"Sign your name here after you finish filling it out," Larry pointed to a blank space at the bottom of the form.
Helag double-checked to ensure all necessary information was filled out, then signed his name at the bottom.
"Helag Merlin."
The form instantly ignited with blue flames. Helag instinctively pulled his hand back, but the flames had no heat.
The fire quickly consumed the entire form, leaving no ash behind.
"Welcome to Moonlight Woodland," Larry said flatly.
Jennifer pulled out a small slip of paper and stamped it heavily with a seal, making Helag wonder if the paper would be damaged.
"Go to the supplies office to collect your items," Jennifer said, handing the slip through the window.
Helag looked at the slip, which listed his basic information and a supply list.
– Wizard Apprentice Robe: One
– Magic Net Rune Stone: One
– Course Selection Vouchers: Three
– Northern Forest Dormitory: One room
– Library First Floor Access Card: One
– Magic Stone: One
The list was quite long, with many items.
The supplies office had a long queue.
"Mr. Larry!"
"Good evening, Mr. Larry!"
"Looks like we have a newcomer, and a handsome one at that!"
"Mr. Larry, when will your herbology class resume, or can we pay for private lessons?"
The queue was full of wizard apprentices. When someone noticed Larry, others turned to greet him.
Larry remained expressionless. "I'm busy with experiments lately, no time for classes or tutoring."
"Mr. Larry, do you teach herbology?" Helag asked.
"I usually teach herbology and potion-making, but I haven't had time for classes recently," Larry replied.
After waiting in line for a while, Helag signed a form and received his supplies.
The wizard apprentice robe was gray-brown, soft to the touch. It had some magical defense capabilities, reducing spell damage.
The Magic Net Rune Stone was a rectangular transparent crystal. When Helag input magic, it projected a virtual screen with options like friends, course schedule, tasks, and tavern chatter.
Larry took out a similar rune stone and explained, "The Magic Net is a wide-area spell developed by our Karag wizard organizations, mainly for information transmission. It's been around for two thousand years."
"The rune stone is important. You need to learn how to use it. Through the stone, you can contact other wizards, check and register for courses, and browse tasks posted by others. The top right corner shows your ID, which others can use to add you as a friend and contact you. It has many functions, so take your time to learn."
"This is basically a communicator," Helag said, quickly getting the hang of it and adding Larry as a friend.
The course selection vouchers were three green cards with the Moonlight Woodland emblem on the front and usage instructions on the back.
Larry explained, "Many official wizards in the organization offer various courses. You need to register at least a week in advance. You can check the course schedule for this month's courses, including time and location."
"Most courses require a fee in gold coins or magic stones. Some have specific requirements, like providing certain materials. These three vouchers allow you to register for any regular course."
"Use these vouchers wisely. I suggest starting with basic courses. Advanced courses might be too difficult for you now, wasting the opportunity."
"Mr. Larry, do you have any recommended courses?" Helag asked.
Larry thought for a moment. "Mr. Oleg Zotyev's 'Fundamentals of Spell Model Construction' and Ms. Lori Evan's 'Basics of Meditation Techniques' are suitable for you. These two are safe bets. Other courses depend on your personal interests and needs."
"Thank you, Mr. Larry. I'll definitely sign up for your herbology and potion-making classes when they resume," Helag said with a smile.
"Those two courses require significant funding. You can't do many experiments without money, as the materials are expensive," Larry said seriously.
Helag took out the black magic stone and asked, "How much is a magic stone worth in gold coins?"
"The market price is a hundred gold coins, but no one sells magic stones for gold coins, or people will think you're a fool. Wizards often trade using magic stones instead of gold coins."
Larry led Helag out of the administration hall to the Northern Forest dormitory.
Helag took out a brass key with a small wooden tag reading "Northern Forest Room 443."
Moonlight Woodland was even larger inside than it appeared from the outside. It took half an hour of walking through streets and alleys to reach the Northern Forest dormitory.
The Northern Forest was a wooded area with dense trees and scattered three-story cottages.
These cottages were the wizard apprentices' dormitories, one per person.
On the way to Room 443, Helag noticed that each cottage was unique, with various colors and some even having well-tended gardens.
Larry explained, "Once assigned, these cottages belong to you, so you can modify them as you like."
"Mr. Larry, where do you live?" Helag asked curiously.
"I live in the town," Larry replied.
"The town?"
Larry stopped and looked back at the buildings they had passed. "The area we just walked through is called the town. Only official wizards can live there. The Northern Forest is usually for wizard apprentices, but some stay here even after becoming official wizards. It's all about personal preference."
"The town's houses have spatial magic, making the interiors much larger."
"I see," Helag said, preferring the quiet cottages in the forest.
"Here we are. My task is done. If you have any questions, you can consult the administration hall. Someone there will help you," Larry said, then turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared.
"Mr. Larry leaves quickly," Helag said, not having had a chance to thank him.
He looked at his new home, a three-story cottage surrounded by dense forest, with a stream flowing nearby.
The environment, though lacking some human touch, was perfect for a wizard's life, needing a quiet place for meditation and research.
Helag inserted the brass key into the door lock. Magic flowed within, and with a click, the door automatically opened.
