Chapter 96: Mysterious Gift

Silver Star Grand Library, third floor.

Lei En sits at a spot in the reading area, a book opened on the table before him, watching it with focused attention, his eyes occasionally showing a hint of contemplation.

Occasionally other Wizards pass by, and upon seeing Lei En's diligent study, they feel a measure of admiration.

In recent days, the Wizards of the Silver Star Grand Library have, to varying degrees, heard of an outsider Wizard who studies magic knowledge with a ravenous thirst, often sitting for half a day, rarely interacting with others.

Lei En's striking appearance and figure leave a deep impression.

Especially some female Wizards, secretly probing Lei En's background, deliberately or inadvertently creating opportunities to sit opposite him, yet aside from a few nods, Lei En offers not a single smile, expressionless, like a mechanical puppet.

"Another bookish Wizard…"

The female Wizards think gloomily, yet are considerate, and no one disturbs Lei En.

However, what no one knows is that beneath Lei En's calm exterior, he is frantically copying books, with thousands of volumes entering his mind each day.

In less than a week, Lei En has duplicated most of the third floor's books.

All of them are magic knowledge!

Moreover, Lei En discovered another marvel of his personal library.

When he reads on his mobile phone, perhaps because the content is already in his mind, his reading speed is many times faster than usual.

The vast majority of the material is instantly comprehensible, with no understanding obstacles.

In this state, his brain resembles a high-speed machine.

Lei En's reading efficiency reaches an incredible level; a two- to three-hundred-page book can be finished in under an hour.

This "finishing" is not a hasty skim or a cursory glance, but a meticulous deep reading, thorough comprehension, fully absorbing the book's knowledge as one's own, then etched into the mind as if never forgotten.

It surpasses any quantum-wave speed reading, soaring beyond measure.

After discovering this ability, Lei En is ecstatic, his heart surging!

For a former librarian and reading enthusiast, nothing is more delightful; it's downright exhilarating!

For several consecutive days, he has been immersed in a sea of knowledge.

Like a sponge, he absorbs massive knowledge into his brain, endlessly.

Regarding the flamboyant female Wizards before him, normally Lei En might have been interested in flirting a bit, but now he utterly disregards them, even glancing twice feels a waste of time.

Moreover, none of these female Wizards, in looks or figure, can compare to Viola; they're far inferior.

Even though homegrown flowers aren't as fragrant as wild ones, he hasn't even obtained his own yet!

Even if he got one, would he be that kind of person?

Lei En sits motionless in his seat, like a statue for several hours.

"Huh……"

Lei En closes the book in his hands, gently exhales, looking as if he finally finished reading.

In fact, he did finish a book, but on his mobile phone—a spell notebook left by an unknown Wizard titled "Research on Ray-Type Spells".

The notebook records studies of several ray-type spells: the fire-type "Burning Ray", ice-type "Frost Ray", electric-type "Lightning Ray", earth-type "Petrification Ray", and others, as well as the "Rainbow Light Ray" that Lei En focuses on.

Rainbow Light Ray is currently the only attack spell he has mastered.

Previously, when casting, he relied on instinct, using soul power to activate the Element and emit the ray.

After reading the notebook, Lei En realized how flawed his casting process was: slow speed, insufficient focus, wasteful soul power, unstable potency, and poor timing of attacks…

A series of casting flaws, compared to the exquisite casting described in the notebook, are like a clumsy trick.

In the notebook, the author details the correct casting method for Rainbow Light Ray.

Starting from the spell's Element, it explains how soul power combines with the Element, draws mysterious energy, and ultimately forms the ray, with every detail thoroughly dissected.

It clarifies issues to note when casting Rainbow Light Ray, how to conserve soul power, speed up casting, control the ray's direction, maintain its duration, and so on.

The author also lists methods and insights for practicing Rainbow Light Ray.

Finally, it points out enhancement directions for Rainbow Light Ray, such as increasing its diameter to boost potency; controlling its range—not always extending, sometimes shortening is more useful; lengthening its duration, and treating the ray as a sword-like weapon, directing it for slicing.

