by Zhuang Bifan
The old man laughed, and then went on to say, "This magic is powerful in that it can cut off mana in an instant. To some extent, it is similar to Mana Retroaction, but Mana Retroaction is achieved by suppression. At the same time as interrupting the spell, it also has an anti-mana effect. On the contrary, Arcane Wall is achieved by cutting off mana, which will not produce the anti-mana effect; it can only cut off the circulation of mana temporarily."
"Isn't that another Mana Retroaction?"
"Wrong!" Macklin shook his head. "There is a most obvious difference between these two spells: Mana Retroaction can interrupt the recitation of spells, while Arcane Wall can at most prolong the duration of recitation. Its real use is against channel and semi-channel spells."
Lin Li nodded; he really understood it this time.
The so-called channel spells referred to spells that required a continuous output of mana in the process of spell-casting. For example, there were 12 Arcane Missile in total; in the process of releasing the 12 Arcane Missile, it was necessary to maintain a state of spell-casting all the time. Once interrupted, it would be impossible to release all 12 Arcane Missile at once.
Semi-channel spells referred to spells such as the Elemental Shield—there was no need to maintain a spell-casting state, nor to use the mental strength to channel. When using semi-channel spells, the spell-caster was required to continue the provision of mana. If the mana output was interrupted, the Elemental Shield would naturally disappear.
"Does that mean that I can interrupt anyone's mana at will in future battles so as to achieve the effect of breaking through magic shields?"
"No, no, no… You're wrong again." Macklin shook his head.
"Ah?"
"Arcane Wall doesn't work that way. First of all, you have to be clear that the Arcane Wall is not a Mana Retroaction. It lasts too shortly, and does not produce an anti-mana effect. When mana is interrupted, it would only take a moment to recover. What can you do in that moment? Not to mention recite a spell, you may not even be able to unleash an instantaneous spell."
"Then what's the significance of this Arcane Wall?"
"In the Dark Ages, the Arcane Wall was a spell that every member of the Magic Legion had to master. Don't underestimate the interruption of a moment. During the war at that time, few people had the guts to release channel spells in front of the members of the Magic Legion. Do you know why? It's precisely because of the existence of the Arcane Wall!"
"That exaggerated?" Lin Li frowned. To be honest, he was incredulous. If, as Macklin said, the effect lasted only for a moment, what significance did it hold to interrupt the channel spells?
"Fool!" Macklin glared at him fiercely. "Don't you know that interruption could bring about the bite of mana?"
After being chided by Macklin, Lin Li suddenly remembered that f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y interrupting the casting of a spell could bring about the bite of mana. In particular, for some channel spells—because they had to focus their attention on casting, once interrupted, it would likely result in mental confusion.
The battle between mages was rapidly changing, and there was absolutely no room for a single mistake. It would only take one bite of mana to turn the game around. Moreover, it might result in mental confusion, which was much more powerful than the bite of mana. The severity ranged from loss of mana control to schizophrenia.
At the end of the conversation, Macklin concluded with a sentence, "So, kid… you are really lucky this time. Put it away properly. If you use it right, you may even have a chance to defeat an Archmage."
"Mhm." Lin Li nodded, and carefully put Dragon's Eye in his pocket.
"Knowing that you have this thing, I feel more at ease…." As Macklin spoke, he opened the closed door and came out of the Spelling Testing Hall, his aged face filled with triumphant smile. "At least you don't have to worry about that fellow, Darian, anymore. He loves to use channel spells. When the time comes… You can use this gemstone to give him a big surprise. Damn it, I've been unhappy with this idiot for a long time. If he really comes to find trouble with you, don't need to give me face at all—beat him as hard as you can. I'd like to see if he still has the face to stay in Alanna after being beaten by a Magic Shooter…"
"…"
It was unknown whether Darian could stay or not, but there was one person who certainly couldn't.
