Chapter 80

In the private library of Duke Rob Antello, on the surface, only various non-magical books were stored. Finding the pink book here was purely a matter of luck and an exception.

This Rod Lord had opened a passage through a mirror on the wall of his private library, connecting to a small demiplane. It was in this demiplane that he stored the various spellbooks he had collected over the years.

Many people wanted to enter this true private library and take a look.

Gordon felt very lucky. Although the emerald key could only allow him to enter the storage room in the demiplane where spells up to the third circle were kept, it was enough. Greed was not a good quality.

Gordon had long planned which third-circle spells to prioritize learning.

First, as the most representative and practical spell of the Evocation school, Fireball was a must-learn for Gordon. Although the Missile Storm he had invented was very useful, he still lacked a more cost-effective area-of-effect attack spell.

Second, the Dispel Magic from the Abjuration school was also a must-learn. This spell was very useful in magical duels and was a versatile spell.

Finally, of course, was the Fly spell. Everyone had a dream of flying. Even if we ignore the great practicality of this spell in combat, escape, and reconnaissance, the allure of freely soaring through the sky was enough to make Gordon want to learn it.

Apart from these three spells that needed to be learned first, the others would depend on the situation. Although Duke Rob's collection was rich, it was impossible to include all the third-circle spells in the world.

In the library, the nine bookshelves for the eight major schools of magic—Transmutation, Abjuration, Enchantment, Evocation, Divination, Illusion, Necromancy, and Universal—were clearly arranged.

However, there were not many Universal spells. The most famous Universal spell Gordon remembered was the ninth-circle Wish spell and the Permanent spell, which was very important for enchanting equipment.

There were no third-circle Universal spells, and the bookshelf was empty. Gordon immediately turned his attention to the Evocation school bookshelf.

Gordon first picked up a magic book titled "Flame and Ice," which recorded the learning methods for four third-circle Evocation spells: Fireball, Flame Arrow, Hailstorm, and Ice Burst, along with some usage tips.

Excluding the quick method of reading magic scrolls, the normal spell learning process generally had four steps.

The first step was to obtain the basic principles and theoretical information of the spell from various information carriers, such as ancient stone tablets, lost parchment scrolls, textbooks from various magic academies, and spellbooks written by mages.

The second step was to use one's Spellcraft skill to analyze the energy type, basic structure, and unique characteristics of the spell.

The third step was to communicate with the Weave using mental power, weave the spell, form its structure, and then store it in a spell slot.

Repeating the third step until the spell imprint was fully formed and fixed in the mind was considered learning a spell.

The fourth step was to cast the spell using spell components, incantations, and gestures.

After constant practice, being able to cast the spell with over 80% success rate in a combat state was considered mastering and proficiently using the spell.

Of course, the above four steps were for mages in the Telos world who relied on the Weave and spell slots. For Gordon, he did not need to communicate with the Weave; he just needed to understand the basic principles of the spell and then practice casting it by consuming mana.

Ordinary mages, due to their limited daily spell slots, needed a long time to practice a spell to the point of proficiency. However, Gordon had ample mana and could recover it through mana potions and meditation. Even if he had to spend mana every day to produce Vigor Rings and various magic potions, his spell learning progress was far ahead of ordinary mages.

Two days later, he had learned and mastered Fireball, Dispel Magic, and Fly. Although reaching the point of effortless casting required further practice, they were already usable.

With his strength enhanced, Gordon felt more confident and decided to start investigating Daren.

Of course, he could not keep this from his boss. Gordon found Rob Antello and reported to the Duke, who strongly supported Gordon's decision and even gave him some practical items to facilitate the investigation.

"I have only one request. The investigation must be conducted quietly. If you do not find decisive evidence, do not make a big fuss," Duke Rob carefully instructed as Gordon was about to leave.

After all, Daren was also a member of the Mage Corps. If the Rod Lord was secretly investigating his subordinates, it would not be a good influence if it got out.

After communicating with Rob Antello, Gordon came to the Mage Corps headquarters on a night with a dim autumn moon.

The building, which looked like a "square" from the sky, had four floors. The spacious central courtyard was used as a low-level spell practice area, with many messy dummies standing there, still showing the traces of various electric shocks, acid corrosion, burns, and freezing.

