When he woke up from his sleep and rubbed his eyes to look out the window, he realized that the sun outside was already about to set.
Ronan's first reaction was to hurry and cook, otherwise, cooking by candlelight after dark would be too uncomfortable.
And he was indeed panicking with hunger at this moment.
After washing his hands with water from the storage tank, Ronan took out the grain left by his predecessor—a mix of quinoa, corn, black beans, and various other things he couldn't identify.
This stuff would probably only cost a few copper coins outside, but in the Hoddam Wizard Land, it cost a magic stone grain per pound.
A low-level magic stone could be split into a hundred magic stone grains, meaning one magic stone could only buy a mere hundred pounds of this coarse grain.
It must be said that the cost of living in Wizard Land was ridiculously high.
Ronan scooped two spoonfuls of the mixed grains into a small pot, then added some water.
While the rice was cooking, he made himself a bowl of soup using wild mushrooms and a few pine dove eggs picked up in the forest by his predecessor.
A simple meal of mixed grain rice with mushroom and egg drop soup was thus prepared.
When you're really starving, you don't care about texture or taste, just that it fills your stomach.
After Ronan had his fill, and with his belly protruding, he slowly walked out of the tree house, and by then the sky outside had turned completely dark.
The night sky above had become a deep, tranquil blue, and gradually, specks of light began to appear in the surrounding forest, casting a faint illumination.
A large number of small creatures, which looked like fireflies, flew up from the ground in groups, resembling dandelions being blown away by the wind, tinting the serene night with a beauty akin to a fairy tale dream.
Alas...
"Slap!"
Ronan fiercely slapped his arm, killing a mosquito.
"This place is truly teeming with mosquitoes at night."
His long robe couldn't protect against the bites of insects, and in just a short while standing by the door, Ronan was covered in big welts.
Wincing in pain, he hurried back to the cabin.
A moment later, he emerged again.
This time, Ronan had sprinkled a lot of insect repellent powder over his robes and carried a small net and a semi-transparent white gauze bag.
Climbing onto the branches of an old oak tree, Ronan used the net to catch the glowing creatures dancing around in the night.
These firefly-like creatures were actually not hard to catch, and in a short while, Ronan's gauze bag was stuffed full.
"Forty... there should be forty now... that should be enough."
Just as Ronan was hesitating whether to continue, suddenly, not far away, the rustling sound of footsteps and talking could be heard.
Ronan instantly became alert, his instinct was to hide back in the tree house.
Unfortunately, he was a step too slow.
Two figures, one tall and one short, appeared from the woods.
By the light of the moon and the glow of the fireflies, it was possible to see a man and a woman, wearing long robes, walking shoulder to shoulder, seemingly taking a stroll in the evening.
Ronan's body froze on the branch, clutching the net and gauze bag, not daring to move an inch, sweating profusely while his mind raced...
Fortunately, the figures only glanced at him briefly before looking away, and in an instant, they vanished into the woods.
"Phew—"
Once the figures completely disappeared, Ronan let out a long breath, and his tense muscles finally relaxed.
But then he felt incredibly disheartened.
"Becoming jumpy as a startled bird..."
"It's still because I'm too weak."
Ronan sighed, no longer in the mood to catch any more bugs, and quickly returned to the tree house.
...
Extinguishing the candle lit inside, he hung the gauze bag filled with fireflies from the roof beam, and a simple "light bulb" was thus made.
Unfortunately, its usage was only limited to one night.
As soon as the sun rises, all the insects inside the bag will die.
Ronan stared at the self-made gauze bag for a while, seeing that the pale yellow glow of the fireflies spread softly like water throughout the cabin. The lighting effect was far superior to candles, so he finally withdrew his gaze with satisfaction and sat down at the oak round table in front of him.
The table was already filled with books, all left by his predecessor.
Ronan mainly focused on four of them—
Basic Meditation Technique
Zero Rank Magic Complete Collection
Rune Studies: Ten Common Zero Rank Runes Included
Basic Magic Potion
These four books were currently his most valuable possessions.
His predecessor had nearly spent all the Magic Stones brought from home just to trade for these four books at Hoddam Wizard College.
These four books represented knowledge and heritage; they were also the key to unlocking the door to becoming a wizard.
A large portion of wizards gathered in the Hoddam Wizarding Land were students from Hoddam Wizard College.
The enrollment standards of Hoddam Wizard College were not strict; basically, as long as you had money to pay the tuition, they would let you enroll.
However, within the college, choosing classes, attending classes, eating, and lodging... everything cost money.
Once you ran out of Magic Stones, the college would "kindly" usher you out just as easily as they let you in.
Therefore, although there were many students from Hoddam Wizard College, very few actually gained recognition from the college. Once one did achieve this honor, it was synonymous with being powerful and a genius.
"This doesn't feel like studying; it feels more like a business..."
Ronan muttered to himself and then casually opened the black-covered Basic Meditation Technique.
Spiritual power is the foundation and core of a wizard's strength system, and meditation is the main way to enhance spiritual power; its importance is self-evident.
Ronan had tried meditating several times over the last few days, but not once was it successful, always feeling just a bit off.
It seemed he hadn't integrated any experience or insights on this matter from his predecessor, and he could only start over as a complete newbie.
"..Empty the mind, discard all stray thoughts, focus your spirit on one point..."
Ronan recited the steps described in the book.
After reading, he closed the book and his eyes, and silently went over the steps again in his mind while letting himself relax.
When Ronan felt ready, he got up to drink some water, washed his hands, and washed his face.
He then took off his shoes and sat cross-legged on his small bed.
In actuality, there are no specific requirements for body posture during wizard meditation; one can lie down or even be prone.
But Ronan had tried that and found that it was easy to fall asleep.
While going to bed, the thin blanket underneath was accidentally pulled loose, revealing a line of small characters.
"The soul is the immortal destination."
Ronan softly read it out, his expression slightly changing.
This sentence was the opening line of the Basic Meditation Technique and a widely circulated famous saying in the wizarding community.
Its meaning advises every person embarking on the path to wizardry that spiritual power is the focus of cultivation and pursuing the immortality of the soul is the true immortality.
Now, it was engraved on the headboard of the bed as a reminder to oneself.
Clearly, it wasn't engraved by the predecessor, as the handwriting looked quite old.
Perhaps it was the previous owner of this small wooden cabin, or even the one before that.
In Ronan's mind, an image unfolded of a time long past, in the same small wooden cabin, under the same dim light, on the same headboard.
A youth about his age, sitting in the same spot, all alone, silently meditating and enduring hardships, dreaming of one day leaving the Tree House District to enter the Academy....
Thinking this, Ronan unexpectedly felt a surge of bravery and motivation.
He drew inexplicable encouragement from the unexpectedly discovered line of text, gleaned strength from it, and the residuals of being scared both during the day and at night gradually faded away, finally settling his mind completely...