Chapter 5: The Mage Guild's Black Clinic, Level Test, Related to Gold...
The front door of the Blake house was wide open, with a sign that read "Blake's Clinic" hanging on it. Ray walked straight in.
A freckled boy is sorting through various herbs.
"Who are you looking for, sir?"
He asked.
"Is Dr. Black here? I'm Ray Victor."
"Ah! Mr. Victor, I know you. Best regards to your parents."
The boy clenched his right fist and patted his left shoulder twice, then called over Blake, who was making medicine on the second floor.
"Ray, is your head bothering you again?"
Blake asked enthusiastically.
I have never seen Dr. Black unfriendly to his guests—he loves all guests who can give him copper coins, but he is also very stingy.
The boy pursed his lips.
"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to ask you some questions."
"No need to be so polite, Ray, come with me."
“And another one,” Blake continued.
“Jack, the potion bottle you broke today will be deducted from your paycheck.”
Jack froze, staring resentfully at Blake's retreating figure as he went upstairs.
Blake led Lai to the second-floor meeting room.
Besides tables and chairs, there is also a single bed inside. Occasionally, seriously ill patients stay here.
The two sat down.
"What's the problem?"
Without wasting any words, Lei directly conjured a green ball of light to show him.
"Oh, beautiful wood-based magic."
Blake didn't seem surprised.
Can humans acquire magic through acquired means?
Blake's eyes flickered slightly.
"Theoretically, it's impossible. But if you can, you have to believe that for this extremely slim chance, humanity will do many terrible things. Never underestimate the greed in human nature, right?"
"Blake said sarcastically."
“Actually, I discovered your magical talent during the first treatment, after all, your mother was a fifth-level beginner mage.”
Lai really didn't know about this.
The father is a knight, the mother a mage; this family seems more complex than it appears. This also explains why an ordinary rural family would possess a wood-elemental stone.
Ray had overthought things a bit; he soon realized that novice mages were everywhere in larger cities...
Blake's words contained a degree of flattery.
“I’m not sure what your magic threshold is. You can go to the mage association in the town center to have it checked.”
"The magic threshold largely determines how far a magician can go."
Blake thoughtfully added another sentence.
Ray thanked Black, paid some consultation fees, bought some common medicines, and then set off for the Mage's Guild.
The Dharma Association is a four-story building with five elemental totems carved on its exterior walls, making it more magnificent than other surrounding buildings.
It is opposite the church, with a fountain separating the two buildings.
Lai entered the hall of the Mage Association, where a few people were scattered in the rest areas on both sides. In the middle, against the wall, was a large solid wood table, behind which sat a drowsy old man.
"Hello."
Lai greeted him politely, startling the old man awake.
"Is it a mission or something else?"
The old man opened his mouth wide and yawned.
"Detection level and threshold".
Seven silver coins.
Lai suddenly felt a pang of regret, but he still paid. He had only brought a dozen or so silver coins with him, and he hadn't expected the test to cost money.
Upon receiving the silver coins, the old man's attitude visibly improved. He took a bunch of keys and led Lai to a locked room.
"Magic is mainly divided into five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It's rare to see someone your age taking the test now. Even if you have extremely high talent after adulthood, it's not easy to advance to the next level."
The old man opened the door.
In the center of the room stood a transparent spherical crystal, its body connected to ingenious devices that were clearly out of step with the style of this era.
"You're probably dumbfounded now, aren't you?"
The old man proudly showed off.
"This is a magical artifact made by the dwarf master."
"I've never seen anything like it before. Only a powerful guild like the Mage's Association could afford such exquisite equipment."
"That's what Lei complimented me on," he said.
"Hmph."
The old man was clearly pleased with Ray, and he explained things to Ray while giving him a test.
"Wipe your hands clean and place them on the testing ball."
Lai did as he was told, and the old man started the machine.
The detection ball begins to glow the moment it is activated.
He felt an energy flowing into his body through the crystal ball.
