Chapter 103 - 102: Mage’s Hand

Chapter 103: Chapter 102: Mage’s Hand

「The next day.」

Hesia repeatedly emphasized to Bruce that yesterday’s "human experiment" was a success. He explained that today he was just going to learn new magic as a reward from the Half-Elf Mage.

But Bruce just kept looking at him with a sympathetic expression that seemed to say, ’I get it, you don’t have to explain’.

Hesia had no idea how a dog’s face could be so expressive.

"Galen, you’re up early again today."

"Morning, Lady Cassandra." Hesia sat down at the dining table.

Soon, Lady Cassandra brought over a bowl of steaming hot porridge mixed with oats and beans, along with a slice of golden-brown multigrain toast on the side.

"You go ahead and eat. I’ll go fry you an egg. A young man needs to eat a good breakfast to have energy for the day."

Hesia quickly finished the nutritious breakfast.

When he was about to say goodbye to Lady Cassandra and leave, he found she was neither in the living room nor the kitchen.

So he had to turn and leave on his own.

As he left the small courtyard, he faintly heard a wail coming from Thomas’s room: "Mom! Why do you keep waking me up at this hour!"

...

Standing once again before the door painted with the head of a frantic goblin, Hesia was surprised to find that the shop door was actually open today.

However, he soon realized he had celebrated too soon.

Fevik had clearly slept in again. Only this time, afraid Hesia’s knocking would wake her, she had simply opened the door in advance.

She had also crossed out the original "Do Not Disturb!" on the door and scrawled a new line below it in a messy hand:

"Find a seat and wait. You can look through the books on the far-right shelf. Don’t bother me."

’Is this some kind of compensation for the wait?’

’And it’s a Mage’s private collection?’

This couldn’t help but make Hesia a little excited.

The trace of annoyance he’d felt about her sleeping in again instantly vanished.

He walked into the shop and went straight to the far-right bookshelf—

the very same spot where Fevik had stood on a rattan chair to grab a book on his first day.

That was where she had retrieved the unreliable *Interspecies Communication*.

There were quite a few books on the shelf, but to Hesia’s disappointment, the ’Secret Martial Arts Manuals’ filled with magic he had been hoping for were clearly not among them.

But on second thought, it made sense. Simple magic probably wasn’t worth recording in a book for Fevik, while advanced magic was mostly preserved on scrolls.

The books here were basically all cultural studies and practical guides.

Hesia skipped past the strange-looking *Beastman Literature Selection* and picked up a book titled *Symbiotic Evolution History: From Domestication to Equal Dialogue*.

The book briefly described the process of humans domesticating Demon beasts like Land Birds, Dragonhawks, and Griffins. The final section even touched on labor rights disputes concerning Magic Creatures?

’Cultural studies doesn’t seem like it will be of any direct help to me right now,’ Hesia thought, putting the book back in its place.

His gaze swept over the practical guides, and he soon found one that he would most likely have a use for.

*Underground Dungeon Ingredients Processing Guide* (Excerpt)

(Co-authored by Aldos Feirwiss and the Kitchen Demon Society)

The foreword read: "Adventurer, before you swing your blade at those ferocious creatures, remember that they might also be your dinner tonight. Survival is a more fundamental skill than honor."

Hesia began to flip through it with great interest.

1. Slime

The most common Demon beast, the most practical ingredient.

Processing Steps:

Luring and Immobilizing: Use a piece of raw meat or a mineral-rich stone to lure it to a flat area. Avoid killing it directly, as this will dilute its bodily fluids, making them difficult to collect.

Core Extraction: Quickly strike and remove its core (a small, jelly-like sphere), which is its "brain." After losing its core, the Slime will rapidly transform into an inert, inactive gel.

Acid Neutralization: This is the key step! Pour the inert gel into a container with a small amount of flour or plant ash and stir thoroughly until the gel no longer produces fine bubbles. At this point, its corrosiveness has been mostly neutralized.

Ingredient Processing and Cooking Suggestions:

The processed Slime gel is colorless and odorless, with a smooth, springy texture, making it an excellent natural thickener.

It can be cut into cubes and stewed with potatoes and meat to make "Gelatinous Stew"; the broth will become exceptionally thick and savory. It can also be chilled, sliced, and served as a cold dish with sauce.

Warning: Colored Slimes may be highly toxic. Do not attempt to prepare unless you are an experienced Kitchen Demon.

...

Time slipped by quietly as he read with focus.

After some time, Fevik finally emerged from the back room, letting out a huge yawn, her eyes heavy with sleep. She glanced at the book in Hesia’s hands.

"If you’re interested in that *Ingredients Guide*, you can have it." She rubbed her eyes. "Anyway, I have no desire to ever set foot in one of those damp, stinky Dungeons again."

"Let’s get started. The sooner I teach you, the sooner I can go back for a nap. I haven’t gotten enough sleep these past few days."

Following her instructions, Hesia sat on the same stool he had used to rest on yesterday.

He had expected the teaching process to be as whimsical as she was, but to Hesia’s surprise, when Fevik entered "teacher mode," her entire aura changed. Her previous laziness and sharp tongue vanished, replaced by an unquestionable rigor and professionalism.

"First, to master a spell, you need to understand its source. [Mage’s Hand] belongs to the Curse Magic System. The core of this school is creating objects ’from nothing,’ or summoning and teleporting things from elsewhere."

"As for the effect of [Mage’s Hand], to put it simply, it creates an invisible hand that you can use to do things you couldn’t do otherwise."

As she spoke, just like yesterday, she waved a hand toward the shelf, and a piece of wand wood slowly flew over.

Unlike yesterday, however, with Fevik’s deliberate guidance, this time Hesia could see a translucent, faintly blue-glowing palm gently cradling the wand wood from below.

Fevik continued, "Besides what I told you yesterday about helping you control weapons in battle, it can also retrieve items from a distance. So whether it’s grabbing a book you can’t reach, disarming simple mechanisms from afar, or exploring dangerous places in place of your own flesh and blood, it is your most loyal and reliable companion."

Hesia was now keenly aware of the primary benefit of having a teacher.

Just like that, his desire for this spell had been fully ignited by Fevik’s few words.

He didn’t even need to act; he praised her with genuine admiration, "I see! A seemingly simple trick has so many deeper applications! Lady Fevik, your explanation has truly opened my eyes!"

[Affinity with Ghostly Half-Elf Fevik QuickThought has increased. Decryption Points +3]

Although Fevik didn’t acknowledge him, the corner of her mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly as she continued to explain the essentials of the spell.

The notification about his increased Affinity, combined with her conversation with the messenger fairy yesterday and her ability to optimize spells, made Hesia all the more certain: this seemingly eccentric Wand Shop owner must have some connection to the Fernandez Magic Academy.

’She loves it when people praise her teaching skills!’

’In that case, my apologies, Your Ladyship, but I’m going to praise you relentlessly.’