Chapter 161: The Core Competitiveness of a Mage

Practice produces true knowledge; this is a philosophy Xia Duo has accepted since childhood. Although not mentioned at every moment, it has already become the guiding principle for his actions.

At 5:30 in the afternoon, the Mage Tower spirit reminded Xia Duo that the time was up, and only then did Xia Duo snap back to reality from the world of 【Steam Ray】.

The appointment reminder function is very practical. Even though it was his first time using it, Xia Duo could still feel the important role a Mage Tower plays for a Mage.

It is not just about providing a safe shelter; the various conveniences are such that once one enjoys them, one cannot let them go.

The research and development work for the 【Steam Ray】 Scroll is tense and orderly. Xia Duo has already determined the transformation of the basic Spell structure, leaving only the filling of specific elements; success is merely a matter of time.

It is getting late. He put away his notes and went to the Library. He had not yet looked at the book list that Mentor Niya had asked Jianaer to give him!

The lectures started today, but Jianaer had already seen these books months before him and had even copied them all down; this is something Xia Duo cannot surpass in a short time.

However, copying does not equal understanding; otherwise, there would be no differences in talent.

Arriving at the Library, Xia Duo headed straight for the book section he could not enter during his Apprentice stage. The books inside are quite few, and unlike the Apprentice-class books, they do not have multiple copies.

The books here have at most only one copy. Of course, whether there are more copies hidden away, Xia Duo cannot yet be certain; what he saw was only one copy.

"《Overview of Weave Spell Slots》、《How to Store the First Spell in the Weave》, ……"

Xia Duo only chose the books on the list regarding Spell Slots and did not borrow the others. Moreover, there were three or four books on Spell Slots on the list, but Xia Duo only chose two.

It is not that Xia Duo does not want to take down the entire list, but he is willing yet unable. Just to borrow two books on Spell Slots, Xia Duo needs to pay 100 Gold Coins.

Per day!

This is simply robbery, and it makes people willing to be robbed!

Taking them all would mean he could neither finish reading them nor finish copying them; it would be a complete waste. These two books are just enough to make up for Xia Duo's deficiencies as a newly minted Official Mage.

As for the subsequent spellcasting techniques, Magic Principles, and the like, they can all be taken slowly.

……

When he returned to his residence, the Apprentice delivering the meal was already waiting outside the door. Xia Duo took the dinner and returned the lunch box from noon, only then closing the door to engage in hard study.

As expected, there was no wine with dinner. At noon, he had drunk a month's worth of wine in one go, which made Xia Duo feel a faint ache in his heart, but the desires of the palate are ultimately no match for the temptation of power.

Hurriedly finishing dinner, Xia Duo came to the Spell Laboratory. While flipping through the books during his meal, he had already made it clear that the first time storing a Spell in the Weave is best done inside a Spell Laboratory.

Otherwise, once a mistake occurs, the light consequence is being unable to cast spells for several days, and the heavy consequence is completely losing the ability to cast spells.

Although Xia Duo has confidence, since he has already borrowed 100 Gold Coin books, he naturally would not begrudge the 10 Gold Coins per hour for Insurance.

……

Skipping the unnecessary nonsense in the books, Xia Duo focused on how to store a Spell and the Principles of the so-called Spell Slot. Of course, for many Mages, knowing how to store a Spell is enough.

As for the Principles, what are those? Can you eat them?

But Xia Duo is not someone who does not seek to understand; furthermore, in many cases, knowing the Principles is actually more conducive to practice. Therefore, from any perspective, Xia Duo is very concerned about the Principles.

The so-called "Spell Slot" is not some concrete existing thing, but a description of storing a Spell.

For example, storing a 1st Circle Spell in the Weave is one 1st Circle Spell Slot; storing another one makes it two 1st Circle Spell Slots.

If it is a higher circle, it follows the same logic.

