Capítulo 59: Chapter 59: Restraint
After two days at sea, the cruise ship finally docked at London Port.
The time was exactly Friday afternoon, five days since Li Xiang had taken leave on Monday.
Neither Hishiri Adashino nor Elena said much, leaving immediately with the eight cursed bodies in tow as they headed to the helicopter pad.
Since the weekend was approaching, many of the team members didn't board the helicopter but chose to leave on their own.
Li Xiang glanced at the time provided by his system—4:15 PM.
He leisurely hopped onto one of the iconic red double-decker buses, making his way back to the Modern Magecraft Theory streets just in time for dinner.
Later, he returned to his dormitory.
The first thing he did was open the windows to ventilate the room, letting the stale air escape.
In his rush to leave earlier, he had forgotten to open them.
Next, he refreshed the watering can with clean tap water.
The fairy seed still showed no signs of life.
There was not the slightest hint of a sprout; it remained hidden deep within the soil. If he didn't know it was a special seed, he might've assumed it had died from his care.
Back in his previous life, he had also tried his hand at growing plants, with his mother calling it "cultivating a refined temperament."
Despite his diligent care, everything he planted turned into fertilizer for his cactus after a month.
That's right, the only plant he successfully kept alive was a cactus, which lasted three years.
Li Xiang suddenly thought of Irigal. If this were a system notification, it'd probably say:
[You watered the seed. The effect is average. No changes in the fairy seed.]
He wondered when he'd see some significant progress.
After thoroughly cleaning his room, Li Xiang headed straight for the magic practice grounds.
The soft glow of the setting sun still lingered, though the lights surrounding the grounds had already been turned on.
At this time of day, there were only a few people around, two of whom appeared to be a couple casually strolling around the area instead of experimenting with magic.
Li Xiang clicked his tongue.
It reminded him of his high school days before evening self-study, where couples could be spotted all over the classroom and playground.
He found a secluded corner to practice.
While the eight *cursed bodies* they recovered from the ruins were valuable, Li Xiang's most precious gain was still in his hands.
The newly acquired spell:
[Projection Magecraft: Gáe Bolg (Imitation)—Rank D+.]
In game terms, the "+" sign represented the ability to exponentially increase its power in bursts.
The Thorn Spear was classified as D-rank but could unleash up to twice its normal power at its peak.
Li Xiang recalled that the original Gáe Bolg in Scáthach's hands was a B-rank weapon, but she had *Primordial Runes*, which allowed her to strengthen it further.
When he chanted the same incantation, he noticed the mana cost had increased nearly threefold.
In other words, this Projection Magecraft was no longer a low-tier spell of the first rank but had crossed into the domain of second-tier magecraft.
The spear felt cold and heavy in his hands, more tangible than any of the weapons he had projected before.
He spun the spear in a flourish, the air whistling as the weapon sliced through it.
Li Xiang's physical strength hadn't changed, but the increased weight of the weapon made it awkward for him to handle.
It was clear that he'd need some time to adapt.
After dismissing the spear, Li Xiang turned his attention to his second reward from the ruins.
[Innate Skill: Raven's Tongue EX—You are the raven, and the raven is you. As a human, you can easily blend into a flock of ravens without being detected.]
He had thought about it for a while and concluded that the greatest use for this skill would probably be finding a raven as a familiar.
But he didn't have a Sharingan.
Other people made controlling ravens look so cool.
Plus, once a raven became his familiar, they would share senses, rendering *Raven's Tongue* unnecessary.
The thought of using Raven's Tongue to communicate made him shake his head.
It was no longer cool—just ridiculous.
Back to business. Li Xiang resumed practicing Modern Rune Magecraft.
Now that he was at the second rank, his thirty first-tier spells were more than sufficient.
It was time to focus on mastering some second-tier spells.
From Modern Rune Magecraft Fundamentals, Li Xiang chose ten second-tier spells to focus on.
The first was Thurisaz, the third rune in the sequence reconstructed by Aozaki Touko, numbered 1-3.
Its meaning was restraint, symbolizing proactive defense and strength regeneration.
It had both offensive and defensive properties, functioning as both an attack and a barrier spell.
He raised his right hand.
