“`
On this day, Ivan arrived at the enchantment workshop early, waiting for Sorceress Madeline to come.
“Ivan, good morning.”
“Morning.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Ivan turned his head to look, and found that Carmel was not alone, his sister Heidi was there too, as was a mature woman who looked much like Heidi. She must be a close relative and elder of the two, and a sorceress as well.
“Mom, this is the friend Ivan I mentioned to you.” Carmel introduced.
“I know, Sorcerer Randall has applied several times for you to observe the Raw Stone Array Disc, so just come along,” said Madeline to Ivan, striding quickly into the enchantment workshop.
Ivan realized, so she was Sorceress Madeline, and actually Carmel and Heidi’s mother; she must also be the sorceress who had always been using the Raw Stone Array Disc. No wonder Heidi’s previous replies were so affirmative.
It seemed his mentor must have bothered Sorceress Madeline quite a bit for his sake, making him feel somewhat embarrassed.
“Heidi, thank you for the other time.”
Heidi nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Before she could say anything, Carmel suspiciously looked at the two of them, “Have you two been keeping things from me?”
“Just asking about the Raw Stone Array Disc.”
“I see.”
Upon hearing Ivan’s response, Carmel was noticeably disappointed.
Seeing his demeanor, Ivan felt uneasy and quietly sent a message to caution him, lest Carmel spoke out of turn. His sister was not one to have a good temper with strangers, especially with a strong-willed mother present.
“You should be busy with the resources for promotion, could it be—,” Heidi hinted.
“It’s just as you think,” Ivan said truthfully.
It was even stranger why Heidi hadn’t sought to advance. She shouldn’t lack resources for promotion, but he wisely didn’t ask; the matter might involve internal affairs of the Lidia family.
“This is not an easy task.”
“I know.”
If it were any other apprentice, Heidi would have scoffed, but Ivan’s words, combined with his performance in the Kanda magic stone mine, made it hard for Heidi to counter.
In her heart, she had an indescribable feeling that this person might surprise everyone else.
The trio went deeper into the enchantment workshop until they reached Madeline’s workspace.
This was a room that spanned over two hundred square meters. The details of rune lines carved into most of the floor were obvious indicators of an exploration of some runes sorcery array, with part of it already completed.
Ivan saw the familiar Raw Stone Array Discs, all three of them. Surprisingly, they were not as complex and intricate as the one found in Swamp Forest City, which led him to wonder if perhaps controlling magicalized wild beasts was simpler; this was not good news.
“Your workspace is next door. Remember, you are not allowed to activate the Raw Stone Array Disc on your own, nor take it out,” Madeline said, without letting him look more. With a sweep of her long sleeve, one of the Raw Stone Array Discs floated in front of him.
“I shall heed your command, Sorceress Madeline.”
Ivan paused for a moment, then quickly complied, signaling to the siblings before taking the Raw Stone Array Disc in hand and heading to an adjacent room.
“Mom, Ivan is my good friend, why not let him stay here and learn with us?” Carmel immediately expressed his reluctance.
“My Carmel, as a sorcerer, you must always remember one thing, knowledge is valuable,” said Madeline.
Carmel continued to argue for a while, but he couldn’t persuade his own mother.
Ivan entered the smaller adjacent workspace, which was spacious enough for him to carry on with his research. He didn’t think Madeline’s arrangements were wrong; knowledge truly was valuable, and one must pay to gain it.
He didn’t have the right to be annoyed either; being here was still thanks to Randall’s efforts, and he couldn’t let down his mentor’s expectations.
“Not being able to activate it is a significant restriction, but it is best to arrange it according to the situation in Kanda magic stone mine, to make the Array Plate sense it, yet still quite a distance from activation.”
Truth be told, his current conditions were far from as ideal as those in Kanda magic stone mine. However, he was not the same person he had been back then; at that time, he started from scratch, but now it was only about completing and perfecting.
He had come empty-handed, unprepared, so the first day really was just a simple observation.
At dusk, coming out from the enchantment workshop, Madeline left first, without paying attention to the siblings and Ivan.
“Sorry Ivan, I—-,” Carmel looked at him apologetically.
“Don’t take everything upon yourself, Carmel.” Ivan waved his hand, cutting off what he was about to say, “Knowledge has its price. That Sorceress Madeline would give me a piece of the Raw Stone Array Disc, allowing me to study next door, I am already quite satisfied.”
“Really?”
“Of course, it’s not as complicated as you think.” Ivan might have felt a little indignant at first, but he got over it later; it’s better to study in seclusion anyway.
Without a full set of research materials, Sorceress Madeline’s gains may not even compare with his.
“You know what? That annoying Wayne is preparing for promotion, and he even came over to show off in front of me yesterday, it made me so angry,” Carmel brought up another matter that left him grinding his teeth.
“We just have to try harder,” Ivan paused for a moment, then thought it over; this was actually quite normal.
Wayne was a 5th Class talent, with an initial advancement rate of a solid eighty percent. Last time he obtained two vials of Aqua Alva, with conditions that couldn’t have been more favorable, sufficient to support his ascension to official sorcerer.
