Advent of the Archmage - Chapter 145

Chapter 145: Reaping All Kinds of Rewards!

Herrera went straight back to the academy after leaving the palace to report on the incident on Jade Street to the dean. Link was only a Magician with no rank or position at the moment, so there was no need for him to hurry anywhere. He took his time staying at an inn in the capital city, waiting for the title deed and declaration letter from the king.

Despite the terrible calamity caused by the Dark Elves recently, the Magician’s Fair still went on as usual. Not only did the size of the crowd at the fair not decrease, there were, in fact, more people now who flocked to this part of the city to visit the site of the disaster.

Seeing that the fair was still going on, Herrera had placed Link’s Matchstick wand and his other magic gear at a magical equipment shop in Jade Street. Link was sure that someone would buy them up soon enough.

Link stayed at the inn and didn’t venture out anywhere at all. He spent all his time in his room working on the Flame Blast bracelet that was meant for the black-dressed lady.

He’d completed the rough sketches for the bracelet in the palace and had spent another day perfecting the details. By early morning of the second day, he was ready to roll up his sleeves start the real work.

He had all the best materials on hand – thorium, gold, and Fire Crystals. Furthermore, no one was there to interfere with his work. Thus, Link was able to devote all his energy to the intricate manipulation of the high-quality materials into complicated structure and patterns. As time went by, Link became more and more engrossed with his work that he began to take pleasure in it. There was nothing else in the world that he would rather be doing at that moment.

The whole process lasted for three whole days, after which Link successfully produced a beautiful Flame Blast bracelet with its main body made of gold and its Mana-conducting lines of thorium. The Fire Crystals were used as the nodes that made up the magic seal on the bracelet.

The bracelet was shaped like a Phoenix that would wrap around the wearer’s wrist with its head connected to its tail. The Phoenix was well known to die in a burst of flames and rise again from its ashes, so it was a becoming design to use in a Flame Blast bracelet. Each of its feathers was delicately rendered by Link’s dexterous skills, and surrounding each feather were lines of thorium while beads of Fire Crystals were placed right in the middle of the feathers. They acted as magic seal nodes, with the biggest Fire Crystal bead making up the eye of the Phoenix. It was truly an immaculate magic gear both in its design and in its function.

The Fire Crystal that was the bird’s eye was different from the rest on the feathers, though. The crystals on the feathers had sharp edges so they would sparkle as light danced on the bracelet’s surface when it moved. The Fire Crystal that was the eye of the Phoenix, on the other hand, had been polished into a smooth teardrop shape that seemed to radiate with mysterious charm – in fact, it was the presence of this eye that had made the Phoenix bracelet look so uncannily life-like.

Viewed simply from the aspect of its appearance, this bracelet was impeccable.

As for the bracelet’s functionality, Link had incorporated two very useful Supreme Magical Techniques modifications in the Flame Blast spell that was stored inside the Phoenix bracelet – resonance and accuracy. He’d also designed a robust pattern for the runic lines so that the spell wouldn’t be misfired or destroyed unless if it was bent and distorted by an external force.

And finally, there was the signature Link had left on the bracelet. Although it was just a gift he still thought leaving his signature on his work was a must because each piece of work successfully produced was a source of pride for the enchantment Magician. And so Link left his signature on the inside of the bracelet where it would be hidden when worn.

Now the bracelet was complete. Link’s heart was filled with pride as he inspected the finished product. He even felt slightly reluctant to give it away to someone else.

He then put away the bracelet and went back to his work table to check the materials that he had left. He discovered that he had an ounce of thorium, 3 ounces of gold and 15 pieces of cut Fire Crystal left.

Naturally, Link kept all these materials for his own use in the future.

This was the time he really understood how much money an enchantment Magician could make. He no longer wondered how Herrera could earn enough profits from her enchantment skills to buy a huge amount of magic materials. Even the leftover materials could be sold for an ample amount of gold coins.

As his work was now done, all that was left was to wait patiently. Link was confident that the black-dressed woman would soon come to meet him, so in the meantime, he stayed in the inn reading his magic books. When he had time to spare, he would take the wooden box given to him by the High Elf prince out and examine it.

The wooden box was lovely and very well-made with some masterful carving done on its surface. Imagine Link’s confusion then, when he opened it and discovered that there was nothing but a thumb-sized white stone inside.

Yes, it really was just an ordinary-looking stone and nothing else. The stone’s only unique feature was probably its somewhat smooth surface, but other than that, Link simply couldn’t see what was special about this rock.

He couldn’t detect a trace of Mana or spot any runic patterns on the stone and there were no jolts of energy fluctuations coming from it at all – to put it simply, the white stone was indistinguishable from any other old rock you could find by the riverbank.

The prince wouldn’t play a joke on me, would he? Link wondered. What was he thinking giving me this white stone?

Link was confounded and couldn’t think of any reason why the prince would bestow him such an odd gift. After scrutinizing it for a while, a notification suddenly appeared on the interface.

White Stone (Indestructible)

Quality: Unknown

Effects: Unknown

(Note: A gift from Prince Philip.)

Well, at least it was true that the stone was indestructible. Link had actually tried to use enchantment techniques to change its properties and appearance, but none of his current tricks had had any effects on the stone. If it hadn’t been for this strange property, Link would definitely have thrown the stone into some corner and leave it there a long time ago.

Could it be made of a material with too high a quality that it is beyond my capabilities to do anything to it? Link wondered. Could something like that exist, though?

After examining it for a while longer Link finally gave up with a long and deep sigh. He then closed the lid of the wooden box and put it back in its place. The was the first time he’d come across such a mystifying object ever since arriving in this world.

A day later, a messenger from the palace finally delivered the declaration letter and title deed from the king. Though these were only meant to be official documents, they were nevertheless of such a high quality that they seemed to be luxurious ornaments. The documents were stamped with the royal seal which had magic properties and were so intricate that they were extremely difficult to forge. Most importantly, these documents plainly stated the king’s declaration that Link was now a Hereditary Baron of the Norton Kingdom whose seat of power was at the Ferde Wilderness.

The title deed had also clearly marked the boundaries at the south-eastern and north-western edge of the Ferde Wilderness, leaving no opportunities for disputes.

One thing worth mentioning was how King Leon seemed to be afraid that the new Baron would be too poor, so he put the coastal seas on the eastern side of the Ferde Wilderness under Link’s ownership as well. Although the sea there was full of jagged reefs and unsuitable to be turned into ports, at least it was teeming with fish and other sea creatures that made some degree of fishing activities possible. Though it was impossible to get rich by relying on this alone, at the very least the new Baron wouldn’t starve to death.

