It was morning. Alka, holding the Magic Mirror, glanced at the world map on the ship.
"I’ve never seen it. I’ve actually never seen it at all?" Lucilia’s voice was filled with disbelief.
If she’s not even familiar with the sea charts, then this could be a big problem.
There were only two possibilities. The first was that the era Lucilia lived in was so ancient, it was beyond Alka’s imagination. After all, even the terrain was now completely unrecognizable, leaving her with no sense of familiarity; it was evidently not a recent age. Geological changes of such magnitude, rendering the land completely unrecognizable, certainly couldn’t have occurred in a short period. The second possibility was that the place Lucilia had lived wasn’t here at all, but sowhere else—so other unknown region. After all, this world wasn’t conceptualized as a planet, as it genuinely possessed boundaries that were incredibly difficult for humans to cross.
However, the imdiate issue was that Alka found the way Lucilia manifested sowhat incomprehensible. At this mont, Lucilia had her arms wrapped around Alka’s neck from behind, as if her entire being was draped over his back. Honestly, if anyone could suddenly see this, they’d definitely be startled; it’s a classic horror movie scene—carrying a spirit on one’s back. Though Alka felt no weight at all, he could distinctly sense Lucilia hanging there.
Why this posture? Alka wondered. If Bobby weren’t right beside him, he would have asked her already.
Lucilia seed to know Alka couldn’t communicate with her at the mont, so she just kept talking to herself. Jason was also nearby, in addition to Bobby. The two of them were learning about Spells from Bobby and had glanced at the world map as they walked.
The three of them made their way to the library on the lower deck. Liboka was still at the entrance, dozing off. Alka had never seen her anywhere but the library. This goes beyond simply being a recluse.
"Learning Spells isn’t actually difficult," Bobby began, as he took several books from a shelf and handed them to Alka and Jason. "The hard part is knowing the specific patterns of the Spells and their corresponding materials. Aside from the more common Spells, many powerful ones with unique abilities are hoarded by various factions. If you beco capable enough in the future, you can try to collect them too."
Bobby turned, looking at the two with an extrely serious expression. "However, you must avoid being greedy. With Spells, quality trumps quantity. The more familiar you are with a Spell and the more proficient your control, the more pronounced its power and effect will be. Too many Spells will only offer help in daily life or in minor situations. The ones that can truly protect you and aid you in battle will only be those few with which you are exceptionally proficient."
Both Alka and Jason nodded, listening attentively to Bobby’s words. This was the wisdom of an elder.
"That kind of advice is just a warning for ordinary people; it doesn’t apply to those with strong ntal faculties and learning capabilities," Lucilia, still perched on Alka’s back, leaned her head towards his right ear and whispered softly. "However, it is indeed wise to specialize in mastering a few compatible Spells as one’s primary tools."
Alka took her words to heart.
Bobby then led the two of them further down to a lower deck, arriving at the cabins where subordinate crew mbers rested. He walked towards one of the rooms, entered, then pulled out a book, flipped it open, and said to them, "First, you’ll learn this Spell, ’Sound Bird.’ All crew mbers on the ship must know it. It allows you to communicate with one another within a certain range."
The Spell’s pattern consisted of three vertical lines of varying lengths, sowhat resembling signal bars on a display.
"’Sound Bird’ has been improved countless tis and is compatible with almost everyone, making it very easy to learn."
There was also the matter of compatibility between individuals and Spells. The higher the degree of compatibility, the faster one could learn, master, and achieve deep control over a Spell compared to others.
After speaking, he waited for the two to morize the Spell’s pattern. He even took out paper and pens for them to write it down, helping to reinforce their mory. Only after they had completely morized it did Bobby take out two pale blue feathers and hand one to each of them.
"Hold the feather," Bobby instructed. "It emits special Magic Power fluctuations. Use your own Magic Power to touch it, feel it, and try to simulate those fluctuations. Recall the Spell’s pattern in your mind and continuously try to activate it. You might not succeed on your first attempt; just focus on getting a feel for it."
Alka held the feather in his hand and then closed his eyes.
"Ah, so it’s this Spell! Has it been modified to look like this?" Lucilia’s voice carried a hint of delighted surprise, as if she had finally encountered sothing familiar. "Wavebird feathers. Once you’re holding the feather, don’t just try to activate it randomly. Instead, sing in your mind, as if you were truly belting out a song."
Her subtle, gentle voice reached Alka’s ears.
Hearing this, Alka decided to try it. He casually recalled an old song in his mind and began to sing it—only in his mind, of course, not actually opening his mouth to sing aloud. As the song began in his mind, Alka could distinctly feel his extended Magic Power starting to synchronize with the feather’s fluctuations, seemingly without conscious effort. He focused on matching and simulating the feather’s vibrations, and in turn, the feather’s Magic Power fluctuations also seed to adjust, as if to make it easier for him to learn.
As the frequency of his Magic Power gradually aligned with the feather’s, they connected with surprising ease. The image of the Spell’s pattern, stored in his mory, began to surface in his mind, eventually taking on an almost tangible form. The Spell’s form grew increasingly solid until it was deeply imprinted in his mind, then it faded away.
At that mont, Alka opened his eyes. Jason, beside him, still had his eyes tightly shut. Bobby looked at Alka, who had just opened his.
"What’s wrong?" Bobby asked.
"I’ve learned it," Alka replied.
Bobby stared at Alka, his face a mask of confusion, his eyes slightly dazed. Then, processing the words, he asked, "Really?"
Alka simply opened his mouth, and his Magic Power conducted to his lips. The Spell’s pattern faintly materialized. There was no audible sound; then the Spell vanished, transforming into a series of lines that ford a simple, bird-like stick figure. It flew to Bobby’s ear and disappeared. Although the entire process was sowhat clumsy, marked by a clear sense of unfamiliarity and stiffness, he had indeed successfully cast it.
"Can you hear ?" Alka’s voice sounded directly in Bobby’s ear.
"You’ve really learned it?" Bobby’s voice was filled with utter shock. Although ’Sound Bird’ was a very simple Spell with low Learning Difficulty, it shouldn’t have been possible to learn it so quickly. He couldn’t help but glance at the nearby clock. Less than an hour had passed. Normally, it would take at least half a day, five to six hours, to learn.
Bobby looked at Alka and couldn’t help but exclaim, "You might... you might truly be a genius."
At this, even Jason, who had been concentrating beside them, couldn’t help but open his eyes. "You’re unbelievable!" he exclaid, his voice thick with envy.
"Since that’s the case, I’ll continue with my explanation," Bobby said. He then took out another of the pale blue feathers, like the ones he had distributed earlier.
It was only then that Alka noticed the feather in his own hand had, at so point, beco withered and dull, its light completely gone.
"To learn a Spell," Bobby explained, "you generally need to find natural materials that inherently carry that particular Spell. You then use these Spell Materials to aid your learning.
"Of course, so of these Spell Materials aren’t rare. Take this feather, for example. It cos from the Wavebird. These birds are found on most islands and are quite ordinary, yet their feathers carry this particular Spell.
"Such items are collectively known as Spell Materials. In the future, when you want to learn new Spells, in addition to knowing the Spell’s pattern, you must also identify its corresponding Spell Material.
"However, if you have the assistance of soone who has already mastered the Spell, you can also learn it without the specific Spell Material, though it will generally take much longer."
After listening to Bobby’s detailed explanation, Alka nodded. He then left the lower deck, leaving Jason behind to continue his studies.
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