In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

Dixia shook her head, adjusted her posture slightly, and looked into the depths of the desert ahead: "It's not that big, the entire Aru Village has only about a thousand permanent residents."

“Aru Village has a very special location,” Dixia began to explain. “It is not located in the deepest part of the desert, but on a key route to the rainforest. Backed by the desert and facing Kavan Post Station, you can think of it as an arm of the desert reaching into the rainforest, and also the first harbor where the rainforest can reliably replenish supplies and rest after entering the desert.”

"Because of its location, Aru Village has been an important settlement in the desert since ancient times. Many tribes and caravans would pass through here when traveling or resting."

She paused, a hint of emotion in her voice: "However, for a long time in the past, due to the prohibition of the Church and the barrier between the rainforest and the desert, Aru Village was more like a forgotten corner. The people guarded their ancestral land and struggled to survive. They were not only oppressed by the Church, but also hated by many desert tribes, who believed that Aru Village had submitted to the rainforest."

"In short, things weren't easy for Aru Village back then. If it weren't for Candice..."

She shook her head slightly, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"And now?" Wang Yan asked at the opportune moment.

Upon hearing this question, a bright smile appeared on Dixia's face, and even her voice became much lighter:

"Now? Things are different now. Ever since Lord Grass God returned and lifted the desert ban, the Order of the Church has truly begun to focus its attention here."

"As policies began to favor the desert, Aru Village, as the gateway connecting the two places, suddenly became very important."

"Based in Aru Village, Setare led a group of volunteer teachers to begin spreading education in the desert."

"The establishment of more comprehensive medical support points is extremely important for a desert region that lacks medical care and medicine."

"Furthermore, large purchasing caravans like ours can receive support and convenience, enabling them to travel more safely and smoothly... all of this has truly benefited Aru Village."

"Scholars like you, those who come to investigate, those who come to provide assistance, and even some rainforest merchants who see an opportunity and want to do some legitimate business in the desert have all made Aru Village their first stop."

“The village is much more vibrant than before. Children can see more new faces and things, and everyone has more things to exchange or buy.”

“Candice often said that Aru Village is like a date palm tree that has been parched for a long time and is now sprouting new branches and becoming more and more prosperous.”

By the end, Dixia's tone was filled with joy.

Seeing Aru Village improve made her happier than if she had become a hero herself.

“It sounds like Aru Village is already a paradise in the desert,” Wang Yan exclaimed.

Dixia smiled and said, "It certainly can't compare to Sumeru City, but for the desert, that's for sure."

The two chatted for a while longer, mainly Wang Yan asking about various details of Aru Village in preparation for the subsequent exploration of the ruins.

The conversation ended when the sandstorm ahead gradually intensified, and Dixia needed to go to the front of the caravan to take command.

After Dixia left, Valusan looked up and said, "It's time for today's homework."

During the month she was away, even while traveling with the caravan, Falushan never stopped teaching Wang Yan.

In fact, after getting to know Wang Yan, Falushan had figured out her disciple.

In terms of writing and language, Wang Yan is undoubtedly a genius. Falushan discovered that this student's mastery of writing and language is no less than her own, and may even be more.

If it weren't for Wang Yan's slightly weaker understanding of runes, Falushan would have suspected that Wang Yan was faking it.

Beyond words and language, Erosanne was quite satisfied with this student; she was practically a blank slate, allowing Erosanne to freely express herself.

Therefore, in addition to the texts, language and runes of the Epistemological School itself, Erosham not only taught Wang Yan mechanical arts, but also liked to teach Wang Yan all sorts of miscellaneous things.

Including but not limited to elements, geography, classical literature, historical biographies…

You could say they teach whatever comes to mind.

More importantly, Wang Yan learned quickly. Runes that would make ordinary people dizzy could be memorized by Wang Yan after just one study, and he could even apply them appropriately.

This talent even made Falushan somewhat envious and jealous.

"Okay, teacher, what are we going to learn today?" Wang Yan sat up straight, looking like he was listening attentively.

Erosanne thought for a moment and said, "I've already taught you a lot about runes. Today, I'll tell you about an important branch of rune evolution—spells."

Magic!

Wang Yan's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "Great, great, teacher, I want to learn this."

The concept of magic exists in the Teyvat universe.

As mentioned in the one-star weapon [Apprentice's Notes], it is a study note left by a top student. The neat handwriting is very beautiful and records many useful spells.

The two-star weapon, the Pocket Magic Book, is a meticulously compiled magic reference booklet that only contains the key points for the exam.

