Chapter 20: The Power of Spells

“The Three Tenets of Mages?” Hearing this unfamiliar term, Gao De’s heart stirred, and he silently committed this tenet to memory.

“It was Yilan who told me—he said the Mage Seda told him,” Amy explained. “But he only mentioned this one; he didn’t say the other two.”

“Why would Yilan tell you this?”

“Also, if ‘Never let anyone know your spells’ is one of the Three Tenets of Mages, how did Seda ever reveal his spells to you?”

Gao De frowned slightly, asking casually.

Hearing Gao De’s question, Amy understood his meaning and quickly explained: “Yilan once boasted about his status as Seda’s true apprentice, bragging about it to us in the dining hall.”

“You weren’t there at the time, so you didn’t hear it.”

“That’s true—Seda never told us anything about the Three Tenets of Mages. If Yilan hadn’t mentioned it, we’d never have known about it.”

“As for Seda’s spells, do you remember? Half a year ago, when Seda ordered Nio to test a potion, Nio was terrified and tried to flee—he ran toward the backyard. I happened to be there and saw Seda simply reach out and touch Nio, and Nio collapsed instantly.”

“If that spell worked without physical contact, why would Seda bother touching him?” Amy smirked, certain.

“I see.” Gao De pondered.

Amy’s explanation was reasonable; he believed it.

He also recalled how, on his very first day in this world, he had experienced Seda’s spell firsthand.

That hand, capable of inflicting immense pain, still sent shivers down his spine whenever he thought of it.

“So it seems Seda has at least two spells that require physical contact… Therefore, if I’m forced into a final confrontation with him, my first priority must be to avoid any bodily contact.” Gao De noted this carefully, his thoughts spreading.

“Besides avoiding it, could this be exploited?”

“I get it. Get some sleep. We’ve got work tomorrow.” As he thought, Gao De spoke softly.

Amy didn’t get the response he’d hoped for. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t think of what, so he fell silent.

Soon, the room filled with Gao De’s steady, sleeping breaths.

The next day, afternoon.

After quickly finishing the preparation of the Chujizhuduyaoji , Gao De left the workshop and headed for the commercial district of Hogan City for the third time.

He didn’t notice that, in the shadows of the bushes directly opposite the herb garden’s gate, three pairs of eyes had simultaneously lit up.

The owners of those eyes were three lean but muscular men.

Each was unkempt, with alcohol-stained beards, greasy matted hair, and clothes stained with oil that wouldn’t wash out.

These were the hallmarks of the lower class.

Yet their eyes were cunning and combative—clearly not good men.

After watching Gao De walk away, the three whispered among themselves.

“Boss, is that him?” asked the man with the darkest skin.

“That’s him. I checked—Seda the herb gardener hardly ever leaves home. Whether selling potions or buying raw materials, he always sends his apprentices to do it.”

“But the one handling this before was an older apprentice. Recently, it’s been this kid.”

The man called Boss spoke, his voice sharp—unlike his Xionge gaze, it sounded more like a rooster’s crow.

“Good. This kid looks young—he’ll be easier to handle.”

“But he’s a mage apprentice—he can cast spells…” The shortest of the three hesitated. “Are we really going to attack him?”

“We’d fear the old mage, but this little brat? What’s there to worry about?”

“Mage apprentices this age have no combat strength—maybe they know one or two minor tricks.”

“And most likely it’s just Mage’s Hand—a harmless trick. We’ve spent years working in the mines—each of us is strong. How hard could it be to take down a little brat like him?”

Among 0-level spells, Mage’s Hand was the most famous and representative, and essentially the first spell every mage apprentice learned.

So even non-mages knew this spell well.

“Third, your courage is still too weak,” the second man agreed with the boss.

“This kid isn’t carrying a bag—so he’s not going to sell potions. He’s buying raw materials for the old mage,” the boss spoke again. “I asked around—this old mage has been researching a high-grade potion, requiring extremely rare and expensive ingredients. So this kid must be carrying a lot of money.”

“We were planning to leave Hogan City for Bremen anyway. After this job, we’ll just vanish. Even if that old mage is powerful, he’ll never find us.”

The other two nodded, convinced.

“When do we strike?” the third man asked.

“We strike once we reach the slums. It’s chaotic there—harder to trace. That buys us more time to escape Hogan City and ensures no mishaps.”

“Agreed!”

The dark, filthy stretch between Hogan City’s commercial district and the slums remained the unavoidable route.

But compared to his previous two trips, Gao De now had confidence—he’d just mastered three 0-level spells. He no longer needed to walk with his head down, wary and cautious.

Besides, even if the slums were full of thieves and ruffians, in broad daylight, a plain-clothed commoner like him shouldn’t encounter many incidents. But Gao De forgot one truth: an accident is called an accident precisely because it’s unexpected.

Just then, as he turned from an alley onto the street, the alley’s dimness hid shadows completely.

In that moment, he felt a chill at the back of his skull and heard a sudden, fierce rush of wind.

Ambush!

And it was aimed straight at his head.

Gao De reacted instantly—but too late. In panic, he instinctively bent his body to lower his center, avoiding his vital head.

His body’s reflex saved him from a skull-splitting blow—but his back took the strike. The powerful impact made him grunt, staggering his steps.

Feeling the searing pain in his back, Gao De did the most correct thing—he rolled with the force, executing a donkey’s roll, successfully dodging the second blow.

He sprang up quickly and saw his attackers.

Three sturdy men, each gripping a wooden club, stared at him with hostile eyes—robbery was the plan, but none intended to kill.

They were cruel, but not murderous.

After all, they only wanted money—not revenge against Gao De. Normally, they’d never consider killing. A single blow to knock him out, loot his coins, and flee—that was the plan.

“Thank goodness it’s just clubs.” Gao De breathed a silent sigh of relief.

If they’d held weapons, he’d already be dead.

“Who are you? Why attack me!” Gao De demanded sharply.

“Kid, you’re quick. Hand over your money, and we’ll let you go!” The leader glared at Gao De, threatening.

“So it’s robbery.” Gao De finally understood. He realized he’d barely interacted with the outside world since arriving—how had he angered anyone?

Still, Gao De had no intention of paying to avoid trouble.

Besides, he only had a few dozen silver coins—far too little to satisfy these three thugs.

Thinking this, he raised his hand.

A beam of cold blue light shot from his fingertip.

The beam moved like lightning, streaking straight toward the leader, leaving a glittering trail.

The beam appeared suddenly, moving at blinding speed.

And since Gao De’s donkey roll hadn’t put much distance between them, the attack left no time to react.

Gao De hadn’t asked their identities expecting an answer.

He spoke only to distract them slightly, buying himself time to cast.

The beam struck the leader directly. With a faint crackling sound, a thin layer of ice instantly formed on his skin.

He felt a bone-deep chill and searing pain, his face twisting in icy agony.

Ice Beam!

(End of Chapter)