Through meticulous Element study, among the seven negative effects of Rainbow Light Ray, one can precisely trigger the desired one instead of random activation.

The author even envisions making Rainbow Light Ray bend, split, reflect, or deform.

If combined with several super-magic techniques, such as multiple casting, Rainbow Light Ray can cease being a single-point attack and become a wide-area spell.

After reading the notebook, Lei En feels only one thing: his eyes have been opened.

A seemingly simple Rainbow Light Ray, a single beam, is played with myriad variations by this senior Wizard, dazzling the eye.

Beyond Rainbow Light Ray, other ray-type spells also have numerous researched variations.

These are only ray-type spells; countless other spells surely have corresponding research and variations, endless and beyond description.

One can only sigh at the vast depth of magical application!

"Ka Xiu*Bu Lan Qi Ya."

Lei En silently recites the notebook's author; he had never heard of this Wizard before, perhaps not very famous.

But this doesn't stump him; he immediately searches the name in his personal library.

A slight warmth flares in his mind.

In an instant, a full page of information about Ka Xiu*Bu Lan Qi Ya appears before him, presented clearly like search engine results.

These contents come from the books Lei En has already duplicated into his brain.

The most frequently cited books rank first, followed by others in order.

Lei En only needs to click a search result, which points to the corresponding book, automatically opening to the recorded page—extremely convenient.

Of course, these operations consume power; two to three searches use up one charge.

Lei En opens several search results and quickly learns Ka Xiu*Bu Lan Qi Ya's background.

It turns out that decades ago, a high-level Elemental Agent in the Wu Shi Ta had also taught for many years at the Silver Star Academy.

At that time, Ka Xiu*Bu Lan Qi Ya was already renowned for researching ray-type spells, possessing formidable strength, with few rivals beneath the legend.

Later, in order to find a chance to break through the legend, he left the Wu Shi Ta and never returned.

No one knows where Ka Xiu*Bu Lan Qi Ya went, and some friends tried to trace his whereabouts but found nothing. Realizing he could not return, he compiled his lifelong spell‑research notes before leaving and handed them to the Silver Star Grand Library for safekeeping.

Lei En saw that the notes were actually a copy.

These research insights benefited him greatly.

"When I get back, I'll follow the method in the notes to train my Rainbow Light Ray," Lei En now has a clear plan for improving his magic.

He put the book he was holding back on the shelf, glanced at the time, and saw that evening had already arrived.

He had duplicated over four thousand books today, draining a lot of power; the second‑round battery was nearly depleted, so he decided to stop downloading and continue tomorrow.

Leaving the Grand Library, Lei En prayed once to the goddess statue before departing.

Like the previous days, he deliberately chose an untraveled route, strolled around the academy, and finally headed toward the academy's main gate.

A moment later, the gate was already in sight.

Just as Lei En thought he would find no target today, a familiar figure suddenly appeared.

"That guy, finally found!"

Lei En's Soul Eye remained active, instantly spotting the Faith Fire in the other's soul—black and red, nearly bursting from the crown of the head, dazzlingly conspicuous.

The other seemed to have just returned from outside the academy, alone.

Lei En reacted swiftly, seeing him from afar, immediately turned and walked in another direction, slowing his pace to avoid a head‑on encounter that might trigger detection of his conflict mark.

Turning, he saw no one, and used the Voice of All Things to lock onto the footsteps.

Soon, the Level‑5 Wizard entered the academy, strolling at a measured pace toward its interior without any irregularities.

Lei En did not turn to look; from start to finish he kept a great distance and never entered the other's field of view.

"Is he heading to the teachers' residence area of the academy?" Lei En judged.

The Silver Star Academy is vast; teachers and students each have dedicated housing, with excellent living conditions, and every teacher has a private standalone house ensuring privacy.

Lei En had long memorized the academy's layout, so he took an alternate route toward the residence area.

Meanwhile, the Voice of All Things continued to listen.

"Teacher Suo Fuman," a student called out.

Then came the man's response.

After several repetitions along the way, Lei En could confirm the other's name was Suo Fuman. He let out a slight sigh of relief; knowing the name made things easier.