As the door opened, soft yellow lights illuminated the room.
The house was fully furnished with tables, chairs, and a fireplace stocked with wood.
Oil paintings, mostly landscapes, adorned the walls.
The wall lamps resembled those on the ship but were more elegant, with softer light emanating from pale yellow stones inside.
The first floor comprised a living room and kitchen. The second floor had three rooms: a bedroom, a study, and an empty room.
The third floor was an attic with a lower ceiling, suitable for storing miscellaneous items.
The kitchen was well-equipped with utensils and various spices. Helag even found tea and coffee.
He lit the fireplace, boiled some water, and made himself a cup of coffee.
After a brief rest, Helag began planning his next steps.
"Deep Blue, suggest a course study plan."
[
Course study suggestions are as follows:
1. Study the basics of meditation techniques.
2. Study the fundamentals of spell model construction.
3. Study multiple languages.
4. Learn a defensive Level 0 spell.
5. Learn an offensive Level 0 spell.
]
Deep Blue provided a detailed plan, and Helag realized he had a lot to do.
He opened the rune stone to check the course schedule. Moonlight Woodland's courses ran from 9 AM to 9 PM, with each class lasting three hours.
The schedule was packed, offering courses like anatomy, necrobiology, and shadow studies.
Helag found Lori Evan's "Basics of Meditation Techniques," which started a new session next Monday.
"The price…" He noted that the course cost fifteen gold coins.
Gold coins were paid on-site, but Helag had course vouchers, so he could use them instead. Moonlight Woodland would later convert the vouchers to gold coins for the teaching wizards.
The meditation course had three sessions, totaling nine hours.
"Fifteen gold coins for one course, and this is just a basic one."
Helag counted his money from his space ring, finding he had only twenty gold coins.
"Let's check the tasks." Helag opened the task section to see what was available.
[Herbology lab assistant needed, must have herbology knowledge. Pass the on-site test to be hired.
Pay: 30 gold coins.]
[Assist in killing a mountain giant.
Requirements: at least a second-class apprentice with two or more offensive spells.
Pay: 20 magic stones.]
[Collect Ghost Valley Walking Grass.
Pay: 20 gold coins per plant.]
The rune stone allowed viewing tasks and contacting task issuers. To post a task, one had to go to the administration hall, fill out information, and pay a deposit. The task would then be updated on the Magic Net.
Each rune stone was bound to a specific wizard, and its functions varied by wizard organization.
The rune stone's usage range was limited to the area of the eight wizard organizations. It couldn't be used outside this range but was sufficient for daily life.
Helag registered for "Basics of Meditation Techniques," "Fundamentals of Spell Model Construction," and "Introduction to Herbology."
He calculated that these three courses would normally cost seventy gold coins.
Since Larry had no current herbology courses, Helag chose a course by a witch named Yuna.
The three courses would be completed within three weeks.
Next, Helag planned to borrow books. Courses didn't provide textbooks, so apprentices had to get them themselves. If the library had them, they could be borrowed; otherwise, they had to be bought from other apprentices.
Moonlight Woodland's library was the tallest building, with seventeen floors. It had existed for over two thousand years, housing various books.
Helag's borrowing privileges were the lowest, allowing access only to the first floor.
Fortunately, the three books he needed were basic and available on the first floor.
Helag borrowed the meditation and herbology textbooks, but the spell model book was out of stock.
"You can check the flea market," the librarian suggested, seeing he was new.
"Flea market?"
The librarian explained, "Wizards sell unused items there. You can find all sorts of things. It's worth a look."
Following the librarian's directions, Helag went to the west side of the town, where the flea market was located.
It resembled a regular street market but was quieter, as wizards were generally more reserved.
Many wizard apprentices manning stalls were engrossed in books, only pausing to attend to customers.
The stalls offered a variety of items, including unusual animal parts. Helag even saw dragon dung for sale, though it looked suspiciously fresh.
Disgusted, Helag quickly moved to the stalls selling books.
One stall had several stacks of books, run by a bespectacled, skinny boy.
"Do you have 'Fundamentals of Spell Model Construction'?" Helag asked.
The boy adjusted his glasses and nodded. "Yes!"
He rummaged through the stacks, taking a while to find the book.
"How much?" Helag asked.
"Fifty silver coins."
Helag couldn't believe his ears. "How much?"
The boy explained, "That's the going rate. I bought it for fifty silver coins too. You can sell it after your course. We all do this to break even, not to make a profit."
To be sure, Helag checked other stalls and found the boy was telling the truth.
Though he doubted the no-profit claim, the market price was indeed fifty silver coins.
"Here," Helag handed over fifty silver coins and took the book.
After counting the coins, the boy asked, "You're new, right? Add me as a rune stone friend. I have many books."
"Sure," Helag agreed, thinking it would be helpful for future book searches.
"Hi, I'm Leo Severin," the boy introduced himself with a smile.
"Helag Merlin."
After adding Leo, Helag had two friends on his list.
"I wonder what Lilian's rune stone ID is…" Helag suddenly thought.
They hadn't known about rune stones before arriving, so they could only communicate by letter for now.