Chapter 11: Ice Crystal Stone

Chapter 11: Ice Crystals

"My Lord Mage, this is the ice crystal dropped by the snow elf you slayed."

An expression of surprise crossed Levi's face; he had noticed the ice crystals earlier.

However, he had not seen any more of them during his subsequent killings of the snow elves, and so he had forgotten all about it.

He had not expected the soldiers clearing the battlefield to have found it for him.

Levi accepted the ice crystal, saying, "Thank you."

The soldier smiled, overjoyed, and replied, "No need for thanks, it is only what we ought to do."

It was the first time he had ever received gratitude from a lord mage.

To the common folk, as long as Levi could cast spells, he was a mage.

They knew nothing of the classifications among mages.

On the way back to the Mage Tower, he ran into Gu Ze and asked him about the ice crystals.

Gu Ze explained, "Upon death, snow elves have a chance of dropping ice crystals. An ice crystal is a crystallization of the ice element, which can be used to craft various magical items, or one can directly absorb the ice elements within it to cultivate mana."

"When a snowman knight dies, there is a very high probability it will drop an ice element core, which is a precious and rare magical material."

"Compared to the monster cores found within ordinary magical beasts, the elemental cores left behind by elemental spirits upon death are far more pure, making them rare treasures for a mage."

A look of sudden realization dawned upon Levi.

No wonder so many extraordinary individuals were willing to volunteer their help to eradicate the snow elves.

No wonder those mages, who usually secluded themselves within the Mage Tower all year round and hated to step outside, were willing to lend a hand for free.

He looked at the ice crystal in his hand, an expression of anticipation rising within him.

On their way back to the Mage Tower, Gu Ze also cautioned him regarding a few matters of note when absorbing the magical elements within the ice crystals.

That evening, Levi first meditated and cultivated for a short while to fully replenish his mana.

Only then did he take out the ice crystal to begin cultivating his mana.

During his usual cultivation, once he entered a state of meditation, he could perceive tiny specks of red fire elements drifting through the surrounding air.

Today, Levi discovered a second color appearing within his perception.

A vast quantity of icy-blue ice elements had gathered together into clusters.

Using his spiritual power, he peeled away the clustered ice elements layer by layer. The ice elements rushed rapidly into his body; a portion dissipated back into the air and vanished from sight, while another portion was converted into mana.

Unwittingly, more than an hour slipped by. Once his spiritual power was exhausted, Levi withdrew from his meditation.

The ice crystal in his hand had already shrunk by a third.

Basic Meditation Method (Proficient): 856/1000

Lesser Fireball Spell (Tier Zero Initiate): 487/1000

Seeing the fruits of his cultivation, Levi felt a sudden rush of joy in his heart.

Cultivating with the ice crystal allowed him to achieve twice his usual efficiency.

"If I could use ice crystals to cultivate every day, the Basic Meditation Method would level up in three or four days at most!"

Glancing at the ice crystal in his hand, he resolved to see where he could procure more of them tomorrow.

The next morning, Levi used the ice crystal to cultivate once more, and it shrunk to a third of its original size.

On the very first day of December, Levi skipped class.

This left the instructor, who had been looking forward to seeing this young genius of his, somewhat disappointed.

Levi's deeds had already spread throughout the circles of the apprentice mages.

Virtually every apprentice in the Mage Tower knew of him.

The Mage Tower's management of its apprentices was very lax; as long as one could pass the annual examination, skipping class every day was perfectly fine.

Carrying the "Dragon Knight Side Story: Snow King Chapter" he had written the previous night, Levi rushed over to the Spark Literature Society.

The Spark Literature Society had not yet opened. He knocked for a while before a live-in employee who guarded the place opened the door.

From this man's mouth, he learned that the president and the others had held a celebratory banquet the night before and had all gotten drunk.

Today, it was estimated they would not arrive for regular work until the afternoon.