The old man gradually increased the transmission volume. At first, Lai could barely maintain the energy balance, but gradually, large beads of sweat flowed from his forehead and his hands began to tremble.
"Get ready to unleash the magic! I'm shutting down the energy transfer. Three! Two! One!"
The instrument shut down, and Lei released magic using the gravity of the detection ball, turning the detection area a light green.
"alright."
"You are at the beginner level three of the Wood element. Your highest level is intermediate level two."
The old man shook his head as he spoke. This person's aptitude is better than average, but it's still quite ordinary in the outside world.
Ray thanked them, took a test certificate stamped with the seal of the Rosen Town Mage Association, and a wooden plaque carved with a wood-type totem, and left the Mage Association.
The old man told him that he could come here with the wooden sign to accept bounty missions from now on.
Lei didn't have any specific ideas.
This result was actually within his expectations; during the apocalypse, his superpower level wasn't very high either.
It's best not to be too greedy in life.
He didn't want to become a great figure who would change the course of history; he just wanted to farm in the village and, if possible, own a piece of land of his own. Beginner level three was enough.
The rest of the time, Lai went to the market.
There are many people here, including business people from the town and farmers from various villages who come to sell their goods.
He bought three pounds of salt and some spices.
Then I went to the grain store and bought thirty pounds of rye flour, ten pounds of wheat flour, and two pounds of rolled oats. I also bought some miscellaneous seeds.
Rye flour cost ten copper coins a pound, while wheat flour cost twenty copper coins a pound. The wheat flour here was somewhat yellowish in color, appearing milky white.
The noodles cost him more than 5 silver coins. Seeing that he bought a lot, the shopkeeper delivered them to the dock for free.
After Da Tou finished his shopping, Lai Yi started browsing the market recommended by passersby.
Each merchant here has a wooden stall displaying various goods. The villagers place their goods on the ground, using parchment or animal hides as mats.
There was everything you could need, from food to daily necessities. The items weren't fancy, but they all looked sturdy.
As he walked from one shop to another, Lai noticed that people of other races were also buying and selling things. Most of them were beastmen.
Orcs had erected makeshift wooden frames with sticks, on which hung several blood-soaked Gulu beasts, each one plump and strong. The Gulu beasts were structurally similar to pigs.
Wild Gulu beasts, needing to evade predators, spend most of their time running, resulting in a lean and fatty body with a strong, unpleasant odor and tough meat. The rendered fat from these beasts also has a strong flavor. This is the kind of fat that the Lai family uses now.
The meat on this stall is mostly fat and sparsely lean, most likely from domesticated or already tamed Gulu beasts.
Compared to wild ones, they taste better, so many people buy them.
Lai also bought fifteen pounds, and specifically asked for some net oil.
The stall owner was a two-and-a-half-meter-tall orc, wearing an animal skin apron, with bare arms, and two semi-circular ears standing upright on his head.
He twirled the half-arm-long dagger in his hand, and with two swift strokes, he cut the meat that Lai wanted, and also casually shaved off the skin with black fur on it.
Want some leather?
The stall owner asked, his voice somewhat hoarse and muffled.
"want."
The stall owner gave Lai a strange look.
The fur of the Gulu Beast is stiff and difficult to remove, and it doesn't taste very good, so most people just throw it away.
He didn't quite understand what this thin human was trying to do, but he still wrapped the skin around the body and picked out a relatively clean-looking piece of skin from the ground to wrap it up as well.
Lei raised an eyebrow.
"It's yours, no money required."
After saying that, she ignored Lai and went to take care of the other guests.
Lai left the stall carrying the meat, then bought some odds and ends. Looking at the sun, he realized it was almost time, so he hurried to his lodging with his basket on his back.
Everyone had a good harvest, and luckily Hagrid's oxcart was big enough.
After tidying up their belongings, the group set off on their journey back.
