Runology and Potioncraft

The next day, Dago got up early.

Ever since he had learned the Ice Crystal Technique, he had found a clever use for it.

He could keep hunted venison chilled with ice, so there was no longer any need to make jerky.

Fresh chilled venison would surely sell like hotcakes at the town butcher shop.

No sooner said than done, Dago set off for his hunting grounds in the forest at sunrise to look for prey.

His luck was good. At a water source, he easily killed a Swift Deer.

After skillfully skinning it, cutting off the meat, and packing it up, rings of light flowed through Dago's eyes as he murmured the Ice Crystal Technique's incantation.

He controlled the output of ice elements with his mental power, and wisps of cold air curled around the venison.

Once he had packed up the hide and meat, he slung them over his shoulder and headed toward the shelter.

Before long, he returned to the shelter and washed the remaining bloodstains from his body.

He took off his light hunting clothes and changed into the Academy's apprentice robe.

He pulled out his brass pocket watch and checked the time. It was exactly eight in the morning.

He planned to reach Ainak Wizard Academy before nine to attend his mentor's public lecture.

So time was tight.

With the venison over his shoulder and a waterskin and cloth bag in hand, Dago entered the forest.

He knew the direction of every leaf and the moss on every stone by heart, as though he were reading a map carved into the earth.

He moved quickly, and beneath his loose apprentice robe was a strong, sturdy body.

Before long, he arrived at the town butcher shop and skillfully unloaded the venison onto the chopping block.

The plump butcher was busy cutting up pork. When he looked up and saw Dago...

He stopped what he was doing and walked over.

He touched the chilled venison on the chopping block.

"Dago, how did you keep today's venison chilled? That's a rare commodity that's very popular in town."

The butcher was briefly surprised, then smiled brightly as he spoke.

"My magic has improved a little. Nothing much. So, about the price..."

Dago panted heavily beside the wooden rack next to the chopping block.

"Naturally, I won't shortchange a future great wizard like you."

The butcher took out three times the usual amount of Magic Stone Shards for venison jerky from the pouch at his waist and handed them to Dago.

Dago fell silent for a moment, knowing there was some flattery mixed into the offer.

Still, he accepted it, then sold the deer hide to the leather shop owner as usual.

After passing through the filthy market in the town's residential district, Dago finally stepped onto the somewhat cleaner main road.

It was now 8:40. Dago jogged toward Ainak Wizard Academy.

With a beep, the device at the Academy gate flashed green, and he ran straight toward the Academy's main castle.

"Huff... huff..." Dago bent over outside the ice-element classroom, gasping for breath.

Good thing I made it, he thought as he panted.

When he entered, apprentices were still seated in small groups of two or three, and there seemed to be even fewer than last time.

The small classroom contained only the soft rustle of turning pages. No one even blinked at the arrival of another person.

As expected of the Academy's ice-element class, none of them were particularly lively.

Dago followed the routine, found an empty seat, and sat down.

He went along with the crowd and pretended to read his black-covered wizard book.

Before long, Wizard Rosalyn slowly entered the classroom with her lecture notes in her arms.

A faint cold wind stirred, and only then did the apprentices turn their attention to the podium.

"Today, we will review the basic knowledge of wizards: Runology and Potioncraft."

Wizard Rosalyn swept her gaze across the classroom, nodded at Dago, and set down her lecture notes.

"First, what are runes? They are the crystallization of the wisdom and painstaking efforts of countless wizards, and an immensely important component of the wizard power system."

"The discovery of runes solved the problems of lengthy casting times and complicated spell preparations, lowered the threshold for casting magic, and directly created an incomparably glorious age of wizards."

"Whenever the radiance of the Origin Moon shines, at least one rune is created somewhere in the world, while at least one rune is silently forgotten and buried away..."

"It is a tedious and complex art. A single high-level rune may take a wizard's entire life to uncover. It is a wondrous and beautiful symbol of heaven and earth, a gift nature has bestowed upon humanity."

Wizard Rosalyn began by introducing Runology.

"Now for the key point: runes cannot be used directly. They must be inscribed onto equipment, which gave rise to the profession of rune inscriber."

"Runes can absorb and store free energy particles from nature, then be activated and deactivated through mental power. Every rune has its own unique effect."

"For example, this wizard robe I am wearing is inscribed with two low-level runes: [Cleansing Rune] and [Amplification Rune]. [Cleansing Rune] removes dust and stains from my robe, while [Amplification Rune] magnifies my voice."

As Wizard Rosalyn spoke, she raised her hand and displayed the two runes engraved on the silver-threaded cuff of her sleeve.

The apprentices watched enviously. After all, inscribing even a single rune was not cheap.

Apprentice robes merely used slightly better materials and had nothing special about them.

A mentor's robe inscribed with [Cleansing Rune], however, came with its own cleaning function. Even if it was worn for months without being changed, it would remain clean and fresh, without so much as a speck of dirt.

That was the true luxury of Ainak Wizard Academy.

