Chapter 12: The Difference Between Different Spellcasters

Furthermore, Xia Duo was not clear about what Mu Yan meant by "dealing with him." Lao Neil was certainly hateful, but Xia Duo's relationship with Xiao Neil was still quite good.

Coming from a peaceful era and having stayed in Faerûn for less than a year, Xia Duo could not yet bring himself to kill and destroy a family without a second thought. However, given the chance, Xia Duo would certainly give Lao Neil his comeuppance personally, so that he could taste the fury of a person from Earth.

By the way, there was also his set of Simulation Silk Pajamas and plush slippers. Although they were not worth much on Earth, in Faerûn, they were his only keepsakes related to Earth; it would be no exaggeration to call them priceless treasures, yet Lao Neil had "bought" them for the price of 5 Gold Coins. This had to be taken back.

Xia Duo's refusal surprised Mu Yan somewhat, but he still respected Xia Duo's choice. "Since that's the case, stay with me for these two days. I will provide you with Bard enlightenment to see if you are suited for this path. Of course, this will not affect your future development on other paths."

Xia Duo nodded and stayed at Mu Yan's place.

On the other side, the early-rising Lao Neil prepared to have his son trick Xia Duo outside the town, then hand him over to the Wild Wolf Group Adventurers he had already contacted to brand him as a Slave. Lao Neil was not yet bold enough to carry out such an operation inside the town.

However, when his son came down from upstairs shouting that Xia Duo was gone, Lao Neil was stunned. How was it different from what he had envisioned? He knew Xia Duo was a stranger with no family or friends in Savile Town, which was why he dared to harbor the thought of turning Xia Duo into a Slave.

How could the person suddenly be gone? Where did he go?

Lao Neil grabbed his still-flustered son, slapped him, and asked, "Stop shouting, where did Xia Duo go?"

"I don't know either. I went in and didn't see Xia Duo, but the window was open," Xiao Neil said aggrievedly. He hadn't been beaten yesterday and had felt a little lucky, but he didn't expect to be slapped early in the morning.

Hearing his son say the upstairs window was open, Lao Neil had his suspicions, but he still couldn't figure out where the news had leaked. He had planned to enslave Xia Duo while keeping even his wife and children in the dark, waiting until everything was a foregone conclusion.

His son had a good relationship with Xia Duo, but couldn't he still play with him after Xia Duo became a Slave! As for his wife Susan, Lao Neil was also fully confident he could persuade her.

But now that Xia Duo was gone, all his calculations had come to nothing. Lao Neil was somewhat annoyed and slapped his son again, "Do you know where Xia Duo might have gone?"

"I don't know, I don't know." Xiao Neil did not know what business Lao Neil had with Xia Duo, and coupled with having just been slapped twice, he immediately started acting temperamental.

But Lao Neil was feeling annoyed at this moment and subconsciously wanted to slap him a few more times. However, as if remembering something, he forcibly pulled back his already raised hand and forced out a smile:

"Then do you know where Xia Duo might have gone?"

Xiao Neil thought seriously and said, "Yesterday, when we passed by Bulutuo's smithy, Bulutuo promised to process something for Xia Duo—"

Hearing the name Bulutuo, Lao Neil's heart skipped a beat. As one of the few Ironmasters in Savile Town, if Bulutuo were to protect Xia Duo, Lao Neil would have no way to act.

"No, impossible. I have known Bulutuo since I was a child. A Dwarf would not so easily acknowledge a human!"

Lao Neil still had fantasies in his heart and left his son behind, preparing to go to Bulutuo's smithy to take a look. Meanwhile, Xiao Neil finally realized that his father looking for Xia Duo so urgently didn't seem to be a good thing, and the words "Xia Duo might be at the circus outside town" that he was about to say were swallowed back into his stomach.

Watching his father rush out the door, a trace of worry appeared in Xiao Neil's eyes.

Outside Savile Town, inside Mu Yan's tent.

Because he had to provide Xia Duo with Bard enlightenment, Mu Yan did not open his stall today. The manager of the Lion and Fire Circus even came specifically to inquire. Xia Duo saw the respectful attitude of that well-dressed manager toward Mu Yan, and his understanding of the strength Mu Yan spoke of—not inferior to the local Mage Lord—deepened by another layer.

After dismissing the manager, Mu Yan took out the short flute at his waist, played a few notes at random, and then told Xia Duo, "Alright, no one will disturb us anymore."

Was this Spellcasting?

Well, Xia Duo was a "magic illiterate" at this moment; even if Mu Yan cast a spell right in front of him, he would have no way to distinguish it. However, at the thought that he was about to come into contact with Magic, a fire burned in Xia Duo's heart.

"Before the formal enlightenment, I will tell you some common knowledge about Magic to give you a basic understanding of Spellcasters." Mu Yan signaled for Xia Duo to sit down, found a comfortable position to lean back in himself, and then continued:

"Bards and Mages can both be called Spellcasters, and both can cast Spells, but the specific Principles of their Spellcasting are different."

Upon hearing this, Xia Duo felt that he might not be able to complete the enlightenment. Having stayed in Savile Town for over half a year, although he couldn't access specific Magic Knowledge, some common knowledge was widely circulated, which certainly indicated something.

In Savile Town, the phrase Xia Duo heard most often was—Mages are the embodiment of Wisdom and power.

What is Wisdom and power? According to Xia Duo's understanding combined with the game background from before he transmigrated, it should refer to Knowledge and Magic. To go a step further, Mages obtain Wisdom, obtain Magic, and obtain power because of Knowledge.

The starting point for all of this is Knowledge.

And this was also the reason why Xia Duo chose to pursue the path of a Mage to obtain the power to protect himself. Otherwise, he could have just chosen to believe in the gods to obtain Divine Magic power; it wasn't because his values didn't align, but rather that he couldn't sincerely identify with the Doctrine of those gods.

If the Spellcasting Principles of Bards and Mages were different, it was very likely another type that Xia Duo could not accept. Even if he could be successfully enlightened, his future development would be very limited.

Mu Yan continued: "A Mage's Magic comes from Knowledge, from reality, while a Bard's Magic comes from the heart."

"The heart?!" Xia Duo couldn't help but make a sound of surprise.

"Yes, a Bard's Magic comes from the heart. As long as you are full of passion for Magic, then Magic will respond to you, without needing to spend most of your time and energy on research like a Mage."

Mu Yan's words carried a sense of self-satisfaction, as if he looked down on those Mages who were like research machines and did not understand the beauty of life.

At this moment, Xia Duo's heart felt cold. What did it mean for Magic to come from the heart? Xia Duo really could not accept such an idealistic way of obtaining Magic. It wasn't that idealism was wrong, but Xia Duo had grown up on Earth where materialistic concepts prevailed, and his values had long since been formed.

Bards did not pursue the source or Principles of Magic, which was hard for Xia Duo to accept. As a person from Earth, "asking why for everything" had already become an instinct deep in his Soul.

Mu Yan did not care whether Xia Duo was idealistic or materialistic and continued to explain the differences and similarities between different Spellcasters.

By the time Xia Duo heard the end, counting through the common spellcasting professions like Mages, Clerics, Sorcerers, Druids, and Bards, the one most suitable for him was still the Mage. As for Arcanists, that was an advanced profession for Mages, which Xia Duo did not need to consider for the time being.