The enormous Mana Wyrm that could coil around Herad's arm several times ended up as liquid magical energy that barely filled a small bottle.
This was not because the enormous Mana Wyrm was weak, but because liquid magical energy was extremely dense.
Of course, it still fell far short of the water from the Sunwell!
But without access to the Sunwell's water, this liquid magical energy was the best available option.
Looking at the crystal-clear liquid magical energy in the bottle, Herad suddenly felt that warfare had excellent prospects.
Without that hexxer's book, which was somewhere between a spellbook and a diary, Mana Drain would have been much harder to develop.
Even the simplest spell could not be invented on a whim.
Like scientific research, it required a long period of study.
First came a theoretical framework, then practical elements to flesh it out, turning it into reality one step at a time.
The difference was that a mage could complete the entire process alone.
To spread Mana Drain as quickly as possible, Herad slipped into the city through a side gate and headed straight for the Royal Mage Academy.
Meanwhile, the procession entering through the main gate was completely hemmed in by welcoming crowds.
Rommath, who held the title of Grand Archmage, was attending a tedious session of bickering in the Council hall.
When he saw the magical images his student sent, he immediately rose in excitement, turned, and left the Council hall.
Rommath's sudden departure attracted no attention.
Leaving midway through such a large meeting was perfectly normal.
In a pavilion outside the meeting hall, Rommath took the crystal bottle from Herad and held it up to the light to examine its contents.
The liquid magical energy flowed slowly inside the bottle, looking quite viscous.
"So this is mana essence? I never expected it to be so crystal clear!"
This was Rommath's first time seeing mana essence, and the mysterious substance left quite an impression on him.
"Master, that's mostly the crystal bottle's doing. The craftsmen gave it so many facets that even river water would look divine in it!"
Hearing this, Rommath uncorked the crystal bottle and drew out a small glob of liquid magical energy.
Without the bottle to dress it up, the liquid magical energy looked rather ordinary.
Yet seeing its true appearance did not disappoint Rommath.
To a mage, appearances meant little. Practicality was what mattered.
"Hmm, just a colorless, transparent liquid. But its magical fluctuations are strong. It must contain a considerable amount of magical energy!"
Rommath gave a thorough assessment.
"Still, there's something strange about the name 'mana essence.'"
After mulling it over, Rommath gave up on changing the name.
It was the essence of magical energy, so calling it mana essence was perfectly reasonable.
He waved the bottle of mana essence at Herad.
"I'm requisitioning this bottle. I'll pay you back double later."
Naturally, Herad could hardly make his teacher repay him.
"Master, it cost practically nothing. Please, just take it."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Rommath glanced up at the sky and added another remark.
"It's getting late. Hurry along to the victory feast. It's on the main street, with several thousand tables laid out!"
To the High Elves, a feast with thousands of tables was an extraordinary spectacle!
Herad, however, had seen far too many such occasions!
Cities in southern China held open-air banquets during major festivals.
Never mind a few thousand tables; some had more than ten thousand.
Although an open-air feast stretching down an entire street did not interest him, Herad attended anyway.
Silvermoon City's main street was wide enough for eight carriages to travel abreast.
Even with two rows of banquet tables, there was still plenty of room to pass.
People bustled along the street, all preparing for the grand victory feast.
Silvermoon City might not have been large, but its entire food service industry working together could still meet demand.
With perfectly insulated magical devices such as Spatial Items, no one needed to worry about dishes cooling on the way.
Nor was there any risk of spilling them during transport.
All the staff had to do was serve the dishes in order and at the proper intervals.
When the victory feast began, the Council's senior members appeared above the street through Magical Projection, thanking those who had destroyed their old enemy's stronghold.
Destroying the capital of Zul'Aman did not mean the Forest Trolls had been utterly defeated.
But removing that thorn would bring several years of peace to the border regions of Quel'Thalas.
After delivering a round of inspirational platitudes, the Council's senior members returned to their bickering.
This time, however, assessing contributions and deciding appropriate rewards took priority.
The councilors were all highly efficient when it came to rewarding merit.
After all, rewarding achievements was the most important part of waging war!
Herad cared little for such material rewards.
He left before the victory feast had even ended.
His mount, on the other hand, was reluctant to leave.
As omnivores, Hawkstriders could eat most of the food on the tables.
Watching its fellows continue to help themselves to food and drink, the white Hawkstrider kept looking back as it left.
From the look of it, it wished it could leave its head behind to keep eating.
"Move along! Wasn't all that food enough? You've already gotten a whole size bigger!"
The fairly intelligent white Hawkstrider understood its master and picked up speed, chattering indignantly.
Hearing its incessant chirping, the Hawkstriders along the way all raised their heads to look.
But they could do nothing to change the white Hawkstrider's miserable fate.
Once outside the city gates, with the food out of sight, the white Hawkstrider's mood improved considerably.
It soon carried Herad all over Eversong Woods.
Anywhere with a large magical structure attracted plenty of Mana Wyrms.
These mindless energy creatures were extremely sensitive to fluctuations in magical energy.
Without the Warding Array developed to drive them away, the little creatures would have overrun the magical structures.
Yet the moment Mana Wyrms became useful, their fate changed!
Having their mana essence extracted barely provoked a reaction from the Mana Wyrms.
Herad could stand amid a cluster of Mana Wyrms and drain them all at once.
Often, in less than half an hour, the Mana Wyrms that had been everywhere vanished.
With the little creatures suddenly gone, the nearby residents found it a little strange.
But Mana Wyrms formed very quickly.
Before long, new Mana Wyrms would appear.
Then the residents would once again be annoyed by the little creatures flying around all day.
After visiting every large magical structure in Eversong Woods that afternoon, Herad had amassed a substantial haul.
His twenty-liter Glass Jar was almost full!
The only drawback to these endlessly harvestable little darlings was how scattered they were.
Harvesting them meant running all over the place.
Considering how low-level Mana Drain was, Herad decided to integrate it into the Arcane Golems.
Within the Barrier, the Arcane Golems had enough surplus energy to cast a few simple spells.
Casting Mana Drain would certainly be no problem.
The Arcane Golems sat around doing nothing every day. He had to find them something to do.
To spare himself the trouble of collecting magical energy, Herad had plenty of motivation to improve the Arcane Golems!
Before you continue