Early the next morning. Dawn light swept through the oak peaks, pouring silver dew over Oakhaven valley. The town scene awakened in quietness, only rooster crows and crude wagon creaking.

  Liam had left early, heading to the forge to pick up the Cyclops armor set he'd ordered long ago.

  Al, after last night's lavish meal, didn't rest at all. It flew circling over the clearing around the shack, performing loop and directional change movements to warm up its wings, preparing for stamina training exercises, while simultaneously playing the role of guard sentinel for the secret base.

  Theo alone carefully hid the spirit cedar box containing materials in an old leather bag, then went straight to Madam Lyra's Apothecary shop.

  Madam Lyra's shop was humbly located in a corner of Oakhaven market but always radiated the complex scent of dried herbs and magical medicine substances.

  Today Madam Lyra wore a thick leather apron, hair neatly tied at her nape with a black head cloth, and was diligently weighing a batch of green-blue powder.

  She was more focused than usual; sharp eyes precisely watching numbers on the scale, always exuding the absolute concentration of a seasoned Apothecary.

  Theo silently stood by the door, not disturbing. After a while, about 20 minutes, she looked up, saw Theo, and her eyes showed surprise.

  "Good morning, Theo. Why are you here so early?" Madam Lyra asked, setting down the scale.

  Theo didn't beat around the bush, placing the leather bag on the counter. "I've come to deliver the mission, Madam."

  Madam Lyra frowned, checking her record book. "Only four days? This Crystal Fungus Fat collection mission usually takes seven days, even ten days if weather's bad. I only hoped you'd collect half."

  Theo opened the spirit cedar box. Ten Marks of cyan Crystal Fungus Fat, excellent quality, filling the box.

  Madam Lyra stared at the material. "By the Almighty... This is the best quality I've ever seen in Oakhaven. How did you collect so much in such short time?"

  She glanced quickly at Theo's hand, where there was a light red burn mark—consequence of heat waves from the Dust Explosion.

  "Are you injured?" she asked, voice more concerned.

  Theo didn't hide. He recounted the trip, the danger of the Stone Bug colony, and that he had to use the most reckless tactic to escape, especially having to eliminate most of the Stone Bug colony standing guard.

  Madam Lyra listened, her face shifting from surprise to shock, then she burst into loud laughter.

  "Oh, Theo, you're truly the bravest child in this region!" She shook her head, raising hand to rub forehead. "But you... you went the wrong way, boy."

  Theo was bewildered. "Wrong way? I collected enough and even have surplus."

  She explained calmly:

  "You know, collecting Crystal Fungus Fat doesn't require risking your life like that. There are professional hunter groups who only do this work. They use special bait types to lure Stone Bug swarms out of the cave gently. You just need to hire them, and your job is only collecting the remaining Fungus Fat portion."

  "Hire... hire people?" Theo was stunned.

  "Exactly. This costs about 40 Silver and needs about a day and a half for that group to complete the luring. Of course, not many people volunteer, and they need a team of four to five people, but it's ten thousand times safer than you having to face the entire colony head-on."

  Madam Lyra looked at Theo, eyes full of affection but stern.

  "Well, at least you're still safe. But this is blood-and-bone experience, Theo. As an Apothecary or Researcher, you must optimize every decision. You can't collect everything yourself. If you can exchange, you should exchange. Our main mission is making medicine, not fighting!"

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  Theo nodded, face still bewildered. Madam Lyra's advice was like cold water splashing on his small complacency. He'd forgotten a basic economic rule: there's always a more optimal and safer solution when you have money. He'd chosen the most dangerous method when clearly there was a smarter choice.

  Madam Lyra said nothing more. She retreated to the inner room and returned moments later.

  In her hands was the leather-bound Journal as promised, plus a small green glass vial. Inside the vial contained a pale green solution, shimmering with metallic light under the shop's dim illumination.

  "This is your payment, and this is my Journal," Madam Lyra said, carefully placing the notebook on the table. "As for this vial, apply it to your burn. This is an extra reward because you brought materials early, right when I needed them."

