My inventory is full of monster materials.

"This is a magical biomimetic construct created based on a biological eyeball... The totem is part of the ritual, linking the magical eyeball to one's own spirit..."

"Okay, okay, wait, I haven't memorized this part yet..."

During the subsequent work of deciphering the rune beast hides, whenever Cecily's actions faltered, Mark would relentlessly criticize and lash out at her from behind.

Of course, Mark wasn't always "prophetic," but he deliberately spoke in a way that was mostly true and half false, leaving Cecily dizzy and disoriented.

This reminded Cecily of her apprenticeship days.

Back then, whenever she encountered difficulties that puzzled her, her master would gently remind her.

It's truly an unbelievable illusion.

How could a fully-fledged mage be expected to receive instruction from a human who isn't even a mage apprentice?

No, that can't be right.

This is the inevitable result of my long-term accumulation of knowledge and experience.

I understand!

This is what the teacher meant by sudden enlightenment!

One hour later.

Cecily wiped the sweat from her temples with her sleeve, and looking at the densely packed stack of manuscripts in her hand, a sense of accomplishment welled up inside her.

In her "enlightenment" state, Cecily spent just over an hour deconstructing the basic principles of a 1st-circle spell.

This is a rare phenomenon even among mages of the same level.

Reflecting on the whole process, Cecily felt that in addition to her own talent and hard work, the little guy next to her provided a lot of help.

Mark suddenly interrupted Cecily's reverie.

"Ms. Valencia, have you finished your examination?"

"Yes, yes. This animal hide contains the skill scroll for a 1st-level spell called 'Eye of Observation,' which is not recorded in the 'Arcane Codex.'"

Mark heard that Cecily had already given the spells new names without his permission.

His expression suggested he wanted to say something, but in the end he kept quiet and didn't say anything.

"Fine, call it whatever you want, but to me it's just 'The Surveillance Eye'."

"How much is it worth?"

"How much..."

Cecily rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

"The magical effect of 'Eye of Observation' isn't very high; it can only be sold for 120 gold coins at most. But since you used it a little bit just now, I'll give you 150 gold coins."

Mark mentally scoffed again.

"Damn it, I taught you all the tricks and tips of a first-level spell, and all I got in return was 30 gold? Oh well, I guess I'll just consider it a loss, otherwise I really can't explain it."

In fact, 150 gold coins is a huge sum for Mark, enough to buy a sizable shop on the bustling streets of Pinewood Town.

But Mark understood the principle of keeping one's wealth hidden.

He absolutely cannot splurge now; he must first fully play his role as a fledgling adventurer.

As for how to spend the 150 gold coins?

Purchasing a full set of plate armor is the best way to boost combat power.

However, it is difficult for untrained people to wear armor, and it also does not fit their career plans.

Various thoughts flashed through Mark's mind.

In the end, I decided to return to my original intention.

"Ms. Valencia, if I want to pursue a career as a mage, what advice can you give me?"

Cecily looked Mark up and down.

Because of the introduction from an acquaintance and the help she had just received, Cecily felt a certain liking for the black-haired boy in front of her, so she offered her advice.

"By your human standards, an intelligence level of at least 10 is required for them to be worth training."

"I suggest you go to Diagon Street and find a fortune teller to assess your intelligence. This will give you a more accurate estimate and save you from wasting money and time."

"However, I do have a testing tool right now. Although it's not very accurate, it can still determine whether you have magical aptitude."

After saying that, Cecily took out a palm-sized transparent crystal ball from inside her robe.

Mark took the crystal ball; it still felt warm to the touch.

"Don't get distracted, keep your eyes on it as much as possible."

Suddenly, he heard Cecily's pleasant rebuke, and Mark quickly composed himself, fixing his eyes on the crystal ball.

1 second, 2 seconds, ... 10 seconds!

The crystal ball suddenly emitted a dazzling blue light, and at the same time, a thin layer of frost began to form on its surface.

Cecily was very surprised to see this.

