"The Enigma of Destiny?" Lucian found the title rather satisfying, and the effect of foreseeing deviations in his own fate was quite useful too. Sometimes, a small deviation at the beginning could develop into the gap between heaven and the abyss by the end.
But could such a change to the Primary Star of Destiny be replicated and generalized? Was it possible that anyone with basic knowledge of black holes who could virtually simulate the main process of their formation, aided by a ritual, could become the Enigma of Destiny? Or did it require a body that had once housed two souls, like his own?
Lucian understood that the questions arising in his mind could only be left for future exploration, with no answers available yet. The only thing he could confirm was that if the knowledge of observing accretion changes around black holes from Earth to determine their condition were applied to astrological divination magic, there was a strong likelihood of determining portions of the Traceless One of Destiny's fate trajectory! And if knowledge of "gravitational lensing" were also incorporated, the deviations caused by himself as the Enigma of Destiny could also be corrected to a considerable degree!
The problem was that both these areas of knowledge derived from general relativity, and the relevant books in the Soul Library remained sealed. Relying on mere faint impressions to research and deduce on his own, Lucian had no idea how long it would take to find the right direction.
Fernando studied Lucian carefully: "You've advanced to high rank, and your Primary Star has undergone such a change — the safety of your travels has improved greatly. But you must never let your guard down. Understood?"
"Yes, Master. I'll be careful." Lucian sensed the faint concern beneath Fernando's stern tone and nodded with a smile.
Fernando pursed his lips and produced a medal from inside his robe. "This is your Medal of Ice and Snow."
"Medal of Ice and Snow?" Lucian stared at the medal in surprise. It was exquisitely beautiful.
Its base was silvery-white metal, set with numerous translucent ice crystals arranged in a hexagram pattern. From a distance, it looked like an enlarged, crystalline snowflake.
And in the gaps of the snowflake, smaller ice-crystal-like fragments spelled out the word "Helium," with the number "1" inscribed beside it.
Alvris drooled again, his brain temporarily losing all capacity for thought.
Fernando gestured for Tangpu to leave with his eyes, then explained simply: "Helen, based on your paper, increased the air pressure and solidified liquid helium. This meant that for the first time, magic had theoretically and clearly entered within one degree of absolute zero — a tremendous leap forward in ultra-low-temperature research in the field of ice and snow magic. So there's no question about you receiving the Medal of Ice and Snow."
"Master, that's not the point. The point is — wasn't this paper classified?" Lucian understood the meaning of that number "1," but what puzzled him was why he'd been given a Medal of Ice and Snow so inexplicably.
Fernando pulled a long face and scolded: "You're going off on an adventure with an unknown timeframe and unknown dangers — what's the point of keeping it classified? Even if it were published now, this Extreme Cold Ray spell being leaked would have absolutely no impact on you. It's not as if your adventure will be taking place inside Allence! In that case, isn't it more helpful to trade it for a good magic item?"
A barrage of reprimands left Lucian somewhat abashed, rubbing the back of his hand. Over these past few days, he'd been so focused on analyzing and mastering spells that it hadn't occurred to him.
After the scolding, Fernando's tone softened slightly: "For now, I've only disclosed it to Helen. She agreed to my request and will first craft a Medal of Ice and Snow for you. After your paper is published, an award ceremony will be held retroactively. At least that way, you'll have received the highest honors in three different fields before becoming a high-rank Archanist — that's worthy of being recorded in the Magic Council's history. There are only five such Archanists, including you. If the Silver Moon Song Alliance hadn't turned a deaf ear to 'electrons,' you would have been the only one to receive the highest honors in four different fields before high rank. Of course, compared to your master, you still have a long way to go."
He habitually talked tough and belittled his own student.
"Master, how many different fields' highest honors did you receive before high rank?" Lucian asked curiously, somewhat moved that Fernando had actually gone to negotiate with "Frost Witch" Helen Parris on his behalf.
Fernando glared: "None! Before I became a Legendary, those awards didn't even exist — otherwise I could have gotten at least four!"
"Though now I've been retroactively awarded the Holme Crown, Medal of Ice and Snow, Silver Moon Medal, Arcane Scepter, and Wizard's Laurel — only missing the Immortal Throne Award to complete the set. That's the most among all Grand Archanists and Legendary Mages. If you want to surpass me, you'll need all six." Fernando was rather proud of being one of the rare Grand Archanists who excelled across multiple schools and fields. Even in illusion magic, he was only slightly behind Legendary illusion mages like the Nightmare King and the Cursed Eye.
Before Lucian could answer, Fernando tossed the Medal of Ice and Snow to him. "I don't like loading students heading out on adventures with powerful magic items — it does more harm than good for mastering and applying magic. But this Medal of Ice and Snow is something you've earned, so it's an exception. Take it. Helen spent nine days personally crafting it, and its capabilities far surpass that little Holme Crown trinket of Morris's. Besides, I can't be bothered to go talk to him about your fourth ring, since neither Hathaway nor David is around."
Seeing Lucian catch the medal, Fernando shook his head and turned to leave. "Stay a few more days. Complete the construction of Advanced Flight before you set out."
Advanced Flight was the advanced version of the Flight spell — its basic structure was similar, and analysis was quite straightforward. The difficulty lay in the construction process, which was why no one chose it during their promotion. But once one became a high-rank Archanist, that difficulty was no longer a difficulty.
Watching Fernando leave, Lucian channeled his spiritual energy into the Medal of Ice and Snow and immediately felt a brutal cold — a deep chill that seemed as though it could harm the soul!
Suppressing a shiver, he carefully left his spiritual imprint, and at last gained control of the Medal of Ice and Snow. The terrifying cold stopped seeping into his soul and instead brought an unprecedented clarity.
"Medal of Ice and Snow 'Helium,' seventh-rank Perfect-grade item."
"Cold keeps one vigilant, keeps one perpetually calm and immune to the sway of desire. Therefore, after wearing this medal that symbolizes the honor of ice and snow, resistance to illusion and soul-control spells will be elevated to the standard of a seventh-circle Ice Witch."
"Honor is the halo that crowns one's head; the 'Frost Domain' is the halo of power. Once activated, an ice-and-snow world with a radius of five hundred meters will form around the wearer. Any creature below mid-rank who is not immune to cold will be frozen to death on the spot. Creatures above mid-rank but below high-rank will suffer severe cold damage, their movements becoming abnormally sluggish. Creatures above high-rank but below Legendary, if lacking corresponding spells or bloodline abilities for protection, will receive cold damage and weakening every second, their movements slightly slowed, with the slowing effect accumulating over time."
"The Frost Domain, also known as the Frost Aura (seventh-circle ice and snow magic), can be maintained for three minutes at full range. If reduced to several meters around the wearer, it can last up to fifteen minutes. It can be used three times per day."
"The strange 'cold' of the Silent Hell can freeze the soul, and the seventh-circle spell derived from it — the 'Silent Ice Coffin' — can do the same. This bone-chilling cold ray that seems able to penetrate the soul can be used three times per day. But remember: its temperature is not actually that low, and its damage to physical flesh is limited. Against a Heavenly Knight who is prepared, it will struggle to penetrate the body and freeze the soul. At the same time, due to its unique nature, it can bypass most defensive magic."