Chapter 370: The core secret of the Academy

The fireplace fire burned quietly, and Luo Yan sat in the office of the Tower of the Grand Sage, flipping through the magic classics he had just borrowed.

He had already finished reading Alister Suoen's theory, and recently he began to study the "Soul Stitching" spell of Professor Uriel Akelai of the Holy Energy Sect.

Or change to a more academic term—"Soul Weaving."

Hekajielin's notebook mentioned the existence of this ritual before, and even by the standards of Hell, this was quite evil.

It is equivalent to sewing one person's eyes onto another person's forehead to increase the weight of the latter's soul.

Of course, Professor Uriel did not share this skill in public magic classics, but used "stitching the wounds of the soul" as a beautiful packaging.

At this time, footsteps and knocking sounds came from the door, and before long, a familiar guest visited.

Luo Yan estimated that he should be here too.

"... Professor Gangte, please sit down!"

Seeing Professor Gangte appearing at the door, Keji immediately greeted him with a full face of smiles and led him to the sofa for guests.

"Mentor! Professor Gangte is here!" After settling the guest, Keji turned to report to Luo Yan behind the desk.

Luo Yan put down the book in his hand and said with a smile: "Professor Gangte, long time no see... Keji, brew a cup of the black tea the professor likes most."

"Okay, Mentor!" There was no need for him to order at all; this diligent young man had already gone to do it, his movements as nimble as an owl delivering letters.

Gangte looked at the busy back of this teaching assistant, a smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, but when he pondered in his heart, it was not a taste.

Speaking of which, is this kid still his person in name? Now it seems like he has completely become Prince Kelin's exclusive butler...

But he is a generous person, so he just thought about it.

Anyway, he has countless apprentices and teaching assistants under his door, and he can't manage them at all usually, otherwise he wouldn't have put this guy in the administrative post of the Tower of the Grand Sage.

"Prince Kelin, are you used to life in the Academy recently?"

Thanking Keji for the black tea, Gangte took a sip and then opened his mouth with a smile, breaking the short silence with a tone of small talk.

"I heard that your 'science class' recently caused quite a sensation in the Tower of the Grand Sage, especially the part about mathematics; honestly, even I felt surprised. Many of my teaching assistants told me that after their apprentices pondered that calculus, the speed of solving topics was much faster than before; I have to thank you on their behalf!"

"Just some shallow insights that are not systematic, making you laugh."

Hearing the few hints of sourness hidden in the compliments, Luo Yan smiled faintly but didn't care, then changed the subject, his tone carrying a bit of sincere appreciation.

"Speaking of which, I also just discovered recently that the Northern Wasteland is really a good place where outstanding people emerge. Not only is the speed of cultivation here much faster than in other places, but the people living here are also unusually smart, and even more commendable is their diligence! On this point, those young men in the Holy City who only know how to enjoy themselves cannot compare with them at all."

Facing this genuine praise, a look of pride appeared on Professor Gangte's face, and he reached out to stroke his beard.

"That is natural! Our Academy's winter recruitment every year gathers the smartest brains in the entire Empire, and those who can pass the assessment are one in a hundred! We might be a bit inferior in art and culture, but in academics... I dare say that in the entire Empire, probably no one walks further ahead than us!"

That was a true fact.

Luo Yan complimented with a smile, then chatted with Professor Gangte for a while, waiting for the latter to take the initiative to enter the main topic.

Perhaps estimating that the time was about right, Gangte coughed lightly, and his relaxed expression carried a few hints of seriousness and excitement.

He took out a parchment scroll with magic seals from his sleeve, a bit of pride of accomplishment in his eyes, and solemnly placed it on the table.

"Prince, let's not talk about polite words for now... Look, what did I bring you?" While saying this, he stared straight at Prince Kelin, looking forward to an excited expression on that face.

Looking at the parchment scroll on the table, Luo Yan guessed what it was, but looking at Professor Gangte's proud look, he still couldn't help but pretend to be stupid, asking knowingly.

"Oh? This is?"

Selling a suspense without anyone to play along, Professor Gangte's eyebrows twitched, he coughed dryly and said in a hurried tone.

"... It's the Void Realm! Didn't you want to start a research project? The Council argued about this for two whole months, but fortunately, I still have some face in the Council, and I didn't fail the trust, helping you fight for it!"

To be precise, it was Professor Gangte and Professor Alister who fought for it together, and maybe the latter's face was even bigger.

However, the relationship between the two seemed not harmonious, so the latter's credit was obviously selectively ignored by Gangte.

A smile of just the right amount appeared on Luo Yan's face, and he gave Keji a look, and the latter understood and brought the scroll to him.

"Thank you for your hard work, Professor Gangte; I knew that if this matter was handed to you, it would certainly be done!"

