Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"How wonderful, if only my Helen could speak too."

Helen is a forearm-length wand made entirely of ivory, with a straight and slender shaft. At the very tip is a rose-red gem, simple yet luxurious, and in Ariana's hands it looks like a fairy wand.

A particularly rich fairy wand.

Perhaps he sensed her disappointment.

Water tendrils wrapped around Ariana's wand, and a water sphere enveloped the gem.

"Gurgle."

"Gurgle?" Ariana uttered the same cute onomatopoeic sound as the ball gathered in her palm, her hand patting lightly, making ripples.

"Plague Doctor, your talent suits me."

Lyle smiled. "Nobody dislikes you."

"Yes, thank you."

Did I just accept it so calmly? Thinking of Ariana's bewitching throat, it seems quite normal.

"Speaking of which, the name Medusa is truly nostalgic."

"The one from Greek mythology? The Gorgon with the ability to turn people to stone."

"Yes, but the real Medusa doesn't exist. Snake-bodied bewitches do exist, but the idea that seeing their eyes will turn you to stone is pure nonsense. Many mythical creatures are just a blend of reality and legend."

"Just learning about the existence of snake-bodied bewitches is a novelty for me."

"They all live on the shallows of the Southwest Sea, and we might meet them again someday."

Lyle almost lost his sense of time while chatting with Ariana.

“I still need to find the scholar, so I’ll be leaving now, Ariana.”

"Hmm." Ariana handed the water balloon back to Lyle and waved slightly as he left.

Following my memory, I walked to the familiar spot.

It was a wall without any decoration. I knocked on the twenty-third stone brick from the ground. There was no mechanism. It was just a matter of convenience. I was just following the custom of knocking politely. Whether you could get in or not depended entirely on the scholar's mood.

While you weren't looking, the stone bricks transformed into a wooden door. The door opened from the inside, revealing a person wearing a black pointed hat, a light blue robe, and a ball mask shaped like bird wings.

"Welcome, Physician." Her soft, full voice came from her lips, like a gentle autumn stream.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Lyle looked inside and saw the scholar sitting in his seat, nodding to Lyle.

"This is Ms. Wenli, a witch."

"She is also the scholar's assistant." Ms. Wenli added her own words with a smile, her words and composure becoming her weapons. She seized control with just a few words, a woman with a strong personality.

Lyle isn't very good at dealing with these kinds of people.

The scholar was the same. He was almost bound to his chair, and Ms. Wenli would hand him books and paper at just the right time. Judging from the scholar's reaction, she seemed to have no oversights and had a complete grasp of his every word and action.

"What's wrong, Doctor of Plague?"

“It’s about my talent; it’s changed.” Lyle placed the ball on the table as a demonstration, and the ball extended its tentacles and performed a rope-jumping motion in mid-air.

"It even learned to cast spells."

"Oh, it's progressed to the individual level, that's serious. I need to get him tested comprehensively as soon as possible. Oh, and Wenli, I have to protect the plague doctor's privacy, so..."

Ms. Wenli didn't say much, nor did she beat around the bush. "I understand, Mr. Scholar. I will wait outside the room, please don't worry." Ms. Wenli walked to the door, giving Mr. Scholar one last look. "No matter how long it takes, I will wait. But, Mr. Scholar, I will be angry if you forget me."

"……I see."

The door was tightly shut, and the scholar collapsed onto the table.

Lyle hunched over, glanced in the direction of the door, and whispered, "Has the Witches sent out their strongest forces?"

"From every angle, Ms. Wenli is already a powerful witch, and it is said that she is only one step away from becoming the witch mother. The most fatal thing is that she happens to be the beneficiary of a group of witch hunts that I interfered with."

"Anle, scholar. So, is my current state of talent really that serious?"

"It already has a basic spirituality and can even cast spells. Are you using it as a material to enchant a staff? You're really something. You haven't even been involved in magic for a week, and you're the most Andrei-spirited new magic student I've ever met. You're even messing around with your talent."

"I did not do it on purpose."

"That's all nonsense. We're already halfway there. Let's get back to preparing the materials to individualize our talents."

"Ah."

"I have three options. The genetic method, the main material is your bone powder, which guarantees that your innate personal thinking logic is like another you. The advantage is stability, the disadvantage is mediocrity. The planting method, the main material is spiritual tokens. Depending on your materials, the results will vary, creating an incarnation of a god. The advantage is that its spellcasting ability may be much stronger than yours, the disadvantage is that it may be much stronger overall than you. The bestowal method, the main material is the Sword Dance Mandala. It will enhance your inspiration, to the point that you can create a personality out of thin air. Your talent will become what you want it to be. The advantage is obvious, the disadvantage is instability. Our thoughts are boundless, you can never guess what you will think of next. Rather than self-shaping, it is more like leaving everything to fate."

"What is your choice, Plague Doctor?" The scholar patted the water sphere, its tentacles swirling in mid-air like sea anemones. "What do you want to turn it into?"

Chapter Sixty-Two: The Sword Dance of the Mandala and the Ruthless Country

Genetic methods are ruled out first, for no other reason than that Lyle doesn't know how he obtained his own bone meal, and as for the self-destruction involved, I'm sorry, I refuse to do even a single finger.

"Scholar, what if I use bone powder from other people for genetic engineering, for example, Mr. Dragon?"

"So, would you be willing to be strangled by your own talent for stepping on an ant? That's just an exaggerated analogy."

