As the temperature rose, the chunks of lard began to shrink. Their originally solid white color gradually turned golden, and fat seeped out from each piece like trickling streams, gathering at the bottom of the pot into a clear, glossy layer of oil.
Levi used a wooden spatula he had casually made to stir the pieces, preventing them from sticking to the pot while ensuring that each side was heated evenly.
Time passed slowly.
Occasionally, hot oil splattered.
By this point, the lard chunks had shrunk to less than half their original size, their color turning an appetizing golden brown.
The amount of oil in the pot had clearly increased.
Using the "Gathering Technique", Levi collected wood from nearby trees to create a tightly sealed wooden barrel, then gathered the rendered lard and poured it inside.
Repeating this process, Levi ended up with dozens of kilograms of pure lard, completely free of impurities, which could be used later for cooking.
Although it looked like a considerable amount, given Levi's current appetite, those dozens of kilograms probably wouldn't last very long.
But that could be dealt with later.
Levi then began processing the other parts of the wild boar.
In fact, these boar parts had already been cleaned by the "Gathering Technique", making them extremely clean—there was no need to blanch them, and they carried no gamey smell.
Still, Levi placed them into an iron pot, simmering them in water with salt and various spices to make braised meat.
The braising process took quite a while, and the fragrance spread through the air, stirring the many sharp-sensed animals within the forest.
However, with Levi's Spiritual Power pressure as a First-Ring Wizard present, none of the animals dared to approach.
With nothing else to do, Levi resumed training the improved Knight Breathing Technique.
...
At daybreak, Levi habitually cast "Detection" on himself—
[The Magic Mirror Queen has learned of Hassein's death and has sent a Great Knight to lead a team to hunt you down.]
[They are expected to catch up to you in five days.]
Seeing this information, Levi's brows furrowed slightly.
A Great Knight, huh.
A being even more inhuman than a Knight.
But that was all.
Now that he was a First-Ring Wizard, Levi did not fear a Great Knight.
Even though many of the spells he had mastered were primarily supportive in nature,
a wizard was still a wizard.
Compared to Knights and Great Knights, the difference was like a cliff.
Not to mention that Levi was already a First-Ring Wizard—even a wizard apprentice, given enough preparation, could kill a Great Knight.
Wizards relied on their brains.
Of course, Levi could not afford to be careless. He still needed to train constantly and improve his strength.
Since his Spiritual Power could no longer increase due to the limitations of his meditation method, Levi could still train the Knight Breathing Technique and raise the level of his spells.
Well, the Knight Breathing Technique wasn't convenient to train right now, but along the way, Levi could use "Detection" to search for materials listed in the medicinal formula that assisted breathing technique training, preparing for future refinement.
After all, both body and mind—Levi intended to develop both, and neither could be neglected.
Aside from searching for materials, Levi also actively used "Wizard's Hand" to increase its power.
A Level 2 "Wizard's Hand" was decent for a wizard apprentice, but for him—a First-Ring Wizard—it was somewhat lacking.
[You used Wizard's Hand once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 36/200.]
…
[You used Wizard's Hand once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 58/200.]
…
[You used Wizard's Hand once. Experience +1. Current EXP: 198/200.]
…
[Your Wizard's Hand has reached the upgrade requirement. It can be upgraded.]
"Upgrade," Levi said without hesitation.
Immediately, within his soul sea, the spell crystal structure of "Wizard's Hand" began to change. In a short moment, a more complex three-dimensional spell crystal structure took shape.
"Wizard's Hand" — Level 3.
A Level 3 "Wizard's Hand" had already reached the strongest tier among apprentice-level spells.
This time, when cast, the "Wizard's Hand" was not only more flexible and had a wider range, but its lifting strength had reached 500 kilograms.
Just imagine it clenching into a fist and instantly striking with the force of 500 kilograms—how destructive would that be?
If equipped with a weapon, such as a javelin or a long blade, it could cause even greater damage.
More importantly, the "Wizard's Hand" was invisible. As long as it was within the spell's range, Levi could make it appear anywhere he wanted.
This gave "Wizard's Hand" far more possibilities.
But even so, the power of a Level 3 "Wizard's Hand" was still not enough for Levi at his current level as a First-Ring Wizard.
He needed a stronger "Wizard's Hand".
So, he continued using "Wizard's Hand" to accumulate experience.
However, compared to before, each cast of the Level 3 "Wizard's Hand" now consumed a considerable amount of Magic Power, which reduced the number of times he could use it. After all, Levi's Magic Power was not infinite—he had to stop and meditate to recover it.