"Haha, you flatter me!"

Hearing this sincere thanks, although Professor Gangte was polite on the surface, the corners of his mouth still rose subconsciously.

The mood of being "embarrassed because selling suspense without anyone to play along" was immediately boosted a lot, and his words followed, saying a lot to Luo Yan about Void Realm exploration, revealing quite a few valuable clues to the latter.

"... The Void Realm you are responsible for is numbered 440; although the sequence is relatively late, there are quite a few secrets worth digging into! And compared to other Void Realms with higher sequences, its exploration degree will be lower."

"Is low exploration degree a good thing?" Fiddling with the scroll in his hand, Luo Yan asked with interest.

"That is natural! The material exchange we can have with the Void Realm is limited! Therefore, the higher the exploration degree of the Void Realm, the fewer resources can be obtained; the best Void Realm is one that no one has explored!" While saying this, Gangte looked enviously at the scroll in Prince Kelin's hand and continued, "So I suggest you be cautious when exploring... If there are places you are not sure about, you can ask me."

This old man seemed to have determined that he would get tired of playing soon.

Luo Yan smiled, nodded as if he understood, and asked humbly.

"This limit of material exchange... what is the specific amount?"

"There is no definite standard; not everything in this world can be calculated, especially the mysterious existence of the Void Realm..."

Gangte shook his head and suddenly gave a look to the side. Keji, who was pricking up his ears, immediately understood and retreated, gently closing the door.

After the footsteps went far away, Gangte lowered his voice and continued.

"However, I can secretly tell you a secret that is not passed on; there is a saying... the things we can take away from the Void Realm are all things that the world behind the Void Realm doesn't care about."

"Things they don't care about?" Luo Yan frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face, "Can you give an example?"

"For example, you saw a farmer behind the Void Realm, and you took away the hoe he used to work; he would immediately find that the thing was lost, which would have a huge impact on the stability of the Void Realm. But conversely, if you just carried away a bag of wheat from his granary, he might convince himself that he remembered wrong or was stolen by a thief... Although this will also have an impact on the Void Realm, the degree is actually much lower..."

"So that's it... The more frequently observed things are harder to steal." Luo Yan nodded thoughtfully, trying to make a summary.

"Observation? This word describes it well; that's what it means," Gangte looked at him in surprise, then continued, "Let's use your wording... Additionally, the influence of observers on the world behind the Void Realm is different, and the impact on the stability of the Void Realm is also different. For example, we replace the farmer just now with a knight, and replace the lost hoe with a sword—"

"Will it cause the Void Realm to collapse?"

"Not necessarily," Gangte shook his head and continued, "The greater possibility is that we simply can't take that sword over... Its presence is too strong, and it will get stuck directly at the entrance of the passage."

Luo Yan basically understood the rules of studying the Void Realm; simply put, it is to avoid interference with the world line on the other side as much as possible.

"So we have to try to avoid communication with observers?"

"Not necessarily," Professor Gangte shook his head, "On the contrary, we occasionally try to communicate with observers actively, such as entering their dreams, or even pretending to be their gods, talking to them through specific media... As long as they can find a self-consistent explanation for our existence, we can establish communication with the world behind the Void Realm, and even let them actively offer tributes to us!"

"But... won't doing this have the risk of exposure?" Luo Yan became more and more interested and asked curiously.

Professor Gangte made a helpless expression.

"That is certainly there, but... isn't there no other way? Most of the 'viewpoints' we can have behind the Void Realm are fixed, and our physical bodies cannot pass through, so we can only infiltrate our spiritual power behind the Void Realm gate. If we don't have information exchange with observers, the information we can get just by observing is really too little."

"So that's it." Luo Yan said with interest.

"Of course, I don't recommend you try those advanced ways of playing immediately—uh, research methods." Professor Gangte wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued nervously, "The Council attaches great importance to your results, and I also have quite a lot of pressure here. So... if you have places you don't understand, please be sure to ask me, consider it my plea to you!"

That cautious tone was as if what he handed to him was not a thing, but his precious daughter.

Looking at the nervous old professor, Luo Yan smiled and said in a gentle tone.

"Don't worry, Professor Gangte, I am a responsible Prince. I can swear by my surname that I will absolutely not play with this toy—I mean the Void Realm—until it breaks and then throw it away."

Hearing this promise, Professor Gangte finally breathed a sigh of relief, squeezed out a relaxed smile on his face, and continued.

"With your promise, I can rest assured..."

Although this Prince didn't look like a typical scholar of the Academy, the oath made by a noble by his surname could still be believed.

They are all people who care about the afterlife, and this is different from the people of the Academy.

If it were another professor swearing by his name, he would absolutely not believe a single word in that guy's mouth.

