In the study, the heavy pewter cauldron on the desk was steaming.
Damian was brewing another batch of the Potent Vitality Draught. After weeks of relentless effort and cultivation, his Sea of Spirit had become much more solid.
Moreover, he had successfully finished condensing all 648 Runic Script models. He was finally ready to attempt a breakthrough to become a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice.
After carefully tending to the brew, the liquid in the cauldron turned a vibrant, luminescent blue.
The Potent Vitality Draught was finished. He extinguished the magical flame and poured the potion into a clean glass vial.
From his enchanted pouch, Damian retrieved an exquisitely styled incense burner and a thumb-sized piece of dark red spice. Using a small silver knife, he cut a paper-thin slice from the spice, placed it into the burner, and ignited it with a spark from his wand.
An indescribable scent wafted from the burner—a fragrance so profound it seemed to exceed the very limits of human olfactory senses. Almost instantly, Damian felt a strong, soothing sense of expansion within his Sea of Spirit.
Damian had recently attended another black-market exchange hosted by Madam Alsha, and this small piece of spice was his greatest harvest. It was First-Rank Dragon Scale Incense.
Dragon Scale Incense was not a naturally occurring product, but a highly refined alchemical item. Rumor had it that the primary ingredient was the ground scales of true draconic creatures.
The incense was incredibly beneficial for the growth of a wizard's Sea of Spirit. Burning it while practicing a meditation method provided a massive boost to one's focus.
More importantly, using it during a magical breakthrough drastically increased the success rate. Even if the breakthrough failed, the incense's soothing properties ensured the foundation of the Sea of Spirit remained undamaged.
Naturally, the price of Dragon Scale Incense was exorbitant. The thumb-sized piece Damian had purchased cost him an entire Magic Stone —far more expensive than a standard First-Rank magical spell manual.
Fortunately, the incense burned incredibly slowly. A single, paper-thin slice could easily last for one or two hours.
Without hesitation, Damian drank the Potent Vitality Draught. Although the potion was still actively bubbling in the glass, it felt comfortably lukewarm as it slid down his throat.
Instantly, the magical power within his body grew abnormally restless. He quickly sat cross-legged on his bed and began to circulate the Aemon's Basic Meditation Method.
Guided by the meditation technique, the violent surges of magical energy were channeled directly into his Sea of Spirit.
As the method took full effect, the chaotic surges inside his body transformed into a rhythmic, pounding force. Every pulse battered violently against his Sea of Spirit.
The frequency of the impacts was terrifyingly high, accompanied by a crushing wave of dizziness that nearly forced Damian to lose his meditative focus.
He endured the torment for nearly an hour. His Sea of Spirit began to shake violently under the strain, and his complexion turned a sickly, pale white.
However, aided by the soothing aroma of the Dragon Scale Incense, his spiritual foundation remained robust and intact, absorbing the shockwaves without cracking.
Half an hour later, the raw efficacy of the potion finally began to wear off, and the vertigo faded. Just as the pain subsided, his Sea of Spirit jolted violently.
Damian heard a crisp sound echo in his mind, like a thick pane of glass suddenly shattering.
He felt as if a heavy, invisible shackle had just been broken. The boundaries of his Sea of Spirit expanded rapidly, only stopping once the internal space had doubled in size.
Immediately after the breakthrough, the sheer volume of magical power in his body began to boil over. Affected by the sudden surge of ambient magic, loose objects all around the study lifted off the desks and shelves, floating weightlessly in the air.
A moment later, Damian reined in his surging power. The magic gradually calmed down, and the floating objects clattered harmlessly back to the floor.
Sensing his core carefully, he realized his total magical reserves had increased by a staggering thirty percent.
Damian could not hide his joy. He was officially a Third-Level Wizard Apprentice. His hypothesis from his previous breakthrough had been correct: advancing his cultivation tier caused his body to experience a controlled Magical Outburst.
Moreover, according to his observations over the past few months, his raw magical power was far greater than that of ordinary wizards at his age in this world. The sheer volume of magic he gained with each cultivation breakthrough completely outclassed the natural magical growth of native wizards.