As a result, the rate at which "Wizard's Hand" gained experience slowed down.
On top of that, along the way, Levi wasn't only casting "Wizard's Hand"—he also had other spells to use.
All of these consumed a large amount of his Magic Power.
The total amount of his Magic Power was fixed. Since he lacked a high-tier meditation method to further increase his Spiritual Power, it remained capped at 5000 points.
Meanwhile, as the levels of his spells increased, their power improved—but so did their Magic Power consumption.
Additionally, while traveling, Levi needed to maintain a certain reserve of Magic Power to deal with unexpected situations and dangers.
As a result, the amount of Magic Power available for practicing spells became smaller and smaller.
This, in turn, caused the rate of improvement of Levi's spells to slow down the further he progressed.
Three days later, when Levi left the forest, crossed the stream at the border between the Kingdom of Francis and the Kingdom of Amtyr, and arrived at a small village in the Kingdom of Amtyr, his "Wizard's Hand" still had not reached Level 4.
However, his "Conversion", thanks to all the constant eating, had successfully advanced to Level 2.
Level 2 "Conversion" allowed Levi to extract more energy from food to strengthen himself.
In other words, his energy efficiency had increased.
At this moment, Levi's attributes were as follows:
[Name: Levi]
[Identity: Transmigrator, Fugitive, First-Ring Wizard, Great Knight]
[Strength: 5.35]
[Constitution: 5.02]
[Agility: 5.59]
[Spiritual Power: 15.1]
[Charm: 1.8]
[Magic Power: 258/5000]
[Abilities: Origin Energy (non-upgradable), Detection LV4 (40/800), Conversion LV2 (98/200), Gathering Technique LV3 (100/400), Moon Wolf Knight Breathing Technique LV3 (50/400), Wizard's Hand LV3 (65/400)]
[Note: You have learned the path toward a Second-Ring Wizard, but your situation is far from safe.]
Levi habitually cast "Detection" on the village before him—
[Salit Village, the fief of Knight Polot. He resides in a small wooden fort located in the center of the village. This fort consists of multiple layers of wooden watchtowers, wooden walls, a wooden gate, stables, the knight's residence, a pond, and granaries. It possesses decent defensive capabilities and serves as the living place of Knight Polot, his family, and his retainers.]
[The entire village has more than 400 inhabitants, making it a medium-to-large village. There is a small hill nearby, and the stone from that hill is well-suited for building castles. The revenue it generates exceeds that of the farmland, giving the Polot family a relatively strong position among the knightly families in this region.]
[However, recently, bandit activity has arisen in the surrounding area, and multiple young girls have gone missing.]
[On the eastern side of the village, there is a river, where a water-powered mill is located. Villagers bring wheat or other crops here to be ground into flour. A simple horizontal watermill can save five adults an entire day of labor each, and 15% of the flour must be paid as milling fees. The miller has accumulated a large amount of flour and is currently looking to sell it.]
[…]
Under Levi's "Detection", the entire situation of the village was laid bare without reservation.
Levi knew Knight Polot's strength, and he even knew where the steward had hidden the gold coins embezzled through corruption.
It could be said that at this moment, Levi understood the village even better than its owner, Knight Polot.
His gaze turned toward the village's watermill.
The owner of this watermill had a large amount of flour on hand—exactly what Levi needed.
He was running low on food, especially bread and similar items. Meat, on the other hand, was not a problem.
There was no shortage of small animals in the forest, and Levi's "Gathering Technique" allowed him to easily process them, obtaining large amounts of meat.
What Levi lacked was bread-type food. After all, flour couldn't be easily gathered in the forest—or at least, not in significant quantities.
He was still in a stage of physical growth, and his body required balanced nutrition.
Meat was essential, but so was bread. If possible, Levi also wanted to buy some milk.
With a thought, he drove his alchemical carriage toward the village's mill.
To be honest, the village's infrastructure was not very good. Not to mention the roads—even the layout of the villagers' houses alone made the entire village look especially chaotic.
This village had not been constructed according to a single unified plan, but had instead gradually taken shape over time.
Based on natural conditions such as terrain, water sources, and the distribution of farmland, as well as factors like family relationships and land ownership, the villagers had slowly built their homes and facilities step by step. As a result, the overall layout often appeared irregular.
