Chapter 67: Three Essential Spells for Wizard Survival in the Wild

“Bremen hasn’t had a qi vein emerge in too long, so everyone’s let their guard down and developed a psychological blind spot—they simply never considered this possibility,” Pierre sighed.

“The formation of a qi vein takes time, and the accumulation of magic along with an increase in qi vein creatures is one of its early signs.”

“Of course, perhaps as most people think now, these anomalies are merely caused by high-grade magical plants attracting qi vein creatures—everything is just my overactive imagination.”

Pierre said seriously: “But I’m an old man now—I won’t gamble. Once the qi vein fully forms, it’ll be far too late to leave.”

“And with the city’s disappearances unresolved, no one knows when the strange events might strike them.”

“Living in constant dread day after day isn’t sustainable.”

There’s no such thing as guarding against thieves for a thousand days.

“So, after much thought, I’ve decided to leave.”

“You should think it over carefully too,” Pierre hesitated, then gently advised.

As Gao De’s mind raced, he nodded: “I will.”

“Let’s not talk about that now—what brings you here today?” Pierre waved his hand and asked.

Gao De tightened the bundle on his back and replied honestly: “I originally came to order another batch of magical potions from you, but given your current situation, it’s no longer appropriate.”

Clearly, Pierre was busy clearing out his stock—there was no reason to restock now.

"Hah! You've only ever bought your goods here—why not take a look at my inventory today?" Pierre smiled. "Prices in the shop are now at cost—or even below cost. Very much worth it."

After scanning the shop’s goods, Gao De shook his head apologetically: “I don’t need anything right now.”

Pierre thought for a moment, then leaned close to Gao De and whispered: “What about spell formulas?”

“Huh?!” Gao De was startled.

Pierre had already settled comfortably into the chair behind the counter and said slowly: “Have you ever heard of the ‘Three Essential Spells for Wizard Survival in the Wild’?”

“Three Essential Spells for Wizard Survival in the Wild? What’s that?”

Clearly, Gao De had never heard of it.

Lack of formal magical education means narrow horizons.

“It refers to the cantrips: [Create Water], [Find North], and [Purify Food].”

“When I was young and adventuring, I spent years finally gathering these three spells.” As he spoke, the old man’s expression turned nostalgic, lost in memories of his youth.

“You know, in the Bremen region, only a tiny fraction of land has been developed—most areas remain untouched primeval forests and wastelands.”

“Whether hunting qi vein creatures or seeking rare magical plants, you must venture into these wild forests.”

“You hunted qi vein creatures when you were young?!” Gao De was astonished—he never imagined this lazy old man had once been so “passionate.”

No wonder Pierre, an ordinary junk shop owner, knew so much.

He’d clearly been a “hero” in his youth.

“Of course,” Pierre said matter-of-factly. “Any mage with ambition, unless born into nobility, must risk his life to earn money.”

“You know how costly mage cultivation is.”

“Only by hunting qi vein creatures or harvesting magical plants can you earn enough resources for cultivation. Ordinary work simply can’t keep up.”

Gao De nodded in deep agreement.

Excluding the “boss” Mage Seda, his starting position was already better than many—he began with a herb garden.

Even with such a stable income source, he was still only a first-rank apprentice.

Even so, he often sighed at the difficulty of affording cultivation resources.

One could imagine how luxurious the mage profession truly was.

“Back then, to earn money, I’d often vanish into primeval forests for weeks at a time. Surviving that long in the wild without magic spells would be impossible.”

As he spoke, Pierre glanced outside the shop several times, confirmed no one was nearby, then opened the counter drawer.

Inside lay three small booklets.

Exactly three spell formulas.

Clearly, Pierre had prepared them in advance, waiting for Gao De’s arrival.

“Take a look first. We’ll discuss the rest later.”

Gao De quickly took the three spell formulas and began reading: [Create Water] (Evocation, 0th level):

This spell creates two gallons (scalable with the mage’s rank) of clean, drinkable water, as pure as rainwater.

You may conjure the water into any suitable container-sized area, or an area up to three times larger—the water may fall like rain or fill many smaller vessels.

If undisturbed, the water vanishes after one day.

Note: Each gallon (approx. 4.8 liters) weighs about eight pounds. One cubic foot holds eight gallons—roughly sixty pounds.

[Find North] (Divination, 0th level):

When cast, this spell instantly reveals which direction is north from your current location.

The spell only reveals north at the moment of casting; without a fixed reference point, you may easily lose your sense of direction again.

[Purify Food] (Transmutation, 0th level):

This spell purifies one cubic foot (scalable with the mage’s rank) of spoiled, rotten, diseased, poisoned, or otherwise contaminated food and water, rendering it safe to eat and drink.

This spell does not prevent future natural decay or spoilage.

Water or food tainted by evil magic loses its harmful properties after purification, but this spell has no effect on any living creature or magical potion.

Putting down the spell formulas, Gao De finally understood why these three spells were called the “Three Essential Spells for Wizard Survival in the Wild.”

Survival boils down to four essentials.

Food, water, shelter, and travel.

These three spells directly cover three: food, water, and travel.

[Create Water] ensures drinkable water, [Find North] prevents getting lost in complex primeval forests, and [Purify Food] ensures food safety to some degree.

“Strictly speaking, the third essential spell shouldn’t be [Purify Food]—it should be [Create Food].”

“But [Create Food] is a third-level spell—too high a threshold—so [Purify Food] is used instead,” Pierre explained again.

“How much?” Gao De gripped the spell formulas tightly and asked.

Such practical spells before him—how could he not be tempted? “Didn’t I tell you? Private trading of spell formulas is strictly forbidden by official decree, and I don’t break the law.”

Pierre’s answer took Gao De by surprise.

He’d assumed Pierre was about to sell him the formulas.

After all, Pierre had previously refused private deals precisely because his shop was here.

If reported for trading forbidden formulas, his shop would be shut down—the risk outweighed the profit.

But now, with his shop preparing to close, shouldn’t he have no such concerns?

And he’d already pulled out the formulas—he clearly waited for him—so why refuse to sell?

Could he be mocking him? Before Gao De could figure it out, Pierre burst into laughter: “So, I’m giving you all three spell formulas—for free!”

(End of Chapter)