Chapter 46: Animal Talk

After returning to the herb garden with the damaged “Beast Tongue Ring,” Gao De devoted himself entirely to his new “work.”

Repairing the “Beast Tongue Ring,” compounding magic potions, practicing guidance techniques and meditation.

This was Gao De’s top priority at present.

Spring Bud Month, Day Thirteen.

Five batches of Green Spider Sacs were completely consumed, yielding five sets of high-quality Chuji Spider Venom Potion.

This batch barely met the required quantity, so Gao De directly took the five newly compounded sets of Chuji Spider Venom Potion to Feier Magic Potion Shop for delivery.

Both parties had long cooperated for years, and their transaction pattern was already fixed.

Thus, this transaction proceeded without any hitches, smoothly and efficiently.

The only difference was that Gao De this time exchanged the receipt on the spot for payment: ten gleaming Xien gold coins.

Notably, the Green Spider Sac, the primary ingredient of Chuji Spider Venom Potion, had increased in price by twenty percent due to soaring sales of the potion.

Yet Feier Magic Potion Shop still paid the same purchase price: two gold coins per set.

But these prices were agreed upon in advance; if they were willing to raise the price, that was a favor, and not raising it was perfectly normal.

With a hint of resentment, Gao De this time didn’t bother going far—he spent nine gold coins outright at Feier Magic Potion Shop and bought fifteen batches of Green Spider Sacs, enough for half a month.

He feared the price of Green Spider Sacs would keep rising.

Spring Bud Month, Day Sixteen.

Also the eighth day since receiving the “Beast Tongue Ring.”

“Done!”

Looking at the “Beast Tongue Ring” on the table—its green moss gone, its runes fine and complete—Gao De smiled in satisfaction.

He focused his mental energy into the ring’s body for a final check.

In the next instant, information flowed back into his mental awareness:

Wearing the ring grants a slight clarity effect.

Once daily, you may cast a first-level spell【Animal Talk】without cost.

【Animal Talk】(Divination, 1st Level): You may ask animals questions and receive answers, but the spell cannot make animals friendlier or more cooperative.

Moreover, cunning or alert animals may give vague, brief answers; if an animal has low intelligence, it might utter foolish remarks.

If an animal is friendly toward you, it may assist you—or even obey your commands.

The presence of feedback meant the “Beast Tongue Ring” had restored its magic, confirming Gao De had successfully repaired the damaged ring.

He completed the task two days ahead of schedule.

Gao De was somewhat curious about the spell’s description: “ask animals questions and receive answers”—how exactly did that work?

Surely animals wouldn’t suddenly start speaking?

Just imagining it gave him chills—it was probably impossible…

Now that the “Beast Tongue Ring” was repaired, Gao De ended his “seclusion,” tidied up slightly, and stepped outside.

When he returned to the commercial district, he immediately noticed a significant increase in foot traffic.

Clearly, the growing numbers of wild beasts and geopulse creatures outside the city were still having an ongoing impact on Hogen City.

At least for now, the effect appeared positive, somewhat boosting Hogen City’s economic prosperity.

Gao De shook his head, dismissing thoughts unrelated to him, and headed straight for Pierre’s General Store.

“Not bad,” the old man said, ever sharp. Seeing Gao De hadn’t come in eight days but appeared today, he guessed the “Beast Tongue Ring” was repaired.

“Take a look,” Gao De said cheerfully, handing the “Beast Tongue Ring” to Pierre.

Pierre first took a sip of tea, then set down his cup and took the “Beast Tongue Ring.”

Gao De felt a pang of envy.

Even the lowest-grade tea cost two copper per pot, and the color of the tea in the cup clearly indicated decent quality—good stuff.

This old man was truly wealthy!

Meanwhile, Pierre had finished inspecting it, nodded in satisfaction, and rubbed the ring’s formerly damaged, corroded spot, murmuring, “Your craftsmanship is truly exceptional—repairing damage this severe to such perfection.”