Several more hours passed in a blur, and by the time we got back to the village it was almost dinnertime.
Upon hearing the noise, Neil burst out of Hagrid's house like a cannonball.
"Brothers, you're finally back!"
"Yes, I'm back."
Both women had family members who came to pick them up. After dividing their belongings and leaving some money for their journey, Ray and his companions went their separate ways.
Lai was about to give some too, but Linda glared at him, and he reluctantly put his purse away.
"Lamb, go and take the things back for Ray!"
"Hey, here it comes!"
A young man rushed out in a flurry of energy.
Like Linda, he had reddish-brown hair, with unruly, medium-length curly hair sticking up, and some light freckles on his cheeks.
He is Linda's third son, just eighteen years old, two years younger than Ray.
Neil tried to carry the heavy things, and Lamb gave him a tap on the head.
"Do you think it's my turn to carry things here, you little dwarf?"
Lamb picked up the bag and tossed it aside, hoisting the heaviest bag of flour onto his shoulder, and left without looking back.
Neil, somewhat resentful, went to carry the basket, but Ray intercepted it again, so he had to take the smallest bag instead.
"Aunt Linda, Uncle Hagrid, we're leaving."
After saying goodbye, Ray took Neil and left Hagrid's house.
Lamb hadn't gone far when Neil ran after him.
Lai watched from behind as the two of them kept arguing the whole way.
After arriving home, the three of them unloaded their belongings in the living room.
Ray pulled two apples out of his basket and tossed them to Lamb, who caught them with a grin.
"Brother, I heard you hunted a long-toothed beast in the forest. Can you take me with you next time you go hunting? I'm incredibly strong."
Lamb wiped the fruit and took a bite.
Ray hesitated. With his current strength, he could barely protect himself, and taking on another person would be beyond his capabilities. But he didn't refuse immediately.
"Next time."
"Okay, bro. You have to take me with you next time!"
Lamb went home happily, and Neil made a face at his back before looking at Ray with expectant eyes.
"Brother, I..."
"No way."
Neil drooped his head like a puppy, and Ray chuckled and patted him.
"Help me organize my things."
"Okay."
Neil regained his energy and, like a little adult, neatly arranged the items one by one.
"Brother, why did you buy the Gulu Beast hide?"
Pork skin jelly, fried pork skin, pickled pepper pork skin... a series of delicious dishes floated through Lai Yi's mind.
"Of course, it's for cooking."
Neil looked at his brother, then at the dusty animal hide in his own hand.
My brother is right.
In case of any unforeseen circumstances, please refer to the previous item!
Neil chose to firmly believe in his brother.
After tidying up, Lai used a knife to cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes he had taken out yesterday into pieces, making sure each piece had a sprout. He also smeared the exposed parts with wood ash.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
Neil cast a curious glance at him.
You'll find out in the next few days.
"oh."
Neil obediently helped Ray start the fire and didn't ask any more questions.
Lei began preparing dinner for the evening.
What should we do?
An idea suddenly popped into my head.
A note from the author:
----------------------
There's a saying among the dwarf foundry masters: "Never expect to gain any advantage over humans!"
Golden Oak, who was about to be promoted to Senior Foundry Master, didn't take this statement seriously. He would soon become the youngest Senior Foundry Master in the entire dwarf world! Of course, that was on the condition that he forged a Level 6 item.
Golden Oak wanders far and wide in search of inspiration.
He arrived in the orcish territory.
He asked, "Do you have any difficulties that need to be resolved?"
The orc told him, "We are busy stopping the monsters from taking our livestock."
So, golden oak was used to forge bells that could actively sound an alarm.
The orcs were delighted and gave Golden Oak hundreds of pounds of fresh beef.
"Meiling's beard! These brainless beasts who only know how to fight and herd livestock!"
(In dwarf cultures, cattle are symbols of diligence and creativity, and the consumption of beef is forbidden.)
Golden Oak left the beastmen while cursing.
-to be continued-
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