Free Web NovelChapter 113: Chapter 99: Sword, Magic Staff, and Gloves
Let’s set aside the currently unobtainable Magic Wand Sword for now. The Mithril Gloves Flora had mentioned, however, piqued Lin Mo’s interest.
That way, they wouldn’t interfere with his sword fighting and could also amplify his Magic.
He wasn’t very familiar with the price of a material like Mithril, but it sounded rather expensive...
"About how much do a pair of Mithril Gloves cost?"
"In the Royal Capital, they go for about 1000 Gold Coins. But since there’s a small Mithril ore mine near Silver Stream City, the price should be a little cheaper—probably around 800 Gold Coins."
"..."
The corner of Lin Mo’s mouth twitched. ’Alright, never mind I asked.’
He only had 157 Gold on hand. ’When will I ever be able to afford that?’
Seeing his crestfallen expression, Flora finally felt a sense of relief, her mood instantly brightening. "That’s just how it is for Mages. The expenses are higher than for other Professions. Even if you don’t buy Mithril Gloves, a decent, Ordinary Magic Staff costs at least three or four hundred Gold Coins."
"By the way, how’s your Fireball Technique coming along?"
Since her carriage was farther back, Flora hadn’t seen Lin Mo’s battle that morning. She had felt fluctuations of the Fire Element up ahead, but she just assumed he was practicing.
"It’s coming along."
As he spoke, Lin Mo condensed a Fireball in his hand and smashed it into an empty patch of ground nearby.
Compared to the Level 1 Fireball Technique, the Level 2 version was a size larger, and its power was also enhanced.
The smile on Flora’s lips vanished again. She wanted to slap herself.
’Why did I even ask?!’
’Last night, he could barely condense a Fireball. How has it only been half a day, and he’s not only learned to control it and throw it, but it’s also gotten so much bigger?’
With a little time left in their break, Lin Mo took out the Magic Scroll the head of Falling Leaves Village had given him.
’Since I was new to Magic, I’d decided to focus on mastering one spell first. Now, however, I can consider learning this new one. After all, I’ll gain 1 point of Magic Power for learning a new Magic.’
’There’s just one problem... this is an Ice Elemental Magic.’
"Can a Mage learn Magic of multiple Elements?"
It was no wonder Lin Mo had this question; he had never seen Flora use any Magic outside of the Fire Attribute.
"It’s possible, of course, but it’s generally not recommended..."
As she spoke, Flora held out her hand, and an Ice Cone materialized in her palm.
"I’ve already told you about the nature of Magic. A Mage’s power comes from the world itself, but once your own Magic Power is strong enough, you’re no longer bound by that limitation. Even in special environments where the corresponding Element isn’t naturally present, your Magic Power itself will have developed sufficient elemental affinity through long practice. You can still resonate with it and cast Magic."
"The higher your Magic Power’s affinity for a corresponding Element, the smoother the process of learning that Elemental Magic will be. Your Casting Speed and power will also be faster and stronger. This affinity isn’t mutually exclusive between different Elements, but developing it for each Element requires a great deal of practice and long-term accumulation. That’s why the vast majority of Mages choose to major in the Skills of a single Element."
Flora took the Scroll from his hand. "Ice Cone Skill. It’s one of the most common basic Skills in Ice Elemental Magic. It’s fine to practice it; it won’t cause any problems, since you’ve only just started learning Magic. However, when you eventually get access to High Tier Skills, you’ll need to choose an Element that suits you and walk the path of ’Specialization’."
Lin Mo nodded. "I understand."
What Flora said was perfectly correct for the vast majority—one might even say nearly all—Mages.
Being a jack-of-all-trades sounded nice, but in practice, knowing a little of everything often meant mastering nothing. It was better to focus on a single field to achieve a greater breakthrough.
But just as it was best to choose only one Profession, Lin Mo himself held several. This principle was correct, but not absolute.
To put it bluntly, a cheater wasn’t a normal person and shouldn’t be judged by normal logic.
Never mind his speed of learning and practicing Magic; the mere fact that every Skill would automatically evolve and teach him a New Skill upon reaching Full Level already placed Lin Mo completely beyond the realm of ordinary people.
His choice, of course, was ’I’ll take everything.’
"Ice Cone Skill is also one of the simplest and most basic forms of Magic. Its constituent circuits are numbers 11 and 14. These are simple circuits that were developed when Magic was first discovered, so it shouldn’t be difficult for you."
After speaking, Flora handed the Scroll back to Lin Mo.
’She couldn’t be bothered to teach this freak; he didn’t need to be taught anyway.’
Lin Mo nodded, unfurled the Scroll, and prepared to study it.
"Wait!"
Flora stopped him just in time. "Go back to your own carriage to study. Don’t do it in front of me..."
"...Oh."
Lin Mo glanced at Flora’s pained, constipated-looking expression and tried with all his might to keep a straight face, but ultimately failed.
"What are you laughing at?"
Flora shot him an annoyed glare.
"I’m not laughing... PFFT..."
Flora raised her Magic Staff as if to strike him, and Lin Mo quickly turned and fled.
Flora didn’t give chase. She tapped the ground with her Magic Staff and huffed. "That damn kid..."
’But such exceptional talent can’t be allowed to go to waste. Once this incident is resolved, I’ll have to have a good talk with Teacher Elvis about luring him to the academy.’
The lunch break ended quickly. They set off again in the afternoon, with Lin Mo holding the Magic Scroll and studying its circuits. Whenever Demons blocked their path, he would pause his research to grind the Skill Level of his Fireball Technique.
The rest of the journey continued much in the same way...
At noon the next day, after traveling for more than two days, the convoy finally reached its destination.
Standing on a distant earthen slope, Lin Mo gazed at the city in the distance.
Silver Stream City was a proper city, after all. Compared to Roland Town, its scale was immeasurably larger.
"So that’s Silver Stream City? It really lives up to its reputation!"
By contrast, Alton, who had seen Lania City, was even more moved. "Compared to this, Lania City is completely out of its league."
"They’re both border cities, and they started out at a similar level of development. But under the governance of different Lords, the two cities are truly in different leagues now..."
Flora clearly knew more. "Lania City’s current resident population is just under one hundred thousand, while Silver Stream City’s has already surpassed two hundred thousand. It has also been constantly clearing land and expanding its territory in recent years. Before long, it will be classified as a medium-sized city."
"Miss Flora, have you been here before?"
Lin Mo asked curiously.
"I completed my graduation assessment here as a student. After finishing my studies, I didn’t have anything to do right away, so I stayed for a while longer. All in all, I was here for about half a year."
’That’s a long time. No wonder she even knows the local Lord.’
"What kind of person is the Lord of Silver Stream City?"
"You mean Viscount Beixila? She is a respectable and elegant lady. After her husband passed away unexpectedly two years ago, she took on the heavy burden of Silver Stream City’s affairs. She carried on her husband’s will and the plans he had laid out, developing this city into the ideal they had both envisioned."
"I’ve interacted with her many times. She is a kind noble—benevolent, generous, and devoted to her people... She reminds me of Lady Raphael."
Flora recalled the past, and her eyes stung with unshed tears.
"It is because people like them exist that I haven’t completely lost hope in the nobility of this country."
’She sounds like a very good ruler.’
It didn’t really have much to do with Lin Mo, but knowing the Lord of the city you were in was a good person was, in itself, a comforting thought.
’Perhaps that’s why Silver Stream City’s population is more than double that of Lania City and is still growing so rapidly.’
’In a city like this, there would naturally be more Adventurers. The quests available at the Association are bound to be more varied and exciting...’