The Principle of storing a Spell can be summarized in one sentence: the Spellcaster is "powerful" enough to permanently change the Weave. 1st Circle Spells are stored in the first layer of the Weave, 2nd Circle in the second layer, and so on.

Additionally, whether storing a Spell succeeds or fails, it is equivalent to one instance of Spellcasting. If no Spell is successfully stored within one rest cycle, one can only wait for the next cycle.

And the key to why Spell Slots are so highly regarded is—any stored Spell is nearly instantaneous!

It is not rare for a Ring Spell to be instantaneous; after all, a Ring Spell does not even have the qualifications to be stored in the Weave, but—

Even a 1st Circle Spell is very difficult to cast instantaneously; it requires long-term practice!

Take Xia Duo's 【Steam Ray】 for example; although it was created by him, he is clear about every detail of the Spellcasting and the Spell Principles.

But he still cannot cast it instantaneously.

It is not that he can never do it, but that it requires time.

Similar to practice making perfect, no matter how magical Magic is, it is ultimately a type of manual craft, just like a craftsman carving flowers on Earth, going from stumbling to being able to wield it with ease.

But compared to real industrial machines, whether in quantity or speed, there is still a significant gap. Manual labor largely only holds an advantage in innovation.

Does Netheril have Spellcasting machines?

Xia Duo believes they do. Items like Magic Wands or staves that can be controlled by people or cast spells on their own—are those not Spellcasting machines?

These Spellcasting machines are all instantaneous and can do things that a Mage's manual Spellcasting cannot!

From this, one can see how meaningful the discovery of the Spell Slot is; it truly gives Mages a deterrent force.

Otherwise, how much time would it take to practice a 5th Circle 【Teleportation】 to be instantaneous? And as long as it cannot be instantaneous, it can be interrupted.

Then, how much deterrence do the few Mages have against a large number of ordinary people?

They are, at best, creatures that can be piled up with human lives.

Even to eliminate a Mage, it does not take many human lives to pile up. For a lord, what are human lives worth!

It is evident that the practical significance of instantaneous Spells is that, no matter what means are used to achieve it, in front of ordinary people, if a Mage can cast Spells instantaneously, then the Mage can come and go freely and decide life and death at will.

This is the true deterrent force of a Mage.

Of course, the reality is that most lords are Spellcasters; this is determined by the nature of power. Those who control power will naturally become the ruling class.

At the very least, it is easier for them to become the ruling class than for ordinary people.

Only by coming into contact with Spell Slots does it mean a Mage has mastered the core competitiveness of their profession.

……

Having roughly understood the relevant Knowledge of Spell Slots and how to store a Spell, Xia Duo could not wait to store his first Spell.

Because he did not know how long the experiment would take, Xia Duo directly moved a chair into the Spell Laboratory and sat down in a relatively comfortable posture.

Only then did he begin his first attempt.

First, he entered the state of Spellcasting Focus. The calm, ripple-free Weave appeared before Xia Duo, and the entire Spell Laboratory seemed to be dyed with a layer of strange color.

The closer he was to Xia Duo, the more he could see, while the further away, he could only glimpse the surface layer of the Weave.

Up close, the strands of the Weave, under the Control of Xia Duo's will, arranged themselves into an orderly combination. A Spell structure—exquisite in structure, rich in detail, connecting the surface of the Weave to the first layer, and containing all the elements—appeared before Xia Duo.

This is his 【Steam Ray】!

For the next step, Xia Duo used the term "encapsulation" to describe it: packing the entire Spell structure and stuffing it into the first layer of the Magic Net.

However, the connection between this Spell structure and the surface of the Magic Net was not severed, and this was precisely the link between the stored Spell and the Spellcaster.

Exiting the Spellcasting Focus state and closing his eyes, Xia Duo faintly sensed the connection between himself and the Magic Net, but it was not obvious, and this stored Spell could not be released either.

Presumably, even a stored Spell needs to be cast while in a focused state, or at the very least, the connection between oneself and the stored Spell must be strengthened enough to control it.