Free Web NovelChapter 452: Chapter 449: Mindset Transformation
’Bro... are you leaking secrets already?’
Rorschach was certain the uploader was Richard. The idea of combining "radio" with the Communication Skill was something Rorschach had told Prime Minister Otto, who then relayed it to the Military Mages. The only person who had access to both the Empire Army’s inner circle and Rorschach’s Spell Cloud was this guy. Now that Richard had produced a "finished product," it showed the Empire’s efficiency was remarkably high.
However, the Magic was only First Ring and didn’t even create a new node on the Tree of Law. This meant it only utilized existing casting principles, but with a new set of Descriptors.
The real breakthrough in transmission distance was still the key idea that electromagnetic waves could carry and transmit information.
What Rorschach hadn’t expected was for Richard to get the hang of it so quickly and to proactively upload a new Magic from within the Empire’s Military Mages. The way he and Caroline had uploaded Magic was by directly entering the Boundary Land, registering the spell prototype with the Tree of Law, constructing a perfect Original Scripture, and letting the Tower Spirit analyze it.
This was the most direct, fastest, and most successful method, but it also came with risks. If everyone who wanted to upload their own exclusive Magic had to enter the Boundary Land, it would increase the chances of that space being exposed and coveted.
The tutorial Richard had received was the new "Open Source Version" method. The User didn’t need to personally go to the Boundary Land or demonstrate the spell prototype in front of the Tree of Law. Instead, Rorschach had compiled a relatively standardized process, teaching the uploader how to deconstruct a Magic into a Spell Chain composed of Descriptors and Feature Symbols, then submit it to the Tower Spirit through a special ritual.
This method was safe and scalable, but it wasn’t without limitations. First, Magic uploaded this way must only contain existing Feature Symbols, and the creation of Descriptors had to strictly follow a structure the Tower Spirit could understand. Second, to "transcribe" the original Magic in this way, one had to have a very thorough understanding of its principles and also comprehend the system Rorschach himself had designed.
Rorschach had a panel that could deconstruct entries, making the above operations as easy as an open-book test for him. For other Casters, however, there was no guarantee they could figure out all the principles of a Magic they had mastered, let alone summarize it into a standardized casting procedure.
That was why Rorschach was so surprised. Not only had he underestimated the Empire’s development speed, but he also hadn’t expected Richard to learn so quickly.
’This is pretty interesting...’ Through the feedback from the Developer’s Manual Scroll, Richard confirmed that the Magic he uploaded had been successfully registered. The Tower Spirit had even marked the uploader as "Rick." He then contacted the Mage who had sent him a message that morning to inform them of his estimated recovery time. This time, however, Richard used Casting supported by the Spell Cloud.
The other party didn’t notice anything unusual, but Richard himself felt the communication quality had dropped slightly and needed further adjustment.
He was a bit fatigued. Lying on his large bed, he continued to browse, channeling Magic Power into the corners of the Scroll to "turn the pages." The example in the Developer’s Manual was the Light Technique, and it mainly covered three aspects:
How it was deconstructed into the two Feature Symbols: Magic Concentration and Excitation Brightness.
How to use Descriptors to modify its casting effect, achieving two outcomes—"imbue an object with light" and "summon a light orb"—as well as various colors of light.
How to balance the trade-offs between the two conflicting properties of brightness and duration for the same amount of Magic Power consumption.
There was also more High Tier content, such as cycling through colors and setting the light orb’s trajectory, but Richard chose to skip the advanced sections based on his current level.
As for the Radio Communication Skill he had constructed, it was based on the Communication Skill’s Spell Chain from the Newly Compiled Middle and Low Level Spells and the Thunder Spell.
The more he read, the more Richard felt that the person who wrote these two Scrolls was incredibly skilled. Not only did they have a thorough understanding of all the recorded Magic, but they had also compiled it into a new system that could significantly lower the barrier to learning Magic.
’Did Rorschach join some powerful organization? Is this their masterpiece?’ Richard muttered the strange name, "Spell... Cloud..." He was certain this system didn’t belong to the Tower of Stars. Otherwise, Rorschach would never have given it to him, a Military Mage of the Empire. Besides, if the Mages of the Tower of Stars could really use the Spell Cloud, the Mages in the National Guard would never be so evenly matched with the Military Mages.
’Open and shared, huh...’ Richard had been moved by the promotional slogan. The materials did indeed contain numerous spells up to the Fourth Ring, something no Mage Tower would ever casually record on a Scroll for him to learn at his leisure. That was why he had boldly uploaded the Radio Communication Skill.
The Tower Spirit sent him feedback through the Scroll in the form of "Points." With these Points, he could unlock more advanced Magic tutorials in the New Spell Compilation—first by browsing the list of existing Third Ring and higher Magic on the Spell Cloud, then spending Points to unlock the details.
Of course, uploading Magic wasn’t the only way to get Points. Rorschach’s requirement for Hanna and the others was that they could earn Points by passing a Magic Power test and an exam he had written. The entire Points system was supported by the Tower Spirit. In the Boundary Land, a "Clock Shelf" similar to the one in the Tower of Stars had appeared. For each new User, an illusory "Pocket Watch" would materialize to indicate the score they held.
Space Anchor... Mist Step... Molten Beam. Richard stopped browsing when he got to this one. He spent the Points he had earned to view the Magic’s details. Just as he thought, it bore some resemblance to the Dragon Breath Skill he had favored most when he was still a Middle Level Mage. However, "Dragon Breath" emphasized the process of "expulsion," whereas this Magic’s Descriptors indicated the creator wanted the Caster to concentrate their energy.
"Sir, would you like to have lunch?"
The maid’s question from outside the door interrupted his thoughts. Richard quickly sprang up from the bed and answered, simultaneously destroying the temporary Communication Array he had drawn and putting away the two precious Scrolls.
He now fully recognized the value of the two special Scrolls. After confirming they had reverted to their disguise as common novels, he stored them in his ring. As he walked out of the room, Richard wore a smile. He had already figured out what he would be doing in the short term: learning more Magic from the New Spell Compilation to build up his strength and continuing to study the Developer’s Manual.
The Mage set a small goal for himself: after recovering his Middle Level strength, he would upload his specialty, the Dragon Breath Skill, to the "Spell Cloud."
’I really wish Rorschach would introduce me to the Mage who created the Spell Cloud. If there’s an organization, I wonder if I could join...’ At this moment, Richard was already a firm believer in the "open source" philosophy.
* * *
Unaware of his friend’s thoughts, the "Source God" Rorschach was walking down Valuva Street with Caroline. However, it wasn’t just the two of them; Snow and Paulina were accompanying them, as the times were not peaceful.
Richard wasn’t the only one whose mindset had changed. This time, Caroline saw clearly what those wooden frames were for and finally understood that the "peaceful and quiet life" in the Lansite-Kempson Special Zone was an exception during the war.
