[NR] A Philosopher - Chapter 783 (Patreon)

Alexander sighs, “Though I will admit, magic items definitely came first. As much as all of those techniques work perfectly fine as stationary installations. Qi needs the stability that provides if you do not have the proper materials and knowledge to anchor Qi into a handheld item.”

Rosha, “And so everything is just a magical item.”

Alexander half shrugs, his lion’s mane almost hiding the motion. “Basically. I personally feel it is misleading. Not all magical items work on their own. A Qi-powered item that needs to be infused with Qi will not help you out in the wild if you have a Mana core.”

Robby scoffs, “As if most people have a core. Not even a percent of people form one! So even if they primarily use Mana, but need Qi for an item? Well, they can very well gather some Qi for said item. They might suck at it and take a while, but it is possible.”

Rosha rolled her eyes, “As if most people can afford to give up on their progress. Oh sure, I could dispel my Mana pool and draw in some Qi, but that’d be a waste of the highest regard! I’ve spent way too much time purifying my pool and expanding it.”

Robby, “Bah! Most people don’t have the skill for that kind of nonsense. We just use what works best. Qi? Mana? A few points of either is more than enough to start a fire or heal a simple cut. I’ve personally invested points into both.”

Rosha frowns, “How does that even work? You can’t exactly have both at the same time.”

Alexander sighs, “As a traveller, you would not have been told this. The method is generally seen as a waste of points and a dead end. However, there is nothing stopping a person from investing points into both powers. The only limitation being that to invest the points, you have to currently have a pool of that power.”

Robby snorts, “I don’t see why it isn’t shared more. Oh sure, we have a limited number of points to work with, but what’s a few of them? By putting points into a pool, even if you do dissolve it to switch? Well, the next time you form that pool, those extra points are added right back onto it!

“Quite a useful trick when out in the wilds! I figure I switch my pool at least a couple times while between cities. Qi and Mana both have their strong points, so why limit myself?”

Alexander shakes his head, “I will admit, for those who don’t plan on breaking through the next bottleneck? Such a shortcut can be useful. However! For anyone with a hope of forming a core, such a use of points is an active detriment. It can even cause trouble during the core formation process!”

Robby sneers, “Well, some people never had a hope at forming a core in the first place!”

Alexander exhales slowly while looking up at the ceiling. He looks down at Robby, “Everyone has the potential. People from all walks of life regularly form cores.”

Rosha sighs, “This is getting a little heated. How about we all simmer down until the Inspector shows up? I’m almost sorry I asked in the first place.”

Alexander, “Well, to be fair, I do not think we actually answered your original question in the first place. A Qi-based magic item tends to be called a few different names depending on the type of tool. From the popular flying swords, to the easy-to-use talismans, and of course formation flags are everywhere. However, I do not know of a singular name for them as a whole. And Energy-based items are too rare to have a consistent name.”

After that, the three fall into an awkward silence as they wait. Thankfully, this wait isn’t too long and soon enough, the Royal Inspector arrives at the Church of Truth. The group being alerted to this fact by way of a bell ringing.

Alexander perks up, “Ah! He should be here soon enough. While the Royal Inspector is of course exactly that, after the introductions, refer to him by ‘Philosopher’. Being a Royal Inspector is quite prestigious, but he prefers the more universally recognized title, even if in theory it is under his official position.”

Rosha rolls her eyes, “Of course he prefers Philosopher. You don’t get a title like that easily! Most people end up a Sage or Magi if they’re going to be anything like that. ‘Philosopher’ means they have made great achievements without leaning on martial or power-based means.”

Then the three of them hear a pleasant chime.

Alexander, “Ah! That should be him.” And he gets up and opens the door, revealing a man.

This man is some sort of rodent kin, though unusual for such kin, his legs are more pronounced and a long tail coils out behind him for balance. Besides that, his fur is a dusty sand and light tan coloring with a mustache that half looks like whiskers.

As for his clothes? They’re robes of a darker brown that contrasts his fur quite nicely. Though not even he can truly avoid some of the social requirements when it comes to clothes. He has on his head a hat of sorts that honestly looks quite gaudy compared to the rest of his stuff.

It is gold and silver with a number of gems. Though front and center is a coat of arms that depicts some blond-haired man using a trident to spear a two-headed serpent. The serpent’s one head is spewing out a poison cloud and the other has more teeth than should fit.

Rosha takes a moment, but eventually realizes this should be the coat of arms for the nation’s king. Not that she hadn’t seen the imagery before. It is simply that they went overboard with, for lack of a better word, bedazzling it. Like, whoever created this display made it entirely out of gemstones, even if this was at the cost of legibility.