CHAPTER 37 (Patreon)

Veena led me out of the garden and back into the house. She was walking rather fast for someone who was supposed to be showing me around. I had to jog to keep up. I was a toddler after all.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“The trophy room.”

“You have a trophy room?”

“Of course we do,” Veena said and gave me a look. “We are House Salakin.”

“Right. How silly of me.”

She huffed and continued walking. I helped myself to a headstart in studying artifacts. Now that she was walking right in front of me, I had a perfect opportunity to study her amulet. I activated Mana Sight and focused on the blue stone.

There was a complicated mana formation woven into the amulet. Most of the mana was concentrated inside the stone, but there were also thin patterns running along its silver setting. I could see that some parts of the formation were connected to others, and that there was a small reserve of refined mana within the stone.

But I couldn't make sense of the thing. It was too intricate. Just like Mez’s Skill Scroll, except this I could at least somewhat comprehend.

There was clearly some kind of magical structure inside the amulet. Instead of a spell circle, it was enclosed in a tiered rectangle. But when I tried to concentrate in the middle of the formation, the patterns became too small and too complicated for me to see.

How annoying!

Veena stopped and turned towards me. “Why are you staring at me?”

“How do you know I was?”

She rolled her eyes. “Obviously I have an awareness Skill.”

Damn it. Everyone had one but me. I should really do something about that.

“Answer my question,” she demanded.

“I was looking at your amulet.”

She put her hand over it. “What about it?”

“What does it do?”

“None of your business!”

“Oh, come on. You're supposed to show me magical items.”

“And I will. But I'm not telling you everything about my equipment. I don’t trust you enough.”

Well, that was fair enough, I supposed, but I continued looking at the amulet anyway. Veena narrowed her eyes at me, but decided to ignore me and continue the tour.

We walked up a flight of stairs and through a long corridor. There were a few standing by and servants carrying trays and baskets. The house was rather impressive. There were proper wooden floors, painted walls, and even glass windows. Our little hut back home would have fit into one of the larger rooms.

Finally Veena stopped before a pair of wooden doors and pushed them open. “This is our family's trophy room.”

There were shelves along all four walls, and several tables displaying objects of all kinds. Spears, swords, shields, carved wooden statues, polished stones, and even what looked like the skull of a very large raptor. There was also a long row of cups made of silver. I nodded at them.

“Have the Salakins won the tournament before?” I asked.

“Many times,” Veena said proudly. “My grandfather won twice.”

“Nice.”

“Nice?” She gave me an incredulous look. “Do you know how difficult that is? He won the first at nine years old!”

“Okay, that is pretty impressive.”

She harrumphed and turned to show me more stuff.

“What's that?” I asked, pointing at a bronze disk mounted on a wooden stand.

“That is a navigator's compass. It was gifted to my great-grandfather by a merchant from Baros.”

The disk had a number of strange markings around its edge, and a needle suspended over its center. But the interesting part was the mana formation inscribed into the bronze. I leaned in closer to inspect it.

“Does it point north?”

“No. It points towards a particular harbor on Baros.”

“Oh, that’s pretty neat,” I said. “Can I touch it?”

Veena hesitated. “Just be careful.”

I took the disk off its stand and examined it with Mana Sight.

The formation was surprisingly simple. There was a small mana reservoir, and an arrangement that seemed to keep the needle aligned with something. I could see several repeated patterns around the disk, but I didn't understand how the whole thing worked.

Still, it was much easier to examine than Veena's amulet.

I could actually see the entire formation.

“Who made this?”

“An artificer, obviously.”

I looked up. “A what?”

Veena blinked. “You really don't know?”

I shrugged.

She looked rather pleased and launched into a smug explanation. “Artificers make magical items. They inscribe formations into weapons, armor, jewelry and all kinds of other things. The best ones do commissions for the great houses on Baros. Like our house.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Our main family employs several. They can make artifacts worth more than this entire house.”

There was a profession for making magical artifacts? Sign me up!

“Can anyone learn it?”

“I suppose. But it requires specialized Skills and a lot of training. My father says that even a mediocre artificer can earn a very good living on the mainland.”