King Leon is indeed a considerate and generous man. Link then continued to examine the official documents with a contented heart when the idea of going back home suddenly popped up in his mind.

This body that his soul inhabited was a younger son of the Viscount Hamilton Morani. He’d left home for more than a year now and had successfully entered a prestigious magic academy and had even been awarded the title of a hereditary Baron. It was time for him to go home.

He wasn’t going back to show off his glorious achievements, of course, but only because he realized that there was still a duty that he must fulfill back home.

There was no reason to worry about his father – he was a Viscount after all, who had children and grandchildren to look after him. The person Link was worried about was in fact his mother.

Link’s mother wasn’t the Viscount’s first wife, who had died after bearing the Viscount two sons. He then felt lonely so he married Link’s mother, who bore him a daughter and another son. This youngest son was Link, of course, while the daughter was Link’s own elder sister who had now come of age but because the Viscount could only afford to give her a small dowry, no suitable man had asked for her hand yet.

The Viscount’s first wife came from another powerful noble family. Her eldest son was the Viscount’s heir apparent, so he would one day inherit all his land and title, while her second son was now a full-fledged knight with a bright future. Link’s mother, on the other hand, had come from a minor clan with no name or fortune of her own. The Viscount’s two older sons had no respect for her at all and had always tried to force her out of the Viscount’s castle since the first day she married into this family.

Link remembered how they finally succeeded in driving his mother out five years ago. She was ousted from the castle by his eldest brother and was now living in a small cottage in the countryside. His sister was allowed to remain in the castle as she could be used as a tool to solidify a political alliance by marrying her off to a suitable family.

These were some of the rotten affairs going on within the Morani family. Link had no intention of interfering in it. He couldn’t change the past, but he still had the ability to improve the present. He had the ability to support his mother now, so he planned to make the appropriate arrangements to enable her to come and live with him. Link just couldn’t bear to let her live out the rest of her poor life alone and uncared for.

It wasn’t that Link was determined to help her out of any emotional attachment since he’d never actually met her, but only because it was the most righteous thing to do.

The Hamilton estate was in the Pufferfish County about a hundred miles north of the Girvent Forest. It shouldn’t take too much time to go there, thought Link.

He then started to write a letter home, briefly summarizing his current situation and mentioning the date that they could expect him to be home. Once he was done he dropped it into the mailbox at the entrance of the inn.

When he returned to his room, he could sense something different in the room, as if there was a foreign presence there.

He scanned the room but didn’t see anyone there. Then suddenly, he noticed something from the corner of his eyes – a black raven perched proudly on his reading table with its beady eyes staring intently at Link.

“I knew you’d come,” said Link as he closed the door. When he turned back around, Eleanor had already transformed back into her human form.

“Is my gear ready?” she asked as she picked up a tool of enchantment on the table. She noticed the debris left on the tool and could guess the answer to her question herself. “I’m guessing it is, huh?”

Link nodded then handed over the Flame Blast bracelet to her.

Eleanor’s eyes widened the moment she had her eyes on the bracelet. She turned it over back and forth gently in her hands, visibly getting more and more impressed by Link’s creation. She handled the bracelet very carefully as if afraid that she might break it.

“Don’t worry,” said Link with a laugh. “I’ve made it to be sturdy enough. It won’t break as long as you don’t hit it with a hammer.”

Link’s remarks went unnoticed as Eleanor continued to be deeply enchanted by the Phoenix bracelet. She tried wearing it on her wrist and found that it felt just right – it was neither too tight nor too loose, and it even felt smooth and luxurious as it brushed against her skin.

“It’s marvelous!” exclaimed Eleanor. She loved it the moment she set her eyes on it. She’d be more than willing to wear the bracelet all the time even if it didn’t contain any magical power.

Oh, that’s right. I should check the spell in this bracelet too. Then, the more she examined the bracelet the more astonished she was at its superior quality.

“There’s something different about this Flame Blast,” remarked Eleanor. “Is it the same kind that you used in that battle? Oooh, but you didn’t just improve its accuracy, you’ve incorporated such…such a sublime structure for this spell!”

She then turned her gaze away from the bracelet and stared at Link with wonder.

“Aren’t you worried that I might learn your secret skills from this bracelet?” she asked.

This single bracelet would compensate her lack of direct combat skills. With it she would be able to cast Flame Blast in no time at all – she shuddered just from thinking about possessing such terrifying power.

“You can do whatever you want,” replied Link with a shrug. “I just have to do my best once I’ve set my mind to do something, otherwise I won’t be able to go to sleep at night.”

He’d only incorporated two Supreme Magical Skills in the bracelet, after all, of which the combined value was minuscule compared to that of the Scroll of Enlightenment. Besides, he wasn’t planning on stopping his progress anytime soon. He would surely be learning countless more powerful spells than Flame Blast in the future. Flame Blast wasn’t even the best weapon he had in his arsenal anyway, what had given him the crucial edge in battles were in fact his lightning-fast spellcasting and the aid from the gaming system.

Eleanor thought differently, though. She kept admiring the exquisite bracelet and sighed. This quality far exceeds my expectations, she thought. It seems I’ve struck gold in this deal.

She then handed the Scroll of Enlightenment over to Link.

“I’ve studied this scroll thoroughly,” she said. “I don’t think I could glean any more knowledge from it than what I’ve already learned. I’m giving it to you in return for saving my life.”

Even without the exquisite bracelet, the debt of gratitude Eleanor owed Link for saving her the other day in Jade Street alone was great enough that she was willing to give up the scroll for him.

“But isn’t this…?” Link was momentarily stupefied. Even though he had memorized every detail of the scroll before, so he possibly had no need for it but… The scroll was nevertheless invaluable because he could use it to look for the five remaining Scrolls of Enlightenment. When he thought of this point, Link immediately decided to accept Eleanor’s gift.

“Alright,” said Link, “I’ll accept it. Thank you.”

Eleanor nodded her head, albeit not without a heavy heart. This scroll was her most treasured possession that had been with her for the last thirty years. She was slightly upset that she had to part with it after all these years. Still, it was too late to change her mind now, so she took a deep breath and held back her emotions.

“I’ve got something else to tell you,” she then said. “Do you remember the Dark Elf swordswoman who managed to escape?”

“Of course I do,” replied Link, stunned by Eleanor’s sudden question.

“Well, I’ve caught her,” she said.

“Where is she?” asked Link enthusiastically.

