บท 19: In Exile After the Killing (Part 2)）
บรรณาธิการ: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Saleen burst through the door to the laboratory. Jason saw Saleen in a dishevelled state and asked in surprise, "Saleen, what happened to you?"
"Teacher, I am in trouble. I killed the son of Earl Sufonso."
"Just an earl?" Jason was not very concerned about worldly matters. To him, it was not a big issue to have made an enemy of an earl. Having witnessed Saleen’s growth these past few years, he knew that Saleen was not a troublemaker.
"Teacher, there is a magical tower in Yaoyang City!" Saleen replied in a panic.
"Oh?" This had gotten Jason’s attention. If the other party had a powerful mage, he would not interfere directly. Based on Saleen's current level, offending the Earl would be punishable by death.
"How did you offend him?"
"I was only passing by, and saw him about to kill someone..." Saleen did not dare mention his relationship with Decca. What he had said was not wrong. Saleen had already agreed to the request for compensation by the other party, which had been quite low. If not for the tyrannical behavior and rudeness of the Earl’s son, Saleen would not have injured or killed anyone. His first round of attack had not even been intended to be lethal.
"Saleen, even if you were in the wrong, I should still protect you," Jason said as he sighed. "However, should the other party's mage write me a letter, I will not be able to interfere with this matter. You have killed someone and must pay for it."
"Teacher, have I caused you trouble?" Saleen asked the question that had been bothering him. He was worried that the other party's mage would be angered, and that he had implicated his teacher.
"No, this is between you and the Earl. That mage and I will not do anything. Saleen, you will not blame me for not intervening in this matter, will you?" Jason looked at Saleen, and asked this somewhat guiltily. He had planned to start coaching Saleen in magic once he had advanced, but now there would be no such opportunity.
"Teacher... this matter was due to my rashness. I must leave." Saleen was very aware of his predicament. If Jason were unable to help, that furious earl would definitely tear him into pieces.
"Wait a moment."
Jason pulled out a few boxes from beneath the experimentation station and opened them, searching for a few items for Saleen.
A white worn-out mage robe; a balaclava with some tears and a magic symbol near the chest; a necklace, set with a long chain of smokey quartz. Smokey quartz could increase a mage’s affinity to elements. A rugged leather sack that could be worn diagonally across the torso.
Saleen’s gaze landed on the last item. That item was a ring; a piece of clear white crystal had been set on the silvery grey-colored metal.
White crystals were very precious, and could augment the restoration of magic chords. It was too advanced for a mage apprentice. Saleen did not know what to say, and did not know whether he should tell Jason that he had already become a mage.
"Saleen, this magic robe was given to me by my teacher. It can be worn from Grade 1 to Grade 3. There are three constant magics on it."
Jason touched the remaining few items, and continued, "Your affinity to the elements is very weak. This smokey quartz necklace will probably be of some help to you. There are some magic books I used to read in the sturdy leather sack and should be sufficient for you to read until you attain Grade 3. This ring with white crystal… you will find it useful."
Saleen put on the magic robe in silence, donned the necklace and ring, and slung on the leather sack. Jason said to him, "Go pack your things. I need to prepare for the earl who should be appearing soon. You should set off immediately."
Saleen did not say anything else. Ulysses had let him off without anyone knowing. His teacher had let him go to face the earl’s wrath directly. He hurriedly returned to his room, retrieved the family badge from his box, and tucked it into the inside of his belt. He also stuffed the stack of meaningless debt collection slips into his leather sack. They were useless but since they had been left behind by his father, he would keep them just out of remembrance.
Four thousand gold coins worth of bank notes and ten Grade 3 magic nuclei, together with one hundred and eight gold coins in two money bags, were put into his leather sack. Spending money of eight gold coins was put into his money bag, which hung at his waist. He put on his new boots, and without bidding farewell, Saleen leapt out of the window and hurriedly escaped into the mountains.
He did not have a horse. Even if he had one, he would not be able to outrun the Earl's troops.
After threading through the wilderness in the mountains for more than half a month, the weather had become colder. Saleen had yet to spot any way out. He did not even come across a village. It was a good thing that he had formed his magic chords, as his movement had become more agile. An ordinary wild beast would have required him to use a Grade 0 spell to deal with it, but he did not meet with any danger.
He was alone and distinguished the directions based on the sun, moon, and stars. He walked towards the southeast; his destination was the Qin Empire.
While Earl Sufonso was powerful, his power could not have extended all the way to the Qin Empire. Even the Holy See was unable to have any influence over the Qin Empire, failing to build a church even after operating for a hundred years.
On this day, Saleen discovered a waterfall in between the mountains. White silk that resembled snow divided the mountain peak, pounding at a pool which emerged from the ground. The pool was cold; the torrent of the waterfall created a faint misty cover.
Saleen could feel the potent intensity of water element here; it was full of energy. Although he could not detect the existence of any battle formations, the life of the water was unusually harmonious. Saleen jumped into the pool and began to meditate.
