## Chapter 104: The Mage Guild
Charsi took the staff from my hand, her face also dazed, her eyes flashing with a fervent light.
"I really want to repair it right now!"
"..."
A blacksmith's mind is truly different from a normal person's.
"Charsi, besides crafting equipment, do you also really like repairing equipment?" I asked curiously.
"Yes, just as you said, I like both. Because whether it's crafting equipment or repairing equipment, I can learn a lot and improve my skills further. And the higher the level of the equipment, the more it helps me."
Thinking about it, what she meant was probably that both crafting and repairing equipment allow her to gain a certain amount of experience, and the higher the level of the equipment she repairs, the more experience she gains. This is actually the same principle as for us adventurers, it's just that the classes are different.
"So, thanks to your two Rare Items, Mr. Fan, and the large amount of Magic Crystal Ore, my equipment crafting success rate has now reached 0.8%."
0.1% and 0.8% might seem like there's not much difference, but it's a full 8-fold difference. While the Magic Crystal Ore certainly contributed, it was Charsi's hard work and sweat, that unwavering spirit, that was truly moving.
"However... it's a pity, Mr. Fan, your class is Druid, so this staff cannot unleash its true potential. The only other minor flaw is that generally, low-level Runewords can add 5-10 attribute points, but this staff only added 7 points, not reaching the maximum value." Charsi looked at the staff in her hand and sighed slightly with a hint of regret.
"It's alright, I'm already very satisfied."
I chuckled, not explaining anything to Charsi. Although I didn't mind her knowing about my abilities.
"Oh right, Charsi, can you repair Runewords now?"
"Yes, I can barely manage low-level Unique Items, Runewords, and Set Items, but it takes more time. I'm powerless when it comes to high-level ones."
"Alright then, if the staff gets damaged in the future, I'll trouble you to help me repair it."
"Really? That would be my honor."
Charsi cheered happily, like a little girl who had received her favorite candy. The brilliant smile on her face made even the sunlight inside dim in comparison.
Afterward, I said goodbye to Charsi. Seeing that there was still some time until evening, I walked towards the archery range in the North District. It was already packed with people. However, I hadn't been standing there long before several Rogue archers enthusiastically offered me their spots. I didn't stand on ceremony, thanked them, and picked up a suitable wooden bow to begin practicing.
Having not practiced for several months, my skill had almost regressed to the level before Sha'erna taught me. It's true that if you don't practice for a day, your hands and feet slow down; if you don't practice for two days, you lose half of it! It seems that even when adventuring in the future, I'll have to set aside some time to practice every day. As I delve deeper now, I feel even more strongly about the importance of ranged attacks for an adventurer. With my current archery skill, if it weren't for Little Light Snow and the teleportation encirclement tactic created based on their teleportation, I would truly have no way to deal with fast-moving, ranged-attacking monsters.
Ah! I forgot I also have Wizard skills. But even so, I can't let my archery skill fall behind. I need to reach at least an average level. Better safe than sorry, you never know when you might need it.
I practiced for several hours until night fell and the targets across the way became blurry. Only then did I put down the wooden bow, shaking my aching fingers. At this time, there were still many people practicing nearby. If they couldn't see the targets, they simply lit a small lamp on them. That kind of persistent and diligent attitude made me feel ashamed. Becoming an adventurer had been far too easy for me; compared to these people, the effort I put in was less than one percent.
While I admired them, I didn't want to rely on training methods that almost amounted to self-torture to improve myself, nor could I do it. Heh, for me, hard work is necessary, but there must also be a balance between tension and relaxation.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I walked back, enjoying the cool evening breeze and the quiet night. It felt like a gentle, peaceful tune being played softly in my ear. Walking at a leisurely pace, it was quite a while before I returned to Lal's house.
Just as I entered the gate, Little Shala, who had been eagerly awaiting, came running up with a brilliant smile, like a little wife. I gently held back her little head with my finger as she rushed over.
