After bestowing his blessing, Bai Shi didn't keep them for reports or other matters, simply dismissing them.
After instructing Erlisa to show Slude around Stormveil, Bai Shi went to Master Thops's residence.
He had previously obtained quite a few sorceries and incantations from the Convert's Tower.
Moreover, that sorcerer who had converted to the Golden Order possessed considerable insight into the relationship between sorceries and incantations.
These should give Master Thops some inspiration.
—
Master Thops was currently in his room, his head buried in his writing.
But as soon as he finished, he immediately crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into the wastebasket.
He replaced it with a new sheet and repeated the action.
Thops clutched his head and sighed.He was so close. He could already feel it; he was on the verge of his theory.
But what exactly was that missing piece? He just couldn't figure it out...
Suddenly, a knock came from the door. Thops stopped thinking and immediately got up to open it.
When Thops opened the door, he was surprised to find it was his student in name only, Bai Shi.
Although Bai Shi had indeed learned some sorcery from him, Thops had quickly run out of things to teach.
Therefore, Thops never truly considered himself Bai Shi's teacher.
Fortunately, Bai Shi had somehow met the talented Sorceress Sellen and began studying under her, so Thops no longer had to worry about Bai Shi's path in sorcery.
However, Bai Shi had great faith in his research and always addressed him as "master," which moved Thops deeply.
Bai Shi smiled and nodded at Thops.
"Master, I found some things a while ago that might be of help to you."
"Hmm... Although I've always said I would assist with your research,"
"Stormveil had very few resources on sorcery in the past, so I couldn't offer any substantial help. I apologize."
Thops waved his hands repeatedly.
"Not at all, not at all. You've already helped me a great deal."
For instance, all the paper he had been using was provided by Stormveil.
Otherwise, Thops wouldn't have been able to freely write down the sparks of inspiration that came to him.
Bai Shi smiled, then took out several books he had obtained from the Convert's Tower.
Thops was a bit puzzled when Bai Shi handed him several thick volumes.
He could tell from the covers alone that these books were precious, not something a low-level sorcerer like himself could comprehend.
Helpful for his theory?
Thops glanced at Bai Shi before opening one to read.
The moment he did, his eyes widened in astonishment.
Although his skill in sorcery wasn't high, he could still tell at a glance:
The one who had written their insights and annotations in these spellbooks was an absolute master.
This was a level he had never encountered before.
The insights were unique, the understanding profound; even an apprentice sorcerer would feel enlightened upon reading them.
These short annotations were even clearer and more understandable than the lectures given by the professors at the academy.
Although the books contained many high-level sorceries that Thops couldn't understand at all, the annotations for those advanced sorceries still held things that could inspire him.
Thops opened another book.
It was a prayerbook.
Thops was still a little curious as to why Bai Shi would give him a prayerbook.
But after reading two pages, Thops finally understood Bai Shi's intention.
The handwriting in the prayerbook and the spellbooks was identical; it turned out they were from the same person.
The prayerbook also contained all sorts of detailed annotations.
Most importantly, it contained some of the sorcerer's understandings of incantations, from the perspective of one who had converted to the Golden Order.
Incantations...
Forgetting to attend to Bai Shi, Thops immediately rushed back to his desk and began to write.
Just moments ago, a few words from the master in the prayerbook had filled a gap he had been searching for.
A flash of inspiration struck Thops's mind.
He had to quickly record this fleeting insight.
Thops wrote quickly, but upon finishing, he immediately prepared to crumple it into scrap paper.
However, Thops hesitated. Instead of crumpling it, he took out a small knife and cut out a portion.
Thops held the section carefully, his heart pounding with excitement.
Although he still hadn't fully deduced his theory, the missing pieces were becoming fewer and fewer.
This time, there was finally something worth keeping.
This was undoubtedly a major breakthrough.
Moreover, with both the spellbooks and the prayerbook here, he was certain to gain even deeper insights after studying them carefully.
Coming to his senses, Thops quickly stood up and thanked Bai Shi.
"This is wonderful! Thanks to you, I feel like I've grasped a flicker of inspiration."
Bai Shi nodded.
It was for the best that Master Thops had made progress.
It was also thanks to the master of the Convert's Tower for giving Master Thops this inspiration.
After all, Master Thops had likely known nothing about incantations before.
