The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Chapter 711 Dream World 49
"Teacher! You're awake!" Moran turned around and smiled brightly, her pure black eyes gleaming with golden light in the fireplace glow. "I've made something delicious, it'll be ready soon!"

Martina's hurried steps suddenly slowed down. She coughed lightly, gave a nonchalant "hmm," and walked to her usual spot in front of the fireplace to sit down.

Shiguai leaned against the chair, her thin fingers unconsciously rubbing the armrest.

The fire in the fireplace burned quietly, its orange-red flames gently licking the bottom of the iron pot.

Martina stared intently at the food bubbling in the pot: the thinly sliced ​​rock mushrooms had turned brownish-yellow, and the shady grass had curled into elegant spirals, emitting a warm, cinnamon-like aroma.

In the corner, a few shadow insects peeked out from the cracks in the cupboard, their antennae swaying gently with the rhythm of stir-frying.

Martina's shadow swayed slightly on the wall, presenting a relaxed posture.

"Teacher, try this." Moran suddenly handed over a small plate containing several golden-brown fried foods. "These are fried sweet potatoes I made following a recipe from 'The Complete Guide to Shadow Clan Home Cooking.' Do you like them?"

Martina took the plate, bent down and took a bite. Beneath the crispy outer layer was a smooth and sweet filling, carrying the unique warmth of the sunshine.

"...It's alright," she finally commented, but then finished all the food on her plate.

Then, as if casually asking, "Have you finished reading all the books on the bookshelf?"

After all, she had read the cookbook that she had casually tucked into the corner of the cupboard.

"Hmm!" Moran nodded with shining eyes, full of anticipation, and said, "Teacher, according to Chapter 3, Section 7 of the 'Shadow Clan Family Training Manual,' 'After the child masters shadow walking and basic shadow texture theory, he can try to raise his first shadow pet,' can we learn that next?"

Martina's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. This little monster had actually figured out the training manual on his own!

She took a deep breath, trying to convince herself that it was a good thing her apprentice was exceptionally talented, but as his teacher, she still needed to be cautious and responsible for him. "Your level is still too low, and your shadow power is too weak..."

Before he finished speaking, Moran had already deftly pulled out the "Shadow Hunter Job Invitation" from his backpack and used it in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, he used up all the experience points he had accumulated from learning skills in Cuimu Village.

I originally intended to save these experience points for later exploration areas; once used to level up, they would be wasted after job change.

Now she had to bring it up so that the teacher would have more confidence in her abilities and not let the issue of the power of shadow delay the progress of the course.

A strange resonance filled the air, Moran's aura rose steadily, and the dark shadows beneath her gray-white skin lit up.

Level 1, Level 10, Level 20. Finally, it stopped steadily at the threshold of Level 35.

Martina's stone cane clattered to the ground, pulled by its shadow.

Martina opened her mouth, but in the end she just rubbed her temples wearily.

Oh well, even if this little monster plucked the moon off the ground and kicked it like a ball, she wouldn't be any more surprised. This is just another level up; adventurers level up quickly anyway.

She began, her voice dry and strained:
"Your current shadow power is sufficient... but it's best to raise shadow pets gradually, from simple to difficult."

After all, cultivating a shadow from scratch is incredibly time-consuming; most of the time, you'll need to borrow strength from other shadows. This is also a good opportunity to hone your shadow-hunting skills. The shadows of still objects are the most docile, so start by taming still object shadows!

Moran had no objection to this, nodding obediently as if listening attentively.

Martina sighed: "Everything in my house bears my mark in its shadow."

She looked around, her brow furrowed. "Do you have any small, unimportant items on you? Take a few out and use them as practice materials."

This was supposed to be a lesson a month from now, and she hadn't even had time to prepare the teaching materials. If the little monster didn't have anything suitable with him, she'd probably have to go to the village's general store to buy some.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Having read so many books, Moran naturally understood the consequences of failed taming, which would damage the shadow's original form.

She deftly took out a white porcelain tea set and neatly placed it on the table: "Use this!"

The tea set gleamed in the firelight, with twelve teacups, a teapot, and a tea tray—enough for her to practice repeatedly.

Even if you break a few, it won't hurt; with a little magic, you can make another set of {tea set cards}.

Martina picked up a teacup: "Watch closely, the first step in taming a shadow pet is to learn 'borrowing shadows'."

Her thin fingers, wreathed in the power of shadow, grasped the shadow of the teacup: "The shadow of a still life is like dough; it neither resists nor cooperates. What you have to do is to gradually imprint your own mark on its shadow!"

As Martina spoke, she tore off a small piece, about the size of a thumb, from the shadow of the teacup.

The small, dark mass remained motionless in her hand, and even seemed to be gradually dissipating.

The power of shadow washed over the small patch of shadow from her palm like flowing water.

"This process needs to be quick, otherwise the main body will have problems, unless you only intend to get the shadow of the teacup and not the teacup itself."

Martina held the teacup up to the light, and the original shadow of the teacup was now missing a corner, with a tiny crack appearing in the corresponding spot on the teacup itself.

"Generally speaking, it's best to preserve the original object in the shadow of a still life like a teacup, since the shadow of a teacup can't hold real tea."

If you're unsure at first, you can try grabbing small amounts of shadow fragments multiple times. The fewer fragments missing from the shadow, the less damage it will cause to the main body.

As she spoke, the previously lifeless fragments of the teacup's shadow gradually came to life in Martina's hands, sometimes turning into a sphere, sometimes stretching into a long strip.

"Once it can be shaped according to your will like this, you can return it to its rightful owner."

As soon as Martina finished speaking, the fragment of shadow in her hand transformed back into the shape of the broken shadow of the teacup, and she pressed it back into the original shadow.

However, the returned shadow was no longer accepted. Martina transformed the power of shadow into fine threads and sewed it together perfectly, and the crack on the teacup disappeared.

"At this point, you can control that small area to restrain the shadow of the teacup, and thus affect the teacup itself."

Martina beckoned with her finger, and the shadow of the tampered teacup that had been replaced moved, pulling at the teacup itself and causing it to tremble eerily.
"To make it more flexible, repeat the previous actions until the entire shadow is under our control."