Chapter 80: New Home and New Magic

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: New Home and New Magic

"The two rooms are next to each other, both on the second floor. No one will usually bother you. The rent is 10 Silver Scales a month in total."

Hesia counted out the coins from his Money Bag and proactively added two more. "Yes, I saw it on the notice board. So, 12 Silver Scales, then?"

His gaze fell on Bruce, his intention clear. The extra two Silver Scales were for Bruce’s lodging fee.

But Cassandra smiled and waved her hand. "No need. I like this little guy." She looked at Bruce’s tail, which was wagging so fast it was almost a blur, and at his eyes, which seemed to understand every word. "He looks smart. I couldn’t possibly charge for him."

"Besides, you two young people are different from those rowdy, reeking-of-alcohol types.

I’ve had a few other groups come see the house before, but I turned them all away."

Hearing this, Hesia no longer insisted on paying extra.

He counted out 10 Silver Scales and placed them on the table.

Cassandra accepted the rent and gave some careful instructions. "Here are the keys to the main door and your individual rooms. Keep them safe.

You can use the fireplace on the second floor in the winter. The firewood is in the shed in the corner of the yard. There will be an extra charge if you need to use it.

The kitchen is on the first floor. You can cook for yourselves, but you must clean up afterward." Her tone became slightly more serious. "And remember the most important things:

Be quiet and take care of the facilities. I don’t want to hear any complaints from the neighbors or see any unnecessary damage."

"Please don’t worry, we will."

"Good. Welcome, Galen, Zoya." Lady Cassandra’s gentle smile returned. "And you too, you smart little one."

"WOOF!"

...

Other than their orientation, the two rooms were similar in size, with nearly identical furnishings.

Hesia gave the room with the window overlooking the lane’s rose bushes to Zoya and took the other one for himself.

After briefly arranging his personal belongings from his backpack, he sat on the edge of the bed and eagerly took out the Skill Scroll for [Assessment Skill].

The Scroll itself was just a tied-up roll of parchment, but upon touching it, he could feel a faint flow of Magic Power within.

He untied the thin string and slowly unrolled the Scroll.

Etched onto the surface were some arcane yet orderly Magic Patterns.

Just as he was trying to understand these patterns, a peculiar sensation arose.

Guided by the Magic Power contained within the Scroll, the patterns seemed to come to life, transforming into streams of information that actively poured into his mind.

The Casting Techniques for [Assessment Skill], the method for constructing Magic Circuits, the techniques for focusing Spiritual Power... all this knowledge was like having a patient mentor teaching him step-by-step.

With his Wisdom as high as 12, the entire learning process was almost effortless.

A few minutes later, a notification appeared in his mind.

[Skill Acquired: Assessment Skill]

"This is way too convenient!" Hesia couldn’t help but exclaim.

’Scrolls are truly a great invention. So this is what it feels like to have knowledge poured directly into your brain?’

However, when he thought about the price list he had seen at the Four Seas Trading Company, and how these two cheapest Skill Scrolls had cost him nearly half his savings, that sense of wonder was immediately replaced by a pang of heartache.

He picked up the now-used Scroll. As expected, the Magic Patterns on it had completely vanished, and the parchment had become ordinary, without a trace of Magic Power fluctuation.

’Three Golden Shields, gone just like that.’

But he knew this investment was necessary.

Information and power were both important.

’Still, if possible, it would be more cost-effective to learn from books without spending money.’

Besides, using a Skill Scroll required meeting the prerequisite for the relevant Attribute Points.

Next, he repeated the process and began learning [Labeling Skill].

The process was just as smooth. Learning both spells took less than 10 minutes combined.

After he finished learning, a thought occurred to Hesia, and he opened his attribute panel.

[Name: Hesia Atmesia]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 9]

[Profession: None]

[Physique: 12]

[Power: 8]

[Agility: 7]

[Wisdom: 12]

[Will: 10]

[Charm: 17]

[Skills: Earth Spike Technique Level 2 (18/20), Light Technique, Assessment Skill, Labeling Skill]

[Status:

Mora’s Blessing: You have received the blessing of a Rock Vein Speaker. Physique is permanently increased by 4. This buff ignores any Curses or debuffs.

