The Frugal Mage

At first, Rayven had obviously thought of books.

Not the magical grimoires reserved for mages, but ordinary books containing stories, practical guides, and illustrated manuscripts, to name a few…

He had read enough to know that common literacy was growing, especially among merchants and city folk.

But after some consideration… He shook his head…

The problem was cost. Hand-copying texts was slow and expensive. Still…

He thought of another idea…

Books, pens, ink, and paper. They were all connected. If he could lower the cost of writing and reading, then more people would demand books. And if books became cheaper, knowledge itself would spread…

And that's when it hit him.

"News…" Rayven muttered under his breath.

Not whole books, not yet… He should probably start with smaller sheets, written quickly, passed around weekly.

Maybe notices, events, trade updates, maybe even serialized stories for entertainment.

"There's no newspaper here…"

Paper existed, though costly. If he could lower production costs, and then organize information into something readable. Then, he could sell knowledge itself. Every noble, guild, and merchant would crave it.

If he thinks about it, he might even be able to spread news related to powerful Mages, Adventurers, and perhaps, his newspaper could even influence the rankings of powerful swordsmen as their names became famous through his paper.

'My enemy… or maybe my friend would probably be the information brokers… If I want a newspaper that could cover stories in various regions, I will need a lot of people or employ a lot of information brokers in the process…' Rayven thought as he began to imagine his future…

Right now, a clear plan was already building in his mind in order to become wealthy…

This might still take a very long time before it could happen, but with this harmonizing idea, Rayven believed that he would be able to achieve it sooner or later.

Still, paper was still costly, but if he could secure production and keep it plain, a single sheet of news could circulate through the city like wildfire.

He smirked as the vision took form.

"Pens, paper, ink… then news. The whole chain belongs to me."

He scribbled furiously now… Soon, his parchment was filled with notes and arrows connecting each idea.

Pens for innovation. Ink to pair with them. Paper as the keystone. Soap for a steady income and also to make his bath a little more comfortable. And finally, news… The first step toward shaping not just markets, but minds.

Rayven sat back as he looked at his parchment… The idea came easily to his mind now that he no longer had to worry about the Veltham Family's oppression.

'If I play this right, I'll build an empire out of quills and soap bars.'

***

In the meantime, as Rayven was making his plans for his future, old man Thyruz returned to his workshop… It was filled with scattered tools and half-finished trinkets lying on the workbench.

For days now, one question had lingered in his mind… Rayven.

That boy carried himself like a commoner with undetectable mana capacity, yet in the next instant, he could utter a single word and a spell would bloom into existence… It was flawless and unnatural.

After staying here for about a week, he knew now that Rayven didn't really get support from his family. They weren't even aware that he was such a talented mage.

"Not even the most gifted prodigies do that…" Thyruz muttered while stroking his beard.

Now, he knew that Rayven had a big secret… Still, he wasn't obsessed with it.

Instead, he was even more inspired to create a better form of enchantment. Furthermore, he felt that his understanding of mana had completely changed, and instead of feeling lost, he felt humbled and wanted to learn more…

He had spent decades studying runes, materials, and enchantments, yet the boy seemed to bypass all limitations.

'I guess I'll be staying here for some time…' Thyruz chuckled as he might even retire here completely at this rate.

If he stayed, perhaps one day he would uncover the truth behind Rayven's strange magic.

For now, he had work to do.

As an enchanter, Thyruz had mastered six basic properties.

Concealment and Piercing were the ones Rayven had already witnessed. It was the ability to mask the presence of an item or allow it to bypass natural resistances. The Sleeping Dart he had prepared for Rayven was proof of their utility.

But there were four more properties that he could do…

It was the Durability Property that strengthened the resilience of a weapon or armor, making common steel endure blows a lot longer compared to normal ones…

There was also the Keen Edge Property. It was simple, as it was only sharpening blades to an unnatural fineness, but it was the most profitable in his business as an Enchanter.

There was also a Weight Reduction Property that could help lessen the burden of heavy arms or gear. It was to the point that it could allow a greatsword to swing as lightly as a dagger if he really worked hard on it.

Finally, it was the Stability Property. It was probably the most difficult Enchantment that he had, and it was also what allowed him to advance from Fourth Class Enchanter to the Third Class.

After all, it involves anchoring mana flow within an item, reducing the risk of magical backlash or material degradation.

Together, these six enchantments formed the foundation of his craft.

With them, he could arm a warrior, aid an adventurer, or bolster even a mage.

But Thyruz was no fool. He knew that to remain relevant in this changing age, he had to move beyond the basics and advance further…

He settled into his chair and opened the small manual given to him…

It was the Mana Infusion Manual from Ardania…

The manual taught him the art of binding mana directly into materials, not just layering surface enchantments but putting power into the very fibers of an item's being.

If mastered, this would elevate him from a mere Third-class enchanter to a Second-Class Enchanter… It was a title respected across the kingdom!

"Mana Infusion… I can do this…"