Chapter 008: The Harvest
Inside the leather bag was a pile of hundreds of gems. The larger ones were about the size of a human thumb, while the smaller ones were merely the size of rice grains. Without exception, each gem emitted a faint glow, coming in various colors—black, white, blue, yellow, and more.
Seeing Du Fan’s stunned expression, Chenchen jumped onto his shoulder, took a look, and couldn’t help but stick out its tongue, saying, “Magic stones!”
“What? Magic stones!?”
Du Fan was stunned for a moment before shouting out in surprise. After all, if these were just ordinary gems, they wouldn’t be very valuable. But if they were magic stones, things would be different.
On the Roland Continent, there existed creatures different from ordinary beasts—known as magical beasts. No matter what kind, these beasts possessed immense strength and extraordinary speed. Some even could use magic.
Inside these magical beasts was something called a magic stone. Depending on the type and rank of the beast, these stones had different properties and sizes. Smaller ones were called magic crystals, while larger ones were called magic cores.
Yet, no matter what kind of magic stone it was, they all served the same purpose. The magical elements they contained were excellent materials for crafting various magical weapons, essential ingredients for advanced alchemy, and even supplies for mages to replenish their mental energy during battles. Even ordinary people regarded these magic stones as the most exquisite gems, as their naturally emitted faint magical aura was beyond that of ordinary gems.
The price of such magic stones was naturally exorbitant. It was unclear which temple knight had spent half a lifetime amassing so many, but now they were all in Du Fan’s hands. How could he not be overjoyed?
After his excitement subsided, Du Fan calmed down. Though these items were valuable, they were also extremely risky to deal with. There were unspoken rules in transactions. With his current strength, unless he sold them under his family’s name, he was likely to be killed before even leaving the trading venue. In this era, having wealth that didn’t match one’s strength often led to a tragic end.
But Du Fan couldn’t sell them under his family’s name either, as he had no way to explain their existence. In the end, these magic stones were still just valuable items that couldn’t be sold.
He weighed the bag of magic stones in his hand, unsure of what to do for a moment. Chenchen glanced at him and couldn’t help but mutter, “Du Fan, you really are lucky, aren’t you?” Du Fan asked, “How so?” Chenchen stretched out her cat claws and picked out a few large magic cores from the bag, saying, “Originally, with the Milak potion, your training speed could have been much faster. Now, with these, it can be even faster. For example, these magic stones—once I arrange them into a magic array for you, your speed in absorbing various elements inside will naturally increase greatly. As for those smaller magic crystals, with just some ordinary herbs, they can be turned into various potions beneficial to your training. Tell me, aren’t you lucky?” Du Fan nodded and couldn’t help but laugh. Anything that could speed up his training was better than anything else. After all, he was a true practitioner of both magic and martial arts, completely different from those who trained in magic or combat energy separately! The rest was much simpler. Among the items Du Fan asked Old Mark to buy were not only basic mage supplies but also a range of alchemical herbs and various ordinary materials. Even so, it cost thousands of gold coins, showing just how high the price of becoming an alchemist was. This was also another reason why alchemists were so rare and why the items they created were so valuable. After fetching everything outside and giving a few instructions not to let anyone disturb him, Du Fan returned to the third floor of the basement. “Done,” Chenchen said, having selected a few larger magic stones from the bag and tossing them to Du Fan. “Everything is ready now. We can start.” Du Fan nodded, took the box containing the Milak potion, and, holding Chenchen with him, went to the second floor of the basement. Chenchen jumped out of Du Fan’s arms, first drawing a huge magic array on the ground with her cat claws, then taking the magic stones from Du Fan’s hands to arrange them. After that, she stood in the center of the magic array and said, “Come here.” Du Fan obediently walked over and sat cross-legged, asking, “What should I do now?” Chenchen replied, “Once you’re mentally prepared, you can drink the Milak potion. The process of transforming your physique might be painful, but it will be fine once you get through it. Are you mentally prepared?”
Du Fan nodded. After taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the box in front of him. Inside was a transparent bottle containing a blood-red liquid. He stared at this invaluable liquid for a moment before hesitantly lifting the lid and pouring the entire contents into his mouth. Immediately afterward, he felt a contradictory sensation of heat and cold spreading from his abdomen, accompanied by intense cramps that were almost unbearable. Within seconds, the pain spread throughout his body. If not for his extraordinary willpower, he would have cried out in agony. The torment lasted for some time; in the end, Du Fan felt his body relax and he passed out.
…
When he woke up again, Du Fan felt extremely clear-headed. Though his eyes were closed, he seemed able to perceive the conditions of the basement. He felt an extreme sense of comfort, as if every pore in his body could breathe. The unpleasant sensations from before had vanished, leaving him feeling full of energy. Slowly opening his eyes, he realized he was lying alone in the center of the magic circle, covered in a layer of black impurities. Chenchen had somehow reverted to her human form, wearing one of Du Fan’s clothes. She was crouched slightly, her deep cleavage almost making his eyes pop out. Du Fan swallowed hard, nearly reaching out, but fortunately, he knew what was important and quickly averted his gaze, whispering, “Chenchen… do you think I can now practice magic and combat energy?” Chenchen smiled, her smile making Du Fan’s blood boil. She tied back her long hair and said with a laugh, “I didn’t expect the effects of this Milak potion to be so good. Your constitution was originally quite ordinary and useless. But after the process of ‘shaving hair and cleansing marrow,’ although it’s not a once-in-a-century talent, it’s still quite good. With your current aptitude, along with the help of the magic circle and potions, your growth rate might be beyond even my imagination.” Du Fan nodded and seriously replied, “So what should we do next?”
Chenchen pointed to a pool not far away and said, “There, go take a bath first. After that, we can start practicing. It’s best to finish everything now, because for the next few months or even longer, you won’t be able to move at all. Do you understand?”
Du Fan nodded slightly, went to the nearby pool to wash off the impurities from his body, and put on clean clothes before returning to sit down. He said, “Alright then… Chenchen… let’s start.”
Chenchen nodded and said, “Then I’ll first check your affinity for magic elements. Although I know you can now practice magic and combat energy, I still don’t know which type of magic would be best for you.”
Du Fan frowned and asked, “Isn’t practicing magic just about strengthening mental power? And doesn’t using a certain type of magic rely solely on spells?”
Chenchen shook her head and said, “Of course not. It’s true that this training method allows you to practice both magic and combat energy simultaneously. But on the premise of practicing both, if your affinity for magic elements differs, the process of practice will also differ.
For example, if your affinity is for fire elements, then naturally, you’ll subconsciously absorb fire elements from your surroundings while practicing. This will not only speed up the growth of your mental power but also greatly enhance your combat energy due to the affinity. You see, mental power is strengthened by the magic elements refining your ‘soul,’ while magic power is enhanced by absorbing surrounding magic elements. As for combat energy, its principle is similar to that of magic power, except that magic power stores the elements from the world in your mental space, whereas combat energy stores them within your body.
In short, this training method distributes the elements you absorb evenly between your mental space and your body, allowing both magic power and combat energy to grow together. This is also the fundamental reason why practicing this method is slower than practicing either one alone. So when practicing this method, the most important thing is to increase the amount of elements absorbed. Whether it’s setting up magic arrays or taking potions, it’s all for this purpose. And once we know your affinity for elements, subconsciously absorbing the same elements will naturally be faster than unconscious absorption.”
Du Fan nodded and asked, “So… what should I do now?”