His name was Matthias…
Lin Li had been running to the Omniscient Tower every day over the past ten days. Although he had not been there today, he was too busy to notice that the words he had used to tease Matthias had gradually spread in the Alanna Guild of Magic…
"Let me tell you a secret…"
"What secret?"
"Do you know Matthias from Sunrise City? I heard that he's impotent!"
"F*ck! That exciting?"
"Yes, yes. Pity Sir Wilhelm, he finally has a son, but he turns out to be impotent…"
"Sigh, it's a tragedy indeed…"
"You're the only person I told this secret to. You'll have to help me keep it, and not tell anyone else about it!"
"Mhm, no problem."
…
"Let me tell you a secret…"
"What secret?"
"Do you know Matthias from Sunrise City? I heard he likes men instead of women!"
"F*ck! That exciting?"
"Yes, yes. Pity Sir Wilhelm. He finally has a son, but it turns out that he likes men, and not women…"
"Sigh, it's a tragedy indeed…"
"You're the only person I told this secret to. You'll have to help me keep it, and not tell anyone else about it!"
"Mhm, no problem."
…
Rumors were like plague—it would only spread faster and wider. From impotence to liking only men and not women, then to STD and body stench; it took only four to five days for such a complex process to evolve, and it seemed that there was a trend of it getting worse…
As for the authenticity of the rumor, no one was willing to care about it.
In fact, everyone knew that this was false. But, for them, the truth was not important. What was important was the satisfaction and p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in the process of spreading the rumor.
So, it was unfortunate for Matthias…
"Damn it! Damn! Damn! Damn it!" Matthias' face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He was desperately smashing things to vent his anger. Everything that could be smashed in the room had already been smashed by him, but his rage only grew stronger and stronger.
If possible, he really wanted to capture the Jarrosus country boy right away and torture him for ten days and ten nights with the cruelest means so that he could die in endless pain after he had shed his last drop of blood!
It was because of this darned guy that he had become the laughing stock of all people. Just listen to what they were saying… Matthias had been recovering recently, but the jokes circulating in the guild had passed through his ears without miss. Matthias felt as if he was on pins and needles listening to all the comments every day.
He couldn't live another day like this anymore.
That Jarrosus country boy… he'd have to pay for everything he had done!
Matthias slammed open the door. He dragged his wounded legs that had yet to fully recover, planning to look for that darned fellow. However, he had just opened the door when he saw a figure in black robe standing outside the door.
"Matthias, what are you doing?"
"Mentor Aeron, I… I…" Matthias froze, then stammered "I" a few times before finally continuing, "I want to go out for a walk…"
"Walk?" Aeron looked at him, and a sneer appeared on his squarish face. "I'm afraid you're going to see that Jarrosus mage named Felic?"
Having been exposed by Aeron, Matthias was more or less pricked with guilt. All along, Aeron had given him an unfathomable feeling—Matthias was afraid of him, but he also respected him.
"Alright, go if you want…"
"Ah?" Matthias gave a start of astonishment.
"But, I'll tel
l you, Matthias, if you have your limbs broken by him again this time, don't expect me to take out the Restorative Potion to save you. You'd better think it through."
"But… Mentor Aeron…"
"But what?" Aeron looked at him, his squarish face was still calm. It was impossible to figure what his mood was.
"But I can't swallow this down!"
"What about that?" Aeron sneered, his eyes fixed on Matthias. "You can't swallow it, but what can you do with him? Do you think you're his match?"
"I… I was only careless the last time…" Although Aeron's stare made him nervous, Matthias did not give in.
During those ten days in bed, he had thought over and over again, gradually finding out the crux of the battle.
In this world, it was absolutely impossible for anyone to withstand a fireball without magical shield. Even a legendary mage would not be able to bear it. It was not something that could be endured with physical strength at all, unless… unless that fellow named Felic was wearing some magical equipment…
Matthias could even guess that the use of this magical equipment would most likely produce a similar effect to a magical shield. The fireball that he'd fired at that time must have been blocked by this magical equipment.
