Chapter 827: Luck, Departure

Although it was already late at night, because Xia Duo had already slept after returning from the Projection Plane, he began to continue calculating and deriving the low-ring expression for the 7th Ring 【Mage Armor】 after finishing the resupply of his Personal Space.

If there is anything that can significantly improve Xia Duo's strength in a short period of time, then besides auxiliary abilities like the Personal Space which are almost essential, upgrading is the most direct method!

As for other gains like the Shadow or Earth Element Domain, they were already obtained in the Projection Plane; without a massive time dilation difference in the Main Plane, it is not easy to achieve a breakthrough.

Upgrading, or coming into contact with a deeper level of the Magic Net, has the most direct impact: most commonly used spells can be raised by one ring tier, which is almost the greatest improvement.

Besides this, there are some external items, but in the short term, neither Xia Duo nor Niya can create an Artifact.

Originally, if he could have stayed in the Projection Plane for a while longer, Xia Duo could have completely finished the low-ring expression of the 7th Ring spell; once back in the Main Plane, he would only need to cast such a spell once to come into contact with the Seventh Layer of the Magic Net.

But how can everything in reality go as one wishes!

Therefore, as soon as Xia Duo finished the more important work of expanding his Personal Space, he immediately threw himself into the Ascending Ring work for 【Mage Armor】.

He hoped to come into contact with the Seventh Layer of the Magic Net before the joint operation officially began and complete the Ascending Ring work for commonly used spells other than 【Mage Armor】. (After coming into contact with the Seventh Layer of the Magic Net, there is no need for reverse deduction; one can take a high-level perspective, and it will take much less time.)

……

Not until early morning, when Niya brought him a cup of hot tea, did Xia Duo detach himself from the world of Magic, which made him sigh at how fast time had passed.

Taking the teacup from Niya's hand and taking a small sip, looking at Niya's beautiful appearance, Xia Duo could not help but feel a stir in his heart; on the night before entering the Projection Plane, the two had just completed the final steps between a married couple.

Having entered the Projection Plane for nearly two months, especially with most of that time spent in the Underdark, that harsh environment made Xia Duo's longing for Niya even greater, and his desire for her body even more intense.

Xia Duo put down the teacup and pulled Niya into his arms, though it was a pity that the Mage Robe with its elemental balancing function blocked the blending of their body temperatures, yet this calm feeling made Xia Duo feel exceptionally at peace.

Of course, he would not do that sort of thing in broad daylight; after holding her for a little while, when shyness crept up to the tips of Niya's ears, Xia Duo loosened his embrace and asked softly:

"There is still one day left in the holiday; have you arranged everything on your end? Who knows when we'll be able to return once we leave this time!"

"Everything is settled. When I am away, Uncle Aiboke will take good care of the Tower of Time, and with Uncle Sain in the Territory, there won't be any major problems."

"That's good!"

Taking another sip from the teacup, Xia Duo took a stack of prepared manuscripts from his Personal Space, placed them in Niya's hands, and said:

"This is a novel spell I obtained in the Projection Plane. Learn it as soon as possible; it will be of great use during the mission!"

"Really?"

Niya opened the manuscript half-doubtingly, but after looking at only the first page, she suddenly looked up at Xia Duo, her eyes full of exclamation, "A Shadow Spell?!"

"Mm, this projection experience was very special. Besides this spell, I also gained some experience on how to deal with Elf Mages. Once you learn this spell, I will tell you more in detail!"

"How are you so lucky?!"

Niya suddenly put down the manuscript and said with a hint of jealousy: "Except for you, I've never heard of anyone who can always reap benefits from the Projection Plane!"

"That might be because my bloodline is relatively superior! Haha!"

Actually, without Niya saying it, Xia Duo had already discovered it himself; he had almost never come back empty-handed from any projection, with gains almost every single time.

As for ordinary Netherese Mages, let alone the harvest, just projecting into a Wisdom species like a Human, Elf, or Dwarf is a gamble on probability.

Once one projects into a non-mainstream creature like a Goblin or Kobold, it is basically a wasted trip.

Therefore, among Netherese Mages, except for those with deep pockets willing to try, ordinary people rarely choose the journey of projection; the return on investment is simply too low.

And as for Xia Duo, the creatures he has projected into so far are either Humans or Elves, and at worst, Drow; it is hard to say that bloodline factors are not involved.

Or perhaps it is just pure good luck!

……

After arranging for Niya to learn the Shadow Spell, Xia Duo also threw himself back into the Ascending Ring research; time was still a bit tight, and he had to seize every available moment.

Soon, night fell, and Niya came to Xia Duo's Study again with a cup of hot tea, "It's getting late, and we have to head to Seventon tomorrow, so get some rest early!"

Hm?

Xia Duo, who had originally felt a bit sleepy, was no longer sleepy the moment he heard Niya's voice. This time, he didn't even take a sip of tea before carrying Niya to the bedroom.

The night passed in silence.

……

The next morning, Xia Duo woke up from his deep sleep. Opening his eyes, Niya was still sleeping quietly in the crook of his arm. He quickly averted his gaze, worried about waking Niya.

The two had only fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning. He himself could hold up thanks to multiple Bloodline Awakenings, but Niya's body was no different from an ordinary person's and needed a good rest.

Of course, even while lying in bed, Xia Duo was still able to use his amazing memory to reconstruct the research progress of the previous night in his mind, even tracing back to his specific thoughts at that moment, and continue the research work.

Not until Xia Duo noticed that the Alarm cast on him had expired did he realize it was almost noon.

"Niya—" Xia Duo called out softly.

Niya did not move, but her trembling eyelashes betrayed her at this moment. Xia Duo watched this scene with interest, his gaze gradually becoming heated.

Seeming to realize something was wrong, Niya immediately flipped up, her movements as agile as the most outstanding Rogue, while not forgetting to remind Xia Duo, "Today is the last day!"

That's right, today was the last day of the three-day holiday, and tomorrow they would be attending the special training at Giles Tower.

Niya got up, and Xia Duo got up too, though compared to Niya's swiftness, Xia Duo was much slower. He put on his clothes unhurriedly and, under Niya's shy and annoyed gaze, cast a cleaning spell.

Afterward, he reapplied his standard status spells before notifying the Tower Spirit to have "breakfast" sent up.

……

During the meal, Xia Duo asked casually: "How is that spell coming along?"

"It's a bit complicated. I've never come into contact with Shadow Spells before, but if it's just to cast it, another day or two will be enough."

Speaking of Magic, the last trace of shyness on Niya's face disappeared, and she turned back into that confident, genius Arcanist.

Xia Duo was happy to see this and shared his own experience in learning the Shadow Spell, which made Niya nod repeatedly.

After the meal, the two inspected the Tower of Time one last time before stepping onto the Teleportation Array to Seventon together.