And his theory was destined to require knowledge of incantations; at the very least, he needed to know that incantations and sorcery were essentially the same.
Bai Shi couldn't just tell Thops this conclusion directly, so he could only help him in this way.
Bai Shi then offered to bestow a blessing upon Master Thops.
This way, he wouldn't have to worry about Master Thops's physical condition.
Thops thought for a moment and didn't refuse.
After reading the prayerbook, he had grown somewhat curious about the Golden Order faith, which he had never understood before.
Since he knew it would be helpful for his research, he would definitely need to study it.
Therefore, he also wanted to see the light known as a blessing.
After bestowing the blessing on Master Thops, Bai Shi stopped disturbing his research and went to Master Sellen's residence.
During his previous cooperation with Ranni, she had given all the remaining Carian sorcery scrolls to Bai Shi.
Adding to that the Eternal Darkness sorcery he obtained from Sellia, Town of Sorcery, the number of spells Bai Shi needed to learn had suddenly increased.
Bai Shi needed to give the scrolls to Master Sellen to study first to facilitate his own subsequent learning.
Master Sellen was proficient in academy-style sorceries and some from the Crystalian series.
For other sorceries, Master Sellen also needed to learn them from the scrolls herself before she could teach Bai Shi.
However, after giving the scrolls to Master Sellen this time, he wouldn't have time to learn them for a while.
Learning new sorceries was quite time-consuming, especially high-level ones with greater intelligence requirements.
Back then, it had taken Bai Shi a full two or three days to learn Glintstone Comet.
He would drink Cerulean Tears when out of focus and rest at a site of grace—two or three days without a moment's pause.
So, he probably wouldn't have time for it until after the Radahn Festival was over.
Using a site of grace, he teleported to the Waypoint Ruins Cellar where Master Sellen was located.
Seeing Bai Shi arrive, Master Sellen walked up to greet him.
"Well, well, if it isn't my dear apprentice, Bai Shi."
"What's this? After all this time, you finally remembered to come back and see your master?"
Bai Shi felt a little awkward.
"I was a bit busy for a while... no, actually, I've been quite busy recently..."
Master Sellen chuckled lightly.
"So, our esteemed Lord of Stormveil, what brings you to my humble abode in the midst of your busy schedule?"
Bai Shi was a bit embarrassed, since he had basically never come to visit Master Sellen before.
"Ahem? Have you come to learn a new sorcery?"
"Such a diligent child. Well then, let's begin." After teasing Bai Shi, Master Sellen gave him an easy way out of the awkwardness.
Bai Shi sighed in relief and quickly nodded.
He took out the Carian royal family's sorcery scroll and the Eternal Darkness scroll from Sellia.
Sellen took the scrolls. She wasn't surprised by the Carian sorcery.
After all, Bai Shi had given her a Carian scroll before.
And she had learned a little about the matter between him and that certain witch through her own channels.
However...
Sellen glanced at the Eternal Darkness scroll, and the sorcery recorded on it took her by surprise.
She immediately began to study it intently.
"This sorcery..."
Only after reading it through once did Master Sellen look up at Bai Shi.
"Yes, alright, I understand."
"Come back in a few days. I need some time to study this sorcery as well."
"Perfect timing. The stars are almost in position."
"You can come find me to study after the festival is over."
Bai Shi had planned on this anyway, so he agreed.
Master Sellen seemed to remember something and spoke again:
"Oh, right."
"When that time comes, I'll also teach you how to properly cast sorceries in battle."
"What you've learned so far is still rather rudimentary; you had to start with the most standard motions."
"Now that you have some experience as a sorcerer, you're ready for the next step."
"A sorcerer's battle is not as simple as a mere contest of magical power."
Bai Shi was overjoyed and quickly nodded in agreement.
Bai Shi also offered to bestow a blessing on Master Sellen.
But Master Sellen refused.
What she pursued was the distant cosmos, so she would never be bound by the Erdtree's blessing.
Bai Shi didn't insist, respecting his master's wishes.
So, after chatting for a little longer, he bid farewell and left.
After Bai Shi left, Sellen rested her chin in her hand, lost in thought.
A moment ago, she had detected a peculiar glintstone aura on Bai Shi.
It was an aura she hadn't sensed in a long time—the glintstone aura of Master Lusat.
However, some time had passed, and the aura was very faint. Moreover, it didn't seem as though Bai Shi had come into contact with the wisdom of the stone yet.