"I just practiced for a while at the Training Camp and worked up a sweat. Let Big Brother take a bath first, don't want to make my Little Shala smelly."
When adventuring, although there are many rivers or lakes in the wilderness, not bathing for dozens of days is a common occurrence for most male adventurers. At most, they just wipe themselves down with clean water, and it has almost become second nature. Although I was almost the same, after returning to the Rogue Encampment and having the conditions, I still considered bathing a daily task. With a little bit of cleanliness obsession from my original world, I didn't want my body to become a flea paradise.
"In that case, I'll go prepare the water. Wait a moment, Big Brother."
When Shala heard me say that, she tilted her little head, made an extremely cute thinking expression, and then continued. Without waiting for me to refuse, she tossed her pink long hair and ran towards the back of the house. That small figure, that seriousness and persistence, deeply moved me. Her training must be very tiring every day, but she still worked so hard for me. How could anyone not be touched by this kind of devotion?
In the backyard of Lal's house, there was a small bathroom. Since I often stayed at Lal's house, I was not unfamiliar with this bathroom. Inside the bathroom, there was a very large wooden tub. On the other side of the wall from the wooden tub, there was also a small pool. The wooden tub and the pool were connected by a small channel. This way, as long as the outer pool was filled with water, one could bathe inside.
And now, Shala was outside pouring water into the pool, while I was rinsing off inside, enjoying a treatment that, in this different world, was generally only available to a husband. With a girl like this, what more could a husband ask for? However, didn't it feel a bit like a wicked old society master?
The only drawback was that in this world, even in the dead of winter, the bathwater was cold. Of course, if one was proficient in Fire magic, they could heat the water. Unfortunately, my control over Fire magic was still far from proficient. For the sake of this wooden tub, I suppressed the urge to take a hot bath.
After rinsing off, I walked out wearing new clothes, feeling refreshed and invigorated. Not far away, Shala was looking at me with a satisfied smile. There was a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead. Even though she had been training for a while, continuously carrying water like that was a rather strenuous task for her young body.
Feeling a pang of heartache, I pulled this innocent yet stubborn girl into my arms. "Little fool. I told you not to. What if you exhaust yourself?"
Shala squirmed in my embrace, seemingly wanting to break free from my embrace. "Big Brother, I'm sweating right now. I'm very dirty."
"It's alright, Shala is fragrant even when she sweats. I want to hold you forever." Deeply moved, I gently rubbed my chin against Shala's hair, and tightened my arms around her, pulling her closer into my embrace.
My soft words of affection immediately quieted the little angel in my arms. Her slender arms gently wrapped around my waist. Her faint breath warmed my chest. That warm and gentle feeling almost intoxicated me, making it hard to let go. It was a while before Auntie Shali's voice came from inside, and we finally separated.
"Shala, put away your changed clothes first, and Big Brother, hurry back inside."
Shala tidied the hair on her forehead, then gently pulled my hand. She gave me her trademark angelic smile. Within that pure and lovely smile was actually hidden a faint hint of charm, which left me stunned for a long time before I reacted.
This lovable little angel is truly becoming more and more womanly.
The next day, I woke up early, but Shala had already gone to the Training Camp before me. After washing up and eating breakfast, I went as agreed to the Mage Guild, a place in the Rogue Encampment that made people turn pale just hearing about it.
The Mage Guild is located in the South District of the Rogue Encampment. The entire guild is surrounded by tall iron fences, but inside, it wasn't a towering mysterious stone tower as I had imagined. Instead, it was composed of small stone and wood houses, and even tents. These buildings were haphazardly placed together, and from the outside, it looked quite like a bandit's lair.
The soldiers guarding outside had already received Fala's instructions. Seeing me approach, they immediately saluted and led me to the outside of a small tent. I was wondering why Fala would live in such a small tent, but only after entering did I realize there was another world inside. The narrow space within the tent had been greatly expanded, dozens of times larger than even Akara's small shop. However, despite the large space, it was still a sealed tent, giving off an eerie feeling inside. If not for the magic lamps illuminating the entire tent, I would have thought I had entered some evil wizard's laboratory.
