Chapter 163: Short-Term Planning

After filling his spell slots, Xia Duo began casting 【Steam Ray】 in the Spell Laboratory, and he did so aimlessly, purely to exhaust his spells.

Very quickly, he felt his vision blur and was unable to maintain a state of focus; as soon as he had the slightest intention to concentrate, it felt as if thousands of needles were stabbing around in his mind.

It was extremely uncomfortable.

In order to test his current spellcasting limit, Xia Duo could be considered to have gone all out.

However, being unable to cast normal spells did not affect his ability to cast Bloodline Spells; he could still perform operations like summoning water currents or shaping Ice Blades.

Although both borrowed from the Magic Net to cast spells, it was clear that Sorcerer and Mage were two completely different, non-interfering spellcasting systems.

He also had to test his bloodline limit, and so followed another round of operations.

Soon, he could no longer cast Bloodline Spells either, and Xia Duo was completely drained! And the moment he temporarily lost all spellcasting ability was when Xia Duo was at his weakest!

But even at his weakest, he still had 100 pounds of single-handed strength.

The power of his bloodline provided Xia Duo with his final safeguard.

By his count, Xia Duo could cast 1st Circle Spells 16 times with normal spellcasting, and his Bloodline Spells also numbered around 10.

"This number is a bit low!"

Xia Duo decided that once the 【Steam Ray】 Scroll was researched, he would start hoarding scrolls; with 16 production opportunities every day, not using them would simply be a waste!

After the test ended, he calculated that it wasn't yet 9 o'clock, but the Mage Tower residence didn't "cut the power" anyway, so Xia Duo couldn't be bothered to dwell on it.

Right now, he just wanted to collapse on his bed and have a good sleep; once someone who has mastered Magic loses it, even if only temporarily, they feel completely uneasy.

Xia Duo truly wished there were some treasure that could instantly refresh a person; of course, it would be best if it were a Magic he could master, as that would make him a perpetual motion machine.

Although he wanted to sleep immediately, he did not give up on his daily summary and the short-term plan that followed.

From the current perspective, Mentor Niya seemed to be more lenient than other mentors, but this required a long-term view; if she ended up being too oppressive later on, then—

Then there would be no helping it; he would just have to maneuver as best he could. However, based on Xia Duo's experience, that possibility was unlikely; after all, how evil could a mentor be who would feel shy when stared at by an Apprentice for too long?

As for the short-term plan, the most important thing currently was, of course, to research the production method for the 【Steam Ray】 Scroll as quickly as possible, followed by Protective Spells.

For example, the 1st Circle 【Mage Armor】; although this Spell might not be particularly powerful, it could provide him with a layer of intangible armor with considerable defensive capability.

For Xia Duo, who had an outstanding physique but found it inconvenient to wear armor, this was a perfect match.

It was just that he was currently in the Mage Tower, so there were no problems regarding safety for the time being, and he temporarily pushed this project to the back.

As for whether he could obtain this Spell, Xia Duo was not worried; becoming an Official Mage had already completed his class transition, and the difficulty of obtaining Spells would definitely be a level lower than for an Apprentice.

In the near future, besides the two Spell plans, Xia Duo also needed to supplement his theoretical foundation at the 1st Circle level. Niya likely wouldn't teach this, and even if she did, with one lesson per week, the efficiency was too slow; Xia Duo needed to do it himself.

Additionally, there was the task quota for increasing his Permission Level; Xia Duo was still short by over 500 Gold Coins. This would purely be a matter of grinding over time; it was likely unrealistic to find another task like the one from Lady Patti.

However, since he had already increased his Permission Level and the most important rating was gone, Xia Duo could actually take his time. Perhaps he would be stuck again when he wanted to increase his Permission Level in the future, but in reality, this could hardly affect him anymore.

After reviewing his near-term plans in his heart, Xia Duo fell into a sound sleep.

……

The next day, Xia Duo woke up early from his deep sleep. Not only was he refreshed, but regaining his spellcasting ability also made him feel doubly at ease. At the same time, he secretly reminded himself that no matter the situation in the future, he must always leave himself some leeway.

Even if it was to test his so-called limits, this remained true; after all, whether it was a limit or not didn't actually have much meaning. If he truly encountered something he couldn't resist, it wouldn't be solved by having one or two extra Spells.

This was perhaps the difference between "quality" and "quantity."

Xia Duo naturally hoped to become a high-quality, intelligent Mage, rather than a brute who only knew how to wildly spam Spells.

After breakfast, Xia Duo arrived early outside Niya's Research Lab.

This was truly early; when the door opened, only the weary-looking Mentor Niya was there, looking as if she had stayed up all night.

And Jianaer had not yet arrived.

"You're early, wait a moment."

After saying this, Niya ignored Xia Duo and walked straight into the inner room.

The door closed silently. Xia Duo had his thoughts, but facing a mentor with a Spellcasting Level as high as 7 and an extraordinary background, he chose to keep his distance.

Jianaer hadn't arrived, and Niya had no intention of answering Xia Duo's questions early, so Xia Duo took out his notes to study on his own, while also marking the questions he would ask later in his notes.

Currently, Niya hadn't specified the scope for questions, but she had only taught one lesson on "Elementary Arcane Geometry," and Xia Duo crafting 【Steam Ray】 into a Magic Scroll was precisely an Application of Arcane Geometry.

There were quite a few questions in there that needed answering; if Xia Duo were to think them through himself, he could figure them out, but it would just be a bit time-consuming.

And now that there was a ready-made mentor to answer his questions, Xia Duo wouldn't let her off!

At the same time, he was considering how to explain later if the questions he asked exceeded the content of Niya's teaching; perhaps becoming a Mage in less than a year was the reason.

Not long after, Jianaer also arrived. Seeing that Xia Duo had arrived early, he seemed somewhat surprised. After nodding in greeting, he unobtrusively began to fish for information, asking questions like "How long has Xia Duo been here?" and "Did she answer any questions early?"

Xia Duo saw through his little scheme at a glance; to be honest, he had seen plenty of this back in High School. "Jianaer, I just arrived as well. Mentor Niya isn't even here, so how could she answer any questions?"

Jianaer mumbled something and stopped talking, taking out his notes to start flipping through them.

Soon, Mentor Niya walked out from the inner room. Jianaer didn't know, but Xia Duo was very clear: she had changed her clothes, and perhaps even taken a bath.

Her complexion was much better, but what was with that breadcrumb on the corner of her mouth!

Jianaer only took one look before lowering his head deeply, and Xia Duo didn't dare to look too much either, fearing that the embarrassed woman would suddenly hit him with a free Spell.

It was just that Niya having a breadcrumb on the corner of her mouth while pretending to be a stern mentor answering questions made Xia Duo feel it was hilarious. Of course, this laughter was not malicious, but rather seeing a kind of "gap moe."

A girl who stayed up late and a serious female Mage—two personas concentrated on one person, and the scene of this person gorging herself in the room appeared in Xia Duo's mind.

He naturally wanted to laugh.

"Cough—Xia Duo, it's your turn. What questions do you have?" Niya suddenly stopped answering and asked Xia Duo.

During the Q&A, Jianaer and Xia Duo took turns asking questions, and Niya answered. Jianaer had asked first, and Jianaer's questions had just been finished.

Xia Duo calmly flipped to a page in his notes and said, "Mentor, I would like to ask, how can one accurately convert a three-dimensional structure into a two-dimensional one while keeping its properties unchanged?"