  Theo curiously looked at the glass vial. Its scent wasn't like any herb he'd ever known, carrying the cleanliness and mystery of mana. He accepted it, opened the lid and took a small amount of solution to apply to his burning palm.

  Immediately, a deeply cool sensation spread. The bright red burn stopped hurting. In less than three seconds, flesh began recovering at an astonishing rate. Looking again, the burn had completely disappeared.

  "Analysis," G rang in Theo's head. "This apothecary contains solution stimulating endogenous recovery receptors in damaged skin tissue, while releasing antimicrobial microparticles to instantly eliminate opportunistic microorganisms. It makes cells self-replicate at high speed and neutralizes infection risk."

  Theo looked at his hand in amazement then at the small medicine vial. This was the first time he directly experienced the glaring difference between common herbs and true magical medicine.

  "Thank you, Madam Lyra," Theo said, voice sincere.

  Madam Lyra smiled, eyes containing rare approval. "Don't forget my Journal, Theo. I trust it will be useful for a beginner like you."

  Theo carefully placed the leather-bound Journal in his bag, separate from other items. The feeling of magical medicine still lingered on his palm, combined with the optimization lesson making him understand more clearly than ever: knowledge is power and supreme safety.

  Though eager to open the Journal immediately, Theo had cultivated discipline. He couldn't do everything at once. Morning was the best time for this work. He needed to complete copying the remaining books in Madam Elysia's library. This would take considerable time, but this was the right moment because now she usually sat reading at the small table before her wagon door.

  Theo quickly bid farewell to Madam Lyra—who only nodded smiling, eyes full of approval. Leaving the herb-scented Apothecary shop, Theo stepped onto the stone-paved road leading to Oakhaven's main quarter. Unlike the noisy market nearby, this area was quieter. Here mostly skilled craftsmen or those who preferred quietness.

  Madam Elysia sat on a wooden chair placed before the converted cargo wagon door. She still wore the wide-brimmed hat and dark rough cloth clothing characteristic of nomads. Bronze-rimmed round glasses unchanged. She was immersed in a book, gentle light from a small magical lantern shining down. This scene was quiet and familiar, exactly like when Theo first met her.

  "Good morning, Theo," Madam Elysia smiled kindly. "You've come again. Fortunately at this hour this area is very quiet."

  "Thank you, Madam," Theo said. He knew at this time she usually focused on reading.

  Theo went straight to the remaining book section. He quickly chose ones he'd targeted before, which were:

  Mana and Everyday Life Seven Wonders Under Starlight The Invisible Net: Energy Surrounding Us Learning to Breathe with Magic Basic Laws of Magical Matter Silence and the Source of Strength The Cycle of Mana

  These seven were the last books he was interested in. They leaned toward basic magic, explaining how Mana exists and how to sense it. Most authors were Nomadic Mages like Madam Elysia, so knowledge and value weren't too high—mainly overview knowledge—but perfect for building foundation.

  Theo sat down, choosing a spot with the best light. He began his mission, eyes quickly scanning pages.

  "G, scan these seven books. As fast as possible," Theo commanded.

  "Acknowledged. Seven basic books about Mana. Estimated completion in 90 minutes," G reported, processing speed much faster than specialized documents.

  Theo began concentrating on copying. He wasn't merely scanning. With each book, Theo gently turned each page, both copying and skimming content. Although this took much more time than just turning pages, Theo was very patient. He was trying to practice speed reading ability and maximize information absorption.

  Theo's eyes moved quickly through lines about The Invisible Net or The Cycle of Mana, trying to synchronize page-turning speed and G's data collection speed. Time passed, pages gradually copied by G, encoded into 3D electronic books, stored in the data repository. This knowledge would be solid foundation for Theo's future, helping him fill important gaps in understanding the Magic world.

  About an hour and a half later, G announced:

  "Scanning and copying seven basic books completed 100%. Foundation data has been encoded."

  Theo felt somewhat tired, but mental satisfaction was far greater. He gently placed the seven books back on the shelf. Now, Madam Elysia's basic library was completely in his system.

  He exhaled with relief, stood up, stepped toward today's most important book: Elara Silvane's handwritten manuscript The Theory of Mana Dissolution.