Combined with other factors, the village's layout seemed especially chaotic. This was reflected in the roads—some were unusually wide and open, while others were so narrow that two closely built houses nearly blocked the way entirely. This placed considerable demands on Levi's driving skills.
If not for Levi using his Spiritual Power to scout the path ahead, there were places he simply wouldn't have been able to pass through.
Fortunately, after spending several dozen minutes, he successfully arrived in front of the mill by the stream.
The main structure of the mill was a two-story stone-and-wood building, with thick walls designed to support the heavy millstones and mechanical structures above.
The roof was sloped, covered with thatch, wooden shingles, or stone slabs, allowing rainwater to drain away quickly.
A diversion channel branched off from the stream, guiding water toward the waterwheel beside the mill. Driven by the force of the flowing water, the wheel turned steadily, transmitting kinetic energy through a series of wooden shafts to the grinding mechanism inside.
The millstones consisted of two thick stone discs—one upper and one lower. The upper stone was either fixed or slightly adjustable, while the lower stone rotated with the mechanism.
Villagers or slaves would slowly pour grain through an opening above, and under the pressure between the two stones, it would be ground into fine flour.
This was the scene Levi observed at the mill.
His first impression was that the miller was quite wealthy.
Around the mill, lush trees encircled the area, with birdsong and the sound of flowing water intertwining, creating a tranquil and rhythmic environment.
Next to the mill stood a simple grain storage shed, connected to the miller's residence. A small garden surrounded the house, forming a self-sufficient little world.
This miller was truly rich.
From the information he had obtained earlier through "Detection", Levi knew that the miller was related to the local lord and was highly trusted by him.
Otherwise, the mill would not have been under his management.
From the steady flow of villagers coming and going through the entrance, Levi could clearly see the miller's prosperity.
And while Levi observed these villagers and slaves, the locals were also observing him.
Toward a stranger with an unfamiliar face, they always maintained a mix of welcome and vigilance.
"Hey… you good-looking lad—are you here to propose to Miss Yalina too? If so, I've got to tell you, you're late," a villager standing in front of the mill said to Levi.
The villager was a sturdy man around forty years old. His bronze-colored skin bore the marks of sun and wind, his rough hands were covered in calluses, and his knuckles were slightly deformed from years of labor.
His face was square, with thick brown eyebrows above a pair of sincere brown eyes. Fine lines gathered at the corners of his eyes, making his smile appear especially warm and approachable. His graying temples and short, coarse stubble added to his simple, rustic air, and he wore a worn linen cap on his head.
Levi was slightly taken aback when he heard this. "Propose?"
"Aren't you here because you heard the news from Miss Yalina's father?"
"Don't be shy, lad."
"Young people should be bold."
"But it's a pity—you really did come too late."
"You're quite handsome, and our Miss Yalina is the most famous tulip around here."
"Even nobles have been willing to marry her… but her father turned them down."
Levi had only spoken two words, yet the man kept talking nonstop, leaving him no chance to interject. In the end, Levi simply fell silent.
He had only come to buy bread—how had it turned into a marriage proposal?
Just as Levi was about to end this meaningless conversation, the enthusiastic villager suddenly changed expression slightly and turned toward a certain direction.
"Miss Yalina, what brings you here?"
Hearing this, Levi also felt a bit curious. He wanted to see what the girl the villagers called the "Tulip Flower" looked like, so he turned his head to look.
She was a young girl with long, thick golden-brown hair the color of honey, appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. Her hair curled slightly and was tied with a silk ribbon embroidered with tulip patterns, with a few loose strands falling softly along her fair neck.
Her eyes were a clear amber, shimmering with a warm, honey-like glow in the sunlight. Her eyelashes were thick and gently curled, like the wings of a butterfly.
Her skin was as delicate and tender as the petals of a freshly bloomed tulip, carrying a faint blush, as if it would flush red at the slightest touch.
Her features were refined and well-proportioned, with a straight nose bridge and lips the color of fresh rose petals.
The name "Tulip" was indeed well deserved.
In Levi's mind, although she could not compare to the Magic Mirror Queen or Snow White, if rated, she would still score around 90—undoubtedly a top-tier beauty.
Miss Yalina wore a deep blue velvet dress, its hem embroidered with golden-thread tulip patterns. The collar and cuffs were adorned with delicate lace, and over it she wore a light purple silk short cloak. On her feet were a pair of soft calfskin shoes, also embroidered with small decorative patterns.
At this moment, she was looking at Levi, who sat atop his alchemical carriage, with a gaze tinged with curiosity.