After advancing to a Third Class Wizard Apprentice, the side effects of the Starry Sky Potion had significantly less impact on Herag. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NoveI[F]ire.net
Previously, that surge of restlessness was difficult to suppress, but now it almost had no effect on him.
"Dark Energy Shield!"
Herag released the Dark Energy Shield, noticing that the shield’s strength had greatly improved once again.
He distinctly felt the surrounding free energy particles increase. In fact, the energy particles around had always been this abundant; it was just that, after becoming a Third Class Wizard Apprentice, he could perceive more energy particles.
Half a month after the advancement, Herag continued to repeat his previous routine.
Having just advanced, he needed some time to familiarize himself with his current power, stabilizing his spiritual power through meditation.
Shenlan also saw some improvement, with its detection range reaching five hundred meters, feeling vastly larger in experience, completely different from before.
"Erza?" he sensed Erza’s carriage approaching in this direction.
Herag thought about how he hadn’t been to the City Lord’s Mansion for some time, which is why Erza must be coming to check on him.
Herag tidied up a bit before heading to the door.
As he reached the door, Erza’s carriage also arrived, driven by the Great Knight Lewandowski.
Erza wore a long dress, traditional noble attire, covering most places tightly; her attire was generally very formal outside.
"Why did you come?" Herag asked while helping her down from the carriage, holding her hand.
Erza pouted: "You still remember me? I thought you had forgotten about me."
"I told you, these days I need to retreat and practice." Herag smoothly wrapped his arm around Erza’s waist.
"Did you succeed?" Erza, upon closing in, sensed the unusual aura around Herag.
"That’s right." Herag nodded.
Erza: "A sixteen-year-old Third Class Wizard Apprentice..."
Through Dino, she learned a lot about Wizards and naturally knew that advancing to a Third Class Wizard Apprentice at sixteen symbolized infinite potential, with a high possibility of becoming an Official Wizard.
Not every Wizard Apprentice can become an Official Wizard; most stay at the apprentice stage for a lifetime.
"What plans do you have next?" Erza asked.
Herag pondered: "I’ll continue staying here. The matters at Moonlight Forest are still unresolved. If I reach the requirements to advance to an Official Wizard but still can’t return, I’ll need to consider how to acquire the necessary resources for advancement."
"So you’ll leave here eventually?" Erza asked.
Herag nodded: "Yes, I certainly won’t stay here long."
Erza sighed, anticipating this.
She touched her belly: "Can you give me a child before you leave?"
"I am now a Third Class Wizard Apprentice; it’s difficult to conceive a child with you." Herag shook his head.
"How do you know without trying?" Erza, unwilling to give up, said while holding Herag’s hand.
Feeling that softness, Herag had some restlessness again and turned to lift Erza horizontally.
After a long time apart, they shared another intimate moment.
"Herag Merlin: Power 8.0, Agility 7.1, Constitution 8.8, Spirit 18.6, Magic Power 100%."
The meditation of the eleventh star had completed, taking Herag nearly three months; the effect of the Starry Sky Potion had indeed waned considerably.
The second Array Map finally illuminated the first point, with fourteen points remaining.
The spiritual power requirement to advance to an Official Wizard is twenty points, and the Starry Sky Meditation Technique allows for the meditation of five stars at the Third Class Wizard Apprentice stage. Herag could meditate on four more stars.
"It’s time to start preparing for advancement to Official Wizard."
Herag thought if he couldn’t return to Moonlight Forest shortly, obtaining the things needed for advancement would be difficult.
Firstly, the ancient potion required for advancement; many of its materials are high-tier potion materials, which are hard to come by.
If he were in Moonlight Forest, Herag could purchase directly from Larry.
There’s a heap of things in his Space Ring now, enough to sell to buy an ancient potion.
He could also make it himself, but the cost would be quite high.
Moreover, crafting the ancient potion isn’t as simple as the Dawn Potion or Dawn and Dusk Potion he dealt with before; even with Shenlan assistance, it’s very difficult for Herag to successfully craft it at his current level.
Herag believes the ancient potion is a critical resource controlled by major Wizard Organizations, and most Wizard Apprentices have almost no chance of crafting it successfully.
This is one reason why Larry and Master Potion Masters hold such high status; they can easily craft ancient potions, which is crucial for Wizard Organizations.
Wandering Wizard Apprentices likely can’t advance to Official Wizard in their lifetime; the key ancient potion is almost out of their reach.
The major Wizard Organizations control these resources, almost dictating the path to advancing to Official Wizard.
In addition to the ancient potion, a potion called Amanda is also needed for advancing to Official Wizard.
Amanda can stimulate body potential, aiding breakthroughs to become an Official Wizard, and one can use more than one dose.
This is why advancing to an Official Wizard before eighteen is necessary; the older you get, the less potential your body has left.
Even using more Amanda potions at too old an age won’t help, and overconsumption might exhaust one’s potential and lead to death.
It’s common for older Third Class Wizard Apprentices, unwilling to stop at this stage, to consume one Amanda potion to no effect, then recklessly take two more doses, burning up their lifespan entirely.
While Herag was contemplating these issues, he suddenly paused, then retrieved a Talisman Stone from his Space Ring.
He saw it flicker a few times: "There’s news from Moonlight Forest!"
Herag immediately opened the Talisman Stone to check the message.
"The war between Moonlight Forest and Green Cottage is nearing its end, and there’s a current ceasefire with negotiations ongoing. You can return. I will notify you if there are changes."
This was a message from Larry, sent two days ago.
Currently, Herag was too far from Moonlight Forest, resulting in delayed messages.
Additionally, being outside, Herag didn’t have the permission to reply, only able to passively receive messages.
After receiving the message, Herag looked around and said with some sentiment: "It’s time to leave."
He wasn’t in a rush to depart immediately; the route back needed careful investigation and planning.
Surely, the Violet Kingdom was off-limits due to the peculiar Valley Town, which Herag preferred to stay away from entirely.
After ruling out the eastern route, the only options left were heading north or taking a boat along the West Coast around to the east.