Inside, besides Fala, there were four figures wearing black mage robes. They gave off a mysterious aura, like figures from Lord of the Rings. The five of them were discussing something intensely. My arrival immediately drew their attention. Fala, who was leading, was the first to greet me with a smile.
"My dear Wu, come quickly. Let me introduce you to the other elders of the Mage Guild."
Led by Fala, I met the other old mages one by one. The power of these four didn't feel as oppressive as Fala's, but they also exuded an aura of profound knowledge not inferior to his. Their bright and piercing eyes seemed to contain endless wisdom and knowledge. What surprised me was that among them was an old man named Bruce Edward Springfield. Judging by the name, he was probably a member of the Edward family, though I didn't know what his relationship with Linya was. Among the four elders, he was the one who paid the most attention to me. His sharp eyes constantly lingered on me, scanning me up and down. It felt as if a shopper was scrutinizing a target they were interested in buying, which made me very uncomfortable.
After the introductions were finished, the five of them led me to a dim small space filled with bottles and jars. In the center was a circular magic array emitting a powerful energy. The complex runes gave off an eerie aura, making me swallow a mouthful of saliva. Although I had long been prepared to be a guinea pig, when faced with it, I still felt very uneasy.
First, I summoned Little Light Snow and the Poison Creeper. Two of the elders immediately rushed towards them, their eyes shining with excitement. Their fanaticism even surpassed Fala's when he first saw them.
"Wu, if you don't mind, could you please stand inside the magic array?" Fala said to me with an expectant look.
If I minded, could I be excused? I inwardly scoffed. There was nothing I could do; I had already agreed beforehand, and I had even acquired a top-grade staff. At this point, it was hard to back out, so I reluctantly stepped onto the magic array.
"Wait..."
Just as Fala was about to activate the magic array, I suddenly called out.
"This isn't some kind of mind-reading or magic array that can pry into inner thoughts, is it?" I said cautiously. With my bug amulet and my identity as a transmigrator, I had far too many secrets that couldn't be known by others.
Fala was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter. "Haha, my dear Wu. I didn't expect your vigilance to be quite good. I thought you wouldn't ask about anything, and in that case, my evaluation of you would be a bit lower. But please rest assured, prying into human thoughts falls under the domain of Soul magic. For tens of thousands of years across Sanctuary, although extensive research has been done on Soul magic, there have been no reported successful cases. The soul is a domain that even gods cannot easily touch..."
Fala said with a look of longing. His fanatical appearance sent a chill down my spine. This old man had definitely conducted similar research.
"This magic array can detect the essence of power. Its main function is to detect life potential value. So there's one in the Training Camp as well, but it's simpler than the one you see here. It's just not as accurate. This is not a secret." Finally, Fala explained to me with a smile.
Hearing this, I felt a little relieved. If anything felt wrong later, I would just use Molten Boulder and smash the entire magic array.
Meanwhile, Little Light Snow on the other side was much more comfortable than me. It was just lying there leisurely, letting the two mages fiddle around it with detection magic. With a relaxed look, it even occasionally opened its wolf mouth wide and yawned, making me extremely envious.
As Fala chanted the Incantation, the magic array beneath my feet began to emit a faint light. Then, subtle energy penetrated my skin. This energy was very slight, and I didn't feel much from it.
After Fala finished preparing, seeing me standing there motionless, he couldn't help but smile faintly. "Wu, the comprehensive scan takes a relatively long time. It's alright for you to move around inside, as long as you don't step out of the magic array's range."
Oh, something this good? I thought it would be more rigorous. Turns out I can move around. Thinking this, I unceremoniously sat down, yawned out of boredom, and then glanced at Little Light Snow across from me, who was also bored. Between master and servant, there was truly a feeling of sympathizing with each other's plight.
"Oh, right, Wu, here, you can read this if you're bored." Fala seemed to remember something and threw me a thick parchment book. I opened it curiously. Inside were dense lines of text and patterns. Looking at the cover again—Introduction to Magic. Haha, just what I needed.