The academy has only a few dozen teachers, and the curriculum is fixed; a simple check would reveal the daily route of this evil god follower.

Soon, he arrived at the residence area.

Lei En didn't want to arouse suspicion, so he didn't follow inside; he sat on a long bench by the road, feigning rest, and continued tracking using sound waves.

Soon, Suo Fuman entered a house.

Inside the house were other people; listening to Suo Fuman converse with them, they seemed to be servants attending a wizard. Suo Fuman's footsteps rose from the lower floor to the upper, then appeared on the balcony, where he appeared to sit and rest, accompanied by the clink of a teapot and cups, likely sipping tea.

Lei En listened patiently.

The sky grew darker, and the academy's crystal lamps lit up.

Suo Fuman went downstairs to eat, rested a moment, then entered a room that seemed like a study, where pages were turned and a rustling sound of writing could be heard.

Lei En sat on the bench for over an hour, yet heard nothing useful.

Suo Fuman barely spoke, occasionally uttering a word or two—also spell incantations—clearly researching magical knowledge. Without having seen Suo Fuman's Faith Fire firsthand, merely observing his daily routine, no one would realize he is an evil god follower.

However, Lei En knew well that Suo Fuman dared to lurk in the Silver Star Academy, so he must possess extraordinary abilities and would not easily reveal any flaw.

This matter cannot be rushed; it only requires patient waiting for an opportunity.

Lei En stopped listening, got up, and left the academy.

After leaving the academy, he summoned a horse carriage, did not return to Vige Manor, but went to the Basil Inn, leaving the carriage waiting at the door; he entered the inn and soon emerged, holding a large box wrapped in black cloth.

The carriage arrived at Vige Manor, and Lei En stepped down, carrying the item.

As soon as he entered, Viola greeted him.

"Lei En, why are you back so late? Did you lose track of time reading in the Grand Library?" She spoke like a wife awaiting her husband's return, wearing a homey silk robe, and instructed the maid beside her, "Have the kitchen bring the hot dinner out."

When the maid stepped away, Lei En shook his head, "We'll skip dinner for now; I have something to show you."

"Is this the gift you said you would give me?"

Viola had already noticed the object in his hand; her lake‑blue eyes instantly brightened, full of anticipation.

"Yes," Lei En said with a smile as he stepped onto the stairs, "Let's go upstairs to see."

"So mysterious..." Viola grew increasingly curious.

The two went upstairs into Viola's bedroom; Lei En placed the object on the table and laughed, "You can open it now."

Viola immediately stepped forward, and, excited, lifted the black cloth.

However, when she saw clearly, her face froze for a moment, then confusion appeared in her eyes.

What lay before her was most striking: a metal horn, resembling a blooming flower, made of copper skin and somewhat rough. The horn's large bell was attached to a wooden box base; the box itself was plain, bearing a circular black disc on top, and a hand‑crank handle on its side.

As a Wizard with extensive discernment abilities, Viola had seen many precious items, including various enchanted gear and alchemical materials; even if she hadn't encountered this before, she could roughly identify it.

But this object, she could not determine at all; it bore no signs of enchantment.

From its appearance, it seemed to be a mechanical contraption.

Viola observed for a while, still puzzled, and with her beautiful eyes turned to Lei En, asked, "What is this?"

Lei En smiled; Viola's reaction was exactly as he had expected.

If she could recognize a Phonograph, that would be a miracle!

"This is a mechanical device I invented after more than a month of research; I call it a Phonograph," Lei En said shamelessly.

"Phonograph?" Viola vaguely began to understand.

Lei En stepped forward, grasped the crank, turned it rapidly a few times, tightened the mainspring gear, and the turntable spindle began to rotate under mechanical drive, after which he placed the stylus onto the record.

Instantly, a melodious piece of music came out from the speaker.

The sound was somewhat distorted, echoing in the bedroom, but clear enough; Viola instantly recognized it as the piece "Viola by the Lake".

She listened to the familiar tune, completely stunned.

(End of chapter)