“Leave Springs City and head back to the East Cove Magic Academy,” she said. “I will meet you on the way. Be careful not to let anyone follow you, the MI3 people are hot on her trail right now.”

“Understood.”

Chapter 146: Glyph of Soul (Part 2)?

Link took a carriage out of Hot Springs City to the outskirts. After paying the fare, he traveled on foot for a few miles before a black raven perched itself on his shoulders—it was Eleanor.

“Turn left at the next corner,” the raven whispered.

The path in front was a narrow, winding and dark road into the forest. Link was slightly hesitant. After all, he was not very familiar with this woman. If he were to go into such a remote place with her, he risked walking right into a trap.

However, he quickly dismissed this thought as preposterous. He rationalized that there was no need to go to such lengths if she truly wanted to kill him. She could have easily done so on Jade Street when he was preoccupied with the three Dark Elves. Furthermore, she wouldn’t have given him access to the Scroll of Enlightenment.

Link then walked towards the alley in confident strides.

Eleanor was slightly puzzled. “Aren’t you afraid that I will harm you?”

Link smiled and said, “You specialize in secret magic. If you had wanted to harm me, I would probably already be dead.” Secret spells were not built for direct combat. However, they were extremely lethal when used in sneak attacks. Many times, the victim would not even realize how they died. This was true even for Magicians. Eleanor simply laughed.

After round 600 feet, they entered the deepest part of the forest. The overgrowth was getting thicker by the moment, devouring the path they were on.

“Are we there yet?” Link asked.

“We are still five miles away. I presume you would have learned some traveling spells by now?” Eleanor spoke with a hint of disapproval in her voice. How could a Magician like Link travel simply by walking?

Link only knew one such spell. He began to summon his Wind Fenrir. His speed increased exponentially after riding his summon. In two minutes, they reached a stream in the middle of the forest.

“There is a hunter’s hut straight ahead. It’s right there, do you see it?” Eleanor asked.

It was a small, wooden hut that was built to offer passing hunters refuge for the night. The roof was full of algae and the wooden doors were filled with decaying holes.

When they reached the front of the wooden hut, Eleanor jumped down from Link’s shoulders and turned into her human form. As Link entered the room behind Eleanor, he saw a huge bed in the room. A female Dark Elf could be seen restrained on pieces of rotten beast hide infested with worms. The rope used to restrain her seemed to be glowing slightly, probably enchanted with some sort of sealing spell. Under the effect of this magical rope, the Dark Elf was unable to move.

When she heard movements coming from the door, she immediately turned and threw a deathly stare in that direction with her pair of crimson eyes.

However, this was only directed at Eleanor. When she saw Link, her expression changed to one that was shocked and dumbfounded, her eyes involuntarily showing signs of retreat. The battle at Jade Street against Link had completely destroyed her pride.

Eleanor sat down on a broken stool and stared pitifully at the Dark Elf on the bed. She then began her introduction, “I have already done my research. The three Dark Elves that day were Felidia, a Magician, Ainos, an Assassin, and lastly, this woman. She is Alina, a Level-5 Assassin and apparently a famous figure in the Pralync Kingdom. She also has a prominent background, being the daughter of King Norigan. Many people call her the Constellation Assassin.”

Link was appalled. He thought, it’s no wonder that they were strong. They were the Three Musketeers!

In the first two versions of the game, the three of them wreaked great havoc on the human race. The eventual collapse of the Norton Kingdom could definitely be traced back to their actions. To think that the Three Musketeers would suffer such a fate in this timeline. Two of them were already dead while the other was now a captive under his hands.

He then saw a sword lying on top of a small table. If this person was indeed Alina, this sword would be the infamous weapon, the Sword of Shattered Stars.

He unsheathed the sword and a blast of cold air immediately engulfed the atmosphere. The sword shone brightly even under the dim sunlight as the entire sword body was made of thorium. Link carefully studied the sword and gasped. How extravagant, this is a fine piece of work.

“Don’t touch it with your dirty human hands!” Alina shouted in rage. She said this sentence in human language.

Link pretended not to hear her and brandished the sword right in front of her. He then spun around and asked Eleanor, “I can probably guess the motive of their mission. It was to assassinate Prince Phillip and sow discord between the human race and the High Elves. Am I right?”

Eleanor nodded. “Of course. Their plan was almost flawless. It is a shame that they met a monster like you.”

“Did you manage to get any other information?” Link asked.

Eleanor simply smiled and said, “I did, but you might not like the method I used to get this information.”

“You are referring to the Soul Search spell I suppose. I don’t really dislike it as long as it is useful,” Link laughed. While the Soul Search spell indeed belonged to the realm of dark magic, it was still a useful spell. In fact, he even learned it while he was playing the game. Although he would not voluntarily learn the spell in this timeline, he definitely would not dismiss its effectiveness either.

Eleanor looked at Link carefully and found no trace of disgust or disapproval on his face. She was puzzled. “This is a forbidden spell. Shouldn’t you be horrified and accuse me of being a dark witch?”

The Sacred Land of Light had an irrational fear of dark magic and that was exactly the reason Eleanor was alone all these years. Her life was basically a game of hide-and-seek with ordinary humans. Whenever she felt exposed after staying in a location for too long, she would immediately relocate to ensure her safety. Even her Mage Tower was instantly mobile.

“Stop testing the waters. Truthfully, I am not a fan of such spells and thus would not attempt to learn them. However, I have no right to ask others to do the same. I am sure the vengeful souls on Jade Street would have no qualms about you using such spells on the Dark Elves. There is then no reason for me to oppose the use of such spells.”

Link was open to the discussion of dark magic. After all, every successful person in the world would have some dirt under their nails. If Link were to follow the rules strictly, he would never have been able to defeat the dark forces.

He then continued, “What did you find?”

“Alright then. You are the weirdest person I’ve ever met. But I guess it is for the best. If you don’t mind, take a look at this.” Eleanor passed him a scroll.

The scroll looked extremely ordinary. After opening it, Link realized that the scroll was filled with characters from the Dark Elf language. The arrangement of the characters was interesting as well, lining up in a specific formation that seemed to dictate their relationship with one another. Link came to an understanding after a few looks.

“The original copy of the Dark Elf’s secret code?”

“That is what I think.” Eleanor shrugged her shoulders, before speaking in a regretful tone, “It is unfortunate that we did not come across any secret messages. This thing is too valuable.”

Alina was completely startled. She was clear of the consequences if the secret code fell into the hands of the human race. Careful and intelligent use of the secret code would be a devastating blow to the Death Hand and even might even destroy the entire Pralync Kingdom.

