Chapter 178 - Sches and Rewards
On his way to Edgars lab, Kai could hardly take a step without hearing the passersby discuss so odd event. So guessed the aning of the vivid dreams they had during the alignnt, others had heard a mysterious wail in the night or found a golden egg on their balcony, and more n and won than he cared to count announced they had found their soulmate.
I swear its true, Nina. My cousins friends gave birth to triplets last night. It must be a sign from the gods.
Im not sure thats how it works
Kai was skeptical. Most of these claims had nothing to do with the moons conjunction. The cheerful atmosphere and the rivers of alcoholic drinks offered a convincing explanation. He had also heard a few rchants advertising mystical experiences, though Flynn had steered him away before he could learn more.
He had witnessed a few unusual events himself, but nothing that flashy. Large whirlwinds of mana, the ambient density rising and falling, and he could swear Hallowed Intuition had whispered twice before turning silent when he paid attention.
Maybe the alignnt can actually influence Fate.
Edgars house was forgettable like usual, slipping out of his mind if he let his attention waver. Before he could knock, the oak door swung open with a creaking. Kai was convinced every sound inside the granite house was designed to fuck with the visitors.
Back already? The grumpy gno greeted him without raising his gaze from Viryas amulet. You said youd leave alone for a day.
I did. The alignnt was yesterday.
Rotting titans, why do good tis always pass so quickly? Edgar groaned and distractedly waved to the chaotic lab. Take your pick of a seat and dont disturb .
You sure know how to make feel welco.
Kai wandered the hall for a new desk corner. His usual spot had been filled with clutter. Careful not to cause a chain reaction, he moved a pile of papers and books and a half-lted silver wire to free so space. Perched on a stool, he pulled out his design and got to work.
The warm, mana-rich environnt and the blessed silence. Kai fell back into the rhythm, runes assembling in new configurations in his mind and on paper. The day off had given him with plenty of ideas and ti to recover his strained skills.
Their work was interrupted when a package flew out of the wall with the gnos lunch, and later with his dinner. Once empty, the hidden compartnt disappeared behind the impenetrable cloaking of the house.
How does that work? I want ho deliveries too.
Chewing on a spiced chicken thigh, Edgar seed to rember he wasnt alone. Let see what youve got, kid.
Yes, Grumpy. Ehm Is it racist since hes not a dwarf?
Kai swallowed a curse when the gno touched his notebook with his oily fingers. He pressed his lips shut and patiently waited for the runesmith to watch over his work.
Mhmm its good, Edgar muttered between the bites. Kai perked up at the unexpected praise before the gno went on. I an the food, this design is garbage. You completely butchered the balancing and
Kai accepted the pointers with curt nods. Despite the harsh words, his schematic wasnt that catastrophic, and the mistakes were fixable.
Nice try, but Im not going anywhere.
Thank you, teacher. Kai grinned brightly. Your wisdom is always enlightening.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Im such a generous gno to help dim kids. He scowled. If you're having a hard ti, I could write you a referral to another runesmith. They might be more anable to your slow progress. He struggled to suppress the hopeful light from his bulbous eyes.
Kai feigned to ponder. I dont know. Is there anyone as good as you in the archipelago?
The gno scrunched his face like he had eaten a lemon. M-maybe.
His eyes widened in mock surprise. Oh, so theres a better runesmith in Higharbor
No, Edgar snarled before lowering his tone with unnatural gentleness. I didnt say that. Artistry and genius are just so difficult to define. Its not impossible that there is a field where they might excel.
I think Ill stay with you.
His pointed ears flopped down. Great.
Ill look forward to seeing you tomorrow, teacher.
Please, be late.
***
Over the next few days, news from the edges of the archipelago reached the capital. The twin islands, Kanlun and Kawei, had been hit by a mana storm during the moons conjunction, while a krakens tentacle washed up on the shore of Sanborn on Yawei.
