Allen returned to his dorm after eating.
The cafeteria food had an exotic flavor. The main course was a roasted purple tuber, dense in texture with a hint of nutty aroma. The accompanying broth, simmered from some unknown fowl, was delicious and carried a faint pulse of Magic Power.
While he ate, he had already estimated the cost for an apprentice's basic survival: about one hundred Low-Level Magic Stones a year.
For someone like him, with a subsidy of only two hundred Magic Stones, this expense already took up half of his entire grant.
Allen sat down at his desk. His body relaxed, but his consciousness sank into a deep sea.
"DSeek, review."
[Command confirmed. Review commencing.]
In his mindscape, the experiences of the past two days transformed into a vast, three-dimensional data Star Map.
The tonal shifts in every word spoken by Instructor Lecia during the opening ceremony; the prices and borrowing permissions for books in the library; the energy pathways used when the Mind Mage guided the construction of the "anchor" in Meditation class; the flow of Magic Power when Teacher Colvin demonstrated the "release" Rune in the Witchcraft class…
All this information transformed into shimmering data nodes, interconnected by countless logical threads.
'Based on existing data, establish "Optimal Learning Model for the Initial Apprentice Stage." Objective: completion within one year.'
[Model construction in progress... Correlating fourteen public courses...]
A few seconds later, a clear "tech tree" unfolded in his mind. The fourteen courses were no longer a disorganized mess; DSeek had reorganized them into a pyramid structure.
At the pyramid's base were three core courses: *The Nature of Magic Power and Macro-Theory*, *Basic Runes and Linguistics*, and *Logic and Magic Models*.
DSeek's analysis was clear: these three courses were the "operating system" for understanding the entire Wizarding World. *The Nature of Magic Power* explained the "why," *Basic Runes and Linguistics* provided the "tools," and *Logic and Magic Models* taught one how to use those tools to realize the "why."
The typical apprentice's learning path was to tackle all subjects at once, slowly digesting them over three years.
Allen's mind was racing. To him, this was an inefficient model.
"DSeek, formulate an accelerated learning plan."
[Plan generated. Phase 1 (1–2 months): Focus on conquering the three core theory courses. Utilize DSeek for memory assistance and logical deduction to digitalize all theoretical knowledge. Concurrently, practice *Meditation Magic* to accumulate foundational Spiritual Power and Magic Power.]
[Phase 2 (3–10 months): Apply theory to practice. After mastering the underlying logic, simultaneously study the remaining eleven courses. The knowledge base will form a self-consistent closed loop, leading to an exponential increase in learning efficiency. For example, after understanding the "vector directionality of Runes," learning the "direction" Rune in the *Wizard's Hand* Magic model will no longer be rote memorization but logical deduction.]
[Phase 3 (11–12 months): Comprehensive assessment and advancement. Complete all course assessments and the inscription of thirty-six basic Runes.]
The plan was crystal clear. Since it was mentioned at the opening ceremony that one could apply for early assessment, it meant someone must be capable of doing it.
But DSeek quickly highlighted the plan's most vulnerable link with a line of red data.
The core bottleneck—Spiritual Power.
[Analysis: Both inscribing Runes and constructing Magic models consume Spiritual Power. Extrapolating from the data on the consumption for inscribing the "anchor" this morning, your current total Spiritual Power and natural recovery rate can support at most two attempts per day to construct Rune 02 of the Universal Meditation Method. The Spiritual Power backlash from a failed construction will further extend the recovery period. This recovery rate is insufficient to support the one-year completion plan.]
Allen's fingers tapped gently on the desktop, making a rhythmic sound.
The problem had come full circle: learning time could be compressed with DSeek, but the "energy source" driving everything—Spiritual Power—had a limit.
The only solution was what the teaching assistant, Carl, had mentioned: Magic Potions.
Magic Potions that could accelerate Spiritual Power recovery or even permanently increase its upper limit.
And Magic Potions required Magic Stones.
"Based on my plan and the collected data, initiate the business plan model."
A brand new data stream unfolded in Allen's mind.
[Project Name: Knowledge-for-Pay Service]
[Market Analysis: 987 new students this year, with an estimated attrition rate of 86%, resulting in a potential customer base of 848. Target Customers: Apprentices with decent family backgrounds, some ability to pay, and who are encountering difficulties in their studies.]
[Product Plan:]
[1. Low-End Product (Lead Generation): Free or paid Q&A sessions, small-scale skill sharing (e.g., control tricks for the "release" Rune). Objective: Establish a reliable persona as a "genius" to filter for potential paying users.]
[2. Mid-Range Product (Core Profit): Establish a Learning Mutual Aid Group. For Zero-Circle Witchcraft like *Wizard's Hand*, provide "error diagnosis" and "step-by-step breakdown exercises." Pricing Model: Monthly or hourly subscription.]
[3. High-End Product (Long-Term Revenue): Customized learning path planning. For the specific weaknesses of certain apprentices, provide optimized learning plans analyzed by DSeek. This product must be launched with caution to avoid exposing core abilities.]
