Grinding EXP From Fireball Skill-Chapter 33: Fifteen Gold Coins and the Mysterious Crystal Flower
Li Wei looked surprised.
"Is a war about to break out?"
Gu Ze nodded. "Based on all the current intelligence, the possibility of war is very high."
"Do we need to make any preparations?" Li Wei asked.
Gu Ze said, "That won’t be necessary. Staying in the Mage Tower is safer than anywhere else."
"However, you should be aware that if Maple City joins the war, we might be forced to leave the Mage Tower for the battlefield."
"Mage Apprentices still have a chance to escape that fate by staying in the Mage Tower and not fighting."
"But you’re an Apprentice Mage now. If the Mage Tower is conscripted, you’ll have to fulfill your duties as an Apprentice Mage and fight on its behalf."
Li Wei nodded, showing he understood.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.
Gu Ze smiled. "Don’t be too nervous. With the talent you’ve shown, the Master Mages of the Mage Tower probably won’t let you risk going to the battlefield."
"Even if you are conscripted, they’ll likely assign you to a safe area in the rear. You don’t need to worry."
Li Wei smiled. "Yeah, I understand."
Even so, he had no intention of leaving his fate in the hands of others.
He would be the master of his own destiny.
’Tomorrow is April first. I hope the Xinghuo Literature Society has a surprise for me.’
Back in his room, Li Wei read through several books about the Macher Kingdom.
He now had a basic understanding of this kingdom.
The Macher Kingdom was located on the northern border of the Human Empire and was in a state of constant conflict with several nearby Beastman Kingdoms.
A skirmish every three years, a major war every ten.
Reina’s ancestor had even earned a Hereditary Viscount title on the battlefield.
That night, Li Wei finished his cultivation.
He stared at the empty Magic Potion vial before him and let out a long breath.
After a month of frenzied cultivation, Li Wei’s mana had grown rapidly. He could now cast the Small Fireball Technique twenty-eight times in a row.
By using a Magic Potion to aid his cultivation every day, one month of training was now equivalent to four months of normal practice.
It saved him a tremendous amount of time.
The only downside was that it cost a great deal of money.
But this method wasn’t for everyone.
Even an average Official Mage wouldn’t dare to cultivate as frantically as Li Wei.
While Magic Potions accelerated cultivation, they also made the process far more intense.
It placed considerable strain on the mind and spirit.
Prolonged use could lead to anxiety, irritability, and an inability to concentrate.
Therefore, most Apprentice Mages used Magic Potions for cultivation only intermittently, allowing themselves time to recover from the effects of their previous session.
Li Wei, however, felt fine and wasn’t under too much pressure.
Every time he finished a session and saw his progress, the pressure transformed into motivation.
It made him eagerly anticipate his next cultivation session.
Over time, he had grown accustomed to this high-pressure, accelerated method of cultivation.
「The next day」
Li Wei arrived at the Xinghuo Literature Society.
Editor-in-Chief Gus personally welcomed him.
"Mage Li Wei, please have a seat." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Gus gestured for Li Wei to sit.
He had already learned from Jimmy that Li Wei had become an Apprentice Mage.
To ordinary people, an Apprentice Mage was the same as a full-fledged Mage.
Gus said with a broad smile, "Mage Li Wei, last month we took the *Dragon Knight* novel to sell in cities like Extreme Night City, Flying Flower City, and Frozen Earth City, and it was a great success."
"Just a few days ago, the chairman of the Treasure Basin Commerce Association personally contacted our director to discuss using their traveling merchant caravans to distribute the novel to even more distant places."
"The Treasure Basin Commerce Association’s caravans will set out next month, and they’re expected to return to Maple City near the end of summer."
"To facilitate our partnership with them, the Xinghuo Literature Society would like to authorize their traveling merchants to print copies of *Dragon Knight* in other regions. I wonder, would you be willing to approve this, Mage Li Wei?"
Of course, Li Wei wouldn’t refuse, as this was to his benefit.
"No problem. I’m only responsible for writing the book. All matters of sales and distribution are up to the Xinghuo Literature Society."
Hearing Li Wei’s words, Gus looked delighted.
He had been worried that Li Wei might object.
Jimmy walked over carrying a wooden box. Gus took it and placed it in front of Li Wei.
Li Wei looked surprised. He eyed the wooden box with curiosity and asked, "What’s this?"
Gus said, "Your royalties from last month, along with a few things sent by loyal readers from other cities."
Li Wei opened the wooden box. Inside were several letters.
He opened them and had a look. Most of it was fan mail from people who hoped to get to know him and meet him in person.
Inside a letter from Flying Flower City, Li Wei felt a hard object.
He took it out and saw that it was, to his surprise, a Crystal Flower.
Gus exclaimed in astonishment, "A Crystal Flower from Flying Flower City? Could this letter be from the City Lord?"
Li Wei took out the letter and read it.
In essence, the writer admired his novel and wished to meet with him.
The Crystal Flower was a token from the sender, who hoped Li Wei would take it with him on a trip to Flying Flower City.
’As if I’d go all that way for no reason,’ Li Wei thought.
He put the Crystal Flower away and turned to Gus. "Does this Crystal Flower have any special properties?"
Gus replied, "Not in itself. I’ve heard that the Crystal Flower is a signature item of Flying Flower City’s Lord. Anyone who arrives in the city holding one is entitled to the highest honors. That’s why I assumed the letter was from the City Lord."
Li Wei asked in surprise, "You don’t know who wrote this?"
He glanced at the letter again. There was no signature.
’That is a bit strange.’
Li Wei glanced at the Crystal Flower. ’This thing could be trouble.’
’I’ll just leave it in the Mage Tower when I get back. I can’t carry it on my person.’
’Even if there is a problem, the flower’s owner can take it up with the Mage Tower.’
Li Wei finished reading the letters and, finding no donations from his readers, shook his head.
Compared to a Crystal Flower, he would have much preferred a reader to have stuffed a Gold Coin in an envelope.
He looked at the money pouch in the box. It felt heavy when he picked it up.
He opened it, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Fifteen Gold Coins! That’s so much!"
Gus chuckled. "It’s all thanks to the attendees of the last Winter Festival. They spread the word about *Dragon Knight* when they returned home. So, when we arrived in their towns, many people were already clamoring to buy the next installments."
"That’s wonderful news," Li Wei said with a smile.
He left the Xinghuo Literature Society with the box and returned to the Mage Tower.
He placed the wooden box containing the Crystal Flower in his study drawer.
Li Wei hadn’t sensed any Magic Elements from the Crystal Flower. Naturally, he hoped it was just an ordinary item.
But one could never be too cautious.
He found it hard to believe someone would send him a Crystal Flower—an item representing the City Lord of Flying Flower City—simply over a novel.
But he couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility.
That was why Li Wei hadn’t thrown the Crystal Flower away, choosing instead to bring it back to the Mage Tower.
With the newly acquired Gold Coins in hand, Li Wei hurried to the Treasure Vault on the third floor of the Mage Tower to convert them.
He spent nine Gold Coins to acquire nine Contribution points.
Adding the one point from his monthly stipend, he had a total of ten Contribution points, which he used to purchase two vials of Basic Level Magic Potion.
He kept the remaining six Gold Coins in reserve.
’If I get another fourteen Gold Coins in royalties next month,’ he mused, ’I can try to buy a new spell.’