Amidst stories and rumors, Kai was particularly interested in sightings of high-tier beasts. He had asked Flynn to look out for them, and the boy brought quite a catalogue.
Everyones talking a lot of bullshit after the Festival, so its harder to confirm them. Flynn checked the edge of a blade on his thumb before sharpening the next knife. The stories always grow larger and more ridiculous as they spread. By the ti they reach Higharbor, theyve gone through a dozen tellings.
Kai chewed his cheek, frustrated. It was always difficult to obtain information beyond the city, and the Republic was never forthcoming. So, you think theyre not true?
Flynn shrugged. I doubt a storm of thunderbird flew over Easternedge or that a sea dragon capsized a vessel. But there were eleven sightings from the opposite sides of the archipelago. There was probably a beast involved in at least so of them. You think they could be connected to the ruins?
It was Kai's turn to shrug his shoulders. I dont know. They say beasts often get confused during mana events. Its possible it was just the moons influence.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Or maybe the alignnt caused more ruins to spit out beasts. Am I just seeing what I want to see?
Let know if you hear more news.
Yes, boss.
***
Despite Edgars attempts to get rid of him, Kai continued to smile and learn. As his knowledge of Runes and enchantnt grew, he beca ever more certain he had gotten an amazing deal out of their arrangent. The gnos bottomless pride wasnt without reason.
Out of all the enchanting shops Kai visited in the upper city, no one could hold a candle to Edgars work for efficiency and precision. Flynn told him there were exclusive shops and artisans that worked on commissions. He needed a contact in the Republic and an invitation to be allowed inside.
I could track down Valela, she definitely knows how.
No, it was too much hassle just to satisfy his curiosity. The little princess would demand sothing in exchange, and he would receive more scrutiny than he was comfortable with.
Theyre probably still not as good.
He already had his hands full between alchemy and enchanting. A blade at a ti, the number of sea serpents fangs was dwindling, and so was the ti for his secret project.
Kai had hit a ceiling with the mana engraving copy. Each new level in Mana Echo improved it a little, but the skill was still too unwieldy to make lasting enchantnts unless sothing changed. There was only one way to salvage his evil sches.
He needed to reach the second milestone.
With a bit of flattery and a box of cream puffs, Kai convinced Edgar to let him train on the discarded sketches scattered around his lab. He had to leave the copies in the underground chamber, but it didnt matter.
The sketches offered a limitless source of new material to copy, and experience. He drew countless pages of runes till each muscle and tendon in his hand hurt, and his head pulsed with skill strain. Finally, he saw the blinking light.
Mana Echo (lv75)
As you reach the second milestone, you are presented with four choices to continue your journey. This choice might influence the future of your profession:
Greatly reduces the ti to create and improve an echo.Greatly increases the number and size of the echoes that can be preserved in your mind.Allow the creation of more complex echoes through repeated observation. Obtain improved results depending on your comprehension of the mana construct.Greatly improves the speed, precision and accuracy when copying a runic pattern or chain.
Thank the spirits, I thought my hand was going to break.
Still inside the underground lab, Kai hid his elation. Edgar continued to ignore his existence, grumbling over his cloaking project.
What do we have here
The first two options were the sa he had received in the previous specialization with the addition of greatly. Still not enough to make the cut. The last one was a surprise, proving the options were influenced by his actions. He might be tempted if he wanted to beco a runesmith.
And that leaves
Kai smiled at the third option. It was an evolution of what he picked last ti. He didnt hesitate to select it.
*Ding*
You chose to allow the creation of more complex echoes. Mana Echo (lv75) can now reach lv100.
Muhahaha! I did it!
What are you chuckling about, kid? Did you finally lose it? Edgar asked, sounding vaguely hopeful. I warned you not to fry your brain with your cheating skill. I wont take responsibility.
Oh, its nothing. My brain is perfectly healthy. Just finished fixing another design like you told . Kai pulled the sheet he had completed three days before. Can you spare a little ti to engrave it?