[Risk Assessment:]
[Competition Risk: Cannot rule out other Advanced Apprentices conceiving a similar model. Countermeasure: Use DSeek to create a technological barrier. Leverage mature models from a past life to provide optimized teaching methods, forming a solid reputation as a competitive moat.]
[Security Risk: High-profile commercial activities may attract the attention of upper-year apprentices or organizations. Countermeasure: Maintain a low profile initially, operating under the guise of "mutual learning" to avoid attracting attention.]
A complete business loop formed in his mind: use DSeek's learning advantage to trade for Magic Stones, use the Magic Stones to buy Magic Potions to accelerate his studies, and the faster learning speed would in turn solidify his advantage, creating a positive feedback loop.
No matter how perfect the plan, it still needed to be tested in practice.
Allen closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking once again into his Sea of Consciousness.
In that boundless darkness, the "anchor" Rune constructed that morning with the Mind Mage's help was slowly rotating.
Raw Magic Power was drawn in from the outside world, absorbed, and converted by it into energy he could control.
'DSeek, pull up the scan record for Rune #2 from the Meditation textbook.'
[Record loaded. Optimal construction path, totaling 18 steps.]
Every step taken by that immense will from the morning had been converted by DSeek into an understandable "blueprint."
Now, Allen had to use his own faint Spiritual Power as both the worker and the building material to complete this precise task independently.
He didn't rush to begin. Instead, he first had DSeek compare the inscription method of the anchor Rune and run a mental simulation of constructing Rune 02 ten times.
The amount of Spiritual Power to be output at each node, the angle of torsion for every curve—he knew it all by heart.
Others needed to first memorize the complex structure to inscribe a Rune. He, however, only needed to trace the route highlighted by DSeek in his mind, dropping the difficulty to an elementary school level.
'Begin construction.'
He mobilized a thread of Spiritual Power, which felt as fragile as a spider's silk in his own perception. He carefully controlled this "silk thread," following the first step on the blueprint to draw a smooth arc in the darkness.
It went smoothly.
Second step, third step... when he reached the fifth key node, a point that required a complex three-dimensional torsion of Spiritual Power, a problem arose.
His Spiritual Power output trembled, a slight instability.
[Warning: Spiritual Power fluctuation at Node 5 exceeds 10%!]
Allen tried to stabilize it, but the consumption of Spiritual Power was far greater than expected. The "silk thread" grew even thinner.
The next moment, the half-finished Rune structure lost its balance. It flickered with light and instantly collapsed!
A sharp, stabbing pain exploded deep in his mind, as if someone had jabbed him hard with a steel needle. Spiritual Power backlash.
He grunted, opening his eyes. Cold sweat had already beaded on his forehead. A tide of exhaustion washed over his Sea of Consciousness.
"DSeek, analyze reason for failure."
[Analysis complete. Reasons for failure: 1. Total Spiritual Power insufficient to support completion in one go. 2. At key Node 5, control precision of Spiritual Power decreased, leading to structural instability. 3. Insufficient proficiency due to it being the first independent construction.]
Allen wasn't discouraged. On the contrary, he had confirmed one thing: this path was viable.
The failure wasn't because his direction was wrong, but because his own "hardware" was insufficient.
And hardware could be upgraded. Proficiency could be practiced.
He rested for about half an hour, waiting for the needle-like pain to subside and the fatigue in his Sea of Consciousness to ease slightly.
"One a month?"
He muttered to himself.
The academy's standard was meant for ordinary geniuses who needed to grope their way forward, using trial and error to find the correct path through countless failures.
For him, someone who possessed the "standard answer," the only thing he had to do was "practice."
He could run hundreds of complete simulated constructions while others were still figuring out the first step.
The proficiency and control gained from this practice would be an unparalleled advantage.
And this was precisely the core value of his "knowledge-for-pay" service. He couldn't just tell people what to do; he could also tell them why each step was wrong and how to correct it.
He stood up, feeling the weakness from over-consuming his Spiritual Power, but his heart was burning with passion.
The plan had been validated. Now he needed startup capital.
He couldn't wait for Vera and Colin to give him a market report. He needed to take the initiative.
First, he needed to know the price of the most basic Spiritual Power recovery Magic Potion. This would allow him to establish a pricing benchmark for his services.
He picked up the apprentice card from his desk.
The card was cool to the touch, its surface as smooth as a mirror.
In the library, he had seen upper-year apprentices use it to operate the terminals. Now that he possessed Magic Power, he could also read the information within it.
According to the new student guide, there were information terminals in the common areas that could access the academy's internal network to look up courses, tasks, and... access the apprentice trading market.
He had to grasp this information immediately. The first step was to understand the prices of this world.
Allen stood up. His immaculate apprentice robe made him look more composed than his peers.
He pushed open the door to his dorm and walked toward the end of the corridor.
Embedded in the wall there was a stone terminal emitting a soft, white light.