Chapter 14 Weapons and Techniques
The currency among wizards is magic stones.
However, the main continent has a large population, and not everyone is a wizard; many mortals still exist, and gold and silver currencies are also in use.
The Quetzal Islands lack the ability to issue currency; all circulating currency is transported from the main continent.
Therefore, the gold and silver coins Lady Grand gave Link can be used at the Living Service Building.
Link has only been to the Living Service Building once and isn't particularly familiar with this four-story building, only knowing its general layout.
The first floor mainly serves food; some aristocratic newcomers who don't like the cafeteria's communal cooking and have some money will come here to improve their meals.
The second floor specializes in various intelligent devices, such as intelligent mechanical puppets and personal AI devices.
Not all newcomers receive a free personal AI device from the academy on the large flying vehicle, but these devices are indispensable for their life and studies at the academy.
Therefore, for those newcomers who didn't receive a free personal AI device and don't have money, the second-floor specialty store offers AI loan services…
The third floor is a large bookstore.
The library mainly contains popular, basic books, with very few books or materials covering advanced knowledge.
Many good books that record advanced and extended knowledge can only be purchased from bookstores, and
the prices are naturally not cheap.
The fourth floor is filled with various shops, offering a dazzling array of goods, but also a mixed bag.
Shopping here requires a keen eye.
Link's needs are clear: a small, sharp weapon, easy to carry, capable of harming second-tier and even third-tier wizard apprentices.
There are many weapons that meet this requirement, mainly runic weapons, and even some magical artifacts.
Runic weapons, or more accurately, runic items, are ordinary items with runes added, giving them special attributes and functions.
However, a few scattered, unsystematic runes cannot fundamentally change an item, so they cannot be called magical artifacts. Their effects are limited, and they are not accepted by formal wizards.
Wizard apprentices and some mortal nobles, on the other hand, like to use runic items.
Link is short of money and naturally cannot afford magical artifacts that can only be purchased with magic stones, so he can only narrow down his choices to runic weapons.
Looking around, Link spotted a spell-breaking crossbow in a second-hand shop.
Whether a soon-to-be second-class wizard apprentice or a third-class wizard apprentice, none of them have completely transcended the realm of mortals. If a crossbow bolt hits a vital spot, it will still cause serious injury, or even death.
The spell-breaking attribute of the crossbow bolts is specifically designed to counter magic spells such as shields and armor.
After some difficult bargaining, Link finally bought the second-hand spell-breaking crossbow, which came with three bolts, for 2 gold coins and 50 silver coins.
He equipped the crossbow immediately after buying it.
This is what it means to be ruthless and talkative.
"You have designs on me, and I'm not afraid to kill you."
Back in his dormitory, Link practiced several scenarios for using the crossbow, such as setting up an ambush, launching a surprise attack, or turning the tables after being knocked down...
He practiced each scenario several times, familiarizing himself with how to fire the crossbow bolt at the most tricky angles and the fastest speed in these situations before finally stopping, satisfied.
He washed up, changed clothes, and meditated.
For a wizard apprentice, meditation is the most important means of increasing strength. Only
through daily practice can one progress.
Link activated "Brain Lock," sinking his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, exchanging the real and illusory relationship between the equilateral triangle of the rune and its reflection. Then, he condensed his mental energy into threads, first tracing the derived rune located at the top corner, then moving to the bottom left corner to trace the water element affinity rune, then moving to the bottom right corner to trace the wood element affinity rune, and returning to the top corner, forming a cycle.
Each cycle consumed 3 standard units of mental energy, and after completing 5 cycles, Link's mental energy was exhausted.
Exiting meditation, although there was no testing or data available, Link intuitively felt a slight increase in his mental energy and the addition of two types of magic within him.
One magic was smooth and nourishing, the other vibrant and life-giving.
Neither of these magics was concentrated in any particular part or organ of his body, but rather dispersed throughout every cell.
Because the quantity was still too small, and Link hadn't yet practiced any methods specifically for using magic to temper his physique, there were no extraordinary effects for the time being.
However, Link was quite satisfied with the effects of tonight's meditation.
Most new recruits, after passing the first two and a half stages of meditation, first imprint a will rune in their sea of consciousness, then continuously meditate on that will rune alone for a period of time.
Only after becoming familiar with the rhythm and state of meditation, and their control over their mental energy being honed, would they proceed to imprint other runes, eventually forming a rune cycle and advancing to the first-class wizard apprentice level.
This process was time-consuming, and the effects weren't particularly noticeable.
Unlike Link, who advanced to a first-class wizard apprentice on his first meditation, and whose mental strength steadily increased with each subsequent meditation, his magic flowed more smoothly.
Simply perfect.
Time for bed.
...
The next day.
The sun rose as usual.
Link got up early, cleaned himself, and went to the cafeteria for breakfast, bathed in the morning glow.
On his way from the cafeteria to the teaching building, Link deeply understood the intense pursuit of a spotless body and fasting by cultivators in his past life.
These unavoidable daily chores were such a waste of time.
Eating was alright;
Link loved good food.
But spending so much time washing and changing clothes every day was unbearable.
Link secretly decided that he must learn a cleansing spell, so that his clothes would be clean in a flash, and his body clean in a flash too!
But witchcraft isn't something you can just learn at will. The course "The Nature, Origin, and Development of Witchcraft" is currently the only course Link has access to regarding witchcraft, but it doesn't include complete witchcraft models.
Courses on witchcraft models won't be offered until next semester.
Link currently only has three possible paths to learning witchcraft ahead of time.
First, he could report his promotion to First-Class Wizard Apprentice to the academy and request any potential benefits or rewards.
Second, he could sift through the thousands of books in the library, searching for rare and precious witchcraft models. Third,
he could buy them from the bookstore in the student services building.
However, each of these paths has its drawbacks.
Buying from the bookstore costs magic stones, and Link hasn't received his annual stipend of three standard level-one magic stones yet; he's penniless.
Finding them in the library is as unlikely as winning the lottery. Considering
everything, reporting to the academy might be the most suitable, albeit a slightly high-profile one, given that the semester has only been underway for two weeks.
Link isn't in a hurry to choose among the three paths.
Let's wait patiently; there might be other options