Chapter 369: Xuebang's Most Core Secret
The flame in the fireplace burned quietly. Luo Yan sat in the office of the Great Sage's Tower, flipping through the magic book he had just borrowed.
He had already read through Ariste Thorne's theories, and recently began to study the "Soul Stitching" spell taught by Professor Uriel Ackley of the Holy Energy School.
Or to put it in a more academic way - "soul weaving".
Hecajeeling's notes had previously mentioned the existence of this ritual, and it was extremely evil even by Hell's standards.
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 books, but used "stitching the wounds of the soul" as a beautiful packaging.
At this time, there were footsteps and knocks at the door, and soon a familiar guest came to visit.
Luo Yan estimated that it was time for him to come.
"…Professor Hector, please take a seat!"
Seeing Professor Hector appear at the door, Corgi immediately came up to him with a smile on his face and led him to the sofa in the reception area.
"Teacher! Professor Hector is here!" After settling the guests, Corgi turned around and reported to Luo Yan behind the desk.
Luo Yan put down the book in his hand and said with a smile: "Professor Hector, long time no see... Corgi, make a cup of his favorite black tea for the professor."
"Okay, mentor!" There was no need for him to give any instructions, as the diligent young man had already done it, and his movements were as swift as a mail owl.
Hector looked at the busy back of the teaching assistant with a smile on his face, but he felt unhappy in his heart.
In name, this guy is still his own, right? Now he seems to have become His Highness Colin's exclusive butler...
But he is a generous man, so he just thinks about it.
Anyway, he has countless apprentices and assistants under him, and he can't manage them all on a normal basis, otherwise he wouldn't have put this guy in the administrative position in the Tower of the Great Sage.
"Your Highness Colin, are you used to the life in Xuebang recently?"
After thanking Corgi for the tea, Hector took a sip and spoke with a smile, breaking the brief silence with a greeting.
"I heard that your recent 'science class' has caused quite a stir in the Great Sage's Tower, especially the part about mathematics. To be honest, even I was surprised. Many of my teaching assistants told me that after their apprentices figured out calculus, they were able to solve problems much faster than before. I have to thank you on their behalf!"
"It's just some superficial and unsystematic opinions. I'm sorry to make you laugh."
Hearing the subtle sourness hidden in the compliment, Luo Yan smiled faintly but didn't care. Then he changed the subject and his tone was filled with sincere appreciation.
"I just recently discovered that the Northern Wasteland is a great place with many talented people. Not only is the speed of cultivation much faster here than in other places, but the people living here are also very smart, and what is even more valuable is their diligence! In this regard, those guys in the Holy City who only know how to enjoy themselves cannot compare with them at all."
Faced with this sincere praise, Professor Hector showed a proud expression on his face and stroked his beard with his hand.
"Of course! Every winter, our school recruits the smartest minds in the entire empire, and those who can pass the assessment are picked out of a hundred! We may be a little inferior in art and culture, but in academics... I dare say that in the entire empire, no one should be ahead of us!"
This is quite true.
Luo Yan smiled and complimented, then exchanged pleasantries with Professor Hector for a while, waiting for the latter to take the initiative to get to the point.
Perhaps it was about time to estimate, Hector coughed lightly, and his relaxed expression was mixed with a hint of seriousness and excitement.
He took out a parchment scroll with a magic seal from his sleeve, and with a hint of pride in his eyes, he placed it solemnly on the table.
"Your Highness, let's not waste time on polite conversation... Look, what did I bring you?" As he spoke, he stared straight at Prince Colin, expecting an excited expression to appear on that face.
Looking at the parchment scroll on the table, Luo Yan guessed what it was, but seeing Professor Hector's smug look, he couldn't help but play dumb and asked a question even though he knew the answer.
"Oh? What is this?"
After leaving the topic in suspense and no one paying attention, Professor Hector's eyebrows twitched, he coughed dryly and spoke hurriedly.
"…It's the Void Realm! Didn't you want to do a study? The Council has been arguing about this for two whole months, but luckily I still have some face in the Council, so I lived up to your trust and helped you get it!"
To be precise, it was obtained by Professor Hector and Professor Ariste together, and it is even possible that the latter had more face.
However, the relationship between the two did not seem to be harmonious, so the latter's contribution was obviously selectively ignored by Hector.
Luo Yan showed a perfect smile on his face and gave Corgi a look, who understood and brought the scroll to him.
"Thank you for your hard work, Professor Hector. I knew you could accomplish this task!"