Gordon arrived at the entrance of the building, where a mage in the Mage Corps uniform, holding a blackwood staff, stopped him.

"Sir, may I ask what you are here for?" The mage's tone was a bit stiff, seemingly in a bad mood.

Gordon knew that, except for the necessary duty personnel, all members of the Mage Corps could go to the famous Rainbow Hot Springs tonight, which was one of the benefits of being in the Rod Lord's Mage Corps. The man in front of him happened to be on duty tonight and missed the chance to soak in the hot springs, so he was naturally unhappy.

"Lord Antello sent me to check the production progress of the fourth batch of enchanted flame swords," Gordon showed the special pass prepared by the Rod Lord.

"Please come in," the mage stepped aside to let him through.

Gordon entered the building and went to the sixth room on the west side of the third floor. At this time, most of the mages in the Mage Corps were soaking in the hot springs, so he took advantage of the time difference to act when no one was around.

According to the information provided by the Rod Lord, Daren lived here. Gordon did not immediately use the Knock spell to open the door but first carefully examined it.

Soon, he found two hidden magical runes on the door frame, about half a person's height from the ground.

A qualified mage would have their own anti-theft measures. Although Daren was not very emotionally intelligent, his intelligence was sufficient. However, his little tricks were easy to crack for Gordon.

Both were third-circle arcanists, and Gordon had far more magical knowledge than Daren. After a careful study, he found a way to crack the magical runes.

These two magical runes were linked and triggered. If someone tried to forcibly open the door, the first rune would immediately activate the Alarm spell, producing a loud alarm sound, and the second rune would instantly send a short message to Daren, informing him that someone was trying to break into his room.

The design was clever, but the two magical runes were simple, making it easy for Gordon to crack them.

"Lo-jah, kaal-zoor." Gordon chanted the incantation, and the arcane energy gathered at his fingertips passed over the magical runes. Daren's runes sparked and then dimmed.

"Done." Gordon smiled, chanted the Knock spell, and opened the door.

The Rod Lord treated his subordinates well. Even a young mage like Daren, who was not very senior, had excellent treatment. This apartment was over 200 square meters, with a living room, study, bedroom, bathroom, toilet, and, most importantly, a magic laboratory, all fully equipped. Although it was not as good as Gordon's standalone house, it was still very nice.

Just the laboratory alone, with its ventilation, explosion suppression, fire extinguishing, and magical lighting functions, would cost at least 1,000 gold coins if a mage had to build it themselves.

Gordon took a tour and found that Daren had kept the room very clean. In fact, most mages kept their residences very tidy. For mages who valued logic and order, it was hard to tolerate a chaotic living space.

Although he did not find any useful evidence, Gordon did not rummage through the room like a low-skilled thief. Mages had their own methods.

He took out a crystal ball from his dimensional bag.

This was a precious magical item given to Gordon by the Rod Lord to help with the investigation.

Gordon held the crystal ball in one hand and took out three white gold coins with the other—these were the necessary materials to activate the crystal ball.

Such a costly magical item was naturally not ordinary. This crystal ball contained a seventh-circle Divination spell: Retrospective Vision. Once activated, Gordon could see and hear events that had occurred in a certain range in the past. The duration of the retrospective vision depended on how many gold coins were spent.

Fortunately, the three white gold coins were also provided by Duke Rob, otherwise, Gordon would not have been so extravagant as to use such an expensive method to find evidence.

To control and use a seventh-circle magical item was a huge challenge for a third-circle mage. However, after reading Olor's parchment, Gordon gained 15 points in the "Use Magic Device" skill, which was a great help.

After shouting the activation command and injecting a bit of mana, the crystal ball suddenly emitted a bright yellow light, enveloping the entire room.

The white gold coins in Gordon's hand quickly disappeared in the light.

He took the opportunity to walk around the rooms, holding the crystal ball and letting the yellow light illuminate every corner.

After a while, the yellow light gradually weakened. Gordon felt it was time and put away the crystal ball, leaving Daren's room.

He returned to his own house, placed the crystal ball on the table, and recited the command.

A three-dimensional image, like a color movie, projected from the crystal ball onto the mirror Gordon had prepared.

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