Gao De grinned—it was repaired with magic, of course it was perfect! He tucked the “Beast Tongue Ring” away, reached into his pocket, pulled out a purse, counted out eight gold coins, and pushed them toward Gao De.

Gao De blinked in surprise. “What’s this?” Clients never paid repair fees before seeing the item successfully fixed.

That’s what clients were—not fools.

“I’m closing the shop in two days and heading to Bremen City,” Pierre explained. “Before I leave, I’ll deliver the ‘Beast Tongue Ring’ to the client. I’m paying you in advance so you won’t have to make another trip.”

“How long will you be gone?” Gao De asked.

“It’s nearly two hundred kilometers to Bremen City—round trip takes about ten days, plus time for business. About half a month total. Don’t come here empty-handed during that time,” Pierre warned.

Because mages could use spells—supernatural power—to aid national “infrastructure,” road conditions in the Xien Duchy were actually decent.

And with Pierre’s financial means, he’d certainly rent a horse for long-distance travel.

So even though Pierre was elderly, he could cover four hundred kilometers in about ten days.

“Travel safely, return successfully,” Gao De said.

Leaving the general store, Gao De—with his “fortune”—thought for a moment, then went to the “Pea and Lamb” Market and spent two silver and two copper to buy four pounds of meat.

Extra meal today!

Days passed. Gao De’s life was plain yet fulfilling: compounding, selling potions, cultivating.

On the third day after repairing the “Beast Tongue Ring”—Spring Bud Month, Day Nineteen—

Gao De, whose six-petaled lotus had only recently manifested, experienced a minor breakthrough in meditation: he successfully manifested the seventh petal.

This pace startled even Gao De himself.

Meditation was inherently harder than guidance techniques, yet his guidance technique hadn’t advanced a single minor level, while his meditation had broken through two levels in succession.

He was now only one petal away from the second-rank apprentice’s eight-petaled lotus.

Gao De’s mana had long met the requirement for second-rank apprentice: casting five cantrips in one breath.

But the previous owner’s lagging meditation progress had kept him stuck at first-rank apprentice.

He was now working to fill the gaps left by his predecessor.

Of course, this wasn’t unique to Gao De—among nine out of ten mages, guidance technique progress outpaced meditation.

The reasons: meditation was harder than guidance, and aids for meditation were exceedingly rare.

Every five days, Gao De personally delivered five new sets of Chuji Spider Venom Potion to Feier Magic Potion Shop and collected ten gold coins.

As his finances improved, “extra meals” at the herb garden became more frequent.

This was because Gao De realized his body, weakened by malnutrition, was severely depleted.

Added to that, his mornings were now entirely free.

So Gao De devised a strict physical training regimen, including both aerobic and anaerobic exercises, to strengthen his physique.

Though he carried the “Wind Spirit Shadow,” ensuring he would inevitably rise and master powerful supernatural abilities,

Gao De still didn’t dismiss the modest gains from physical training.

He deeply understood one truth: only what you hold in your hands truly belongs to you.

Those with lofty ambitions often have fragile lives.

What comes later, we’ll deal with later.

Even if someday he could fly and vanish through magic, that was still distant, unreachable.

Strengthening his body through training now was the most practical step.

Grounded effort was the only real truth; chasing unrealistic dreams was foolish.

There’s a saying: three parts training, seven parts eating.

The importance of eating was undeniable—he must replenish protein.

And at his age, he was in his growth phase, the golden period for height increase—how could he skip meat? Gao De didn’t want to become a “Level Three Invalid.”

Under the combined effect of training and “extra meals,” Gao De’s body visibly grew stronger day by day.

The cost: his daily minimum expenditure, once budgeted at four silver, had risen to five silver.

Moreover, Gao De’s appetite kept growing, and his demand for meat kept increasing.

It was clear that the herb garden’s daily expenses would rise again soon.

(End of Chapter)