Badge in Azure

Chapter 261: Inherited (Part 2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Jason had no idea Saleen felt this way. He teleported Saleen out of the storeroom into another one with the help of the teleportation portal. Just like the previous storeroom, this one was completely sealed off. It was also nearly identical in size to the previous room. The difference was that there were no crystal cabinets here. Instead, the entire room was filled with storage lockers built, carved, and sculpted entirely out of nepheline.

Nepheline was not expensive because its quality paled in comparison to other rocks and minerals. However, its elemental stability was by far one of the greatest amongst all minerals. In these lockers lay huge amounts of magical scrolls.

Saleen had never seen so many magical scrolls in his life. These scrolls ranged from level-4 to level-9, and their numbers were uncountable. Each of them were very stable, in part due to the stabilizing forces of nepheline. However, it was mostly due to the fact that the scrolls had been created using high-quality materials.

“The mages on this island rarely use these scrolls. Why bother when they have the protection of their magic towers? Only the mages that wish to step outside of their towers would take the scrolls from their storerooms as a form of protection. Saleen, leave your blank scrolls here and take these scrolls instead. Each blank scroll can be traded in for two scrolls of the same level, or one scroll of a higher level,” Jason said.

Saleen wasted no time in retrieving the blank scrolls from the Ring of Gifts. No sooner had he done that did he start choosing the magic scrolls he wanted from the lockers. Saleen had obtained a huge amount of magic scrolls over at Raphael’s magic tower. However, the amount of time needed to fill in these blank scrolls with spells was so long that even Saleen could not put a number on it.

Even mages who were experts in creating magic scrolls had only a fifty percent chance of successfully creating one that matched their rank. To use Saleen as an example: if he wanted to create magic scrolls, out of ten level-4 scrolls, he would likely only be able to successful create five. To Saleen, it would be a much safer option to just stick to creating level-3 scrolls.

Saleen might have had a huge stack of blank scrolls, but he was unable to get any sorcerer to fill them in on his behalf. Through the creation of magic scrolls, mages were able to gain a deeper understanding on the fundamentals of magic. Alas, there was a limit to the number of scrolls a mage could create in a day. Even if Lex’s mentor was more than willing to help Saleen out, Saleen would have to wait for many years before he would receive the completed scrolls. Plus, it was not like Saleen could expect Lex’s mentor to create magic scrolls for him everyday. The latter probably had other things to do.

Now that Saleen was offered the chance to exchange a blank scroll for two completed ones, he was not about to let the opportunity slip from his fingers. The grade-4 mage was, of course, ecstatic at the prospect.

Jason took in Saleen’s facial expression and body language, but did not stop the latter from getting too carried away. Saleen’s mentor was still apprehensive about his student’s rank and powers. The only advantage Saleen had was his unusually strong mental power. These level-4 scrolls would only serve to increase the physical security of their holder, Saleen, by a small fraction. After waiting for Saleen to finish his “harvest”, Jason opened his mouth to speak.

“Saleen, while I’ve got you here and out of Lex’s earshot, I have something that I need to give you,” Jason said solemnly. “Teacher?” Saleen asked nervously, noticing that Jason’s familiar gentle expression was now replaced by an unusually grim one.

“You’re my only student so far, Saleen, and even then I’ve failed to guide you properly. I don’t foresee a second disciple in the future because I just don’t have time. The time will come where you will be my successor,” Jason said grimly.

Saleen felt a twinge of pain in his chest. He felt his heart constrict heavily in pain. Everything seemed unreal to him at the moment. What Jason meant to say was that… he would be inheriting all of his mentor’s powers and secrets.

Every mage had their own unique items, techniques, and materials, and each of them would only pass them down to one to three of their students. It took time for a mage to successfully groom a student. To have three students under his or her belt would already be pushing the limits, meaning that if he or she were to take on more students, another fellow mage would have to come help out, and the one-on-one attention given by said mage would diminish to almost none.

The way Bitter Water Prefecture coached its students also allowed more people to learn about magic. However, the sorcerer would only lecture this group of people once a week as it just was not possible for those students to stick around twenty-four seven. That was why most mages valued these inheritances more than anything in the world, Saleen included. Even though Saleen had been personally coached by Jason, it had only lasted for a little while, and even during these sessions where he would hone his magic under the guidance of his mentor, the latter would mostly force him to memorize mundane words and commit them to memory.

The good thing was that Saleen was a hardworking mage who seized every second of the day to memorize and digest the basic fundamental knowledge of magic. Jason had only decided to impart higher-order magic skills to him after witnessing Saleen’s positive attitude towards his studies. This was how mages like Jason were able to successfully pass down their knowledge for generations.

“Saleen, mages like us focus on studying the art of water magic. However, mages in the past few generations have converted to studying fire magic in hopes of capturing fire elves. That is totally off-tangent from what we’re doing. However, after I stayed on the Myers Mainland for a short period of time, about a year or so, I managed to understand the importance of balance. The six magical elements cannot exist without one another. But now the question is, why would the six grade-10 mages who created Alchemy City only study one magical element?”

Saleen listened intently to his mentor’s words, imprinting every last one of them into the crevices of his mind.

Jason continued, “The reason why the six element space is so important is because it can allow even the most dishonest mages to understand the concept of harmony. Plus, mages spend eighty-five percent less time honing magic there compared to anywhere else. I’m not in a rush to locate the interdimensional space, because I understand the concept of balance. Even if the six element space no longer exists in the future, I will not be led astray anymore. Please don’t think that the knowledge I’ll be imparting to you is what magic is all about. Keep in mind that even my mentor did not advance and become a grade-10 mage. Thus, you must remember that the boundaries of magic are limitless. Do not limit yourself to your predecessor’s achievements.”