"Haha, thank you very much!"
Hearing this sincere thank you, although Professor Hector was being polite, the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose.
His previous mood of "being embarrassed because no one was interested in keeping it a secret" was suddenly boosted a lot. He talked more and told Luo Yan a lot about the exploration of the virtual realm and revealed many valuable clues to the latter.
"...The virtual realm you are responsible for is numbered 440. Although it is relatively late in the sequence, there are many secrets worth exploring! And compared to other virtual realms with earlier sequences, its exploration level is lower."
"Is low exploration level a good thing?" Luo Yan asked with interest, fiddling with the scroll in his hand.
"Of course! The material exchanges we can have with the virtual world are limited! Therefore, the more explored the virtual world is, the fewer resources we can obtain. The best virtual world is the one that no one has ever explored!" As he spoke, Hector looked at the scroll in Prince Colin's hand with envy, and continued, "So I suggest you be cautious when exploring... If you are not sure about something, you can ask me."
The old man seemed certain that he would soon get bored of the fun.
Luo Yan smiled, nodded as if he understood, and asked humbly.
"What is the limit of this material exchange?"
"There is no definite standard. Not everything in this world can be calculated, especially something as mysterious as the Void Realm..."
Hector shook his head and suddenly winked at the side. The Corgi, with its ears erected, immediately understood and retreated, gently closing the door.
When the footsteps faded away, Hector lowered his voice and continued.
"But I can tell you a secret. There is a saying... the things we can take away from the virtual world are things that the world behind the virtual world doesn't care about."
"Things you don't care about?" Luo Yan frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face, "Can you give me an example?"
"For example, if you saw a farmer behind the virtual world and you took away his hoe, he would immediately notice that something was missing, which would have a huge impact on the stability of the virtual world. But on the contrary, if you just carried a bag of wheat from his barn, he might convince himself that he remembered it wrong or that it was stolen by thieves... Although this would also have an impact on the virtual world, the degree is much less."
"I see... The more frequently something is observed, the harder it is to steal." Luo Yan nodded thoughtfully and tried to draw a summary.
"Observation? That's a good word. That's what it means." Hector looked at him in surprise, and then continued, "Let's use your words... In addition, the influence of the observer on the world behind the virtual world is different, and the impact on the stability of the virtual world is also different. For example, if we replace the farmer with a knight and the thrown hoe with a sword--"
"Will it cause the virtual world to collapse?"
"Not necessarily," Hector shook his head and continued, "It's more likely that we can't get the sword... Its presence is too strong and it will get stuck at the entrance of the passage."
Luo Yan has basically understood the rules of studying the virtual world. Simply put, it is to avoid interfering with the opposite world line as much as possible.
"So we have to avoid communicating with the Observer as much as possible?"
"Not really," Professor Hector shook his head. "On the contrary, we occasionally actively try to communicate with the observers, such as entering their dreams, or even pretending to be their gods and 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 virtual world, and even let them actively offer tribute to us!"
"But...won't there be a risk of exposure by doing this?" Luo Yan became more and more interested and asked curiously.
Professor Hector made a helpless expression.
"Of course there is, but... isn't there anything we can do? Most of the 'viewpoints' we can see behind the virtual world are fixed, and our physical bodies cannot pass through them. We can only use our mental power to penetrate behind the virtual world gate. If we don't exchange information with the observer, the information we can get by observing alone is too little."
"So that's how it is." Luo Yan said with interest.
"Of course, I don't recommend you to try those advanced gameplays right away - uh, research methods." Professor Hector wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued nervously, "The Council attaches great importance to your achievements, and I am also under a lot of pressure. So... if you don't understand something, please ask me. I beg you!"
The cautious tone was as if what he was handing over to her was not an object but his precious daughter.
Looking at the nervous old professor, Luo Yan smiled and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Don't worry, Professor Hector. I am a responsible prince. I can swear on my last name that I will never abandon this toy - I mean the virtual world - after it breaks."
Hearing this promise, Professor Hector finally breathed a sigh of relief, forced a relaxed smile on his face, and continued.
"With your promise, I feel relieved..."
Although this prince does not look like a typical scholar in the academy, the oath made by the nobles to their own surnames can still be trusted.
They all care about the afterlife, which is different from the people in Xuebang.
If another professor swore by his own name, he would never believe a word that guy said.
