—Voting for the Sanjiang list, we're about to be overtaken.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Mercury had already taken out the Black Corpse Mushrooms she brought — they were stored in a simple jewelry box, three in total: one deep black and two light black, giving off a powerful stench of decay. "Professor, these are the Black Corpse Mushrooms you requested. As long as you can guide me on the elemental question, you can take them all."
Black Corpse Mushrooms were a material required for many necromantic spells and potions. According to the Witch's records, she had attended several magic gatherings at her family's hidden retreat, and the price was roughly ten silver naer per mushroom — equivalent to the amount Lucian could save in a whole month without eating or drinking. Moreover, the darker the color, the more valuable they were. At certain times, the price was purely symbolic, because these mushrooms were difficult to find unless you cultivated them yourself. When someone urgently needed them, an exorbitant price was entirely possible.
Lucian brought the jewelry box before him and judged from the color, scent, and shape that they were indeed genuine Black Corpse Mushrooms. He gave a slight nod. "Go ahead and ask."
"Professor, why does the article 'A Newly Determined Element Using a New Method' in Arcane magazine use 'element' to describe the 'Tai' refined from Sunstones? Aren't the fundamental elements Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water?" Mercury asked, her voice carrying a nervous tremor mixed with unease, as though she herself understood that this question touched upon the critical distinction between the ancient magic system and the current one — and could overturn everything she had previously learned about elemental magic.
Lucian tucked both hands inside his black robes, contemplated for a moment, then spoke slowly in a deep, hoarse voice: "Actually, I also studied the ancient magic. It's just that while learning, experimenting, and casting, I always felt a sense of disharmony — a bewilderment of knowing the conclusion but not understanding why it was the conclusion. So I would frequently think about these matters, accumulating some scattered and isolated ideas. It wasn't until I just now saw this issue of Arcane, saw these articles containing profound and vast principles, that my thoughts gradually crystallized — like a vine finding a great tree to cling to. For example, the article mentioned gravitational force. This isn't because I had thorough research in this area, but rather that this article happened to articulate the very answers I had been contemplating."
"So, just now I only taught you the application of formulas rather than the fundamental magical principles behind them — not only because it would take years or even decades for you to understand and master them, but also because I myself have only a passing understanding. I haven't fully researched it yet either."
Lucian gradually calmed down from the excitement of having seen Arcane and gained access to the magic community, and realized that he had been playing the role of the mysterious, formal wizard "Professor" a bit too convincingly — and had made a rather serious mistake. As a wizard who was supposedly looking for the Continental Magic Parliament headquarters, being able to understand and master the current magic system without any difficulty, knowing about gravitational force, knowing that Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water weren't elements — these two facts were plainly contradictory.
Although these Magic Apprentices couldn't tell, and the ancient magical tradition practitioners who might stand behind them likely couldn't either — meaning he wouldn't be in danger for a long time — if this reached the Archanists and wizards of the Continental Magic Parliament, or if the Church, which might have planted spies among the wizard community, found out, they would certainly suspect his identity. So Lucian hurried to patch things up before word spread, reshaping his image into that of a perceptive and thoughtful genius wizard.
"It seems that when things happen, I still can't remain perfectly calm. I still get careless due to excitement and agitation. That cold, unshakable calmness I had in the sewers when killing and facing corpses — that probably came from having prepared myself mentally in advance, and from the maturity gained through recent experiences that unlocked my potential, so that from body to mind I understood that when facing danger, nervousness is absolutely not an option." Lucian reflected on himself inwardly, then continued speaking:
"The article 'A Newly Determined Element Using a New Method' contains very few formulas — it's a standard results-oriented magical experiment. Regarding the elemental theory mentioned in it, I can only offer my own preliminary views. You'll need to judge for yourself whether they're correct or not."
Mercury's sweet voice no longer carried any unease or trembling — one could see she was no less focused and composed than Lucian. "Very well, Professor. In that case, let the other companions listen in as well. Mm, you can all judge for yourselves."
This type of exchange, where "Mercury" provided magical materials in exchange for Lucian's explanations and guidance, would normally have been conducted privately if she wasn't willing to share — the important parts might even use a "Message" spell. But it seemed that Lucian's speech had made Mercury somewhat uneasy, so she decided to make it public and see what others could understand.
Having patched his earlier slip, Lucian wasted no more time and began explaining the elemental question: "Actually, starting from when ancient wizards failed to find the four elemental planes of the Inner Material Realm they had hypothesized, although the vast majority attributed it to methodological issues like spatial folding, a small number of wizards had already begun to doubt whether Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water truly constituted elements. I was influenced by this school of thought. From the very beginning of my magical studies, I felt that Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water were not elements but rather four higher-level, more abstract concepts."
"As for what exactly they are, I haven't researched it thoroughly. But based on this article, at the very least the current mainstream within the wizard community has redefined elements and discovered new ones…"
The experiment described in this article involved using a sealed Magic Circle in conjunction with the ninth-circle spell "Firestorm" to bombard Sunstone, a magical material. Upon its violent explosion, a pure, beautiful silver-gray crystal would appear — harder and more resilient than mithril, yet also lighter than mithril. It was a completely new element and a precious material. Having been discovered inside Sunstones, it was named "Tai."
