Chapter 105: The Path

Although he was somewhat puzzled by the count’s abnormal surge in power, now was not the time to ask questions—perhaps he should wait until his grandfather was in a better mood. Nevertheless, an increase in strength was always a good thing. The stronger his grandfather became, the more stable his backing would be. Even if the count had gained some fortunate advantages, there would still be some benefits left for him in the end.

It was the first time he had seen his grandfather so angry, but Boen quickly realized that this anger stemmed from concern for him, and he felt deeply touched.

Honestly, without the chip to distribute the workload, Boen might have burst his head from overloading on the Naeser scrolls. He understood the sensation well—the scrolls seemed to impose a continuous, intense focus, suppressing all other bodily sensations. Even if he couldn’t absorb the content, the information would be forcefully stuffed into his mind, regardless of whether he could “digest” it or not, until it threatened to overwhelm him.

Of course, risk and reward went hand in hand. Thanks to the entire treatise on the Domain Mechanism, Boen’s new arcane structure was able to be completed so swiftly.

The count’s overflowing magic was soon brought under control, yet an icy frost still clung to his expression.

Boen opened his mouth to speak but ultimately remained silent.

Rodney seemed to have been brainwashed, yet this was inexplicable. As a dossier scholar and divine magic expert, even with knowledge of many divine secrets, he should not be so easily swayed.

Normally, one would expect only seals to be set, as such brainwashing destroys creativity. A puppet with mere talent could never become a dossier scholar.

Moreover, Ganas or Amanata, being benevolent deities—especially now, before their faith has been completely harnessed—maintained strong self-awareness and would never engage in such acts.

Yet when Rodney discovered Boen’s talent, he did attempt to hypnotize him and candidly admitted it when he failed.

What puzzled Boen most was why Rodney lent him the entire Domain Mechanism treatise even after the brainwashing failed. Why would he do that?

Could it be that he simply hoped to render Boen useless through the golden scroll’s properties? Boen felt there was more to the story—something theatrical about it all.

Boen could not unravel these questions himself, much less explain them to the count.

The count raised a hand and gently gestured, causing everything around them to reverse as if time itself flowed backward: the broken table leg mended itself, the fallen bookshelf stood upright once more, and scattered books flew back to their places as if sprouting wings.

Though it appeared to be a “time reversal” spell, it was actually a combination of several simpler magics, all of which Boen himself could perform—Greater Restoration, Restoration, Mage Hand…

Yet he could never wield them with the smoothness or natural finesse of the count, whose use of these low-level spells carried the air of a high-level enchanter.

“All right, you mentioned you’ve constructed fifth-circle arcana. What about your fourth-circle magic?”

The count regained his usual aloof demeanor, conjuring a cup of tea out of thin air, leaving Boen momentarily stunned.

Blinking, Boen’s eyes shimmered with pale blue light. “This is a fourth-circle spell: Arcane Eye!”

He then selected a few more arcane spells to demonstrate to the count.

“This is all so scattered,” the count frowned slightly. “You’re dabbling in creation, mind, and transmutation branches all at once. That’s not ideal—it will greatly affect your future path.”

Boen smiled wryly. He understood the count’s meaning. After all, he was a pseudo-prodigy. Without the chip’s simulation and calculations, he might not even have constructed a third-circle spell by now.

Magic was a profound discipline. The three branches he currently followed came from the golden scroll. Later, the Eight Great Sects—and within each, numerous subsects—would emerge, creating an overwhelming variety.

In later years, some would argue endlessly over which sect was superior.

“I understand. Grandfather, please take a look at this.”

Fortunately, Boen was prepared. With a simple wave of his hand, it seemed as if a pocket opened in the void.

“Oh?”

The count’s eyes lit up as he glanced at the bracelet on Boen’s wrist, admiring, “A clever idea. Not a magical item per se, yet it possesses effects similar to a spatial artifact.”

The fusion of magic gathering formulas with sealing and spatial runes—Boen had already reached such a level. The combination of different spell formulas was far from a simple sum; the difficulty increased exponentially.

Even the count himself had spent over a decade after ascending to higher arcana to combine three different formulas, yet Boen had already mastered and put them into practice.

Without comparison, there would be no judgment. This combination was like mathematics: right or wrong. Even the count admitted he might not do better than Boen, and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.

“This is a third-circle spell. I call it ‘Iorum’s Storage Space.’ Using the bracelet as a marker, it artificially expands a small ‘bubble space.’ The advantage is that you can carry a large quantity of items without weight. The drawback is that, as a man-made bubble space, it gradually erodes as it moves through the world, requiring periodic rune repairs.”

The count nodded, offering little further comment.

Boen smiled faintly; he intended to surprise his grandfather.

He slowly traced a circle in the air. Silver light shimmered across his hand, and ripples appeared as if on a water surface.

The count was quietly surprised. Though he knew Boen had extraordinary talent in spatial creation magic, he had not expected such a high level of innate aptitude.

At that moment, Boen’s mood hit a snag. He realized he might have overdone it. The mage tower itself was a sealed space, where spatial magic was heavily restricted unless one had special permissions.

The highest spatial authority in the tower belonged to its master, Dean Concenio. Even the count’s privileges were granted by the dean and then extended to Boen, who ranked third in clearance.

Fortunately, the restrictions were not absolute. Just as Boen was about to break under the pressure, he completed the spell.

The count sensed it briefly and asked, “A dimensional anchor?”

“This is a simplified adaptation of the Dimensional Anchor,” Boen replied. “It doesn’t seal as extensively. I call it the Dimensional Lock.”

Boen wiped the sweat from his brow, nearly having a mishap.

“Hmm, the sealing range is small, but used well, it can be very effective in battle.”

What the count did not know was that this simplified Dimensional Lock was Boen’s modification of the Dimensional Anchor he had seen used.

By showing these two arcana, Boen both displayed his talent and conveyed his chosen path—creation magic.

“So your fifth-circle arcana is also along this line?”

The count’s deep gaze fixed on Boen.

Boen replied solemnly, “Yes. I am also conceptualizing the sixth circle. If this fifth-circle spell succeeds, it will form the foundation for the sixth.”

The count scrutinized him as if trying to see through his very soul.

After a moment, he said, “The path you have chosen is fraught with hardship and obstacles. It is untraveled territory… or rather, the entrance is already littered with bones.”

He withdrew his gaze and spoke in a low voice, “But you have already surpassed the vast majority, having reached this crossroads. Much of this is due to your talent, but remember: talent only means your starting point is better than others.”

“I understand, Grandfather!”

Boen exhaled deeply and nodded firmly. “Truth and knowledge—only wisdom is eternal!”

The count nodded with satisfaction and stepped beside Boen. “This is no place to experiment with new arcana. Let us move elsewhere.”

Boen agreed; unless he surpassed Dean Concenio, the mage tower’s best clearances would forever limit him, and his new arcana would be greatly suppressed.

“Do not resist.”

With that, the count placed a hand on Boen’s shoulder. Only then did he realize how much the young Boen had grown.

(Admittedly, this chapter is not very well written. Some descriptions were problematic. If written strictly according to the lore, many readers might not understand, as there are issues with how spatial magic or elemental magics like fire are portrayed.

In reality, fire, water, ice, and other elemental magics are broadly categorized under shaping energy. According to the protagonist’s current timeline, the Eight Great Sects have yet to emerge, and shaping energy still falls under creation magic. Spatial magic belongs to the incantation branch, also under creation magic.

This book is meant for insiders, with many Eastern-style jokes and phrasing designed for immediate comprehension and reader comfort.)