Almost half of the space inside the ring was filled with numerous strange and eccentric ingredients, many of which Merlin had never seen before.

Merlin was not familiar with these ingredients hence he did not pay much attention to them and continued his search.

Soon enough, Merlin discovered a thread-bound book.

"Swoosh."

Using his Mind Power, Merlin retrieved the book right away. It was a thick notebook with its title written in the Molta language. When Merlin flipped the book open and began reading, his face fell gradually.

This thick book was Merilung's handwritten notes. Each time he encountered a difficulty during his cultivation, he would jot down motivation quotes in the notebook. Most of it was records of his hatred for Count Selin. It was clear that he was thinking about returning to Prakash City for revenge at every hour and at every moment.

However, in the notebook, Merlin could not locate the Spell Models that he anticipated nor the Mind Meditation Spell that he needed the most.

Merilung's Wind-type spell was a Speed spell which Merlin longed to obtain. There was also Earth-type spell, a pure Defensive spell which was extremely helpful to Merlin. After all, both the spells which Merlin currently obtained were not Defensive spells hence it would be unsafe for Merlin when he encountered a powerful Spell Caster once again.

Darkness-type spell of peculiar effects also piqued Merlin's interest. However, none of these spells were recorded in Merilung's notes.

The notebook only contained some of the feelings and thoughts Merilung experienced while practicing these spells. There was no detailed explanation of Spell Models.

Merlin was utterly disappointed! He continued his search through every nook and cranny of the ring but failed to locate the Spell Models and Mind Meditation Spell that he wished for.

Disappointment filled his heart.

Merilung was a member of the Abyss Fort. Initially, Merlin thought that he could locate some Spell Models or advanced Mind Meditation Spell in Merilung's ring. However, there were only some strange ingredients for potions apart from the unimportant scribbled notes.

Merlin suddenly thought of the black-robed old man as he put the ring away. The man seemed to be looking for some potions or potion recipes so, perhaps those ingredients inside the ring might be of use for him.

He thought for a moment and decided to pay the black-robed old man a visit tomorrow. This experienced and knowledgeable Spell Caster who had survived the Slaughterhouse might know the usage of these potion ingredients.

…

"Alright, stop right here."

A horse carriage gradually came to a halt. Merlin alighted from the carriage and noticed a small wooden house. This was the house of the black-robed old man.

"Moss, please wait outside."

Merlin still preferred to travel in Moss' stable and comfortable carriage. He whispered something to Moss, gently pushed open the rusty iron fence and walked in.

The small wooden house was surrounded by tall trees but the original green foliage had become bare and looked a bit desolate in the winter.

Merlin came up to the wooden house. He removed the top hat rested on his head and knocked softly on the wooden door.

"Creak..."

Soon, the door was opened ajar, revealing a young maidservant dressed in a gray suit on the other side.

"Merlin is here to look for Wizard Hill!"

The maidservant frowned, her face revealed some hesitation. Brief moments later, a hoarse voice came from inside of the house. "Let him in."

The maidservant performed a curtsy before inviting Merlin inside.

The interior of the house was nice and cozy. The floor was decorated with a light red embroidered rug. The fireplace was burning fiercely, continuously filling the room with comfortable warmth.

It was the black-robed old man who had spoken earlier. He was sitting cross-legged by the fireplace. He appeared rather peaceful with his eyes closed. However, Merlin was still able to sense the violent fluctuation of Fire Elements in him. In other words, the black-robed old man had not stabilized the Spell Models in his Awareness.

"Wizard Hill, the Spell Models in your body have not stabilized?"

Merlin came near the fireplace and sat down face-to-face with the black-robed old man. The maidservant quickly served him a cup of warm drink and retreated respectfully.

It was not a large house. It seemed that there were no one aside from the black-robed old man and his maidservant.

The black-robed old man opened his eyes. Exhaustion flushed across his face. It seemed that his effort to suppress the Spell Models in his body throughout the night was to no avail. His current unstable condition was critical. Like a time bomb, no one knew when it would explode.

"It's not as easy. Forceful activation of Spell Models caused the already unstable Spell Models to be on the brink of collapse. If it wasn't for my strong Mind Power, perhaps the Spell Models have long collapsed into nothing."

Helplessness washed over the black-robed old man's face which was as dry as a tree bark.

"Oh? Is there no other solution?"

Merlin furrowed his eyebrows. He had not expected the black-robed old man to be in such a terrible condition. If he continued the forceful suppression using his Mind Power, in less than a year, his Spell Models would eventually collapse. When that happened, the black-robed old man would lose his life despite his great ability.

"Solution?"

The black-robed old man indulged himself in a cackle of sneering merriment. "Long ago, I found a Spell Caster's cultivation note by accident and later became a Spell Caster after following the written methods. However, a free Spell Caster like us can't join the spell casters' organization. The only way to upgrade ourselves is by joining the army in order to obtain some Spell Models or even casting tools."

"When I was younger, I thought it's better to obtain as many Spell Models as possible. However, how stable are the Spell Models in the army? They mostly focus on strength instead of stability. Finally, a problem occurred when I constructed the third Spell Model. It began to be unstable. If I didn't retrieve the potion recipe by accident and used it to stabilize the Spell Models, perhaps I've been long killed in the Slaughterhouse."

The black-robed old man roughly explained the reason for the instability of his Spell Models. His tone was full of remorse and regret.

Merlin felt slightly afraid. Looking at the terrible condition of the black-robed old man right now made him realized that he had to be more cautious in selecting his future Spell Models.

However, Merlin had the help from the Matrix. Its analysis could assist to perfect the construction of Spell Models in comparison to other Spell Casters. As long as he exercised caution in his selection, he would not experience the same result as the black-robed old man.

"Oh right, Wizard Hill, didn't you mentioned earlier that potion recipes can be used to stabilize your Spell Models?"

Merlin's eyes landed softly onto the black-robed old man as he asked with some doubt and confusion.