"Speaking of, how is that stick experiment of yours going?" Enoch shifted the topic.
"It's called a wand!" Horn corrected Enoch with a hint of resignation, pointing towards two darkened pieces of wood beside the bed:
"Don't you feel the progress yourself? You used to need three wands to maintain an illusion for this long, but now you only need two!
The medium effect of walnut wood is approximately one and a half times that of oak. It's the best casting medium I've been able to find in the short term."
Enoch looked at Horn with admiration: "You're really amazing!"
"But a single walnut wand still isn't enough to support me casting two complete tier-three spells, so at this stage, there's no difference for me between a walnut wand and an oak wand." Horn said, waving his hand.
"Then you're really amazing," Enoch's eyes nearly sparkled with stars.
"Stop looking at me like that and focus on stabilizing your Sea of Magic. Once your Sea of Magic is fully formed, I'll teach you something new." Horn felt a shiver down his spine from Enoch's gaze and quickly changed the subject.
"There's more new stuff? I thought what you taught me before was the pinnacle of knowledge!"
Enoch felt a renewed surge of motivation to consolidate his Sea of Magic, his face brimming with eagerness.
Horn shook his head, knowing the Sea of Magic is critical in magical learning; rushing it could lead to mistakes.
"We have a few hours until dawn. If there's anything about your training you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
Despite looking younger than Enoch, Horn played the role of a teacher in their relationship, with Enoch as a respectful student.
Ignoring Likal lying on the ground, they turned his home into a classroom, starting their teachings about spellcasting.
There wasn't much to address, so the night mostly consisted of the two sitting in meditation. Gradually, the white moon in the sky faded, and the sun had yet to rise, but the sky began to brighten.
Seeing that the night was about to pass, Horn stood up, stuffed his books into his worn bag, and said to Enoch:
"Alright, that's it for today's experiments. Let this man live for now. It's best to wait until the North Wind Cult discovers him on their own, rather than rashly acting and drawing their attention."
"You're going back to that old carpenter ghost to suffer again?"
Enoch was puzzled by Horn's job, wondering why someone with his abilities would need to rely on being a small-time carpenter for a living. With that time, couldn't he be practicing magic instead?
"He's my teacher; you'd better show some respect. And in the short term, working as a carpenter is beneficial for my research," Horn pushed up his glasses and said.
"How does being a complacent carpenter qualify him to be your teacher, Horn Maimherlin?" Enoch exclaimed passionately.
"Enough! I said show some respect!" Horn's eyes flashed coldly, "I don't want to hear such words from you again."
Enoch immediately closed his mouth.
Seeing Enoch silent, Horn's expression softened: "I'm going back to work. Are the wands still sufficient?"
"Enough, the wands are sufficient. There are still over a dozen," Enoch, intimidated by the cold light in Horn's eyes, spoke softly.
Horn nodded and left Likal's house. Inside, Enoch let out a sigh of relief; Horn's gaze had genuinely frightened him. It seemed he was really angry.
Having been a wild witch from a young age, Enoch deeply understood the terrifying talent of someone who could kill a tier-three magical beast before turning twenty. In a community of wild witches where over ninety percent couldn't even be considered professionals, Horn's abilities were indeed frightening.
Not to mention Horn had saved his life. With Horn's talent and his significant research achievements, Enoch regarded Horn as the future of wild witches.
This respect made Enoch particularly puzzled by Horn's insistence on being a small-time carpenter.
Before dawn, Horn returned to his residence, Douglas Carpenter's Shop.
Douglas Carpenter's Shop was located in the western district of Lien City, occupying a sizeable yard next to a main road, with a moderately-sized carpentry shop facing the street.
Horn entered through the backyard, returned to his room, changed out of his clothes from the meeting with Enoch into lighter work attire, and pretending to have just woken up, arrived at the shop's front door.
"Good morning, Aunt Meiz," Horn greeted the shopkeeper, Aunt Meiz, familiarly.
"You're up early today, Horn." Aunt Meiz, a tall and broad woman, relied on her son, a bounty hunter, to make a living by hunting low-tier magical creatures and powerful beasts. Since Douglas and Horn couldn't always tend to the shop, they hired her to watch the store for twenty copper coins a day.
"Where's the teacher?" Horn asked, yawning.
Horn's teacher, Old Douglas, was a renowned carpenter in Lien City. His furniture was highly popular, and he had settled in Lien City over a decade ago.
"He's probably having breakfast. You live with him; you should know better than I do," Aunt Meiz said loudly. Horn laughed awkwardly; having just returned from outside, he couldn't possibly know more than Aunt Meiz.
Horn went to the small courtyard's dining area, where an elderly man with graying hair and yellow skin was enjoying his breakfast. He was Old Douglas, Horn's teacher.
The table was set with a bowl of soup, several buns, and some salted vegetables pickled with Ceylon plants, Douglas's favorite food.
"Again with these, can't you make some fried eggs and toast instead? I'm tired of eating the same thing," Horn complained as he sat opposite Old Douglas and took a bite of a somewhat blackened bun.
Douglas's favorite exotic foods, in Horn's view, weren't particularly delicious, aside from their foreign charm. Douglas's culinary skills were lacking, and the ingredients he used weren't suited for such dishes, but Horn didn't dislike what the teacher enjoyed, though he did grow tired of it.
"It tastes like home," the old man chuckled, "It's good you're back. Come eat while it's hot. After breakfast, you'll help me make a cabinet for the Earl."
The old man set another pair of chopsticks in front of Horn.
Horn adeptly used the chopsticks to eat, having spent years mastering this utensil from initially fumbling to now using it proficiently. Apart from Old Douglas, Horn hadn't seen anyone else use chopsticks.
"What were you and that Enoch kid up to last night?" the old man casually asked while eating. He might not join Horn's activities, but he was always well-informed about Horn's whereabouts.
"I killed someone, the person who reported the Toriv couple. I fed him a fire affinity potion," Horn candidly admitted to murder, without any attempt to hide it.
Old Douglas's hand froze for a moment. Had the weeping child of the past now become someone who could calmly talk about killing?
It seemed he really had grown up.
"Teacher, what do you think of my idea of gathering all like-minded wild witches and spreading the knowledge you've taught me to earn wild witches a place of equality?" Horn continued as he saw the old man freeze.
"That's not going to work. You're better off sticking to being a carpenter. Your idea has no future," Old Douglas said dismissively.
Horn placed his chopsticks neatly on the table, stood up, and looked intently at the old man.
"Old Douglas, you gave me a choice:
To hide everything about being a wild witch and live a peaceful life,
Or to constantly hone myself as a wild witch,
Do you remember my choice, teacher?
I chose to be a wild witch,
No, to become the magician you described!"