“This world we live in is located upon numerous layers and dimensions, or in the words of the mortals of the lower planes, the ‘Heaven’!”
“Yet even within Heaven, light coexists with darkness. The so-called ‘inner world’ or ‘hidden world’ is, in fact, more akin to a place of exile from the surface world… or perhaps more accurately, the graveyard of gods!”
“Based on the descriptions of the dimensional wanderer, Lord Bewell, I have conducted years of research and exploration. Eventually, I discovered that the inner world of our realm was once a thriving and vibrant plane. It was only when the gods discovered it and designated it as a prison for ancient evils and malevolent deities that all the impurities and darkness of the surface world began to converge into the inner world…”
“And the gods themselves tasted the bitter fruits of their own making. Upon their demise, their divine corpses are also drawn into the inner world, transforming into floating islands, while their divine spirits endure eternal torment…”
“According to the theory of the great teleportation master Jarvis, the inner world is actually the most convenient channel connecting our world with numerous dimensional planes. If the inner world could be used as a transit station, creating permanent, lossless portals across any plane or world would no longer be a dream. It was a reckless endeavor, and I tried to dissuade him, albeit in vain. At the very moment Jarvis opened the gateway to the inner world, the surging evil force completely destroyed everything he had, even his pre-prepared resurrection spell was of no avail. The residual radiation and aftershocks caused a great catastrophe, marking the beginning of the Second Arcane Cataclysm…”
…
Wu Ming was perusing the notes of a legendary mage.
The expressions were rather casual, clearly the mage’s spontaneous records, containing many secrets regarding other planes and the inner world.
“It’s really interesting how the inner world originally came to be!”
After reading about the actions of the ancient gods that triggered the transformation of the inner world, Wu Ming stroked his chin, his eyes flashing with a glint of insight.
After activating his privileges, the entire library of the Wizard’s Archive was completely at his disposal, without any restrictions.
Within a short time, he had already read through all the available literature concerning other planes, especially the inner world, and this unknown legendary mage’s notes were the most detailed.
“This is truly a valuable source of information. If I get the chance, I might as well take the entire library collection and the tower spirit along with me…”
As the core of Western civilization and the epitome of supernatural power, Wu Ming couldn’t help but develop a slight interest in it.
Of course, this wasn’t for his own sake, but for the continent of Saer.
If this entire place were relocated to Saer, perhaps within less than a hundred years, the continent’s magical proficiency would be completely renewed, catching up to the accumulation of countless years in the West—though, of course, this would depend on surviving the vengeful backlash of the mad wizards and being willing to provoke enmity from both Eastern and Western divine pantheons.
“Ah, well… I’ll just come back a few more times and copy all the materials to the main temple…”
Although some magical texts required physical contact to obtain the spiritual imprint left by the original author for true comprehension, for Wu Ming, even excluding this part, the remaining information would still be more than enough for the wizards and mages of Saer to study diligently for decades.
Wu Ming casually tossed the library card back into Martha’s arms: “Tired yet? Let’s go!”
Even though he was reading the books with his divine consciousness, which allowed for an incredibly rapid pace, carefully analyzing the meanings and organizing the information had still taken nearly an entire day.
“Oh!”
Martha, the young alchemy apprentice, was sitting on the ground with her knees hugged to her chest. Upon hearing these words, she stood up but nearly fell over again.
“This…!”
Upon seeing the new additions on the library card, she could no longer support herself and collapsed weakly to the ground: “High… high-tier mage privileges?! Mr. Wu, this is too valuable… Maybe I should just go get another one!”
Despite her face showing extreme reluctance, Martha pushed the library card back.
A high-tier mage’s privileges would allow her access to more resources in the library, enabling rapid advancement in her abilities, along with many other unspoken benefits.
Yet even so, she remained firm in her decision.
“It’s fine. Anyway, I’ll be coming back a few more times recently. During my stay in Saint Yewall, would you like to be my guide?”
Wu Ming asked with a smile.
“It would be my honor!”
For an apprentice, the opportunity to guide a high-tier mage was extremely rare, and many apprentices without mentors would go mad over such a chance.
Martha felt somewhat puzzled, as she was certainly not the prettiest among the female apprentices, nor was her figure particularly appealing.
Given the man’s status, if he had announced his need for a guide, countless female apprentices would have been ecstatic to volunteer.
Wu Ming, had he known her thoughts, would have found them rather amusing.
This was merely an act of convenience, nothing more; he was certainly not some lecherous character. He valued affinity more, and since he had a connection with this particular apprentice and found her agreeable, helping her out with a small favor was nothing significant.
