Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

In the Wizarding World, they would be defined as "resource consumers" and a burden.

But here, they are fathers, mothers, craftsmen... ordinary people who resisted corruption and erosion in the most primitive way.

"Brother?" Li Yao called him softly, the boy's eyes filled with worry.

Ian snapped out of his daze, looked at everyone in the yard, and slowly began to speak.

"Blue Hole Mountain, we've arrived."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly audible to everyone.

"This is the outer city, it's chaotic and dangerous, but as long as you don't cause trouble, at least you have a roof over your head and can sleep peacefully at night."

A slight commotion arose in the crowd, but it quickly subsided.

Ian paused, then continued:

"But this courtyard costs five dust crystals to rent for a month, and the food we brought is only enough to last for two days."

The air seemed to freeze as soon as the words were spoken.

Five dust crystals a month... These refugees had no dust crystals to pay their rent.

"However," Ian changed the subject.

"Now that I've brought you here, I won't just leave you to die on the street."

He surveyed the crowd, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"But I have one condition."

"Lord Li, please speak!" The white-bearded old man was the first to speak, his voice hoarse but firm.

"Starting tomorrow, everyone must support themselves."

He calmly outlined the arrangements and offered a solution.

"The elderly take care of children, cook, and clean the yard; the women sew clothes and process herbs; and the men go out to find work—carrying goods, mining, repairing walls, they can do anything."

"Boys over fifteen years old, return to the courtyard every evening and learn half an hour of swordsmanship and basic runes from me."

He looked at Li Yao, "Li Yao will be in charge of leading them."

Li Yao nodded vigorously, his little face tense.

"Then... what can I do?"

Old Luo, with his missing arm, raised his head, a look of confusion in his eyes. "My hand..."

"Your hand can still move." Ian walked up to him.

"I've seen your knife-repairing skills. There are many weapon shops in the outer city that need someone to maintain their weapons. Why don't you give it a try?"

Old Luo was stunned, then his eyes reddened, and he nodded vigorously: "I...I will definitely go!"

Ian then looked at the white-bearded old man: "You can read and write, and you know some about herbs, right?"

"I know a little bit..." the old man said somewhat awkwardly.

"That's enough." Ian pulled a simple map from his pocket, which marked the locations of several pharmacies and herb markets in the outer city.

"Starting tomorrow, you will take a few quick-witted young people to these places to familiarize themselves with the medicinal herb market and gather information."

"Yes!" The old man took the map, his hands trembling slightly.

Finally, Ian looked at the few relatively strong guards.

"You guys will be responsible for guarding the yard during the day and will take turns at night. I won't be staying here, so you're in charge of the yard's security."

The guards exchanged glances and replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

After arranging all of this, Ian finally let out a slow breath.

"Remember, in Blue Hole Mountain, we don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either."

His voice turned somber.

"If anyone dares to bully you, just say my name. If you can't handle it, wait for me to come back."

These words acted as a reassurance, and the restless unease in the crowd gradually subsided.

Several women secretly wiped away their tears, while the men straightened their backs.

The children, knowing they could stay, showed genuine smiles.

Everyone understood that they were no longer alone refugees.

They have a place to live, work to do, and people to protect them.

"Go and rest, everyone." Ian waved his hand. "Starting tomorrow, everyone will be responsible for their duties."

The crowd slowly dispersed, each finding a place to lie down in the courtyard.

Although it was crowded and the conditions were basic, at least it was a place that could provide shelter from the wind and rain.

Li Yao leaned closer to Ian and whispered, "Brother, is it really okay to support so many people?"

Ian glanced at him and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.

"A qualified basic purification agent can sell for at least 20 dust crystals on the market."

He paused for a moment, then added, "And the cost of refining one potion is about 5 dust crystals, with a net profit of 15."

Li Yao's eyes widened suddenly, and his heart pounded.

"15 dust crystals? That...that means..."

"One dose of medicine is enough to feed everyone in this courtyard for three days, and there will still be money left over to buy medicine for injuries."

Ian said calmly, "If I can brew six potions a day, that's a profit of 90 dust crystals."

In fact, there are far more than six branches, but he is currently lacking in strength and can only hide his true abilities for the time being.

He glanced at the people tidying up in the yard, a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

"It's actually very easy to feed them."

Li Yao was stunned. "Is making potions really that easy?"

He looked at Ian's calm profile and suddenly understood.

Since my brother dared to take in these people, it couldn't have been on a whim.

He was aware of his own abilities and the value of these people, and perhaps... there were other considerations as well.

