"White Mist Forest Meditation Technique, taught by Francisco Ferguson, costs three subordinate magic stones..."
"Shadow Curtain Meditation Technique, taught by Adeline Night Eyes, costs four subordinate magic stones..."
"Deep Blue Tide Meditation Technique, taught by Selene O’Leary, costs four subordinate magic stones..."
...
Duke looked at these five Meditation Techniques, thinking he would learn them all in the future if the opportunity arose.
After all, he had a Skill Tree with him; the more Meditation Techniques he mastered, the more benefits he could derive from them.
Duke pondered for a while but still couldn’t determine which Meditation Technique was slightly better, as he had too little information.
"Simon, which Meditation Technique should we choose?" Three people gathered in a group ahead, looking up at the bulletin board and discussing softly.
Duke was relatively close to them, and with his keen hearing, he could hear the trio’s whispers clearly despite the noisy hall.
Simon deliberated, "My brother once told me that for Wizard Apprentices, there’s not much difference in choosing a starting Meditation Technique. What matters more is the course instructor."
"Some instructors explain very thoroughly and answer all the questions from Wizard Apprentices. A good instructor not only covers the content of the Meditation Technique but extends into many related areas of knowledge, which are all complimentary."
"But if you encounter an instructor who only sticks to the course content, it’s a bit of a loss; you miss out on many extras."
A round-faced boy next to them asked, "Are you familiar with these Wizards?"
"From the intelligence I gathered earlier, Lord Selene is comparatively more amiable, so you can choose his course," Simon considered.
This group of three—two boys and one girl—were all very young, around fifteen or sixteen years old.
The round-faced boy and the freckle-faced girl seemed to follow Simon’s lead, relying on his arrangements for many decisions.
After eavesdropping, Duke also agreed that the starting choice of Meditation Technique didn’t differ much.
He thought for a moment and listened in on some other people’s information, ultimately deciding to enroll in Selene’s Deep Blue Tide Meditation Technique course.
Enrollment was completed at some counters in the hall; after using one of his free course opportunities, Duke received a card resembling a greeting card.
This was proof for attending the class; only with this could one attend the course.
The course was scheduled for the morning two days later, so Duke needed to purchase a Deep Blue Tide Meditation Technique textbook before then.
New textbooks were available on Academy Island, but they were expensive, generally starting at ten subordinate magic stones.
Second-hand ones were much cheaper; there was a large plaza on the island where Wizard Apprentices often set up stalls to sell various unused items, offering a wide range of choices.
Duke needed to exchange some gold coins for magic stones; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to buy even second-hand books.
Many Wizard Apprentices found gold coins troublesome and didn’t use them, plus they required a purity test.
Following the map in the student handbook and relying on his memory, Duke reached a bustling small town on the island with various shops.
"Hey, little brother, want to come in and have some fun?" Two Female Wizard Apprentices in black robes stood at the entrance of a shop by the roadside.
Unlike typical wizard robes, their robes did not fully cover their bodies, showcasing long legs clad in black stockings and red high heels.
With a glance inside the shop, Duke saw the dim red lighting and immediately understood the nature of the place.
"This shop’s not in the handbook," Duke recalled, shaking his head and walking away.
Even if he wanted to visit, he didn’t have the money to spend.
Duke arrived in front of the Magic Potion Shop; before he even approached, the strong scent of medicinal herbs overwhelmed his senses.
The Magic Potion Shop had a large storefront, with seven or eight Wizard Apprentices bustling around inside.
Besides selling finished Magic Potions, the shop also offered various Magic Potion Materials, featuring a wide assortment.
Duke didn’t come here to purchase potions; after stating his purpose, the shop assistant wasn’t surprised and expertly brought out a Brass Balance, starting to measure the gold purity of Duke’s coins.
"The seventeen gold coins you’ve brought can be exchanged for one subordinate magic stone. How many would you like to exchange?" the assistant asked after measuring.
Duke thought for a moment and said, "Exchange for twenty."
He had over three hundred gold coins, most of which were exchanged for subordinate magic stones, keeping some as spare change.
The assistant nodded, efficiently completing the counting and weighing of the gold coins, and then took out a small box containing many subordinate magic stones.
The assistant recorded the details of the transaction in a ledger before handing Duke twenty subordinate magic stones.
Duke wiped his hand, storing all the subordinate magic stones in his Space Ring, appreciating the convenience it brought.
After exchanging the stones, he planned to leave the small town and head towards the plaza.
While passing by the shop again, the two Female Wizards invited him once more, "We have Special Magic, knowledge derived from an Enchanting Demon. Little brother, are you really not tempted to try?"
Duke frowned; he noticed his heartbeat and blood flow had quickened and quickly accelerated his pace to leave.
Once away, his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.
Duke was already a Great Knight, with physical attributes far surpassing ordinary people, so his sudden heart rate increase couldn’t be without reason.
It was undoubtedly something the two Female Wizards had done to him, stirring desires within him.
Academy Island, in principle, didn’t allow battles between Wizard Apprentices, and the little tricks played by those two Female Wizards were naturally overlooked, with no one questioning such actions.
Duke recalled Reela mentioning that Academy Island wasn’t entirely safe, with people frequently dying inexplicably.
If one didn’t have a background, investigations were often cursory, concluding without results.
Official Wizards typically didn’t expend much effort on these matters unless it involved extremely egregious cases like serial murders, which would prompt formal investigations.
Generally, as long as no major chaos ensued and the island’s overall security wasn’t compromised, deaths of one or two individuals were considered quite normal.
By the time Duke reached the plaza, it was already quite late, with fewer Wizard Apprentices setting up stalls.
He wandered around until he found someone selling the Deep Blue Tide Meditation Technique, stacked haphazardly like junk at the stall.
Duke painstakingly fished out a copy of the Deep Blue Tide Meditation Technique from the pile, noticing its cover was curled and stained with various unidentified substances.
"How much for this?" Duke asked.
The vendor, a gaunt man, replied without looking up, "One subordinate magic stone."