A Mage Apprentice's Notebook

【Moon-Silver Wood Bed: Stamina recovery speed +30% and Mana recovery speed +20% upon lying down. Construction Materials: Moon-Silver Wood ×10】

【Moon-Silver Wood Table and Chairs: Mana recovery speed +15% upon sitting down. Construction Materials: Moon-Silver Wood ×5】

【Moon-Silver Wood Warehouse: Provides a 125-cubic-meter storage warehouse for placing items. Time flows at the same rate as the outside world. Linked with the Inventory. Construction Materials: Moon-Silver Wood ×100】

She built everything she could first. With a few taps of her finger to select, confirm, and place, the Workbench emitted a soft glow. The Moon-Silver Wood flowed from her Inventory into the Workbench, automatically decomposing, reorganizing, and shaping before settling into their respective places within her territory.

The bed was placed against the left wall. With only a bare wooden board, she could only lie stiffly on the Moon-Silver Wood bed like a corpse. After all, she didn't even have the materials to make blankets or sheets.

The recovery speed was indeed incredibly fast. Wu Yao stared up at the twin moons, her heart filled with the tragic grief of having money but nowhere to spend it.

Now that she had some downtime, she remembered a piece of loot she had forgotten—the Mage Apprentice's Notebook she had looted from 【Mage Apprentice Corey】.

She had casually flipped through a couple of pages at the time, but because she couldn't be bothered to read a giant wall of text, she had just stuffed it into her pocket. Busy with one thing after another, she had almost forgotten about it entirely.

Since she couldn't do anything else right now anyway, it wouldn't hurt to read a book to pass the time. If she could somehow obtain a spell from it, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Lying on the bed, Wu Yao raised her legs and propped her feet against the wall. In a posture that would have gotten her smacked by her mother, she pulled out the 【Mage Apprentice's Notebook】.

The leather cover was a faded, aged yellow, its corners heavily worn. A deep crease ran down the spine from being folded back repeatedly, looking as though its owner had flipped through it countless times.

She casually flipped it open. The moment she looked at the title page, the characters twisted and reorganized themselves, turning into the familiar block characters she recognized.

The very first page was the Mage Rules.

【Rule 1: Every Mage is a guardian of humanity, and must defend the glory of humanity with their life.】

【Rule 2: Sorceresses are the enemies of humanity, degenerate beings who have willingly made deals with demons. Report them upon sight, and pursue them upon hearing of them.】

【Rule 3: The Mage Association has the right to mobilize all resources to purify sorceresses. Anyone who is negligent shall share the same guilt as a sorceress.】

...

Dozens of rules spanned the page. Wu Yao lost her patience after scanning just a couple of lines. Calling them the Mage Rules was a stretch; they were more like the Sorceress Purification Rules. It was incredibly boring.

She turned the page. The subsequent sections were all notes meticulously copied down by the apprentice. It was clear he had been a diligent student who paid close attention in class; his handwriting was neat, and he had written quite a few annotations in the margins.

The first part was the Basic Element Theory. To be honest, Wu Yao had absolutely no desire to study in a video game. Why did a game have to include so many words?

But to unlock any spells that might be hidden within, she could only force herself to patiently read through it.

【All things in the world are composed of elements, and free-flowing elements are the breath of the world. There are seven active elements known to the world: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wind, and Lightning. They are not inanimate objects, but entities possessing their own wills and preferences.】

【The Wood Element is endless, obsessed with growth and reproduction. It weaves a network through forests and grasslands, its roots whispering underground and its leaves singing in the wind. It loves to be planted and nurtured—sowing a seed with your own hands, caring for it from sprout to blossom, and building a bond through the cycle of the four seasons.】

Next to it was a line of crooked, small handwriting, the ink slightly lighter than the main text, likely added later: (Can't keep them alive...)

【The Fire Element is restless, thirsting for combustion and destruction. Lava is its blood, and ash is its breath. It loves everything that burns—paper, cloth, memories, oaths... The more emotion an object carries, the more joyful the element is when it burns. (Fire Elements hold grudges! Don't skimp on offerings!)】

【The Earth Element is calm and heavy, valuing stability and accumulation. It condenses solidly within high mountains and deep valleys. It remembers the age of every rock stratum and the ancient cities buried beneath. Of course, it also loves to be deeply buried; by burying yourself in the dirt, you can feel its presence amidst the darkness and pressure.】

Wu Yao noticed that the text following it had been crossed out. Unfortunately, it wasn't in a language she recognized, otherwise she would have known what was crossed out. Crossed-out information was always the most valuable!

【The Metal Element is tough and sharp, valuing order and sharpness. It clangs with precision and forging. Do not expect to move it with emotions; it only cares about order and perfection. Forging and polishing are its favorite activities, but it is not recommended for those with insufficient skill to engage in them, as it easily incurs the Metal Element's dislike. (Failed as expected, and even got scratched...)】

【The Water Element is fluid and ever-changing, chasing transformation and adaptation. Rivers, lakes, seas, rain, mist, frost, and snow—they share ancient secrets and love to flow and share. You can listen to them chatter by the water, and only those who are patient and attentive enough can win the Water Element's recognition. (Don't talk behind people's backs near water; Water Elements love to snitch!)】

【The Wind Element is free and unrestrained, loving speed and height. It howls through canyon wind gaps and races amidst high-altitude clouds. It has seen the bones of every flying bird and shepherds the clouds across the entire sky. It will lift you up as you leap from a cliff, and if you call upon it mid-fall, it will catch you before you hit the ground. Of course, it is not a very responsible element; leaving halfway through is a common occurrence. (We attended Thomas's funeral from the class next door. The Wind Element still didn't show up.)】

【The Lightning Element is explosive and swift, seeking instantaneous outbursts and awe. It looks down on all sluggish existences and is the most arrogant and violent of kings. Only those who dare to stand tall in a storm and survive a lightning strike can win its favor. (I don't dare...)】

Wu Yao was laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath. What was this, a hundred quick ways to lose your life?

【Aside from these seven active elements, there are also inert elements like Light and Darkness. They are omnipresent but never respond to a Mage's call. The Light Element fills the day but is loose and formless, only able to be condensed through special rituals. The Dark Element shrouds the night but is silent and introverted, a domain beyond a Mage's reach. These are existences that humans cannot control.】

The following content was a long discourse on "how to build a good relationship with the elements." It gave Wu Yao a headache; tiny, densely packed characters and hundreds of precautionary points flashed quickly before her eyes.

She didn't need these methods to use the elements anyway, so she had absolutely no desire to understand them. She only kept flipping forward because Corey's practical logs were amusing, reading them like a joke book.

As for the notes about how elements repelled each other and how Mages had to choose elements compatible with their affinity, she skipped over all of it. What a joke—a player was obviously an all-rounder!