Chapter 1417: Confession, Foreknowledge, and a New Perspective

This afternoon.

Xia Duo was originally supposed to be in the Laboratory finishing some test experiments for a new Arcane Fire plan, but he had come to Iolum's Study instead.

Regarding Xia Duo's sudden arrival, Iolum, behind the desk, merely glanced at him once, then threw himself back into the documents and files on the table, annotating them while asking Xia Duo:

"Is there a problem with the part of the Arcane Fire Spell Element you were testing today?"

"No, I came for another matter."

Hearing the serious tone in Xia Duo's voice, which was different from usual, Iolum finally put down the pen in his hand, looked up at Xia Duo, a trace of confusion appearing in his eyes, and asked:

"What matter?"

"I—"

With the words on the tip of his tongue, Xia Duo actually did not know how to start; the phrasing he had prepared on the way here felt awkward to him now, so after thinking for a moment, he directly plucked the Magic Net String of the tenth layer of the Magic Net between the two of them.

A vast energy fluctuation immediately appeared within this not-so-large Study, and at the same time, a dazzling Magic Aura bloomed upon that Magic Net String.

Of course, Xia Duo was not really going to cast some 10th Ring Spell here; he was just testing the waters, and demonstrating the fact that he had already touched the tenth layer of the Magic Net was enough.

However, Iolum's reaction seemed to be somewhat beyond Xia Duo's expectations; there was no surprise, let alone astonishment, and even the slightly furrowed brows from just a moment ago smoothed out, as if all of this were only natural.

Now it was Xia Duo's turn to frown, "Teacher, you knew long ago?"

"Of course. Those things you discussed with me these past few days—if you hadn't truly touched the tenth layer of the Magic Net, how could you have such a clear understanding? Of course, that is not the most important thing—"

Speaking up to this point, Iolum even deliberately kept him in suspense, and Xia Duo naturally cooperated very well by asking: "What is the most important thing?"

"The most important thing is—I saw a battle between you and Saville from Saville!"

"This—"

Xia Duo had always attached great importance to his own anti-Scrying measures, but this could only guarantee that he himself would not appear in the feedback of an enemy's Scrying Spell.

He could not look after people who had had contact with him, such as Saville; if Iolum insisted on tracing Saville's past experiences, and Saville did not resist at all.

Then it was not strange that Iolum could see the battle from before.

For a battle occurring inside the Tower of Time, the most likely suspect was Xia Duo, and with the groundwork he had intentionally laid these past few days, it would have been abnormal if Iolum had not noticed.

And Iolum's next words made Xia Duo feel even more like vomiting blood, "I asked Saville about the course of the battle, and he told me everything. I thought you didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't ask."

Xia Duo thought he had been acting during this time; he hadn't expected the real master of acting to be Iolum.

"Teacher, did you actually trace Saville's past experiences?"

"Of course!"

Iolum's expression immediately became serious, "When it involves powerful forces from an Other Plane, one cannot be too cautious.

"If Saville had been bewitched, suggested, or coerced into doing things he shouldn't have, or even turned traitor, who would bear the consequences?

"You didn't think I would just let him leave and go handle the Other Plane Golden Dragon Mage matter on his own without doing anything after Saville returned, did you!"

Xia Duo frowned; he hadn't expected there to be such a turn of events.

However, this stood to reason; back on Earth, even astronauts returning from a space station had to be quarantined for observation for a period of time, let alone someone returning from an "alien planet"!

"So, Teacher, you mean Saville is trustworthy?"

"As of now, he is trustworthy. As for the future, I believe he is also trustworthy!"

Iolum expressed his trust in Saville without reservation, but the topic of trust was somewhat heavy, and he did not intend to delve deeper, instead quickly changing the subject, rising to give a slight bow to Xia Duo:

"I almost forgot, congratulations, you have finally stepped into the peak realm of Magic!"

"The peak of Magic?"

Hearing Iolum's description of the tenth layer of the Magic Net, Xia Duo was filled with deep emotion; could it be that Iolum had also stopped at this realm?

"No, Teacher, I do not believe that we have reached the peak of Magic at this time; on the contrary, I believe that we have only just truly begun the path of Magic."

Speaking of Magic issues, Iolum immediately became interested, even walking out from behind the desk to come before Xia Duo, asking with a more equal posture:

"Your viewpoint is very novel. Do you think there is a part of the Magic Net deeper than the tenth layer? Or have you already made some new discovery?"

"No, not yet."

Xia Duo shook his head, "Compared to you and other pioneers, my understanding in the field of the Magic Net can only be considered that of a beginner. What I want to talk about is not the Magic Net, but the entire world!"

"The entire world?"

"Yes. In the concepts of the vast majority of Spellcasters, Magic is equivalent to the Magic Net, but in my view, Magic is far more than just the Magic Net. I believe that everything in the real world can be considered a part of Magic."

This was actually Xia Duo peddling his own private goods, linking the concept of Magic with the scientific concepts from Earth; Magic is not just Spells, but a method to understand the world and transform the world!

To a certain extent, this would weaken the loftiness and uniqueness of Mages, but it would greatly enhance the development potential of all individuals within the civilization, paving the way for the realization of a Magic civilization.

Iolum was very interested in this viewpoint proposed by Xia Duo, but he also pointed out a loophole in Xia Duo's view, "Everything is within the Magic Net, influenced by the Magic Net, and can also influence the Magic Net; why must they be separated from the Magic Net?"

"No, no, no, Teacher, I do not deny the connection between all things and the Magic Net. It is not I who separates them from the Magic Net, but the vast majority of Spellcasters."

As he spoke, Xia Duo took a Gold Coin from his Dimensional Bag, held it in his hand, and then released his hand with his palm facing down; the Gold Coin immediately fell to the ground.

Under Iolum's puzzled gaze, Xia Duo posed a question: "Teacher, why do you think this Gold Coin fell to the ground instead of in some other direction?"

"That is, of course, because the gravity in this area is downward." Iolum was clearly no stranger to gravity.

But Xia Duo continued to press, "Then why is the gravity in this area downward, and not in some other direction?"

"This is a Plane characteristic. Some Planes have gravity directed away from the ground, and some Planes have no gravity at all!"

"That is just it! Teacher, look, just this small matter of a Gold Coin falling can be linked to the grand subject of Plane characteristics, which concerns the essence of the world. Would you say it is a part of Magic?

"What about other things? Such as the composition of matter, the flow of energy, and even the changes in the natural environment—it can be said that they have no direct relationship with the Magic Net or Spells, but they are equally a part of the essence of the world, and can also be viewed as a part of Magic."