Chapter 44: Increased Power

After parting ways with the old priest, Shard followed the map and found a three-story gray building three streets away that served as the office for a horse-drawn carriage company. Their primary business was taking advance reservations for important travel, but they also provided carriages capable of hauling goods.

Shard knew it was best not to let ordinary people see his books, so he specifically asked the driver if they would inspect the cargo.

"We are a professional carriage company. Even if you were hauling a corpse—no, even if you were hauling a whole carriage full of corpses—as long as you don't leave a trace, it has absolutely nothing to do with us."

The middle-aged accountant, who took the money from Shard's hand, emphasized with drooping eyelids

"We are very professional."

Freight carriages were much cheaper than passenger carriages, even though it was also meant to carry Shard back. When Shard personally moved the books into his home at No. 6 St. Dean's Square trip by trip, he spent a total of less than 8 shillings.

Although the first room on the second floor had seemed large in the past, once so many books were moved in, it became apparent that the space for a study was insufficient. While controlling his curious orange cat, Mia, to prevent her from touching his books, Shard thought to himself that he must find time to develop the remaining space in the house.

He did not go out again that day; the exaggeratedly thick fog outside was not suitable for going out, so he stayed home dutifully, flipping through the books he had spent 50 pounds on, consuming gas and steam whose prices he did not yet know.

Most first-year courses for Circle Warlocks involved knowledge rather than the supernatural, so most were memory-based examination subjects. As a foreigner who had undergone a complete education system, Shard was quite proficient in this and felt confident that he could finish most of his first-year courses during the examination season at the end of the year.

As for the courses requiring practical operation, he held great curiosity toward power and believed in his ability to self-study, thus believing it would not take him long to complete those courses.

Since he had obtained the textbooks, Shard's primary focus was, of course, [Incantations] and [Thaumaturgy], as these two were the direct pathways to obtaining power. Although he kept the doctor's warning in mind, Shard still believed he needed basic self-preservation strength.

As a newly enrolled first-year Circle Warlock, St. Byrons Comprehensive College did not mention much direct thaumaturgy or incantation in the two courses, *Basic Circle Warlock Studies—Thaumaturgy* and *Basic Circle Warlock Studies—Incantations*. The few types of thaumaturgy and incantations mentioned appeared to be quite ordinary based on their effects.

St. Byrons Comprehensive College provided three incantations and four thaumaturgies for free to first-year correspondence Circle Warlocks.

The free [Incantations] followed a standardized system; regardless of which academy a student belonged to, the first incantations they encountered were the same.

The recommended incantations to learn and use first were [Ignite], [Summon Water], and [Move Objects]. These were the most primitive forms of mystical power manifesting since ancient times, and they could be extended into more advanced [Incantations].

Furthermore, the learning methods for these three incantations did not require many materials, and even less was needed during casting. They were the most convenient incantations, and Shard learned and mastered them within half a night—

"Ha!"

His eyes were fixed on the newspaper in his hand. Finally, a wisp of burning blue smoke drifted from the paper, startling the little orange cat that was batting at the pages on the other side, causing her to leap straight into Shard's arms.

"Ha!"

His right hand continuously shook an empty water cup; as he shook it, the inner walls of the cup actually became moist. Shard wiped the sweat from his forehead and placed the cup back on the table, but before he could check it, the soft orange cat Mia pounced curiously toward the cup.

"Ha!"

Staring at the cup with eyes that looked as if they might bulge out from the effort, the cup moved backward automatically on the tabletop. The orange cat, lunging toward the cup, changed direction mid-air, kicked off the tabletop with a tiny paw, and jumped back into Shard's arms, looking frightened again.

She was a somewhat timid cat; her ferocity toward strangers was merely a means of protecting herself.

The [Thaumaturgy] provided by St. Byrons Comprehensive College for first-year students was determined by the Circle Warlock's core Spirit Rune.

Shard's talent was quite good; although [Space-Time] and [Silver Moon] were rare, they were not obscure. In the Basic Course—Thaumaturgy, the academy's suggestion leaned more toward thaumaturgy related to [Silver Moon], as for a practitioner just starting out, the [Space-Time] rune was both dangerous and complex.

Therefore, among the four free thaumaturgies provided by the academy, the only one related to [Space-Time] was [Perceive Time], which gave Shard the ability to know his current point in time at any moment.

Although this thaumaturgy sounded not very useful, it was quite troublesome to learn. As a basic thaumaturgy provided by the academy, the materials required for learning were naturally provided by the academy as well. Among them, the century-old pocket watch was easy to find, but the peculiar plant known as the "Four-Leaf Clock Flower" was difficult to obtain; although the academy had a nursery for growing them, the harvesting process was complicated, so Shard would not be able to get it from the doctor until next month.

As for the thaumaturgies related to [Silver Moon], the academy provided three—

[Syndia's Silver Moon Blessing], which grants healing abilities under the light of the silver moon, allowing one to heal both themselves and others. This is a thaumaturgy that can only be learned and used by holders of the [Silver Moon] rune, and it is limited to nighttime use.

From the naming convention, it was clear that this was a thaumaturgy developed by the academic school of Circle Warlocks, hence the use of a name as a prefix. If Shard's invented [Silver Moon Radiance] were strong enough, he could name it [Shard's Silver Moon Radiance].

[Moonshadow Illusion], which allows for the casting of simple illusions using the power of moonlight on any night. Any holder of a moon-related rune can learn this thaumaturgy, but depending on the rune and the user, the illusions will have slight variations; it is also limited to nighttime use.

[Silver Moon Slash], which draws a streak of silver moonlight through the air to attack enemies, providing excellent damage against enemies with elements of Enlightenment or Profanity. This thaumaturgy can also only be learned by holders of [Silver Moon], though holders of other moon, star, or even sun-concept runes have similar thaumaturgies, albeit with different effects.

This was the only offensive thaumaturgy among the three.

The night sky of this world had three moons: silver, yellow, and red. The three moons held different meanings in mysticism; the red moon was related to flesh and reproduction, the yellow moon was the "Moonlight" and the "Guide," while the silver moon was a synonym for "Guardian," "Sanctity," and "Mystery."

Therefore, thaumaturgies related to the Silver Moon concept were different from other moons. If Shard's rune were a higher-specification concept like [The Moon], he would actually be able to learn even more thaumaturgies.

The three thaumaturgies were specially selected by the academy, leaning toward healing, illusion, and attack respectively, making them very comprehensive.

The learning materials were also included with the books: a mercury-like liquid called "Silver Moon Essence" contained in a thumb-sized glass vial, a piece of silver silk embroidered with an unknown Old God's holy emblem, and a small silver knife that had been broken, leaving only the blade portion, with a waxing crescent moon engraved on the blade.

However, having the materials did not mean one could learn them immediately; Shard also needed to prepare the corresponding environment and master the corresponding incantations. These were not things that could be resolved in a single day, so as of this night, he had only learned [Silver Moon Slash].

The requirement for learning [Silver Moon Slash] only required the Circle Warlock to be able to attach the silver moonlight to the broken silver knife, which was quite simple for the current Shard.

He repeated this process under the moonlight at night, and each time he attached the moonlight, the knife became shorter. On the 13th time he attached the silver moonlight, the broken blade in the light completely turned into light and vanished. Looking at his slightly glowing hand, Shard felt a moment of realization; he had learned this offensive thaumaturgy.