Chapter 158: Arcane Geometry

Back at his residence, Xia Duo ate breakfast while familiarizing himself with the environment under the guidance of the Tower Spirit, after which he began reading the magic book titled *Elementary Arcane Geometry*.

Several days had passed since Depake lent him this book, and although he had already flipped through nearly 100 pages of this seemingly thin volume, he still hadn't finished it.

However, he was close; judging by the content, he had reached the final stages.

Through this book, Xia Duo learned the accurate methods Netherese Mages used to describe spell structures and even their components; it was an enlightenment book that defined magic using geometry.

The spells Xia Duo had originally recorded in his notes required text to describe, and when it came to details, Netherese text couldn't even describe them accurately, requiring the use of Elvish instead.

But Xia Duo only knew a handful of Elvish words and didn't even know their pronunciation; wanting to record a spell was not only cumbersome but also prone to errors.

However, once he learned Arcane Geometry, Xia Duo would be able to accurately describe and record spells through geometric forms, which was more intuitive, more appropriate, and more precise than text records.

The more one aspired to delve into the principles of spells and the essence of magic, the more one would value it.

And while the various conveniences brought by mastering Arcane Geometry were not yet obvious at low levels, as the spells he mastered became increasingly complex, the advantages would become more and more apparent.

Now, Xia Duo was eager to finish this book and find the subsequent Intermediate and Advanced parts; it was rare to encounter a systematic magical treatise, and he wanted to see it through to the end.

In the process of Xia Duo's silent reading, time passed bit by bit, and when he regained his focus to ask the Tower Spirit, the time had already reached around 6:00 AM.

Estimating that there would be people at the Material Requisition Office, Xia Duo immediately went out.

He went to two Material Requisition Offices before he could collect everything—

Two daily Mage Robes that were merely for show and possessed not a shred of magical power;

Some loose Parchment and two bottles of ink;

A *Tower Spirit Instruction Set*;

A book catalog.

Among these, what Xia Duo valued most was the book catalog; although many books on it were beyond his borrowing Permission Level, being able to see the names allowed him to make some inferences.

It was completely unlike the Apprentice stage, where he couldn't even see the names.

And the most crucial thing was that he could select specific books from the catalog and have the Tower Spirit deliver them, though this naturally incurred an extra fee.

It was just that sometimes when it was inconvenient to leave, or when he felt that time was more valuable than Gold Coins, he could choose to have the Tower Spirit deliver them.

As for the *Tower Spirit Instruction Set*, Xia Duo only flipped through it roughly, because for an Official Mage, the Tower Spirit was much more responsive; he looked at the instruction set just to see if there were any commands he hadn't thought of at all.

Sometimes, some obscure commands might even have miraculous uses!

Niya's Research Lab was not far from Xia Duo; they were on the same floor, so it couldn't be far regardless.

When Xia Duo arrived, the door to Niya's Research Lab was tightly shut, which put him in a difficult position, as he knew the basic functions of a Research Lab.

Even the Reception Room just inside the door had soundproofing measures, and the Laboratory inside had numerous isolation spells; even if there was a ruckus inside, there would be no perception of it outside.

Conversely, those inside would not know about any situation outside, unless there was "monitoring" or an "alarm."

But when a Mage was busy, where would they find the time to stare at a monitor? As for an alarm, Xia Duo wasn't sure if there was one, nor did he know how to trigger it.

Yesterday, Mage Depake had brought him here, and Mage Depake had Niya's contact information; even then, he had waited for a while!

Just as Xia Duo was feeling troubled, the door suddenly opened, and a clear voice came out, "Come in!"

Xia Duo hurriedly walked in; sitting in the main seat of the Reception Room was Mentor Niya, whom he had seen yesterday, and to his surprise, there was an acquaintance beside her.

It was Jianaer!

Xia Duo first bowed to Niya and called out, "Mentor!"

Then he gave a slight nod to Jianaer; at this moment, the expression on Jianaer's face could be described as quite spectacular, as past memories flooded his mind all at once.

He would never have imagined that Xia Duo, who had only joined the Mage Tower last year, would become an Official Mage this year, and even become his mentor's Apprentice.

Thinking about it was truly incredible; then he thought about the Moon Festival last year, when he met Xia Duo at the Adventure Bar and had chatted a bit in a boastful manner.

He hadn't expected that today Xia Duo would suddenly catch up; no, it couldn't be that he suddenly became a Mage, there must have been a process before, and presumably, there were signs during the Moon Festival; at that time, Xia Duo was probably laughing at him in his heart.

The more Jianaer thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, though he wasn't jealous of Xia Duo, but rather felt he had lost face in front of him.

At this time, Niya also spoke, pointing out a seat for Xia Duo, "You sit over there first; next time you come, just knock normally."

"Yes." Xia Duo was curious, but also felt it was a matter of course, so he didn't think much more and sat down.

"Xia Duo, I heard you have already started learning Arcane Geometry?" Niya asked.

Did Depake tell her? This thought only churned in Xia Duo's mind before settling down, and Xia Duo replied, "Yes."

"Very good." Niya then turned to ask Jianaer, "Have you read all the books I told you to read?"

Jianaer hurriedly replied, "I have read them all, and there are quite a few questions I need to ask Mentor for guidance!"

"Questions can wait; later, have Xia Duo copy the book list I gave you. Starting today, I will give you lectures every Monday morning, and Tuesday morning will be for Q&A; arrange your own time for other periods, and do not come to disturb me. Is that clear?"

Niya's words were spoken with quite a bit of authority; Xia Duo couldn't distinguish whether it was good or bad for the moment, but Jianaer had already agreed impatiently, and Xia Duo could only follow suit.

"Clear!"

Then Niya stopped wasting words and began lecturing on Arcane Geometry directly, but Xia Duo's mind was not on the lesson; the content Niya spoke was quite shallow, and it was likely her first time teaching others, so she was almost entirely reading from the book.

Xia Duo had already heard several passages that came from that magic book, *Elementary Arcane Geometry*, exactly the same as the original text, without the slightest change.

And when demonstrating, she even copied the cases from the magic book directly; although it was a beautiful mentor giving the lecture, Xia Duo was already very familiar with this content.

There was nothing new, and Xia Duo only felt it was a bit of a waste of time, but he didn't dare to leave directly, so he could only pretend to listen carefully.

But his attention was placed elsewhere, such as the furnishings in the Reception Room, Jianaer's reaction, and Niya herself.

Especially Niya; people always like beautiful things, beautiful scenery is pleasing to the eye, and a beautiful woman naturally makes one feel happy.

Even if it was a waste of time, Xia Duo would rather waste it looking at Niya.