Since he had obtained the first spiritual rune, Shade naturally wanted to try to master the magic corresponding to gluttony. The doctor and others also agreed with this idea. Even though the energy of the ring sorcerer was limited and it was impossible to thoroughly understand and explore every spiritual rune, it was a common practice in the academic school to master at least one magic for each spiritual rune.
"We have access to spells and thaumaturgy in more ways than just the expensive St. Byrons Library."
Miss Annat said, and she stretched out her hand and gestured:
"Tobesk is the most important city in the Old World. There are countless ring sorcerers here, which has spontaneously formed a black market of a certain scale and trading channels. You probably already know that you can buy relics from Old John. In fact, we also have ways to directly purchase magic and spells, and even some books that may give you spiritual runes after reading them."
She looked at the doctor on the bed. After the doctor nodded, Miss Annat took out a pen and paper and wrote down an address. After confirming that Shade had written it down, she burned it with the flame of her fingertips:
"Just go here. The membership fee is 1 pound. I think it shouldn't be too difficult for you."
"Yes, there has been a large amount of income recently."
Shade said, thinking of yesterday's wallet, and then thinking of Sparrow's secret. He planned to talk to Miss Anat about divination alone after the meeting.
The address Miss Annat wrote down was the "Black Raven Library" in the Tobysk University District, very close to the apartment Miss Louisa rented.
On the surface, this is a private library and club for university professors. One needs to obtain permission from the owner and pay a certain membership fee before sharing the books inside.
But in fact, the Black Raven Library is engaged in the preservation and collection of knowledge related to the ring warlocks.
They have a certain amount of occult knowledge themselves and are open to trusted ring mages who have been introduced, but most importantly, they provide a platform for local ring mages to anonymously trade books and knowledge products.
There are many similar places in Tobesk, which serve as private trading venues for ring sorcerers of all sizes, but this library has the best reputation, so Miss Annat recommended Shad to go here.
"Remember to wear a mask and inconspicuous clothes. Father John can be trusted, and he has a deep friendship with us, so there is no need to go through so much trouble. But the Black Raven Library is a little different. We are just regular customers, so it is best not to reveal our identities."
Father Augustus gave instructions, and Shad carefully wrote down the information, calculating in his mind how many gold pounds he should spend to buy the knowledge.
He actually still owed his orange cat Mia 10 pounds. The remittance from Ms. Godd was used to buy the broken relic Silver Moon Orb. Add to that the 40 pounds he owed for the group's tuition. So, Shad's current debt was as high as 50 pounds, and the inheritance from Mr. Sparrow yesterday was obviously not enough.
Fortunately, he can pay back the monthly debt of 20 pounds at the end of the month, and he also saved some money last month, so his financial situation is actually pretty good.
Originally, after discussing these things, the meeting should have ended today and the doctor should have rested. However, Dr. Schneider announced another thing to everyone, forcing them to stay:
"I haven't given up on the forged Philosopher's Stone. I will take action again after my injuries heal. In Lakeview Manor, Mercury Blood lost important members, the Heart Collector and 'Madam Lazoya', and the leader of the organization, 'Silver Eyed Man', was also seriously injured. I heard that the Orthodox Church is really angry this time and is even going to transfer a new Thirteenth Ring Warlock from the Holy See. Now is a good opportunity."
"Bill, it's not worth it for those five credits. Don't forget that there is also the possible existence of the Blood Spirit School."
Father Augustus exhorted, but the doctor shook his head:
"Of course it's not just for the five practical credits. You probably haven't seen the bounty order. This mission was issued by Professor Rogers of the School of Mechanical Engineering. I want to learn a very important magic from this professor, and this is an opportunity."
The doctor himself is good at mind and dream abilities and belongs to the School of Mechanical Engineering. I think he has been preparing for this for a long time.
"Besides, the forged Philosopher's Stone itself is also very important. The academy's bounty only requires 3 fluid ounces. We can keep the rest for ourselves. Do you know the characteristics of this keeper-level relic?"
He looked at the four people. Professor Shade and Augustus shook their heads. Miss Louisa thought for a moment.
"I once took the elective course Dangerous Alchemical Imitations, and I remember... The Philosopher's Stone, a forged Secret Keeper-level relic, is a red liquid substance. It is a failed imitation of the most dangerous Sage-level relic, the Philosopher's Stone. Legend has it that it was made by a great alchemist in the chaotic era of the Fourth Epoch.
The forged Philosopher's Stone cannot be touched directly. It is highly poisonous. Once the forged Philosopher's Stone comes into contact with the real Philosopher's Stone, it will turn into clear water. Although it is a failed imitation, it also inherits some of the properties of the real Philosopher's Stone. The same amount of forged Philosopher's Stone can be converted into the same amount of gold, but it is a waste to use it in this way. The most important property is..."
"The forged Philosopher's Stone can be used as a nearly universal ritual item, replacing some important ritual items that cannot be found. For example, in the ritual of summoning the evil god, the cultists of Mercury Blood and the Lord of the Blood Feast could not easily gather all the ritual items, so they must have used a forged Philosopher's Stone. This is the result of the association's investigation yesterday."
Miss Anat added.
"The advancement of a ring wizard requires the assistance of a ritual. The materials for the ritual of advancement of a low-level ring wizard are very common, but I have to start preparing for the promotion from the fifth ring to the sixth ring. Some materials can be smuggled from the New World, and some materials can be purchased from the academy, but some materials are really difficult to obtain..."
The doctor looked at the other four people. They certainly had no reason to object anymore.
But there was no rush for this matter. Dr. Schneider would not know whether he could recover until at least Saturday. Before that, the doctor could only spend a week lying in bed with a book in his hand.
"Exam week is at the end of this month. If you read a few more books now, maybe you can try to pass the exams for those theoretical courses. By the way, doctor, how is your study of Aether Mechanics going?"
The blond writer said jokingly, and everyone else smiled. Only the doctor leaned against the bedside and sighed sadly. He didn't like lying in bed all the time, and he didn't like "Ether Mechanics" even more.