Among their group, Wayne would definitely be the first to become an official sorcerer.
“Ivan, how are you preparing?” Carmel was clearly disgruntled by this, as among their group, only Ivan could possibly compete.
“Me? I’m still far off,” Ivan shook his head. Seeing him looking so earnest, Ivan didn’t hold back, “I’m only at a sixty percent advancement rate right now. If I can successfully complete the two research projects I’m working on, at most I’ll have an eight percent chance. I can’t compare with him.”
“`
Actually, an 80% probability was not low at all, theoretically speaking, the possibility of failure was very small, but he had not yet decided whether to continue seeking other methods to research or to gamble on this 80% probability when the time came.
He was inclined to continue his research.
“So, we can only watch that guy continue to be smug,” Carmel also knew that such matters couldn’t be forced.
“Yeah, let him be arrogant for a while,” Ivan also expressed his regret.
At this moment, Heidi was standing by, listening to the conversation between the two men, wishing she could knock on their heads to see what was inside, for such a serious matter as advancing to a sorcerer, these two were still obsessed with their rivalry.
“You really don’t have to research everything yourself,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Ivan looked at her.
“If you have a unique and replicable method, you can trade with others, like us,” Heidi explained.
“Right, why didn’t I think of that?” Carmel’s eyes lit up, staring intently at him.
“No,” Ivan shook his head.
There was no need to mention Aqua Alva and the Great Knight; the former belonged to the academy, and the latter was well known to everyone, though it was more difficult to comprehend. Of the remaining methods, the Blackbeard Crown was a masterpiece of Sorcerer Randall, and the runes sorcery array was not yet clear.
“Once you figure out the runes sorcery array inside, then you’ll have it,” Heidi said.
“Right,” Carmel nodded incessantly beside her.
“It’s all talk with no substance; I dare not say rashly,” Ivan looked at them both speechlessly, not knowing where this pair of siblings got their confidence—such words, if overheard by Sorceress Madeline, might result in the loss of his observation privileges.
He then curiously asked, “The two of you shouldn’t lack resources for promotion, should you? Aren’t the ones provided by your family enough for you to be picky?”
“You’re thinking about it wrong, the sorcerer family has many members, and promotion resources aren’t always readily available,” Heidi said.
Ivan didn’t quite believe this. The siblings in front of him were indeed from the direct line of the family. He guessed they were not in a hurry to become sorcerers because they wanted to ensure a 100% success rate, and moreover, they didn’t lack time.
“If you want to trade, remember to find me or Carmel first,” Heidi didn’t believe his words either.
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” Ivan did not refuse; it was indeed a method.
After parting with the siblings, he made a trip to the enchantment store and ordered some raw materials.
Several days flashed by, and Ivan carried on with his research methodically.
As for teaching the rapid wood silkworms the Breathing Method, after working timidly for a while, the Silkworm Queen finally caught on and clung to Ivan, not letting him stand idly by.
Ivan had no choice but to join the teaching ranks, guiding the other rapid wood silkworms to experience the Insect Breathing Method.
Even among rapid wood silkworms that had split from the same Silkworm Queen, there were objective differences in aptitude and comprehension. After several days, only five rapid wood silkworms had managed to learn the Insect Breathing Method first.
The other rapid wood silkworms clearly had inferior aptitudes, and their learning progress was much slower.
The Insect Breathing Method was the most basic of Breathing Methods, without emphasis on any specific area, improving slowly but steadily.
Under the unlimited supply of royal jelly provided by the mentor, the Silkworm Queen’s strength saw day-to-day growth; the efficiency was not as good as when Ivan took the Breathing Secret Medicine, but it was stable.
The natural growth potion brought about only minimal drug resistance.
He was quite satisfied with this.
“Ivan, Ivan, have you heard?”
One day, as soon as Ivan arrived at the enchantment workshop, Carmel eagerly grabbed him.
“No need to rush, take it slow,”
“Wayne’s promotion failed,”
“Really?”
Hearing Carmel’s words, Ivan’s eyes showed an incredulous look; he even wondered if there was something wrong with his ears.
That was the highest 5th Class talent, with a promotion success rate that was surely above 90%, and he had failed?
“Yes, yes, I couldn’t believe it at first, but it’s true, and it’s starting to spread,” Carmel did not take pleasure in another’s misfortunes and showed a surprised expression on his face.
Like their reactions, many people would be puzzled, unable to understand how Wayne could have possibly failed his promotion.
He wasn’t supposed to fail.
It must be said that Wayne’s failure shocked many apprentices, leading some to reassess their own promotion success rates for any oversights.
“He still has a great chance.”
“Yeah.”
For someone with 5th Class talent like Wayne, his initial advancement rate was high enough; one failure was nothing. To put it bluntly, he even had a certain chance of succeeding on his third try.
Unlike many people, for whom a single failure could practically spell a lifetime of hopelessness.
In Mongna Ant Land Cottage, the matter of Wayne’s failure caused quite a stir, but as time went by, it gradually faded from people’s minds.
The days passed one by one, and Ivan’s research on both fronts progressed in an orderly fashion.