"Your intelligence is definitely at the level of a mage apprentice, and you also have an affinity for ice elements, although it is weak. Overall, you have the potential to become a mage."

Mark was not surprised by the result, and even had to pretend to be happy.

But Cecily on the other side was in distress.

At first, she thought the knight boy was introducing her to business, but now it seems he wants her to take over this seed with mage potential.

But she's only 200 years old this year, and she's still considered a beautiful young girl among the elves.

Mark is like a baby to her.

Unmarried teenage girl raising a child?

Is there anything more terrifying than this?!

Cecily shook her head repeatedly at this thought.

Mark had no idea that the other person had already imagined a whole series of scenarios. He only saw her shaking her head like a madwoman, so he tentatively asked her a question.

"Ms. Valencia? What's wrong with me?"

"That's great. Here, I happen to have a set of teaching materials that would suit you perfectly."

Cecily ran towards the back room as if fleeing.

In no time, she returned with two books with indigo covers in her arms and gently placed them on the counter.

"Phew~ Take these two books back and study them more. Combine theory and practice to build a systematic understanding of magic, which will help you distinguish yourself from those wild mages."

"..."

Mark looked at the two dictionary-like books with a constipated expression—"Basic Theory of Magic Application" and "Introduction to Magic Network and Network Security".

"I long for life at a magic academy and am willing to spend time studying, but..."

"Ms. Valencia, I am an adventurer and need to learn how to use spells as soon as possible. Could you recommend some suitable ones, such as skill scrolls?"

Cecily, being from an academic background, had forgotten about this and thought for a while before speaking.

"I originally suggested that you learn skill books, because they are much cheaper than scrolls, and they can also help you develop your understanding of magic."

"But if you urgently need spells, I also have some 0-level spell scrolls here, which should meet your intelligence requirements."

Immediately afterwards, Cecily took out three reels—red, blue, and green—from under the counter, placed them in front of Mark, and gave a brief introduction.

"Flame Arrow, with strong power, will either kill or seriously injure a normal level zero monster if it is hit."

"The freezing ray is not very powerful, but it is effective in controlling the target's movements."

"Poison gas spray, dealing continuous magical damage to groups of enemies."

After hearing the introduction, Mark was caught in a dilemma.

A skill scroll for a level 0 spell costs 50-60 gold.

He couldn't possibly invest all his funds in reels, so he had to choose one of the three options.

Mark glanced at the "Ice Element Affinity +20%" displayed on the screen, and then asked Cecily for advice.

Which spell do you think I should choose?

"Freezing rays".

Why?

"You have an affinity for ice elements, which will allow you to master the freezing ray more quickly. It's better to be a master than to be a jack-of-all-trades."

These words really struck a chord with Mark.

"Okay, then I'll take the cryo-ray. And I'll take these two books too."

"53, 40, that's a total of 93 gold coins. Also, according to your human trading habits, you have to sign this contract as well."

Before Mark could even feel the loss of the gold coins, he saw Cecily pull out a piece of parchment and slap it onto the book.

He picked up the parchment and saw that it was stamped with the "Seal of Justice," along with a sentence: "The purchaser must not disseminate the knowledge contained in the book."

This is purchasing the right to use, not ownership.

Seeing Mark's somewhat distressed expression, Cecily shrugged and explained.

"Don't look at me like that. This is intellectual property protection. Most knowledge-related transactions in the Magic Association have this requirement."

That being said, Mark offered a small rebuttal.

"That's unreasonable! After I've learned the knowledge from the books, am I supposed to keep it hidden forever?"

"You don't need to worry about that. The contract only has level one 'Power of Order.' Once you advance to the first-tier professional level, its divine power will no longer be able to restrain you."

That makes much more sense.

After checking several times without finding any flaws, Mark signed the contract, and the golden scales flashed through his mind once again.

Having dealt with the most urgent matter, Mark still had over 60 gold coins left, and his mind started working again.

"How much are your potions and ingredients?"