For comparison, both he and Link were currently at the Third-Level Wizard Apprentice stage. Yet, Damian's total magical reserves were now almost twice as large as the older operative's.
West Street Tavern, noon.
Link had arranged to meet Damian here for lunch. Since their last visit, the ownership of the tavern had changed hands.
After Damian and the others had dealt with the Old White mutant, the local Security Office had posted a public notice. They listed the identities of all the grafted faces found on the abomination as officially deceased. The previous tavern owner, Old John, had been on that gruesome list.
Following the publication of the death toll, Old John's son had been forced to sell the tavern to pay off his father's outstanding debts.
When Damian arrived, Link and Anna were already seated at a corner table. As soon as he stepped through the wooden doors, he saw the two operatives waving him over.
Thankfully, there were no angry debt collectors causing a scene today, making the tavern atmosphere much quieter and more relaxed.
After Damian slid into the booth next to Link, the older wizard signaled a waiter over to take their order.
The person who walked over was the young man they had seen last time: Old John's son, Little John. He was now wearing a standard tavern waiter's uniform instead of the owner's apron.
Link looked a bit surprised. He had noticed the boy wiping down tables earlier but hadn't called him over to ask about the change in status.
"Aren't you the owner anymore?" Link asked gently.
Compared to their last encounter, the sheer panic had faded from Little John's face, replaced by a deep, lingering gloom. Learning of the horrific circumstances of his father's death had clearly been a massive blow.
Little John shook his head slowly. "To pay off the debts my father left behind, I had to sell the deed to the tavern."
"However, the buyer, Madam Jill, is a kind woman. She allowed me to stay on and continue working here."
"Madam Jill ?" Link rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What a coincidence."
Madam Jill was a rather famous widow in White Stone Town. Her late husband had been a wealthy merchant, and after his passing, she had inherited and taken over his entire business empire.
Under her shrewd management, the business had expanded even further. On this very street, half of the storefronts were her properties. However, her primary source of income was actually magical freight logistics; she commanded numerous Caravans that transported goods between various wizarding cities.
In this world, establishing long-distance spatial teleportation arrays required the immense power of advanced Second-Level Wizards. Because of this, active arrays only existed in massive wizarding cities or at the headquarters of powerful magical organizations.
Furthermore, activating one cost a fortune in Magic Stones. Because of these strict limitations, the cross-regional transportation of heavy goods still relied heavily on well-guarded Caravans.
Little John blinked curiously. "Why is that a coincidence?"
"Nothing major. It's just that I just met with her this morning, and she didn't even mention she had bought this tavern," Link chuckled. "Anyway, I'm starving. Let's order first. One serving of cheese-baked White Stone Fruit and three steaks for us..."
Damian chimed in immediately, "Make that four steaks. I'll have the same."
Once Little John left with their order, Link lowered his voice and leaned over the table.
"Madam Jill is a major player in the freight business. I just came back from her estate. Actually, I've been trying to get a meeting with her for a while."
"Why?" Anna asked.
"Because my grandfather originally traveled to White Stone Town with one of her Caravans ," Link explained. "I wanted to see if she had any clues about his disappearance."
"She manages multiple trade routes and is incredibly busy, so she hasn't actually been back in White Stone Town for months."
"The moment I heard she was back in town, I immediately went to visit her," Link continued. "I learned from her records that when my grandfather ventured into the Winter Forest, he took four people with him."
"One of them was one of Madam Jill's direct subordinates."
"That subordinate was originally heading into the Winter Forest for resource exploration. Harvesting Colorful Cloud Grass from the forest depths is a highly lucrative part of her business. However, just like my grandfather, that subordinate vanished without a trace."
Link's eyes narrowed with determination. "The previous harvesting area for the Colorful Cloud Grass is almost completely depleted. Madam Jill is currently putting together an official Winter Forest Exploration Team. They are heading into the Winter Forest to map out a new harvesting zone, and I plan to join them."
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