75: Chapter 0075 Solid

Li Size eagerly wanted to use Pay-to-Win Analysis on the potion containing the secrets of Mental Energy attributes to get its complete formula.

Unfortunately, he only had 127 Gold Coins left, and analyzing this potion required injecting at least 300 Gold Coins for the Analysis. He could only suppress his eagerness and wait a while longer.

Since he already had the item in hand, he wasn't that anxious.

Following the contact information Will had written on the magic plant leaf, he arranged to meet him at the "Stardust Cafe," which was filled with rosemary magic mist.

The astronomical charts on the walls here rotated automatically.

Will was a talkative fellow. After chatting for a while about their respective views on Wojin City, Li Size confirmed a suspicion from Will's words:

The Mayor of Wojin City, Bamar, was actually a Formal Wizard capable of manipulating metal particles.

He could condense iron filings in the air into sharp dark blades, and even temporarily deform the metal buildings of the entire city.

With his mastery of Sharpness Spell and Metal Deformation Spell, his strength ranked quite high among Formal Wizards.

This news made Li Size muse to himself:

There truly is no love or hatred in the world without reason.

Li Size seized the opportune moment and proposed trading two bottles of "swift spirit" potion for Will's remaining six Silver Ring Trouts, whose scales shimmered with moonlight silver brilliance.

Will looked at Li Size in surprise:

"Holy crap! You refined the finished product this quickly. Is Veselin your relative?"

A fine-grade potion that permanently increased Agility by 0.55, and it was a permanent attribute potion.

Once you passed this village, there wouldn't be another shop like this!

Agility could increase one's speed and reaction time, and if one's Physique could keep up, it could even improve Will's eyesight.

This was a very important attribute.

To be honest, Will was very hesitant.

But he remembered how difficult it had been for him and Fei Li to obtain these Silver Ring Trouts—it had truly been a near-death experience.

Moreover, in Monte Province, located in the southwestern mountainous region, this item was even harder to acquire, which added another twenty percent to its value.

For something so precious, he hoped to exchange it for some rare knowledge.

This showed the difference between a gambler and a true Wizard Apprentice:

Fei Li, who had lost everything, only wanted to get Gold Coins to return to the gambling table for a comeback; he wouldn't think about long-term matters like Will did.

Li Size quite liked Will's approach, and what was even rarer was that the two of them could chat well. Li Size also really wanted to obtain these Silver Ring Trouts.

So, as if making a decision that concerned his destiny, he leaned close to Will's ear and whispered, his voice carrying a mysterious allure:

"If you, Will, give me the Silver Ring Trouts, and then give me 250 Gold Coins a few months later, I can help you obtain a 'brain in a vat' that even Formal Wizards have to queue up three years for.

That's a forbidden potion that can glimpse the boundaries of consciousness!"

Will, who had been hesitant, widened his eyes upon hearing this and looked at Li Size in disbelief, swallowing hard:

"Holy crap!

Are you really Veselin's relative? Are you perhaps her illegitimate son?

You can actually get that?"

The 'brain in a vat' that Veselin sold was priced at 200 Gold Coins.

But only members holding a Redeemer's Special Permit could purchase it; ordinary Apprentices could barely get a glimpse of it.

Formal Wizards from several provinces away were lining up!

The reason Li Size could trade for a 'brain in a vat' was because Veselin had a prior need for him, and she had her own plans.

Under normal circumstances, Li Size would not have been able to trade for it.

Veselin would never have imagined that what she traded was not just a potion, but that she had given the formula to Li Size.

If she had known, she wouldn't have agreed to the trade even if it meant death.

Li Size shook his head:

"No! Don't make up rumors about Formal Wizards; don't drag me into your death wish.

Don't worry about how I get it; just tell me, are you trading or not!?"

What was there to hesitate about?

Will was even afraid Li Size would go back on his word, so he quickly took out a temporary contract scroll written in Demonic Blood from his robes.

He immediately activated the contract scroll in his cuff with his Mental Energy, and the ancient Demonic Runes on the scroll instantly lit up with a golden glow, automatically unfolding into a template imprinted with a Soul Mark.

Contracts in the Wizard World were witnessed by Ancient Demonic Spirits; once signed, they were imprinted deep within both parties' Souls.

Violators would suffer a Demonic Energy backlash, resulting in the loss of some Magic Power in mild cases, or Soul shattering in severe cases.

Wizards always carried 2-3 copies with them for emergencies.

Seeing Li Size write down the agreed-upon terms without missing a word and sign the contract, Will carefully put it away.

Li Size waited for Will to return riding his little sorcerer donkey inlaid with Wind Element Runes, with the crystal fish tank containing the Silver Ring Trouts loaded on its back.

The scales of the trout in the tank shimmered with moonlight silver brilliance that could amplify speed, and the two completed this trade full of Demonic Energy aura.

For this trip, Li Size only planned to use the smallest of these Silver Ring Trouts, paired with the Intermediate product left over from last time.

