10: Chapter 10 Copying the Magic Book

"Bang—"

Zhang Mu stood in front of the stove with his arms crossed, his mind wandering, when the sound of the door being kicked open made him shudder.

"You idiot!"

Before he could turn around to see what was happening, he heard Potter's angry shouting getting closer.

Knowing that Potter had never seen a gas stove before, Zhang Mu prepared to explain, but was stunned to find he couldn't move. Sensing with the weak mana in his body, he realized he had been locked down by Mental Energy.

Potter rushed over, first looking distressed at the crushed herb residue in the coarse ceramic bowl, then snatched the lid off the pot.

"You arrogant fool, do you have any idea how precious these herbs are!"

"Eh?"

The purple solution in the pot was bubbling steadily, which meant the fire temperature was perfectly constant.

Potter had only seen such precision from alchemists who specialized in brewing potions, and even then, they couldn't compare to the pot of potion before his eyes.

Looking down at the bottom of the pot, the rising flames were reflected in Potter's eyes. "Is this... a magic item? An alchemy tool?"

"Hey, little guy, what exactly is this? Tell me, quickly!"

Zhang Mu rolled his eyes—the only movement he could currently make. Realizing this, Potter released the Mental Energy lock.

"A tool." Zhang Mu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead caused by the pressure of the powerful Mental Energy. "It's not a magic item; it's a tool."

"What's the difference?" Potter asked with his back to him, his eyes fixed on the pot where the purple solution continued to bubble.

"Tools are... things that humans can manufacture."

Potter pursed his lips and didn't ask further, just stared at the gas stove with a complex expression.

After a long while, he turned around. "Everything on the Saul Continent is a gift from the gods. Only when the gods permit the forging of weapons can humans forge them."

Zhang Mu knew this; currently, all products on the continent were excavated from Dungeons.

And the things humans could make themselves, like ordinary weapons, were not considered human creations.

According to the Bible, the gods permitted humans to imitate magic weapons and magic items, which led to the birth of the blacksmith profession and ordinary iron weapons.

Everything else, such as crops, construction techniques, and so on, followed the same rule.

They were permitted by the gods and spread by the Church on their behalf.

Potter had never seen this stove before, nor had the Church ever announced it.

His eyes flickered. "All human technology and knowledge are taught by the Church, and everything the Church has comes from the gods.

Humans cannot explore things that the Church does not possess; that is an act of defiance against the gods."

"This thing." He pointed at the stove. "It isn't in the Church's 'Compendium of Divine Gifts.' Where did you learn the manufacturing technique for it?"

The education and environment Zhang Mu grew up in were obviously vastly different from Potter's.

But he couldn't explain it to Potter. After all, this was an Other World that had worshipped gods for tens of thousands of years and possessed supernatural powers.

It wasn't something where modern atheism or the idea that gods are just powerful people could shake their foundations.

If he really said that, he would risk being branded a heretic and roasted on a cross.

After thinking for a while, Zhang Mu found an excuse: "My hometown is a very remote village. we haven't communicated with the outside world for many years, so we rely on ourselves for everything."

"You don't believe in the gods." Potter's tone was calm, showing no emotion.

"Uh." Zhang Mu scratched the back of his head. "It's not that I don't believe, it's just... where I come from, we generally only believe in useful gods."

"And the useless ones?"

"Then why bother believing in them?"

That last sentence slipped out completely unconsciously.

Potter's right hand tightened on his staff. He said no more and turned back to examine the gas stove.

He had been too worried about the herbs to notice before, but looking closely now, he sensed its extraordinariness.

"It looks simple, but the construction is actually very exquisite."

"And this extremely stable fire temperature..." Potter extended his left index finger to touch the flame at the bottom of the pot, then followed the hose to the iron tank beside it. "Is this the energy source?"

Exhaling softly, Potter asked with his back to Zhang Mu, "How long can it maintain this state?"

After thinking for a bit, Zhang Mu replied, "As long as there's enough natural gas in the tank, it can keep going. Of course, the stove itself has a lifespan,

but with proper maintenance, it can outlive a person."

Potter lightly stroked the surface of the stove, as if feeling the material. "An alchemist specializing in Mental Energy can maintain a stable fire temperature for a day at most."

"A divine sign... no, it's a miracle, a miracle belonging to humanity."

"Drink the medicine first."

He quickly poured a bowl and gulped it down.

When finished, he wiped the corner of his mouth. "What potion are we learning today, or are we still identifying herbs?"

"We're learning this today." Potter pulled a black-covered book from beneath his robe.

Zhang Mu glanced at the robes, wondering if they were like a certain blue earless robot cat's pocket, capable of producing anything.

Then he looked at the book.

On the cover were dim words outlined in strokes, looking as if they might vanish at any moment.

He didn't recognize the characters, but he understood the meaning—Fireball Spell.

Looking up, Zhang Mu blinked. "Are you willing to take me as your student?"

"No." Potter shook his head. "Being able to learn the Meditation Method in a day doesn't mean you can master magic quickly. It's just..."

He suddenly cut himself off and said instead, "This Fireball Spell book has been sitting idle with me for a long time. If it stays here, the magic script will soon vanish."

"That would be a waste. Take it and try to practice."

Potter didn't tell him that this magic book, which he himself looked down upon, was enough to cause a low-level Adventurer Group to turn on each other and fight to the death if it were thrown out.

Monopoly was a terrifying thing.

To ensure their strength remained superior, powerful mages would inevitably hoard magic books. It wasn't even rare for certain extremely rare and powerful magic books to be burned immediately after being learned.

Over time, this created a situation where some were parched while others were flooded.

Zhang Mu took the book, feeling a bit nervous. He didn't know if his system panel would work on a magic book.

[Skill detected. Would you like to learn it?]

The mechanical voice ringing in his head put his mind at ease.

He didn't confirm immediately. With a normal expression, he rolled up the magic book and tucked it into his pocket. "I'll look at it when I get back tonight. Shall we continue with Potions now?"

Since the magic book was in his hands, he could relax; it wasn't going anywhere.

Learning more about Potions was also a top priority, as it concerned the speed of his future strength improvement.

It was impossible for Zhang Mu not to be interested in a supernatural power like magic; the single point of extending his lifespan was enough to make anyone chase it madly.

After curing his lung cancer, the next step was to improve his magic strength. He had to plan early.

Potter was very satisfied with his attitude. Without waiting for tomorrow, he turned around and began explaining medicinal properties, things to watch out for during the brewing process, the role of potions for mages, and so on.

Time flew by.

In the evening, having learned much, Zhang Mu bid farewell to Potter and ducked into a deserted alley to open a Portal.

After returning home, he didn't rest. He took the magic book from his pocket and found paper and a pen, preparing to see if he could transcribe it.

If he could, it would become very simple to establish a faction in the Other World to help him find information on magic books in the future.