"Next is Potioncraft. I believe many of you have already consumed Mental Potion. It is the most common potion in the Wizarding World and is used to improve Meditation Method cultivation."

"A wizard may drink more Mental Potion than water over the course of their life."

"Potions are usually made in crucibles from ingredients with magical properties, and they can produce different effects on those who drink them."

"They have widespread applications in the Wizarding World, including treating illnesses, strengthening magical abilities, altering the forms of matter, and more."

"Making potions requires specific equipment, such as silver or brass crucibles, glass or crystal potion bottles, silver daggers, mortars and pestles, scales, and so on."

"Runology and Potioncraft are fundamental fields of wizard knowledge. They are techniques that can be studied for a lifetime, as well as important sources of income for wizards."

"Once you master either Runology or Potioncraft, you will enjoy wealth and prosperity for the rest of your life."

Dago immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge, listening to Wizard Rosalyn's words in rapt fascination.

The brief thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Many apprentices already had some foundation in these subjects. Once the lecture ended, they packed up their notes and books and left the classroom.

Dago found Wizard Rosalyn and respectfully performed a disciple's salute from the Wizarding World.

"Thank you once again for the Ice Crystal Technique you gave me last time."

Dago spoke with complete sincerity.

"It was a small matter. How is your Ice Crystal Technique progressing? Have you encountered any problems in your training?"

Wizard Rosalyn waved a hand dismissively.

"I can already cast it successfully, but I've been busy hunting in the forest to earn Magic Stones, so I don't have the best control over it yet."

Dago scratched the back of his head and answered honestly.

"Hunting to earn Magic Stones? That method is rather clumsy. A wizard apprentice should focus mainly on learning magic."

"Still, your talent is fairly decent. Here, these are some of my insights into Potioncraft. You can try studying them."

Wizard Rosalyn looked at Dago with some surprise, then pulled a sheet of paper from her lecture notes and handed it to him.

"Wizard Rosalyn, you are a guide of wisdom. With the spark of knowledge, you ignite the desire to learn and lead me from confusion toward conviction."

Dago was overjoyed and praised her with heartfelt emotion.

"All right, all right. Things around the Academy have not been peaceful lately. I may have duties to attend to and be away from the Academy soon. Study diligently. When I return, I hope to see your progress."

Wizard Rosalyn patted Dago's shoulder with her withered hand, then turned away.

"I promise I'll improve."

Dago called after Wizard Rosalyn's departing figure.

He returned to the quiet classroom, found a seat, and began studying what Wizard Rosalyn had given him.

At the top of the page was the title: "On the Brewing of Mental Potion."

As everyone knew, the main ingredient of Mental Potion was Moonlight Flower petals. This was a publicly known potion formula in the Wizarding World.

Moonlight Flower was a pale purple blossom that emitted a soft glow at night and had petals as thin and light as gauze.

The current primary brewing method for Mental Potion was to first place twelve shade-dried Moonlight Flower petals into a mortar and grind them into fine powder, then prepare an appropriate amount of Dew of the Rising Sun and Two-Eared Grass.

Add all the ingredients to a silver crucible, heat the crucible with magical flames, and maintain a moderate stirring speed with a glass stirring rod so the potion mixed evenly.

After the potion had simmered for twenty minutes and purple mist rose from the crucible, quickly connect it to a glass condensation tube to cool it, then bottle it in a glass potion vial.

That produced one bottle of Mental Potion.

At the end, Wizard Rosalyn stated that Moonlight Flower was a mild magical plant that grew by absorbing the moonlight of the [Origin Moon], and it preferred cold to heat.

During the process of heating it with magical flames, much of the Moonlight Flower's medicinal potency was destroyed.

Therefore, Rosalyn believed that only a method requiring no heat could perfectly extract the Moonlight Flower's medicinal properties.

However, she had searched for such a method without success, and her words were filled with regret.

Dago seemed to think of something and abruptly rose from his seat.

"Isn't this the Cold-Extraction Method? A method of extracting target substances through prolonged soaking at low temperatures. The gentle extraction conditions preserve more heat-sensitive components."

He muttered to himself, then hurried from the classroom, intending to tell Mentor Rosalyn about the method.

After asking several apprentices, Dago finally found the mentors' research office, where most of them rested and discussed teaching matters.

When he pushed open the door, he found a large room with only a few wizards seated at desks, discussing something.

"Someone discovered traces of Black-Robed Wizards deep in the Emerald Forest. I heard they are wizards who came from the Dark Crystal Highlands."

"Ainak Academy takes this matter very seriously and has sent quite a few Academy wizards to investigate. I heard fighting has already broken out."

Dago inadvertently overheard part of their conversation. Their words carried an urgent sense that dark clouds were bearing down on the city.

"Ahem, greetings, mentors. May I ask if Wizard Rosalyn is here?"

Dago first cleared his throat, then asked.

"Mentor Rosalyn had no classes this afternoon, so she went home early."

One of the middle-aged male wizards answered. Dago could only leave the research office in disappointment.