Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The next morning, before Ian had even left the house, there was a knock on the door.

"Elder Marcus, are you there?"

It was Kenner's voice.

Ian went to open the door, and there were four people standing outside.

Kenner, Robert, and two other new employees at the potions shop.

Upon seeing Ian, the four immediately bowed respectfully, their attitude bordering on humility.

"Elder," Kenna said, his voice trembling with excitement, "the potions shop...it's too crowded."

Ian raised an eyebrow, having roughly guessed the reason. "Tell me more?"

"Yes." Kenna swallowed. "Since yesterday, long lines of people have been forming to buy the potions, and the warehouse stock... sold out in half a day."

Leah added, "Many people specifically request to see you, saying they want to order custom-made medicines..."

Ian frowned; he didn't have time to concoct medicine for others.

"I understand," he said. "I'll go to the store today. You all go back and maintain order."

"Yes!" the four replied in unison, then turned and left.

Ian closed the door and rubbed his temples.

Reputation is indeed a double-edged sword.

He changed his clothes and took Gaga out.

The potion shop isn't far; it's a short walk away.

Before even reaching the store entrance, Ian saw a long line stretching from inside the store all the way to the street corner, with at least a hundred people in it.

There were first-level wizards, most of them were advanced apprentices, and a few people dressed in gorgeous clothes who looked like noble stewards.

There was a lot of discussion in the group.

"I heard Elder Marcus has returned?"

"Of course, otherwise how could this store have so many people?"

"I need to buy the [Mind-Concentrating Potion]. I've been stuck at the Advanced Apprentice level for ten years, just one step away..."

"I want the [Rock Bear Potion], money is no object!"

……

Ian entered the store through the back door.

Kenner and his colleagues were working up a sweat behind the counter when they saw Ian come in and quickly went to greet him.

"Elder, you've finally arrived..."

Ian waved his hand, walked to the counter, and glanced at the crowd outside.

"Starting today, the daily sales will be limited to one hundred bottles of [Concentration Potion] and fifty bottles of [Rock Bear Potion]. Other potions will continue to be sold as usual."

Kenna was taken aback. "Limited sales? What about all those people outside...?"

"Just make them line up," Ian said calmly. "I'll gradually reduce the amount of potion I make from now on."

Once the alchemist in the tower has thoroughly mastered the [Rock Bear Potion], he will no longer refine this level zero potion.

He plans to integrate it into a first-tier bloodline potion, which will further enhance his physical strength.

He then quickly dealt with some miscellaneous tasks and turned to walk towards the alchemy room at the back.

"Also, put up a sign outside." He walked to the door and turned back to instruct Kenner.

"We accept custom-made Tier 1 potions, but the price will be tripled, you'll have to provide the materials yourself, and the production time... depends on my mood."

Kenner opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't dare say anything and nodded in agreement.

Ian entered the alchemy room and closed the door.

The following month was exceptionally fulfilling for Ian.

He didn't need to worry about the potion shop; the [Rock Bear Potion] and [Concentration Potion] were in high demand and short supply.

Some wizards even line up a day in advance to snag a bottle.

The potion shop's profits skyrocketed, and Kenna and his three companions were counting money until their hands were sore every day. Their adoration for Ian was almost fanatical.

During the day, besides refining potions in the alchemy room, he spent most of his time researching the [Abyss Binding Ritual].

In the evening, Ian immersed himself in meditation.

The information he received about the binding ritual was more incomplete than the previous [Abyss Soul Pact].

Therefore, he still mainly uses the [Abyss Soul Pact], and the structure of the altar is more suitable for it.

He wanted to smuggle himself into another world, and besides building an abyss altar to connect with intelligent beings from that other world, he also needed a crucial secret technique.

Previously, Ian hadn't obtained the [Phase Weaving] technique; he simply wanted to exchange knowledge from different worlds with the otherworld.

Now, a riskier but more rewarding path lies before us.

"What I built is an Abyss Altar, relying on the power of the Abyss's will, so... the other worlds I can communicate with are also worlds that have interacted with the Abyss, or even been invaded by the Abyss."

This was an extremely dangerous move. Ian had gradually received a great deal of knowledge about the abyss through meditation.

He knew very well how terrifying the will of the abyss was.

Chaos, distortion, pain, madness...

It cannot even be accurately defined using the existing knowledge and writing system of the wizarding world.

All the records about it are correct, but also wrong and incomplete.

"No matter how dangerous it is, I have to try. This is the best path to success to make up for my lack of talent."

Ian closed his eyes slightly and calmed his mind.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the silver crystal floated quietly, its surface textured with flowing lines.

The information about the [Phase Weaving Soul Technique] was too vast; it took him a full half month to barely make sense of it.

The core of this secret technique is to successfully communicate with another world and then sign an [Abyss Soul Pact] with the other side.

Afterwards, a soul projection is "woven" in the consciousness sea of ​​the otherworld contractor.

The projection will grow in sync, and all the experiences and insights gained will be fed back to the original entity.

It's equivalent to double the time and double the results.

However, the risks are also extremely high.

Contractual shackles, energy consumption, phase contamination, existence exposure...

If any link in the chain goes wrong, it could lead to utter ruin.

"We need to be careful," Ian muttered to himself. "We also need to revise the contract terms."

He couldn't just say that he was signing an Abyss Contract; who would dare sign that?

First, packaging is needed, and signing a contract comes at a cost.

In the wizarding world, high-level contracts are generally judged by an entity known as the "Eye of the Contract."

It is a creation of the rules of the wizarding world, with extremely high authority, and the consequences of violating it are something that ordinary wizards simply cannot bear.

It is said that only great true spirit wizards can completely disregard the contract.

During the first month after Ian returned to the small building, he barely went out.

