"What goods does your caravan specialize in?" Kent asked directly, sitting across from Angry Wind.
This was the first time in twenty years of doing business that a noble lord personally invited Angry Wind for a meeting, which made him feel both honored and somewhat overwhelmed.
"Answering Lord Kent, we mainly deal with furs along the border," Angry Wind reluctantly pulled his gaze away from the star-patterned paper and replied with utmost respect. "Aside from bulk goods, we also trade in food, gems, and occasionally, weapons and equipment for the border regions, though in smaller quantities."
Kent's fingers lightly tapped on the table. "Do you only do business with the High Plateau Alliance?"
This question seemed to carry some deeper meaning, and Angry Wind couldn't help but look up at Kent again. The latter's gaze was calm and friendly, without any other expression, simply waiting for his response.
"Lord Kent, you know, we also have trade needs with foreign tribes, so..."
"Mm, I see." That meant they were also doing business with foreign tribes. Kent nodded.
This was a perfectly normal matter. No matter the status of commerce in this world, after years of doing business, a caravan would inevitably develop an increasing need for wealth. In his memory, there were several royal merchant families in the super tribes who, through resource advantages, accumulated unimaginable wealth. They bought slaves, formed mercenary guard groups, and further expanded their armed caravans, growing their power like a snowball.
"Are you interested in this?" Kent pointed to the star-patterned paper on the table.
Upon seeing the pattern on the paper, Angry Wind's eyelids twitched again, and his heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
On the star-patterned paper, there was a strange and complex design.
At the center of a large circle, there were two concentric circles, with a hexagram drawn in the middle. Between the smallest and largest circles, many orderly lines connected to form a complex structure. At many of the line intersections, there were small, indecipherable symbols. Some resembled arrows, others a bow, an axe, stars, or leaves.
Around the outer edge of the large circle, there was another circle filled with incomprehensible, crooked symbols.
Sitting before the desk, Angry Wind felt as though he might kneel.
Though the pattern appeared to be composed of countless black powder dots, he couldn't understand it. However, from his vast experience, he could clearly tell that this was some form of magic rune, likely created by a great magician.
No matter what, he was certain that this piece of paper was priceless!
Kent had already anticipated this reaction.
The opening of rune forging had opened a completely new line of thought for him.
Since the principle of runes seemed to be similar to storing and triggering magic power through magic liquid, could it be possible to store magic in some medium, like parchment?
In medieval alchemy, there had been research on magic scrolls made from parchment. In Kent's view, the function of parchment was to absorb and preserve magic ink, which made the star-patterned paper even more suitable and cost-effective.
Of course, this was just his hypothesis, but the scientific method, in his view, was to propose a hypothesis, experiment, and then verify it.
Perhaps in this world, no one had ever tried to understand and analyze magic using a purely scientific framework. Kent's assumption was to treat runic magic as an output of unknown energy, with its output logic being the magic liquid, which was transformed into an energy source, stored along specific pathways, and then triggered when needed.
Every time he released prayer spells or fireball spells, the magical patterns constantly reconstructed in his mind made this hypothesis seem more and more plausible.
As an outsider with a system-based magic approach, Kent was still a novice in the world of magic, but the overlap of years of thinking and cross-discipline experience allowed him to open up a completely new line of thought regarding magic.
For example, every rune had a corresponding specific magic liquid. The success of mixing the magic liquid, along with its quality, would naturally affect the rune's effectiveness. Therefore, the different materials needed for the magic liquid were similar to a chemical reaction in the process, though it was a magical energy reaction that modern science couldn't yet explain.
The precision of rune drawing would also impact the result, much like how the design of a precise circuit would affect the quality of the final product.
However, these thoughts were still on the theoretical level. Whether these assumptions were correct or not, he didn't know for sure.
Only practice could prove everything.
One night, Kent was restless, his mind filled with various analyses and interpretations. Every time he closed his eyes, patterns and symbols from the runes and magic reappeared before him, constantly reconfiguring.
The next day, he went to Old Iron Hammer to prepare a can of primary power rune magic liquid.
Then, sitting at his desk, Kent began attempting to draw the power rune on the star-patterned paper using a goose feather pen.
After wasting countless sheets of star-patterned paper, he finally managed to control his hand speed while maintaining a steady output of magic power, successfully drawing the complete power rune.
By nightfall, when he finished the last stroke, the star-patterned paper before him shimmered, a faint red glow appeared and flickered on the paper.
As soon as the star-patterned paper was torn, the primary power magic stored on it would flow into the user's body, granting a temporary magical enhancement effect.
After a whole day and night of repeated drawing and testing, he confirmed that the duration of this magical enhancement was about an hour.
But that was enough.
This meant Kent had unlocked a whole new application of magical runes. In this world, this field was known as:
Magic Scrolls.
Though it was only the most basic power-enhancing scroll, even the most basic scroll was still a magic scroll.
This scroll was the result of Kent's own efforts, constantly trying and testing. It was monumental for him, so much so that it could be called a milestone. Not just for Kent, but also for the alliances of the Red Earth Continent, this scroll would open a new era.
Though Kent could control the enhancement effects of magic power armor by adjusting the quality of the runes, magic armor was, after all, a strategic force for the present. The longer it remained unknown to the outside world, the more of an advantage Kent would have in his development.