"Your observation point is fifty kilometers away from the Great Sage's Tower. The map is marked on the scroll in your hand," Hector replied. "There used to be a five-story wizard tower there. You will definitely see it when you go there. In addition, the Council has decided to name it the Corin Tower. You can hang your family flag or... the flag of your school on the top of the tower. The magic circle required to explore the virtual world has been deployed there, and you can start your research at any time."
This is undoubtedly a gift of great sincerity.
Luo Yan expressed his gratitude with a smile and accepted the generous gift.
At this point, the most core secrets of the Xuebang magicians were finally revealed to him.
Although he felt a little regretful that he couldn't choose it himself, he was still very satisfied to have a brand new virtual world to start with.
After explaining the most important things, Hector stood up and prepared to leave.
But at this moment, he suddenly remembered something and gave another instruction.
"Oh, by the way, I have a suggestion. You'd better buy a flying magic beast or a magic guide as a means of transportation. After all, you are aware of the disadvantages of the teleportation array. Even if it is only used for short distances, the burden of frequent subspace transfer is not small... This is for your health."
Speaking of means of transportation on the snowfield, Luo Yan had an idea in his mind, but it would take time to put this idea into practice.
So he thought about it for a moment, and suddenly a smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you for your suggestion. I do have this plan... But before I solve this problem, could you lend me something?"
Hector suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart and asked cautiously.
"…What is that?"
"Your carriage, the one that can fly," Luo Yan gestured with his index finger and said with an embarrassed smile, "You don't use it every day anyway, so when you don't need it, can you... lend it to me? Just for academic purposes."
The corner of Hector's mouth twitched, but thinking of the virtual world in Prince Colin's hand, he gritted his teeth, and finally nodded his head.
"……good."
…
In the afternoon, after finishing his class, Luo Yan returned to the dormitory, took off the scholar's robe that symbolized his status as a mentor, and changed into an ordinary cold-proof robe that could withstand the wind and snow in the north. Then he went to the neighborhood near the Great Sage's Tower alone.
This is a subsidiary town established for the magnificent tower complex. The snow-covered streets are sparsely populated, but if you get close to the lights, you can smell the scent of fireworks.
The streets are lined with shops selling all kinds of magical materials, as well as cheap taverns where the clergy and adventurers of the Great Sage's Tower hang out.
In addition, the most important facilities here are the large and small artisan workshops.
They repair and customize various tools for the mages, and also digest the "garbage" eliminated from the mage tower, which is still considered rare treasures by the outside world.
Not only adventurers would order equipment from them, but sometimes the mages from the Mage Tower would also come here to "hunt for treasure".
Luo Yan’s goal was clear—he needed to find a craftsman with superb skills and not too rigid thinking to build his own “car”.
Although an enchanted broom can solve his travel problems, is Prince Colin a person who takes the ordinary path?
As the leader of the "Scientific School", Roxie Colin certainly has to give those who doubt him a big job.
Before leaving this snowy plain, he would prove to those apprentices who believed in him and even admired him the point he made in the first class.
"What can be done with extraordinary power can also be done with mortal power!"
He walked through several busy streets and finally stopped in front of a shop with a sign that read "Alberto's Workshop".
Different from the surrounding shops that sold enchanted weapons and armor, this shop's window displayed some exquisite puppets and gear structures, such as puppets that could make sounds, and pocket watches and wall clocks that could wind up automatically.
Perhaps because he was not good at using magic, the craftsman boldly adopted "dwarf technology" extensively in the design.
Of course, the dwarven technology was just a euphemism. After all, in the empire, the use of non-magical precision machinery was easily associated with the God of Machinery, who was regarded as a heretic by the Church. He was just an ordinary magician now, so there was no need to get into such trouble.
In fact, to be fair, the Vatican is not that sensitive.
Luo Yan pushed the door open and the wind chimes made a crisp tinkling sound.
Inside the workshop, a man who looked to be in his late 40s was concentrating on a workbench, adjusting a complex part with a pair of delicate tweezers.
He heard the voice and looked up. It was a face marked by time and labor, but the eyes were bright, like a raccoon in the grass.
Luo Yan noticed that his hands were covered with thick calluses and his body was faintly emitting fluctuations of magical power, even though the fluctuations were very weak.
"Please feel free to look around, sir." Alberto put down his tools and wiped his hands with an oil rag. "Want to buy anything, or do you want something repaired?"
"My name is Colin, and I'm a magician." Luo Yan replied with a smile, pointing to the moving astrolabe in the window, and said with interest, "Your work is very interesting."
"It is only a little skill in eating, nothing worth mentioning, sir."