To many people, the practice of magic was a boring matter. Firstly, one needed to acquire magic knowledge, chants, and gestures. Then, there was the constant exhaustion of magic chords, so as to be familiarized with operating the magic. When the magic strings were exhausted, one would need to meditate to recover.
Saleen, however, did not find it boring. The joy he felt during meditation far exceeded many other forms of pleasure on this earth. That was when the mind entered a state of extreme relaxation. During this time, one could feel the life within an element even without any chanting.
His affinity to the water element was exceptionally perfect. Although he was unable to view his magic chords directly like the time they had first formed, he could feel the water element penetrate every cell of his body, nourishing his physical form.
Particularly when he first entered the water, Saleen did not need to release the Water Breathing spell and could move and meditate in the water for a long time. The effects of meditating in the water far exceeded that of meditation done on land. Saleen surmised that he had only taken one and half hours to recover the magic chords that had been exhausted.
The small silvery-white fish in the cold pool surrounded Saleen, and looked at him curiously. Saleen reached out his hands to touch them, and instead of hiding, they weaved in and out of his palms.
Saleen was, after all, a curious youth, and had a sudden thought. He opened his mouth and blew a chain of bubbles, trapping a few small silvery-white fish in the bubbles. The surface of these bubbles had been formed by magic, and hence they did not float in the water. The trapped fish struggled a little, panicking when they were unable to escape.
There were a few thousand small fish in the vicinity. As though sensing the danger in unison, they immediately dispersed. Saleen used his hands to touch the bubbles, observing the small silvery fish within them. These small fish were about the size of a thumb, and had unusually fine scales. The fishes’ eyes were golden, and there were actually magic waves within their bodies.
They were in truth demonic beasts, albeit low grade ones that were barely Grade 1. Such mere demonic beasts, even if they had magic nuclei, would produce nuclei that were smaller than the tip of a needle. The effort of digging them out might not have even been worth a gold coin.
Saleen was now at Grade 1, and was still unable to dispel the spell he had cast. He used his fingers to pinch the bubbles, hoping to release the small fish. Unexpectedly, as he had exerted force with his fingers, he had activated the power of his magic chords. These bubbles were instead pinched flat, and did not burst at all.
Saleen instantly realized that he had unknowingly created a new spell.
He tried to recall how he had created these bubbles. At the very beginning, it seemed like he had cast a Water Shield, then used his mental power to control the magic shield bend created via the condensation of the elements. Then, he contained the air before the bubbles he spit out had floated up.
Saleen gave up trying to control these bubbles, and let these bubbles that had trapped the small fish float up. He then spit out another bubble, and cast the Water Shield again. He discovered that he could not perfectly contain the air within the bubble no matter what he tried. The bubbles he spat out swiftly floated up, leaving a layer of faint green wave lines, and stayed in front of him.
Originally, Saleen had no choice but to learn this spell. He was unable to learn the Grade 1 protection spell – Magic Skin, and could only rely on the three constant magics in the magic robe. However, activating these magics required the usage of magic nuclei. Therefore, in terms of defensive powers, Saleen’s standard was still that of an apprentice. He liked to practice in water, and had incidentally learned this spell which could be cast in water.
There was no other way. The protection magic in the water series was very powerful, but none of it was rudimentary. Even the weakest skill, Ice Plate Armor, was a Grade 4 spell which was too far off for him to consider.
The Water Shield was considered a spell of little value, as it had to be released in water. Additionally, the shortest duration for its release was nine seconds. In battle, using nine seconds to summon a magic shield meant that one could die more than ten times over.
Saleen, due to his deficiency in magic chords, treasured every chance he had to practice magic. Thus he had learned the Water Shield.
He persevered in his experiments, aware that this form-changing magic he had conjured up could be released quickly depending on the existence of air. With practice, it could become an instantaneous spell. If it really did work out, then he could possibly rely on this spell for his survival before he attained Grade 4.
However, Saleen had lost the playful mood he had been in earlier, and just could not find that natural feeling again no matter how hard he tried.
After more than ten attempts, almost half of his magic chords were exhausted. When the air in his lungs was nearly used up, Saleen finally managed to release a magic bubble. He took three seconds this time and was three times slower.
This magic bubble was a little fragile. Saleen released an icicle and immediately burst the bubble. The bubble that had lost its magic quickly floated up.
Saleen could only follow the bubble and swim to the surface. The lack of oxygen in his lungs would not cause him any harm, but merely prevented him from continuing his experimentation. Before his head had surfaced from the water, a shadow in the light jumped into the pool. Saleen twisted his body and easily avoided it.
It landed with a thump, the water splashing in all directions. Saleen broke through the surface and came face to face with a pair of pale white breasts.
Saleen nearly sunk back down again. He separated his hands, thinking about his retreat, but then he heard an angry voice saying, "Oh no, a wild pig!"
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