Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Making Magic Scrolls

Ronin had originally planned to calculate the wages himself, but after hearing the reports from Wilson, Chahar, and the others, he changed his mind and assigned the task to Chahar.

The manservant, who had followed him all the way from Wushan Castle, knew the most about everyone’s circumstances. He was the perfect person for the job.

For Ronin, all that was left for tomorrow was to get the money and distribute it.

But the thought of tomorrow still gave Ronin a headache—there was just too much to do.

He had to pay wages, meet with the village and group leaders, inspect the latrine construction, and test the effectiveness of the Curved Plow. Then, he also needed to visit William the Carpenter to check the progress on the Ironwood Shields.

When he also considered the implementation of the Ridge Cultivation Method and the problem of fertilizer production, Ronin just wanted to fall into bed and sleep all his troubles away.

But he couldn’t. ’The Wind Blade Spell Scroll isn’t finished yet,’ he thought. ’How can I sleep? How could I possibly get any rest?’

So after sending Wilson and Chahar off, Ronin had Bella pour him a cup of tea. After composing himself, he took out the Magical Beast Hide and Magic Ink.

He cut the Magical Beast Hide into five pieces, took one, and spread it flat on his desk, weighing down the corners.

Ronin took out the Feather Pen he had gotten from Pedro.

This Feather Pen, just like the one Hook gave him, was made from the feather of a Demon Bird and was perfectly suited for making Magic Scrolls.

First, he carefully drew a full bottle of Magic Ink into the shaft of the Feather Pen. Then, he focused his mind, calmed his spirit, and slowly regulated his breathing, preparing to put pen to paper.

Ronin had already learned a great deal about making Magic Scrolls from the book Hook had given him, *From Beginner to Expert in Spell Scroll Making*.

’First, I need to plan the layout of the Magic Patterns on the Magical Beast Hide. If it’s too large, it won’t fit on the hide. If it’s too small, it won’t meet the requirements for a Scroll.’

The Magical Beast Hide, cut into five pieces, was the right size for a Second-level Scroll, so Ronin wasn’t worried about that.

His task now was to map out where each Magic Node of the Wind Blade Skill’s Magic Patterns would fall on the hide, and then draw them with the Feather Pen.

Inhale, slowly exhale. Ronin raised his hand, and the Feather Pen began to leave a mark on the hide.

At that moment, Ronin’s Spiritual Power, Mana, and the Magic Ink at the tip of the Feather Pen worked in concert, emitting a faint halo. It was a truly magical sight.

’The Magic Patterns of the Wind Blade Skill consist entirely of horizontal, vertical, and angled strokes, and have eight Magic Nodes.’

Recalling the Magic Patterns for the Wind Blade Skill, Ronin’s hand moved with an inspired grace as he began to draw upon the hide.

This was his first time making a Magic Scroll, and the sensation was peculiar.

’It consumes far more Spiritual Power and Mana than simply casting the Wind Blade Skill.’

’And during the inscription, the interaction between the Feather Pen, Magic Ink, Mana, and Spiritual Power gives the Mage a different sensation than just casting a spell. It’s easy for fluctuations to occur.’

’And then there’s the need for a precise depiction of the Magic Patterns…’

To put it simply, it was like a novice trying to copy the masterwork of Wang Xizhi. Although it only involved a few basic strokes and they had the original to copy from, the actual result depended entirely on the individual’s skill.

During his journey back, in addition to studying the book, Ronin had also practiced his penmanship, training himself to draw perfectly straight horizontal and vertical lines.

But practice was one thing, and actual execution was another.

Especially with the new sensations from the combined effect of multiple magical mediums, the slightest lapse in concentration would cause the pen tip to stutter.

Because of that one tiny mistake, the Mana Ink at the tip of the pen ignited like a flame, eating into the hide. It left a black spot that spread to the size of a thumbnail.

Ruined.

’No wonder Pedro said that making Magic Scrolls requires a high degree of stability in a Mage’s output. Now that I’ve tried it myself, I see it’s true.’

The slightest distraction or mistake would lead to a failed attempt.

Although he didn’t want to waste the piece of hide, Ronin had no choice. A damaged hide couldn’t be used to make a Magic Scroll, so he had no choice but to take a fresh piece of hide and begin his second attempt.

This time, Ronin was even more careful, concentrating all his attention on drawing from one Magic Node of the Magic Patterns to the next, and then to the next.

Steady breathing, steady pen speed, steady output of Spiritual Power and Mana, steady lines…

Finally, after three minutes, as the last Magic Node of the Wind Blade Skill was completed, Ronin swiftly lifted his pen.

He had successfully completed his first Magic Scroll. He could finally breathe properly again!

At the same time, the Magic Patterns on the hide before him began to change.

The once dark red Magic Ink now radiated a mystical cyan light. In the air above the Magic Patterns, the airflow abruptly changed. The air began to WHOOSH as the Wind Elements from the world were absorbed by the Magic Patterns on the hide. The lines of the pattern began to sprout fine tendrils in every direction, like the budding roots of an ancient tree.

In the blink of an eye, the pattern no longer resembled the one for the Wind Blade Skill.

Ronin stared at the Scroll in bewildered shock. If the Magic Patterns he had drawn were a slender maiden, then the patterns on the Magic Scroll now resembled a woman who had gained over a hundred pounds, sprawling and aggressive.

’This change was caused by absorbing the Wind Elements.’

Ronin also noticed that the moment he finished, the Spiritual Power and Mana in his body had rushed into the Magic Patterns on the hide like a flood bursting from a dam.

In other words, when a Magic Scroll is made, it not only absorbs Magic Elements from the world but also a portion of the Mage’s Spiritual Power and Mana. The total consumption is more than double that of casting the spell normally.

But in any case, Ronin had succeeded in making a Magic Scroll on his second try. This was a cause for celebration.

He rolled up the piece of hide and tied it with a thin hemp cord.

Although it looked a bit crude and wasn’t as exquisitely packaged as those sold in shops, it was a genuine Wind Blade Spell Scroll, and its effect would be the same.

The packaging could be left to the Silva Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce.

Ronin assessed the state of his Spiritual Power and Mana. Although he had enough to make a second Magic Scroll, he decided to conserve his energy to practice the Fireball Skill, so he put away the Feather Pen.

Recently, he had focused all his energy on practicing the Wind Blade Skill. While he had a basic grasp of the Fireball Skill, being able to cast it two out of three times, he was still a long way from achieving a one hundred percent success rate.

He went to the window and began practicing the Fireball Skill, aiming into the night sky.

Soon, the servants in the castle witnessed a curious sight: every so often, a ball of flame would shoot out from the Lord’s window.

If the Guards on watch in the tower couldn’t faintly make out the Lord’s figure behind the flames, they would have assumed he was in danger and surely sent out a signal for reinforcements.

While things were going smoothly for Ronin, Elron’s side had fallen silent.

The usually vibrant Light Attribute Mage now seemed completely drained, dragging his exhausted body to the bed and collapsing onto it.

Just a moment ago, he had attempted to create a Healing Skill Magic Scroll twice, but unexpectedly, both attempts had failed.

Not only that, but the two failures had left him with no Mana left to make a third attempt.

Elron rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. ’Just like that, Eighteen Gold Coins wasted, and not a single Magic Scroll made. How am I going to explain this to the Lord tomorrow?’

He had been so close to succeeding on the second attempt, but his wrist had stiffened on the final Magic Node, causing it to fail. This was so frustrating.

’No, I can’t sleep yet. I have to meditate to refine my Mana and try again early tomorrow morning!’

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