Wizards: Starting with Fairy Crests

017: Hidden Discoveries Beneath the Fragments

"A useless broken bowl!" The system notification sounded on time, revealing the value of the item.

Lynch then picked up the items next to him one by one.

"A useless piece of metal!"

"A useless, broken piece of crystal!"

"A useless sheepskin."

......

He picked up more than a dozen items in a row, all of which were worthless junk.

Just as Lin Qi was losing patience and was about to waste his time here, an unexpected voice rang out.

"An ancient magical relic, containing a spell model."

This is a broken piece of metal, resembling the remains of a badge, and is one of the easiest objects to find in the ruins.

Lin Qi felt a slight jolt in his heart.

This is really good stuff!

On the surface, Lin Qi showed no change in expression, still looking like a naive newbie dreaming of finding a bargain and getting rich, carefully and repeatedly picking through the pile of trash.

After careful selection, Lin Qi finally picked up five treasures that he had chosen based on his own discerning eye.

The stall owner glanced at it and said, "15 magic stones, no refunds or exchanges."

Lin Qi put away the treasure and turned to leave.

Out of caution, he did not leave the market immediately, but continued to stroll around the market for a few more times until the sun had set before leaving the market and returning to the Gray Tower.

Back in the dark, damp dormitory in the shantytown, I closed the door tightly and lit a candle. The dim, flickering flame became the only source of light.

Lin Qi then took out the inconspicuous metal fragment and examined it carefully under the candlelight.

The fragment is about half the size of a palm, irregularly rhomboid in shape, with old, broken edges. It is neither iron nor copper, but a dark, matte, dark gray metal that feels cold to the touch and is heavier than it looks.

The surface is covered with fine, spiderweb-like natural textures, and between these textures, one can vaguely see some extremely faint engravings that are almost integrated with the metal's natural color, outlining some incomplete and incomprehensible geometric shapes.

There was no magical fluctuation, no elemental residue; it was like a worthless part that had fallen off some ancient machine.

Lin Qi carefully ran his fingers over the engravings, repeatedly sensing them with his mental power, and even tried to input a trace of weak magic power... but there was no response.

"It seems that we can't figure it out just by looking at the naked eye and using our senses." Lin Qi put down the fragments, lost in thought.

"I need to learn some authentication techniques."

Identification is a special spell in the wizarding world, its essence being linked to a supreme truth in the endless void that knows all knowledge.

Through the art of identification, the answer to the question of what sacrifices are needed for the offering can be obtained from this supreme truth.

The items required for identification are varied, including magic stones, elemental crystals, rare materials, and even life, emotions, and fate, depending on the materials required for identification.

"Let's see if we can find a way through Wizard Hossman."

Shaking his head, Lin Qi put the matter of the metal fragment aside for the time being and instead began to organize the other haul he had brought from the market.

He sat cross-legged back on the bed and first took out the scroll of "Lightness Technique" that he had bought at a huge cost.

The diagrams on the scroll are not elemental runes, but rather a complex and peculiar loop depicting the microscopic adjustments of human muscles, bones, and even some cellular structures.

It does not guide external energy, but rather directly stimulates and temporarily alters the practitioner's physical density and gravitational feedback through specific mental vibrations.

Lin Qi focused his mind and silently recited in his heart, "Study."

The influx of information brought with it a profound understanding of the body's internal structure, as well as bizarre knowledge about how to use mental power as a "scalpel" to precisely and briefly adjust intercellular spaces and reduce the burden on local bodily fluids.

A few breaths later, a system notification sounded: [Lightness Technique mastered.]

Lin Qi opened his eyes, but didn't rush to try. He carefully savored the subtle sense of control that was working inside his body.

After a moment, he focused his mind and began to drive his mental power according to the model.

Instead of the lightness of wind, there is a slight "humming" vibration emanating from within the body.

He felt as if his muscle fibers were being combed smoother, the burden on his bones seemed to be reduced slightly, and most noticeably, the distribution of bodily fluids was temporarily adjusted, giving him a peculiar feeling of "weightlessness".

He stood up and tried to move. His footsteps landed unusually lightly, almost silently, as if he were stepping on a thick carpet. With a casual leap, his head nearly hit the low ceiling, and the impact on his knees was noticeably reduced when he landed back on the ground.

Making quick turns and zigzags in a confined space makes controlling the body seem easier and less strenuous, as if an invisible shackle has been removed.

"The effect is direct and does not depend on external elements, which is indeed more suitable for the current situation," Lin Qi assessed in his mind.

However, maintaining this continuous fine-tuning of the body's cellular structure is also quite costly. The system panel shows that his mana has decreased by 10 points. According to the model information, with his current mental strength level, he can maintain this state for approximately 15 minutes.

He stopped casting the spell, and the slight buzzing and weightlessness inside his body quickly subsided, returning him to normal.

Next up is the main event—

Potion practice.

Lin Qi took out the potion ingredients he had purchased from the market one by one, sorted them out, and finally took out the newly bought brass crucible, which was only the size of a human head and had basic constant temperature runes engraved on its surface.

This cauldron cost him eight magic stones, which is standard equipment for a qualified apprentice.

First, you must meet the assessment requirements set by your mentor, Hossman.

He took a deep breath, recalling every step, the processing method of each material, and the timing of its application in the Grey Tower Basic Pharmacopoeia regarding standard hemostatic agents, basic antidotes, and primary stamina-restoring agents.

This was his first attempt at preparing a standard hemostatic agent. He lit the specially made smokeless charcoal, preheated the crucible, and added the coagulated moss... However, when grinding the moon mushroom powder, he used a little too much force, and the powder particles were not uniform enough.

Although the subsequent steps were barely completed, the final medicine was dark in color, and its efficacy was probably less than half of the standard.

failure.

Undeterred, Lynch cleaned the crucible and began his second attempt.

This time he was much more careful, almost holding his breath while handling the materials. However, when blending the nightingale gizzard extract, there was a momentary fluctuation in temperature control, causing the liquid to boil slightly too much and emit a burnt smell.

Failed again.

Two consecutive failures caused Lin Qi to frown deeply. He realized that even with a systematic indoctrination of knowledge, practical experience and a subtle grasp of timing and intensity still needed to be accumulated and honed through hands-on practice.

He sat quietly for a moment, carefully reflecting on the key points of his failure and adjusting his mindset. He then attempted to prepare the basic antidote for the third time.

This time, his movements were more steady, his mind highly focused, as if he had become one with the crucible and materials in front of him. Grinding, extracting, heating, stirring, blending... every step was carried out strictly according to the perfect template in his mind.

Finally, when the last ingredient was added to the crucible, the liquid turned a clear, pale green and emitted a standard, slightly spicy, herbal fragrance. He knew he had succeeded.

With this successful experience, the subsequent preparation of standard hemostatic agents and basic energy recovery agents became smoother. Although there was a minor mistake on each, qualified finished products were eventually obtained.

Looking at the three vials of medicine before him, whose color and smell matched the description in the pharmacopoeia, Lin Qi breathed a long sigh of relief. He felt confident about his mentor's initial assessment.

Next, we'll move on to the final step.

Lynch turned his gaze to the last haul he had brought back from this trip to the wizarding market.

That knight's body-refining potion...