Three days, a full three days. Li De, who had delved into exploring the hem of the Goddess of Magic's skirt, entered a state of fervent work.
But the results were far from perfect—failure after failure after failure.
Even after constructing three mathematical models to support his experimental data, he still couldn't achieve a breakthrough.
For the first time, Li De experienced the frustration of making no progress.
According to his plan, the first step was to understand the function of all the magic nodes. However, he soon realized that he had underestimated the complexity of the Small Fireball Spell's magic model.
As a spell every formal mage must learn, it possessed many advantages unmatched by other Tier 1 spells.
And these advantages undoubtedly stemmed from its excellent magic model.
Thus, dismantling this magic model proved to be extraordinarily difficult.
The key issue lay in the fact that these magic nodes weren't independent. Many individual nodes served no purpose on their own and only functioned when linked with adjacent nodes above or below them.
This seemingly minor detail exponentially increased Li De's workload. If not for modern methods—mathematical models used to record and eliminate vast amounts of useless experimental data—his workload would have multiplied several times over.
Fortunately, though the process was arduous, Li De had already figured out the functions of about half of the magic nodes.
Moreover, studying many of these nodes gave him significant inspiration, sparking new ideas for further optimizing Mage Hand.
Perhaps in the future, if he had time, he could continue refining Mage Hand.
Though he was still far from successfully improving the Small Fireball Spell, Li De had already gained much from the process of dissecting it.
He now had a deeper understanding of the composition and operational principles of magic models, which brought him immense satisfaction.
This endeavor wasn't a loss.
The accumulation of knowledge was a slow process, and magic was no exception.
Though Li De had gained much from dismantling the Small Fireball Spell's magic model, he didn't believe this was the limit of his potential.
He possessed a determined heart, and once he set his mind on something, he was determined to see it through.
Thus, despite the slow progress in improving the Small Fireball Spell, Li De, having made up his mind, fully immersed himself in the task.
Once in the zone, Li De's efficiency in dismantling magic models was enough to leave any mage speechless.
At the same time, the sheer number of his failures was enough to make any mage tremble.
A thousand times, two thousand times, three thousand times—failure after failure after failure.
But in the process, one magic node after another revealed its role within the magic model through repeated failures and magical backlashes. One segment of the magic circuit after another became clear to Li De as they collapsed and were rebuilt.
Time passed day by day.
Li De remained absorbed in the world of improving the Small Fireball Spell. Watching himself gradually unravel this mysterious and complex magic brought him such a strong sense of accomplishment that he almost forgot the passage of time.
When Laurent had already completed gathering the supplies Li De ordered and awaited his next command.
When the second batch of residents in Dawn City had settled down and only awaited his order to begin distributing land.
When the residents around the Crimson Mage Tower anxiously awaited news of the next steps for recruiting mage apprentices.
This mage lord, who had disappeared for a full ten days, finally stepped out of the door on the seventh floor.
Vina, the young maid who had become a formal mage and had been guarding the seventh floor without leaving for days, was the first to notice Li De. Though his face showed signs of fatigue, his eyes remained spirited.
The girl's joy nearly overflowed from her heart.
She ran forward like a child seeing their closest loved one.
"Master Li De, did your magical research succeed?! That's wonderful~"
Li De's expression carried a deep smile, neither denying nor confirming.
"What happened during these days?"
Vina approached him, her eyes curved into crescent moons, her cheerful mood filling the air with joy.
Her voice, like that of a lark, chirped excitedly.
"Everything is going well. But the recruitment of mage apprentices hasn't been finalized yet—it's waiting for you to decide.
Also, President Laurent has come to see you many times. He says the goods you requested have all been purchased."
Li De nodded, hesitating slightly before asking.
"What's today's date?"
In Vina's sapphire-like, sparkling eyes, stars seemed to twinkle. She covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"Master Li De, today is November 1st. You've been on the seventh floor for ten days."
November 1st?
A whole month had already passed.
Li De felt a slight daze. It was October when he entered Glory, and now it was already November—a full month had gone by.
Still partially immersed in the wondrous feeling of completing his magical research, he looked at Vina's exquisite face with an almost unreal sensation. Instinctively, he reached out to touch the girl's long, golden curls.
Seeing the rosy blush on the girl's cheeks, he snapped back to reality and instinctively rubbed his nose, swiftly changing the subject.
"Vina, the recruitment of mage apprentices will be assisted by you and Karu.
You don't need me to teach you how to identify apprentice talent, right?"
Vina felt a small pang of disappointment as Li De withdrew his hand but quickly adjusted her mood upon hearing his words.
"Of course not. The Mana Affinity Crystal is in your study. As long as it glows, it indicates the presence of talent. The brighter the glow, the higher the aptitude."
Li De nodded.
"Good. This matter is entrusted to you. I want to recruit a group of highly talented apprentices. For now, let's set the number at 100."
"100 people?"
Vina was somewhat startled by the number. Recruiting over a hundred mage apprentices at once was extremely rare in Green City.
"Master Li De, we don't have enough rooms to accommodate them."
"Buy the nearby houses."
"Yes."
Vina, seeing Li De's resolute tone, immediately agreed. Though surprised, she would do her best to fulfill whatever Li De wanted, regardless of whether it was reasonable or achievable.
Because he was Master Li De.
The girl's sapphire-like eyes sparkled with admiration and affection.
After watching Vina leave, Li De smiled faintly. Having such an outstanding maid by his side indeed kept him in good spirits.
Of course, what pleased him even more were the changes in his attribute panel and the four or five system notifications he had yet to carefully examine.
"Ding~ Vampire Progenitor talent triggered. Each bloodline descendant provides 1 character experience per month. Bloodline count complete—currently 208 descendants. Progenitor talent grants you 208 character experience."
"Ding~ Due to prolonged high-intensity use of mana, your Mana Affinity has slightly increased. Your mana permanently increases by 5 points."
"Ding~ Successfully improved Small Fireball Spell.
Improvements: Optimized magic model structure, mana consumption reduced to 3 points, casting speed increased 5x, projectile speed increased 4x, acquired special effect—Rapid Casting.
Drawback: Spell power decreased by 60%.
Evaluation: Outstanding. Although the spell's power has significantly decreased, the ultra-high casting speed brings unique advantages, possessing incomparable characteristics.
Reward: 1500 character experience."
"Ding~ Because the prerequisite spell Small Fireball for Large Fireball has been optimized, the Large Fireball spell structure automatically improves by 10%. Mana consumption reduced by 5 points, casting speed increased by 10%."
"Ding~ Because the prerequisite spell Large Fireball for Explosive Fireball has been optimized, the Explosive Fireball spell structure automatically improves by 5%. Mana consumption reduced by 3 points, casting speed increased by 5%."