Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 87 (Part 1)
As Rodin left the magic item shop, he made up his mind on how to earn money going forward.
Making and selling potions was already a bit burdensome. The production period alone was over 10 days, and gathering the necessary materials was no easy task either.
Moreover, to maximize profits, he would need to craft ancient potions, which were far too effective to sell casually. Just because they were more potent didn’t mean he could charge more for them.
“Artifacts seem like the perfect choice. They’ll also help with my magic circle research.”
He now had a convenient way to make money. It was a profitable and satisfying method.
On his way back to the inn, he stopped by a shop that sold accessories. There, he bought several rings, bracelets, and necklaces—items that people favored as artifacts.
“What should I imbue them with?”
A mana shield would be nice, but he wanted to consider other spells too.
Only making one type wouldn’t improve his magic skills. Trying various things would lead to engraving different magic circles, and that would help his abilities grow.
That evening, after dinner, Rodin attended an illusionary magic class from Frouval. It was past two o’clock, and he was listening with great interest when he suddenly felt his mana slowly draining away.
“Hmm?”
Undine was currently on his shoulder. Since she wasn’t attached to the kids, there was no reason for his mana to be depleted.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
He quickly stopped the illusionary class and looked at Undine. She was sitting on the floor, groaning in discomfort.
“Could it be… growing pains?”
Nod, nod!
“Ah!”
Rodin had known that Undine would eventually grow, but he had thought it would take at least another year. Undine’s sudden growing pains had arrived much sooner than expected.
“How did Cory handle this?”
When Cory’s sylph spirit experienced sudden growing pains during elemental training atop a mountain, he had been stuck there for nearly 20 days without being able to leave.
A spirit automatically returns to the spirit realm if the spirit mage moves too far away. If the spirit returned to the spirit realm in the middle of growing pains, the growth would fail.
That’s why Cory had stayed close to his Silafe without straying too far.
It was the same when Cory’s fire spirit, Selist, went through growing pains.
Back then, the growing pains started unexpectedly while they were in the dormitory, and Cory had been confined to moving between the cafeteria and the dormitory, unable to go to the elemental training grounds, which were farther away.
“Hmm, I probably won’t suffer from mana exhaustion like Cory.”
Cory had to constantly practice mana reinforcement techniques while staying near his spirit, as he couldn’t handle the amount of mana his spirit consumed during its growth.
But Rodin had more than enough mana to handle such consumption. Even if Undine evolved to a higher-level spirit, mana shortage wouldn’t be an issue for him.
“It looks like we’ll be staying here for a while.”
Rodin had no idea how long Undine’s growing pains would last. In Cory’s case, it took 20 days for Silafe to evolve into an intermediate spirit. But it took Selist a whopping 28 days to evolve into an intermediate spirit.
“If it gets too tough, you can stop. Whether you remain low tier or become intermediate tier, you’re still my spirit.”
Grrr…
It sounded like a groan from Undine, but of course, it was just an illusion.
Lower spirits like undine couldn’t actually groan. They could make water sounds, but that wasn’t a form of communication.
Still, Rodin could sense Undine’s emotions.
That’s how the relationship between a spirit and a spirit mage worked—they were connected through emotions and souls.
“Undine, there’s no need to rush. We have plenty of time, so take it easy, okay?”
Nod!
The next day, Rodin informed Larry and Bianca that they would be staying at the inn for a long while.
Larry was puzzled by the sudden change in plans, but Bianca pouted at the thought of not being able to ride the carriage.
With no other choice but to stay at the inn, Rodin began crafting ancient arcane potions. In between, he pulled out the accessories and started creating artifacts.
And so, 18 days passed.
Finally, Undine’s growing pains were over. She was no longer a low tier spirit, but the intermediate water spirit.
“You did well.”
—Hehe.
“You can talk now?”
Shake, shake.
Undine couldn’t speak just yet, but she made strange noises to express herself. Even that was an improvement.
“We can leave at dawn.”
—Whinny.
“There’s no need to feel bad. We didn’t waste our time here.”
Rodin had crafted a considerable number of artifacts. Though he hadn’t sold them yet, he planned to do so once the sun rose.
The ancient arcane potion production was also long finished. He had 408 bottles, and combined with the ones left from before, the total was 413. He wouldn’t be running out of potions anytime soon.
“The sun’s rising.”
The surroundings grew brighter.
Before breakfast, Rodin hurriedly left the inn and headed to the magic item shop.
Magic item shops usually opened before dawn because passengers bought potions, artifacts, and magic materials before boarding the morning ships.
“Welcome, sir. You’re here again.”
“You remember me?”
“Yes. There aren’t many customers who wear their robes and hoods so deeply like you. I assume you’re here for artifacts again?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Rodin sold all the artifacts he had made. Each one, filled with popular attack, defense, or healing magic, sold for a high price.
In total, he sold over 40 artifacts and earned tens of thousands of gold.
“Sir, be careful. Too much money can attract thieves.”
“No need to worry. I’m a combat mage, after all.”
“Oh, I see.”
Artifact creators usually stayed in their workshops, focusing solely on artifact creation. Thus, they were often regarded as mages who couldn’t fight.
This perception was even worse for those affiliated with magic towers, as they rarely ventured outside, meaning they had little combat experience.
But Rodin was different.
Since he first started learning magic, he had been trained as a combat mage, and he had taken classes related to it. Artifact creation was just a side job for him.
After selling the artifacts, Rodin returned to the inn, had breakfast, and informed the innkeeper that they would be checking out. Then, they got into the carriage.
“Finally, the carriage! Brother, it’s the carriage! The carriage!”
“Yes, we’re finally riding it.”
Because of Undine’s growing pains, they had stayed in Harson for too long.
The mornings were occupied with continental language lessons, so their location didn’t make much of a difference. However, in the afternoons, Larry and Bianca had nothing to do.
On the ship, they could at least play with friends their age, but in the port city of Harson, it was hard to find kids their age.
The few who were around wouldn’t play with Larry and Bianca, who were temporary visitors.