Let see if you can follow instructions, Edgar snorted with exasperation. He glanced at the paper. Passable. Give that fang, Ill do it now, but you leave afterward.
Of course, teacher.
Evil always triumphs!
***
Kai couldnt stop grinning, on his way ho he hopped like gravity had no hold on him. He had managed to pull it off. The upgrade had worked as anticipated, raising the ceiling of what Mana Echo could imitate.
Now he just needed to witness more engravings to perfect his copy. The gargantuan skill echo hung in his mind like a beautifully complex machinery.
It can't be a green skill, can it? No, my profession is still Red It must be a yellow skill, probably quite high level.
The success lifted a weight off his shoulders. He had neglected everything to pursue Mana Echo, and it paid off.
I could take so ti off as a gift to Edgar
With the twins and Ana back at Hawkfield, and Lou busy with the job he couldnt talk about, Kai had rarely visited the beach or the cultivated fields to practice Nature Magic. It was ti to catch up. He had quite a few skills waiting for the last push to reach a milestone.
When he proposed the idea the following day, Edgar imposed a single condition: that he would take a week instead. Kai managed to talk him down to three days by threatening to not leave.
Ti to go for a swim.
Water Magic had been on the brink for more than a month. The skill easily overca the bottleneck after diving into the waves and trying a few ambitious spells.
Kai swam to shore to consider his choices. A flick of his wrist left him dry to sit on the sand.
Water Magic (lv50)
As you reach the first milestone, you are presented with three choices to continue your journey.
Stay the course on your current path. You wont gain new significant benefits, but youll greatly deepen the insight into your path.Make full use of your surroundings. Improve your ability to draw Water mana and cast spells inside a body of water.Attune to the elent. Allows to summon and manipulate water in all its states.
Contrary to profession skills, general skills could continue unchanged if he didnt want to specialize. He had feared he wouldnt get the option he craved, and be forced to delay his choice instead. Thankfully, it was there.
Improving his Magic inside a body of water was interesting. It was the first specialization that ntioned a straight-up improvent to his spells. And at Orange, the upgrade was sure to be notable.
Maybe if I were a rfolk or a siren
It wasnt viable since it lacked flexibility, and it would leave him powerless if he didnt hang around the ocean. The greatest benefits always ca with the greatest drawbacks. If soone chose to specialize their skills and profession for a single task, it would be hard to predict what they could achieve.
Sothing to keep in mind.
The third option was the one he planned to get since he found it in Viryas library.
*Ding*
You chose to attune to the elent. Water Magic (lv50) can now reach lv75.
The hand of the Guide was barely perceptible, just the slightest touch of warmth. Understanding appeared in his mind as if it had always been there.
It could be clearer.
The stretch of beach was deserted, Kai summoned a small marble of elental mana and visualized the desired effect of the spell. Ice creaked into existence forming an opaque blob.
He stared transfixed as the ice lted into his palm. It was smaller than he expected for the mana he consud, and definitely not in the shape he had in mind. None of that mattered.
Im going to have so many cool drinks this sumr.
It would have been such a ga-changer during his stifling ti in Greenside, or after an exhausting training at the estate. He had learned to make do with enchantnts, but they were awkward to carry and slow to use.
It will also be nice to have sothing hard to throw.
Liquid water wasnt the most offensive elent. Kai continued to experint with his new ability. He could also summon steam, though it was even harder to control and imdiately dissipated.
He had known it was possible to expand his major affinities to its most adjacent neighbors, though it wasnt the sa thing as having an affinity for Ice. Each spell took more mana than it should have, and it didnt intuitively follow his desires unless he perfectly visualized each step.
It was easier and more efficient when he tried to freeze water instead of directly condensing ice from the air moisture.
I just need to practice.
Spells grew more intuitive with use and repetition. It was why it was so hard to get the hang of Space.
Mhmm Blessed Swimr is also close to evolving
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