Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 116 Customers and Runes

"What does this mean?" Ruger asked, looking at the pile of magic stones on the table.

It consisted of several large magic stones mixed with some smaller magic stones; if converted to a standard amount of smaller magic stones, there would be over seven hundred of them.

It was quite a strange thing that this eccentric witch apprentice living next door would come to visit, especially with so many magic stones. However, there seemed to be something wrong with her words and actions; she didn't speak immediately after putting down the things, which was really annoying.

"Eighty magic stones a day, I need you to help me for ten days."

She sized up Ruger before finally revealing her purpose.

"Will you do it or not?" she asked again when Luger remained silent.

"Of course, I'm short of magic stones!"

Ruger didn't even ask what to do, because that wasn't important to him. As long as it wasn't a matter of life and death, he was determined to earn these magic stones. It wasn't really about making money; it was about participation. This was genuine; it was about participation.

As the entire underground city was shrouded in gloom, and all sorts of outrageous and contradictory rumors circulated among the people, Ruge followed his eccentric neighbor and plunged headlong into her makeshift laboratory.

In her words, what Ruger had to do was very simple, extremely simple: just stabilize the runes with his mental energy—a very simple task, mainly to provide a continuous and stable supply of mental energy. He was chosen by her precisely because of the stability and high quality of his mental energy displayed during spellcasting.

Can one discern the quality of another's mental strength simply by observing their spellcasting? Ruger didn't understand.

Ruger recalled that this guy might have spied on him when he used the power of the bull that day.

Upon arriving at the other person's house, he looked at the strange objects on the ground and finally understood where the overly obvious magical fluctuations had come from. The objects on the ground likely formed a magic array he had never encountered before. It exuded a mysterious and profound aura.

He looked around at the messy and somewhat strange-smelling living room, as well as the staircase and dining room, all piled high with things. It was hard to imagine that it had become like this in such a short time since he moved in.

"Finding an assistant with such high mental strength in a place like this is no easy task."

She sighed and led him toward the basement.

Ruger didn't reply, but simply followed silently behind her.

He felt that this woman was praising him the whole way, or saying that the job was very simple, as if she was afraid that he would run away.

The reason Ruger was chosen was because several houses on this street had a fairly large basement.

After meditating each day, Ruger would go to the basement to practice his spells for a while, but that was just a cover. When no one was in the basement, he would quietly enter his Abyss Bedroom, which was the truly safe place to practice. At least until his spells could harm the Bedroom, it was the best place.

As for spellcasting practice, his main goal was to make his spells more fluid and smooth. He was also diligently practicing locating the spatial portal to the Abyss Bedroom. These were things that wouldn't produce immediate results, but could only be accumulated little by little. He could practice spells in the Abyss Bedroom to the point of exhaustion, instead of stopping at the slightest sign of fatigue outside, afraid to allow himself to be in a weakened state.

Ruger walked and looked around, seemingly oblivious to everything, and although he tried to restrain himself, he still occasionally attracted her sidelong glances.

"You've never been in contact with alchemical puppets before?" she asked curiously.

“A person’s energy is always limited,” he said.

There's nothing wrong with admitting it; after all, his ignorance will be exposed soon, and he's already mentally prepared.

She looked at Luger's dog-like face and nodded in understanding. Judging from his expression, he probably mistook him for a master of bloodline modification again.

The two arrived at the basement, and as they turned the corner of the stairs, Ruger's eyes widened with sparkling light, just like little Lucien's when he saw the cake Daisy brought out.

The basement floor had a so-called magic circle corresponding to the one on the floor above, but it was larger. Then there were some things that Luger didn't recognize, clearly placed in specific positions within the magic circle. This must be where he would be working for the next ten days, he thought.

"Try it, and try to keep it stable."

She casually handed him a metal rod with a vertical engraving in the middle.

“Normally, you have to do these things yourself. If you can’t do them yourself, then it’s best to ask an assistant with strong mental strength and a solid foundation,” she said, “so that their help doesn’t turn into trouble.”

Luger looked at the object, which resembled the stone strip in his storage bag used to measure mental strength. He held it in the same way and extended his mental strength over it. Remembering the other party's instructions, he tried his best to maintain stability. The engraving slowly turned into a bright white line and spread to the other end.

"It's even better than I expected. Looks like my judgment is pretty good."

She led Luger to the magic circle and gave a brief explanation of some of the things that would be used.

Fortunately, the other party took into account his lack of expertise. The parts were relatively simple, and what they valued was his mental strength. Their main goal was to cooperate with him, share some of the pressure, reduce the mental energy consumption of her, and allow her to accomplish what she wanted to do.

Ruger stared blankly, trying his best to remember.

“This rune is what you’ll be using for the next few days,” she said, looking at Ruger with satisfaction and handing him a stone tablet engraved with the rune. “I will pay you magic stones as usual during this time. You can take the tablet back now and try to master it. It would be best if you could master it within a day. Of course, if it takes two or three days, I will still pay you magic stones as usual. Once you have mastered it, we can officially begin.”

Ruger tried to appear calm and composed.

He reached out and took the stone slab, which was about the size of a normal book. It was quite heavy. He looked at it from side to side, then focused on the rune in the center.

It's not too complicated, he thought.

“As my second customer in Star City, how could I possibly waste your magic stones?” he said.

The woman's mention of ten days clearly factored in his potential incompetence, and she even offered him paid training—she's quite a nice person. Unfortunately, he only wanted to broaden his horizons, not waste his time with her just to earn a few dozen more magic stones. Besides, he felt that even if he finished early, she wouldn't ask for a refund.

Who knows, his first customer, Mr. Lorigo Star, might even bring him a big business deal.

“I’ll give it a try, it should be ready soon. You can go have a couple of cups of tea, and prepare one for me too,” he said, walking to the cushion by the wall. “I prefer a light fruit tea.”

After he finished speaking, his eyes seemed to be glued to the stone slab, instantly entering a state of concentration that was unimaginable to ordinary people.

Of course, this is not too surprising among wizarding apprentices.

The stone slab was made of a special material. Practicing the drawing of runes did not require being in one's own mental space, thus avoiding some uncertain risks. He held the stone slab in both hands and looked at it. In his eyes, it was as if a small door had been opened. The rune inside was twisting and crying. The biggest obstacle to drawing it was actually the need to continuously fight against his own sad emotions.

He had never seen this type of rune before. Although it was called a rune, it seemed to be something from a completely different dimension than what he usually encountered.

He habitually closed his eyes slowly and began to construct.

Even if you learn this skill, maintaining it will be quite a difficult task. These eighty magic stones are not easy to earn, he thought to himself.

As time passed, the runes under construction began to transmit sorrow to him, an effect greater than he had imagined. Due to a misjudgment and encountering an unfamiliar situation, his attempt to master the runes in one go failed, his mental energy was mostly depleted, and he was still just a little short. He looked up at the woman and gave an awkward smile, immediately meditating to recover his mental energy before starting a second attempt.

He was completely oblivious to the other person's surprise as he focused on building the runes.

The runes carved on the stone slab will slowly light up as the holder practices building, meaning that all of his progress is clearly visible to others.

(End of this chapter)