last time?"

But he immediately dismissed that thought. It seemed his opponent intended to strike from the shadows this time!

Outside Nightfall Town, Ian arrived at the post station and saw four or five red carriages parked nearby.

These were the "buses" that traveled to the central High Tower. There were several trips each day, and each ride cost fifty magic stone fragments.

The carriage compartment was enormous, roughly the size of a medium bus from his previous life, and could hold more than twenty passengers.

The carriage frame was forged from refined steel, while the rest was made of thick oak coated with a layer of glossy red paint.

Nearby, more than a dozen docile Camel Beasts were eating fodder.

Their bodies were covered in green scales, and they resembled rhinoceroses, except they were far larger and more imposing.

Beside the carriages, a burly man sat resting on a chair.

Ian recognized him. He was the driver, and his aura was extraordinarily powerful.

This time, Ian had come not only to collect his parcel but also to visit the Academy High Tower and report his advancement.

Each time a student advanced, they could learn one spell corresponding to their new rank for free. He had been looking forward to it for a long time.

After collecting the parcel, he first took out the letter and read it.

The contents were much the same as before. This time, twenty magic stones had also been sent.

His hometown was practically a magicless region. He had no idea what price his family had paid to obtain these magic stones.

Beside the post station, Ian began writing a reply in the original owner's manner of speaking.

"To my beloved father, I have received the magic stones. Your son has now achieved some success in his studies... May this letter carry my distant longing and blessings. I hope Father and Mother remain healthy and safe. Also, there is no longer any need to gather magic stones. Everything is well here, so do not worry!"

After handing the letter to the messenger, he turned and entered the post station.

"Hello, I'm going to the High Tower. Here is the fare." With that, Ian handed over fifty fragments.

"Wait over there. We don't have enough people yet." The burly man accepted the magic stones and replied coldly before continuing his nap.

Ian did not mind. This man belonged directly to the High Tower, so it was normal for him not to think much of Low-Level Apprentices.

Half an hour later, only seven or eight passengers had arrived in dribs and drabs. The burly man stood, harnessed two Camel Beasts, and took his seat at the front of the carriage.

With a crack, he snapped his whip, signaling everyone to board.

Ian followed the others into the carriage and chose a window seat.

The seats inside were separated by individual Planks, preventing passengers on either side from seeing one another.

Ian was quite satisfied with this design. It greatly reduced friction between passengers.

Once the carriage started moving, Ian watched the trees by the roadside steadily recede. It was not moving particularly fast.

Nightfall Town was seven or eight li from the High Tower, but the road conditions were poor. Ian had taken this route before, and it only took half an hour to arrive.

They passed through another town along the way, where a few scattered passengers boarded, but the compartment was still not full.

Most Wizard Apprentices chose to walk to the High Tower.

They were not well-off in magic stones to begin with and found the fare rather expensive.

Within fifty li of the High Tower Academy, dozens of settlements were scattered like stars across the land.

There were likely more than ten thousand low- and mid-level apprentices, but they were also eliminated at the fastest rate.

The closer they drew to the High Tower, the more pedestrians appeared on the road. Red-robed figures could occasionally be seen.

Ian did not know how many Advanced Wizard Apprentices Shadowmoon Tower had.

After advancing to Advanced Wizard Apprentice, one could live for up to one hundred and fifty years.

Some of the apprentices currently in the High Tower had entered decades ago and still remained there.

These Advanced Apprentices were the High Tower's strongest means of controlling the outside world.

Whether launching wars abroad or competing for resources, Advanced Apprentices served as the vanguard on the front lines.

Low- and mid-level apprentices were not even qualified to take the field.

As for those Formal Wizards, or beings above Wizards,

they only needed to remain in the rear, deterring enemies of equal strength while enjoying the greatest share of resources.