"But..." Li Yao hesitated for a moment, "What if someone betrays us, or causes trouble..."

"Then get rid of it." Ian's voice was soft, but carried an undeniable coldness.

"I give them a way to live, and they have to follow my rules."

He turned his head and looked into Li Yao's eyes.

"Remember, it's good to have kindness, but you must first have the capacity to do so. Blind kindness won't last long in this wasteland."

"I understand." Li Yao nodded vigorously.

"I understand." Li Yao nodded vigorously.

"Take a few people to the street and buy some food first."

Ian handed over a few dust crystals. "The rest, clean up the yard."

"yes!"

The boy took the crystal and hurriedly left with several burly men.

Ian went into the room he had just rented. There was nothing inside except a bed and an old wooden table.

He didn't care about any of that and pulled the roll of recipes out of his pocket.

The dark yellow leather scroll was unrolled in my hand, the characters on it were neat and clear, written in the common script of this world.

Ian quickly scanned it, and the content was exactly the same as the panel's analysis.

【净水500毫升、烈焰草3株、明月花花瓣5克、纯净星辉尘1克、基础稳定剂10毫升】

The materials are not difficult to find, and the process is also very simple.

Water purifiers and stabilizers should be available on the streets. Flamegrass and Moonflower are common herbs, and you should be able to find them at the pharmacies in the outer city. The most troublesome thing is Stardust.

This is pure energy powder extracted from primordial crystals, and it is quite expensive.

Ian touched his chest; it was empty.

All the dust crystals were spent, and even the last standard crystal was used to pay taxes.

"Hmph! Just you wait, you dare to extort my Yuan Crystals."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

As consciousness sank into the sea of ​​mind, the proficiency panel unfolded before his eyes.

Name: Li Xing (Ian)

Age: 21

[Realm Level: Late Awakening (81%)]

[Bloodline: Star Drawer (Slight Awakening)]

[Condition: In good condition]

[Skills: Starry Perception (Proficient 85%), Star Step (Beginner 78%), Basic Swordsmanship (Proficient 87%)]

His level of understanding has improved again.

His strength steadily increased through battles and meditation along the way.

We are now only one step away from the perfect awakening stage. The next step... is the solidification stage.

"Hopefully, the physical body will benefit from the bloodline leap when it happens..."

Ian opened his eyes and looked out at the sky.

The gray clouds remained thick, but occasionally a few dim stars could be seen through the gaps.

The Starfall Core in his chest was slightly warm, as if it had a faint resonance with one of the stars within it.

Star-drawing...

He recalled the records in that bloodline manual.

"The Star Guides are descendants of the ancient Watchers, whose bloodline is imprinted with the trajectory of the stars."

At the deepest level of awakening, one can resonate with the stars, draw upon stellar power, and even... influence gravity.

gravity.

Ian stretched out his hand, palm up.

A faint silver halo appeared in the palm of his hand, and the surrounding air seemed to become a little "heavier".

It was extremely faint; if his mental strength hadn't been sharp enough, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

But it does exist.

"Brother! We're back!"

Li Yao's voice came from the courtyard gate.

The boy was holding a bulging burlap sack, his little face full of excitement.

Behind them, several men were also carrying things: half a bag of blackened flour, several bundles of dried vegetables, and two earthenware jars.

"The flour cost three dust crystals, and the dried vegetables cost two dust crystals. These two jars were a gift from a kind old lady."

Li Yao reported, panting, "We also found out that there's an 'Old Cripple's Pharmacy' on East Street in the outer city that sells herbs at reasonable prices."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Ian stood up, took the burlap sack, and opened it.

Inside were dozens of grayish-brown hard breads and a small packet of salt wrapped in oil paper.

"Distribute it first, so everyone has enough to eat."

"good!"

The bread was quickly distributed to everyone.

People squatted in the courtyard, munching on the food in small bites, their faces showing satisfaction.

This was the first meal after arriving in the city. Although it was simple, at least it was hot.

Ian only took one piece, broke it in half, and handed it to Li Yao.

"Brother, you eat, I'm not hungry," the boy declined.

"Eat it when I tell you to."

Li Yao lowered his head, took the pancake, and began to nibble on it.

The sky gradually darkened.

There was no unified lighting in the outer city; only the light of oil lamps shone from a few scattered windows.

In the distance came a muffled commotion, and faint sobbing.

That was yet another family that had lost a loved one.

Ian looked out the window at the group of people in front of him.

Feeding so many people is easy, but to form a fighting force, it's not enough to just eat coarse grains.

You must make money as quickly as possible, and the fastest way to make money is...

Ian touched the formula in his arms.