Chapter 18: Magic Aptitude
After reading the information about magic circuitry, James moved on to the next book about magic itself.
'In each person, there is a quantifiable figure we call 'magic aptitude' this aptitude refers to your bodies ability to process elemental power from crystals. The energy from the processed elements is stored in what we call the energy pool; you can locate your energy pool by going three times the width of your thumb below your navel. If a person is unable to fill their energy pool with any energy by the time they are 13 they will be unable to become a mage as their energy pool will be destroyed by the hormones present when they reach that age.
There are many techniques to absorb energy from crystals that are generally developed by one's own family and passed down. One surefire way to absorb the energy is to do set up the apparatus shown in the book 'Basic magic circuitry theory' and place the spirit wires ends 1 inch either side of your navel level with the energy pool. While this does lead to some loss of the energy as it escapes through your body, it is the most direct and foolproof way of filling your energy pool.'
After James read that it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head, he didn't know how hard it would be for him to get the crystals and spirit metal, but he knew he wouldn't be starting magic any time soon. At least not unless he made his way into the inner city or found a supplier in the outer district.
He finished up reading the two other books that weren't of use to him yet but gave him an idea of the uses of the energy leaving him longing for magic even worse.
'I have three months to absorb my first bit of elemental energy before I miss my chance to become a mage forever. Time is of the essence, so It's time to get to work I guess.'
'System, can you set a countdown for my 13th birthday please.'
[Countdown starter and pinned to the top right of hosts peripheral vision for quick access]
[Remaining Days: 91]
After learning he needed to collect money as quickly as possible, James decided to stay up and head to the casino to make sure he was prepared for the next few days of starting his first cash cow business.
'System, show me the plan that I had started earlier.'
James went over his upcoming moves again and again gradually refining his plan into a clear guide of his next week.
'System, can you alert me when I'm close to being kicked out of the casino please.'
[Will do]
James let himself get into autopilot mode as he still needed time to go over his plans to look for anything he hadn't considered yet, in the meantime he continued gambling to earn as much money as possible.
[Host is about to be removed from the building, time to cash out]
Upon hearing that, James grabbed his PTM and stuffed all of the money he had won into it, afterwards, he beelined for the door and left.
After spending on average 40 minutes in each casino, James had been playing it safe by first netting some small profits and then after about half an hour starting to take some bigger bets until he would make one massive one and leave.
He had run this system in all 3 of the casinos and judging by the broad smile on his face he had done an excellent job of it.
'System show me my bank balance.'
[Bank balance: 7 Cedi, 62 Leones, 29 Birr]
With Cedi being worth 100 Leones each James had finally gotten his first large sum to work with; unfortunately, there was no way he could go back to those casinos now without them either directly kicking him out or trying to take their money back forcefully.
'System can you show me the two skill trees I unlocked earlier and my current Exp please.'
[Current Exp: 7
Businessman: Business Model (Cost: 4 Exp)
Negotiator:Suggestion(Cost: 4 Exp)]
'What do the two skills do?'
[Business Model allows the system to compile a business model to save the host time on planning for future work.
Suggestion enables the system to collect information such as the other parties facial expressions to suggest the best conditions for the Host's negotiations.]
'Unlock suggestion please.'
[Purchase confirmed. 4 Exp used. Current Exp: 3]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
keyboardcoronary
keyboardcoronary If you're enjoying the story so far please don't forget to review the novel as it helps me stand out from other new novels. Also, I know this has been a very wordy few chapters I've been trying to set the foundations of the magic system which is turning out to get more complex the more I go through it. I'll try to get a few lighter chapters in soon now that the foundations are laid.
And thanks for all the support so far, glad to see you guys like it!
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