Chapter 140: Echoes and Leaps

The time-based miracle 【Future Sight】 sounded quite extraordinary, but for a First-Ring practitioner like him, it was too dangerous; the rewards did not justify the risks:

"I would like to hear about the remaining two."

Xia De was very cautious.

"The second miracle is 【Echoes of the Past】. You can randomly hear sounds that occurred within a certain area over the last 24 hours. The duration you can reach back and the clarity depend on your level and your understanding of the runes, while the specific point in time you hear is entirely up to luck."

"Randomly hear?"

"Yes, but the miracle itself has been improved. When used, there is a high probability of hearing human speech. In other words, if a human voice only appeared once in a certain area within the last 24 hours, it is very likely you will hear that exact sound."

Professor Garcia explained, then added:

"Because looking into the past is easier than looking into the future, even as a First-Ring practitioner, this miracle will have quite good results. This is far more useful than divination; the results of divination are never this clear and concise."

Professor Garcia seemed to have some opinions about the Academy of Astronomy, which reminded Xia De of their last meeting and the prophecy regarding "blood" brought by Professor Sanchez. Now it seemed that whether it was the Tarot cards or staying away from blood, the prophecies were incredibly accurate.

"Is this miracle harmful to one's hearing?"

Xia De asked.

"You can check the catalog in your hand; it has a detailed introduction. The answer is no, provided it is not kept active for long periods. So, even if you don't get lucky the first time, you can try multiple times."

Xia De nodded again. This miracle was quite good. It was useful for both his detective work and his adventures as a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi, though it was a pity it wasn't a damage-dealing ability, and it relied too heavily on luck.

"But what do I need so many damage-dealing abilities for? Silver Moon Slash is already completely sufficient for now, and the 【Father of the Infinite Tree】 quest reward also includes a miracle."

He said silently in his heart.

"And the last one, 【Lagrange's Leap】. The effect is simple: spatial teleportation."

Professor Garcia said it nonchalantly, but Xia De immediately perked up; this was truly excellent.

But the professor shook his head, telling him not to get excited just yet:

"The material world is relatively safe, but in the rifts of space and time, danger is almost everywhere. The reason time and space abilities are more dangerous than other miracles is precisely because of this. 【Lagrange's Leap】 can only be used by holders of the 【Space】 rune or runes that extend that concept. Furthermore, regardless of who uses it, one can only move within a range of 10 feet (about 3.04 meters), and the target location must be directly visible to the user."

"That's still not bad."

A smile appeared on Xia De's face.

"The consumption of using this miracle is high, and to avoid attracting strange things, the user must strictly adhere to the rule of using it no more than once per hour. This ability would not normally be open to correspondence Ring Mages; it only appeared in your catalog because I fought for you, given the two rewards combined."

Although he kept reiterating the dangers, Professor Garcia clearly recommended this spell, as his attitude toward 【Future Sight】 was barely concealed.

So, Xia De didn't really need to choose; the answer was right before him.

But he still pretended to think for a moment before putting on an expression of having made a major decision:

"Professor Garcia, I think 【Echoes of the Past】 and 【Lagrange's Leap】 are more suitable for me."

Professor Garcia smiled and nodded:

"Just as I thought. Additionally, the learning materials for your 【Time Perception】 miracle have also been prepared."

He pointed to the sheet of poetry paper belonging to the doctor on the desk. After a flash of light, a large pile of glass bottles containing various potions and materials appeared.

The learning material for 【Time Perception】 was a century-old pocket watch and a specimen of a rare plant called the "Four-Leaf Clock Flower," which only grows in the New Continent; the appearance of its stamen changes strictly according to time.

Xia De learned the miracle on the spot, pressing the Clock Flower specimen against his left chest and the pocket watch against his right. As he closed his eyes to listen to the ticking of the hands for a moment, the antique pocket watch rapidly corroded, and the specimen turned into a pinch of black ash.

From then on, pocket watches became merely decorative items for Xia De, and he no longer had to reach for one at the head of his bed the moment he woke up.

The learning material required for 【Echoes of the Past】 was two live insects known as "Stone Bell Worms," one pitch-black and one snow-white. Xia De needed to stuff the two live insects into his ears...

"Are you sure I really have to do this?"

Xia De held the small glass jar containing the insects, watching them squirm constantly, their short, dense legs wiggling, and then looked at the professor in disbelief; he didn't even want to touch them.

"Quite sure."

The professor nodded, signaling Xia De to proceed.

Xia De did not want to recall the events and sensations of the next few seconds, but he did learn the miracle.

This miracle also required no casting materials, so it could be used immediately.

He channeled his spirit, which flowed through his Ring of Fate. As the 【Space-Time】 rune shimmered with spiritual light, a buzzing sensation appeared in Xia De's ears, followed by the clear voice of Doctor Schneider, who sounded very agitated:

"I will spend my whole life guarding you."

"Hmm?"

Xia De, listening to the sounds of the past, raised an eyebrow.

He did not stop the miracle, so the sounds continued to come through. The next sentence was still spoken in the doctor's voice, but it was surprisingly not in the common tongue. The language sounded like a knife scraping against bone, like maggots squirming on a corpse, and even more like magma bubbling in the deepest abyss.

Xia De believed that if it weren't for the protection of the "Divine Radiance" state, he would never have been able to remain calm in front of Professor Garcia:

"Schneider, the world is doomed to destruction! Your soul is destined to belong to me!"

A sharp headache caused Xia De to instinctively deactivate the miracle. His breathing quickened, and he actually smelled sulfur in his nasal cavity.

Merely by using the miracle to cross time and listen to that strange and terrifying language, he felt such discomfort; the language itself was likely a power within the mystical system.

【From the looks of it, you cannot help him.】

"Yes, I cannot help him right now."

He responded in his heart. The woman seemed to see his determination and merely chuckled. That laughter smoothed over the trauma his heart had suffered from hearing the unknown, terrifying language; Xia De liked her laughter very much.

Professor Garcia did not know what Xia De had just heard; he was talking about the miracle 【Lagrange's Leap】. This miracle was created by a Ring Ringed Ringed Shushi of the Saint-Sess Higher Medical Academy at the end of the Fifth Era and was a rare ability that allowed Ring Mages to perform low-risk spatial teleportation themselves.

Its power lay not in the short-range movement, but in the "low risk." The name of the miracle's inventor was directly inscribed in the history of the three major miracle academies.

【Lagrange's Leap】 required three core learning materials. The academy had the "Obsidian located in a spatial rift zone" and the "Ground powder of a Hass Hound's leg bone," which were sent over together. But the last one, the three stalks of "Weather Vane Blue Grass," was temporarily unavailable. ===== CHAPTER 141 =====