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He cleared out the stone table in the living room and covered it with various yellowed parchment and metal plate fragments.

There are also the manuscript records of his continuous deductions during this period.

The air was filled with the smell of ink and parchment, and in the next room, the silver sapling was absorbing energy from the flawless magic.

He sat at the table, his brow furrowed, his fingers pinching a small rune pattern.

This was rubbing taken from a fragment of the Soul Weaving Civilization stone tablet.

Ian's eyes were focused, and his mental power was like the most precise carving knife, repeatedly outlining, disassembling, and reassembling those complex lines in his consciousness.

The Abyss Binding Ritual focuses on using the altar as a fulcrum to forcibly "anchor" a coordinate in another world.

This establishes a relatively stable, one-way "demanding" channel, which is more like a predatory colonial outpost.

The core of the Abyss Soul Pact is to rely on the chaotic and powerful "notarization" of the Abyss's will to reach a mandatory exchange agreement at the soul level of both parties.

The difference between the two is somewhat like the difference between "transaction" and "binding".

"One is like a hook, pulling you in forcefully; the other is like a chain, binding you together."

Ian muttered to himself, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table.

"What I want is not to plunder a world, nor do I have the ability for the time being. It would be too much of a commotion and I would die too quickly."

What I want is to sneak in unnoticed and grow parasitically…

"The difficulty lies in how to use the 'chains' of the [Soul Contract] to disguise and realize the 'hook' of the [Binding Ritual]."

This means that, under the guise of the other party's consent, a one-way soul projection is implanted.

He closed his eyes, and deep within his mind, the silver crystal glowed faintly.

At the same time, the long-dormant [Knowledge] panel quietly reappeared.

A large amount of fragmented knowledge from the abyss, purified and absorbed during meditation and shearing, flowed through his consciousness like a trickle.

That knowledge was originally chaotic and distorted, filled with incomprehensible ramblings and insane images.

But after the panel's silent filtering and sorting, what ultimately settles out are some cold, objective rules about "contracts," "souls," and "interdimensional interaction."

"The will of the abyss itself seems to be indifferent to the specific content and form of the contract."

What it cares about is the establishment of 'connection,' the spread of chaos, and the decline of the soul...

Ian seemed to understand something. "So, as long as the specific terms of the contract don't violate the core principles of 'establishing a connection,' 'paying a price,' and 'bearing constraints,' there's actually a lot of room for maneuver..."

He picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and began to write quickly on a new sheet of parchment.

Time slipped away with the soft scratching of the pen against the paper.

Until my stomach started rumbling in protest.

Ian was then jolted out of his complicated deductions and looked up at the window.

The sky had darkened sometime earlier, and a few stars twinkled faintly in the night.

"Ugh! I'm starving! Ian, are you trying to starve me to death?"

A weak, creaking sound came from the direction of the sofa.

It was sprawled out on the cushion, its belly flat, its little eyes staring resentfully at Ian.

"When this Demon King returned from inspecting his territory, he found the place deserted and empty. His heart sank!"

Ian then realized that he hadn't even had a sip of water since he sat down in the morning.

When you're highly focused, you don't feel it, but as soon as you relax, a strong sense of fatigue and hunger hits you.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, stood up, and his bones cracked softly.

"What would you like to eat?"

"Grilled fish, big chunks, and blood essence too!"

The quack instantly perked up, flapped its wings and flew to his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with its head.

"I want that sweet fruit juice again, just like last time!"

"Quite a few requirements." Ian smiled slightly and walked towards the kitchen area.

His dwelling, though small, was fully equipped, with basic cooking facilities.

Soon, Ian took to the kitchen himself, and the sizzling sound of oil dripping onto the flames filled the air, along with the rich aroma of meat mixed with some kind of spice.

He skillfully flipped the pieces of meat on the skewers, while in his other hand he held a small silver pot and poured bright red juice into several cups next to him.

Gaga squatted on the cabinet next to her, staring intently at the roasted meat.

A "gulping" sound came from his throat as he swallowed saliva.

"By the way, those five little ones didn't cause any trouble today?"

Ian casually asked, handing Gaga a piece of fish that was roasted until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a wonderfully fragrant aroma.

Gaga couldn't wait to snatch it in one bite, and it was so hot that it was panting and its mouth was all slurred.

"Hmph... thank goodness... Lucy led the way, trying to wrap my feet with silver threads, but I froze them with my shadow, making their leaves curl up in anger!"

It swallowed the meat in a few bites, licked its paws, and looked smug.

"With a little trick, I strung the five of them together and hung them on their mother's tree branch to dry for half a day. Now they are much more obedient."

Ian imagined the scene: five shimmering silver fruits, strung together by creaking, shadowy threads, swaying on a silvery branch, chattering in protest, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't really bully them."

"No way! They attacked first!"

Gaga, feeling perfectly justified, came over and rubbed against him again.

"Ian, what are you doing staring at those ghostly, twisted runes all the time lately? You're more engrossed than when you're meditating."

"Let's work on something... that will allow us to 'play' elsewhere."

Ian cut the meat, thought for a moment, and then used a method that Ga Ga could understand.

"It's like an underground palace, but bigger than an underground palace; it's another world."

Gaga's little eyes widened instantly.

"Another world? But there's no good food in the underground palace, only bad guys, and you have to fight."

"I don't know either. There might be good food, or there might be bad guys."

Ian placed the grilled meat and juice on a tray and walked towards the living room.

"There's a lot of uncertainty, but high risk can also mean high reward."

"I don't understand!" Ga Ga flew down opposite him and grabbed a piece of meat.

"But if you go, I'll go too! We'll fight the bad guys and steal the good food!"

Ian smiled and didn't say anything more; Gaga couldn't go.