Chapter 150: May Starlight Illuminate Your Journey

After a brief moment of disorientation, Joann gradually regained his sense of reality. Reflecting on his recent experience, he realized that the spell Lianan had cast was most likely the 4th-level "Dimension Door," a highly practical short-range teleportation spell.

Lianan clapped her hands, and the cottage door swung open automatically, as if welcoming its master home.

Joann followed Lianan into the cottage, and a faint, enchanting fragrance enveloped him. The interior of the cottage was simple yet neat; a small bed against the window was draped with pink gauze curtains, a row of bookshelves stood against the wall, and the table was lined with colorful bottles, jars, combs, and hand mirrors. Rather than a fairy's lair, the room looked more like the private bedchamber of a girl next door.

Feeling too embarrassed to look around, Joann accepted the wooden cup Lianan handed him and took a sip of water. A subtle, sweet nectar fragrance rippled across his palate, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Lianan walked into the adjoining room, opened a chest, and rummaged through it before returning shortly after with a sealed bronze bottle.

"There is enough magic crystal powder here to last you a while. As for the daggers, wait a moment; there is a dwarf settlement nearby, and I will go buy a pair of ready-made daggers."

True to her word, Lianan left immediately. A pillar of teleportation light surged beneath her feet, and she vanished from Joann's sight in an instant.

Holding his teacup, Joann sat in a daze, unable to help complaining inwardly about how daring this fairy lady was—wasn't she afraid he would take advantage of the opportunity to make off with her belongings and run away? But upon second thought, how far could he possibly run on his own two legs, even if he tried his utmost? Since Lianan was proficient in teleportation magic, she certainly had no need to worry.

Just as his thoughts were wandering, another ring of distorted light split open before him, and Lianan stepped out, holding a scabbarded dagger in each hand.

"Newly bought daggers. Make do with these."

Joann took the daggers handed to him by Lianan and drew them to inspect them one by one. True to the dwarves' craftsmanship, their workmanship was in no way inferior to the products of Flint's Anvil.

Joann placed the two daggers parallel on the table, then untied his backpack, took out his quill and deep-sea squid ink, and inscribed the 6th Rune, Ken, on both sides of each dagger. Next, he needed to perform the enchantment using the runes as a medium. Joann had not prepared the "Magic Weapon" spell today, but fortunately, he could use "Mythic Power" to replace a spell slot and cast "Magic Weapon" immediately without prior preparation.

Expending two charges of Mythic Power, Joann cast "Magic Weapon," combining it with the magic crystal dust to upgrade both exquisite daggers into +1 enchanted weapons. Following that, he infused each dagger with "Shocking Grasp" enhanced by "Spell Strike," thus completing the final enchantment procedure.

"All done." Joann finished casting and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Finished so soon?" Lianan's eyes were filled with astonishment. "It took less than an hour in total!"

Not wishing to reveal the secret of the Runes, Joann simply picked up the newly forged "Lightning Blades," pointed them toward the door, and softly chanted the activation incantation. Two brilliant arcs of electricity, five feet long, shot out from the tips of the blades.

Facts spoke louder than words, and Lianan could not help but gasp in admiration: "Little wizard, your enchantment skills have truly opened my eyes. By the way, I cannot let you work in vain; I have some spell scrolls here, and you may choose two as your reward."

Lianan walked over to the bookshelf, chanted a spell in a low voice to deactivate the anti-theft wards set upon it, drew four scrolls from the shelf, and handed them to Joann.

Joann took them and quickly reviewed them. Among the four scrolls was "Magic Missile," a spell he had already mastered, and a 2nd-level "Invisibility," which he had already deciphered from "Dust of Tracelessness" and copied into his spellbook. The remaining two scrolls, however, were spells he had never seen before, and both were 1st-level spells he could learn right away: "Color Spray" and "Sleep."