As Lucian explained, he also assessed the progress the magical world had made regarding elements from this article: "There appears to be a definition of elements in place, and the discovery of new elements beyond the conventional ones is underway. However, based on the descriptions of their properties, nothing predictive or law-based about elemental behavior has emerged yet. Still, some elements' properties differ significantly from those known on Earth, causing certain spells to produce unexpectedly bizarre effects."
After Lucian casually cited several apprentice-level elemental spells and everyday materials as examples and finished explaining the elemental question regarding Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water, Mercury and the other Magic Apprentices fell into a brief silence.
"Professor, I — I believe you're right. Many of the problems I encountered while studying elemental magic would be easily resolved with this kind of explanation. Thank you so much!" After a moment, Mercury's voice was filled with unmistakable excitement as she thanked Lucian, nearly letting something slip.
The Hanged Man also spoke in his cold, eerie voice: "Professor, could you tell us more about elements? Is the soul perhaps also composed of some unique element? Among the magical materials and items I brought, there's no Wraith Dust, but I can let you choose another item."
He appeared to focus primarily on necromantic magic, but since this issue of Arcane contained no articles on necromancy, he could only seek out elemental questions that might relate to necromantic practice.
Smale, the Sage, White Glove, and White Honey Sugar, along with the other apprentices, had not a shred of doubt about Lucian's identity remaining after his explanation of elemental matters. On the contrary, they were firmly convinced he was the most knowledgeable and deeply insightful powerful wizard they had ever encountered. Though their own research into elemental magic wasn't as advanced as Mercury's, even the analysis Lucian had used as supporting examples — just a handful of apprentice-level elemental spells — had given them fresh insight, as though something was springing to life inside them. Now, upon hearing the Hanged Man's words, their eyes shone with eager anticipation as they turned to Lucian.
Lucian shook his head. "I'm really not well-versed in matters of the soul. I'm afraid I can't explain it for you."
As he spoke, Lucian tucked the three Black Corpse Mushrooms into a small pouch he had brought specifically for this purpose, while pulling a small wooden box containing a set of magical laboratory equipment — given by the Sage — closer to himself. "Did anyone else bring Black Corpse Mushrooms or Wraith Dust? You can ask questions, or I can purchase them with money or exchange other magical materials."
Water Ghost Brain Tissue could support seven or eight experiments, and each experiment consumed one Corpse Mushroom. Naturally, Lucian wanted to collect as many as he could.
"Under the Church's control, Black Corpse Mushrooms cannot be cultivated. They can only be found within the Melzer Black Forest, making them extremely rare. Apart from Mercury, no one else currently has any." The Sage, who appeared to be the leader of this magical circle, explained to Lucian in a slightly aged but respectful voice.
He participated in two other magical circles as well, but those formal wizards were all exceedingly arrogant. Unless you had something that truly impressed them, or happened to be their own apprentice, there was simply no way to receive their guidance. So when he encountered this mysterious "Professor" whose knowledge far surpassed those haughty wizards and who was willing to guide Magic Apprentices like themselves, the Sage felt genuine gratitude and admiration.
White Honey Sugar, who similarly had a magical circle behind her, nodded in agreement with the Sage. "Professor, if you need Black Corpse Mushrooms on an ongoing basis, I'll save them for you whenever I obtain any. However, Wraith Dust is much harder to find. Wraiths form either in unique environments or from ghosts who suffered tragic fates or harbored intense emotions they couldn't let go of — and they're easily detected and purified by the Church. As for the method of summoning wraiths using the blood of evil creatures, the blood is probably even harder to obtain than Wraith Dust, given that this is Altor."
"Black Corpse Mushrooms are a long-term need for me until this magical experiment succeeds, and Wraith Dust as well." Lucian felt slightly disappointed, having hoped he might gather all the materials this time — everything except Moonlight Rose, which was monopolized by the Church and the nobility. But he quickly dispelled the emotion. After all, these were just Magic Apprentice circles. "Alright, bring out the magical materials you brought. If I find something I need, you'll earn the opportunity to ask one question. Of course, the value of the question will depend on the value of the material."
Regarding the journal Arcane, these Magic Apprentices could understand very little of it. After Mercury had already posed the elemental question on behalf of herself and the wizard she represented, the other apprentices could only bring up small problems they had encountered while analyzing and constructing spells — issues they had accumulated through daily study. And these questions were concentrated almost entirely in Lucian's areas of expertise: elemental magic and astrology.
As Lucian resolved these questions one by one, the apprentices looked at him with ever-increasing respect — especially those who had a magic teacher behind them, or who had received guidance from a formal wizard two or three times. They could tell that Lucian's explanations and solutions were clearer and more penetrating, something only achievable with far deeper and more extensive knowledge. And in their minds, knowledge was essentially equivalent to power.
Lucian, meanwhile, was thoroughly satisfied. Some knowledge that didn't involve his unique techniques had earned him a full set of magical equipment, three Black Corpse Mushrooms, and the majority of spellcasting and Magic Circle materials. It perfectly embodied the principle that "knowledge is money"!