Even the three-star weapon "Magic Theory" is considered to have many errors, but it is indeed a book that teaches magic knowledge.

Teyvat magic, or spells and incantations, are all closely related to elemental runes.

Erosham took out a notebook with slightly curled edges from her bag and casually turned to a page.

The notebook was filled with various intricate and complex arrays of runes. Wang Yan glanced at it, and even with the help of [Language Proficiency], he could only understand a portion of it at the moment; the rest required slow analysis.

"Wang Yan, what do you think is the difference between the use of elemental runes by magic and the use of runes by mechanical magic?" Falushan asked.

Wang Yan thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Teacher, I don't know."

He didn't know what Teyvat magic was like, so naturally he didn't know the differences between them.

Erosham was not surprised and answered directly: "The mechanism technique is to engrave the rune on a carrier and use external objects, such as mechanisms, crystals and elemental fragments, to stably stimulate the power of the rune."

"In this way, as long as the scholars who create the mechanism are skilled, the power it generates is predictable, repeatable, and measurable, just like the rulers and compasses crafted by artisans, with minimal error."

As she spoke, Erosham lightly tapped the notes in her hand with her fingertips: "But magic is different. It does not rely on external inscriptions, but uses human intention as a pen and spirit as ink to directly 'draw' runes in the void."

"Thoughts?" Wang Yan leaned forward slightly.

“Exactly.” Falushan nodded. “The so-called ‘outlining’ does not actually mean that you have to draw the shape of the rune in the air. Of course, some schools will use gestures or incantations to help concentrate the mind. The real core is that your consciousness must clearly and completely ‘visualize’ the shape, structure and even the trajectory of the flow of elements in the rune.”

"When your understanding of a rune is deep enough and your will is strong enough, you can use your own spiritual power as a guide to mobilize the elemental forces in the surrounding environment, so that they are arranged and manipulated according to the 'intention' of the rune, thereby manifesting the magical effect."

She paused, her tone becoming somewhat distant: "This sounds like it's freer and more flexible than mechanical arts, doesn't it? But precisely because it's based on the 'user himself,' it's even more difficult to control."

"First of all, the strength of each person's will, the depth of their understanding of the runes, and even their mental state at that moment are all very different."

"Therefore, even with the same basic rune, such as the simplest wind rune [Flow], the effect can be drastically different when different people cast it."

“A powerful spellcaster can unleash terrifying power with the most basic spells, while some apprentices can only whistle through grass and trees.”

"Is it okay without the Eye of God?" Wang Yan couldn't help but ask.

Erosian paused for a moment, then spoke: "If someone else asked me, I would definitely say: Only the holder of the Eye of God can do this."

“But you are my student, and I must tell you that the control of elemental power is not truly the exclusive domain of those who possess the Eye of God.”

Chapter 74 Cultivation Methods

"Mentor, is there any way for ordinary people to master elemental power?"

Wang Yan asked with great curiosity.

If others heard that ordinary people could also master elemental power, they might be very excited.

But Wang Yan did not, because although he did not have the Eye of God or the Wheel of the Moon, he had actually mastered a way to control the extraordinary, which was the extraordinary language.

According to his plan, once he returned from this inspection, the profits from the toothpaste factory would be enough for him to post a quest at the Adventurers' Guild to find Nata's [Engraved Inscription] or Liyue's Celestial Magic.

Therefore, although Wang Yan was curious, he was not in a hurry.

Erosan was very satisfied with Wang Yan's calmness and restraint.

She was also afraid that her disciples, lacking the divine eye, might get stuck on this particular aspect.

Seeing that Wang Yan no longer had that yearning look in his eyes, Falushan breathed a sigh of relief.

“The simplest and also the most difficult is physical training,” Estée Lauder said.

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow, almost thinking he had misheard: "Physical training?"

Eros nodded: "Yes. Why can't humans master elemental power? Essentially, it's because elemental power is aggressive. If ordinary people come into contact with it, they will not only be unable to master it, but they will also be harmed by it."

"Then, conversely, as long as one resists the invasion of elemental forces, one can naturally try to master elemental forces."

"Are there any successful cases?" Wang Yan couldn't help but ask.

Erosan shook her head: "No, because in a few cases, the Eye of God descends after physical strength reaches a certain level."

"Ah, this..."

"Hmm, anyway, in the end, we've mastered elemental power, haven't we?" Erosham snorted.

Wang Yan chuckled, "Yes, yes. But, does the mentor have any other ideas?"

Wang Yan felt that he was unlikely to obtain the Eye of God.