The Intermediate product still retained a mysterious power, and combined with this batch of Materials, it was enough to refine two bottles of "swift spirit" potion that could permanently enhance Agility.

The rest would be kept for now in Gray Mist Mountain Town.

Although the special magic plant feed for raising the Silver Ring Trout cost 15 Silver Coins per month,

Li Size wanted to wait until his Potion Refining skill broke through to the Proficient level, which would maximize the trout's medicinal effect and allow him to refine more potent potions.

The more he engaged in Pay-to-Win, the more he felt he should manage his small life meticulously.

After arranging these matters, Li Size intended to find the remaining two Wizard Apprentices to continue trading.

He had forgotten to ask for their contact information at the Wizard Market last time.

Perhaps the other party didn't believe Li Size could, or could quickly, obtain what they needed.

Luckily, Will was an old Wizard Apprentice from Gele City.

Li Size gave a rough description of the two, and Will immediately told him their names and contact information.

Mali Jisi, the tall and thin Wizard Apprentice.

Li Size could sense faint electrical particle fluctuations on Mali Jisi, which was a unique Demonic Energy fluctuation only possessed by Lightning System Wizards.

It was as if tiny electric arcs were flickering in the air, carrying the deterrent power of tearing the air.

The Lightning System was a rare attribute. If this fellow had talent and perseverance, he might fare well in the future.

Li Size took out the Lightning Arrow sorcery scroll wrapped in lightning-patterned cloth from his Storage Pouch.

The lightning Demonic Runes on the scroll emitted a sizzling electrical sound upon contact with the air, as if ready to release an electric arc at any moment.

He got straight to the point, proposing to exchange the Lightning Arrow scroll for the 'Summon Skeleton' sorcery that Mali Jisi had accidentally discovered in an Ancient Tomb.

That sorcery could summon Skeleton Warriors imbued with Necromancy power; it was a basic but practical skill for the Necromancy System.

Seeing the flicker of joy in the other person's eyes, Li Size knew he had gambled correctly.

The other party hadn't obtained this sorcery yet.

For a veteran Lightning System Wizard Apprentice like Rice, the Lightning Arrow sorcery might be standard issue.

But the Lightning System was indeed too rare, and obtaining Lightning System sorceries was much more difficult than other sorceries.

It was normal for Mali Jisi not to have acquired this sorcery yet, especially for a wild Wizard.

How hard it was to be a wild Wizard!

Li Size then thought of the Deputy Director and Mody who wanted to ruin his chance to advance.

These people were truly vicious and blocked his path!

Although this sorcery was rare, the Wizard paths were all different.

For Li Size, this sorcery was far less important than 'Summon Skeleton,' which he had witnessed firsthand on Felina.

Its power lay not only in being able to form an army of one but also in serving as a disposable protective sorcery in critical moments, just like Felina used it.

What Li Size envisioned was summoning some corpses that didn't need to be too powerful, ones that could use his witchcraft firearms.

This way, he could fully utilize his Mechanical Alchemy talent.

After acquiring the Summon Skeleton sorcery scroll, he converted 10 Gold Coins into Energy Points in an unnoticed corner,

Then he engaged in Pay-to-Win Analysis on the Summon Skeleton sorcery. The sorcery model information on the scroll instantly merged into his Sea of Consciousness, completing the Analysis.

He quickly absorbed this sorcery to make it a skill he could use.

"swift spirit" was, after all, an extraordinarily precious permanent attribute potion.

When Li Size found the other Alchemy Apprentice, Matif, whom Will had told him about, and proposed trading for 'swift spirit,'

The other party chose to trade without a second thought.

During the Analysis process, the rune matrix structure of the Alchemy Rune 'Sturdiness' rapidly appeared in Li Size's mind. A Pay-to-Win prompt appeared:

[Consuming 500 Energy Points, successfully analyzed Alchemy Rune 'Sturdiness' (Zero Ring)]

Alchemy Rune: Sturdiness (Zero Ring) Beginner 0 / 100

Notes:

The Zero Ring Alchemy Rune 'Sturdiness' flows with dark gold Demonic Runes.

It can form an invisible Demonic Energy shield on the surface of the parts or items you create, making them tougher against Demonic Energy impacts.

It can increase the energy level tolerance limit of the base material by 3 levels, equivalent to plating the material with a Demonic Energy protective layer derived from the ancient Earth's core.

Feeling the information of Sturdiness, Li Size felt as if his entire body was enveloped in an invisible suit of armor, and his life instantly gained a sense of security derived from Demonic Energy.

Even the Demonic Rune leather shoes on his feet seemed to have absorbed the rune's power; every step he took felt steadier, as if the ground itself was providing him with faint Demonic Energy support.

The romance of a true man is building indestructible defenses layer by layer with the Sturdiness Rune!

When the 'Sturdiness' Rune combined with black demonic iron, the metal Demonic Particles within the black demonic iron would be activated by the rune, causing the material's limit to soar from Level 4 to Level 7.

It directly leaped past the Zero Ring Intermediate level into the Advanced category, as if the black demonic iron itself had awakened an ancient will of defense.