"Your observation point is located fifty kilometers away from the Tower of the Grand Sage, and the map is marked in the scroll in your hand," Gangte replied, "There was originally a five-story mage tower there; you will definitely see it when you go. Additionally, the Council has decided to name it Kelin Tower; you can hang your family flag or... the flag of the sect at the top of the tower. The magic array required for exploring the Void Realm has been deployed there, and you can start your research at any time."

This was undoubtedly a generous gift full of sincerity.

Luo Yan smiled and expressed his thanks, and accepted this generous gift with a smile.

Up to this point, the core secret of the Academy's mages finally opened its door to him.

Although it is a pity that he couldn't choose it himself, he was still very satisfied to get a brand-new Void Realm as a start.

The most important things were explained, and Gangte got up to leave.

But just at this moment, he suddenly remembered something, so he added another instruction.

"By the way, I have a personal suggestion; you'd better purchase a flying magic beast or magic device as a means of transport. After all, you are clear about the drawbacks of the teleportation array; even if it is only for short-distance use, the load of frequent subspace transfer is not small... This is for the sake of your body."

Speaking of means of transport on the snowfield, Luo Yan had an idea in his heart, but this idea needed time to be put into practice.

So he pondered for a moment, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Thank you for your suggestion; I do have this plan... However, before I solve this problem, can I trouble you to lend me something?"

A bad premonition suddenly arose in Gangte's heart, and he asked cautiously.

"... What thing?"

"That carriage of yours, the one that flies," Luo Yan gestured with his index finger and smiled embarrassedly, "Anyway, you don't use it every day; when you don't use it, can you... lend it to me? Just for the sake of academic."

Gangte's mouth twitched, but thinking of the Void Realm in Prince Kelin's hand, he gritted his teeth and finally nodded his head with a stiff scalp.

"... Okay."

In the afternoon, Luo Yan, who had finished his class, returned to the dormitory, took off the scholar's robe symbolizing his mentor status, put on an ordinary cold-proof robe sufficient to resist the wind and snow in the north, and then went alone to the block near the Tower of the Grand Sage.

This is an affiliated town established for the magnificent tower group; there are few people on the snow-covered street, but if you get close to the light, you can also smell a bit of smoke and fire.

Scattered on both sides of the street are shops selling various magic materials, as well as cheap taverns for the faculty and staff of the Tower of the Grand Sage and adventurers to relax.

Besides this, the most important facility here has to be those large and small craftsman workshops.

They repair and customize various tools for mages, and also digest the "trash" eliminated from the mage towers, which are still rare treasures in the eyes of the outside world.

Not only do adventurers order equipment from them, but sometimes the mage masters of the mage towers also come here to "hunt for treasure."

Luo Yan's goal was very clear—he needed to find a highly skilled craftsman whose thinking was not too rigid to build his "mount."

Although an enchanted broom could solve his travel problem, is Prince Kelin a person who takes the usual path?

As the leader of the "Science Sect," Luo Roxai Kelin certainly had to do a big thing for those who doubted him.

He would prove to those apprentices who believed in and even longed for him before leaving this snowfield, the point he raised in the first class—

"What extraordinary power can do, mortal power can also do!"

He passed through several noisy streets, and finally stopped in front of a shop with the sign "Alberto's Workshop."

Unlike the shops around that sold enchanted weapons and armor, some exquisite magic dolls and gear structures were placed in the window of this shop. For example, dolls that would make sounds, for example, pocket watches and wall clocks that could automatically wind up.

Perhaps because he was not good at using magic power, this craftsman very boldly adopted "dwarf technology" in his design.

Of course, dwarf technology was just a euphemism. After all, within the Empire, using non-magical precision machinery with great fanfare easily reminded people of the God of Machinery, who was regarded as a heretic by the Church. His current identity was just an ordinary mage, so there was no need to cause such trouble.

Actually, to be fair, the Church was really not that sensitive.

Luo Yan pushed the door and entered, and the wind chime made a crisp sound.

Inside the workshop, a man who looked nearly forty years old was burying his head at the workbench, adjusting a complex part with an exquisite pair of tweezers.

He heard the sound and looked up; it was a face carved with traces by time and labor, but his eyes were very bright, like a raccoon in the grass.

Luo Yan noticed that his hands were covered with thick calluses, and his body faintly emitted fluctuations of magic power, even if the fluctuations were very weak.

"Sir, please take a look." Alberto put down his tools and wiped his hands with an oilcloth, "Want to buy something, or is there something that needs repair?"

"My name is Kelin, a mage." Luo Yan answered with a smile, pointed to the moving star disk in the window, and said with interest, "Your work is very interesting."

"Just a little skill to make a living, not worth mentioning, sir."

