Chapter 709: Extravagance, the Mirror of Reversal

The next day, just as Xia Duo was preparing to head to the Apprentice Management Office to meet those two New Mages during his break from practice, Niya arrived suddenly, bringing news that was not entirely unexpected:

"The invitation from Rodney Lord has arrived; he invites you to visit the Rodney Territory!"

Before, when the news was uncertain, Xia Duo still had distracting thoughts, but when the other party's invitation truly arrived, there was almost no fluctuation in his heart; he gave a hum and asked casually:

"What about the time?"

Niya was a bit frustrated that she had been so worried while Xia Duo, the person involved, had only this much of a reaction; she couldn't help but roll her eyes at Xia Duo and said crossly:

"There is no specific time! The invitation was relayed through the Arcane Union, but it mentioned a suggestion to arrive before the end of the month."

As she spoke, she handed a pale yellow, grayish-tinged invitation to Xia Duo.

……

No specific time? How strange?

Xia Duo took the invitation, and the moment he opened it, a separate piece of paper slid out; he picked it up casually, and—ha! The texture was somewhat special!

After a brief examination, wasn't this the paper used for making Advanced Magic Scrolls!

There was only one line of text on it, scribbled with "Suggested to arrive before the end of the month"—that really was extravagant enough!

Looking at the invitation again, aside from the thin wooden cover, the inside was ordinary parchment; although the style looked more high-end than that separate piece of paper, and even had quite a few complex, exquisite patterns drawn on the edges, the essence was far inferior.

The handwriting was somewhat similar to that on the separate piece of paper, but it was clearly much neater on this invitation; the gist was something like, "Long heard of your great name, specifically inviting you for a meeting."

Not only was there no time, but it was also headless and tailless, with no identity for the inviter and no identity for the invitee; if one didn't know beforehand that it was an invitation from Rodney Lord, it would really leave one completely confused!

"How do you know it's an invitation from Rodney Lord?" Xia Duo asked curiously.

Although the possibility of it being a prank was very small, that possibility could not be ruled out.

Niya understood what Xia Duo meant, so she stated her judgment:

"Of course I know; I have already confirmed it. This was sent in the name of Archmage Olong. If this isn't an invitation from Rodney Lord, then what could it be!"

"So that's how it is!"

Xia Duo suddenly realized; Olong, like Greta, was also a subordinate of the Princess—though perhaps "follower" would be more appropriate. Olong actually served in the Arcane Union, unlike Greta, who often stayed by the Princess's side.

If it was sent in the name of Archmage Olong, then it was almost one hundred percent about that matter in the Rodney Territory. First Greta mentioned the news, then Olong sent the invitation; this was very obvious!

Xia Duo even guessed whether this might have been written by Olong himself.

"Then when do you plan to set off?"

"Probably in these next few days!" Xia Duo said calmly.

Since he had been mentally prepared for a long time, it was better to make the trip sooner; in any case, after the spellbook was completed, he wouldn't be able to make any major breakthroughs in the short term.

If he hadn't planned to set aside a few days to familiarize himself with the spellbook, Xia Duo would have been ready to leave immediately; from yesterday to today, he had already felt the infinite benefits of the spellbook.

Nearly instantaneous casting, unlimited frequency—compared to Magic Scrolls, it was simply an overwhelming advantage.

The only drawback was probably the high cost, but that wasn't a problem with the spellbook; it was a problem for the Spellcaster themselves.

Of course, there was another problem that wasn't really a problem, which was that Magic Scrolls could be prepared in advance for countless spells that one might not even use once in the future.

But a spellbook couldn't be like that; the capacity of the Inner Page was limited, and it couldn't be added to infinitely; one had to make trade-offs.

However, this problem could also not be considered a problem with the spellbook; if one had money, one could just prepare a few more spellbooks.

And in actual situations, as long as the planning was reasonable, one spellbook was actually enough to be used in various scenarios.

……

Hearing Xia Duo say he would set off in a few days, Niya couldn't help but fall silent, but she also knew that since the invitation had arrived, not going wouldn't do; so, she silently unfastened a small mirror-like ornament from her waist.

Holding it in one hand, she sent it toward Xia Duo, pretending not to care, and said calmly: "Since you are going to the Rodney Territory, take this with you; I don't need it while I'm staying in the Tower of Time anyway."

Xia Duo did not reach out to take it immediately; this was clearly a quite valuable Magic Item. He had already noticed Niya's movements just now—not only unfastening it from her body, but more importantly, breaking the attunement state with the Magic Item.

The ornament, which had been somewhat inconspicuous, suddenly had its Magic Aura grow stronger by more than a notch after disconnecting from Niya, becoming quite intense and dazzling.

Hesitating for a moment, Xia Duo took the small mirror. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but just as he took the small mirror, he seemed to hear the sound of Niya letting out a long sigh of relief.

"This is a Mirror of Reversal; it can reverse targeted spells below the 9th Circle, but it can only reverse consecutively three times in a short period. You must remember this!" Niya reminded him.

"Mm!"

Niya spoke seriously, and Xia Duo also nodded solemnly.

In the 【Projection Plane: Arcane Empire】, he had also seen Magic Items of the spell reversal type; that was a Spell Reversal Ring, which he had once worn himself.

It was a pity that he had never witnessed 【Spell Reversal】 in action with his own eyes.

And this time, Niya's introduction was more detailed than what he had learned in the Projection Plane; at least he knew that only targeted spells could be reversed, rather than it being effective against any spell.

So-called targeted spells can actually also be called "locking spells"; they are the kind of spells that are guaranteed to hit once cast.

Almost all spells can be locked, but in real spell confrontations, this kind of nearly customized spell is not common.

More common are some spells that naturally carry a locking effect, such as control spells of the Transmutation or Mind schools, which require extra attention.

As for spells of the Creation School, most do not carry a locking effect; as long as one reacts fast enough, one can just dodge them.

An average Mage might not have such dodging ability, but Xia Duo had undergone Bloodline Awakening, and his body was no longer comparable to an ordinary person's; he believed that as long as he wasn't at point-blank range, he could dodge most non-locking spells.

Now, with this Mirror of Reversal that Niya gave him, he even developed the thought of wanting to test his strength against a Great Arcanist.

Of course, this was just a fantasy; if he really encountered one, he would run away before he could even think about it!

……

After teaching Xia Duo how to link with the 【Mirror of Reversal】, the two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Niya found an excuse to leave, while Xia Duo continued on to the Apprentice Management Office to meet those two New Mages from the Progress Society.

"Jibusen, Halun, congratulations to you both for finally becoming true Mages. However, merely being low-rank Mages is not enough to appreciate the true scenery on the Arcane Path. Keep working hard and striving; I have high hopes for you!"

"Lord Xia Duo, we will!" *2

"Mm!"

Because he still had things to do on his side, Xia Duo offered a few words of simple encouragement and then hurried away again.