If that was the case, it proved that Bai Shi had not yet met Master Lusat.
He had probably just come into contact with some items related to Master Lusat.
...After the stars begin to move again, I'll ask him what he wishes.
Sellen truly regarded Bai Shi as her beloved apprentice.
It was precisely for this reason that she hoped—hoped that Bai Shi was a kindred spirit.
After all, she had long ago told Bai Shi that she was a witch and about the ideals of the followers of the Primeval Current.
The fact that Bai Shi still insisted on studying under her after knowing all this was enough to make a good impression on Sellen.
And he didn't just show her respect on the surface while secretly detesting her as a witch who followed the Primeval Current.
Sellen could feel that he held genuine respect for her as his master.
In their subsequent studies, Sellen could also perceive Bai Shi's passion for learning sorcery.
Bai Shi's talent was not lacking, and he was eager to learn.
Most importantly, he possessed some truly likable qualities.
So she would also respect Bai Shi's choice.
She would let Bai Shi choose for himself whether or not to embark on the path to explore the Primeval Current with her.
—
After returning to Stormveil, Bai Shi gave the Golden Tailoring Tools to Boc.
It was also a recognition of Boc's continuous hard work in honing his craft.
Boc's skills were now far different from when he first received the tailoring tools; he was now extremely proficient.
He had previously altered clothing for many of the city's residents to hone his skills.
This included commoners, Tarnished, Demi-Humans, Misbegotten who were just learning to wear clothes, and even Trolls.
For the sake of the city's civility, Stormveil had always promoted civilized living.
The Demi-Humans' rags were beginning to be replaced by proper clothes, and the Misbegotten, who had never worn clothes, were also starting to try them on.
Due to their size, the Trolls could basically only wear capes, but they seemed to like it that way.
So Boc was now quite well-known in Stormveil.
Boc was extremely excited after receiving the Golden Tailoring Tools and was about to kneel to Bai Shi on the spot, but Bai Shi quickly pulled him up.
And so, Bai Shi received Boc's incoherent thanks.
Bai Shi also wanted to bestow a blessing upon Boc.
However, Boc was very firm on this matter.
He insisted that he was not yet worthy.
Bai Shi knew that Boc had his own principles when it came to receiving favors.
Boc's mother had raised him very well; he was very polite.
He accepted the Golden Tailoring Tools to take his skills to the next level so he could better help Bai Shi in the future.
As for his own blessing, Boc felt he couldn't accept it yet.
In any case, Boc was perfectly safe for now, so Bai Shi respected his wishes.
In the future, after Boc had tailored or altered important equipment for him, he would grant him the blessing then.
Boc probably wouldn't refuse at that point.
Bai Shi thought for a moment.
All his friends, subordinates, and masters within Stormveil had been taken care of.
Next, it was time to set out for Redmane Castle.
Before leaving, Bai Shi first went to Stormveil's storehouse.
The storehouse was filled with piles of Crystal Cave Moss.
He had arranged for people to cultivate it earlier, as it was a key ingredient for crafting Neutralizing Boluses to suppress the Scarlet Rot.
Thanks to the Demi-Humans' hard work, the cave moss was growing vigorously in the various caves of Limgrave.
Although the moss grew quickly, the crystals needed time to develop.
However, after cultivating it for some time, the low-level sorcerers involved in the work discovered a few tricks.
Just by placing a few glintstone crystals in the caves, they could greatly accelerate the growth of the smaller crystals.
And it only required the lowest-grade, useless gray glintstone crystals.
Sorcerers, even low-level ones, discussing the cultivation of Crystal Cave Moss with Demi-Humans—this was something unimaginable in the Lands Between.
It was a scene that could only appear in the Limgrave ruled by Bai Shi.
Limgrave had many caves, and with the diligent cultivation by the Demi-Humans, the amount of Crystal Cave Moss was quite substantial.
Although Bai Shi had no idea how much Crystal Cave Moss was needed to craft Neutralizing Boluses, this much should be enough to completely cleanse Redmane Castle and a large portion of the surrounding area.
Bai Shi was now more worried about whether the production of toxic mushrooms in Caelid could keep up.
After packing up, Bai Shi once again bid farewell to Stormveil and used a site of grace to teleport directly to Redmane Castle.
Emerging from the grace, Bai Shi was surprised to find that Redmane Castle had become very lively.