"If that's the case, Professor! If a mage can only store spells on the first day and use them the next, then wouldn't they have to decide what to prepare on the very first day? And once their spell slots run out..."
Leylin raised his hand and asked.
"That's right! Every mage must prepare the spells they intend to use the day before — how to arrange and combine them is quite the art in itself... As for the matter of running out of spell slots..."
Ernest's expression turned very stern: "Remember this, Leylin! Once a mage's spell slots are depleted and they have no scrolls or magical items on hand, they're no different from an ordinary person. So you must absolutely never allow yourself to end up in such a situation... This is incredibly important! I've seen plenty of unlucky souls who ran out of spell slots and ended up as nothing but gnawed skeletons left behind by gnolls!"
"I'll remember!"
Leylin sat back down, feeling rather speechless.
"Based on what he's saying, mages are essentially just using their own Spiritual Power as currency to purchase spellcasting rights from the Weave. While this has certainly lowered the barrier to entry considerably, for those gifted individuals capable of independently constructing Spell Models with their own Spiritual Power, it's practically a nightmare..."
"All in all, the mage class really is just a stripped-down, castrated version of the Wizard!" Leylin's face showed considerable embarrassment.
"Though the Weave has made magic accessible to many who lack the talent for it, this rigid-to-the-extreme system will obviously constrain true Wizard geniuses!"
Leylin's eyes lit up: "Perhaps... this is the purpose of those Gods! To prevent the emergence of overpowered mages! Could this be the aftermath of the last Wizard Extinction War? If so, perhaps I should look into the history of the Weave Goddess's appearance... If my guess is correct, she must be a new deity who ascended to godhood after the ancient Extinction War!"
Having realized this, Leylin naturally wouldn't step forward to change anything.
He had always intended to grow in obscurity, and challenging the limits of the Gods was certainly not something he would do.
Before possessing enough power to break the rules, he could only continue tentatively down the path of the mage.
"Next... I will first teach you a method of meditation, and then you can begin attempting to make contact with the Weave..."
On the lectern, Ernest's instruction continued, unaware that the seemingly diligent apprentice below had already come up with numerous new thoughts.
"Mage meditation is actually not all that different from Wizard meditation — or perhaps even slightly inferior in effect. Of course, it's also more in line with the rules of the World of Gods, and there's much that can be learned from it... As for the Weave..."
Leylin extended his spiritual perception slightly.
Following the method Ernest had taught earlier, his consciousness seemed to touch upon a magnificent existence.
It was an invisible energy network resembling a spider's web, yet it seemed to envelop the entire World of Gods within it, radiating terrifying power.
Even on the most superficial layer, the dense tangle of energy circuits and nodes made Leylin's scalp tingle.
"Those node-like things... are those the spell slots? I never expected that even the outermost layer of the Weave would be this mesmerizing..."
Leylin gazed at the Weave, his eyes filled with wonder, yet all the more certain of his conjecture.
"This powerful Weave could only have been constructed by the combined efforts of the Gods. And the Goddess Mystra, who was elected to manage it — her power must rank among the very pinnacle of eighth-rank existences!"
Of the Gods, Leylin knew very little. He was only aware that beneath their strongest — the Will of the World of Gods, the Supreme God — there appeared to be several tiers distinguished by divine power: Greater, Intermediate, and Lesser. It was quite different from the classification system of the Wizard World.
And this Mystra was obviously a powerful deity of the highest order—even if Leylin’s true body came, he would absolutely not gain any advantage under her.
“I’ve already given you the method of meditation. What you need to do next is to repeatedly practice using your own Spiritual Power to make contact with the Weave. This process might take other apprentices one to three months, but perhaps you could complete it within a single month!”
Ernest was expounding eloquently when, suddenly, a strange ripple spread outward, making his expression become incredibly animated.
“The Weave! You’ve made contact with the Weave!”
Ernest rushed over, grabbing Leylin’s slender little arm, his eyes turning slightly red. “Leylin! Is this truly your first time working with a spell model?”
“Of course it is, Teacher! Since I was born, I’ve hardly ever left the estate!”
Leylin blinked his wide, watery eyes, speaking with utmost innocence.
“Then tell me—are you the secret illegitimate child of the Goddess of the Weave?”
Ernest asked with a profoundly solemn expression.
……
After the autumn harvest, the estate was filled with scenes of bountiful plenty. The barns brimming with grain and flour brought smiles of joy to the faces of many of the tenants.