Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)

Chapter 1 – Born with Eight Fingers (I)

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To look upon all of the towns.h.i.+ps of the continent, one must start from the weakest of the kingdoms, where the kingdom of Arcadia was undoubtedly the smallest. Located in the southeast, it was bordered on both sides by a boundless ocean. In addition, both coastal regions were claimed and ruled by two powerful empires encompa.s.sing the land. On account of being the continent’s core, requests for a.s.sistance must go through the Blue Diasempire before help can be sent. If that was the case, the kingdom of Arcadia may already be destroyed prematurely without notice. The story began in the Arcadian capital, Luna city.

From the southern part of the continent, the fiery, blazing sun rose in the sky, bringing with it a scorching stream of scaldingly hot air. Everyone bathed in the suns.h.i.+ne, as if their bodies were burning coals. All of them perspired heavily in the heat. Although it was morning, the streets of Luna city had yet to awaken. The whole city appearing to be quite lazy. It was not surprising that people chose to say that it was the reason why the two formidable empires, Blue Dias and Wavast, chose to not divide Arcadia in half. Not only was this because the Blue Dias empire chose to intervene, it was also because the city served as the hottest place on the continent.

Naturally, the only exception at this sleepy moment in Luna city had just arrived to stand in front of the city’s Magic Guild: an old, spry man.

He wore a white, creaseless magic robe that suited him well.  A wrinkled face indicated old age, and silver-white long hair was neatly combed to the back of the head. The mage possessed a tall build. In comparison to ordinary Arcadians, he stood taller by at least half a head. Within the folds of his right sleeve, he held a slender staff used to support his body. It was improbable to believe, however, that he depended on the staff to support his body because the mage’s eyes were vibrant and as deep as an abyss, a peerlessly clear pair of black eyes. The old mage narrowed his eyes, but the faint light still revealed that the door had carelessly been left open.

“Praise Blue Dias. h.e.l.lo revered mage. Sir, may I ask if I can provide you with any a.s.sistance?” Pi’er Luo recently exited the Magic Guild and saw the old mage. The old mage did not wear any expensive attire or magic goods. Even his magic robe, which covered his upper and lower body, did not possess any elemental volatility, making it difficult to distinguish his rank. However, Pi’er Luo was a yellow ranked mage at the Magic Guild of Luna city for over 20 years, making him trust his intuition. Only those who chose to show off their talents would wear magic robes with symbols that reflected their magical might, and before his eyes was an old mage that at least surpa.s.sed the age of 70.  How could he only be an elementary mage? Furthermore, his wrinkled forehead did not even have a single drop of perspiration.

“Praise Blue Dias,” the old mage’s voice sounded extraordinarily gentle and melodic. Although it was somewhat m.u.f.fled, it resembled a spring breeze, bathing people in refres.h.i.+ng coolness and lessening the severity of the scorching air. “I have arrived from Blue Dias to ask to see the guild’s interim president.”

Pi’er Luo’s body abruptly stiffened, eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with amazement and ecstasy. To arrive from Blue Dias? He originates from Blue Dias; on the continent, even the most ordinary civilians, upon hearing this sentence, would understand the meaning of it. Luna city’s guild president pa.s.sed away two years ago. Ever since that event two years ago, the Arcadian Magic Guild’s presidential office had remained empty. To arrive from Blue Dias, could it be…?

What was the continent’s most majestic profession?  A mage. Perhaps there were some people that did not believe in G.o.d’s existence, but there were none that did not wors.h.i.+p a mage. Blue Dias claimed a portion of the continent which contained a terrain of fertile soil that was approximately half the size of the kingdom of Arcadia. No other country dared to fight this claim because it was the holy land of mages. Every country firmly believed that Blue Dias practically ruled the entire continent, excluding the Northern Wasteland.

Blue Dias was the holy land of mages. In addition, mages were the most fearsome people in the territory besides the Blue Dias Guardian f.l.a.n.g.e Legion. Only mages could enter Blue Dias. Entering was not a particularly difficult matter; however, desiring to leave Blue Dias was near impossible for mages despite their hopes. No one below indigo rank in strength was permitted to leave the place.

The levels of mages from the lowest to the highest of rank, whether it was an elementary mage, intermediate mage, advanced mage, great mage, magic scholar, magister or great magister, were all ranked by the colors of the rainbow. An elementary mage was equivalent to the first color of the rainbow, red. In a similar fas.h.i.+on, indigo rank was representative of a magister. The first six colors of the rainbow were subdivided into three levels. For example, Pi’er Luo was a yellow ranked mage at the intermediate level. The final color violet, equivalent to a great magister, was subdivided into nine levels, with an immense gap in strength between each level. The reason why Blue Dias  was capable of being the holy land of mages was due to the seven story magic paG.o.da existing in the middle of Blue Dias. In every story of the paG.o.da, there was a ninth level violet ranked mage – the pinnacle of magic that everyone on the continent strived for.