This was exceptionally important…
It was the magical equipment that had blocked the fireball, not the strength of the fellow himself.
Matthias believed he couldn't be mistaken. The Jarrosus country boy's strength would never exceed level-seven. Even if he had made new breakthroughs in the past dozen days, it would never be beyond that of level-ten. As long as he knew the real strength of his opponent, with his strength of a level-12 Magic Shooter, how could he be making the same mistakes again?
It was also because of this that Matthias never understood why Mentor Aeron had asked him to endure.
Endure, endure… He wondered how long he'd have to endure…
"A moment of carelessness? Hahaha…" Aeron seemed to have heard some funny joke when Matthias' words fell into his ears. After a long laugh, Aeron said to Matthias with sarcasm, "You should thank yourself for your carelessness…"
"Mentor Aeron, why is that?" Matthias was a little guilty, being laughed at.
"Why?" Aeron looked at him; his face was still full of derision. "Matthias, you're not really so naive, are you? Do you really think that the Jarrosus mage named Felic was only at the strength of level-seven?"
"Was he not?"
"Matthias, you are so naive that I want to laugh…" Aeron snickered derisively and continued until Matthias was rather insecure. Then, he shrugged his shoulders, and said indifferently, "Alright, alright. Matthias, just treat it as he's a level-seven mage; but, what about that? Do you think Macklin will allow you to hurt his disciple?"
At the mention of this, let alone Matthias, even Aeron himself was somewhat discouraged. There was one thing he had not told Matthias, because he feared that it would frighten him completely.
The so-called level-seven mage not only had the backing of Macklin, but also of a legendary mage named Andoine…
After returning from the Nightmare Mountains that day, Aeron had said nothing to anyone, and even forbade the two trial mages from speaking of that day again. In order to lull Macklin, he even pretended to have forgotten about it. But, Aeron remembered everything clearly in his heart. The person who hurt Bathrilor had to pay the price!
Aeron was only tolerating…
Aeron knew he had made a mistake.
It was the same mistake as Matthias—they had both underestimated the Jarrosus mage, Felic.
At that time, Aeron had thought it was just a level-seven mage, and there was no need for schemes and intrigues. He even thought that even if Macklin was right in front of him, he would never fall out with himself because of a low-level mage. So much so that Aeron didn't even bother coming up with a scheme when he was in the Nightmare Mountains. He merely tried to charge Felic with hurting his fellow mage and was going to take him to the guild dungeon by force.
It never occurred to him that this Felic could have prompted Andoine's help, and from later development, he found that the relationship between the two men had gone so deep that it was frightening—it had even gone beyond the scope of apprenticeship.
For this reason, Aeron had reflected on himself for a long time.
Andoine's existence gave Aeron a feeling of being tied behind his back. He couldn't deal with Felic directly. Even if he did, he could not let Andoine know that he had something to do with the matter.
That day, after returning from the Nightmare Mountains, Andoine had asked Macklin to convey his words to him.
"You dare touch a hair on Felic, I'll chop off Bathrilor's hand."
Aeron knew Andoine did have the capability to do so. He dared not provoke Andoine until he had gotten his father's support, so he could only pretend nothing had happened.
But, that didn't mean that he had forgotten about it. In fact, Aeron didn't forget anything; he just hid his thoughts deeper.
Aeron soon had an idea—because it suddenly occurred to him that the fellow named Felic had not only hurt Bathrilor, but also his disciple, Matthias!
Matthias was not an ordinary person. If he was willing, he could make big news out of Matthias' status…
"Forget it… Matthias, if you really want to vent that anger, you should listen to me and follow my arrangements. Don't act on your own imagined cleverness and look for Felic like that." After Aeron had finished, he turned and walked out of Matthias' room. He had already devised a complete plan. As long as Matthias didn't act on his own, he'd soon be able to bring that Felic down. There was no need to tell Matthias what the plan was. After all, he was just a chess piece; chess pieces needed not know too much…
Chapter 159 - Robe of The Void
The few following days were very peaceful. Lin Li's daily routine was to head straight to the Omniscient Tower once he woke up, and he would only return once it was near dusk. He spent almost twenty days to get from the first floor to the fifth. Within these twenty days, he had almost finished reading all of the reading notes from all five floors.
