A strange world

"Aunt Susan, this is for you."

Back home, Annan handed a brand new floral skirt to Aunt Susan, "I finally found the right size."

"Oh, I'm so touched. Little Annan even brought me a gift." Aunt Susan's eyes were red, like a very hungry brown bear.

Then came Martin, who was squeezed aside by Aunt Susan, and Annan took out a stick wrapped in brown paper.

Martin eagerly grabbed it and opened it, revealing a wooden sword similar to the thin sword carried by Mr. Fast.

The delicate Annan certainly discovered Martin's gap, especially after he became a warlock. He was no longer as silly and happy as before, like a pink starfish.

"Annan...you will be my cousin from now on!"

"You can ask Fast for advice in your spare time. Maybe he will accept you as his disciple." Annan said.

Although the odds are slim.

Ignoring the moved Martin holding the wooden sword, Annan looked at Uncle Huo Lin who was standing next to him with a silly smile.

Although Uncle Huolin was not always verbal, he cared for Annan no less than Aunt Susan, and he never complained about his expenses——

Annan took out a forged steel ax wrapped in rags: "I don't know what you like, so I bought you an ax to chop the most wood with the least effort."

Uncle Huolin took the ax and continued to smile brightly.

Aunt Susan, who was holding a floral skirt, suddenly looked sad: "Little Annan, are you leaving us?"

"No... of course not."

Annan thought that meditation required a quiet environment, but Martin didn't snore. Martin wouldn't bother him at the thought of arranging a ceremony.

He will continue to live in Aunt Susan's house.

Aunt Susan didn't know that Annan was coming back today, so she quickly bought some vegetables and meat while the market was still going on. It's just that Martin couldn't eat it anymore, so he went to work in the tavern with the wooden sword that he couldn't put down.

Hopefully Martin won't be holding it while serving drinks to guests. After being thrown away by the angry Fast, there was no place to sell wooden swords in the town.

In the evening, Annan, Aunt Susan and Uncle Hollin had a happy dinner as if they were a family of three.

Returning to the familiar room and climbing onto the bed that Aunt Susan had cleaned and aired, Annan once again tried to meditate without borrowing magic materials——

In the early morning, Annan woke up from a deep sleep and saw Martin sleeping on his bed, the quilt he held turned into a wooden sword, and his saliva lay on the tip of the sword.

It is conceivable that when Martin wields this plague sword and fights Mr. Fast, Mr. Fast's agility increases by one and his sanity decreases by one.

Perhaps because he went to bed earlier than usual, the sun had not yet risen from behind the treetops in the forest outside the town.

Annan walked out of the room and saw Uncle Huolin preparing to chop wood - he was holding a forged steel ax, but he still had the old rotten axe.

"Uncle Huolin, the new ax will be useless..." Annan said helplessly. You don’t need to look to know that you still need to use an old ax when chopping wood.

"Why is it useless?" Uncle Huolin stroked the forged steel axe, "This ax can make those woodcutter envy——"

At this moment, Uncle Huolin was very similar to the ladies in the city who competed with each other to see whose skirt was prettier.

Annan had breakfast while it was hot. It was the sunrise. When the falling sunlight illuminated his eyes along his forehead, Annan couldn't help but wonder whether this world with the moon and the sun was a parallel world to the earth, or another world with similar characteristics. A star system of satellites?

But at least in the silent night, when Annan looked up, he saw an unfamiliar starry sky.

Annan still came to the library ten minutes early, and Mr. Victor still arrived on time.

After not seeing each other for several days, the old man didn't ask Annan if he had successfully meditated. He just gave him the key.

Taking the key, Annan opened the library door.

The fragrance of ink that had not been smelled for a long time made Annan nostalgic and happy. He first cleaned the floor and bookcases, then came to Mr. Victor in the sun and asked him for advice on how to arrange a meditation ceremony.

"Magic eagle feathers, fluorescent grass, jackal teeth..." Annan read out the magic materials for the basic ritual.

"Crush them in order, put them into a crucible, add an appropriate amount of water, and bring to a boil over low heat."

"How much water is the right amount? How much fire is the right amount?"

Annan has been criticizing this for a long time - this world has flourished so far, but there is no specific unit of measurement. A spoonful...about...half a cup...a ​​palm...almost...completely relies on intuition.

"Enough water and fire to complete your entire night's meditation."

"Aren't you going to make it into a potion and drink it?" Annan realized that there was some discrepancy between the meditation ritual and his imagination.

"Drink? Those things will turn you into a weird thing if you drink them." Mr. Victor said sarcastically, "You can drink meditation potion, which costs 5 gold a bottle."

"How many days can one bottle last?" Annan felt that the magic potion was much more convenient than setting up the ritual himself.

"once."

That is one day.

16 gold, which can be used for a month if replaced by low-level magic materials, while potions can only be used for three days...

Annan gave up the potion and listened, jotting down the details of the meditation ritual. After Victor finished speaking, it was Annan's turn to talk about his experience in Breeze City. But when he talked about the gifts he bought for Aunt Susan and her family, Mr. Victor suddenly snorted coldly.

"Well……"

Annan almost forgot that Mr. Victor was a strange old man who was sensitive and longed for care.

Sure enough, Victor didn't look good on him for the next whole day.

In the silent dusk, Annan locked the door of the library after Victor left, spent 20 copper coins to buy a few pounds of bread and about half a pound of lamb and went home.

Aunt Susan complained about Annan spending money randomly, and even wanted to give him money.

Annan rejected Aunt Susan. In the past, I didn't buy anything for my family because I was saving money to test my qualifications, but now that I am a warlock, and faced with expenses that are often measured in gold coins, there is no need to save these copper coins.

But the work in the tavern and library still had to go on.

Annan told Aunt Susan that he needed a separate room to meditate, and Aunt Susan agreed without hesitation - by the time he realized it, Martin's bed had been moved to the woodshed.

Before nightfall, Annan rushed to the tavern. Tasia wanted to return the copy of "Bastards", but Annan asked her to go to the library tomorrow to change books and return to the kitchen to change her apron.

The guests who arrived one after another noticed that Annan was back and encouraged him to change into noble clothes.

Annan almost agreed, if not for the fact that there were only a few dozen copper coins.

Mr. Fast learned about Breeze City from Soruman Bronzebeard and did not ask Annan again.

The second day after returning to Pinglin Town was spent in peace. Late at night, returning to Aunt Susan's house, Annan started the most important thing: meditation.

He first divided the magic materials into thirty parts according to their weight, then lit the firewood and put the magic materials into the crucible one by one. After doing all this, Annan sat down in front of the fire and accepted the guidance of meditation——

The magic materials were piled up into meditation, and the meditation made Annan's tentacles of perception extend outward, and he gradually felt that he had turned into a miniature vortex, continuously absorbing the surrounding magic...

The night passed silently.