Salamakis’s Mark: You have attracted the attention of a powerful being. She can periodically sense your general location and attempts to invade your thoughts with tempting whispers. Charm +1.]

[Equipped Traits: Earth Affinity, Thick Hide]

[Available Traits: Territory Odor Mark, Bloodline Solidification, Blushing Trait, Refined Gold Gastrointestinal Tract, Wild Charge, Primordial Feast]

Just as he expected, these two purely supportive spells didn’t provide any Attribute Points.

Currently, he was just one final attribute point away from reaching a true Level 10.

And his [Earth Spike Technique] proficiency was only two points away from leveling up, which would definitely provide a Wisdom Point.

However, outside of actual combat, he had no idea how many times he would have to cast it into the air to gain those two proficiency points.

Moreover, the [Earth Spike Technique] made too much of a commotion. Unless he practiced outside of town, he might find himself politely asked to leave by Lady Cassandra the very next day.

Hesia could almost picture it: him, excitedly practicing in the yard, when suddenly—BAM!—a row of sharp Earth Spikes erupted from Lady Cassandra’s meticulously-tended vegetable patch, launching her freshly planted cabbages into the sky.

When that happened, no matter how cute Bruce acted, they would likely be fated to be kicked out.

As for the [Greasy Skill] and [Acid Splash] that he had copied from David’s notes, he had tried to learn them on his own before.

But unfortunately, the magic structures of these two spells were far more complex than that of the [Light Technique].

[Acid Splash] was particularly difficult. In his eyes, its Rune circuits were like a tangled mess of string with no discernible pattern; he couldn’t even find a starting point to construct them.

The [Greasy Skill], by contrast, offered a glimmer of hope.

He could vaguely grasp its principles, but at every critical juncture, it felt like there was a paper screen between him and the answer—he could see it but couldn’t touch it. His several attempts all ended in failure.

But Hesia had a feeling that if he could just raise his Wisdom Points a little more, breaking through that paper screen for the [Greasy Skill] would only be a matter of time.

Of course, the fastest way would be to find a Mage tutor and ask for guidance in person to clear up his confusion.

But where to find such a person was another problem entirely.

All things considered, leveling up his [Earth Spike Technique] was the most reliable option.

’Belte probably still needs a few more days to recover, and Captain Hulk said he’d be resting for a while too.’ Hesia calculated inwardly. ’Looks like I’ll have to find a deserted spot tomorrow and practice [Earth Spike Technique] until it reaches Level 3.’

That way, not only would his own strength increase, but he could also start trying to learn those two rather practical new spells.

’Besides that, I also need to find some more suitable Traits for Bruce.’

’People’s hearts are hard to read; he’s the only one who’s completely loyal to me.’

’Increasing his power is the same as increasing my own.’

GRUMBLE—

The sound from his stomach interrupted his thoughts.

Only then did Hesia realize that he had been busy all morning and hadn’t eaten lunch yet.

"Hmm? Why hasn’t Bruce been making any noise today?"

He stood up from the bed and scanned the room, but he didn’t see a trace of the little guy.

He then realized that Bruce hadn’t seemed to follow him upstairs at all.

He headed down the stairs. Before he even reached the first floor, he heard Lady Cassandra’s gentle voice coming from the living room, interspersed with a familiar THWAP, THWAP sound.

"Oh, you’re such a smart, good boy! Here, try this. See if you like this little meat patty."

Hesia walked to the doorway of the courtyard and looked out, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He saw Bruce sitting at Lady Cassandra’s feet, a food bowl with a meat patty in it placed before him.

He was eating with relish, his mouth greasy, happily slapping the ground with his tail. THWAP, THWAP.

’No wonder the dog’s been so quiet today. Turns out he’s already being fed.’