His mind opened the mental landscape of the Spear Forge, and a flow of mana swiftly formed a magical circle, which appeared with a hum.
A single vertical line intersected by a diagonal one at forty-five degrees formed the faint shape of the rune.
As his palm turned, it extended outward like a band of earthen yellow, spiraling out like a serpent. It coiled around one of the straw dummies in the practice grounds, squeezing it tightly.
The straw man was compressed, the straw severed cleanly at its base, revealing the wooden frame within.
In moments, deep grooves marred the surface of the dummy.
[Modern Rune Magecraft—Restraint (5/100)]
Li Xiang estimated that his mana reserves would allow him to use this spell about twenty more times.
He let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness for the system—without it, learning magic would've been painfully slow.
After practicing until his mana was depleted, Li Xiang returned to his dorm room.
With the weekend ahead of him, he could continue his training uninterrupted.
Suddenly, a voice chimed in.
[Congratulations, Master, for learning your first second-tier Modern Rune spell. You've unlocked the second phase of the Main Quest. Please check your Sub Quest.]
[Sub Quest 1: Proficiency in Second-Tier Magecraft.
Quest Description: Master has reached the rank of second-tier magecraft. To match this level, Master must learn at least twenty second-tier Modern Rune spells.
Quest Time Limit: None.
Quest Reward: Second *Primordial Rune*.
Quest Progress: 1/20.]
Li Xiang was surprised but mostly thrilled. Finally, a sub-quest for the second phase of the Main Quest had appeared.
If it hadn't, he feared it would take an eternity to collect all eighteen *Primordial Runes*.
The only downside was that mastering twenty second-tier Modern Rune spells would be no small task. Even with the system's help, allowing him to learn one spell per day, it would still take twenty days.
If any of his progress got delayed by classes or assignments from the Law Enforcement Department, it could take even longer.
Thinking of it this way, his hopes of mastering all the *Primordial Runes* before the Fifth Holy Grail War seemed increasingly slim.
Considering the Masters and Servants of the Fifth War...
If it were the Heaven's Feel route with a corrupted Sakura Matou...
"How would I even stand a chance?"
The only somewhat reliable plan he could think of was to enlist the help of the Astronomy Department's head, Animusphere, to summon Doctor Roman using the Solomon ring.
But there was no way the old Director would lend it to him.
Li Xiang's current strength was nowhere near enough to rob a department head of their Holy Relic.
Not all heads of departments were like Weber Velvet, possessing the talent of a department head but not the raw power.
Most were ancient monsters, cunning and dangerous.
Li Xiang's meager skills weren't enough for any of them to even notice him.
Time wasn't on his side.
With no other choice, Li Xiang threw himself back into studying magic.
As evening fell, his phone rang.
"Hello? Li Xiang, what are you up to?" It was Elena's voice.
"Practicing magic."
"Pretty diligent, aren't you?" Elena replied. "I'm calling because the Captain wants to see you tomorrow at the office."
"Do you know what it's about?"
Li Xiang blinked, taken aback. They had just returned from the ruins. Was there another mission already?
This was too much! Even jobs that followed the 996 work schedule got some time off! Was Law Enforcement always on standby like this?
"I'm not sure of the details, but one thing is for certain—it's about the rewards for the ruins expedition. You earned a lot of credit this time, especially with the combination of this mission and the one with Shizuka Asakami. You can exchange the rewards for something valuable, like a cursed body or a standard-issue magecraft tool."
"That does sound pretty good."
Li Xiang nodded excitedly. It seemed the Law Enforcement Department was indeed generous.
Still, he wasn't planning to trade in his rewards just yet. After some thought, he asked, "Can I accumulate
the rewards for later?"
"Of course." Elena replied, before cautioning him, "But let me offer you a piece of advice. The best rewards aren't always what's right for you right now. Don't aim too high too quickly."
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
---
og/n:I've tweaked some of the details about Rune Magecraft. The Primordial Runes consist of eighteen symbols, while Modern Rune Magecraft includes twenty-four. I made a few changes to the first Primordial Rune Li Xiang learned, but it won't affect the main storyline. The system of overlapping symbols was getting a bit confusing, so I added a bit of creative freedom. When a Primordial Rune is learned, it automatically replaces its modern counterpart.
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