"Almost done, you should try it." The old man watched as the flame slowly died out, prompting Zheng Qing.
Zheng Qing looked at him blankly, and in his daze thought, how exactly does one try a piece of hide? Aren't spellbooks supposed to look like, well, books? Could it be that my spellbook is special, crafted from a beast skin roll?
The soft hide hovered in mid-air, twisting itself into the form of a beast skin roll. It twirled around twice, then splayed out again, reverting back to a flat piece of skin.
This piece of skin seems to dislike being a beast skin roll! Zheng Qing was startled by his own thought.
He felt dizzy, most likely from losing too much blood.
"What kind of spellbook do you like?" The old man suggested from the side.
Shaking his dizzy head, Zheng Qing began to imagine what his spellbook should look like.
In mid-air, the creamy piece of hide molded itself to his ideas, morphing like latex.
Soft and pristine cover, blank opening pages, semi-transparent pages, and leather fasteners.
Exactly like he had pictured in his mind!
Zheng Qing reached out and grabbed it.
The spellbook shivered, rustling in satisfaction like a leaf in the breeze.
An intimate warmth spread from his palm throughout his body. Zheng Qing sighed deeply, feeling a sense of fulfillment, his whole body relaxed, and he slowly sank to the ground.
"A fine bare book." The old man nodded in approval: "A wizard without imagination is no wizard at all. The more detailed your thoughts, the greater the potential of your spellbook."
He beckoned, calling the spellbook in Zheng Qing's hand over to him.
"Any taboos?" The old man opened a drawer on the table, displaying an array of scissors, hammers, and chisels, and asked, "Like, can't touch silver? Or allergic to peach wood?"
"I don't know," Zheng Qing shook his head.
"Don't know!" The old man frowned and then relaxed: "Then let's use brass. Brass is gentle in nature, and also a good material. In my memory, nobody has a taboo against brass."
He tapped his tool box. Inside were brass pieces, brass nails, and brass fasteners, all neatly lined up. They hopped onto the white spellbook, and under the old man's thump-thump-hammering, they were obediently flattened and rounded into book nails, embedded feet, and buckle decorations.
Having installed the last brass strip on the spine of the book, the old man put down his tools, dusted off his hands, and blew out a breath.
"Good book, it has potential. I almost regret selling it to you." The wrinkled old man tried to give a smile, then handed the book to Zheng Qing.
"What was the black stuff you took from me just now?" Taking the book, Zheng Qing's mind was still a little muddled. He remembered the black ink droplet the old man had drawn out from his chest with a spell, and his face turned a little pale.
"Wasn't that the Demon Spirit you brought?" The old man dropped his unsuccessful smile and frowned: "Give me the invoice from the front desk."
Zheng Qing hesitated, then quickly handed over the green book list.
"A new student?" The old man widened his eyes as he looked at the green paper in front of him. His pitch-black eyes became even more frightening: "Are you a freshman of the first college? The kind that gets a scholarship?"
"Yes." Zheng Qing blinked, a peculiar thought floated in his mind, and he nodded weakly.
"Then one gold bean will do." To Zheng Qing's surprise, the old man nodded satisfyingly without saying another word, and closed his eyes again: "You scholarship students lurking in my pitch-black workshop, are you drawn in by the bottom line of one gold bean?"
Zheng Qing gave an awkward smile.
"Your little elf pulled several strands of my hair earlier." He took out the shiny little items from his coat pocket and handed them to the old man, asking in confusion: "And gave me these."
"Normally they would only pluck a few threads or unbutton some buttons from customers. They are rarely this rude." The old man stretched out his little finger, and picked up one of the little crystals with his long fingernail to have a closer look.
"Not exactly rude." Zheng Qing, thinking about those delicate little fairies, changed his words: "More like somewhat unruly."
He was a bit worried that the old man might punish those little elves.
"Not bad, it seems they really do like you. What they gave you isn't broken glass." There was laughter in the old man's voice: "When these elves ask for souvenirs from customers, they normally only give them a bit of glass scrap. The items you've got are decent jade shavings, the best stabilizer in the lab. Worth far more than a gold bean."
Zheng Qing licked his dry lips, tightening his grip on his creamy wizard's book.
He really wanted to invite those little elves to pull his hair again. Maybe they could glean enough, and he would be set for his living expenses for a semester.
But such a shameful thought could only remain a thought.
He staggered out the door, Thomas was already waiting not far from the bookshop.
Seeing Zheng Qing's pale face and futile steps, and hearing about his experiences, Thomas couldn't help but shake his head, saying, "Old Pein has really crossed a line this time. How could he use Blood Refining to create your wizard's book?"
"Is that very dangerous?" Hearing some sensitive words, Zheng Qing felt a dark curtain come down in front of his eyes.
"Not really," Thomas cast a sidelong glance at Zheng Qing and explained, "On the contrary, a wizard's book refined in this way gives a considerable boost to spells, and also has great potential for growth. But as you're only a scholarship student, you shouldn't have been treated this way!"
"Maybe he mistook me for someone else." Zheng Qing recalled the situation when he first stepped into the shop, and felt uncertain.
"It's highly possible that he misjudged you. Or maybe he liked what he saw. Old Pein is notoriously whimsical." Thomas took out a jade bottle, poured out a bright red pill, and shoved it into Zheng Qing's mouth: "It's for replenishing blood, eat it. Otherwise, I'm suspicious that you'll faint after a few more steps. The interviewer really isn't my cup of tea, it's too demanding!"
He clapped his spellbook, leaving a sphere of clear water at Zheng Qing's mouth.
The red pill entered his mouth. With difficulty, Zheng Qing chewed it a few times, took a few mouthfuls of water, and swallowed it down.
He wiped his mouth, and a fierce sensation surged from his stomach to all parts of his body.
His face burned, even his lower body felt somewhat swollen.
"Is this really just for replenishing blood? It feels weird!" Zheng Qing's face turned a deeper shade of red. In a bid to cool himself down he fanned his new wizard's book, trying to convince himself that his face was hot because of the flush of a restored blood circulation.
"You'll learn how to prepare it in your sophomore year." Thomas grinned maliciously and laughed: "A lot of sophomores and juniors find this pill without side effects quite useful in many places! Of course, that's provided you manage to pass the freshman's exam."
Zheng Qing could not ignore Thomas's taunt, and his face turned even redder.
I didn't say anything embarrassing, why is my face red?
He roared in his heart.