Chapter 30: Read Magic

Tower of Time, first floor, a corner of the main hall.

Official Apprentice Kelin is currently teaching the mysteries of 【Read Magic】 to the apprentices who have newly joined the Mage Tower. His speaking speed is very fast, but with the aid of the light and shadow he summoned, the crowd of new apprentices does not feel too overwhelmed.

It is just that they might not be able to take down the notes completely in time.

Xia Duo is listening very attentively, and his notes are also being taken very carefully; the appearance of 【Read Magic】 has opened the door to a new world for him.

Previously, in Xia Duo's own understanding, 【Read Magic】 should have been a special spell, but it was only through Kelin's teaching that he truly understood why 【Read Magic】 could become the starting point and cornerstone for a Mage.

To be accurate, 【Read Magic】 is not a spell, but a technique that can be learned, improved, and optimized, and this technique is connected together with 【Spell Identification】 to form a unique system of Knowledge.

First, making contact with the Magic Net is the first step; without this prerequisite, there is no need to think about anything that follows.

When Kelin is teaching the technique of 【Read Magic】, he displays parts of the spell structure before the apprentices; what spell structure corresponds to what effect, and what effect requires what spell structure—this is 【Spell Identification】 as well as 【Read Magic】.

The so-called spell structure is the method by which a Spellcaster controls the Magic Net, which, through the summaries of predecessors, has formed some fixed patterns.

There are many schools for the methods of expressing spell structures, such as the Vocal School, where singing or incantations can be used; the Action School, with dancing, gestures, and so on; and the Artifact School, using Magic Equipment to assist in Spellcasting.

Of course, there are even more of the Minimalist School; Faerûn is not a peaceful world, and the Netherese have been pioneering the wilderness for nearly a thousand years, yet there are still not many Pioneer Territories; people need power, the most convenient and swift power.

But regardless of which Spellcasting method is chosen, a Spellcaster must concentrate their spirit and focus on Spellcasting; any interference could potentially interrupt the Spellcasting or even cause a serious backlash.

Therefore, most Mages will, according to their own habits, pair it with the safest and most concise Spellcasting method, generally in the form of syllable incantations plus simple gestures or Magic Equipment plus syllable incantations.

Kelin also taught several commonly used syllable incantations for assisting in Spellcasting, and warned the apprentices that they must be able to distinguish which Magic Net structures are triggered and what effects they might have when hearing these keywords.

A Mage's time is precious—this is the deepest realization Xia Duo has felt after staying in the Mage Tower for one week.

Kelin's class does not have the interaction between teacher and student like in the classrooms before Xia Duo transmigrated, which would make it convenient for the teacher to grasp the students' state at all times; there is no interaction here at all.

Kelin only cares about lecturing his own material, without considering whether the apprentices can accept it or whether they have understood it, and he does not emphasize key points at all; it is nothing more than reading from a script.

Fortunately, it is still only an introductory course, so everyone can still keep up; if it were to reach later courses, Xia Duo estimates that the vast majority would likely not be able to keep up and would need to spend extra Gold Coin for tutoring.

"If only there were a camera!"

Xia Duo cannot help but let his imagination run wild, but immediately feels dissatisfied with his own distraction; after pinching himself, he focuses his attention on the content Kelin is teaching, and his notes keep being written without pause.

After several hours of class in a row, Kelin's voice is a bit hoarse, while the new apprentices below are even more miserable; it is a dense information bombardment that almost never stops, and if one is not careful, they will miss parts.

Xia Duo also rubs his wrist; he made a miscalculation today, bringing only one bottle of ink, not expecting it to be almost used up in just one class, with over a dozen pages of notes taken.

If things go on like this, he will soon be short of supplies again.

He must think of a way as soon as possible!

Xia Duo is now no longer very willing to sell his opportunities to ask questions; he has discovered that after officially coming into contact with spells, he has endless questions he wants to ask, and aside from those related to curiosity, there are also many that he cannot understand and need answered.

Unless he is willing to let his learning progress fall behind, he must find another way to make a fortune; this matter brooks no delay.

"Apprentice Xia Duo, do you have any questions you need to ask?" Kelin suddenly calls on Xia Duo.

Among the twenty-some people who chose this course this time, Xia Duo is still the only Official Apprentice; the others do not have the qualification to ask questions, and at this moment, they can only look at Xia Duo with longing, praying in their hearts that the question Xia Duo asks is also one they want to ask.

And Xia Duo has a thousand thoughts in his heart at this moment, unable to sort them out; he has too many questions he wants to ask, and precisely because of this, he does not know what question is best to choose—

Ask if spell structures have basic Principles? This seems a bit too advanced; perhaps it might be covered later.

Ask for the identification data of 【Read Magic】? But this kind of data can already be counted as personal privacy; whether Kelin can say it is one question, and how much he says is another.

……

Suddenly, Xia Duo thinks of something and immediately asks: "I would like to ask how to learn spells, or rather, what is the process of learning spells?"

Xia Duo's question makes Kelin somewhat surprised; normally, an apprentice needs to learn 【Read Magic】 before they start formal spell learning, so Xia Duo's question is undoubtedly a bit too advanced.

And some of the other apprentices listening to the class shake their heads repeatedly, seemingly feeling it a pity that Xia Duo is wasting a question opportunity, while others dip their quill pens in ink, preparing to record Kelin's answer at any time.

Xia Duo is also prepared, looking at Kelin expectantly, waiting for his answer.

"This question, well—it is actually very simple." Kelin walks two steps toward the direction of the dining hall before he begins to answer—

"Today I taught some basic Knowledge of 【Read Magic】, so when your 【Spell Identification】 is sufficient, you can learn a piece of Magic through someone else's Spellcasting, or you can learn it through someone else's description of a certain Magic spell structure."

The way this is said, if an Archmage saw a newly created low-level spell, they might be able to learn it instantly, but for apprentices like Xia Duo who have not even entered the door, it is simply empty talk.

Fortunately, Kelin continues: "And when your 【Spell Identification】 is not enough, you need a Learning Scroll, or an unencrypted Spellbook; through them, you can read the entire structure of a certain spell, and after that, you can master it through a large amount of practice."

Xia Duo feels a joy in his heart and asks again: "How to practice?"

But this time Kelin does not answer, instead looking at the crowd of apprentices and saying, "20 Gold Coin, and I will tell you how to practice; it can also be a private transaction."

"……"

It is not just Xia Duo who is speechless; the other new apprentices are also somewhat speechless—it is simply greedy for money! However, once one accepts this setting, it is actually quite interesting; equivalent exchange is also a law of the world before Xia Duo transmigrated.

It is just that the pricing power is always held in the hands of one party, and it is not an exchange of "equal" value.

Xia Duo is not willing to accept this price, and he cannot afford it anyway; in any case, he can ask again tomorrow.

Seeing that Xia Duo has no intention of continuing to ask questions, Kelin immediately walks toward the dining hall, not dragging his feet at all.

……

Kelin has left, and the rest of the apprentices also disperse, and just as Xia Duo is preparing to go to the dining hall to get dinner, a group of people surrounds him.