Chapter 9: Cleansing Rune
"Runes cannot be used directly; they need to be inscribed onto magical tools.
Thus, the professions of Magical Tool Enchanter and Rune Inscription Master were born."
When Luo Nan read this, his spirit was invigorated.
He was preparing to delve into the profession of Rune Inscription Master.
Generally speaking, the creation of a magical tool requires first forging the prototype of the tool from materials, and then inscribing the desired Rune onto the core of the magical tool to imbue it with power.
However, if one inscribes directly, any mistake during the process would destroy the entire magical tool, wasting materials.
Therefore, the usual procedure is for a Runesmith to first inscribe the Runes onto Rune Stones, and then an Enchanter uses the Rune Stones with the corresponding Runes to enchant the magical tool.
This way, even if the enchantment fails, only the Rune Stone is lost, and the magical tool itself is not affected.
Among the current mainstream professional skills in the Wizard World — Alchemy, Forging, Enchanting, and Runes — Rune Inscription, although ranked last, is still enough to ensure a practitioner lives a more comfortable life than an average Wizard once mastered.
Luo Nan chose Rune Inscription primarily because it had the lowest barrier to entry and the lowest learning cost.
This was also his predecessor's idea.
He had flipped through most of the Wizard book in his hands before finally finding specific content about Rune Inscription.
The book Luo Nan held, "Runology: A Collection of Ten Common Zero-Order Runes," introduced the inscription methods for ten common zero-order Runes.
These ten common zero-order Runes are: 【Light Absorption】, 【Purification】, 【Shining】, 【Conduction】, 【Solidification】, 【Sharpness】, 【Protection】, 【Swiftness】, 【Great Strength】, and 【Clarity】.
During the day, Luo Nan had already made preliminary inquiries about the prices of most of these Runes at the stall selling blank Rune Stones.
"【Light Absorption】, 【Purification】, and 【Shining】 are zero-order low-grade Runes, with the lowest prices, generally only one or two magic stones each.
Among the four zero-order mid-grade Runes—【Conduction】, 【Solidification】, 【Sharpness】, and 【Protection】—the Protection Rune is the most valuable, starting at five low-grade magic stones.
As for 【Swiftness】, 【Great Strength】, and 【Clarity】, these three Runes are usually used in jewelry-type magical tools like rings and necklaces, belonging to zero-order high-grade Runes. Among them, the Clarity Rune is the most valuable; it can enhance meditation effects during cultivation, focus the mind during combat to increase spellcasting success rates, and even resist some mental spell attacks, selling for over ten low-grade magic stones."
"These are the most common and ordinary zero-order universal Runes; if they were rare spell-type Runes of the same grade, the price would be much higher."
Luo Nan recalled the short sword magical tool he saw in the Market that emitted fire, which must have been enchanted with some rare fire-element spell Rune.
"Even if I only successfully inscribe one of the most ordinary and cheapest Runes onto these fifteen blank Rune Stones... it would be enough to break even."
"Oh, no, it should be twenty!"
Luo Nan quickly got up and rummaged through the sundry box in the corner of the hut, finally finding a pile of Rune Stones and a palm-sized small knife.
These items were, of course, left by his predecessor.
There were forty Rune Stones in total, thirty-five of which were damaged scrap.
The small knife was a carving knife specifically for Rune Inscription, valued at ten magic stone pellets, making it the cheapest and most inferior Rune carving knife, barely usable with no additional bonus effects.
"Twenty blank Runes, if I succeed with one, it should be..."
"It should be possible, right?"
Luo Nan was not a fool; the sneering and mocking face of the stall owner who sold him the blank Rune Stones earlier that day was still vivid in his memory. He knew without a doubt that relying on the inscription practice with just these few blank Rune Stones offered slim hope.
But he had no extra magic stones to buy a second batch of practice materials, so these twenty blank Rune Stones were all his hope.
If it didn't work, he would just have to find another way.
Of course, Luo Nan was not entirely without confidence; his character panel's ability to solidify progress was the source of his courage to challenge the Runesmith profession. If he could proceed as smoothly as he did when practicing 【Energy Missile】...
Luo Nan shook his head, casting aside the distracting thoughts, and began to focus on the task at hand.
After repeatedly weighing the factors of inscription difficulty and Rune value, Luo Nan finally chose the Cleansing Rune, one of the three zero-order low-grade Runes, as his first subject for study and practice.
The Cleansing Rune originates from the zero-order spell 【Cleansing Spell】, capable of removing dust, absorbing water, and cleaning stains. It is one of the standard Runes for Wizard robes.
The robe Luo Nan was wearing, for instance, wasn't truly a magical robe; it was just made of slightly special material, more resistant to dirt than ordinary clothes, and had no Rune effects enchanted onto it.
However, a true Wizard robe enchanted with the Cleansing Spell would have a self-cleaning function. Even if he wore it for several months without changing, it would still be clean and fresh, without a speck of dirt.
The first step in Rune Inscription is to completely memorize the shape of the entire Rune in one's mind.
This is very important.
Runes are the crystallization of Wizard wisdom and effort, having undergone extensive optimization and improvement; every detail has its unique intention and function.
Even a slight deviation might prevent it from achieving its intended effect.
This step is arduous, requiring rote memorization with no shortcuts. Luo Nan spent an entire night finally imprinting the shape of the Cleansing Rune, which resembled a curved broom, firmly in his mind.
"Gurgle gurgle—"
In the early morning, the door of the small treehouse was open. Luo Nan stood inside, and in the bubbling pot on the stove in front of him, his breakfast for the day was cooking.
After buying flour yesterday, Luo Nan had originally intended to make some noodles for himself.
He didn't know where he went wrong, but the rolled noodles disintegrated as soon as they hit the pot, and after a short boil, they completely turned into a mushy gruel.
However, it smelled quite fragrant.
Luo Nan didn't mind. He haphazardly sprinkled some seasoning into it and began to eat it like that.
"I can proceed to the next step of practice."
Luo Nan directly carried the small pot and squatted on a tree branch at the entrance of the treehouse, slurping his gruel while considering his next plan.
After memorizing the Rune's appearance, the next step was to copy and draw it.
Once he was proficient at drawing, he would practice carving it out with a carving knife.
Only then would he actually attempt the inscription.
Luo Nan didn't believe he was some genius in the field of Rune Inscription; he couldn't skip any of these necessary steps.
Life became regular again.
Exercise, meditation, spell practice, and now Rune research—Luo Nan's daily routine was packed.
Although he was exhausted like a dog every day, it allowed him to experience a sense of fulfillment he hadn't felt in a long time.
The last time he felt this way...
It seemed to be during his final year of high school, preparing for the college entrance exams in his previous life.