73: Chapter 0073 Swiftness

Fei Li suddenly began a winning streak, leaving his familiar poker friends deeply puzzled, thinking to themselves:

How did this old fellow's card skills become so good?

Soon, Fei Li's chips accumulated to 250 gold coins.

Li Size patted his arm, signaling him to pay back the money as agreed.

Fei Li hesitated slightly:

Chips on the table cannot be easily moved unless one settles up and leaves the game.

He had finally accumulated so many chips, and winning repeatedly made him feel as if he had found the true meaning of life.

Moreover, the more chips one had, the higher the bets one could place, and the more chips one could win when an opportunity arose.

Now that he had to pay back the money as agreed, he felt a bit unsatisfied.

But the contract could not be violated, so he had no choice but to settle up and end the game.

As he returned the 50 gold coins to Li Size according to the agreement, he said happily:

“Oh! Lucky Will has brought me my best friend!”

“Li Size, you are my best friend!”

“Your card skills are too good. If you could stay in Wojin City, the two of us together would definitely dominate the table!”

Li Size took the gold coins and shook his head with a smile:

“I don't like gambling.”

Fei Li was stunned for a moment:

“Your card skills are so good, how is that possible?”

“Ha! You must be like Dugu Qiubai, tired of always winning!”

“This is called the loneliness of a master. If you have any other card skills, you must teach them to me.”

“Let me be your only opponent, so you won't be lonely anymore, haha!”

“The price is negotiable!”

After taking the Silver Ring Trout and the witchcraft rune model scroll for Lightning Bolt from Fei Li's house.

Despite Fei Li's repeated attempts to make him stay, Li Size hurriedly rode Blue Star toward the wizardry train station in Wojin City.

Neither he nor Felina liked staying in this gray city shrouded in magic dust, where the air was filled with a strange smell of iron filings interwoven with Demonic Energy.

Except for those metal-element wizards who could extract metal elements from the air, no one wanted to stay in this city swallowed by magic dust.

Could the Mayor of Wojin be a specialized wizard obsessed with metal energy?

The wizardry train is the most amazing alchemy miracle in the Wizard World.

It uses Demonic Energy runes to tear through the barriers of space, making distant city-states seem within reach, with an efficiency far beyond Mortal imagination.

Its structural concept is overall similar to a train:

It relies on tracks for positioning and guiding direction, with the train providing power to move forward, but the principles, power, and structural details are completely different.

For Li Size to go further on the path of Mechanical Alchemy, he had to seriously study and research the manufacturing of the wizardry train.

This was an alchemy product that only Formal Wizards specializing in Mechanical Alchemy could participate in manufacturing.

The tracks were covered with "Greasy" runes glowing with an eerie light.

The train body was embedded with silver-glowing Rune Arrays of “Sturdiness,” “Anti-Gravity,” and “Wind's Light Body,” each rune flowing with ancient magic.

Every 10 meters atop the train stood a pair of bronze wind ducts, their openings wreathed in azure wind element runes.

The Hurricane gushing out from them carried a scream that tore through the air, propelling the train forward like a flash of lightning.

Li Size caught a glimpse of a gray finch flying a meter above a wind duct...

Suddenly, it seemed to be seized by an invisible magic hand and was violently pulled down toward the duct.

In the next second, it was torn into a mist of blood by the Hurricane, like crushed rubies.

This was a negative pressure trap formed by the speed of the Hurricane from the wind duct breaking the sound barrier and creating friction with the air; any creature that came close would be ruthlessly swallowed.

This created a fatal negative pressure zone in a certain area, which would instantly suck in nearby objects.

This tragic bird had accidentally blundered into this death trap created by Demonic Energy...

Li Size gained a deeper understanding of the principles of the wizardry train.

This would help him in his future studies of essential runes for the wizardry train, such as “Anti-Gravity.”

Although the wizardry train was fast, because Li Size and Felina had spent a bit too much time in Wojin City, it was already late at night when they returned to Gele City.

However, since the two had planned their return long ago, that top-floor grand suite at the Carnival was still reserved...

The two held each other, looking down at the silent Gele City from the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

...Immersed in a world of ultimate pleasure, enjoying the joys of intimacy...

A few days later, Li Size's Storage Pouch was filled with rare Materials for refining “swift spirit”:

Wind Spirit Grass shimmering with stardust luster, Swift Spider Silk soaked in moonlight, and a magic crystal fragment containing the wind element...

Each item emitted a mysterious aura.

He specifically rented a laboratory at the Redeemer Research Institute under Veselin.