“Yes, I understand,” Saleen replied seriously. Jason took off the greyish-black ring from his finger and handed it to Saleen. “This ring contains the experiences, reflections, and epiphanies from mages dated up to thousands of years ago. Just remember to properly read through them in the future. When we meet again, you can ask me anything you don’t know,” Jason said, sighing towards the end. It was a shame that he could not follow Saleen through his journey as a mage. Saleen’s hardworking attitude and receptiveness to hardships were qualities rarely seen in the mages on Sregl Island. Alas, he could not always be there for Saleen.

Regardless, Saleen had already paved his own road as a mage. In fact, he was already an archmage. Perhaps he will even surpass me one day, Jason thought to himself. Saleen gently caressed the ring that Jason had handed over to him. The object was unusually heavily, and yet, Saleen could not tell which materials had been used to manufacture this ring. Jason had wiped away his spiritual imprint on the ring, leaving a space for Saleen to engrave his own, which he did. As soon as he did that, Saleen felt the ring become lighter. However, he was unable to unlock the space within the ring.

“Just wait until you’ve reached grade-5. Only then will you be able to utilize it. By the way Saleen, what do you think of Lex as a person?” Jason said, popping the question out of the blue, stunning his student for a moment. Seeing that Saleen was hesitating, as if he was debating what to say to his mentor, Jason added on, “Just tell me how you honestly feel.”

“She’s a bit too idealistic. She has big dreams, and is far more talented than I am. If she was not from royal blood and did not think about achieving these irrelevant goals, maybe she’d become an excellent mage one day,” Saleen said honestly.

“Yes, she is idealistic to even think about gleaning magical knowledge from everyone that she meets. That’s just impossible. Even most humans in the First Dynasty were unable to learn magic. However, you can help her. It isn’t a bad thing to help her, but you must solve a problem first,” Jason said.

“What problem?” Saleen asked.

“Lex has one of the highest ranks in the royal empire. However, she is a woman. If she ever gets married one day, her man might just try to control her, from her movements to even her assets. At that point in time, you’ll be in serious danger. If you cannot marry her, don’t let anyone else get to her,” Jason said.

“Oh? Is that really so hard to do that you have to warn me?” Saleen asked

“Not at all, my child. Just scare off any male who looks interested in her. Don’t you know how to use force if they don’t listen? Anything you can’t resolve, just leave it to me. Anything that I can’t resolve will be passed on to the mages on Sregl Island,” Jason said calmly. However, Saleen detected a murderous tone under his calm facade.

Saleen did not know whether to laugh or cry. He knew Lex too well. It was nearly impossible for her to fancy anyone. Even the most eligible males from the Cloudflow royal family were rejected. Saleen just could not think of anyone more eligible to ask for her hand in marriage. He also could not think of anyone else that would make Lex fall head over heels for him. Plus, if Lex found out about his plans, she would be hopping mad.

It was almost as though Jason could read Saleen’s mind, because the next thing he said was, “Saleen, this matter concerns both Sregl Island and Lex, and whether both parties will work together in the future. If you don’t see to this matter properly, don’t blame me if I take back the rights to the interdimensional space. I just can’t trust an outsider in our current situation.”

Saleen protested, “But Teacher, Lex has the rights to fifty percent of the interdimensional space. I shouldn’t be interfering with what she does with it.”

“Saleen, have you ever considered its worth? What if people get close to Lex because they are coveting a piece of the interdimensional space? Believe me, they will not just want half of it. They will want everything. You can trust Lex, but you can’t entrust everything to her. Do you know why I wanted to wait for the capture of the elf of the fire elements before I even brought up this topic? It’s because the interdimensional space is worth too much. I would not even dare mess with it unless I had strong powers,” Jason explained.

Saleen mulled over Jason’s words for a while before asking himself, If Lex were to have any suitors, how would I feel? Instantly, his blood boiled at the thought of Lex being with another man.

Although he felt puzzled as to why he felt this way, he did not try to find a reason for it. Instead, he simply nodded and told Jason, “Yes Teacher, I’ll do my best.”

Seeing that Saleen had agreed to his proposal, Jason slumped his shoulders in relief. He was merely taking precautions. If Lex ever married another man someday, her relationship with Saleen would never be as close as the one she had with that man. Once the relationship between Lex and Saleen reached that point, they would not work together like they did before. There would be more scheming, calculations, and possibly underhanded means.

The fact that Saleen had agreed so readily meant that he had some interest in Lex. Jason wanted to ensure that Saleen’s interest in her could blossom into something beyond just platonic friendship. Once they became closer than ever, it would be very hard for a third party to interfere with their matters.

“Hand me your calabash,” Jason instructed. Saleen complied, not knowing what his mentor was going to do with it. The once pale-yellow calabash was now peppered with many azure-green magical patterns. Saleen noticed the patterns becoming smoother and rounder every second, as though they were naturally flowing on the calabash itself. Jason caressed it gently as he sighed, “What a shame. At least these magical patterns aren’t too bad.”

As he spoke, blue flames suddenly erupted from his hands. They were surprisingly cold to the touch. The calabash seemed to shrink under the presence of the flames. The flames caused the magic patterns on the surface of the calabash to seep deep into it and only ceased burning once the flames followed the magical patterns into the calabash.

“Try again, Saleen,” Jason urged as he returned the calabash to his student. Saleen felt as if the calabash had become even heavier than before, almost as if the magical patterns that he had refined had become one with the calabash. Almost immediately, he noticed the water elements that were present on the surface starting to react.