Chapter 132: Prime Rune Book

Lei En woke from his sleep and saw that the sky outside the window was already bright.

He lifted the blanket and got up, discovering that he had spent the night sleeping in Viola's bedroom, his body had been carefully washed, and he was given a clean pair of shorts, which were probably all done by Viola.

He gently shook his head, and the feeling of soul Tear was gone from his mind.

Huh…

Lei En let out a long sigh, "Finally recovered."

Last night, that accidental glimpse at the Silver Star Academy caused more damage to him than he imagined, like a soul wound that even draining energy couldn't quickly heal.

He returned to Vega Manor, collapsed onto his bed and slept, unconscious, and didn't have time to say goodbye to Luo Jue and Zuo Ertan.

Lei En gave a wry smile, this time he really couldn't blame himself for being careless.

The Soul Eye has been used for so long that it has never erred, except when he was still an ordinary person and recklessly glanced at Luo Jue; after the accident, he has been extremely cautious.

Now he can observe legendary souls, and in theory, there should be no problem.

Who would have thought he actually caught a glimpse of a Holy Soul Wizard.

The entire Empire has only twelve Holy Soul Wizards; the vast majority of people never get a chance to see one in a lifetime, and even if they do, they can usually recognize the person's identity and would never dare look indiscriminately.

Yet that Hong Shi Duke, for some unknown reason, disguised himself as his student and infiltrated the Silver Star Academy.

He even let himself be seen.

Such a low‑probability event happening, Lei En could only consider himself unlucky.

Only now does he have time to ponder what Hong Shi Duke's purpose is. A Holy Soul Wizard infiltrating another Holy Soul Wizard's territory surely has some scheme.

And it's during such a sensitive period.

The recent turmoil in Longshande was caused by Shadow Blades, which were commissioned by someone to seize the Silver Star Duke's Iola Core.

Could Hong Shi Duke be connected to the Shadow Blades, being the one who issued the mission?

Lei En immediately dismissed this speculation.

Every Holy Soul Wizard is a follower of the God of Magic; although not all are Divine Chosen, none would betray the goddess or collude with Luo Xi's followers. One must know that Luo Xi is the God of Magic's mortal enemy; the two are sworn enemies with no room for reconciliation, and over the millennia their divine conflicts have occurred countless times.

The Hong Shi Duke also has no reason to seize the Iola Core, because he already possesses a Fu Kong Cheng.

Even if he wanted to build a second Fu Kong Cheng, with Hong Shi Duke's massive wealth, he could easily produce an Iola Core.

He has no need to take such a huge risk by targeting another Holy Soul Wizard.

Lei En thought for a moment, feeling something was off, as if key information was missing, preventing him from piecing together a coherent thread.

The concern in his mind was whether to tell the Silver Star Duke.

If he kept silent, the Silver Star Duke might face an even greater crisis; if he told him, the Silver Star Duke might not believe him, and could even expose his secret, and if it leaked again, it would offend the even more terrifying Hong Shi Duke.

He thought for a long time but Lei En still couldn't decide.

"Forget it, nothing's happening for now, so I won't bother him."

Lei En pushed all this aside, got up and washed up.

Downstairs, the steward Abigail had already prepared breakfast and relayed Viola's message: she had gone to inspect the damage at Violet House.

After filling his stomach, Lei En left.

He didn't go to Violet House, but first headed to the Basil Inn.

Riding his bicycle out of Vega Manor, he could see from afar the aftermath of last night's earthquake: many buildings collapsed, numerous people sat dazed by the roadside waiting for rescue, and occasional cries for their families could be heard.

Amid the devastation, workers were already clearing the rubble, and the breach by the river had been sealed, ready for reconstruction.

Vega Manor lies north of the Wu Shi Ta and was untouched, thus remained safe.

Lei En stopped, looked for a moment, and shook his head helplessly.

He bypassed the collapsed area, headed north across another bridge over the Feiregelun River, entered Lien District, and soon arrived at the Basil Inn.

The inn was still bustling; people were playing cards, others drinking.

However, everyone's conversation centered on last night's earthquake in the Silver Star District; rumors flew everywhere, yet few knew the truth.

Zuo Ertan wasn't in the lobby, so Lei En found him in the back courtyard, sitting at a table sorting the Myriad Soul Cards, but Luo Jue was not there.

"Where is Luo Jue Master?"

"He left," Zuo Ertan replied gloomily.

"Left?"

Lei En was momentarily stunned, blank for a few seconds before realizing that Luo Jue had fled overnight!

He quickly asked, "Why did Luo Jue Master leave? Where did he go?"

"How would I know why," Zuo Ertan tossed the cards onto the table and said in a low voice, "He didn't say where he's going, but I guess he's either returning to his fief in Blantania or heading to the Hohaven Principality to find his daughter; after all, he doesn't have many places to go."

Lei En was surprised, "Luo Jue Master has a fief in Blantania and a daughter?"

Blantania Knight Nation lies in the north of the Empire; all its subjects are followers of the Lake Goddess Vivian, and the ruling class consists of feudal, conservative knights, extremely xenophobic.

Luo Jue is clearly not a Blantania native, yet he was granted a title and fief; it's unclear how he achieved that.

The Hohaven Principality is in the southwest of the Empire.

This principality is actually a vassal state of the Empire, covering an area comparable to a province; its terrain is a massive basin, with beautiful scenery, abundant produce, extremely fertile soil, famed for grapes and world‑renowned high‑quality wine.

Its ruler is also a member of the Supreme Council, the famed Storm Queen, a female Holy Soul Wizard.

"He never told you?" Zuo Ertan asked, somewhat surprised.

