In this case, those unlucky ones who became food, if they carried coins with them, it served as a boon for those who came later.
One or two gold coins, it’s quite normal.
Xia Nan originally thought this way too.
Until the gold coins he picked up grew more numerous, and he even discovered a finely crafted pearl necklace.
He couldn’t help but wonder:
"This adds up to 30 Gold Coins, right."
"It shouldn’t be. Just a dozen goblins, they can’t even beat a regular convoy, how could they have plundered so much money?"
Puzzled, his gaze stopped involuntarily.
In the corner of the cave ahead, beside the white bones and broken limbs, lay a small box stained with dust and blood.
The lock on the lid seemed to have been opened, with a gap between the cover and the base.
Picked it up and opened it.
Before his eyes was a thin book with a light red cover.
Quite unexpectedly, he took it out of the book box.
Arcane Calendar, Year 712, Sun Month, Day 21.
Things in Huancai City are very expensive, house prices are higher than in Neum.
With the gold coins I saved from performing tricks on the road and Liya’s savings, we rented a small room in the city.
The landlord is a Kalinshan person, but he’s nice enough, only asking us for a three-month deposit.
But I think we won’t stay that long.
Next month is the entrance examination for new students at the Hosone Royal Academy, I’ve been preparing for three years for it.
As long as I can become a formal student at the academy, I can bring Liya to live in the dormitory with me.
I have to say, I’m a bit nervous.
Surely, I can do it, surely, I can do it.
Arcane Calendar, Year 712, Withered Moon, Day 7.
The examination is over, I didn’t pass.
Arcane Calendar, Year 712, Withered Moon, Day 26.
Liya found a job as an apprentice in jewelry appraisal at the workshop, her family is in this business.
The next entrance examination at the academy is in two years.
By that time, I’ll be 29, still under the academy’s age limit of 30.
Liya advises me to try again.
Right, I’ve prepared for so long, I won’t be willing to give up .
Arcane Calendar, Year 712, Falling Leaf Month, Day 5.
The academy’s examination is much harder than I previously imagined.
Just staying in the room waiting for two years won’t work.
There’s a Mage Tower in the city recruiting apprentices, it’s said that the owner is a Grand Mage proficient in Gravity Magic. I want to give it a try.
Arcane Calendar, Year 712, Falling Leaf Month, Day 28.
I seem to have some talent in Gravity Magic, the young mage in charge of welcoming even assigned me a room in the Mage Tower close to the laboratory.
Liya is also happy for me.
Tonight, we finally went to a tavern in town for a hearty meal.
On the way home, we both got drunk.
Arcane Calendar, Year 713, Claw Moon, Day 3.
It’s been almost half a year since I entered the Mage Tower.
Spending every day in the laboratory, unkempt, when I saw Liya today, she was startled.
I told her not to worry, that I live a fulfilling life and have learned a lot.
By next year, I will definitely pass the examination and become a student at the Royal Academy.
Arcane Calendar, Year 713, Claw Moon, Day 30.
During today’s routine experiment, Jerry accidentally mistook sulfur powder for meteorite iron filings and sprinkled it into the Gravity Rune Array.
Even though the color and weight are different, I don’t know how this careless guy mistook them.
The mentor was furious, and we didn’t dare to speak.
Poor Jerry was kicked out of the Mage Tower.
As his roommate, I was left by the mentor to clean up the laboratory.
Then... guess what I saw?
The experiment actually succeeded!
Arcane Calendar, Year 713, Wind Claw Month, Day 1.
Jerry was kicked out of the Mage Tower, and I’m the only one left in the dormitory.
Having lived together for more than half a year, suddenly not hearing his snoring, I couldn’t sleep.
It’s easy to let my thoughts drift at night too.
I suddenly remembered the scene of cleaning the laboratory the day before yesterday.
Clearly, the casting materials of meteorite iron filings were replaced by sulfur powder, yet the gravity field within the Array still changed.
Is it because of the runes on the Enchanted Steel Plate?
If it could succeed without casting materials, then why go through the extra trouble?
Tomorrow is a rest day,
I want to verify my guess.
Arcane Calendar, Year 713, Wind Claw Month, Day 2.
The experiment succeeded again!
Not just sulfur powder, I tried replacing the casting materials with silver iron filings, talcum powder, and finally even a handful of washing powder from the dormitory.
I suddenly recalled, the mentor once told us.
The essence of casting is to mobilize the Essence through the "Magic Net" of the Mysterious Lady, so that original magic power can be safely and steadily controlled by the mage.
The role of "casting materials" is to act as a material medium to stabilize the spell structure.
Without appropriate and sufficient casting materials, many spells cannot take shape.
I couldn’t help but wonder.
If the casting materials in the talisman array can be replaced at will, doesn’t it mean that a stable Magic Model is actually not important?
But without a Magic Model, even if one can connect to the Magic Net with spiritual power, how should the magic power within be released?
Or is it that the Magic Net is just a temporary... (the writing becomes increasingly sloppy, the last few characters are crossed out)