Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 171 Planting and Harvesting

Perhaps I should learn a spell to cleanse myself of dust, Ruger thought.

The long-unseen attic was slightly dusty, which was more noticeable than the rooms downstairs. Perhaps those rooms were shrouded in a magic array that created a better environment, making them more airtight.

Ruger looked at the dust on the windowsill, realizing the passage of time. He had been immersed in meditation and spellcasting, and the busyness had made him lose his sensitivity to the flow of time. He inexplicably thought of the bald old wizard in the Black Prison, that tall, thin old man. When the old wizard saw his two apprentices off, he seemed to have aged ten years, or even more, in an instant, but he himself seemed unable to leave that Black Prison.

Ruger opened the attic window and started tidying up while lost in thought.

Perhaps the old wizard's original plan was to escape, but they made him change it. Before they encountered him and their fruitless search for an assistant, the old wizard probably planned to find all the words, sacrifice even more, age even more, and, with the help of his pre-arranged plans outside, force himself out of the Black Prison. That way, he might have only his last breath left, enough to personally throw the box out by the teleportation array. Of course, the more likely scenario is that he would never find all the words and die of old age in the Black Prison, filled with regret.

Thus, the old wizard is now essentially on vacation in the Black Prison with half his life still intact, finally able to put down the things he's been busy with all his life.

"I'll leave him some wine and fruit when I leave," Ruger thought.

Another painful scream came from the open window next door.

He waved his hand, opened the portal, and went inside.

Two dragonborn kobolds brandished their weapons in an open area, creating a clanging sound.

In a pool of used, filthy dragon blood, the magical pet, the clever little insect Chichi, was curled up in a circle, fast asleep, having made the filthy dragon blood pit its home.

"Brother Luger!"

Aiskin rushed over, looking very excited, while Big Fool followed behind, humming twice as he carried a heavy hammer.

"Has it not woken up yet?" Ruger looked at the squeaky in the distance.

“It woke up once, but the note you sent said it was in a special place, so it fell asleep again to save food. Squeak is growing, and it seems like it's about to molt again,” Aiskin said happily.

Big Fool also hummed along.

The various items they purchased before returning to the pharmacy had already been categorized and neatly arranged.

I was busy until midnight after dinner and was getting a bit hungry.

The three of them worked together to prepare the ingredients in the Abyss bedroom space and began to sit together to grill meat.

Aiskin and Da Shaheng each presented a dish they had developed themselves. Aiskin's dish was an improvement on the original, based on Daisy's teachings, while Da Shaheng's dish was a completely original creation based on the cooking concepts he had learned, which also included a little dragon blood and the molted shell from the last time.

The meat sizzled under the heat, with drops of oil falling from it from time to time.

Below is a basic stove that can last a long time with just a small piece of magic stone. It is often found in the laboratories of low-level apprentices. After Ruger bought it, it was already being used as a cooking utensil by the two dragonborn kobolds.

“Brother Luger…” Aiskin hesitated before speaking, “Is it because we are too weak? Are we too useless to go out and help you…”

Big Fool, who was standing to the side with his mouth full of meat, also looked over.

Ruger smiled and said, "It's not your fault, it's just that I'm too weak."

Because he was weak, he was cautious, but he was genuinely smiling, not with a helpless, bitter smile. He knew he could become powerful, faster than he had anticipated, and he was certain he could become a full-fledged wizard. He had confidence in himself, and the more he saw, the stronger his confidence became.

“But, Brother Luger…we want to help you…” Aiskin said softly, and Big Fool echoed her.

Luger smiled and used his knife to cut off some roasted meat, placing it on their plates.

“I will find a way to make myself stronger, and to make you all stronger. A powerful wizard always needs a few helpers, and here, you can help me just as much…”

As Luger spoke, he cut off a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth. He then took out a cultivation guide he had specially written according to their customs, which consisted of six pages. It wasn't that he didn't want to write more, nor was it that he was afraid they wouldn't understand it; it was simply that this was all Luger knew.

The four extraordinary plants required for the mutated purification potion were likely chosen because the wizard who mutated the recipe had considered the large demand from the City of Burning Blood. Therefore, the materials used are easy to cultivate and collect, making them very easy to grow.

Ruger handed over a few pages of paper. Aiskin's eyes sparkled. She wiped the grease off her hands and began to read them one by one. Big Fool Heng waited beside her, passing the papers around.

When Eskins encountered some unfamiliar terms, she asked Ruger for clarification.

The three of them sat by the fire, eating and chatting.

They quickly selected a location for cultivation, starting with a corner of the Abyss Bedroom space.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the three kobolds began their operation.

Ruger also discovered that the Abyss bedroom space seemed to have grown slightly without him noticing.

Following the instructions uttered by Uncle Lenser while he was grumbling about Jaxel's absence, the three kobolds measured the distance and planted the seeds of the four extraordinary plants. For the initial planting, they buried small pieces of magic stones at specific depths and ranges, planning to cultivate one hundred of each of the four extraordinary plants.

Luger led the two dragonborn kobolds to plan out the entire plot of land, burying magic stones and laying various stones according to the plan. This took quite a bit of time. Seeing that they were doing some fine work and were already quite competent, the rest was left to Aiskin and Big Shaheng to handle.

Ruger then went to the other side to sit on an old recliner and complete his daily essential deep meditation.

Planting these things is just the first step. The framework has been set up. The subsequent observation and care will be left to the two dragonborn kobolds to do boldly. Anyway, these seeds are not very precious, so it's good for them to practice cultivation.

After a period of meditation, Ruger mastered a new rune. With over three days on the road, plus today, and in this non-full-force state, it would take him a little over four days to master a rune and simultaneously increase his mental strength. The meditation runes leading to the fifth demonic mark are now more complex than before, but with the help of divine artifact techniques, everything is a piece of cake. Even with frantic, full-force meditation, he could master one in just two and a half days.

However, that state couldn't last. The growth of mental strength also needed a buffer. Previously, his mental strength, which had inexplicably increased in Star City, only reached the level of a fourth-level wizard apprentice. After experiencing it all along, Ruger decided to increase his deep meditation to four rounds a day, as this would be the most cost-effective. He summarized his experiences along the way and discovered some problems. That kind of all-out, desperate meditation, after pushing himself to a certain level, actually required more meditation sessions to master the runes and increase mental strength. It seemed fast, but it was actually because he was doing nothing but meditation all day.

In a relaxed state, one can reach that progress with fewer meditation sessions. However, because it is relaxed, it takes longer. He felt that maintaining four rounds of meditation each day was the best approach, and if he was doing too much potion making or spellcasting in battle, he should reduce it by one round.

Just like when brewing potions, applying magic to all aspects of life is like training your mental strength in different ways every moment.

After finishing his meditation, Luger looked at the two kobolds who were carefully busy in the distance, and strolled to the blood pool next to him.

He squatted down and gently stroked the smooth, hard shell by the blood pool. As if sensing its master's touch, the small, clever insect, which was coiled up in a circle, moved its body.

Luger took one last look around the Abyss Bedroom space before stepping back into the attic.

It was already past midnight, and the blood-red dome seemed ready to light up at any moment.

He closed the attic window and, amidst the occasional screams from next door, lay down on his long-unused bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Everyone is planting and waiting for the harvest.

(End of this chapter)