Lei En shook his head, "No."

Zuo Ertan sighed, "Luo Jue is a follower of the Lake Goddess; many years ago in Blantania he was ennobled as a kingdom knight, granted a baronial fief, and a surname 'Raviks', but he never uses it."

"As for his daughter, she's actually an adopted daughter."

"She was accidentally found in the Hohaven Principality years ago, lived with Luo Jue for several years, then was entrusted to a noble family of the principality, and they probably haven't met for many years."

Lei En nodded; so Luo Jue is a follower of the Lake Goddess.

He only dared yesterday to directly observe Luo Jue's soul, but he didn't pay particular attention to Luo Jue's flame of faith.

In the Empire, believers in the Lake Goddess are not common.

The deity's doctrine roughly corresponds to the ancient tradition of knights, i. e., the eight virtues. However, Luo Jue's faith does not seem especially devout; he never mentions it and never prays.

Thinking carefully, Lei En has already guessed why Luo Jue wants to leave.

Clearly, Luo Jue once harbored genuine feelings for De Laier Sha, but later realized it might have been the effect of Suggestion Art, and he was deceived. After the Suggestion Art was lifted, the feelings may remain, yet he cannot accept that the Silver Star Title: Duke has another lover, and the status gap between them is too great.

Lei En hasn't spent much time with Luo Jue, yet he knows the pride in the heart of this legendary Demonkin.

He does not want to take part in those jealous rivalries; to please a woman, he would set aside his pride and, like Fulin Ke, become a loyal vassal of the Silver Star Title: Duke.

Thus, he simply walks away, cutting off the romantic tie.

Lei En only feels a bit regretful, having not said goodbye to Luo Jue.

He does not know when the next meeting will be.

"These are the spoils we obtained from the fortress; let's divide them," Zuo Ertan pulls out several pieces of equipment, the most conspicuous being two staffs and a rune book; the other scattered alchemical items are things the Lich collected from former Transcendents.

The two staffs: one comes from that ninth‑level Lich, the other is owned by the Black Wizard of Dark Sun, both are premium staffs.

Especially the Black Wizard's staff, which carries three spells and is worth at least two or three thousand gold.

However, the most valuable is still the Lich's rune book.

Lei En had not had time to examine it before, so he picks it up and studies it briefly.

This rune book is two finger‑widths thick, like a dictionary; aside from the cover it actually has only five pages, each recording a spell. Three are necromancy spells, and the remaining two are a third‑ring fireball and a second‑ring Arcane "Spell Counter", which can be cast three times per day.

Rune books are common casting equipment and are sometimes called spellbooks.

The spells recorded on it can be altered.

A rune book that can record five spells is equivalent to exquisite equipment, worth over ten thousand gold!

Lei En considers that his melee is already strong enough, and short‑term improvement will be hard; after undergoing a second Soul Transformation to advance to Mid‑stage Wizard, he should develop in the direction of casting.

Combat Wizards are also Wizards; they still need to master more spells.

This exquisite rune book can make up for his casting shortfall and is easy to carry.

Lei En quickly decides and says, "Zuo Ertan, I want this rune book, but its value is high; let's appraise it, and I will cover the price difference."

"No need to cover the difference."

Zuo Ertan, completely indifferent, says, "Take it if you want; I'll sell the rest and split it evenly with Luo Jue. I'll hold his share for him for now."

Lei En hears this and can't help feeling a bit strange.

The remaining two staffs, plus that pile of junk, would fetch less than five thousand gold if sold, still less than half the rune book's price. Dwarves are usually meticulous about every copper li, yet today they are so generous, as if they'd become a different person.

"Zuo Ertan, this isn't like you; you're taking too big a loss," Lei En can't help laughing.

"You contributed so much in the fortress and even saved my life; taking a loss is nothing. Do you think I'm the kind of ungrateful dwarf?"

Zuo Ertan, arms crossed, glares at Lei En, muttering, "Actually my gain is the greatest; the rune knowledge I copied in the temple is worth more to dwarves than ten exquisite rune books."

Lei En stops being pretentious, "Alright, I'll take it."

"Take it quickly before I regret it," Zuo Ertan shouts, then pauses and adds, "Once I finish handling these things, I also need to return to Rongyanbao."

Lei En's smile fades, "What about this inn then?"

"I'll entrust it to a friend to manage for a few years; I don't know if I can return later, and if not, I'll sell it," Zuo Ertan says with some reluctance.

Lei En pauses a few breaths in silence, then nods in understanding.

Zuo Ertan's purpose in coming to Longshande was to obtain the rune knowledge from the Iron Must Fortress; now that he has it, there is no need to stay.

Moreover, Luo Jue has also left, removing another reason to stay.

Seeing Lei En looking a bit down, Zuo Ertan steps forward, pats his arm firmly, and laughs, "It's not a life‑or‑death parting. If you have time later, you can come to Rongyanbao to find me and stay a few years. Or we can go find Luo Jue to play cards; with your strength, living a few hundred years is no problem, and there will be plenty of time to meet in the future."

"Indeed, I'm still too young."

Lei En laughs; his mind is still stuck in the past and hasn't shifted.

Legendary Transcendents have lifespans of at least three hundred years.

Dwarves can also live beyond four hundred years.

With such long lives, their perspective on time differs, and after many experiences, their behavior diverges greatly from ordinary people.

Being apart for a few years, even decades, is quite normal.

Lei En doesn't think further, packs the rune book and leaves the Ruo Le Inn, rides a bicycle to find Viola, and plans to buy a soul‑devouring potion to perform the Soul Transformation ceremony today.

(End of Chapter)