ebookslot Chapter 9 Hermetic
Chapter 9 Hermetic
In the blink of an eye, a month has passed since that gathering.
The waste recycling room is now operating smoothly.
Suen is now able to identify at least twenty common potion ingredients with the naked eye, without needing the manual.
In the evening, after a day's work, Suen returned to her dormitory.
Three books were spread out on the table.
"An Introduction to Hermes", "A History of Potions", and "An Illustrated Guide to Common Potion Materials".
He borrowed these three books from the Great Library, which cost him 5 Magic Stone Coins.
The monthly subsidy of 20 Magic Stones will have 10 Magic Stones deducted from Oak Crown to repay the freshman loan, leaving only 10 Magic Stones in hand.
Half of these three books have already been used.
"Fortunately, the cafeteria provides free gray bread with soup, so I won't starve to death."
Suen opened the title page of "An Introduction to Hermeticism," his fingers tracing the yellowed pages.
Morris had explained the library’s borrowing rules to him in detail just last week: borrowing a book costs money based on its category. The three books Suen borrowed were all introductory books, so they only cost 5 magic stone coins.
If you want more freedom in borrowing, you can spend 60 Magic Stones to buy a monthly card.
The only free way was to publish a book on witchcraft and have it included in the Great Library.
For Suen right now, this path seems like something from another world.
After a month of clandestine work, the progress of [Sands of Time: Elemental Resonance] has reached 56/100.
After finishing work each day, he would stay an extra 15 minutes while Detz and Rackham left, under the guise of cleaning, to extract elemental energy from the secondary waste liquid.
He was increasingly looking forward to what miracle the first grain of sand of time would bring when the progress was fully completed.
But right now, there are more pressing matters.
Suen opened "An Introduction to Hermetic" and saw the author's name on the first page: Isaac Barnes.
According to the sorcerer Isaac, Hermetic was not an ordinary language.
It is an extraordinary system that integrates the computational logic and grammatical structure of runic spells.
Hermes, who wrote the Emerald Book, is widely regarded as the origin of all extraordinary knowledge.
The book contains only a few lines about Hermes himself.
In ancient times, Hermes, in his exploration of the spirit world, combined his research on the rules of the world and extraordinary mysteries to summarize this system of records.
The book contains a total of forty-eight runes, each of which carries specific calculation rules and symbolic meanings.
Different permutations and combinations can precisely describe the proportions of potions, the models of witchcraft, and even more complex theories of the extraordinary.
What surprised Su En the most was what happened next.
Almost all knowledge written in Hermetic had to be carried on papyrus.
Hermetic writing on other materials would disappear on its own in a very short time, as if it had never existed.
Suen's gaze lingered on that line of text, and she remained silent for a few seconds.
Papyrus means yet another expense.
There are forty-eight basic runes, each with a sophisticated structure and complex meaning.
The meaning of each rune changes subtly depending on the context and the combination with other runes.
This is not just a language tool, but more like a sophisticated cognitive system.
With the talent of [Wizard-like Thinking], Suen's memory far surpasses that of ordinary people.
Next week's general education class will reportedly begin teaching witchcraft theory.
He needs to master Hermes as soon as possible to avoid falling behind.
As night fell, the leaves outside the window rustled.
Suen closed "An Introduction to Hermetic" and rubbed his temples.
During this period, lacking the aid of magic potions and limited by his own aptitude, his mental strength has grown at a pitifully slow pace.
Building a complete spiritual core and learning witchcraft seems even more unattainable.
Meditation enhances mental strength itself.
Witchcraft is the way to transform spiritual power into true supernatural strength.
He gradually came to understand this principle over the course of the month, and it was also the most direct pressure that Ross referred to as the "midterm exam" that brought him.
Deeper still, there is another kind of unease.
In this world, even gazing at the stars can lead to indescribable pollution.
Faced with endless unknown dangers, relying solely on the meager power he had gained from opening up his spiritual sea, he couldn't even guarantee that he would live to see the day when the hourglass of time was fully accumulated.
He needs strength.
Real, tangible power.
Suen stacked the three books on the table together and tapped them lightly on the spines with her fingers.
Once my progress in Hermes is more stable, I must make time to preview Potions.
In the long run, the infinite trial-and-error advantage granted by the hourglass of time is highly compatible with potion-making. Considering the current reality, mastering potion-making is something that must be done.
But a more practical problem then arises.
Where does the tuition for potion-making courses come from?
Thinking about this, Su En felt increasingly dizzy and lightheaded.
The next morning, in the waste recycling room.
The moment Su En pushed open the door, she froze in her tracks at the sight before her.
From the waste liquid pipe above the conveyor belt, streams of murky, dark green liquid are gushing out.
The translucent membrane at the nozzle was stretched taut, as if it might burst at any moment.
Two of the three storage containers next to the recycling bin were already full, and the third was about to overflow.
"Come help me right now, stop standing there like a dummy!"
Morris, his hair even more disheveled than a month ago, said with obvious frustration, "The workshop is currently conducting intensive experiments on a batch of new potions, and the failure rate is extremely high. We must ensure the sewage pipes are clear!"
Suen glanced at the log entries. Waste liquid discharge had tripled, but the recovery rate had dropped significantly, which meant that the amount of ineffective components in the waste liquid had increased.
Suen quickly put on protective gloves and began working.
All morning, the only sounds in the recycling room were the hum of the rune matrix and the sound of waste liquid flowing through the pipes.
The group barely spoke, and even their breathing unconsciously adjusted to a rhythm that conserved their energy.
As noon approached and it was almost time to rest, Su En finally took off her gloves and was able to catch her breath.
Detz slumped in the corner as if his bones had been removed, took a few sips of water from the kettle, and suddenly perked up.
"Oh, right, I have some good news!"
He lowered his voice, his face showing an expression that couldn't hide his secret.
Have you heard of that lucky charm shop in the Motor City trade district?
Rackham shook his head.
Detz stuffed a piece of dry bread into his mouth and continued, his words muffled, "I heard this is a perk that one of the academy's official wizards specially gave to the new students. As long as you're a new student, you're almost guaranteed to win a prize if you buy any of the items."
Rackham was skeptical: "Is it really that good?"
"What do you mean by 'such a good thing'?"
Detz put down the kettle, took out a thumb-sized empty bottle from his pocket, its surface reflecting a pale green light in the dim glow of the fluorite. "Take a look at this."
"A calming herbal ointment?"
I drew the lottery myself.
Detz raised his chin slightly: "It only cost 2 magic stone coins, and my mental strength increased a little."
Suen took the empty bottle and glanced at it; there were indeed fresh green traces of ointment remaining at the bottom of the bottle.
Deitz, still eager for more, leaned forward again: "There's even bigger news, you absolutely don't know."
"Among the freshmen admitted in the same period as us, there was a genius with first-class aptitude."
Suen's gaze sharpened.
The highest aptitude he had ever seen was Selena's second-class aptitude, while that new student had a first-class aptitude.
"That new student was originally assigned to Raven's Nest, but a full-fledged wizard from Twisted Forest intercepted him halfway, snatched him, and left without a trace. I heard that the senior apprentice in charge of this matter was even punished by the wizards."
"The college hasn't responded?"
"The reaction was too strong."
Deitz's tone became even more excited, "The Academy directly sent Ash Crown of the White-Day Forge to negotiate and lodge a strong protest. This matter has spread among the freshmen."
Rackham was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "First-class talent... such a genius is a sure thing to become a full-fledged wizard."
"More than that." Deitz's voice unconsciously carried a hint of longing. "I've heard that those with first-class aptitude face no bottlenecks before advancing to the third level of wizardry."