"No, it was one of the 'lost knowledge' back then."
Seeing Shelley respond like that, Colin finally dismissed the idea of accepting the mission.
"Is your excellency Shelley a member of the Yista School?" he suddenly asked, curious.
"No," Shelley shook her head, then added, "I am not a School Wizard now."
Colin was slightly startled, and his eating motion also paused.
He had thought that Shelley knew the Spirit Illusion Shield, perhaps because she was a member of the Yista School.
But he never expected that Shelley was not a School Wizard?!
No, what Shelley said was that she is not one now.
"Not a member of a School now?" Colin asked, puzzled.
"I used to be a member of the Yista School, but I left," Shelley explained, without holding back any details.
Colin was a bit taken aback, somewhat surprised.
The Yista School was one of the most powerful Schools in Neustadt city, and it was also the superior School to the Tin Saint School.
Shelley's expression was as calm as usual; she just reached up to stroke her snow-white hair by her ear and said:
"What were we chatting about the day before yesterday?"
Seeing Shelley like this, Colin also reined in his curiosity and followed her lead, starting to exchange knowledge.
Thus, an hour quickly passed.
As they were leaving, Shelley seemed to remember something and mentioned:
"Darren's Commission has approved my recommendation; you should receive your membership certificate within a week."
"Thank you, Shelley," Colin said with a joyful expression, smiling.
"No need," Shelley shook her head, her delicate face serious, "You spent time exchanging knowledge with me, and I helped you obtain these trade memberships. It is a fair exchange; there is nothing to thank me for."
"It's two different things; exchanging knowledge with you is also beneficial for me," Colin disagreed, shaking his head.
Although he had initially spent time exchanging knowledge with Shelley with some ulterior motives, hoping to learn more about the True Knowledge Society through her and perhaps secure some resources,
But when Shelley truly helped him, he indeed felt genuine gratitude towards her, and that gratitude wasn't diminished by their exchange.
To repay kindness and revenge wrongs is Colin's most basic principle; it's his beacon in this bizarre world.
Shelley paused for a moment, didn't say much, just nodded slightly and then turned to leave.
"I live at 67 Lier Holy Street in the Huapei district; if you have time, your excellency is welcome to visit. The cooking skills of our maid are second to none," Colin said after a moment's thought.
Shelley's personality was somewhat aloof, not one for pleasantries, and most of their conversations involved knowledge with no flattery or deceit involved.
This seemed like a conversation with a robot who didn't understand human emotions.
But for Colin, Shelley's straightforward manner was quite to his liking.
Whether in his previous life or now, he did not like superficial compliments; he preferred clear and straightforward social interactions.
Shelley stopped, looking at him, a rare hesitation on her face.
Realizing his forthrightness might have been too blunt, Colin quickly explained with a frank smile:
"It's alright; this is just an invitation. Whether you come or not is up to you, no need to worry about it."
"Mhm." Shelley looked at him earnestly, nodded, and then turned and left.
The thick laboratory door closed, Colin touched his chin, shook his head, and eventually threw those thoughts aside, starting to practice witchcraft.
Social interactions are indeed a troublesome affair...
Around three in the afternoon, Colin left the True Knowledge Society early and arrived at Copper Rose Street in the center of Neustadt city.
As previously mentioned, custom witchcraft was only one of the planned money-making methods.
He came here today to research the market, to see what popular categories existed in Zeroth Rank witchcraft, and to inquire if the shops had plans to purchase witchcraft.
Additionally, if suitable, he might also buy a few Zeroth Rank witchcraft spells.
After all, earning Magic Stones is a long-term routine, and high-end custom witchcraft spells were not something he could handle at the moment, so he might as well start with breaking through in the Zeroth Rank witchcraft area.
Copper Rose Street was the most bustling commercial street in the entire Neustadt city.
Almost every Wandering Wizard who came to Neustadt City made this their first stop.
Colin decided to first take a general walk around, although it was not his first time here.
But in the past, he had always been busy, and this was the first time he was carefully observing.
Bookstores, Witch Tool Stores, Magic Pharmacies, auction houses... You could find almost any kind of shop here on Copper Rose Street, truly living up to its bustling reputation.
If one had enough Magic Stones, it was possible to gather all the resources needed to transition from an ordinary person to a First Rank Wizard right here.
Of course, almost no Wandering Wizard would do that, as they saved their Magic Stones for essential expenses like food and accommodation, and for improving their strength.
Not for anything else, but to be able to buy an entry certificate from the black market that originated from a School.
Only when they acquired that certificate or gathered enough money to pay the entry fee for a School would they spend the remaining money elsewhere.
Typically, in preparation for the School examination, the expenses were mostly on acquiring knowledge.
Walking along the street, Colin did not inquire about many Witchcraft techniques; instead, he gained a deeper understanding of the conditions facing Wandering Wizards.
It had to be said, he was lucky.
By a stroke of luck, he had obtained an entry certificate to the Tin Saint School in the Holy Flame Kingdom.
Otherwise, even with Golden Paper, it might have taken him several years to join a School.
For a truly lonely and unaided wandering wizard, they usually survived by taking on tasks that School Wizards were unwilling to do,
Dangerous and time-consuming, in the end, at most only one in a thousand could successfully save enough Magic Stones to join a School, a miraculous leap like a carp transforming into a dragon.
In fact, the Wandering Wizards that Schools mainly recruited usually had substantial family assets, with wizard parents or had already received School education, just from less-known small Schools.
Truly, like him, only a minority could join a School through their own effort from humble beginnings.
Most often, it took the effort of several generations to cross the class divide.
Reaching the end of Copper Rose Street, Colin passed a commission guild named Rumba.
The hall was filled with Wandering Wizards, each looking different yet all equally hurried.
Colin watched this scene, feeling a connection to his former self.
But those were bygone days; he now deeply understood just how rigid the class system in this world was.
He was still struggling within it, now he could only manage to take care of himself when impoverished.
Taking a few more steps, he came to a bookstore.
This place was nearly outside the boundary of Copper Rose Street, somewhat remote, but business seemed good, with a few Wizard Apprentices selecting books.
Colin looked up at the sign.
The emblem behind it was unfamiliar, indicating it probably belonged to a lesser-known small School.
After pondering for a moment, Colin stepped in, intending to start his inquiry from this shop.
Leveraging his First Rank Wizard abilities, it wasn't long before the shop owner was alerted and came over.
"What can I do for you?" the owner asked amiably.
"Do you buy Witchcraft here? Zeroth Rank Witchcraft," Colin asked gently.
"What kind of Zeroth Rank Witchcraft? Apart from the high-risk Witchcraft regulated by the Supreme Council, we can accept others," the shop owner replied adeptly, his mind at ease.
"However, depending on the category and effect, the buy-back price varies."
"Can you be more specific?" Colin pressed as his purpose here was to investigate which type of Witchcraft fetched a higher purchasing price.
He hadn't expected the shop owner to be so cooperative, saving him quite a bit of effort.
"Under the same circumstances, Attack Witchcraft fetches the highest price, followed by Defensive Witchcraft, while the price for other supportive Witchcraft depends on the specifics," the owner answered.
Colin nodded slightly, this was close to what he had anticipated.
He then continued to inquire about the details.
These were key for his visit.
Ten minutes later, he left the bookstore, greatly satisfied.
Over the next hour or so, Colin visited several more bookstores to inquire.
Finally, in the evening, he returned to the True Knowledge Society's laboratory, armed with carefully selected four doors of Zeroth Rank Lower Magic.