I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

At this moment, Sia noticed that Jost's two eyes were different colors.

One eye was still a normal black, but the left eye had turned crimson, like blood.

"This is no small trick. You see, according to Master Alhurst's theory, magic is the manifestation of knowledge, while ritual is the solidification of knowledge. Solidified knowledge is awakened and manifested through incantations. This is the mechanism of magic. It is impossible to use it without incantations and rituals!"

Jost seemed quite determined to figure out how Sia's spell had worked.

As Sia was pondering whether to explain concepts like the magic network to help Jost understand modern magic more quickly, his eyes suddenly widened.

"No...please stop...please..."

Jost immediately covered his ears, as if a demon was whispering in his ear. His pupils were bloodshot, and he collapsed to his knees in agony, trembling all over.

"Jost".

Baron Jerro immediately helped the young mage up, and saw that Jost's eyes were streaming with crimson tears, which were blood.

He made some straining, thin sounds in his throat, his whole body tense up as if gripped by something, constantly twitching and spasming.

"let me."

Sia pressed down on Jost's head, her fingers running through his black hair. With a barely perceptible tremor in the air, Jost's muscles relaxed, he closed his eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Ban's right hand also materialized a silver fountain pen [Last Words], which opened Jost's head.

Countless pieces of information popped up.

"It's pollution."

Lu Ban quickly came to a conclusion.

"He was exposed to a considerable degree of pollution, which would continuously erode his will and body. In fact, even without other unforeseen circumstances, he would have rapidly deteriorated and died within three years."

"Is this what a primitive mage is like...?"

Xia felt a little sad.

The mages of the Night Kingdom in the past were like curious children, throwing all the extraordinary powers they encountered into their minds, absorbing as much as they could.

This knowledge is all pollution, which leads to a decline in rationality and the erosion and alienation of the body. That's why many mages look strange and have even lost their human form.

Later, some monks tried to alleviate this situation. Some tried to balance the pollution in the body by relying on the balance between pollution from different sources. They even summarized a system that would not lead to loss of control. Others studied brain closure, placing most of the knowledge and pollution in the deep brain and only waking it up in a specific way when needed.

The former is known as the Bloodline Mage, while the latter is the prototype of the Court Mage.

In even more ancient times, it is said that these two types of mages once had a legitimate dispute, but it was stopped before it could reach a climax due to the invasion of the demonic tide.

However, once contaminated, the contamination will only deepen, and even if these two types of sorcerers exert all their efforts, they can only delay death and madness to a certain extent.

Moreover, the more powerful a mage is, the more pollution they are exposed to. When they perish due to pollution, the greater the harm they cause. Therefore, if they can still maintain their rationality, most of these mages will choose to go to the depths of the Black Forest, a place ravaged by demons.

Legend has it that powerful mages can leave a curse on the world upon their death, and this is how terrifying natural disasters beyond mortal comprehension are formed.

"Can someone like that really build the Gray Tower?"

Shea looked at Jost, who had already fallen asleep, and thought to herself.

Chapter 698 Silly Child

Sunset Town is a small town located on the outskirts of the kingdom, with most of its area covered by the Black Forest.

Many years ago, probably close to fifty or one hundred, in any case, long ago, Sunset Town was a rather prosperous town with vast tracts of fertile farmland, flowing rivers, and a wealthy, peaceful, and idyllic pastoral life that was just an ordinary day for the townspeople.

Until the demonic tides came again and again.

The scene of the blood moon hanging high and monsters running rampant became the deepest nightmare in the hearts of all the old people who were still alive in Dusk Town.

The average lifespan in the Kingdom of Night is relatively longer. If a person is healthy and has not experienced the ravages of war, they can live to be over two hundred years old in most cases. If magic is used to extend lifespan, then three hundred years old is also possible.

In a place like Sunset Town, a seventy-year-old is already extremely rare, and living to a hundred is considered a long life.

In the face of illness, monsters, and various disasters, being able to survive is already quite fortunate.

The town's past prosperity has vanished, leaving only its current state of decline.

Vast fertile farmlands have been overrun by vines and twisted trees, clean water sources have been polluted by the Black Forest, and drinking from them can cause madness and hallucinations. Livestock have also been contaminated by the land, resulting in various mutations and even attacks on humans.

To think that you can make any money in a place like this is a huge joke.

“I’ve known Jost since I was a child. He was exposed to magic when he was about four or five years old. He had the talent to be a mage and quickly became an apprentice. My family did have some money, but after years of exploitation, that money was quickly depleted.”

Baron Jerome sat at the table and said that the wine in the glass was as pale as water. Most of the water sources in the area were polluted and drinking it directly would cause mental confusion. Only after boiling it could it barely quench thirst. This wine, on the other hand, had been brewed and was less polluted.

"But later, Jost broke some taboos and was expelled from the palace. It was probably because his talent was too great that the crime that should have resulted in immediate execution did not take his life. Instead, he was exiled to this remote border town."

“At that time, my family business had completely collapsed, and I was all alone, so I simply bought the title here and also to take care of Jost.”

He glanced at the monk lying on the bed, who seemed to be having a nightmare.

You're saying he's very talented?

Lu Ban and Stone went out to check the situation in town, leaving Trist and Sia behind to communicate with Geralt.

“Yes, normally, it would take a mage at least forty to fifty years of study to reach Jost’s level, but he has already achieved such a feat at the age of twenty, which is very rare. Even going back further, there are very few formal court mages as young as him.”

Baron Gerald said this as if he were very proud.

"That's really impressive."

