Ronan crushed the failed Rune Stone in his hand and tossed it into the waste stone basket beside him, the deep blue in his eyes vanishing as he dusted off the powdery residue on his hand and stood up from the table.
A Level 1 [Flying] rune, a Level 1 [Acceleration] rune.
These two runes are the core of a Level 1 Flying Magic Tool, something Ronan had been researching lately as he prepared for his future in the Silver Magic Ring.
Bolstered by the [Basic Meditation Technique—Clear Sky Realm] and with the Flying Ring from Lola as a physical reference, his progress was quite good. Despite many failures, he was about to grasp the flying rune at an entry-level.
Ronan had done some research; in the Silver Magic Ring, a [Flying] rune would sell for ten Intermediate Magic Stones. As a private Rune Master, he might get a lower price at the Rune Store, but as long as he was diligent, sustaining himself posed absolutely no problem.
Glancing at the time, it was about six in the morning when the free breakfast service from Blueberry Inn was due to arrive, so Ronan decided to stop his practice and walked out of his room.
He was quite satisfied with the Cultivation Room that came with his suite; though a bit small, it was equipped with [Soundproofing] and [Dust Absorption] functions, and there was also a long table inside that could be used for some simple alchemy and Magic Potion experiments, apart from meditation.
After washing his hands in the washroom, Ronan strolled into the living room.
The morning sunlight filtered through the half-closed blinds, casting a dappled pattern on the living room carpet.
A glass vase stood on the small round table in the center of the living room, holding several lovely pink-purple flowers.
Ronan sat down on the sofa, then took out a black metal box, roughly one and a half times the size of his palm, from his Waist Storage Bag, and placed it in front of him. He infiltrated it with his spiritual power and smoothly began to decrypt the Rune Lock.
It was the mysterious metal box from Linus. The Rune Lock on the box required the spiritual power of a Level 1 Wizard to open.
Unlike the Universal Rune Locks on the Waist Storage Bags that Ronan had cracked before, this Rune Lock was complex, and any attempt at "brute force opening" would destroy both the lock and the box inside. This was the main reason why Ronan had been patiently grinding away until now.
He was genuinely curious about what precious inheritance the rumored Advanced Apprentice mentor of Linus had left for him, warranting such cautious preservation.
From Hoddam to the Silver Magic Ring, over two months had passed, and Ronan was close to completely decrypting the Rune Lock; he estimated that it would take only three to five more days.
"Knock knock knock——"
The crisp knocking sound broke the prolonged quiet within the room, and a girl’s voice came through from outside the door.
"Mr. Ronan, your breakfast is here."
Ronan withdrew from his decryption work on the Rune Lock and put the metal box away.
The door opened from outside, and a young girl with beautiful blue curly hair briskly pushed the cart into the room.
She first laid out a clean and tidy table cloth on the table, arranged the cutlery with precision, and then served today’s breakfast.
"Mr. Ronan, you may begin your meal."
The girl respectfully greeted Ronan.
Ronan nodded and sat at the table.
Today’s breakfast consisted of bread with roasted lamb rolls, creamy mushroom soup, and a small fruit platter mixed with several kinds of raspberries.
Ronan had almost not slept the entire night and was at his best appetite, eating quickly. While he ate, he could distinctly feel the blue-haired girl watching him intently.
The girl’s name was Alida, the only daughter of the Blueberry Inn’s owner and the childhood sweetheart of the young guide Jacob, who had brought him to stay at the Blueberry Inn.
The two were childhood friends, but Alida’s father had always opposed their relationship, hoping instead that Alida could marry a real Level 1 Wizard, even if only as a mistress.
And Jacob, it was said, was striving to become an Official Wizard for this very reason...
These were the pieces of information Ronan had "overheard" during the past few days.
In fact, it wasn’t exactly eavesdropping; after his rebirth, his already excellent five senses had become even more extraordinary. On occasion, when he went out for a walk, he would unconsciously overhear conversations among the people in the inn.
He even knew that the blue-haired girl Alida boldly referred to him in private as—"the beautiful Lord", and that business at the Blueberry Inn had been rather slow lately, relying on Jacob to occasionally pull in some deals to stay afloat. Nevertheless, the rent offered to Ronan from the start was indeed very fair.
Thinking this, Ronan suddenly blurted out the blue-haired girl’s name, startling the latter who had been stealthily watching him.
"I am here, Mr. Ronan."
Alida promptly stood straight up, "Do you have any orders?"
"Do you have a date with Jacob this morning?"
Ronan cut a small piece of lamb chop and put it into his mouth.
Alida’s cheeks flushed red as she quickly said: "Actually, we don’t get to see each other much. Jacob is already busy with his part-time work and meditation every day. He has been saving money in his effort to break through to become an Official Wizard.."
Ronan put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and inquired, "How much more does he need?"
Alida immediately perked up at the question, "Lord, do you wish to sponsor him? But honestly, Jacob is truly an outstanding prospective talent. If you’re willing to offer him a tiny bit of support...I think I could convince him to become your most loyal follower from now on!"