After leaving the library, the night was thick outside, and the sky was sprinkled with stars casting their glow.
Along the streets, numerous magical lamps flickered with light, illuminating the entire city as if it were daytime.
“Just the expense of these magical lamps alone would be enough to bankrupt any noble, wouldn’t it?”
Wu Ming looked on with genuine surprise.
After all, the dense network of magical lighting throughout the city and their continuous operation throughout the night represented a massive expenditure.
“These lamps only require a large initial investment. They utilize the geothermal theory of Master Sodom, with a legendary mage directly opening a stable channel to the Fire Elemental Plane, providing free energy for the entire city!”
As an alchemy apprentice, Martha was quite knowledgeable about these matters.
“I plan to stay in Saint Yewall for a while. Where would be a good place to go?”
Wu Ming shrugged and casually glanced around.
“If Mr. Wu doesn’t have any mage friends to stay with, the Mage’s House is a great choice. It’s an institution under the Council, specifically responsible for accommodating traveling mages from all over!”
For some reason, Martha’s face turned red: “And… my dormitory.”
“Hehe…”
Wu Ming stared into the alchemy apprentice’s eyes, causing Martha’s blush to deepen: “Thank you… but I think the Mage’s House would be a bit better. After all, I need a place to conduct transactions with other high-tier mages and perform some experiments.”
Judging from the apprentice’s circumstances, even if she did have a dormitory, it was likely not very impressive.
“Apologies, my lord…”
Sure enough, at the mention of this, Martha lowered her head.
Given her status in Saint Yewall, her dormitory was naturally the smallest, without any private magical laboratory.
“There’s no need for that. Take me to the Mage’s House, and also, help me spread a message!”
Wu Ming pondered for a moment and then said directly: “As a mage from the East, I am very interested in magical materials and information regarding other planes and spatial magic. If any high-tier mages are willing to grant me access to their private libraries, I am open to any form of negotiation.”
“I understand!”
Martha nodded: “Many high-tier spellcasters are quite interested in the Eastern Taoist system. Sir, your chances are quite good…”
“Of course, in this world, there are very few things I cannot obtain…”
Wu Ming smiled indifferently.
This was merely an opportunistic move; whether he could catch any unexpected opportunities would still depend on luck.
…
A few days later, at the Mage’s House.
As an institution under the Council, specifically tasked with accommodating traveling mages from various regions, it naturally could not be compared to ordinary bars or inns.
The Mage’s House covered a vast area, with numerous independent buildings forming separate courtyards, each equipped with dedicated laboratories and meditation rooms.
“Rune? This principle is actually so similar to lightning magic arrays!”
Inside the spacious and luxurious living room, an elderly mage wearing a purple, ornate robe, with a pair of golden spectacles perched on his nose, was completely engrossed in observing a miniature floating rune magic array before him. He wore an expression of unhidden admiration: “It’s absolutely incredible…”
“Mr. Wu Ming from the East!”
He added, “You are a great spellcaster, and you are also so proficient in our Western magical and sorcerous systems. The concept of constructing a magic array with runes is absolutely brilliant. I believe that research based on it could easily warrant a special edition in the Arcane Journal!”
“These things aren’t important. The most crucial thing is… what do you think of this price?”
Wu Ming took a sip of hot cocoa and asked with a smile.
His knowledge wasn’t limited solely to Eastern Taoist practices, and at his level of cultivation, he could easily make connections across different disciplines.
This so-called rune magic array was actually just a playful creation of his, inspired by the information provided by the old mage.
“It’s completely sufficient!”
The old mage immediately replied: “Exchanging the principles of this magic array for Master Kalvi’s ‘Exploration of the Inner World Summoning,’ I think it’s a fair and reasonable trade. Let’s proceed quickly!”
At this moment, he seemed even more eager than Wu Ming, hastily pulling out a golden tome from his sleeve and anxiously watching Wu Ming, fearing he might change his mind.
“Alright! Agreed!”
However, Wu Ming did not make things difficult and directly took out a crystal ball, injecting it with the spell template and notes on the magic array before handing it over.
“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant…”
The scholar-mage, upon seeing the information inside, was instantly captivated, falling into a state of ecstasy.
If it weren’t for the lack of tools and materials at hand, he might have started experimenting immediately.
“Kalvi seems to be a very famous legendary summoner! At the very least, I’ve heard of his name, which is quite impressive…”
Wu Ming was unfazed and opened the golden tome: “To think of exploring the inner world from the perspective of summoning, that’s somewhat novel…”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage