CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: NEW BEGINNINGS

"Sign your name in this spot after you finish filling it out," Larry pointed to a blank space at the end.

Herag checked it again, making sure everything that needed to be filled in was completed, and then signed his name at the bottom.

"Herag Merlin."

The form instantly burst into blue flames, and Herag instinctively withdrew his hand, only to realize the flames had no temperature.

The flames spread quickly, engulfing the entire form, which was soon consumed without leaving a trace of ash.

"Welcome to the Moonlight Forest," Larry said blandly.

Jennifer pulled out a small slip of paper, then picked up a stamp and pressed it heavily onto the slip, with such force that Herag wondered if the paper might get damaged.

"Go to the Materials Office to receive your items," Jennifer handed the slip through the window.

Herag looked at it; the slip contained his basic information and a list of supplies.

"One Wizard Apprentice Robe."

"One Magic Net Talisman Stone."

"Three Course Selection Vouchers."

"One room in the Northern Forest Area Dormitory."

"One Library First-Floor Privileges Borrowing Card."

"One Magic Stone."

...

The list was quite long, containing many items.

The Materials Office window had many people lined up, already forming a long queue.

"Mr. Larry!"

"Good evening, Mr. Larry!"

"Looks like there’s a newcomer, and quite a handsome chap!"

"Mr. Larry, when will your Herbalism class start again, or can I pay for a private lesson?"

...

All those in line were wizard apprentices. Once someone noticed Larry, the others turned to greet him as well.

Larry maintained a blank expression: "I’m busy with experiments recently, so I have no time to open a class, nor to provide tutoring."

"Mr. Larry, do you teach Herbalism?" Herag asked.

"I generally teach Herbalism and Magic Potion, but I haven’t had the time to start any classes lately," Larry replied.

After queuing for a while, Herag signed a slip and then received his pile of items.

The Wizard Apprentice Robe was gray-brown and felt very soft to the touch. This robe had certain magical defense properties, reducing spell damage received by the wearer.

The Magic Net Talisman Stone was a rectangular transparent crystal. When Herag input magic power into it, a virtual screen was projected from the crystal, displaying options such as friends, course schedule, tasks, and tavern gossip.

Larry took out a similar talisman stone and said, "The Magic Net is a wide-area magic developed jointly by our Karg Wizard Organization, primarily used for information transmission, and it’s been established for two thousand years."

"The talisman stone is important; you need to learn how to use it. Through the stone, you can connect with other wizards, check courses, enroll in courses, and browse tasks published by others. The number in the upper right corner is your ID, which others can use to add you as a friend and contact you. There are many functions, so take some time to learn them."

"Isn’t this just a communicator?" Herag quickly got the hang of it and even proactively added Larry as a friend.

The Course Selection Vouchers were three green cards, with the Moonlight Forest’s Moonlight Forest emblem on the front and usage instructions on the back.

Larry explained, "Many of the official wizards in the organization will offer various courses, and you need to register at least a week in advance. You can check this month’s courses through the course schedule, which shows dates and locations."

"Typically, enrolling in courses requires paying with Gold Coins or Magic Stones, and some courses have specific requirements set by the instructor, like providing certain materials before you can enroll. These three course vouchers allow you to enroll in any standard course."

"You should carefully consider how to use these three vouchers. I recommend signing up for some basic courses. Even if you enroll in advanced courses, you won’t understand them and will waste the opportunity."

Herag asked, "Mr. Larry, do you have any recommended courses?"

Larry pondered, "Mr. Oleg Zoteev’s ’Basic Principles of Spell Model Construction’ and Ms. Loli Aifan’s ’Basic Principles of Meditation’ are both quite suitable for you; choosing these two can’t go wrong. The rest should depend on your own situation and what you want to learn."

"Thank you, Mr. Larry. If your Herbalism and Magic Potion courses start, I’ll definitely enroll," Herag said with a smile.

"I suggest studying those two courses later as they require sufficient funds; you won’t be able to do many experiments without money, and the materials are quite expensive," Larry said seriously.

Herag took out the dark Magic Stone and asked, "How much is a Magic Stone worth in Gold Coins?"

"The market price is one hundred Gold Coins, but no one would sell Magic Stones to get Gold Coins, as others would think you’re a fool. Transactions between wizards are often settled with Magic Stones, not Gold Coins."

Larry led Herag out of the affairs hall, next heading to the dormitory in the Northern Forest Area.

Herag took out a copper key, with a small wooden tag attached to its end, on which was written: "Room 443, Northern Forest Area."

The interior of the Moonlight Forest was even larger than what Herag had seen from the outside. After leaving the affairs hall, it took him a full half-hour to walk through various streets and alleys before reaching the Northern Forest Area Dormitory.

The Northern Forest Area was a forested mountain region with thick trees, and within the forest were scattered three-story cottages.

These cottages served as dormitories for wizard apprentices, one person per cottage.

On the way to Room 443, Herag noticed that each of these cottages was different, with colors varied and some with small vegetable gardens next to them, well tended.

Larry explained, "Once assigned to you, this house belongs to you, so you can remodel it to your liking."

"Where do you live, Mr. Larry?" Herag asked curiously.

"I live in the town," Larry replied.

"In town?"

Larry stopped and looked back at the buildings they had just passed and said, "The area we just walked through is called the town, where only official wizards can live. The Northern Forest Area is generally for wizard apprentices, though some remain there even after becoming official wizards, it all depends on personal preference."

"The houses in town have spatial magic, so the interior space is quite large."

"I see," Herag mused, preferring the solitary forest homes for their tranquility.

"Here we are. My task is complete. If you have any more questions, you can consult the affairs hall; someone there will be able to help you," Larry finished and then vanished into a wisp of smoke.

"Mr. Larry sure clocks out quickly," Herag observed, hardly having time to thank him.

He turned back to look at his new home, a three-story detached structure surrounded by dense forest, a stream gently flowing nearby.

This environment, though lacking a bit of the lived-in feel, was very suitable for a wizard’s life, as both wizard meditation and experimental research required a quiet setting.