In the time that followed, with no Magic Stones left in his pocket, he fully assumed the role of a spectator, eagerly awaiting the end of the auction to consume the Frost Snowfruit while gaining insight by observing the auctioned items.
An hour later, Colin returned to the True Knowledge Society research lab.
The Watt Auction House's commission was five percent, and after deducting it, the sale of the Extreme Cold Crystal had brought him an income of 150,200 Magic Stones, but after purchasing the Frost Snowfruit, only 2,000 remained.
'I hope those 150,000 Magic Stones weren't spent in vain.'
Colin took a deep breath and placed the Frost Snowfruit into his mouth.
Minutes later, after absorbing the energy, Colin summoned the Golden Paper.
In the Talent column, the progress indicator behind Frost clearly moved forward by a large margin, increasing by 26 points to reach 95/100!
It was a pity that he was still 5 points short of Limit Breaking!
Colin sighed softly, otherwise, this Frost Talent might have become the fastest Limit Breaking Talent he had ever achieved!
Looking at the black characters on the Golden Paper, Colin even felt an impulse to head again to the Extreme North and try his luck with Anando's Dice to find some witchcraft that might promote the growth of his Frost Talent!
But after pondering for a moment, he still dismissed the idea.
The same reason as before: the outcomes of Anando's Dice were simply unpredictable. Moreover, the potential enhancement gained from Limit Breaking his Frost Talent was still an unknown.
It was better to proceed as usual, focusing on the practice of witchcraft and wizard training—that was the true path.
However, this Frost Snowfruit, in terms of sensation alone, did not seem inferior to the transparent ice flower he had consumed for the first time, yet the progress it offered was only slightly more than half as much.
'Indeed, as one's progress increases and the number of consumptions goes up, the effects of these treasures gradually weaken.'
Colin understood this clearly and put away the Golden Paper.
Time quickly passed, and several days went by in a blink.
After the major operation in the city that day, as if after a long commotion must come tranquility, life in the city suddenly became extraordinarily calm.
Even the situation of the war had reached a strange standstill.
"Neustadt City Daily (March 1st Edition)"
"—There has been no battle on the front lines for five consecutive days."
"It is reported that since the Deep Red Initiative on February 17th of the Yanan Calendar, the Divine side has been actively contracting its battle lines. The frequency of conflicts at the front has decreased day by day, and as of today, there has been no battle for five consecutive days..."
In the study, Colin put down the newspaper and picked up an announcement from the Supreme Council—
"Supreme Council Announcement (March 1st Edition)"
"…The Supreme Council gives the latest directive: the current front line situation is stable; it is necessary to continue to strengthen the defenses, maintain the existing advantages, and build up strength..."
Colin frowned slightly, flipping through the drawer for the Supreme Council's announcement from the previous day.
On the brown paper, it stated clearly—
"The impact of the Deep Red Initiative is still ongoing, Divine battle lines are continually shrinking, possibly on the brink of a counter-offensive!"
Shaking his head, Colin found the Council's decisions somewhat incomprehensible.
Just yesterday they had just talked about starting a counter-offensive, and yet today, they had suddenly changed their tune—it seemed they no longer planned to pursue a victory further.
The war… had it temporarily entered a strange period of peace?
Colin put down the announcement and didn't dwell on it further.
The reasons behind the resolutions made by the upper echelons of wizards were not for a mere Second Rank Wizard like him to understand.
Glancing at his pocket watch, seeing it was no longer early, Colin gathered the newspapers, stood up, and prepared to practice witchcraft at the True Knowledge Society as usual.
In these days of focused practice, he vaguely felt some progress in the Fireball Technique and Summoning the Fire Element.
At least now he could actively control whether the overlay effect occurred while casting these two spells simultaneously.
However, Colin hadn't even stepped out of the door when he was met by an unexpected visitor.
"Good morning, Colin," greeted Lillian, dressed in a gray and white Wizard Robe, smiling at Colin as he was pushing the door open.
"Lillian senior, have you returned from completing your task?"
Colin was surprised to see the lovely golden-haired girl standing before him, in a tailor-made miniaturized Wizard Robe, making the petite Lillian look like an exquisite doll.
Colin, who was about to step out, immediately drew back his leg and turned to wave Lillian in instead.
"Was the task successful, senior?"
The two walked through the front yard and into the living room, where Colin called to Renee, not far away, "Renee, go prepare some tea and snacks."
"Quite smooth," Lillian stroked her hair and smiled with pursed lips, "Just the process was a bit thrilling. If you'd like, we can sit down later, and I can go through it with you slowly."
"Right," Lillian turned her head back to Colin and asked, "I heard from grandpa that you also went to do a compulsory task for the School recently? Did everything go well?"
There was concern in Lillian's eyes. As a half-Elf, she was aware of the treatment that Wizards who had not joined a Faction faced within the School.
From the timing, it was easy to tell that Colin's second compulsory task was not quite normal.
Even though Lillian already knew from Atbolde that Colin had returned safely, she couldn't help but ask again, a bit worried.
"Everything went well," Colin looked at Lillian, smiled, and nodded, then after a pause, added, "Just that the process was a bit convoluted."
Colin's thoughts then drifted to Joyce and the inexplicable sense of being watched he had felt in Kararli City.
However, now that he had been back in Neustadt City for half a month, there had been no new moves from the Hidosh Family, suggesting that Joyce probably hadn't left any contingencies.
That matter should be over for now.
"Convoluted? That I am quite curious to hear," Lillian said, seeing Colin's calm smile, she also relaxed and replied with a smile.
"... No problem," Colin paused for a moment before nodding.
Although he couldn't tell Lillian about Joyce or Shelley's matter,
the original task had involved only one Snow Monster, but in the end, there were two, plus what was seen and heard in Ancient North Village, those special domed snow houses, and that young man who had lost his wife—those were fascinating enough.
At least Lillian seemed enthralled, her expression turning somewhat grave after hearing about Robin.
"There are many things in this world that are determined the moment we are born," Lillian said after a while.
"Indeed so," Colin nodded in agreement, thought for a moment, and then said, "The only thing we can do is to push upward. Climbing may not allow us to escape a poor start, or break the chains we're born with.
But most of the time, we can climb a bit higher, and that bit of ascent truly raises us, the real peace of mind lies precisely in this seemingly arduous climb."
"You are right," Lillian said with a smile, pausing before continuing, "I just exchanged for the Second Rank Tin Saint Meditation Method at the School yesterday, and within half a month, I should attempt to advance."
"Wishing senior a smooth success on your first try," Colin raised his tea cup from the table, toasting Lillian.
"Mm, wish me luck," Lillian pursed her lips, also lifted her tea cup, and took a light sip.
The two set down their tea cups, the white porcelain clinking dully against the tablecloth covered wooden table.
Lillian stared out the window, then suddenly sighed,
"But having just advanced to Second Rank, one starts worrying about the knowledge for Third Rank... The wizard's path is truly endless."
Colin followed her gaze outside.
Unknowingly, snow had begun to fall; large, feather-like flakes adding to the quiet cold of the world.
Colin didn't join the conversation, staying silent, but his eyes held anticipation.
The Peak of Wizard, one day he would see it for himself.
The two withdrew their gazes, exchanging glances, and Lillian stroked her hair once more before starting to recount her own experiences on this task.
Colin sat opposite her on the couch, listening quietly.
The logs in the nearby fireplace were crackling as they burned.