Chapter 569: Chapter 01: Blood Elf Magic Academy
"Magic Power is a natural presence. It exists in every corner of this world. It’s in the air, in the seawater, on the trees, and even on the sparrows. Usually, it wanders unconsciously. But, when it is stimulated, that’s a completely different matter."
"First, we must be able to perceive Magic Power. Everyone, and every race, has different innate abilities to sense it. Then, we must absorb it, turning it into our own Magic Power. Every Mage is essentially a container. However, that container is not static."
"We can forcibly expand the container by absorbing excess Magic Power. Once expanded, using the principle of natural diffusion of Magic Power, our absorption efficiency will multiply. Of course, this takes time. So longevity is extremely important for a Mage."
"Alright, now that we have Magic Power, the next step is to stimulate it, which means casting magic. This process is actually based on ’contracts.’ Yes, that’s correct, demanding Magic Power to fulfill a ’contract.’ It sounds absurd, but this is the truth. While Magic Power ordinarily wanders unconsciously, it actually has its own awareness and will honor established ’contracts.’
"Teacher." As the only student, Angel raised his hand: "But I’ve heard that stimulating Magic Power is based on language, requiring us to use languages it can understand, such as Ancient Elvish, Sacred Language, Abyssal Speech, or Draconic."
"Ahem!" Amos cleared his throat twice before replying earnestly: "What you’ve heard is meant for beginners. For example, most of the apprentices at the Academy, because they haven’t even mastered a single magical language yet, can only rigidly recite incantations. But you, well, you’ve essentially mastered Ancient Elvish. In your case, language is merely a tool. What we’ll delve into further is ’contracts.’
Angel put down his hand and continued listening quietly.
"There’s a specialized discipline called ’Contract Studies.’ It’s the core of magic, but very few people study it because it is far too esoteric. For most, studying it is a waste of time. Its content revolves around the various ’contracts’ Magic Power abides by. Combining these contracts with magical language forms the foundation of magic—incantations. Of course, some people refer to these ’contracts’ as ’laws,’ but I still prefer the term ’contracts.’ This is because these ’contracts’ can change. Though the changes are slight, over the vast expanse of history, such shifts have been validated. Laws, however, are immutable."
"Teacher!" Angel raised his hand again.
"Go ahead," Amos sighed helplessly.
"Teacher, I want to ask, if it’s based on ’contracts,’ then who are the parties involved in these contracts? We know one side is Magic Power—various kinds of Magic Power. But what about the other side? Who can establish contracts with Magic Power?"
Amos blinked thoughtfully for a moment, then answered: "The Supreme Will."
"What is the Supreme Will?" Angel pursued further.
"It’s something stronger than both the Holy Spirits and the Demon Lord, the true ruler of the world. It is the True God, while the Holy Spirits and Demon Lord are merely false deities. Although we’ve never seen or definitively perceived it, at least half of all Mages speculate that it does exist."
"Speculate?" Angel froze.
"Yes, speculate," Amos nodded.
"So, Teacher, all the things you’re telling me now are merely speculative?"
"Yes, that’s correct. Is there a problem?"
"Of course there is! I’m a student, I came here to study magic, and you’re telling me unverified theories?" Angel complained: "No wonder I’ve never seen any of this in the books."
Amos looked helpless: "Angel, you said you came here to study magic? Then tell me, what magic are you trying to learn? Throwing a small fireball? You already know how. Then throwing a bigger fireball? As your Magic Power naturally grows over time, you’ll learn that automatically. Casting more complex spells? Well, for that, you simply need to memorize incantations, and you don’t even need to master Ancient Elvish. Tell me, what exactly do you mean by studying magic, Angel."
Angel fell silent, blinking as he gazed quietly at Amos.
"Let me put it this way, Angel. In the realm of magic, all the definite things are low-tier. All the advanced content is purely speculative. When you truly touch the essence of magic, some speculations are so profound you won’t even be able to express them in words. It all depends on each individual’s own comprehension. Do you know what drives the progression of magic, what Mages do every day? If everything could be recorded on paper, then the valuable books in the Divine Wood Library could be read completely by any elf within a thousand years. But do you see all of us as Great Mages?"
Angel remained silent.
"No, Angel. The path of magic is infinitely longer than you imagine. I understand your hunger for knowledge, but this is the reality. You’ll need time, not just for Magic Power, but for knowledge—not the kind gained from books, but the kind you randomly realize in the long passage of time and personally sense. That is the true crux. It’s also the dividing line between an excellent Mage and a mediocre Mage."
After teaching the entire day to his sole student, Amos was left parched, while Angel, repeatedly corrected, only became increasingly engrossed. The more he listened, the more spirited he grew.