Her instinct was to immediately destroy the scroll. However, her strength was completely restrained and all she could do was cast worried glances in Link’s direction.

Link smiled and said, “We don’t have any secret messages. However, MI3 would have a lot of them. We can just pass this to them.” He carefully studied the secret code and memorized the all the contents of the scroll. He did actually have a secret message scroll with him and could decipher it with the help of this treasure. However, there was no need for Eleanor to know about this.

The secret code was the most valuable loot in this mission. Link then turned his attention towards the Constellations Assassin, thinking of how to dispose of the Dark Elf.

Eleanor chuckled, “Are you hesitant to kill such a beautiful young girl?”

Alina indeed had an exquisite face and a voluptuous body. She would be considered a rare beauty even by human standards. However, that was all a facade. Her true form was a ruthless and crazy Assassin, as evidenced by the destructive ambush in Jade Street.

At the same time, she was an extremely talented Dark Elf Assassin. He could not let such a strong opponent live.

Should I kill her directly? Or should I remove her combat powers instead and turn her into a disgrace of the Dark Elves? After some thought, Link raised the Sword of Shattered Stars and placed it over Alina’s chest.

He would end it once and for all!

Alina could see the shadows of death looming precariously over her. She stared at Link furiously and said, “Link, you will suffer the endless pursuit of the Death Hand the moment I die. I will be waiting for your soul in hell!”

Link simply laughed, “I guess you will have to be very patient.” He gently pushed the sword down and the sharp blade effortlessly pierced through Alina’s heart, ending her life.

Eleanor then spoke in a regretful tone, “To think that a princess would die in such a rundown place. If we had given her to MI3, she would have fetched a huge price.”

“She has seen too much. If she was handed over to MI3, you would also be in danger.”

Link had considered that option before killing Alina. However, this would not only reveal Eleanor’s connection with dark magic, he would also be embroiled in the dark magic mess. The risks definitely outweighed the benefits.

Of course, Link was not about to leave without getting any rewards. The moment Alina breathed her last, a message appeared in his vision.

Mission: Rescue Second Step (Completed)

Player receives one Glyph of Soul.

Glyph of Soul

Level: 5

Effect: Player can choose to store a spell Level-5 and below in the Glyph of Soul. This will greatly reduce the time needed to construct the magic structure. This will not reduce the strength of the spell.

(Note: This is perfect for Magicians who want a fast spellcasting speed.)

Link was elated, this is too good to be true!

Chapter 147: The Flaming Hand (Part 1)

Alina’s lifeless body was set on fire and burned to ashes. Link then spread the ashes across the surface of the stream in the middle of the forest and let her remains flow away with the course of the water.

And that was the end of the Three Musketeers of the Silver Moon.

Her sword was made of solid gold and the magic seal on it contained a lot of thorium, so Link used his enchantment skill to isolate these elements and divide them equally between Eleanor and himself.

From there, Link now had ten pounds of gold and another ounce of thorium, which in total was worth the eye-watering amount of 20,000 gold coins.

Once everything was settled, Link and Eleanor then parted ways at King’s Lane near the Girvent Forest.

“I’ve repaid my debt to you for saving my life with the Scroll of Enlightenment. I’ve even helped you in deciphering the code in the original scroll and found Alina – don’t you think you should show me a bit more gratitude?”

Link thought she had a point there, he never expected to have gained so much by acquainting himself with a person he had assumed to be evil. The Scroll of Enlightenment, the Glyph of Soul, the secret code document—Link had acquired all this with Eleanor’s help and they were all extremely useful items!

His skills in enchantment were something he was proud of the most right now, so he made Eleanor an offer.

“I’ll make you another magic gear then,” he said.

“Good!” replied Eleanor. “My left arm feels a bit empty at the moment, I think another bracelet there would be nice, but I don’t feel like forking out the gold coins for the price of the materials.”

“Alright, I got it,” said Link. “I’ll start working on it the moment I get back to the academy. Write to me when you want to get it and I’ll send it to you.”

“It’s a deal,” said Eleanor. “Make sure this new bracelet of mine is as exquisite as my Phoenix bracelet, or I won’t forgive you for it!” She caressed the beloved Flame Blast bracelet on her wrist lovingly as she spoke, although she had now renamed it as her Phoenix bracelet.

“I will try my best,” said Link with a pursed smile.

They then waved goodbye to each other and Link turned down King’s Lane. Eleanor stood in the forest watching Link’s figure disappear gradually.

“Link, my name is Eleanor!” she shouted when Link was almost out of sight.

Link didn’t turn back around but waved his hand to indicate that he’d heard her. He walked on until finally his figure was blocked behind a tree and disappeared completely.

Eleanor sighed softly as she turned around and headed into the depths of the Girvent Forest.

Now I’m alone again, she thought.

Meanwhile, Link walked along King’s Lane alone. He could encounter someone anytime on the road so he didn’t summon the Wind Fenrir to avoid alarming a passer-by, so he continued to walk all the way back.

After about ten minutes of walking, an oxcart came up behind him. He gave the peasant driving the oxcart a silver coin and hopped on it. The oxcart moved sluggishly, so he only reached the academy late in the afternoon.

It was winter at the time and the weather hadn’t been so good on that day as well. There were even some snowflakes drifting in the wind. Once he stepped down from the oxcart, Link gathered his sleeves and pulled up the hood of his robe and entered the academy.

It had been such a cold day, in fact, even Vincent was absent from his usual spot in the garden. He had kept himself warm inside the cottage instead. When he heard someone’s footsteps at the gates, he opened the window to take a look outside. Once he discovered it was someone wearing the Magician’s robe of the East Cove Magic Academy he decided there was no threat to be found and closed the window.

As he treaded the snow-covered path in the chilly wind on his way back to his Mage Tower, Link suddenly thought of his mother again.

Her name was Lilith. She was 40 years old this year and she was a woman so kind and gentle that one might think she was weak. Link wondered how she was getting along now in that small cottage in the countryside.

There were always shortages of all kinds in that cottage, thought Link. I wonder if she had enough coal and firewood to protect her from this cold. How are the servants treating her? Does she even have enough clothes or food to survive this season?

Although she was just the mother of this body that his soul inhabited and was not his actual blood relation at all, the memories of her still remained in his mind, making it hard for him to bear the thoughts that she might be suffering a hard life right now.

I’ve refused the offers from the dean and the king to join the army, so there shouldn’t be any reason blocking me from visiting her. Pufferfish County isn’t so far away from here, anyway. I’d better pay her a visit.