Hearing the praise, a look of pride appeared on Alberto's face, and he continued in a tone of habit, "Actually, to tell you the truth, I was a magic apprentice in the tower next door. It's just a pity that my talent was not enough, and I couldn't graduate before the age of thirty-five; my mentor even felt sorry for me."

He said it lightly, as if talking about a past event that had nothing to do with him.

As for why he didn't go home, but stayed in this bitter cold place, the reason was also very simple.

In most parts of the Ao Si Continent, the lifespan of commoners is under sixty, and for someone like him who is nearly forty, there probably aren't many relatives left at home, so there was no place for him to return to in his hometown long ago.

Plus the journey was long and full of unknown risks, staying at the foot of the mage tower in the Academy was a better choice.

The mage masters of the Academy were not good people, but the knight masters of the Kingdom of Luo De were not good people either.

"Your mentor is?"

"James Wali; if you meet him, please say hello for me!" Thinking the customer didn't believe his resume, Alberto grinned and said frankly.

James Wali...

Luo Yan's expression was a bit surprised; this world was really too small.

Noticing the customer's strange expression, Alberto asked in confusion.

"You know him?"

"Nothing, just happened to have heard the name... Speaking of which, I am very curious; I heard that the apprentice recruitment of the Academy, even a seventy-year-old person can participate, why is there a saying that one must graduate before thirty-five?"

Alberto grinned, as if he had heard some interesting joke.

"Sir, that is a rule written for outsiders; how many people can live to seventy, and still walk to the snowfield to participate in the assessment? But I actually feel that this is nothing; don't pity me, seeing those young young men, I feel that even if I fight again, it is impossible to compete with them... Better to leave the opportunity to them."

His voice carried a bit of self-deprecation, but more was the detachment of being out of the situation.

Luo Yan could very clearly feel that he actually didn't envy the mages of the Tower of the Grand Sage very much, and this might also be related to his mentor's bumpy academic experience.

Unlike Hekajielin, who left the mage tower with hatred and pointed his magic wand at commoners, although he didn't get the status of a graduate, he truly graduated from this high tower.

Luo Yan was surprised to find that this was the best ending he had seen all the way here.

"Sir, don't mention the past; I think you don't have that much interest in my spiritual world either. You should just tell me what you need me to do for you."

Although he still wanted to ask about Mentor James Wali, Luo Yan thought that an apprentice who left the mage tower a few years ago might not know anything, so he happily accepted Alberto's pragmatic proposal.

He smiled and took out a rolled parchment blueprint from his arms, and spread it out on the workbench full of parts and tools.

"Can you make it?"

It was a blueprint drawn with fine charcoal, the main body was a huge, nearly spherical canvas bag. Thick ropes hung a wicker basket capable of holding four or five people under the canvas bag, and directly below the opening of the canvas bag, a burning brazier was drawn.

Alberto leaned forward, studying this blueprint curiously.

A hint of appreciation for the drawing technique first flashed in his bright eyes, but then his eyebrows wrinkled tighter and tighter.

"Mr. Kelin, forgive me for being blunt," he pointed to the center of the blueprint and asked in confusion, "Does this design of yours... have any deep meaning? Placing a burning brazier directly below a sealed canvas bag, if it is for warmth, I don't recommend you to pack the hot air... that is simply impossible."

Although he could understand this blueprint, he completely couldn't understand the significance of this design.

Luo Yan smiled slightly, didn't explain the buoyancy principle contained in it, and just said calmly as a "party A."

"You just need to ensure that the canvas is tough enough, the joints are absolutely sealed, and the fireproof treatment of the opening is handled with enchanted materials. As for the rest, that is my business."

Although Alberto was full of doubts, as a professional craftsman, he was still very confident in his craft.

And, this blueprint was drawn very professionally, with all parameters marked clearly, obviously coming from an expert.

With the blueprint as a reference, it was not difficult to make.

"No problem!" He patted his chest and took on this job generously, "Since you insist on following this design, then follow your requirements. Although I don't know what you want to do, it's not a big problem; I can do it!"

After a pause, he lowered his voice and tentatively said.

"As for the price... how about 8 gold coins, sir? You can pay a little deposit as you see fit; it's like this on this street."

He hadn't done this thing either, so he could only estimate the price conservatively.

"No problem, this is the deposit," Luo Yan nodded readily, placed a gold coin on the table, and then continued, "If it's enough, tell me about when you can get it done?"

"Enough! It's simply too enough, sir!"

Alberto took the gold coin in surprise, then gestured on the blueprint with his finger, quickly estimating the materials and man-hours.

"If it's fast, twenty days; at the latest, next month! I guarantee to give you a 'big guy' that is both sturdy and beautiful!" ===== CHAPTER 371 =====