A Codex of Various Beginner Materials

Leo put away the Magic Stone as Chris and Molly voiced their admiration beside him.

"Leo, you're incredible. He was a wizard, yet he actually compensated you with Magic Stones."

"I was so scared just now that I didn't even dare speak."

Leo shrugged. "I don't think you need to get too hung up on the fact that he's a wizard. We might become wizards ourselves in the future."

Chris said, "You Prossians really have guts. Even if he gave me compensation, I wouldn't have dared take it. He merely touched the wall beside him, and a handprint appeared. If he pressed it onto me, I'm afraid I'd die on the spot."

Hearing Chris say that, Leo nodded slightly.

Power whose principles were unknown truly inspired fear.

Back then, because Lane had so easily killed Prossians, Leo had kept his attitude extremely humble whenever he faced Lane.

But after clearly understanding Lane's methods—

Leo felt that if he encountered Lane now, unless Lane displayed some other unknown means, Leo would no longer fear him as much as he had at first.

Just as Sally had said, knowledge was very important to wizards.

"Let's hurry and leave."

Molly nervously looked left and right as she urged, "What if those wizards come back later to make trouble for us? We won't be able to handle them."

Molly held a map in her hands.

It was the map Sally had given them to help them find the shop Sally had recommended.

Following the map, Leo and the others arrived before a shop with a Woodpecker Hut sign hanging outside.

Molly checked the map and, after confirming it was correct, said, "This is the place."

"Welcome."

Inside the shop, a girl with pointed ears stood behind the counter.

The girl was exceptionally beautiful—among all the girls Leo had seen, she was unquestionably one of the most stunning.

I'd been wondering where I might encounter other demi-humans. I never expected to find an elf here. Leo looked at the elf and examined her carefully. He discovered that her spiritual energy was extremely high, two or three times greater than his own. She might even be on the same level as a wizard who had condensed a Spiritual Seed.

However, Leo did not sense the unique aura of a wizard from the elf.

"Sh-shop owner, h-hello," Chris stammered.

Leo looked at Chris, somewhat speechless. The moment he saw a beauty, his legs had turned to jelly.

The elf smiled. "I am not the shop owner, merely an ordinary sales clerk. May I ask what the wizard lords require?"

"I-I-I..." Chris was so entranced by the elf that he could not even speak properly.

Molly, meanwhile, hurriedly flipped open the little note she had written down.

Whenever she became nervous, she forgot things, so she had made herself a cheat sheet.

Yet in her panic, the cheat sheet fell straight to the floor.

The elf maintained her smile.

Leo helplessly took over. "Miss, we would like to purchase Fish-Fragrant Herb and Black-Tailed Crane Feather."

"Certainly."

When the elf's gaze fell upon the silver badge Leo wore, her professional smile was joined by a trace of deference. "Three wizard lords, the two items you wish to purchase—Fish-Fragrant Herb is for beginning Potionology, while Black-Tailed Crane Feather is for beginning Prophecy Studies, correct?"

Leo nodded. "That's right."

"Every year, wizard apprentices arriving on the wizard ship purchase the things needed to begin these subjects. To make things more convenient for you, we have specifically optimized the process."

The elf pointed to a shelf nearby. "We have placed the items on that shelf. You may search for them yourselves. This service is only available to those like you who have just begun studying these subjects."

Leo frowned. "Search for them ourselves? In other words, we need to find the right items?"

"Yes. This is also an introductory test your mentors have set for you." The elf smiled. "Of course, sometimes luck is also very important."

Leo immediately grabbed Chris and headed toward the shelf.

Chris kept turning back to look at the elf.

Noticing this, the elf smiled, raised her hand at Chris, and waved.

Seeing that, Chris immediately said in a daze, "Leo, she smiled at me. She smiled at me!"

"I know. Stop acting lovesick and hurry up so we can buy our things and go back."

After picking up the cheat sheet from the floor, Molly hurriedly followed Leo to the shelf.

The shelves displayed all kinds of beginner materials for wizard subjects.

Leo and Chris focused their attention on the shelves for introductory Potionology, while Molly looked toward the shelves for the Divination School.

Standing before the shelves, Leo heard the Codex's prompts arise one after another in his mind.

[Fish-Fragrant Herb]

Quality: Inferior

Effect: Used to brew potions that restore spiritual energy. It itself possesses a weak spiritual energy recovery effect.

Cost: 10 Refinement Points

Superior Codex: Basic Potionology

"Cost: 10 Refinement Points."

[Fish-Fragrant Herb]

Quality: Ordinary

Effect: Used to brew potions that restore spiritual energy. It itself possesses a weak spiritual energy recovery effect.

Cost: 50 Refinement Points

Superior Codex: Basic Potionology

[Fish-Tail Herb]

Quality: Inferior

Effect: Similar in appearance to Fish-Fragrant Herb, it is a material used to brew vitality potions.

Cost: 10 Refinement Points

Superior Codex: Basic Potionology

On the shelf for introductory Potionology herbs, Fish-Tail Herb had been placed there to muddle the waters.

Through the Codex's prompts, Leo distinguished it.

Leo swept his gaze across the other materials on the shelf, and collection prompts appeared as well.

[Black-Tailed Crane Feather]

Quality: Inferior

Effect: A divination item capable of touching upon revelations of unknown fate.

Cost: 10 Refinement Points

Superior Codex: Basic Prophecy Studies

[White-Tailed Crane Feather]

Quality: Inferior

Effect: Similar to Black-Tailed Crane Feather, but brings misfortune.

Cost: 10 Refinement Points

Superior Codex: Basic Prophecy Studies

Leo recorded Codices for many inferior-quality items. These Codices each pointed toward beginner materials for various wizard schools.

What was rather ingenious was that, aside from differences in quality, the materials on these shelves had also been mixed with some highly similar fake materials.

However, there were very few of these fakes. Unless one had terrible luck and could not tell them apart, the chances of taking a fake material would be greatly reduced.

Two rules were also written on the shelves.

"Every type of beginner material has different quality grades."

"Based on quality, materials are divided into four grades: inferior, ordinary, high-quality, and perfect."

"Customers who select high-quality materials may purchase them at half price."

"Customers who select perfect materials will receive that material free of charge."

Chris stood before the shelf, glancing at the elf from time to time.

He said, "Leo, I never expected there to be this kind of difficulty in choosing. Still, I think finding perfect-quality herbs can only depend on luck. Let's just pick one that looks good."

As Chris spoke, he reached out and impatiently took out a bundle of Fish-Fragrant Herb.

"I'll choose this one."