Chapter 656: The Final Bridging Experiment

"The teacher didn't mention it, but even if the Magic Core manufactured by the Drow over in Cormanthyr to trigger the Dragon Disaster were destroyed, the Dragon Disaster would not end immediately. It would continue for several months, give or take. This is confirmed information verified by multiple parties." After finishing, Niya added, "Only when the King-Slaying Star disappears will the Dragon Disaster end."

Xia Duo didn't quite understand the former part, but the latter was much like what he had guessed: the appearance of the King-Slaying Star represented the start of the Dragon Disaster, and its disappearance represented the end.

"It seems that early warning personnel must be maintained long-term!"

In fact, even without a Dragon Disaster, maintaining a certain number of dragon early warning personnel is necessary. After all, Netheril has not encountered a dragon attack in the past, but that doesn't mean it won't in the future.

If one waits until the accident arrives to regret it, wouldn't it be a bit too late?

……

The conversation with Niya was very brief. As the two chatted, they moved on to the Laboratory. The bridging experiment had reached a critical stage, and the mysterious veil of the Fielder Spellbook was about to be lifted. Both were very much looking forward to what kind of content would be recorded inside.

Niya's Laboratory, on the experimental table.

The originally spacious experimental table was now filled with a large number of disorganized wooden supports. If an outsider were to come here for the first time, they would find it almost impossible to spot the main body of the Fielder Spellbook, which was about to be completely buried by the wooden supports.

The wooden supports could be disorganized; after all, their only role was to fix the Mithril Components bridged to the main body of the Spellbook. But those external Mithril Components could not be disorganized.

They had to be bridged to the main body of the Spellbook from specific directions, orientations, and specific angles, thereby equivalently replacing parts of the Spellbook's components.

Conducting these bridging experiments was almost like completely and thoroughly decomposing and unfolding the entire outer encryption structure of the Spellbook.

And if someone familiar with the Principles and processes of cracking Magic Items saw the external Mithril Components with their obvious cluster distribution on the experimental table, it shouldn't be hard to discover the train of thought and the order of bridging that Xia Duo and Niya used in the bridging experiment.

In this experiment, only two sets of Element Units needed to be tested for replacement via bridging external Mithril Components, but this was indeed the key to verifying Xia Duo and Niya's entire cracking project.

Theoretically, as long as there were no errors at the operational level, the bridging experiment phase of the entire cracking project could be considered successfully completed.

If there were further encryption inside, it would no longer be system-wide encryption integrating the entire Spellbook, but rather conversion encryption similar to that on a Magic Scroll—independent encryption for independent internal information—which would be easier to crack than cracking the entire system encryption.

However, Xia Duo speculated that normal people wouldn't layer encryption inside their own Spellbooks, right? That would be simply too troublesome and not in line with human nature.

It's like having a safe but still writing the Account Book in code; it doesn't consider one's reading experience at all. It's simply insane. Xia Duo himself could never do such a thing.

In other words, if today's bridging experiment goes smoothly, this Fielder Spellbook might very well be completely undefended.

Of course, the premise for all of this is that the bridging replacement of the final two sets of Element Units today can succeed.

……

Seemingly to ease his own nervous mood, or perhaps just to make a joke, before conducting the bridging experiment, Xia Duo asked Niya, "Are you nervous?"

Niya looked at Xia Duo strangely, "Not nervous, I have a Spellbook!"

After saying this, she couldn't help but laugh.

"……"

Although the two met and talked often, Niya never spoke of what preparations she had made for manufacturing a Spellbook. As time went on, Xia Duo almost forgot that Niya had inherited the Spellbook of her father, Lord Epps, and did not need to specifically manufacture her own Spellbook.

Even Aiboke's Spellbook had long been completed (he was previously an Advanced Rank Mage, just not an Advanced Arcanist; one can make a Spellbook at the Advanced Rank).

When Xia Duo communicated with them daily, they rarely talked about Spellbooks, which gave Xia Duo the illusion that he was the only one seriously preparing for a Spellbook.

Now that he was reminded by Niya, Xia Duo felt quite bitter! Among the three Advanced Rank Mages in the Tower of Time, he was the only one without a Spellbook.

However, Xia Duo also knew that if he wanted to, he could manufacture a Spellbook right now. The Tower of Time had relevant data, although they were just some very common, mass-produced Spellbooks.

It was just that this was not what Xia Duo wanted. Xia Duo had already seen those materials. To be honest, looking at those materials was really not as useful as the research on the Fielder Spellbook during this period, even if it was just the outer structure.

If a mass-produced Spellbook is just a collection of reusable Magic Scrolls, then a privately customized Spellbook like those of Niya, Aiboke, or Fielder is a spell generator with multiple complex functions.

A bicycle or a motorcycle? Xia Duo chose the latter without hesitation. After all, a good Spellbook can be continuously expanded later on to be used by a Great Arcanist.

As for the mass-produced version, it is finalized at the beginning of its manufacture. With Xia Duo's current Magic attainments, he could at most create a "【Reusable (up to 5th Circle) Spellbook】," or perhaps it would be better to call it a "5th Circle Spell Scroll Collection," which could not be expanded at all later on.

The cost of remaking a new Spellbook each time would add up to enough to make one "good" Spellbook.

……

After the joke, Xia Duo immediately entered the state. The final experiment was still completed through the cooperation of the two. Xia Duo first used the wooden supports to fix the Mithril Components corresponding to one set of Element Units and connected them to the main body of the Spellbook.

Afterwards, the two performed Synergistic Resonance Casting, which is commonly known as Joint Casting. Because the experiment required repeated Spellcasting and Identify for verification, the two saved energy wherever they could.

Of course, one could choose to exploit an Apprentice, but letting an Apprentice participate in such a complex experiment is truly a test of a mentor's character. If an experimental error occurs, the mentor, who has made various Protection measures, might be fine, but the Apprentice might be the one to suffer.

Another reason for not using an Apprentice is naturally that such a complex experiment, which is almost a one-shot deal, cannot withstand being messed up by an Apprentice. Xia Duo did not want to see a Spellbook that had the potential to be perfectly cracked get damaged because of an Apprentice's mistake.

During this period of bridging experiments, Xia Duo and Niya had become familiar with each other and trusted each other; at least in terms of conducting experiments, the two trusted each other very much.

After Joint Casting to link these external Mithril Components with the main body of the Spellbook on a true, magical level, the two separately used 【Identify】 to conduct simulation tests.

After the test was completed, the two spoke almost simultaneously: "You say it first!"

"You say it first!"

Xia Duo spoke half a beat faster than Niya, which meant Niya should go first. However, he had already seen from Niya's unconcealable joyful expression that the result Niya tested should be the same as his—

Everything was in line with expectations.

Afterwards, the final set of Element Units was also quickly bridged and tested. Only then did the two look at each other and smile, relaxing.

Next, it was time to officially lift the mysterious veil of the Fielder Spellbook—

(End of chapter)