Over the next few weeks, Leon and Im spent most of their time in the workshop, analyzing the new herbs and magical materials they'd collected. Leon found that the blue jungle flowers had strong calming properties—they could be used to make a new type of meditation potion that helped mages focus better and resist mana fatigue during long study sessions.
Im was excited about the purple-leafed healing herb. "This can be used to make an antidote for almost any magical poison," he said, grinding the herb into a fine powder with a stone mortar and pestle. "Even the neurotoxic poison of the Shadow Panther. We'll be able to sell this for a very high price to the Mage Guild, which has been looking for a better antidote for years."
Leon spent his free time working on the shadow magic rune array. He used the Shadow Panther claw as a magical focus, and he experimented with different rune patterns, drawing them on parchment with enchanted ink. After several failed attempts (one of which accidentally covered half the cottage in shadow), he finally created a small, wearable rune array that could create a shadowy cloak, making the wearer almost invisible in dark places.
"Wow, that works!" Dahlia said, tying the rune array to her robes. She disappeared into the shadows of the cottage's stone fireplace, only her glowing eyes visible. "I feel like a secret spy!"
Leon grinned, adjusting the rune array's mana flow. "It's not perfect—it only works in dark places, and it doesn't last more than an hour. But I can improve it with more practice and better materials."
Flower tried on the cloak next, and he immediately tried to sneak up on Leon. Leon heard him coming, though—the cloak didn't muffle sound, and Flower's boots were crunching on the cottage's wooden floor. "Nice try," Leon said, turning around and laughing. "You need to be quieter if you want to sneak up on someone."
Over the next few months, Leon continued to improve the shadow cloak, and he also started working on a new invention: a magical lantern that used Glow Squirrel fur to create bright, steady light, without needing a flame. The lantern was bright enough to light up a small room, and it didn't produce smoke, making it perfect for use in the jungle or in enclosed spaces like ancient ruins.
The Mage Guild bought several of the lanterns for their expedition teams, and they also placed a large order for the new meditation potions. Leon and Im made a lot of money from the sales, and they used it to buy more rare magic materials and expand the herb garden, adding a new section for growing magical herbs that required high humidity.
In Sarneth Town, the bakery was doing better than ever. Garin and Erika had hired two new workers to help with the increasing demand for bread and pastries, and Isabella was managing the accounts and handling customer orders. Leon sometimes went to the bakery on weekends to help with baking, and he taught the workers how to make new types of bread, including a sweet bread made with wild mountain honey and dried berries.
"Leon, this bread is amazing!" Erika said, taking a bite of the sweet bread. "We should sell this at the bakery— it will be a hit with the nobles of Sarneth Town, who love fancy, sweet foods."
Leon nodded, grinning. "Sure. We can call it 'Mountain Honey Berry Bread'—it sounds fancy, and it's made with ingredients from the valley, so we can market it as 'fresh from the mage's valley'."
The bread was a huge success, and it helped the bakery make even more money. Garin used the extra money to buy a new, larger stone oven for the bakery, making it easier to bake large quantities of bread at once.
One day, a Mage Guild messenger arrived at the valley, carrying a sealed letter for Leon. The letter said that his paper on Tai Chi and mana circulation had won a small but prestigious award from the Mage Guild's Research Council, and that he was invited to attend a mage conference in the capital city of the Aurestian Empire, to present his paper to mages from all over the empire.
"Wow, that's a huge deal!" Im said, reading the letter after Leon. "The annual mage conference is attended by hundreds of mages, including some of the most powerful and respected mages in the empire. You'll get to meet famous mages, learn about new magical research, and make important connections."
Leon was excited, but he was also nervous. "I've never been to the capital before. What if I mess up my presentation? What if the other mages laugh at my ideas?"
Im clapped him on the back, smiling warmly. "You won't mess up. Your paper is innovative and well-researched, and you know what you're talking about. This is a great opportunity for you—you'll make a name for yourself in the mage community, and it will help you get into a good mage academy later if you want."
Leon decided to go to the conference. He started preparing his presentation, practicing his speech in front of Dahlia and Flower, and making detailed diagrams of the Tai Chi movements and mana circulation paths to show the audience. Dahlia and Flower offered to go with him, but Leon decided to go alone—he wanted to prove that he could handle it on his own, without his friends or teacher to help him.
Before he left, he visited Eldrin's grave, which was in the herb garden, under a large oak tree. He placed a loaf of Mountain Honey Berry Bread on the grave, and he talked to Eldrin, telling him about his progress. "I'm going to the capital to present my paper on Tai Chi and mana," he said, his voice quiet. "I'm getting closer to becoming a real mage, and I'll explore your ancient ruins soon, I promise. I won't let you down."
He stayed at the grave for a while, thinking about Eldrin and the lessons he'd learned from the old herbalist. He knew Eldrin would be proud of him, and that gave him the confidence he needed to go to the capital.
A few weeks later, Leon packed his bags and left for the capital. He took a comfortable, mage-guarded carriage from Sarneth Town, and the journey took two weeks, passing through small villages, rolling hills, and dense forests. When he arrived in the capital, he was amazed by the size of the city—it was much bigger than Sarneth Town, with tall stone buildings, busy market squares filled with people from all over the empire, and mages walking around in colorful, embroidered robes.
He checked into a small, clean inn near the Mage Guild headquarters, and he spent the next few days exploring the city. He visited the Mage Guild library, which had thousands of ancient books on magic, herbology, and magical history, and he even saw a few white-robed mages, which was a rare sight outside of the capital's mage academies.
On the day of the conference, Leon put on his best robes (a simple gray robe with a small embroidery of a pen and a herb) and walked to the Mage Guild headquarters. The conference was held in a large, domed hall, filled with mages from all over the empire, sitting in rows of wooden chairs. Leon was nervous, but he took a deep breath and walked to the small stage at the front of the hall.
He started his presentation, talking about how Tai Chi helped him improve his mana circulation and grow his mana pool faster than the average mage apprentice. He showed diagrams of the Tai Chi movements, and he even demonstrated a few slow, flowing movements on stage, to show how the movements aligned with mana flow.
The mages in the audience were interested, and they asked a lot of thoughtful questions after his presentation. Several mages came up to him afterward, telling him that his research was innovative and could help other mage apprentices improve their mana control. One white-robed mage, a famous researcher from the Imperial Mage Academy, even offered to give him a copy of a rare, ancient book on advanced mana circulation techniques.
Leon left the conference feeling proud and excited. He'd made a name for himself in the mage community, and he'd learned a lot from the other mages' presentations. He knew that this was just the beginning of his journey as a mage, and he couldn't wait to see what the future held.