Hearing the praise, Alberto smiled with pride and continued in a familiar tone, "To be honest, I was once a magic apprentice in the tower next door. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough talent and didn't graduate before the age of thirty-five. My mentor felt sorry for me."
He spoke lightly, as if he was talking about a past event that had nothing to do with him.
As for why I didn’t go home but stayed in this bitter and cold place, the reason was very simple.
In most areas of the Oss continent, the life expectancy of civilians is under sixty years old, and for someone like him who is nearly forty years old, he probably doesn't have many relatives at home, and his hometown is no longer a place for him to return to.
In addition, the journey is long and full of unknown risks, so staying at the foot of the Mage Tower in Xuebang is a better choice.
The wizard masters of Xuebang are not good people, but the knight masters of the Kingdom of Rhodes are not easy to deal with either.
"Who is your mentor?"
"James Wallis, if you meet him, please say hello to him for me!" Thinking that the customer did not believe his resume, Alberto grinned and said frankly.
James Wallace...
Luo Yan looked a little surprised. This world was really too small.
Noticing the guest's strange expression, Alberto asked in confusion.
"You know him?"
"Nothing, I just happened to have heard of this name... Speaking of which, I'm very curious. I heard that Xuebang's apprentice recruitment is open to even 70-year-olds, so why is there a saying that you must graduate before the age of 35?"
Alberto grinned, as if he had heard some funny joke.
"Sir, those are the rules written for outsiders to see. How many people can live to be seventy years old and still be able to walk to the snowy plains to take the test? But I don't think it's a big deal. Don't feel sorry for me. When I see those young guys, I feel that even if I try harder, I can't compete with them... I'd better give them the opportunity."
His voice contained a hint of self-mockery, but more of it was a carefree and unconcerned tone.
Luo Yan could clearly feel that he was not very envious of the mages in the Tower of Great Sages, and this might be related to his mentor's bumpy academic experience.
Unlike Hekagelin, who left the Mage Tower with resentment and pointed his wand at the civilians, although he did not obtain the status of a graduate, he truly graduated from this tower.
Luo Yan was surprised to find that this was the best ending he had ever seen after walking all the way here.
"Sir, let's not talk about the past. I don't think you are that interested in my spiritual world. Just tell me what you need me to do for you."
Although he still wanted to find out more about mentor James Wall-E, Luo Yan thought that an apprentice who had left the Mage Tower several years ago might not know anything, so he readily accepted Alberto's pragmatic proposal.
He smiled and took out a rolled parchment drawing from his arms and unfolded it on the workbench filled with parts and tools.
“Can you do it?”
It was a design drawn with fine charcoal, the main body of which was a huge, almost spherical canvas bag. A wicker basket large enough to hold four or five people was hung from a thick rope below the canvas bag, and right below the opening of the canvas bag was a burning brazier.
Alberto came forward and studied the drawing curiously.
A hint of approval for the drawing skills flashed across his bright eyes, but then his brows furrowed more and more.
"Mr. Colin, with all due respect," he pointed to the center of the drawing and asked doubtfully, "is there any deep meaning behind your design? Putting a burning brazier right under the sealed canvas bag, if it is for heating, I don't recommend that you trap the heat... It's simply not possible."
Although he could understand the drawing, he had no idea what the design meant.
Luo Yan smiled slightly and did not explain the buoyancy principle involved. He just spoke calmly as "Party A".
"You just need to make sure the canvas is strong enough, the seams are absolutely sealed, and the openings are fireproofed with enchanted materials. As for the rest, that's my business."
Although Alberto was full of doubts, as a professional craftsman, he was still very confident in his craftsmanship.
Moreover, this drawing is very professional, with all parameters clearly marked, and it is obviously drawn by an expert.
It is not difficult to make it with the drawings as reference.
"No problem!" He patted his chest and took on the job generously. "Since you insist on following this design, then I'll do it according to 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 again and spoke tentatively in a low voice.
"As for the price... How about 8 gold coins? Just pay a small amount as a deposit. It's the same on this street."
He had never made this kind of thing before, so he could only estimate the price conservatively.
"No problem, this is the deposit," Luo Yan nodded readily, put a gold coin on the table, and continued, "If it's enough, tell me when you can finish it?"
"That's enough! That's enough sir!"
Alberto took the gold coin with surprise, then used his fingers to measure on the drawing and quickly estimated the materials and working hours.
"Twenty days at the earliest, next month at the latest! I promise to give you a strong and beautiful 'big one'!"
(End of this chapter)
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