"Genetic law is out of the question, I refuse." A picture flashed in my mind.

What are spiritual tokens?

"Things imbued with divine aura, their remains or remnants. Living gods will carefully safeguard everything they possess, while dead gods may be the very opportunity for their resurrection. If you are powerful enough, there is also the possibility of seizing power. This kind of adventure happens to be very suitable for the Andrei people."

“No, I don’t want to be a backup for the gods.”

"What kind of strange thing is that sword dance mandala?"

"A special herb. When people consume it, their physical abilities increase rapidly. With a little processing, it can also serve as an excellent aid for spellcasters. The problem is that its place of origin is singular and specific."

"where is it?"

"The Scansor Mountains, the border of civilized society, are home to only two human kingdoms that have been at war with each other for ten years."

"Won't the church intervene?"

"The Kingdom of Lewesser and the Kingdom of Deria have been excommunicated, and the Church has no right to interfere in their dispute."

Medieval states were all affiliated with the Church. Sometimes, divine authority and royal authority were intertwined. The Church would balance disputes between states, resolving disagreements through open discussion. Without just cause, no state had the right to declare war on an enemy state. Violators would be excommunicated, which was a very serious consequence. There were even precedents of kings repenting and regaining their membership. In any case, a state that survived ten years of fighting after losing its membership simply did not exist in the real world.

These two countries are definitely full of ruthless people, because losing your religious status means you will be attacked by all the countries in the world.

"These two countries must be very powerful."

"As a nation that possesses the sword dance mandala, their citizens are among the most formidable warriors of civilized times."

"The Age of Civilization? So, there was also the Age of Barbarism?"

"The names of the more distant eras vary, so there's no point in discussing them now. Let's talk about the present. The strategic plant, the Sword Dance Mandala, is under the absolute control of two countries. Your chances of acquiring it personally are, without exaggeration, close to zero."

"If you have a method, please teach me."

“If you can’t do it yourself, you can ask for help. There’s an association in the City of Wanderings that’s similar to the Andre Society, called Twilight Memories. You should be able to find out about Sword Dance Mandala there.”

"But, sir, I don't know how to get to the City of Wanderings?"

"Ah, no rush. Tomorrow night, you two, the Cup of Extravagance, will tour the City of Wanderings together. Mr. Dragon happens to be there and has some important matters to discuss with me, so please be patient, Plague Doctor."

"By the way, sir, I've heard that you also hold the title of Dragon Priest..."

"Yes, there's nothing to be curious about, Plague Doctor. That's just the remnant of history. The glory of the past is gone with the disappearance of the dragons. The world now belongs to the Holy Light, and it also belongs to you pioneers. How's your staff coming along? Your talent is a flaw in the staff enchantment. So how's the staff itself?"

"Everything is fine. My staff can be cast perfectly. The carvings on it can even communicate with me. Its name is Medusa."

"Medusa? May I see her?"

“Of course.” Lyle gently patted Medusa’s neck, quite gently, as he didn’t want her to suffocate.

no respond.

The scholar's gaze also fell on the bulge on Lyle's neck behind his black coat. He stared straight ahead at that area.

A change occurred; Medusa actually began to move, however, she slid behind Lyle.

"Scholar, Medusa seems a little afraid of you?"

The scholar shifted his enchanted mask slightly, looking at Lyle's bird beak. "Is that so? Perhaps. How has Ariana been lately?"

"I guess you could say that. Although we haven't known each other for long, Ariana seems to be living a happy life."

“Yes, she was a good child. When I was young, I worked as a tutor for the Naslan family for a while. Ariana was a very well-behaved child. In comparison, her sisters were much more troublesome.”

Seemingly realizing it was impolite to talk about it behind someone's back, the scholar stopped the conversation, despite Lyle's great curiosity.

"Medical doctor, when you get back, I suggest you have your talent ball tested from a professional physician's perspective."

"Ok?"

"I developed a magic that detects germs in the body. It can diagnose hidden pathogens in the body, and when their number exceeds a threshold, the magic will alert me."

"And I have inadvertently discovered that your talent sphere contains a large number of infectious pathogens. Although they are all common human diseases, please handle them properly in order to prevent a large-scale epidemic in any area."

"Ok, I see."

Leaving the scholar's room and saying goodbye to Ms. Wenli outside the door, Lyle walked back to the Cup of Extravagance.

The Talent Ball was attached to its shoulder. Ever since it had tentacles, it had a particular fondness for staying on Lyle's shoulder, and the ball would rise and fall as Lyle moved.

"It's unbelievable that something that looks cute turns out to be a large pathogen."

"It's because I ate something weird recently." Medusa darted back from her sleeve to her cane, stretching her body freely between Lyle's fingers.

"So you've finally decided to come out? Medusa, you actually hid when you ran into the scholar."

"Ignorance is bliss. I am a magic wand, and it's rare to see a magic wand that doesn't back down. That kind of magical power is also thanks to the fact that archmages nowadays are happy to practice concealing their presence, so that a newbie like you wouldn't faint in front of him."

How strong is the scholar?

"It's not that it's that strong, let me put it this way: do you know what a magic network node is?"

"The convergence point of the world's magic, the hub of magic, and the source of spellcasters' power."

"Another characteristic of the magic network node is that the spellcaster's various abilities will be enhanced by about 10%, due to the energy infusion of the magic flow."

"Being near that person, your abilities will probably increase by about eight percent, which is the magic node of a humanoid."

"In the eyes of our staff, it is the god who gives us power."