Chapter 139: Magic Book

Task progress:, still need to keep working hard!

Right now, Xia Duo is hoping for two things: one is for the lord to appear as soon as possible and grant him a promotion in Permission Level; the other is for the task office to refresh a task with super high rewards and super low difficulty, which he just happens to pick up!

If these two things could come together, he would immediately be able to cast off the vast majority of trivial matters and study Magic with peace of mind.

……

Early the next morning, Xia Duo got up early as usual; before his Permission Level is raised, he should still continue to work in the Arcane Garden.

And this made Aideliqi and the others very curious, "Xia Duo, didn't you go to raise your Permission Level yesterday? Why are you here again today? Could it be that you didn't succeed?"

Xia Duo felt quite awkward about this; he had already said goodbye to them, and he didn't expect to return here again, so he could only force a smile and pretend to be relaxed as he said:

"There are still a few Territory Tasks left unfinished; once the task quotas are met, I'll be able to raise my Permission Level!"

"Territory Tasks?" Everyone was startled; they were actually behind on their own task quotas too!

Aside from Aideliqi, who had sporadically picked up a few simple Territory Tasks, the others hadn't picked up a single one.

There is a certain threshold for picking up Territory Tasks; most tasks have requirements regarding the Spells and Knowledge an Apprentice has mastered. Although these requirements might not be used at all, one cannot pick up a Territory Task if they don't meet them.

Not to mention that Dien had only just become a full-fledged member last year, while Sami and Dewan had originally only been missing 【Sending】 and 【Detect Poison】 and thus had never started doing Territory Tasks.

Later, when they met the task requirements, they joined a Study Group, to the point where they had absolutely no time to go out and do tasks.

Now that they heard Xia Duo was stuck on Territory Tasks, they naturally felt a sense of urgency. Previously, they had no expectation of becoming an Official Mage, but now that they did, they had to consider Territory Tasks.

And although Aideliqi had picked up a few tasks, he was still far from a promotion in Permission Level!

"Sigh—what should we do?" Aideliqi pulled at his hair, feeling somewhat frantic.

Sami also frowned, "I heard classes will start in a few days; I was even planning to sign up for 'The Art of Spellcasting'! If it's really like this, when will the task quotas ever be finished!"

"Sign up for what 'The Art of Spellcasting'! Didn't Xia Duo teach us spellcasting techniques before? I'm not planning to sign up for any courses from now on; I'm going to focus on finishing the Territory Tasks first!" Dien immediately retorted.

*Cough—cough—*

Xia Duo almost choked on his own breath. In terms of theories like Spell Principles and the nature of the Magic Net at the Apprentice level, Xia Duo has the confidence to surpass most Mages in the Mage Tower.

However, regarding spellcasting techniques, Xia Duo still feels a bit guilty; he can only say his are standard and average. After all, it hasn't even been a year since he first came into contact with Magic, and his practice time is even less; how could he compare to the skills those Mages have honed over years and years.

And for someone to be able to open a course to teach 'The Art of Spellcasting', they must be quite proud of their own spellcasting techniques. There must be things in there that Xia Duo could learn; if he weren't busy dealing with Territory Tasks, he would have wanted to go listen himself.

Regarding someone like Dien who believes in him almost blindly, Xia Duo feels both a bit smug and a bit worried. The result of a fan turning into a hater isn't just talk; in the world of Magic, anything is possible.

For the moment, he had to cool Dien down a little, "Dien, I am not proficient in spellcasting techniques; you should still take the classes you need to take."

"Yes!"

Hearing such an unhesitating reply, Xia Duo knew he might have spoken in vain.

……

After chatting for a while, Xia Duo went to the orchard alone. It was that familiar apple tree again. Xia Duo took out the 'Elementary Arcane Geometry' that Mage Depake had lent him while he was in the Examination Room.

This is a Magic Book, a book created through Magic. Of course, as for whether it records specific Magic, Xia Duo could infer a thing or two even though he hadn't looked.

Generally speaking, books that discuss spellcasting techniques or Magic Theory will include one or two simple Apprentice Spells as examples, but trying to learn new Spells through this method is extremely inefficient.

It also tests the learner's experience and Wisdom greatly.

Opening the first page of the Magic Book, there was actually a frontispiece inside, with the following written on it—

"The Arcane Gate, opened from here. —Iolum"

*Huh—*

Xia Duo let out a soft exclamation and brought the Magic Book closer, confirming once again that the name on it was indeed Iolum. Xia Duo was shocked; he didn't expect this book to be the work of that person.

Thinking of how the first-generation lord of the Savile Territory was a student of Iolum, it is not surprising that there are works by Iolum in the Mage Tower, but the problem is, why would that Mage Depake easily lend this book to him.

Logically speaking, the work of a big shot who could teach a Great Arcanist shouldn't be lent out easily, right!

Or is it a high-quality imitation work like "The Complete Works of Jin Yong" or "The New Works of Gu Long"?

Carrying all sorts of doubts, Xia Duo continued to turn to the second page. This was a page that was both like a table of contents and a summary, introducing the origin and development of Arcane Geometry, as well as its benefits for the study of Magic.

Among them, it was specifically mentioned that Arcane Geometry is a tool for studying Magic, not the essence of Magic itself, followed by some words of encouragement and warning.

At the end, the true author appeared—Great Arcanist Savil. This was an auxiliary book specifically compiled based on the teachings he received from Iolum, especially suitable for those who aspire to pursue the ultimate of the Arcane.

Turning the page again, it was finally the main text of this 'Elementary Arcane Geometry'. To Xia Duo's surprise, the content discussed here was not profound at all; on the contrary, it was very simple.

"That's more like it!"

Xia Duo did not feel unhappy because the content was very simple; instead, he felt relieved. He always feels uneasy about these pies falling from the sky, or rather, investments.

If it were given to him by the lord, he would have accepted it, but that Mage Depake has no relation to him; if he really gave him such great benefits, then Xia Duo would have to ask: what exactly do you want to get from me!

My Soul or my freedom, or perhaps my body? Just thinking about it feels unpleasant. Since when have I become afraid to eat even the benefits delivered to my mouth?

After grumbling a little, Xia Duo began to read the book seriously.

……

The biggest difference between a Magic Book and ordinary books is that it can be read through Magic Vision. While Xia Duo was looking at the text on the pages with his eyes, he also entered a state of Spellcasting Focus, "watching" the spell structures emerging on the pages.

The intuitive nature of Magic, compared with the annotated text, plus the fact that the content was quite simple, meant Xia Duo finished the first page of the main text with almost no effort.

The time that followed passed in Xia Duo's focused reading.

It wasn't until Aideliqi called him to do physical training together that Xia Duo withdrew his attention from the Magic Book, and only then did he notice that he hadn't even finished the book.

His memory from just a moment ago told Xia Duo that he had clearly flipped through dozens of pages, yet he still hadn't finished it, but this obviously didn't match the thin thickness of the Magic Book.

He had thought about continuing his study, but physical training could not be abandoned. Xia Duo doesn't expect this body to be very powerful, but he must maintain a certain intensity of training; otherwise, failing at a critical moment would be a very distressing thing.

Sighing once again that it truly deserves to be called a Magic Book, Xia Duo put the book away properly and then went to train with Aideliqi and the others. Since he was the one who started it, he had to persist!