Chapter 4 The Disillusionment of the Magic Pattern Class

In comparison, garments made from animal fibers not only have superior texture but also excel in aspects like warmth and breathability compared to those made from plant fibers. How much does a cashmere coat cost versus a cotton jacket? Moreover, the processing of woolen fabrics is intricate, maintenance is troublesome, friction easily causes pilling, and they shrink easily after washing. People with refined tastes may wear them once or twice and then refuse to wear them again... These drawbacks might not be friendly to commoners, but aren't they exactly what nobles aspire to? The value of nobles lies in the complexity of processes and extravagant consumption. Despite its numerous flaws and susceptibility to damage, its high cost and comfortable wear are what truly showcase noble status. Those extravagant nobles will surely foot the bill for it. When all nobles pride themselves on wearing "the softest and most expensive fine cashmere shirts," would she still resemble a commoner if she wears this fabric? No! Those people would rather think that she is the true noble because she was the first to wear it! The night grew long, and the oil lamp burned dimly. Rovi pulled out an old piece of linen and carefully sketched with a charcoal stick roasted on a wooden stick. The process of cleaning wool, methods of removing grease, tools for carding wool, the process of spinning and weaving fabric... When the linen was filled with sketches, the moon had risen to its zenith. This linen was just a draft; when she bought parchment, she would have to transcribe it again with a quill pen and ink. Selling this would promptly supplement the substantial funds needed to disguise herself as a noble. Rovi stretched lazily, immensely grateful for her past self who loved watching tutorials on tremolo. Her friends used to laugh at her, saying she didn't learn anything useful and yet amassed a heap of useless knowledge. Looking back now, she hadn't failed to learn useful things. Not only did she learn, but she also profited greatly! It's just that many of the "essential skills for time travel in ancient times" she learned were of no use. For example, refining pure salt, glassmaking, making mercury mirrors, and even making explosives. The alchemy in this world was quite powerful and had long researched these things. However, the recipes were always held by the major aristocrats, and the products were only for the use of royalty and nobility and not allowed to be sold. But it didn't matter; she could produce these things for her own use with these recipes or secretly sell them on the black market. As long as she didn't make a fuss, no one would investigate her private production of banned goods. It would also arm her noble status a little bit. Isn't it normal for nobles to have these things? The oil lamp burned well into the night, and there was little oil left. Rovi blew out the small flame and smoothly slipped under the covers. The next day, it was Magic Rune class. They had switched to a larger classroom today, and everyone sat in the empty room, with a square sand tray placed in front of each person. It wasn't a topographic sand tray; it was simply a tray of sand, and next to the sand tray was a smooth little wooden stick. Rovi saw her classmates skillfully pick up the little wooden sticks and draw on the sand tray, contemplating the possibility of bringing her ideas to life on paper. She wondered if creating something that could shake the foundations of religion and noble status would invite trouble. Oh well, better not take any risks for now. As she pondered, a thin, curly-haired, wrinkled old man entered the room with a sheepskin scroll tucked under his arm. This was the second day of formal schooling, and it was their first Magic Rune class, so the first thing the thin old man did when he entered the classroom was to introduce himself. "Good morning, children. I am your Magic Rune teacher, Claude Mike. You can call me Professor Mike." "Good day, Professor Mike!" The students stood up and bowed respectfully. "Alright, please be seated," Professor Mike nodded, spreading out the sheepskin scroll on the table and starting his lecture. "What is a Magic Rune? A Magic Rune is a container that absorbs magic and is the imprint of the divine power left by the gods before their ascension to the heavens." "By dissecting and delineating these imprints, we can capture the magical elements scattered between heaven and earth, and then control and use them." "Magic Runes have many uses. The most common use is enchantment, such as inscribing the Rune of Wind on a knight's sword, which can increase the knight's sword swing speed." "Next is teleportation. Magic Runes can connect spatial channels, and by inscribing Runes in different locations, we can complete long-distance travel." "Finally, there's summoning. Summoning Runes can not only summon magical beasts but also summon undead. Legendary sorcerer-knights can even summon the projection of gods." "Of course, the latter two types of Runes are courses for intermediate and advanced magic apprentices. What you are going to learn now is the basic drawing of Magic Runes." Rovi listened attentively; Professor Mike's explanations were clear and interesting. In the original owner's memories, there were legends of magic spread across the continent, and everyone believed in magic, even though no one had seen it. But now that she had transmigrated, magic and deities might indeed exist. "Alright, children, flatten your sand trays. I'm going to start talking about the structure of basic Magic Runes." Professor Mike on the platform picked up a piece of soapstone: "Magic Runes are a compression of spatial structures, so first, we need to learn to draw plane geometry." He turned around and drew a row of geometric shapes on the wooden board. "The geometric shapes used in drawing Magic Runes are divided into four types: rectangles, triangles, circles, and polygons." The students around also picked up the little wooden sticks and began to write and draw on the sand tray. Rovi picked up a little wooden stick too. She hadn't expected that after transmigrating, she would have to start with elementary mathematics. Was this Magic Rune class a precursor to mathematics class? Professor Mike continued, "After learning to draw geometric shapes, we also need to learn to calculate the proportions of Magic Runes so that we can carve them onto different carriers."

With that, he drew a hexagram on the wooden board, marking one of its line segments as one foot, and then drew a square, labeling its side length as six inches.

"Now, who can tell me, if I want to carve this hexagram onto the square slate, what is the length of its longest line segment?" The students below immediately picked up their pens to calculate. After a while, they looked up again, their eyes blankly staring at the wooden board, as if they were deciphering some cryptic code.

Professor Mike waited for a moment and then asked, "Can anyone figure it out?"

The classroom fell into silence. Many bowed their heads, shrinking like quails.

Suddenly, Veena raised her hand.

"Oh, lovely child, do you have an answer for my question?" Professor Mike asked with surprise.

Veena glanced at Rovi and said, "I'm sorry, Professor Mike, I don't know either, but I would like to recommend someone to you."

Professor Mike's smile faded slightly. "So, who would you like to recommend?"

"My friend Rovi. She comes from a noble background and is proficient in arithmetic. I believe she can answer your question."

Veena finished and looked at Rovi, smiling triumphantly. "Darling, please tell the professor your answer!"

She had observed that Rovi had not touched her pen to draw grids since earlier, indicating that she had no idea about grid algorithms at all.

Grid algorithms are the simplest way to calculate products. One must first draw horizontal and vertical lines on paper, forming many grids, and then determine the product by counting the grid nodes.

If she doesn't even know grid algorithms, she's just a commoner. Let's see how she'll still try to pretend!

Veena thought maliciously.