After Impersonating a Noble, I Became a Goddess

Chapter 4: Magic Rune Class and Shattered Illusions

Compared to plant fibers, clothes made from animal fibers possessed not only superior texture but also far better warmth and breathability. How much did a cashmere coat cost, and how much was a simple cotton garment?

Furthermore, the processing of wool was complex, its maintenance a chore; it pilled easily from friction and shrank at the slightest provocation during washing. Anyone with refined tastes would find themselves wanting to discard such a garment after only a few wears.

While these drawbacks might be unfriendly to commoners, weren't they exactly what the nobility craved? An aristocrat's worth was reflected in intricate processes and extravagant consumption. Despite its flaws and fragility, the high cost of production and the sheer comfort of wearing it made it the ultimate symbol of noble status. Those hedonistic high nobles would surely empty their coffers for it.

By the time every noble took pride in wearing "the softest and most expensive fine cashmere," would she, clad in such fabric, still look like a commoner? No! On the contrary, people would believe she was the truest of nobles because she had been the first to wear it!

The night was long, and the oil lamp flickered dimly.

Luo Wei unearthed a piece of old linen and used a wooden stick charred into a charcoal pencil to meticulously sketch upon it. The steps for scouring wool, methods for degreasing, improved tools for carding, the process of twisting and weaving... by the time the linen was filled with diagrams, the moon had already reached its zenith.

This scrap of linen was merely a draft. Once she purchased parchment, she would need to transcribe everything again using a quill and ink. Once she sold this knowledge, the vast sums of money required to maintain her noble facade would receive a timely replenishment.

Luo Wei stretched her limbs, feeling profoundly grateful to her past self for a love of scrolling through short videos. she had watched countless videos from handicraft creators back then. Her friends had teased her, saying she learned nothing useful but a mountain of useless trivia. Looking at it now, she hadn't just learned something useful—she had hit the jackpot!

However, many of the "essential transmigration skills" she had studied were no longer applicable. For instance, refining fine salt, firing glass, making mercury mirrors, or concocting gunpowder. The alchemy of this world was remarkably advanced and had discovered these things long ago. It was just that the formulas remained strictly in the hands of the high nobility, and the products were reserved for royalty—their sale strictly prohibited.

But that didn't matter. Now that she had these formulas, she could produce them for her own use or sell them quietly on the black market for extra coin. As long as she didn't make a grand spectacle of it, no one should pursue her for private manufacture of contraband. It would also serve to reinforce her noble identity. After all, wasn't it perfectly normal for a noble to possess such luxuries?

The oil lamp burned through most of the night until the oil was nearly spent. Luo Wei blew out the small flame and slid smoothly into the warmth of her blankets.

The following day: Magic Rune Class.

They had moved to a larger classroom today. Everyone sat in the hollow expanse, a square sand tray placed before each student. These weren't sand trays used for simulating terrain, but simply trays of sand, accompanied by a smooth, short wooden stick.

Seeing her classmates skillfully picking up the sticks to doodle in the sand, Luo Wei began to contemplate the possibility of inventing white paper. However, she wondered if introducing something that could shake the foundations of religion and the status of the nobility might bring about a death sentence. Best to lay low for now, she decided.

As she mused, a withered old man with curly brown hair and shriveled skin entered, clutching a roll of parchment. It was the second day of formal classes and their first Magic Rune session, so the first thing the thin old man did was introduce himself.

"Good morning, children. I am your Magic Rune teacher, Claude Mike. You may call me Professor Mike."

"Good day, Professor Mike!" The students stood in unison to bow and pay their respects.

"Alright, please be seated." Professor Mike nodded, unrolled the parchment on the desk, and began his lecture.

"What is a Magic Rune? A Magic Rune is a vessel that absorbs mana; it is the imprint left in the mortal realm by the gods using their divine power before they ascended to the heavens."

"By deconstructing and etching these imprints, we can capture the stray magical elements drifting between heaven and earth, thereby controlling and utilizing them."

"Magic Runes have many uses. The most common is enchantment—for instance, carving a Wind Rune onto a knight’s sword can increase the speed of their swing."

"Next is teleportation. Runes can connect spatial tunnels. By carving runes at different locations, we can achieve long-distance travel."

"Finally, there is summoning. Summoning runes can call forth not only magical beasts but also the undead. Legends say that a Saint Magister can even summon the projection of a god."

"Of course, the latter two types are courses reserved for intermediate and advanced magic apprentices. What you are to learn now is the drawing of fundamental Magic Runes."

Luo Wei listened intently. Professor Mike’s lecture was well-reasoned and sounded fascinating. In the original owner’s memory, legends of magic circulated everywhere on this continent; everyone believed in it, yet no one had ever seen it. But since she had successfully transmigrated, perhaps magic and deities truly did exist.

"Now, children, smooth out your sand trays. I shall begin explaining the structure of basic runes."

On the platform, Mike picked up a piece of soapstone chalk. "A Magic Rune is a compression of spatial structures, so we must first learn to draw plane geometry." He turned and drew a row of geometric shapes on the wooden board. "The geometric shapes used in drawing runes are divided into four categories: rectangles, triangles, circles, and polygons."

Below, the students followed suit, picking up their wooden sticks to sketch in the sand. Luo Wei also picked up her stick. She never imagined that after transmigrating, she would have to start learning math from the elementary level. Was this Magic Rune class just a predecessor to a mathematics course?

Professor Mike continued, "Once you have mastered drawing geometric shapes, we must also learn to calculate the proportions of the runes so they can be etched onto different mediums."

As he spoke, he drew a hexagram on the board, marking one of its line segments as one foot. He then drew a square, marking its side length as six inches.

"Now, who can tell me: if I want to etch this hexagram onto this square stone slab, what is the maximum length of its line segments in inches?"

The students immediately picked up their sticks to calculate. After a while, they looked up at the board with dazed expressions, as if they were staring at an incomprehensible divine script.

Professor Mike waited a moment and asked again, "Can anyone calculate it?"

The classroom was deathly silent. Many students lowered their heads, shrinking their necks like quails.

Suddenly, Vina raised her hand.

"Oh, dear child, do you wish to answer my question?" Professor Mike asked with pleasant surprise.

Vina spared a glance at Luo Wei. "My apologies, Professor Mike, I do not know either. However, I would like to recommend someone to you."

Mike’s smile faded slightly. "And who would you like to recommend?"

"My friend, Luo Wei. She comes from a noble background and is proficient in arithmetic. I’m certain she can answer your question."

Vina finished and looked at Luo Wei, smiling triumphantly. "Dearest, hurry and tell the Professor your answer!"

She had been observing; Luo Wei hadn't drawn a single grid until now. This proved she didn't know the "Grid Method" at all.

The Grid Method was the simplest way to calculate products; one had to draw horizontal and vertical lines on paper to form many grids, then find the product by counting the intersection points.

You don't even know the Grid Method... Commoner, I’ll see how you manage to fake it this time! Vina thought with pure malice.