Therefore, throughout the continent, identifying a person’s strength was very easy as magic, when released, possessed an indicative color that distinguished its own strength.

“Please, enter,” Pi’er Luo said humbly and  stepped aside with reverence.

The old mage’s face held a glimpse of a smile and gave a slight nod to Pi’er Luo as he followed him into the Magic Guild.

The guild hall contained a plethora of magical elements; on the ground, a mithril  Six-Star Tessellation was inlaid, radiating a faint silver light. The guild hall was very s.p.a.cious. The great relations.h.i.+p between Arcadia and the smaller kingdoms, in addition to the scarcity of mages, meant that there was no choice but to employ them all constantly, causing the hall to be completely deserted. Thus, despite the Magic Guild’s high status in the kingdom, the guild itself was cold and cheerless.

Pi’er Luo and the old mage did not wait for very long. After a short while, another old mage appeared in the guild hall to invite them in. This mage was attired in a cyan magic robe, its exterior resembling the old mage quite well.

“Praise Blue Dias. h.e.l.lo, mage from a distant location. I am the Arcadian Magic Guild interim president, Fire Mage Di Ya La,” he said, slowly bowing to the old white robed mage. At the same time, his right hand emitted a cyan flame to ill.u.s.trate his exact position as a primary level cyan ranked mage. This was a majestic etiquette among mages as a way to be made aware of Di Ya La’s status in Arcadia. However, even the king did not need to know his rank. The reason why he was so respectful to the old white robed mage was because he originated from Blue Dias.

“Praise Blue Dias. I am called Qin Shang. I have arrived from Blue Dias because of a letter.” Qin Shang switched his wooden staff to his left hand, extending his right hand towards Di Ya La as he materialized, in a flash of brilliant light, a sheepskin scroll in the hollow of his palm.

Whether it was Pi’er Luo or Di Ya La, both of them were stupefied at what they had just witnessed because they could clearly see, despite the dimness, that the faint light materializing in Qin Shang’s hand was violet.

Di Ya La’s hands trembled as he took the sheepskin scroll, slowly unfurling it to discover that the sheepskin scroll was blank. Di Ya La, however, did not sense anything strange. His gaze subconsciously drifted towards Qin Shang.

Chapter 1 – Born with Eight Fingers (II)

Qin Shang waved his right hand, and once again, a faint violet light covered the sheepskin scroll. Immediately, blocks of characters emerged from under the faint violet radiance. Di Ya La was elated, reading aloud, “

By decree, primary level violet ranked Divine Music mageQin Shang is to be appointed as president of the Arcadian Magic Guild.

Ah, you are a Divine Music mage?” Di Ya La’s and Pi’er Luo’s shock s.h.i.+fted to horror at this revelation.

One’s spirit was connected to their chosen magic specialization; as a Divine Music mage, magic was linked with the ability to play musical instruments to release magic. Throughout the continent, Divine Music mages could be said to be the most expensive specialization and the most dubious of worth. Divine Music mages had a very difficult time surpa.s.sing the yellow rank. At most, they would boost minor morale on the battlefield. Until recently, only the daughter of a n.o.ble or a princess of a country would be interested in studying in this majestic yet dubious magic. Before their eyes, however, was a violet ranked Divine Music mage. Di Ya La couldn’t believe his eyes. The scroll  had six beautiful silver stars revolving around an ancient dark blue symbol at the bottom right corner. This symbol represented the seven story Blue Dias magic paG.o.da. Clearly, the person called Qin Shang was a mage who pa.s.sed through the magic paG.o.da to gain the ability to arrive here. In addition, he actually released violet-tinted magic, once again proving his status to be true.

Qin Shang’s aged face displayed an expression of contemplation as he faced northwest in the direction of the magic paG.o.da. Ah, the experience was something he would not forget for a very long time. That was the true magic!

Di Ya La soon returned to normal. The Blue Dias decree was impossible to falsify, so he hastily rolled up the sheepskin scroll delivered by Qin Shang. “Di Ya La and Pi’er Luo greet the new president.”

Qin Shang recovered the scroll, saying, “At the moment, how many Arcadian mages are there?”

Hearing Qin Shang’s inquiry, Di Ya La couldn’t refrain himself from expressing a trace of bitterness.“ Arcadia, myself included, possesses one cyan ranked mage, three green ranked mages, 24 yellow ranked mages, 67 orange ranked mages, and 213 red ranked mages. The majority of them are members of the military, leaving the guild with only a dozen people.”

Qin Shang’s face displayed a faint trace of astonishment. “Is it so little? Although the path of a mage is a long journey, Arcadia has tens of millions of people. Don’t tell me that the mages here only amount to 300? Ah, I recall that number of mages in other countries do not seem to be as spa.r.s.e as it is here!”