In the Teyvat Fate/Warrior system, he is most likely still an unregistered individual. To obtain the Vision, he would probably need to perform a ritual like the Fire of the Two Realms.

After all, not every outsider is like Aloy, who can obtain local residency and be granted the Eye of God.

“Of course, do you know Golden City?” Erosanne asked.

Wang nodded subconsciously: "Golden City 'Hyperpolia'."

After saying that, Wang Yan hurriedly added, "When I was studying ancient writing, I saw some descriptions of it."

The knowledge of Huang Jincheng's "Hyperpolia" is not something that ordinary scholars can know.

Erosham didn't pay attention to these details, simply stating, "Among the archaeological data left by the Council of Churches, there is a description of an experiment conducted during the time of the Golden City 'Hyperpolia.' They had humans fuse with the bloodlines of those extraordinary beings, thereby allowing humans to directly control extraordinary powers."

"This is the second way to give ordinary people superhuman powers: bloodline modification. However, you can forget about it; you can't do it."

Wang Yan was taken aback: "Why?"

Ella gave him an annoyed look: "What is the first rule of the Order of the Church?"

Wang Yan recited it very well: "The matter of human evolution!"

“You know that, don’t you?” Erosham said sarcastically, then added, “The Order of the Church conducted similar research a long time ago, but it was banned later. I don’t know the specifics, but it certainly wasn’t anything good.”

"What other options are there besides these two?"

Wang Yan didn't care about Falushan's sarcasm. He had already figured out what kind of personality his cute female mentor had.

More than being mocked, he was concerned about whether there were other options.

Eros nodded slightly: "Of course there are. The first two paths are either too difficult or too taboo, while the third path is the current mainstream."

"Mainstream? Isn't the mainstream the Eye of God?" Wang Yan questioned.

Eros glared at him: "My foolish apprentice, do you think there are many Eyes of God? With the number of Eyes of God holders, can they become mainstream?"

What is mainstream? The majority is mainstream. Those who possess the Eye of God are truly one in ten thousand, so their system naturally cannot become mainstream.

Therefore, although the system of God's Eye holders is officially (promoted by the Heavenly Principles), its high entry barrier makes it difficult to popularize, thus becoming a niche system.

“The real mainstream is cultivation,” Erosan explained. “The Knight system in Mondstadt, the Mage system in Liyue, the Shrine Maiden system in Inazuma… these are all standard cultivation systems. Even ordinary people can gain extraordinary power if they go far enough in these systems.”

"For example, as far as I know, in the Inazuma priestess system, once you advance to the 'Bright Rank,' you basically possess extraordinary abilities, a long lifespan, and even the Eye of God."

Wang Yan suddenly realized, and then quickly asked, "What about our Order Academy? Shouldn't we have one too?"

It doesn't make sense that Mondstadt has it, Liyue has it, Inazuma has it, but Sumeru, the place that values ​​knowledge the most, doesn't have it, right?

“Of course,” Erosanne answered affirmatively. “In our Sumeru system, the method of cultivation is called meditation.”

Meditation? That sounds like the Dharma Master's method of cultivation.

Wang Yan asked with slight excitement, "What kind of meditation? Is it cultivating mental power?"

I'm quite excited to meditate diligently, become a great mage, build a floating city, and embark on an interdimensional expedition!

“Cultivating spiritual power? I suppose you could call it that. The meditation in the Academy of Teachings uses the fragrance of lingo to communicate with the World Tree. In the past, before the various schools of thought were unified, many scholars would use this to acquire new knowledge, thus forming new schools of thought.”

"And in the interaction with the World Tree, the scholar's will, which you call spiritual power, will also grow."

"In a sense, the growth of knowledge is directly proportional to the growth of mental strength."

"It is said that when a person's will reaches a certain level, even without the eye of God, one can forcibly drive the truth of the world."

As she spoke, Falushan looked at Wang Yan and said, "I remember you came from Daochenglin. Haven't you ever seen a scholar meditating in the rainforest?"

A scholar meditating in the rainforest?

When Eros said that, Wang Yan remembered something, not something he had actually seen, but something that appeared in the game.

In the game, when the traveler first arrived at Sumeru, he saw the scholar Haibasha using Lingfen Fragrance to communicate with the World Tree, and then apparently fainted from hunger.

Wang Yan couldn't quite remember.

“Well, mentor, I got lost in the rainforest and had to be rescued by a ranger. I really didn’t see any scholars,” Wang Yan said dejectedly.

Eros nodded slightly: "Alright, actually there are quite a few scholars living in seclusion in Daocheng Forest. They are all scholars in the [Forest Retreat Period] of cultivation."