"I'm very sorry, Wu. Although Akara asked me to instruct you, I really can't spare the time right now. So, you should read this yourself first. This book contains my own personally compiled experience and insights, and it should be better than what you learn in the Training Camp." Fala said apologetically, then entered research mode on his own, completely disregarding my feelings. You just wait, I'll definitely give Akara a good report about you.
Gnashing my teeth and cursing, I picked up the Introduction to Magic, which was much thicker than an Oxford Dictionary, and began reading it carefully by the faint light emitted from the magic array.
Fortunately, the script on this continent was almost identical to Chinese characters, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to read Cain's book. After carefully reading a few pages, I found that this so-called magic knowledge, while perhaps profound and dry for most people, was not as difficult for me as I had imagined. In fact, much of the knowledge involved complex laws and formulas, logical variations, and knowledge related to spatial assumptions and judgments. For me, who had endured 16 years of the torment of exam-oriented education and dealt with countless pieces of hair-raising math, physics, and chemistry knowledge, I couldn't say it was easy, but I could at least stumble through understanding a small part of it. As for what I didn't understand, I simply skipped over it.
It's no wonder this knowledge seemed so profound in the eyes of others. Just imagine, those beginners who were just starting to learn magic had actually not been exposed to any basic education before. At most, they could only understand text. Then, suddenly, they were asked to learn this magic knowledge, which was even harder to understand than geometry and advanced math. Even with a teacher instructing them, besides the genius among geniuses, I really couldn't imagine anyone not feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
Focused on reading, time quickly passed. It wasn't until Fala called out to me several times from outside that I reacted. After stepping out of the magic array and seeing his troubled expression, I knew that the research just now seemed to have made no progress.
Next, at Fala's request, I casually took out a dagger and cleanly made a crimson cut, neither deep nor shallow, on my finger. If it were the me from my original world, I would probably be in terrible pain right now. However, after countless tempering experiences, I felt nothing when faced with such a minor wound.
The fresh blood from my finger slowly dripped into a bottle. Before long, the wound quickly closed up. Seeing that old man Fala was still holding the bottle and wouldn't leave, I reluctantly cut myself two more times before he finally held the bottle with satisfaction and actually ran off in a flash. Hey, hey, I say, didn't Akara tell you to instruct me in magic? Have you completely forgotten?
I was just about to ask him a few questions about magic, but I didn't expect him to take my blood and just run off like that. My teeth were grinding, and it took me a while to sigh in frustration. Arguing with a research fanatic in a crazy state was undoubtedly very foolish. Alright, Fala, you can slowly explain it to Akara later.
Just as I was feeling dejected, Elder Bruce, the one suspected of being Linya's relative, walked towards me and greeted me with a smile.
I replied to him somewhat bewilderedly. Unexpectedly, he actually put down the experiment he was working on and began answering some of my questions about magic, which moved me to tears. There are still many good people in this world!
Inadvertently, he also asked me a few unimportant questions. Since I didn't have much experience to begin with, and my attention was drawn by the wondrous magic knowledge, I didn't notice the probing in his words. As long as it didn't touch upon my secrets, I answered every question and then couldn't wait to ask my own questions.
The two of us discussed for a long time. After resolving a few of the problems that had been giving me the biggest headaches, he patted my shoulder with a benevolent look, like an elder.
"My dear Wu, your aptitude is quite good. You must work hard in the future."
"Not at all, there are still many things I don't understand. If you have time in the future, I hope you won't hesitate to teach me."
Looking at his smile with an unclear meaning, my face was full of question marks.
This mage, whose relationship with Linya I didn't know, nodded happily and then told me that if I had other things to do, I could leave first, as today's experiment had come to an end for now.
Saying goodbye to this kind elder, I came out of the tent and only then realized that what I thought was just a little while had actually been several hours. The sun had already set towards the west, and it was the hottest time of the afternoon.
(end of chapter)