Di Ya La sighed and replied, “In the past it was not so little, and the kingdom of Arcadia has always been renowned for our fire mages. At the moment, however, the kingdom’s strength has weakened, and the two empires now share the claim of possessing the strongest mages. It is natural to be willing to leave everything behind to travel to either of the two empires. At this moment, you have arrived, a violet ranked Great Magister! We, Arcadia, have already existed for several hundred years without the emergence of a powerful violet ranked mage. I am convinced that the Arcadian Magic Guild, under your guidance, will rise to power.” Although, he was no longer young, he couldn’t help but feel excited, gazing at Qin Shang with a somewhat fanatical expression.

At the same time, an elegant, melodic voice echoed from the outside, “Master Di Ya La is not in?”

Di Ya La’s face held a trace of a smile even as he faced Qin Shang and made an apologetic sound. He left to welcome his guest. A short while later, a young woman following Di Ya La entered the hall.

The woman was exceptionally beautiful, long black hair framing a fair face. Even with the slight plumpness of her face, her n.o.ble temperament remained unaffected. She was adorned in a long jade green skirt. No matter who was walking by, they would have to straighten and take notice of her slender waist and seemingly impossible curves. Currently, her arms were full of swaddling clothes, soft breathing emitting from the sleeping infant within.

Looking at the woman, Qin Shang’s eyes brightened. His narrowed eyes slowly opened, radiantly twinkling.

The woman immediately sensed those luminous twinkling eyes on her. Her elegant eyebrows creased together before her eyes flashed with a cyan light. She looked towards Qin Shang. Their gazes crossed for a split second, and the light in the woman’s eyes immediately dimmed, becoming absent-minded. When she returned back to normal, her face changed drastically as she subconsciously hugged the infant closer to her bosom.

Di Ya La was confused, facing toward the woman and saying, “Mei Ying, where is Ye Zhong? Why didn’t he accompany you. Didn’t you just give birth barely a month ago?”

Mei Ying subconsciously traversed half a step, smiling at him, “Ah, he is currently training his dou qi. Thus, I came here alone. Master, our child is already a month old. Please, I must beseech you to grant him your blessing.” Mages gave protection blessings to newborn babies when they turned a month old. The higher ranked the mage, the healthier the blessed infant will grow. This blessing was unrestricted by magic specialization.

Di Ya La laughed, smiling as he promised, “No problem, I had already said at an earlier time that I would bless your child after he was born. Oh, by the way, let me introduce you to the newly appointed guild president arriving from Blue Dias, Qin Shang.” Although his friend had arrived, he did not forget about the newly appointed president standing to the side.

Mei Ying had not forgotten about her eyes becoming hazy and dim earlier, but she merely greeted him, “Praise Blue Dias. h.e.l.lo, Master.”

Qin Shang began to speak, opening his mouth, only to hear a resonant infant cry emerging from the swaddling of clothes. A pair of lotus white arms appeared from the swaddling clothes, exploratively waving and seemingly breaking free from the mother’s arms.

Qin Shang paused abruptly, mouth hanging open, at the sight of Mei Ying’s baby’s two hands. Those two delicately small and white hands only had four fingers; the little finger was missing on both hands. This was the first time he displayed a substantial change in expressions since he had arrived at the Magic Guild. Moreover, this shock-influenced change, to an extent, was witnessed by many people.

In one step, Qin Shang was already standing in front of Mei Ying, his aged face excited and somewhat flushed. He raised his trembling hands to touch the small, twinkling, crystal, milky white hands that were as tender as spring onions. His movement was swift, resembling a warrior more than a mage.

“What are you doing?” Mei Ying shouted in a high-pitched voice, taking two steps backwards. Even though Qin Shang’s speed was not slow, he felt like he only touched a phantom.

Not continuing his motions, Qin Shang’s eyes followed the two delicately small hands, lifelessly staring at them. With his hands still raised up, he said, “Eight fingers, to unexpectedly be born naturally with eight fingers is a sign of genius. Ah, this is absolutely a genius!”

Di Ya La was startled by the sudden scene, quickly advancing forward a few steps and stopping in between Mei Ying and Qin Shang. Anxiously, he said, “Don’t get me wrong, don’t misunderstand me, Master Qin Shang. You, you, this is……”

Qin Shang, after all, was a Great Magister. His face slowly returned to tranquility, head lowered, as he looked down at the ground with the inlaid magical mithril Six-Star Tessellation. He pondered for a long time before his eyes lit up with elation, clapping his hands together happily like a child. “Praise Blue Dias. I have a tendency to act first, that’s all.”

Raising his head, he looked at Mei Ying and her wary yet inquisitive eyes. Qin Shang slightly smiled, and even though his whole face was wrinkled, his exquisite clothing and demeanor still exuded grace. “Miss Mei Ying, you have arrived today to obtain a magical blessing for your child, correct?”

Mei Ying nodded her head.

Qin Shang’s gaze s.h.i.+fted over to Di Ya La, “If this is the case, let me bestow the blessing upon this child.”

Chapter 1 – Born with Eight Fingers (III)

Di Ya La looked distracted. Getting a baby’s one month blessing from an Elementary mage was already very difficult, not to mention from a violet ranked Great Magister. Ah, only powerful princes and princesses received such treatment!