Being submerged in the sea of knowledge regarding magic, Lin Li did not feel the passage of time.
… Until this morning.
The weather was pleasant, and Lin Li, as before, planned to head for the Omniscient Tower just as he finished his breakfast.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.
"Morning, Mr. Macklin."
"Morning, getting ready to head out?" The old man did not look well; it seemed as if he did not sleep much.
"Yes, I'm planning to head to the Omniscient Tower."
"Not bad, very diligent…" Macklin nodded, but the words he said gave Lin Li a shock. "However, you don't have to go anymore"
"Why?"
"Because you have something more important."
"…" Lin Li rolled his eyes as he wondered how he did not know.
"Members of the Supreme Council are coming."
"Supreme Council?" Macklin's words indeed reminded Lin Li that ever since they came back from the Shadowglen, Macklin might have mentioned that whoever completed this mission would receive a reward from the Supreme Council. As for the contents of the reward, the old man did not clearly state it, and Lin Li did not question further. In a flash, twenty or more days have passed. Lin Li was at the Omniscient Tower almost every day, and he left the matter in the back of his mind.
Unknowingly, this matter was raised up again after such a long time. Could it be that the Supreme Council came over to pay back the debt from back then?
"I reckon it should be that matter…" Looking at his complexion, Macklin knew that this fella was just thinking about the reward.
Thinking about how it would make the Supreme Council bleed, both of them laughed simultaneously.
After laughing, Macklin frowned and stared at the Robe of Wrath that Lin Li was wearing. He then bluntly criticized, "Let me say this
Felic. Can't you change this torn robe? After wearing this torn robe everyday, aren't you sick of it? I beg you to do something right and change it immediately. Don't let the Supreme Council think that the Alanna's Guild of Magic is torturing you when they see it…"
"Is it that serious…" Lin Li scratched his head awkwardly. This Robe of Wrath was indeed slightly ridiculous. Not only was it crumpled and old, it even had a few holes in the sleeves. Luckily, he did not leave the Guild of Magic often, or he might have been mistaken as beggar while walking around Alanna city.
"It is very serious!" The old man affirmatively nodded his head.
"Ok, then…"
Even without Macklin's reminder, Lin Li had long thought of changing the Robe of Wrath as it was of little value. Ever since he arrived at Anril, he had never filled up the space of over thirty scrolls. The only time the scrolls were ever used was the day that he went with Andoine to the Nightmare Mountains and used Air Bomb scrolls as geo-explosives.
It was just that he had never seen something worth changing into all this while, and he could not bear to lose the magical enchantment for magical resistance. Therefore, this matter has been dragged on since. Unknowingly, it had been dragged on for several months.
He could not help it. Currently, the robes seen in the market were always making an issue about scroll space. From ten to twenty spaces, it mostly cost tens of thousand gold, and rarely would it be a few thousand gold. Wasn't it like having nothing better to do by not using the Robe of Wrath with thirty scroll space and spending money to buy those that only had ten or more scroll spaces?
Lin Li hesitated, but Macklin seemed like he was prepared for it. He smiled sheepishly and reached out with his right hand that had been behind his back.
After that, Lin Li saw that his hand was holding onto a black robe that was folded neatly.
"This…" Lin Li was astounded. He looked at the black robe and looked at Macklin; he seemed uncertain. This was the Robe of the Void—magical equipment supplied by the Gilded Rose in limited quantities. Even within Alanna's guild, only people of the archmage rank had the right to wear it.
This was something good, and even Macklin was wearing it.
