Chapter 334: Great Era, Advancement Plan

First, it can be determined that Huo Ke Territory and the Princess are likely not on the same side; those who can be described as future enemies at least have some irreconcilable differences.

Second, the news that Lord Duolaisen of Huo Ke Territory is about to become a Great Arcanist should be true, otherwise the Princess's side would not attach such importance to it, even immediately sending someone over to investigate.

Furthermore, Niya may have truly become the Princess's student, which might be helpful for the current situation of the Tower of Time.

Finally, there is the matter of territorial pioneering; fortunately, Xia Duo has never given up his pioneering duties, but it seems now that remote commanding from within the Mage Tower cannot satisfy Her Highness the Princess.

This pioneering movement led by Her Highness the Princess may involve even more than Lord Duolaisen's impending promotion to Great Arcanist, perhaps—

Xia Duo's thoughts surged rapidly, but the known information was very limited; the only thing he could be certain of was that the current Netheril is at a turning point in history.

Whether it is the pioneering movement or the birth of the sixteenth Great Arcanist, both signify intense changes in the era, perhaps also counting the 【Mythallar】 for which there is not yet the slightest rumor.

The birth of this thing will surely be earth-shattering; eternal energy, the foundation for the existence of Floating Cities, and cheap Magic Items all portend the arrival of a brand-new era.

Xia Duo clearly remembers that the background information of that game mentioned that the 【Mythallar】 was born shortly after Iolum led the Netherese Mages in a decisive battle against the Orcs.

And in this real magical world, Iolum did indeed lead the campaign to eliminate the largest Orc tribe within Netheril, and more than a hundred years have passed since the Battle of Thunder Peak.

The 【Mythallar】 might have already been researched, or even built.

But the real world is also more complex than the game, just like what Xia Duo learned not long ago: both Dwarves and Elves have blockaded the refining methods of Mithril against Netheril.

The Dwarves came up with Mithril export quotas, while the Elves are even more blatantly harvesting leeks.

At a time like this, actually bringing out the 【Mythallar】 might not necessarily be a good thing.

It is difficult for Xia Duo to guess the thoughts of a Great Arcanist, especially Iolum, who has already lived for hundreds of years. In the current situation where the wheels of history are rolling forward and the horn of the era has already sounded, all he can do is cling to a powerful backer externally and accumulate strength internally!

Thinking this way, Xia Duo decided that once Aiboke returns, he will immediately return to his own territory; the Pioneer role is the deepest connection between him and the Princess, and it must never be broken.

And before that, he should also settle his mind and plan the matter of becoming an Advanced Arcanist.

……

To become an Advanced Arcanist, one needs to finish fourteen courses such as "Arcane Principles," "Soul Studies," and "Deep Weave"; this is merely the foundation, just like how one must finish the textbooks for all subjects to pass the college entrance exam.

There is also the understanding and application of "textbooks"; magic is not a purely theoretical course, but one that also includes practice, and in a certain sense, the advancement process is actually a form of practice.

Similar to the college entrance exam, passing it makes one an Arcanist.

If one fails, one can choose to give up on going to "university" and go to a vocational school (becoming an ordinary Mage), or repeat a year and fight again.

There are also those who fight and fail repeatedly, and some who give up decisively; after all, there is no essential difference in combat power between an Arcanist of the same rank and an ordinary Mage, and sometimes the outcome is just a matter of a single thought.

And what Xia Duo knows is that once one becomes an Arcanist, the only thing that determines future progress is Knowledge; as long as one can endure, one can eventually become a Great Arcanist.

But an ordinary Mage is not necessarily able to successfully and steadily become a Legendary Mage; usually, an Archmage is the limit.

It can be said that any Legendary Mage is a true legend, but—

Still not as good as a Great Arcanist, whether in terms of strength or status.

……

Netheril's Arcane Magic System, after hundreds of years of development and perfection, has finally determined that the Advanced Rank is the best time to become an Arcanist (the birth of Arcane Fire); too early or too late will increase the difficulty.

And the next best time is when one becomes a Legendary Mage; current Great Arcanists did not all give birth to Arcane Fire at the Advanced Rank, as some advanced from being Legendary Mages.

Xia Duo does not dare to bet that he can definitely become a Legendary Mage and then become a Great Arcanist, so seizing the current opportunity to become an Arcanist is the best method.

There is nothing mysterious or profound about the advancement to Arcanist; what is, is, and what is not, is not. The materials left by Niya are as clear as the production process of an industrial product; as long as one follows them, one will definitely succeed.

This is very similar to the college entrance exam in Xia Duo's impression; as long as one has the heart to keep learning and studies seriously, the vast majority of people can get into university.

Currently, it seems he is not a "poor student" in terms of magic.

……

Just as an ordinary person wants to take the college entrance exam, they must go through about three years of high school; this time is a rough estimate calculated scientifically while taking various aspects into account.

In Netheril, there is no education system born like that on Earth, so there are no course arrangements or teaching plans before becoming an Advanced Arcanist, only a very general summary table.

Now, Xia Duo is organizing his own study plan based on his own understanding of the materials provided by Niya.

Regarding difficulty, it is hard for him to judge, but the principle of combining theory with practice cannot be forgotten; in terms of pure theory, "Deep Weave," "Soul Studies," and "Arcane Principles" are of the utmost importance.

And "Arcane Geometry" is the culmination of spell theory and practice; in addition, there are books that focus more on practice such as "Elementary and Intermediate Creation" and "How to Perceive the Soul."

There are fourteen courses in total; Xia Duo is not going through them one by one in order, but is interspersing theory with practice, moving up rank by rank based on the essence of the Magic Net and spell principles.

Among these, what makes Xia Duo feel most at a loss is "Soul Studies"; there are discussions on essence, expansions on will and consciousness, but more of it focuses on practice.

Xia Duo has almost no experience in the practice of Soul Studies, because on Earth, the soul cannot be proven or falsified, and what Earthlings call the soul is more like consciousness.

And this is strictly distinguished in Netheril.

Xia Duo has even personally experienced what consciousness is; that trip to the Projection Plane gave him a great shock, making him feel for the first time that consciousness is actually a real thing.

The Silver Thread he saw when returning to the Main Plane—heaven knows how much of a shock that gave him!

……

Just as Xia Duo was pondering the advancement plan, Archmage Greta, who had returned through the Teleportation Array of the Tower of Time, was already impatient to report the situation to Her Highness the Princess.

She hurried out of the Teleportation Room at the Arcane Union Headquarters, not delaying in the slightest.

And Aiboke, who had teleported over with her, also began to move about in the Arcane Union!