From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 506 Specialty Book of Curious Objects

“Did you know? I’m actually an archmage too.” After passing through the portal with Tolna, Gale couldn’t help but say, “Gale Decarios, from Waterdeep.”

“That’s truly…surprising!” Tolna paused for a moment. “It’s an honor to encounter two archmages in one day!”

The vault of the witchcraft general store was filled with magic, not only in terms of the way it was reached, but also in the fact that the floor was made entirely of force field walls, and in the various magical lights that flickered in Ivy's vision.

The vault's lobby is octagonal in shape, with metal pillars and bookshelves embedded in the walls forming the entire scene. In symmetrical positions, there is a wooden door and a secret room hidden behind the wall.

The vault reeked of a musty, stale odor, suggesting it hadn't been ventilated for a long time.

Such an odor can naturally seep out from parchment scrolls that have been stored for too long, but it can be avoided if they are properly cared for and well-ventilated.

At least in the restricted section of Hogwarts, Ivy had a great experience reading the various ancient parchment scrolls.

The bookshelves were mostly filled with magic scrolls, but high-level ones were rare. Fourth-circle spells were already considered rare, and fifth-circle and sixth-circle spells were even rarer, let alone truly high-level spells.

“The Almanac of Karthus has always been a key piece of our collection. Archmage Ramages left behind a considerable number of traps here,” Tolna said, pointing to the wooden door at the far end of the wall. “Perhaps we could save it for last?”

For this ambitious low-level spellcaster who didn't want to spend his life as a clerk in a sorcery general store, going to Strelhaven for further studies sounded like a good path to advancement.

Although it was their first meeting, Tolna didn't feel like she had been tricked.

The mage standing next to her was elegant and possessed unfathomable strength; there was absolutely no need for him to deceive a mere shop assistant like her.

Besides, guarding the vault of the witchcraft general store was her duty; she was merely providing convenience within the scope of her responsibilities to Master Lorokan's clients.

"As you wish." Ivy nodded in agreement.

Tolna led the two to an empty wall in the room, reached out and felt around on a nearby pillar. After a metallic clanging sound, the stone walls rubbed against each other, clearing a path for the three of them.

Behind the wall is a suspended corridor, but what appears to be a bottomless abyss is actually a floor made of force field walls.

Below the walls on both sides of the passage, there is a treasure chest bound with iron bars.

"What's behind the wall?" Ivy looked at the wall on his right. His arcane vision saw the magical glow behind the wall, and the wall itself was also shimmering with a faint illusionary glow. "I see an oil lamp. Is it a giant spirit imprisonment vessel? But the magical glow on it doesn't seem quite right."

"You can see it?" Torna, who was leading the two across the covered bridge, was startled. "That's one of the treasures left by Master Ramages. All we know is that it's extremely dangerous and must never be touched."

"Can I come closer and take a look?" Ivy scratched his chin. The magical light behind the illusion wall was so strong it was blinding, and the magic attached to it was definitely among the strongest.

However, unlike the spellcasting magic that Ivy used to imprison the giant spirit Akabby, the light on the lantern is of the defensive type. Getting close to observe it can help Ivy avoid interference from the light on the illusion wall and determine the true nature of the spell.

“As long as no one touches it, I don’t think Master Lorokan will object,” Torna said very tactfully.

Ivy nodded in understanding and stepped through the illusion wall behind the treasure chest.

The room where the lanterns were stored was very small and poorly maintained; apart from two statues of the sorcerer god Azus, there were only some cobwebs crawling all over the ceiling.

I really don't know how the spider and its food got in there.

The lantern was placed at the far end of the small room, on a stone platform covered with a tattered cloth.

Ivy leaned closer, almost pressing her nose against the surface of the lantern.

After a long pause, he finally said, "This is indeed a vessel for imprisoning giant spirits, but it's not the conventional kind."

"The magic attached to the lantern is incredibly powerful, a ninth-circle binding spell, capable of locking a target indefinitely," Ivy said, rising to her feet with a smile. "However, it can only imprison one target at a time. Any creature that triggers the magic will be trapped inside the lantern, while the original prisoner will be released. There's no magic that forces the giant to serve the wielder. Oh, in the end, this is just my guess; perhaps the prisoner inside isn't even a giant at all."

"Imprisonment spell?" Thorna repeated the name of the ninth-ring spell with great awe and curiosity.

“It’s almost one of the most powerful spells a spellcaster can unleash.” Although Gale couldn’t identify the spell on the lantern through magical aura like Ivy could, his knowledge of magic was no less extensive. “Targets affected by the imprisonment spell do not need to breathe, eat, or drink, and they don’t even age. Until the spell is lifted, it’s a place of confinement that can last until the end of the world.”

“Oh—” Tolna sighed, her curiosity satisfied. “Master Lorokan rarely talks to us about these things.”

She shrugged. "Well, we're not his apprentices, after all. But even if I were given the chance to become his apprentice, I'd have to think about it carefully. By the way, Master Doom, is Stretchham's course particularly demanding?"

“Generally speaking, Striaven is a four-year magic university, but we also welcome young talents from all dimensions to stay and pursue further studies after completing the regular curriculum,” Ivy explained. “The first year for freshmen consists of general education courses, which mainly focus on understanding Striaven’s unique magical theories and choosing a college they prefer.”

“We have five houses, and each house has two different research directions.” Ivy started walking out, and before he knew it, he had taken the lead, becoming the one guiding the three through the vault of the sorcery general store. “Therefore, sorting is a very important step for freshmen. Of course, you can still change your house after you’ve chosen one, but it’s very difficult. I haven’t heard of many students who have achieved great things after changing houses.”

"Five colleges, ten different research directions?" Tolna repeated wistfully, completely unaware that Ivy casually unlocked the wooden door. "I thought there were only eight schools of magic!"

