7 The Mage’s Principle Part 2 (2/2)

Saleen read on, and realized that he had indeed been ignorant to have thought that magic was merely a powerful means of attack. He had never imagined that the basic knowledge of magic would be so complicated. If he did not put in the effort to learn it well, his future progress would be unusually problematic.

Without this basic knowledge, not only would the abilities of a mage be confined, but they would also be unable to judge the abilities of others.

One would not be able to determine whether the numerical value for the execution time should be at its minimum or maximum, the numerical conversion between the execution distance and the power of the attack, the relationship between units of energy and the cutting of elements, and so on...

Senior mages could make the calculations instantly to determine the effects of their releases of magic instead of leaving things to fate.

Control! The power of magic depended on control!

Saleen patiently read on and began to acquire mathematical knowledge such as how to calculate these magic formulae. This mathematical knowledge was critical to the creation of a magic array.

In a flash, another three months had passed. Saleen, aside from taking his meals and relieving himself, had essentially not stepped out of the room. As he carried on, he began to feel depressed. His intellect and mental strength were perfect, but his affinity to the elements was lacking. If his affinity to the elements had just been of normal standard, it would have been sufficient for him to have been an outstanding mage.

It was evident that where affinity to the elements was concerned, he was useless. This made it very difficult for him to form magic chords. Without magic chords, all of these were simply castles in the air.

A year passed, and Saleen was only at the standard of a grade-1 apprentice with the abilities of a grade-2 apprentice. He had learned five types of level-0 magic, namely Reading Magic, Poison Detection, Acid Sputtering, Flame Combustion, and Blending of Elements. He had mastered the method of meditation, and through meditation, he could quickly restore the loss of magical elements.

The reason for this outcome was because the amount of magical elements that had been deposited into Saleen's body were too small. Even while relying on self-healing and not doing anything, he needed ten minutes to recover.

What was the use of having three types of level-0 magic? Nothing could be achieved with them. Rather than have him use magic during battle, it would be more beneficial to give Saleen a knife instead. At the very least, after a year of being nursed back to health, Saleen's body was much healthier. Although he still looked thin and weak, his strength had, in fact, increased.

Since the food previously delivered by the red-headed swordsman had been finished off, Saleen needed to go into the city again. Now, he no longer harbored the ridiculous thoughts he had half year ago of exquisite clothes, trendy hairstyles, and nice horse carriages. Such things were all so stupid and ridiculous when mages were concerned. Knowledge was the only thing that mages relied on.

Wearing the comical robe and black boots that Jason had bought for him, Saleen bid farewell to Jason before leaving the ancestral house. Jason had given him two bags of gold coins totalling one hundred pieces as well as a list of items to buy. Mages' experiments required large quantities of low-grade materials, and Jason's laboratory was perpetually in operation. His basic materials had almost been exhausted within a year.

Ceylon City was a port city where items from overseas could be ordered, and it took only a week to receive the goods. This was why Jason had chosen to remain here in a relatively remote place where one could still buy necessities. Entering Ceylon City again, this dilapidated city looked completely different in Saleen's eyes. Having spotted Saleen on the road from afar, the soldiers guarding the city hastily straightened up.

The soldiers at the city gate were affiliated with the House of the Lord, and were not linked to the city guard department.

The two soldiers' expressions were a mix of wariness, envy, jealousy, and fear; they immediately put on fawning smiles.

”Master Metatrin, good morning!”

Saleen nodded, not knowing how to reply. To be honest, soldiers from the House of the Lord were much better than those from the city guard department. In the past, when he had visited the city, they had not made things difficult for him. He had been like a mass of air with no scent. As long as he did not request otherwise, no one had noticed him.

Master Metatrin? Half a year ago, Saleen probably would have been pleased. After the incident with the city guard department, Saleen had become more mature and understood that these people feared his teacher, a grade-5 mage who would make their heads explode.

Saleen followed the sunshine and walked along the road leading to the pier. There was a long street in front of the pier lined with all kinds of shops. Ceylon City's only equipment store was situated here. As Saleen entered the store, he nearly collided with a youth.

The youth opposite to Saleen was about the same age as him. He seemed to have been frightened and nearly fell, but caught himself in time. Although Saleen was just an apprentice of magic, his mental power was comparable to that of a real mage. With keen perception, he realized that the youth's hand was touching his money bag.

It was a well-concealed hand. Saleen was amused; it must have been an unlucky year for him to have bumped into a thief the moment he was out.

He gently nudged the hand, and a flash of fire pressed onto the juvenile's hand. The youth felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand, as though he had been scalded by a hot rod. He was stunned and gave a sudden shout, ”Is that you, Saleen?”