Inside the gleaming metallic hall of the Continental Magic Parliament headquarters.
Lazar was still laughing, almost unable to catch his breath. "Lucian, Lucian, did you see Lady Lavit's face? Dark enough to rival the Iron Furnace folk from the southern deserts! Like someone who just received a hundred Arcane Points only to be told they were sent to the wrong person — haha — or like her house caught fire and all her savings were plundered... It really made my day! A lot of people can't stand her!"
"It was something that could've been handled simply by following the Task District regulations. I really can't understand why she had to make such a fuss." Lucian shook his head with a smile, holding a tall stack of books in his arms.
Lazar patted his chest to stave off his laughter. "Lady Lavit is exactly the type I told you about — getting on in years, feeling her mind growing dull, with no more hope of advancement. So she scrimp and saves desperately, wanting a comfortable and prosperous retirement while leaving behind a substantial inheritance for her children and grandchildren. Whenever she sees mages still busy improving their abilities and knowledge, she always wears that look like someone owes her a fortune."
"Well, I can actually understand them. I just hope that after I turn sixty, I won't end up like them."
"It's hard to imagine you, Lazar, always brimming with that sunshine smile, ever wearing such a detestable expression." Lucian mused for a moment. "Heh heh, so let's try it out early — lend me thirty Arcane Points, and I'll pay you back in a hundred years."
Lazar glared at Lucian. "This is the fruit of my hard work improving magic spells — do you really have the heart, Lucian? Heh, speaking of which, you ran into those three little brats again. I wonder what expressions they made?"
Of the five magic schools in Alinia, Douglas Magic Academy was the best, excelling in force fields, electromagnetism, astrology, and elements. Alinia Magic Academy and Bisanchu Magic Academy came next — the former specialized in necromancy and summoning, while the latter focused on transmutation and illusion. Trident Magic Academy primarily taught the three newest schools: electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and light and darkness. Auerburg Magic Academy covered alchemy, elements, and thermodynamics.
However, since they all catered to Magic Apprentices, every school taught all branches of magic to some degree, just with slightly different emphases.
"Happiness, followed by pain." Lucian answered firmly. "Next I need to buy a storage bag. Carrying all these books around is such a hassle, and lugging a suitcase everywhere is just as bad."
"Of course. Wassim's Alchemy Shop — a century of trustworthiness..." Lazar rattled off automatically.
…………
"'Ordinary Storage Bag. Third-rank standardized magical item. Permanently inscribed with the third-circle spell 'Shrink.' Can shrink stored items at a fixed ratio of sixteen to one, while reducing weight by eighty percent and concealing magical fluctuations. Value: four hundred Arcane Points.'"
Lucian held the black storage bag in his hand. His heart felt as though it were being cut open — his whole life had turned grey. It had cost him three high-quality Sea Wave Stones, fifty-eight Gold Thalers, and six Arcane Points, instantly transforming him from a wealthy man to a pauper. And this thing was only the size of his palm. After packing in his Magic Notes, books, and magic materials, more than half its space was already consumed.
Seeing the slight twitch on Lucian's face, Lazar consoled him with a laugh. "Don't be so heartbroken, Lucian. If it weren't a standardized magical item, just the third-rank evaluation alone would mean you couldn't buy it for even a thousand Arcane Points! Ever since the alchemy masters improved the craftsmanship and materials, prices for commonly used magical items have dropped dramatically. Besides, a storage bag is essential — the expenditure is well worth it."
"Hey, I didn't expect you to have so many high-quality Sea Wave Stones, Lucian. If I ever need some, you'd give me a discount, right?"
"Alright, alright. In another week, once the 'Ordinary Archanist Monthly' is published, your Arcane Points will shoot right up. Who knows how many Archansits will be eager to improve that spell evaluated as seriously flawed yet groundbreaking."
"Your clothes are also standardized, aren't they, Lazar?" Lucian replied, slightly bewildered.
Lazar answered with a solemn expression: "When I say my robe is 'standardized,' I mean the style... So, where are we going next?"
At this, Lucian roused himself slightly from his near-bankruptcy grief. "The library! The Basic Arcane Library!"
I need to make up for my losses! Let a mountain of books soothe my soul!
…………
"What?! I can't browse beforehand?!"
Even Lucian, who could normally maintain his composure, couldn't help raising his voice in disbelief upon hearing this terrible news.
Of course, this was also because Lucian felt relatively unrestrained at the Continental Magic Parliament headquarters. The personality that had been suppressed by the hardships of life was gradually surfacing — he was no longer calm and cold all the time.
The short old man managing the library, upon seeing Lucian's reaction, chuckled. "Young man, you lack too much life experience. Decades after this Basic Arcane Library was first established, mages began exploiting their enhanced memories — strengthened by improvements to their souls and spiritual power — to memorize the contents of library books verbatim. Later they even created all manner of recording magic circles that were nearly undetectable by magical fluctuations, frantically copying down the books here."
"But knowledge is power, and power is wealth. How could we let people obtain it all for free?"
His white hair was streaked with black, and his red pupils were slightly clouded. He looked somewhat aged, but in truth he was quite spirited and dignified, with hardly any wrinkles — clearly one of those handsome youths who had aged gracefully into distinguished elegance. Unfortunately, he was terribly short, a good half-head shorter than Lucian, and his vibrant crimson ancient magic robe dragged along the ground, its hem sweeping back and forth.
However, at that moment his appearance struck Lucian as extraordinarily wretched. His soul felt as though it had been struck by lightning. If I can't even browse, how am I supposed to record anything into my Soul Library? You elder mages — why couldn't you have waited until after I arrived before making your foolish attempts?!
"But if I can't browse beforehand, how am I supposed to know what I want to study?"