As he came to a decision Link’s footsteps began to quicken. He reached the Mage Tower right when Herrera was giving a lecture to the apprentices in the hall on the first floor. When she saw Link, she nodded at him and continued her lecture. Link took a seat in the hall and went on to study a magic textbook there.

Half an hour later, Herrera’s lecture was over. She then walked over to Link.

“Is everything in the capital city settled?” she asked.

“Yes,” answered Link. “I’ve gotten hold of some things that I must inform you of, but I can’t do it here.” Link was using the softest voice possible to prevent anyone from overhearing him. He was talking about the secret code document that Eleanor had given him. He knew that the authorities would find it very useful.

“Let’s go to the top floor,” Herrera said.

Once they reached the top floor, Link took out the cypher scroll and the secret code document, although the secret code document wasn’t the one Eleanor gave him but was a copy that he made on the oxcart. He did this to protect Eleanor’s existence from the authorities.

Herrera was oblivious to this small detail. She examined the scrolls for a while and discovered that they were indeed very important documents.

“Where did you get these?” she asked full of shock.

“One of my followers accidentally discovered this cypher scroll at the Cliff of Howling Winds,” explained Link. “While the secret code document was given to me by the black dressed woman.” It was too late to conceal Eleanor’s existence, but he decided that he wouldn’t reveal the friendship between them just yet.

“Black-dressed woman?” asked Herrera, more and more confused now. “Do you mean that mysterious Magician?”

“Yes,” answered Link. “She was at Jade Street when the Flame Blast explosion happened and barely managed to escape death because of it. I guess she gave this to me because she believed that I could somehow defeat the Dark Elves who had almost killed her.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but Link sounded convincing when he uttered it because he believed it was a necessary lie and his conscience was clear.

As expected, Herrera believed him. She put the cypher scroll and the secret code document side by side and began to compare them. She did this for a few minutes before her eyebrows furrowed and she turned her gaze up to Link.

“It says here,” she began with a grave tone, “that the Dark Elves are planning something called the Black Moon Conspiracy… and they mentioned a Dark Elf called Felidia… But there was no mention of what the plan was about and who was going to be involved…”

Link hadn’t found the right time and place to translate the codes himself, so he started doing so now. He discovered that the information on the cypher scroll was short and simple. Apart from the words Black Moon Conspiracy and the name of the now dead Felidia, the only other key information on the scroll was a date – April 4.

It was now January 3, about three and a half months away from the date mentioned. Although it wasn’t stated explicitly on the scroll it was very likely that the date was to be the operation date for the Black Moon Conspiracy.

Nevertheless, a date was far from enough information. They still had no idea what the Black Moon Conspiracy was or which part of the Norton Kingdom would be targeted.

“We need more information,” said Herrera. She suspected that something terrible was going to happen, something that would eclipse the tragedy that happened on Jade Street recently.

“Tutor, don’t you think we should hand these documents over to the MI3?” suggested Link. “They’ve always dealt with the Dark Elves in the Death Hand, perhaps this would provide them with vital information.”

Link realized that the course of history had deviated from the original version in the game more and more now that he could no longer predict the future. There had never been such a thing as the Black Moon Conspiracy in the game so Link guessed that it might concern the East Cove Magic Academy, although he decided to keep quiet about it for now as it was only a speculation.

“You’re right,” agreed Herrera after thinking it over for a few moments, “we should hand it over to MI3.” Herrera then gathered the scrolls in her hands and was ready to leave. “We are in a dire situation. I must report this to the dean right away. Only he has enough power and authority to take the right steps quickly.”

Link nodded in agreement. The dean’s help would be crucial right now.

“Tutor,” said Link before Herrera left, “in five days, it’ll be the Winter Veil Festival. I’d like to visit my family and spend half a month with them. I’ll be on my way soon.”

The Winter Veil Festival was the most important festival in the Firuman calendar. It was the occasion when everyone who had ventured out of their hometown would journey back for a reunion with their families.

Herrera was slightly taken aback by the sudden change of topic, but eventually she nodded.

“Be careful on the road,” she said. “And don’t forget to study and practice!”

“Yes, tutor,” answered Link.

Link then went back to his room and packed his luggage. There wasn’t much packing to do as he didn’t have much to bring, plus he could just put everything inside his storage pendant. A few minutes later, he was done and ready to go, so he bid farewell to Eliard and arranged some studying plans for his disciple Rylai. He left the academy early morning the next day, heading north to the Pufferfish County.

It was still peaceful and quiet in the Girvent Forest when he was traveling through it along the King’s Lane. But unbeknownst to Link, ten miles away three Dark Elves in disguise were entering Springs City.

Of the three, one was a Magician, one was an Assassin and the other was a Warrior. All of them were Level-5. They were the retainers of the Norigan Familia who had come down south in the Norton Kingdom to rescue the clan leader’s beloved daughter – the swordswoman Alina.

Link was oblivious to all this as he was engrossed in an advanced magic textbook in the carriage. It was titled The Flaming Hand and its content was devoted to the eponymous spell.

The spell caught his attention because even though the Level-5 Glyph of the Soul would allow him to engrave any spell that was lower than Level-5, it would be a big waste to do so. The only way to make use of such a priceless reward from the gaming system was to engrave a powerful Level-5 spell on his soul with it.

The Flaming Hand was a Level-5 spell with a frightening power. Apart from that, when mastered the spellcaster would be able to accurately control this spell to cause devastating effects. It was indeed a terrifying weapon when used in a battle.

Naturally though, because of its powerful affects, the rate of Mana consumption was abnormally high as well.

It was unlike any other spell Link had mastered so far in the sense that it consumed Mana continuously, not just at the moment of casting like the rest. When there was no opponent present, the spell would consume 10 Mana Points per second to sustain it. When facing an opponent, the rate of Mana consumption would increase the higher the opponent’s level was. For example, when fighting against a Level-5 opponent, the spell could consume as high as 100 Mana Points per second. If the opponent was a Level-6 Magician though, then the spell would be virtually useless since the Mana consumption rate would be so high that the opponent would be able to defeat you in one move.

Link couldn’t afford this rate of Mana consumption in the past, but he now had 200 Omni Points and a 1900 maximum Mana limit.

It was a mystery to Link, but ever since receiving Herrera’s angelic blessings, his Mana had recovered rapidly, especially when he basked in the sunlight. In slightly more than a month, his maximum Mana limit had increased from 1800 to 1900 points.

Link thought this must be the side effects of receiving the blessings from an Angel of Light.

Since his Mana wouldn’t be a limitation now, he naturally wanted to begin mastering the extraordinary spell immediately.