The room was filled with the sweet fragrance of magic potions and the faint glow of Alchemy Runes. On the experimental table were crystal cauldrons, silver stirring rods, and potion racks carved with ancient incantations.

He was prepared to refine “swift spirit.”

Two days ago, the weekly payment for the little sorcerer donkey arrived as scheduled.

A heavy bag of gold coins, each stamped with the magic patterns of the Wizard Council and shimmering with a faint golden light, totaling over 200 coins.

The proficiency of the [Stingy Meditation Method] currently stood at 26/100.

He decisively took out 48 gold coins to Pay-to-Win the meditation method scroll, and his proficiency soared to 100/100.

Countless pieces of mysterious information turned into a stream of light and merged into his consciousness, promoting it to the Proficient Rank:

Stingy Meditation Method (Fragmented/Apprentice Proficient 0/100)

Remark: Because of Stingy, therefore powerful.

Special Effect 1: Stingy

By studying the "Stingy" meditation method, a wizard can complete the same witchcraft and products using only seventy percent of the Mental Energy or Materials.

It was as if an invisible hand was skimming off the consumption of Demonic Energy; the Proficient-level effect was even more exquisite.

Special Effect 2: Generous

Things turn into their opposites at their extremes. By studying the "Stingy" meditation method, a wizard can consume 1.8 times the resources to increase the effect of witchcraft by forty percent.

Like a miracle after compressing Demonic Energy, the Proficient-level effect was truly amazing.

His Potion Refining major skill (Apprentice) had already successfully advanced from Entry to Proficient Rank while helping Gelia refine those potions.

However, after reaching the Proficient Rank, refining inferior potions could no longer provide proficiency.

And since Li Size had not obtained a true Zero Ring witchcraft potion recipe before, this proficiency had been unable to increase.

The Proficient-Rank Potion Refining skill could increase the medicinal effect by twenty percent, and there was a ten percent chance of refining superior-grade potions with a thirty-five percent increase in effect.

It was as if Demonic Energy was blessing his refining process in the dark.

As Li Size acquired more and more advanced witchcraft knowledge.

He already knew that above [Superior] (medicinal effect increased by over 30%) potions, there were [Top-grade] potions (medicinal effect increased by over 50%).

Li Size's [Potion Refining] major skill had never produced a top-grade potion since reaching the Proficient Rank; it seemed he needed to further increase the skill level.

The first Zero Ring potion recipe he obtained was “swift spirit.”

This kind of Zero Ring potion that could permanently increase attributes had the hardest Materials to obtain among all potion categories.

It simply could not be used for daily skill proficiency gain.

Li Size had already made up his mind:

In the near future, he should go to Veselin's research institute to purchase some common Zero Ring potions.

For example, Zero Ring healing potions and Mental Energy recovery potions.

Rumor had it that Veselin possessed a Zero Ring [Mental Augmentation Potion] that could temporarily raise the upper limit of Mental Energy.

This kind of potion was never sold publicly, as if covered by an invisible curtain; only a few core members knew of its existence.

Li Size suddenly remembered the scene when Veselin had asked him for the witchcraft motorcycle last time.

He had proposed exchanging two [swift spirit] potions for one [brain in a vat] potion; thinking back now, that deal seemed a bit disadvantageous.

Logically speaking, these two potions should be an equal exchange.

Perhaps when delivering the witchcraft motorcycle, he could propose purchasing a [Mental Augmentation Potion] from Veselin?

This thought entwined around his heart like a magical vine, impossible to shake off, as if a voice was whispering in his ear, “Go and exchange for it.”

His true purpose in buying these potions was to use the [Pay-to-Win Analysis] witchcraft to crack the secrets of their recipes.

Analysis could reverse-extract magic runes and refining logic from finished potions.

Turning others' knowledge into his own foundation was as greedy and efficient as a Taotie devouring energy.

Li Size checked the Materials for [swift spirit] again, his fingertips brushing over the stardust patterns of the Wind Spirit Grass and the moonlight luster of the Swift Spider Silk.

Then he suddenly realized that this potion recipe was still at the Entry Rank, as if shrouded in a thin mist, waiting for the magic of Pay-to-Win to disperse it.

He unhesitatingly pulled out 50 gold coins stamped with the Wizard Council's magic patterns and injected them into the Analysis interface.

The gold coins instantly turned into energy points and flowed into the recipe.

The Entry-Rank runes suddenly lit up with an eerie blue light, promoting it to the Proficient Rank.

This would allow the agility points increased by [swift spirit] to reach 0.55, as if every gold coin was injecting the magic to move the rules into the recipe.