When Joann encountered the pixie two days ago, he had suffered bitterly from "Color Spray" and still shuddered at the memory. "Sleep" was a very practical enchantment spell; a successfully cast spell could cause a large group of creatures to fall instantly into a deep slumber. However, 1st-level spells only had a magical upper limit of a mere 5 HD, so "Sleep" was powerless against powerful creatures like the "Lamia," at best causing such a target to let out a big yawn.

"Lady Lianan, thank you very much for your generosity." Joann accepted the spell scrolls and turned to look out the cottage window. Unnoticed, night had quietly fallen, and a silver crescent moon hung in the ink-blue firmament, accompanied by the low chirping of crickets coming from the moonlight-draped grass by the window.

On this gentle, moonlit night, situated in a cozy forest cottage and accompanied by a beautiful fairy lady, the young wizard had no intention of lingering and only wanted to set off as soon as possible.

Lianan seemed to sense the anxiety hidden deep within his eyes. With a slight smile, she took the initiative to step forward and clasp his hand.

"I said I would get you to Leyton Port in time, and of course I keep my promises. Close your eyes, count from 1 to 5, and you will get your wish."

Not entirely understanding her intention, Joann hesitated slightly before obediently closing his eyes and counting softly. Just as he reached 3, Lianan completed her spell preparation and, holding his hand, stepped through a portal of swirling magical light. When Joann finished counting to 5 and opened his eyes, he was astonished to find that he and Lianan were standing side by side beside a tree-lined avenue. The brilliantly illuminated city not far ahead was none other than Leyton Port! In the span of a few short seconds, Lianan had flown him across a hundred miles of territory, teleporting him directly from the secluded jungle to the outskirts of Leyton City.

At the end of the tree-lined avenue stood the west gate of Leyton City. Gazing into the distance, Joann could faintly make out the myriad lights of the city through the open gates. Although the night was late, pedestrians, carriages, and horses were still moving in and out through the wide-open gates; the bustling nightlife of a metropolis was indeed far beyond the comparison of a rural town.

"The city gates of Leyton Port invariably close when the midnight bell strikes. With less than half an hour left until midnight, you should hurry into the city and find a clean inn to stay at." After offering these gentle words of advice, Lianan waved goodbye to Joann, her hazel eyes holding a hint of a smile as she offered him a parting blessing in the fairy tradition: "Farewell, cute little wizard. May starlight illuminate your path."

"Farewell, Lianan Sidhe. I look forward to meeting you again." Filled with gratitude, Joann bowed deeply once more to the beautiful fairy lady before turning and stepping onto the wide, lamp-lit avenue.

End of Volume One

Varisian Monster Manual: Leanan Sidhe
"Sidhe" is a title symbolizing noble status among the fairy race, akin to titles of noble birth like "Sir" or "Lord" in human society. The Leanan Sidhe is a fairy aristocrat in Irish folklore, self-proclaimed as the guardian of art. By establishing a magical bond with a talented mortal artist, the Leanan Sidhe can bestow supreme artistic talent upon them, at the cost of the victim's life force slowly withering away. Many artists of breathtaking genius who suddenly burst forth with a massive volume of creative works before fading into obscurity or dying suddenly can perhaps be blamed on these mysterious fairies.

Leanan Sidhe's Special Abilities:
Skill Endowment: A Leanan Sidhe can craft a special performance or creative tool, such as a violin, paintbrush, or carving knife. An artist holding this tool gains an extraordinary bonus to related skills when performing or creating, making them perform exceptionally better than usual. The holder becomes so infatuated with this tool—which vastly enhances their artistic talent—that they are reluctant to part with it under any circumstances.

Spell Endowment: By touching a willing spellcaster, a Leanan Sidhe can enhance their spellcasting ability. This blessing allows the recipient to recall a certain level of spells each day, equal to twice the Leanan Sidhe's mythic rank. The Leanan Sidhe can terminate this blessing at any time, regardless of the distance from the recipient.

Life Draining: Whenever someone uses the special tool or spell endowment granted by the Leanan Sidhe, she immediately becomes aware of it and can expend a use of Mythic Power to siphon life force from that creature regardless of distance.