Chapter 148: The Flaming Hand (Part 2)

In the middle of the night. Hot Springs City, the Magician’s District, Central Plaza ruins

It had been a week since the day of the tragedy. The dead bodies and rubble had already been properly disposed of. A variety of tools and materials could be seen laying on the ground around the destroyed architectures. The city had begun recovering from the incident and was in the midst of reconstruction.

However, the huge crater near the fountain at the center of the plaza was still present. The fragments of charred flesh stuck in between the cracks on the ground and the two visible trails of Link’s Flame Blast spell served as a stark reminder of the cruelty of the attack.

A shadow draped in a large cloak emerged from a broken hut. He then crouched down and carefully observed the rubble and trails on the ground.

After a moment, the shadow spoke, “These stones have a blackened surface and show signs of melting. They seem to spread out in a conical formation. This person had cast a single directional fire elemental spell, at least Level-4 in strength.”

Another figure behind him replied, “It does not matter what method he used. He will definitely be dead. Did you find any traces of the princess?”

“No need to rush.” The shadow said before materializing a wand in his hands. A moment after he raised his wand, the tip of the wand was enveloped in a light purple glimmer which was almost invisible to the naked eye. The light then diffused over the plaza ruins.

After 20 seconds, a silver glow appeared on top of a hut at the corner of the plaza

“It’s the Silver Moon blood! It’s from the princess!” The shadow quickly said.

The Silver Moon blood was commonly known as the Holy Demon blood. It was a unique trait of the three largest familias in the Pralync Kingdom. The blood contained certain special magic properties that made it detectable by a specific spell.

The moment he spoke, two figures rushed out from behind and traveled hastily towards the hut.

These three people were the masters of the Norigan Familia. Their mission was to rescue Princess Alina from the clutches of the human race.

Of the two figures who rushed out, one of them was equipped with two long swords. He was a Warrior and was traveling at a slow pace. On the other hand, his comrade was outrageously fast and stealthy, much like a cloud of smoke. The moment the Magician finished his speech, he was already at the hut marked by the Silver Moon blood.

He was an Assassin that specialized in tracking. He was revered as a battle hound.

He squatted down and observed the blood carefully.

“Parson, Norisa, this is the princess’ blood. The blood stain was oval in shape and unevenly dispersed. This meant that the princess was traveling at a fast speed at that moment. It seemed like she headed west.”

He spoke while following the trail of blood, soon arriving at the alley Alina was in the previous day. The Magician and Warrior followed closely behind him.

Traces of Alina became more obvious and voluminous as they entered the alley. Blood stains, slightly sunken footprints and the dent in the walls caused by a heavy landing. Although a week had passed and such traces were almost undetectable to ordinary humans, it was easily captured by the Assassin.

The trio traced these trails through half the city until they reached the most western Prince Bill Area.

Prince Bill Area was the affluent district of Hot Springs City. It housed many beautiful parks decorated with towering trees and small round shrubs regularly trimmed. The trio lost all clues in one of these parks.

“All of the traces are gone. This is strange, the princess seems to have disappeared into thin air.” The Assassin was perplexed.

The Magician who had kept silent all these while spoke, “No, the situation is weird. I feel the remnant magic fluctuations of a powerful Magician.”

Dark Elves had a natural talent for night vision. The blanket of darkness and silence over the park had in fact heightened Magician Parson’s senses, allowing him to detect even the faintest of magic fluctuations. He walked around the park in a circle before stopping behind a piece of wood.

He had actually already felt this mysterious aura at the plaza ruins. However, due to the explosions of several Flame Blast spells and the bustle of the city in the morning, the aura was extremely disorienting. On the other hand, the situation in the park was different. There was only one clear magic aura around the area, much like a flaming torch in the darkness.

“The magic aura here is the most intense! Hedel, come and take a look.”

Hedel was the name of the Assassin. He walked towards the wood and circled around it before suddenly reaching out his hand, making a grabbing action. When he retracted his hand, he was holding a strand of black hair.

“It’s a woman’s hair. From the glow and texture, it feels like a 20-year-old girl,” Hedel spoke.

Magician Parsons, on the other hand, felt something was amiss. He took another glance before raising his staff to cast a detection spell on the hair.

Under the effect of the spell, the hair immediately exuded a faint white glow. This glow was similar to a mist slowly being released from the strand of hair. As the mist dissipated into the hair, the strand of hair seemed to lose its luster.

“This is not a normal human girl. She is a secret magic Magician that is way older than 20 years old. If I am not wrong, her target is the princess.”

He then looked around before pointing at the ground 15 feet away from the wood, “These should be her footprints. Try to see if you can locate her.”

“Alright.” Hedel began to wander around the area, sometimes even laying on the ground for closer observation. After around five minutes, he spoke, “I have found it. This way.”

The two of them once again followed behind.

The trio went all the way out of Hot Springs City. Several times, Hedel lost all clues of the princess, but with the help of Magician Parsons’ keen senses, they would quickly get back on track.

After a moment, they stared at each other.

“The princess had been held captive by a secret Magician and was brought out of the capital. The situation is grave.” Magician Parsons frowned. He knew that secret Magicians were also usually known as dark Magicians.

Although the Dark Elves had a higher tolerance for black magic than the human race, they also had a deeper understanding about the cruelty and unpredictability of such magic. If the princess was subjected to torture under such magic, she would likely lose all rationality even if she was not dead.

“Don’t think too much. Our mission is simply to save the princess! There are still clues!” the Warrior Norisa spoke.

“That’s right.” Hedel nodded and rushed forward.

It could be inferred from the traces that the secret Magician stuffed the princess onto a carriage before bringing her out of the city, heading west along King’s Lane.

After an hour of tracking the clear trails of the carriage, Hedel spoke, “They alighted from the carriage. The princess’ footprints can be seen for a while before disappearing.”

Parsons then spoke, “That is normal. The secret Magician is a female and probably does not have much physical strength. She should have cast a levitation spell. Her footprints alone will suffice.”

Hedel squinted his eyes and traveled along the forest alleyway. After a while, he gasped. “Parsons, what kind of beast is this? It is humongous!”

The forest pathways were getting more uneven and difficult to maneuver around. The appearance of a giant beast’s footprint was thus a shock to Hedel. The situation seemed to be more complex than he imagined.

Parsons crouched down and carefully observed the footprints. After a few minutes, he spoke, “These are the footprints of a summon called Wind Fenrir. There is a new source of magic aura here…in fact, this is the second time this aura appeared. The first time was in Hot Springs City when we were investigating the plaza ruins. He should be the person who released the single directional Level-4 fire elemental spell.”

