It was the Tree Spring Ronan first found during his initial morning exercise.
After achieving proficiency with the Energy Missile, Ronan included it as one of his frequent haunts.
The tree hole bubbling with sweet spring water around it showed clear signs of human activity, but Ronan wasn't surprised.
If he could discover this Tree Spring, others naturally could as well.
According to his knowledge, there lived a Witch near this Tree Spring.
A female one.
About sixteen or seventeen years old, with thick bangs and long braids, always liked to walk with her head down.
Ronan had seen her several times but never got a clear look at her face.
"Eight out of ten she's probably covered with freckles, bucktoothed, and has a protruding mouth—an outright monstrosity."
Ronan speculated, slightly maliciously, to himself.
Coming back to reality, he remembered that his own face was also pretty speckled with freckles... In a moment of carelessness, he got hit by his own metaphorical "Boomerang".
Bypassing the Tree Spring, Ronan walked towards the west.
After about ten or so minutes, a shadow of a small black tree house emerged in his view.
As Ronan approached, he quickly saw an elderly man with brown hair wearing a black, tattered robe squatting and roasting something over a fire at the open space under the tree house.
"Wow, that smells amazing!"
Ronan emerged from the woods, making his presence known.
The barbecuing old Wizard instantly became alert, but as soon as he clearly recognized Ronan, his expression gradually relaxed.
"Oh, dear Ronan, you've come at just the right time!"
The old man laughed heartily as he stood up, inviting him over.
"Grey Mountain Goat meat from a Red-tailed species, I went through quite the effort to get one, come and have a taste!"
"My pleasure."
Ronan didn't refuse and walked over with a smile.
The old man's name was Wells, a "new friend" he had made this month and also happened to be a Wizard friend, and currently Ronan's only friend.
Wells was not young, probably old enough to be Ronan's grandfather. He was slightly stronger than Ronan, a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice.
Old Wells had a good personality, devoid of desires and pursuits. According to him, he had completely given up on any hope of advancing to a Level 4 Wizard Apprentice, and had long since booked a ship ticket leaving Hoddam Wizarding Land in the second half of the year. He planned to casually settle into any ordinary kingdom and enjoy the rest of his life as a noble lord.
Old Wells was one of the longstanding residents of this Tree House District, he got along well with many Wizards and, besides, he possessed commendable culinary skills. From time to time, Ronan would swing by to enjoy a meal.
The tender lamb meat sizzled on the grill, heated by orange flames.
Old Wells skillfully managed the barbecuing temperature and finally reached into his pouch, grabbing a handful of specially-made seasoning, and sprinkled it over. The rich aroma instantly filled the whole small forest.
Ronan took a dagger from the side and began to carve the roasted lamb, and the two sat down on a bare, fallen tree trunk to enjoy their meal.
"Do you want some wine?"
Old Wells pulled out a beautiful silver flask from the hollow tree trunk, asking Ronan.
"No need."
Ronan, after taking a bite of roasted lamb, shook his head to decline.
It was not that he didn't trust Wells, but alcohol could numb the senses and slow reactions, affecting casting speed.
If any unexpected situation arose, Ronan didn't want to lose his life over a momentary indulgence.
The Red-tailed Grey Mountain Goat mentioned by Old Wells was a species unique to this region, one that did not graze on grass but on a kind of sweet berry.
It is said that the meat of the Grey Mountain Goat is incomparably delicious, with a sweet fragrance reminiscent of fruit nectar.
Now that he's tasted it, Ronan only finds it average; it's not as amazing as the rumors suggested.
What's true, though, is that Grey Mountain Goats are extremely fast, very skittish, and hard to catch. He has no idea how Old Wells managed to get his hands on one.
"By the way, how's your study in Rune Studies going?"
The two casually chatted while eating.
Ronan hadn't planned to keep his self-study of Rune engraving as some unspeakable secret; he mentioned it in passing to Old Wells during a previous conversation, and it was surprising that he remembered.
"Sigh, it's tough."
Ronan sighed with a look of worry that wasn't entirely feigned.
"Don't rush."
Old Wells patted his shoulder and comforted him, "You're still young, you have plenty of time, take it slow."
Ronan nodded, and neither of them delved too deeply into this topic.
As they continued eating, Old Wells suddenly brought up something new to Ronan.
"Did you know, over in the eastern part, a pair of Half-Elf siblings moved in these past couple of days!"
"Half-Elf?!"
Ronan was shocked, unconsciously picturing the image of an Elf Girl with fair skin, beautiful looks, pointed ears, and long legs.
Wow, he didn't expect that even such a fantastical species existed in Wizard Land.
A deep curiosity immediately sparked in Ronan's heart, and he urged Old Wells to elaborate.
"They probably have some Elf Bloodline in them, I'm not entirely sure, I've only seen them once after all."
Old Wells reminded Ronan, "If you want to interact with them, be very careful; I've dealt with them before, and they're not easy to get along with, quite fierce in nature."
On the way back from eating the grilled meat, Ronan was still thinking about the Half-Elf siblings.
The words "Elf Girl" were quite attractive to him.
In his previous life, Ronan had only seen them in anime and movies, and now hearing about a real girl with Elf ancestry living near him, it would be false to say he wasn't eager to meet her.
But Old Wells' serious warning made him cautiously suppress his impulsive desires for the time being.
Even Old Wells, a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice, said they were difficult to get along with and fierce in temperament; it would be unwise for him to approach rashly.
"What a novelty... I must find a chance to meet them later, to avoid always having to chat with an old man to relieve boredom."
Ronan secretly harbored this anticipation.
After strolling around, he returned to his place feeling much more relaxed.
Ronan practiced Energy Missile on the empty field for a while, then bathed, went into meditation...
Once he had restored himself to his optimal State, Ronan once again sat down at his workbench.
"Three chances."
Looking at the three remaining blank rune stones in front of him, Ronan tried to calm himself down.
The Universal Powder from his last purchase was already used up by one bag, and he just opened the remaining one.
He scooped a few spoons of the grayish-white Universal Powder that looked like ash into a small clay pot, mixing it with Morning Dew he collected every day, thus almost completing the preparation work for Rune engraving.
Mixing the Universal Powder is actually a technical task, but with all the practice, he has gained his own understanding of the mixture, and can now precisely control the ratio between the water and powder.
Pouring the mixture into the reservoir on the engraving tool, he picked up a blank rune stone and went over the shape of the Clean rune and every detail in his mind.
Taking a deep breath, then he picked up the engraving tool...