Trist echoed, glancing at Sia, who, instead of appearing pleased, frowned slightly.

"I think, regardless of whether Jost is a rare genius, according to you, he may have made a serious mistake."

Xia spoke her mind.

"What error?"

Baron Jero felt that Sia was quite confident in her every move, and she had just demonstrated a spell that even Jost found amazing, so she must be a powerful court mage.

"Magic is knowledge, it is pollution, just like the water you drink. These things are subtle and gradually erode your body. Eventually, when they accumulate to a certain level, they will cause disease."

Shea looked at the wine in Baron Jero's glass and said, "Although there is only a little pollution left in it, for ordinary people, drinking it over the years will definitely cause erosion. The residents and soldiers of this town have already been polluted by the Black Forest."

In Sia's time, water source and land surveying were extremely important. Even in towns located on the edge of the Black Forest, responsible for border defense, mages would use purification spells to ensure the safety of water and food.

However, in this era, there are obviously no such strict measures, and Jost is probably the only mage here, and he doesn't have this awareness either.

Even if the demonic tide doesn't arrive, the lifespan of the people in this town will gradually shorten. Eventually, the entire town will either descend into madness and kill each other, or the remaining residents will move away, turning the town into an abandoned village.

"Similarly, a mage's learning of magic is also a process of gradually accumulating pollution. You think that those mages who can only master this level of magic in their forties or fifties are actually because they need time to digest, endure, and accommodate the pollution. But he mastered so much magic in such a short time. I don't know about other things, but his body definitely can't handle it. He has essentially consumed all the pollution that others would take fifty years to digest in just over ten years, which will definitely lead to a shortened lifespan."

Sia's words made Baron Jerome's face darken.

He had never considered this possibility.

No wonder there weren't many genius mages in the past, because truly intelligent mages understand the principle that haste makes waste. They don't rush to kill themselves within a dozen years, but rather try to extend their lifespan as much as possible.

From this perspective, Jost's genius actually reveals his stupidity.

Faced with knowledge, he was like an ignorant child, trying his best to pick up all the fragments left on the ground, but he didn't expect that the heavy fragments had already bent his back and would lead to his death.

In fact, among those civilizations that are unaware of the horrors of other lands, there are quite a few people like this.

"Speaking of which, you said Jost was expelled for breaking a taboo, what exactly did he do wrong?"

Trist asked again.

"He wanted to teach magic to ordinary people, which was a serious taboo among court mages."

Baron Gerald replied.

At first, Drizzt didn't quite understand, thinking it was a measure to solidify class distinctions and keep the masses ignorant, but soon he realized why these were taboo.

Because magic itself is a form of pollution, if ordinary people learn magic indiscriminately, the pollution will spread. Everyone's constitution and cognition are different. If magic is abused, it will definitely lead to huge social unrest, and may even trigger mass madness or more serious disasters.

The court sorcerer's refusal to allow the teaching of magic does not appear to be tyranny, but rather reasonable.

"...So that's why he wanted to study the magic network?"

Sia seemed to be deep in thought. She went to Jost's laboratory and saw a notebook lying on the ground. She opened it and, although it was written in the ancient language of the Night Kingdom, Sia had learned some of it and was able to read it quickly.

This appears to be Jost's notes.

She had only read a few pages when she heard Lu Ban's voice from outside.

Chapter 699 Prenatal Education per Person

the other side.

Lu Ban and Stone walked on the streets of Sunset Town.

It was called a street, but it was just a muddy path. The forest was very humid, and the ground was wet most of the time, mixed with cow dung, human excrement, and all sorts of filth you could imagine.

Stone covered his nose as he looked at the people on the street. Most of them were pale and thin, looking like they were starving and severely malnourished. They all had deep dark circles under their eyes, and fatigue and depression were the main themes here.

What's even more concerning is the look in their eyes.

Some people, though dressed in rags, cannot conceal the brilliance of their ambition in their eyes, while most of the people of Sunset Town have numb eyes, as if nothing can stir their hearts.

Aside from some young children who are still unaware of the hardships of life, everyone here, from residents to soldiers, seems to have completely lost hope in life. They are now just living like walking corpses, waiting for the day of the end.

"There is simply not enough manpower to build the Gray Tower here."

Stone said.

The fields ahead were not fertile; they had been forcibly reclaimed, and the crops grown there were not plentiful, barely enough to sustain a living.

Lu Ban had seen some documentaries before, which showed the scenes in the most remote and impoverished mountain villages in some countries. The town of Rimu was not much better than those at the moment.

"Indeed, there are probably less than a thousand people here. If everyone is receiving prenatal education, even if they have the strength to work, they won't be able to understand the blueprints or do any fine work."

Lu Ban muttered to himself.

"Moreover, building the Gray Tower is not just about constructing a single building. The Gray Tower represents the magic network, the entire magical system of the Night Kingdom. Compared to a physical tower, an academic tower is far more important."

But Lu Ban was also very clear that even if Jost was the creator of the Gray Tower and possessed countless talents and inspirations, this young man was just a pitiful person who didn't have many years left to live. He was in a tragic era, in a dilapidated town, and there was always the possibility of a demonic tide attacking him. Lu Ban was not sure how he could accomplish such a great feat under such harsh conditions.

"Let's go take a look in the fields."

Stone pointed to the field in front of him.

He spoke as he walked.

“I never thought I would see Mr. Tristram again. You know, this situation feels very strange to me. He saw the present me, and the past me saw the future him. Some things seem to change as a result, or perhaps they can't be changed at all.”