Behind the door was another octagonal hall. Unlike the room that could barely be described as tidy for storing books and scrolls, this place looked as if it had been ravaged by an energetic husky.

A round table lying on the ground, papers torn from some magic book, an overturned display case, randomly piled metal boxes, and spider webs everywhere.

However, in this chaotic vault that seemed unlike anything one would expect from a mage's business, there was a book that could easily capture everyone's attention. It was a book with a red leather cover and gold border, and a visible red aura was emanating from within. Even through the completely sealed display case, one could feel the power contained within—the power of knowledge.

“Magic can indeed be summarized by eight schools, but Stryhaven doesn’t have sectarianism in magic.” Even after seeing the grimoire containing legendary knowledge, Ivy didn’t show any signs of excitement or shortness of breath. “Each academy’s research direction is a dialectical unity of magical philosophy, and we maintain an open attitude towards every kind of magic. Necromancers who can draw life force and druids who promote lush vegetation and fertile land will sit in the same classroom, which is not uncommon in Stryhaven. If you want to study at Stryhaven, this is probably the first thing you’ll have to face.”

"It's just too—unbelievable..." Whether it's Stryhaven's concept of magic or the magic Ivy is currently casting.

The book, radiating a visible red aura, passed through the glass of the display case and flew into Ivy's hands.

The Red Knight who wrote this book is a deity, and she has a very famous title: the master of Go.

In Faerûn, Gunboard is a board game similar to chess, so the Red Knight's emblem is a red horse-headed knight piece.

Ivy unfastened the two leather straps on the book and examined the work that came from the gods.

"The Red Knight's Strategic Guide" was undoubtedly a rare find, a fact Ivy knew the moment she got her hands on it.

The book contains knowledge of ingenious schemes, legionary strategies, and a small amount of magical knowledge.

For the Red Knight, her strategy is what's worth passing down; the magic associated with it is merely a peripheral element.

Ivy's scholarly touch, which allowed him to access the forbidden books of Hogwarts, was ineffective against the wondrous books, a great book that could only be mastered through careful study.

Just like the Tome of Domination of Monsters created by Ivy using Voldemort's soul, and the Secret of the Dragon written with Smaug's blood, one can complete the Red Knight's strategic course by studying for eight hours a day for a week.

"The Red Knight's Strategy Guide" does not increase attributes or experience points, but it is a unique skill book that grants Ivy the [Leadership] skill.

Although Ivy hadn't played in many raids before her transmigration, she had already heard of the reputation of this specialty.

For almost all DMs, leadership can lead to a destructive gaming experience for players.

This perk allows a character to acquire NPCs as followers, proving to the world that they are a worthy follower.

While it may not sound exaggerated, in actual tabletop role-playing games, it is equivalent to providing players with several additional controllable objects.

For players who are already good at creating outrageous content, this is incredibly creative (and destructive).

For players who don't have the Leadership talent or NPC followers, the game experience becomes very bad, especially when they watch other players do great things while they are left out.

However, if a DM opens up this expertise to everyone, the DM themselves will have a devastating experience.

Therefore, even in tabletop RPGs that allow the [Leadership] perk, players are usually not allowed to control these NPC followers themselves.

But this is the real world, and Ivy still doesn't understand what [Leadership] means to her, since there are no similar feats to choose from in the Grimoire of Destruction.

Just like before he obtains the Bard job rank, all feats related to the Chanting ability are unselectable.

I suppose that [Leadership] is not among the options for the Grimoire of Destruction for the same reason.

In addition to the specialization of Leadership, The Red Knight's Strategy Guide also includes a spell model and spell gestures for a fifth-circle Evocation spell.

Named Art of War, it can summon six force field illusions to attack enemies. Each illusion can deal 2d6+6 force field damage, for a total of 12d6+36 points, making it an upgraded version of magic missiles.

For Ivy, who has an exceptionally large number of spell slots, this is not bad; at least it's much better than Magic Missiles that utilize the Ascendant spellcasting effect.

Ivy casually flipped through the legendary book with its red cover and then handed it to Gail.

Being able to acquire a skill for free is certainly a good thing, but the current situation doesn't allow Ivy to study for eight hours every day for a week.

Keeping it in the basement of the witchcraft general store at least means you don't have to worry about it being stolen by anyone.

“What exquisite magic…” Gale also noticed the spell model at the end of the book, but after a brief hesitation, he returned the book. “But it’s not the one we’re looking for.”

Ivy nodded in agreement and then put "The Red Knight's Strategic Tutorial" back into the display case.

Torna, who witnessed this scene, breathed a sigh of relief and became even more confident in her decision to study at Stryhaven.

He could easily give up even the magical knowledge left behind by the gods, so the other knowledge belonging to mortals in the vault certainly wouldn't make him do anything to steal or rob.

“Master Lorokan’s protection of this knowledge is still too weak. Even though it’s proof of his confidence, I still think he should be more vigilant.” Ivy reached out and touched the intact glass of the display case. An invisible magical field immediately enveloped the entire display case, and even the red aura emanating from the legendary books seemed to freeze. “I’ve added some protective measures. Master Lorokan will surely understand.”

“Oh,” Tolna chimed in, “Of course, I have no doubt about that.”

“Come, masters, the other three books are in the secret vault on the other side. The *Compendium of Joy* is a book Master Lorokan reads from time to time, so it's kept in a secluded study, just like the room with the oil lamp, hidden behind an illusion wall.” Tolna led the way. “I’ll show you. But be very careful from here on out. That vault has incredibly strong magical protection; if you go in the wrong order, it will activate a magical trap. Master Lorokan called it a disintegration spell? I think that’s the name. But I’ve never seen it activated.”

(End of this chapter)