Chapter 30: The Price of Knowledge
Byron grabbed the draft paper that Saul had just used to explain his drawings, stuffing even the blotting pen sandwiched between the pages into his disguised large mouth.
He nodded at Saul and let out an "Mmm" before leaving Saul’s dormitory.
As for Keli, ever since Saul had begun explaining his three-dimensional model for analytical rune magic, she had stood motionless, staring at the table. Even when Byron took all the draft papers with him, she remained unresponsive.
After a while, Saul began to worry.
Could this be some lingering side effect of the parasite from the Mutual Aid Society?
Although Senior Byron had assured him the parasite wasn’t fatal, he never said it wouldn’t damage the brain.
Judging by the state of the apprentices who had been parasitized, their minds were undoubtedly affected.
Suddenly, Keli moved.
Like a gust of wind, she flung open Saul’s door and dashed out. Before he could react, she had already stormed back in, arms full of items.
With a swift kick, she shut the door behind her.
Clatter!
A pouch landed on the table, producing a crisp, pleasant jingling sound.
Then, she placed down a book and an object resembling a hand grenade.
"This is all my magic crystals, and these two are the most valuable things I brought with me. They're all yours!" Keli clasped her hands together and bowed solemnly.
"Please, explain it to me again. I didn’t quite understand just now!"
Saul didn’t hold back. He opened Keli's coin pouch and scooped out a large handful with both hands.
Some magic crystals slipped through the gaps between his skeletal fingers.
It felt like a waste, but he didn’t have the nerve to pick them up.
Otherwise, it would lower his dignity a bit.
"What’s this?" He pointed at the thin booklet on the table.
"That’s a spellbook for the Tier-0 fire-element spell Scorching Breath."
A spellbook?!
Saul immediately picked up the book but resisted the urge to open it.
"I have a copied version of this book. This is the original, and it contains the previous owner’s practice notes."
Seeing Saul’s excitement, Keli felt a sense of pride, and her usual haughtiness crept back into her tone.
"However, since it’s one of the more powerful Tier-0 spells, constructing its spell model requires learning two complex fire-element runes."
"Just this spellbook alone is already worth the knowledge I taught you," Saul sighed.
As a Level-1 apprentice, he could learn two spells for free from his mentor. Beyond that, he had to exchange academic credits for more.
And the more powerful the spell, the more credits it required.
Saul had not expected Keli to possess such a valuable item. It seemed like he had taken too many magic crystals just now.
But Keli showed no sign of feeling shortchanged. Instead, she eagerly introduced the third item.
"This is called Iron and Fire, a magical tool. To use it, you unscrew the cap at the back, pull out the fuse, and throw it within five seconds. If it experiences a strong impact or the five seconds run out, it explodes, sending sharp iron shrapnel flying. It can pierce tough outer shells."
Good heavens, it really was a hand grenade!
Keli’s background in the outside world must not have been simple. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be carrying so many magic crystals, let alone a spellbook and a magical tool.
"I only taught you a single rune."
Her generosity made Saul feel a twinge of guilt.
"No, you taught me a method, a way of thinking," Keli replied earnestly. "Unfortunately, I don’t have equivalent knowledge to trade with you right now, so I can only offer these mundane things."
Saul shook his head.
No problem—I like mundane things.
When Keli left, the corridor was empty. Even during breaks, everyone was focused on making the most of their study time.
Thinking about the eerie smiles on the faces of those who had joined the Mutual Aid Society, Saul reminded himself that the wizarding world was filled with dangers. His life was threatened not only by Sid but by countless unseen perils.
Thus, he needed to remain vigilant at all times.
Sometimes, he missed his past life. Corporate life had its pressures, but at least it didn’t threaten his survival.
However, even sleep had become a luxury, and his moments of reminiscing were limited to the occasional few seconds when he drifted off during study sessions.
In the following days, Saul fully mastered the dark-element complex rune and successfully obtained his first Tier-0 spell from Mentor Kaz.
The first two Tier-0 spells could be learned without spending magic crystals or academic credits—it was essentially mandatory education from the mentor.
However, to make the mentor fulfill this obligation, one either needed to be an outstanding student or catch them in a good mood.
Otherwise, they might simply receive a cold response:
"If you haven’t mastered the basics, don’t bother with spells."
Saul’s choice of spell once again surprised Kaz—he chose Organ Preservation.
It was as if he was determined to work in the mortuary until death claimed him.
This, however, pleased Kaz, who didn’t need much convincing to teach him the spell.
Apart from rune studies, Saul also trained his mental strength during this period.
The training tool he used was the borrowed puppet doll.
Every time he practiced, he could still hear the doll’s whispers for help.
Soft, murmuring, and surrounding him, the pleading voices made his head spin. And when the desperate, maddened "Kill me" rang out, Saul would immediately sever his connection with the doll.
Now that he had gained some control over his mental strength, the doll’s influence on him was limited.
"Indeed, power can overcome the bizarre."
Saul placed the puppet doll face down on the table and resumed analyzing the Tier-0 spell Organ Preservation.
"From a scientific perspective, decomposition occurs because immune cells die, allowing microbes to continue metabolizing. But what is the underlying principle of this preservation spell?"
He opened a new blank notebook to document his research progress on the spell.
As for knowledge from his previous life, he deliberately wrote it in his old language, sometimes using homophones or similar-looking incorrect characters.
Maybe he was being overly cautious, but in the wizarding world, if someone deciphered his notes, they might really dissect him for study.
"Could Organ Preservation function like dehydration and sterilization on a microscopic level? Like how food, when sealed and sterilized, can be preserved for a long time?"
Combining this thought with Kaz’s explanations, Saul felt he was beginning to grasp the essence of the spell.
Next, he put down his notes and retrieved three relatively fresh organ samples from the cabinet—pieces he had cut from a "guest" just the day before.
Fixing his gaze on the first organ, he channeled his mental power to construct the spell’s runic structure.
Lifting his hands into the air, he began to move them in precise gestures.
These gestures, taught by Kaz, were essential for beginners.
They helped guide the spell, reducing failure rates and minimizing magical backlash.
With enough mastery, he could eventually cast spells with just one hand—or even none at all.
Before officially casting the spell, Saul had already practiced the gestures hundreds of times, making them second nature.
He also repeatedly activated the fundamental runes within his mental sphere.
However, due to its high magic consumption, he only dared to practice the complex rune by drawing it on paper.
Despite all this preparation, his first attempt failed.
His magic fluctuated slightly, and he had to take a moment to stabilize before trying again.
"Merging multiple runes requires intense focus. Losing concentration leads to failure. I need more practice."
Unfazed, Saul grabbed his crystal ball and began meditating to restore his magic power.
One point,
Two points,
Three points…
When the candelabra above the teleportation platform flickered to life with a hiss, Saul finally succeeded!
Tier-0 spell Organ Preservation—Proficiency +1!
Les go
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