“Could it be that he is an ally of the secret Magician?” Warrior Norisa immediately made the connection.

“Very likely.” Parsons had a serious expression on his face. When they were collecting information in Hot Springs City, they had a quick overview of the events that unfolded on Jade Street. A human Magician seemed to have defeated the princess.

To think that the Magician would once again appear on the princess’ trails outside of Hot Springs City together with the secret Magician. This would only mean that the princess managed to make her escape but eventually became his captive. The princess was probably…Parsons did not want to continue down this train of thought.

His two other comrades also had a sunken expression on their faces.

The clear footprints from the Wind Fenrir made the tracking process a lot easier. The trio reached a small hut beside a stream after half an hour. The moment they stepped in front of the hut, Magician Parsons’ had a livid expression.

He felt the aura of death.

He kept silent and entered the hut. The first thing that caught his attention the moment he entered was the huge blood stain on the bed. He cast a detection spell and the blood stain immediately emitted a silver hue. It was the princess’ blood.

Assassin Hedel similarly found many clues. He exited the hut and traced the trails all the way to the stream, where he came to a conclusion on Alina’s outcome

“She was killed. Her body was burned to ashes and then scattered into the running stream.” Hedel spoke calmly, though his pair of dark red eyes was already burning with a faint glimmer of Battle Aura.

“Is it possible to track the whereabouts of both the Magicians?” Norisa held his sword tightly. Since the princess was already killed, they would have to avenge her in some way.

Parsons did not reply immediately. Instead, he circled the hut three times before concluding, “The secret Magician was extremely careful. She erased all clues that could allow us to trace her whereabouts. However, the young Magician will not be able to escape! He is a Magician from the East Cove Higher Magic Academy called Link. He is quite a famous person in this area. Let’s go pay him a visit!”

“I will gouge his heart out right there!” Hedel smiled cruelly.

Parsons shook his head, “No, we should bring him back to the North and present him to the King. The King will show him what exactly is cruelty!”

“Yes, Parsons is right. We cannot let this Magician die so easily.” Norisa gritted his teeth.

Chapter 149: The Flaming Hand (Part 3)

On King’s Lane.

Link was completely unaware that he was being watched. He had now reached the outskirts of the Pufferfish County – the estate of his father, the Viscount Hamilton Morani.

In front of him was the Clearwater River, which was a river of about 300 feet wide where various types of ships frequently sailed. After traveling along the King’s Lane for a few hours, Link was now approaching a great bridge.

The bridge was called the Great Hamilton Bridge. It was built by the Viscount and had always been a source of pride for him. The toll tax collected from the ships that sailed pass this bridge on Clearwater River was about 500 gold coins per year, and it was the main source of income for the Morani family.

It could be said that this bridge had provided the whole of the Morani family with all their necessities and luxuries.

Link’s carriage was now on the Great Hamilton Bridge. He looked out into the distance and saw a castle on the hillside. This was the Morani Castle where Link’s physical body had spent his first fifteen years.

It’s been two years now, thought Link. I wonder if my eldest brother is still as bossy as before. Is my second brother’s lust for women constrained now by any measure? I hope my sister didn’t get bullied much.

Link’s elder sister was his only full sibling, so they were very close with each other when he was still living in the castle. When he was little, his sister was always there to protect him and take care of him, but as he got older Link turned into a quiet and reserved young man while his sister became more and more worried about her own future, so they weren’t as close as they used to be now.

Link didn’t dwell on these thoughts about his family for long, though. Soon enough his attention was focused back on the magic textbook in his hands.

The Pufferfish County was about a hundred miles away from the East Cove Magic Academy. He started the journey yesterday morning and stayed at an inn by the road for a night. It was now the evening of the second day; Link had been continuously studying the Level-5 spell, the Flaming Hand. By now, every minute detail of the spell’s structure had been firmly planted in his memory.

He’d never practiced it in the Elemental Pool though, so Link didn’t dare to use it indiscriminately yet. This was a Level-5 fire element spell, not only did it contain a frightening amount of power, the fire elements that made up the spell were also notoriously difficult to control. This meant that the slightest mistakes he made might result in a cataclysmic explosion!

This is a powerful spell that needs to be controlled very precisely, Link pondered. It would make a good weapon to attack opponents with and an excellent defensive spell. Maybe I should engrave this spell on my soul with the Glyph of Soul.

Once the spell was engraved on his soul with the Glyph of Soul, he could then cast the spell without constructing the spell structure in his mind. All he had to do was trigger his Mana and wait for the elements to converge and condense and the spell would take form perfectly every time – how simple would that be?

But this is just the regular version of the spell, thought Link. If I’m going to engrave a spell with the Glyph of Soul, I’d better modify it with some Supreme Magical Skills first to make the best of it.

With his fast thinking speed, Link managed to study The Flaming Hand from cover to cover in a single day. This meant that he had a whole day left to ponder on how to improve the spell with Supreme Magical Skills, of which he now had some rough ideas.

The inspiration for these ideas came once again from the space-time thesis that he had been working on. At present, Link had developed his thesis to a point where he had hit upon the profound layer of the truth fabric. It had yielded him with unexpected insights that led to his extraordinary innovations which had helped in gradually enhancing his strength and power.

It was no exaggeration to say that this thesis had become a treasure trove for Link where he could pick out invaluable pieces of knowledge from it every once in a while.

Too bad there isn’t any Elemental Pool here so I can’t test the spell yet. Link was itching to try out the spell now, but he knew that it was a taboo thing among Magicians to test out new spells in public. He wasn’t planning on becoming a laughing stock among the Magicians just because of some slight mistakes he might make in trying out a new spell.

Just as he was about to put down the textbook The Flaming Hand and was going to turn his attention to Bryant’s Scroll of Enlightenment, a notification suddenly appeared on the interface.

Link found the notification slightly odd. It was one that he’d never seen before.

Would you like to simulate spellcasting?

“Simulate spellcasting?” Link was surprised. “Explain to me what it is.”

The gaming system can assist the player by simulating the process of spellcasting in the realm of consciousness. This way the player can verify the feasibility and effectiveness of a spell.

“You can do that too?” asked Link, bewildered. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Link had to wait for his turn to use the Elemental Pool to learn the spell Flame Blast. Had the gaming system told him about such a magnificent feature that he could take advantage of, it would’ve saved him so much time.

Player’s soul strength was not strong enough in the past. The simulation might cause some damage to the player’s soul.

“Is it strong enough now, then?” Link asked. “When did it get stronger? Why didn’t I notice it?