That the president of the Spark Literature Society would personally lead the truancy was something Levi had not expected.

Seeing this, he did not tarry any longer, leaving the Spark Literature Society to visit the largest shop in the Upper District—the Cornucopia Chamber of Commerce.

"Do you have ice crystals here?"

"Yes, Lord Mage, please follow me."

Meeting the owner of the Cornucopia shop in a room, the man produced a box of ice crystals, placed it before Levi, and said with a beaming smile, "These are fresh ice crystals obtained just yesterday, guaranteed to be perfectly intact!"

Ten ice crystals were neatly arranged within the mahogany box, making Levi's heart leap with desire.

He asked, "What is the price?"

The owner smiled and said, "Since a Lord Mage has come to patronize us in person, it is only natural that I offer the highest discount."

"The original price is sixty silver coins apiece, but now the special discount price is fifty silver coins apiece!"

Throughout November, Levi had lit soothing incense during his daily cultivation.

Over the course of the month, his daily cultivation alone had cost him one hundred and seventy to eighty silver coins.

Using each stick of soothing incense four times had turned into using each stick only three times.

His consumption was gradually growing.

He had only one gold coin and some sixty-odd silver coins left in his possession.

Levi pulled out a gold coin and said, "I will purchase two ice crystals first."

The owner smiled as he took out two ice crystals, packaged them up, handed them over to him, and then accepted the gold coin.

"Thank you for your patronage!"

In the afternoon, Levi came to the Spark Literature Society once more.

Jimmy had been waiting by the entrance early to receive him, as Levi had told the gatekeeper in the morning that he would return in the afternoon.

"Mr. Levi, please come in quickly. Director Guss is waiting for you in his office."

Before long, Levi and Guss were seated inside the office.

Guss smiled and said, "I have read the Snow King side story you wrote. The tale is wonderful. I have already arranged for the literature society's printing department to work overtime to print it, striving to publish it before the popularity of the Winter Festival fades."

He, too, knew how to capitalize on a trend.

Levi went straight to the point and asked, "Director Guss, has the manuscript fee for November been calculated?"

Guss motioned to Jimmy, who understood immediately and hurried out of the office.

He smiled and said, "Rest assured, Mr. Levi. Yesterday, as soon as the Spark Literature Society concluded its sales, we calculated your remuneration at the very first opportunity."

Jimmy trotted back in and, at Guss's nod, presented the money pouch to Levi with both hands.

Levi took the pouch, feeling its heavy weight.

Gus spoke up beside him: "That's 74,231 copper coins in total—seven gold and forty-three silver coins in the bag."

Upon hearing this, Livia was greatly surprised. He hadn't expected the amount to more than double from last month.

Instinctively, he asked, "How did we get so much?"

Gus explained, "During the few days of the Winter Festival, many visitors from other towns came to attend. Quite a few bought individual volumes or complete sets of *Dragon Knight*, and some even placed orders with Spark Literary Society, intending to sell the novel in their own towns."

Beaming, he added, "If we can open markets in other towns, next year's sales of *Dragon Knight* will skyrocket several times over!"

Livia listened, feeling a quiet thrill of anticipation.

After leaving Spark Literary Society, Livia made another trip to Fortune Emporium.

He spent four gold coins to buy all the remaining ice crystals at the shop.

Ten ice crystals would be enough to sustain his cultivation for an entire month.

While there, he also purchased ten calming incense sticks for one hundred silver coins—better not to make the journey again so soon.

Back at the wizard’s tower, Livia immediately began cultivating.

For three consecutive days, he focused solely on building his magical energy, not even sparing time to practice spells.

Then, on the third night, his Basic Meditation Technique finally advanced.

[Basic Meditation Method (Initial Mastery)] 0/2000

[Firebolt Spell (Zero-tier Beginner)] 508/1000

Reaching Initial Mastery in the Basic Meditation Method brought a profound transformation to Livia’s perception.

(End of Chapter)