"Lillian, when exactly am I to depart?" Colin set down his teacup and continued to ask Lillian.
"In three days," Lillian replied without hesitation.
"So soon?"
Lillian glanced out the window at the courtyard and continued to explain,
"More than a month ago, the School of Neustadt City already began their preparations. The departure in three days was mutually agreed upon by the Nine Major Schools.
Whether it's accompanying Wizards from the Alus Association like you or us who will be participating in the war, we all leave in three days."
Colin nodded, his heart sinking slightly.
Departing in three days, such a brief time, it seemed rather rushed for him...
But in the face of the greater situation, personal demands... often seem the most trivial.
"I understand, Lillian," he sighed inwardly, accepting the reality.
Then, as if something occurred to him, he once again spoke, "Lillian, about the Magic Stones I owe you... I'll repay you once I receive my subsidy."
"Mhm," Lillian responded shortly, her face calm and serious, without any pleasantries or further words.
After seeing Lillian off, Colin felt an inexplicable restlessness and went to the front courtyard to wander.
It was nearing noon; the sunlight was like golden arrows piercing straight down to the earth, falling upon him… but it did not bring the same heat as in days past.
The summer of the Siya Continent was nearing its end...
To the left, the apple tree planted by Renee was bearing fruit, small and tinged with green.
Time flies like an arrow... Colin silently lamented.
He remembered when he first set foot on the Siya Continent, it was still winter...
Back then, the biting cold winds mingled with snowflakes, and the captain of the Anzokeka City Guard's black wide-brimmed hat was frosted over...
The scene was beautiful, a sight he, who had lived in the south in a previous life, had never seen and which remained vivid in his memory.
Shaking his head, Colin dismissed the distractions and began to think about what needed to be done in the coming three short days.
Although Superbrain greatly enhanced his memory, this did not mean he had become a cold computer.
On the contrary, because past memories became clearer, he found it all the more easy to feel sentimental… but his homeland and the past were now out of reach.
"Renee, I'm going out for a while, make braised fish for dinner; I'll be back this evening to eat," he instructed as he walked towards the door.
"Yes, Master," Renee, who had been following by his side, softly responded, watching Colin leave.
In the time she had been with Colin, on average, she learned to cook five different dishes from him each week and tried making them herself.
Braised fish was one of them, which she had already mastered.
...
Half an hour later, Copper Rose Street.
A public carriage slowly stopped, and Colin alighted, entering the colossal bookstore in front of him.
This was the largest bookstore on Copper Rose Street, simply named Copper Rose Bookstore.
"Honored First Rank Wizard Sir, what may I assist you with?"
Perhaps because of his School Badge and the Tin Saint School uniform he wore, as soon as he entered the bookstore, the bookstore manager came out to greet him.
The manager was an Advanced Wizard Apprentice, a portly middle-aged man, who now regarded him with respect.
But a closer look would reveal the manager's surprise.
Although Copper Rose Bookstore was the largest in Neustadt City, most of the witchcraft sold were at the Apprentice level; the remaining First Rank Witchcraft was either incomplete or commonplace, aimed more at Wandering Wizards.
To purchase First Rank Witchcraft, most Wizards would prefer an auction... and Wizards like Colin from a School typically exchanged within the School rather than making purchases externally.
Without explaining much, Colin simply spoke in an indifferent tone,
"Bring me some witchcraft related to escape, detection, defense, um, and ones similar to 'Silent' and 'Traceless'."
"Very well, my lord."
The portly supervisor nodded in agreement, took a few steps, instructed a nearby clerk to fetch the witchcraft, then came back, leading Colin to the reception room to sit down.
The supervisor respectfully poured a cup of tea for Colin, secretly wondering.
'No idea whether the noble lord is buying for research or for his descendants.'
Colin didn't have to wait long before several clerks each carrying a list entered.
Without changing his expression, Colin took the list, casting his first glance at the prices.
Apprentice-level witchcraft wasn't expensive; like the 'Silent' and 'Traceless' he had previously bought, they had only cost him a total of one hundred and twenty Magic Stones.
The problem now, however, was that he didn't have many Magic Stones left.
Perhaps because he was a First Rank Wizard, every list was densely packed with numerous witchcraft—at a cursory glance, each appeared to have at least a hundred varieties.
As for the prices, most were between twenty and ninety Magic Stones.
Seeing this, Colin breathed a slight sigh of relief. After setting aside enough to purchase some supplies, he had about three hundred Magic Stones left... That should be enough to shore up his current weaknesses.
Yes, after a careful contemplation during his walk in the courtyard, he realized the most pressing issue he needed to address was the inadequacy of his witchcraft arsenal.
He was soon to head to the Southern Sea Domain—a matter related to his very life, demanding his utmost attention.
Only, First Rank Witchcraft was either too expensive or required academic points he didn't have for exchange...
So he had no choice but to take an alternative route, coming here to buy some Apprentice-level witchcraft, intending to use the Golden Paper for Limit Breaking.
Colin flipped through the list, carefully making his selections.
As he mentioned to the supervisor, the only two aspects he currently didn't need to reinforce were attack and defense—with the Fireball Technique that could continue to be Limit Broken and the ability to Summon Fire Element, he didn't have to worry for the time being.
And defense... the Steel Temperature Resistance Field could also continue to be Limit Broken.
After this Limit Breaking, it should reach the level of First Rank Witchcraft and be of some use.
However, to avoid reaching its limit after the next Limit Breaking, he still needed to prepare some similar witchcraft for fusion when the time came.
"For detection aspects, give me all except 'Detect Evil'..." Colin paused, scrutinizing the prices, and then changed his mind, "Not all, just 'Detect Life' and 'Detect Magic Power'."
"Very well, my lord, that will be ninety Magic Stones."
"And for escape at speed, I'll need the 'Soaring Technique'."
"One hundred and twenty Magic Stones."
The supervisor continued to nod.
"As for defense..." Colin paused and shook his head, "No need for now."
The defensive witchcraft listed were either too similar in effect to his current Steel Temperature Resistance Field and hence inexpensive, or were priced over one hundred and twenty Magic Stones and thus quite pricey—it wasn't that overlap was bad, for as long as it was not total redundancy, there was room for improvement.
But proper use is essential with scarce resources; having already spent two hundred and ten Magic Stones on the first two aspects, his budget was now just over one hundred... not much was left.
He wanted to allocate this remaining budget to something of greater value.
"Also bring me the 'Silence Technique' and the 'Extinguishing Spell of Mississippi'... That will be all; calculate the total for me."
While he could continue to Limit Break the defense to strengthen it, the 'Silent' and 'Traceless' he'd recently purchased had already turned golden and could no longer be Limit Broken.
Prioritizing this aspect was more cost-effective.
However... whether 'Silent' or 'Traceless', their Rank and quality were higher than the Arrow Shooting Skill and other such witchcraft. Yet like them, they could only be Limit Broken twice before reaching gold.
Meanwhile, the same Fireball Technique could still be Limit Broken.
'It seems that the Rank and quality of witchcraft do not denote its potential for Limit Breaking,' Colin mused silently.
"A total of three hundred and twenty Magic Stones, my lord," the supervisor announced, while instructing the other clerks to fetch the corresponding witchcraft.
After a while, Colin, with his substantial haul, left the bookshop.