When you confronted the Necromancer Shade, you surpassed your own limit. Then when you received the blessings of the Angel of Light, there was an ascension in the strength of your soul.

Link understood it now. He had broken through his own limits as he was fighting against the undead, that was why he had such a splitting headache then. Then Herrera had sacrificed parts of her own soul to help heal his soul, which made him recover not only to his previous strength but made it even stronger than before.

Seeing that it would take more than an hour to arrive at the Morani Castle, Link estimated that he would have enough time to master one spell in the meantime.

“Start spellcasting simulation now,” he instructed the gaming system.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the spell structure of the Flaming Hand appeared right in front of him.

This was a Level-5 spell, so its spell structure was complex and intricate, much more than that of the Level-4 Flame Blast. The Flaming Hand was another spell that was based on runic light wheels. It contained five light wheels and there were more than a hundred runes on each wheel. If he used the same spellcasting technique as the one shown in the simulation earlier, Link estimated that he would spend 4 seconds on spellcasting even when he had already mastered it.

In real battles, taking four seconds to cast a spell was enough to create an opening for an Assassin or a Warrior to kill him more than ten times.

Then, Link saw clouds of red gas flowing from all directions into the bright red frame of spell structure, creating a giant Flaming Hand of which each finger was thicker than an elephant’s leg. The hand was glowing white and there were spirals of red-hot flames surrounding it while its surface was roiling with heat waves. By the looks of it, if the hand was holding a man inside its palm, it could completely vaporize the man in less than a second.

In the field of vision, Link saw a red-colored atmosphere flowing in from all sides into this red magic structure, forming a large flame giant with a finger two times larger than the elephant’s leg. The color of the hand was incandescent and surrounded by a red fire. The flame, on the outside, was a billowing heat wave.

“It’s not bad, but it’s just the regular version,” said Link in his own realm of consciousness. “I’ll modify it.”

As soon as he had the idea, the Flaming Hand in front of him disappeared and turned into its basic spell structure. Link then began to modify it based on the ideas that he had when observing the regular version earlier.

He had been playing with the ideas of ways to modify the spell a dozen times in his head, so he took less than five minutes before a completely new spell structure was created.

After checking it one last time and confirming that there were no defects, Link said, “Simulate spellcasting.”

The spell structure began to oscillate, and the red flames began to pour in. Soon afterwards, the Flaming Hand began to take shape and was about to come into its perfect from when suddenly there was a flash of light and the Flaming Hand scattered and collapsed.

Simulated casting failed. The new structure was flawed.

Link was not discouraged, though. He knew that it would take more than one trial to succeed.

“Can you repeat the process?” asked Link. “And make it slower too.”

Yes.

And so, Link once again observed the whole process when the Flaming Hand collapsed. The speed was slowed down by 5 times so Link could very clearly see the whole process unfold and identify where it had gone wrong.

Link finally spotted all the flaws after a few seconds. He pondered on a solution for about three minutes, then started to make slight alterations. This time, he spent about ten minutes on it. After making sure that everything was in place, he once again said to the gaming system, “Simulate spellcasting.”

The red gas flowed into the spell structure once again, but this time no accidents happened. The giant hand appeared, although its appearance slightly differed from the regular version. Its surface was still an incandescent white, but it was glowing very dimly and the roiling waves around it were now controlled. The barrier between the Flaming Hand and the air around it was now clear-cut. Additionally, there was a transparent force field around the giant hand.

This force field wrapped around each finger of the Flaming Hand. Under the influence of the fire elements on the force field, red rings of fire appeared around these fingers.

The texture of this novel Flaming Hand was similar to that of Link’s Glass Orbs. The reason being that both spells condensed all of their fire elements tightly inside their cores.

Splendid, Link thought. Now I can completely control the flame and direct it to explode at the exact time that I wish it to. There are still some flaws here, though. The control of the flame’s energy is still imperfect, but I can change that.

Link liked spells that he could control, which was why he had developed the Flame Blast with high target accuracy and the Glass Orb with almost all of it fire elements constrained inside the orb. Right now, he wished to create a modified version of the Flaming Hand of which he could completely tweak its surface temperature to his desire.

After the completion of its basic structure, he now began to make the final improvements to the spell.

It took him more than half an hour this time. After modifying it five times, Link was finally content.

Though half an hour might seem like a brief period of time, Link had actually spent more time because he was in the realm of his own consciousness. Because Magicians usually possess fast thinking speed, one second in the real world was like a hundred seconds in their realm of consciousness. Link, on the other hand, had such a lightning fast thinking speed that one second in the real world could be as long as 200 seconds in his realm of consciousness. Combined with the boost he received from the gaming system, that was how he managed to modify a spell in less than an hour.

“Now,” said Link, “imprint this spell onto the Glyph of Soul.”

Are you sure?

“Yes.”

As soon as he made the reply Link felt as if something was slamming against his head. He could almost hear a clanging sound in his head, as if someone was hitting on a big brass bell. He had a throbbing headache when he finally regained consciousness. Nevertheless, the Flaming Hand’s structure had been clearly imprinted in his mind and he could recall it with all its minute details in no time at all.

He had a feeling that as long as he triggered his Mana he could construct the structure of this Level-5 spell instantaneously. Then, a notification popped up on the interface.

Player acquired a new soul spell. Please name the spell.

“Call it… the Vulcan’s Hand”, replied Link. He had wanted to call it the Buddha’s Palm but he thought it sounded too grandiose and arrogant to name a spell he created himself something like that.

Player successfully created a new Level-5 spell – the Vulcan’s Hand. Player receives 10 Omni Points and now has 210 Omni Points in total.

Link took a quick glance at the notification then made it disappear. He rubbed his throbbing temple and closed his eyes to rest for a while. About ten minutes later the carriage gradually slowed down and came to a stop.

“Mr. Link,” said the coachman, “we’re at the castle gate now.”

Link opened his eyes and peered out of the carriage window and discovered that he was now at the Hamilton family’s castle gate. By now the guards on the castle wall had noticed the carriage approaching the moat, though they made no move to lower the bridge.

“Who goes there?” shouted one of the guards. “Report the name of the gentleman in the carriage!”

“Tell them it’s Link Morani,” said Link to the coachman, who then shouted the reply.

The guards on the castle wall were taken aback by the name given by the coachman. They knew that the Viscount’s third son had left the castle to study magic a long time ago and were surprised at his sudden appearance now.

Why did the young master come back so suddenly? Did he hear that the old Viscount was sick in his bed and rushed back to make sure he got his share of the inheritance?