Making magical items sounded really exciting. Especially if I could combine it with Spellcrafting. I had already learned how to make continuous spell formulas, so making one that was bound to an object didn't seem like such a crazy idea.

I placed the compass back on its stand and went to examine the next magical item sitting in a corner.

A small wooden chest with a silver band around its lid. It was enchanted too, although the mana formation was even simpler than the compass.

“How did you know it’s enchanted?” Veena asked, clutching her amulet.

“I can see it,” I said.

“How?”

“What is this chest?”

She glared at me, but then relented. “It's a preservation box. Food placed inside stays fresh much longer.”

I examined the silver band. There were tiny inscriptions on its inner surface, and I could see it was inert, but if activated, mana would run through the silver.

“How does it work?”

“It keeps things from spoiling.”

“Right, I figured that much. But how What powers it? How is the inscription formula created?”

Veena gave me an annoyed look. “How should I know? I'm a Warrior, not an Artificer!”

“Right.”

I kept studying the inscriptions. I could see how ambient mana was being fed into the silver band, and I could identify the components that maintained the spell. It was fascinating. Instead of constantly casting the same formula, someone had apparently made the item do it automatically. As long as the artifact was activated, the formula would get a stable input of mana and keep the magical effect active.

That was exactly what I wanted for my Kinetic Shield!

I spent some time examining the chest, but I just couldn’t quite decipher it. All of these artifacts seemed to have the spell formula somehow embedded into the material itself, which was confusing to me.

“Do you have anything else?” I asked.

Veena crossed her arms. “Are you not impressed by these artifacts? That compass came all the way from Baros!”

“I'm very impressed. That's why I want to see more.”

Veena tapped her lips with a finger as she thought. Then she nodded to herself. She went to the door and called for a servant.

“Fetch Captain Reskan.”

“Right away, young miss.”

I returned to studying the preservation box while we waited. I wish I had something to make notes with.

I was beginning to recognize a few common structures between the compass and the box. Both had something that stored mana, and absorbed ambient mana. Additionally both had something that maintained the effect without requiring anyone to keep casting a spell. I really wanted to study that part, because it could be the key to creating my dream of an autonomous barrier.

This was the good stuff. I shuddered with excitement at getting to study these items.

I think Veena saw that.

“You are some kind of a magic pervert, aren’t you?”

I just turned and gave her a wide grin. “Maybe.”

Captain Reskan was a large man with a shaved head and a long scar across his cheek. He wore a sleeveless tunic and a leather belt from which hung a curved sabre in a decorated scabbard.

He looked at me, then at Veena.

“My lady. You called?”

“Yes. Show Luka your sabre.”

Reskan frowned. “May I ask why?”

“Because he wants to study it.”

The captain looked down at me and I gave him my best smile.

He didn't smile back. “My lady, this is a valuable weapon. I would rather not—”

“Captain.” Veena put her hands on her hips. “I was asking you because I am in a good mood, but it was not a request.”

Wait— this was her good mood?

The captain sighed, although I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. “As you command, young miss.”

He drew the weapon and held it out at my eye level. The sabre had a beautiful curved blade, with a line of intricate markings running along its fuller. The metal was polished almost to a mirror finish, but I was much more interested in the mana formation.

I stepped closer and activated Mana Sight.

I could see mana flowing through the markings, gathering near the edge of the blade. Because the enchantment was on the flat of the blade, I could actually study it. The patterns were intricate, but they were similar to my structured magic. This was clearly a simple enchantment, which allowed me to understand its structure better than the previous ones.

I even recognized some of the symbols used. Was that kinetic magic? The formation was doing something similar to the compression components of my Water Bullet. I needed to use a lot of them to harden the water so it would devastate on impact. This had similar effects.

“Well?” Veena snapped.

“This enchantment…” I muttered. “It hardens the edge, right?”

Both Veena and Reskan raised their eyebrows and stared at me.

“You could tell by looking at the blade?” Veena asked.

“Yes, it’s using the same language as my spells.”

Captain Reskan bowed to me. “This— I apologize for my previous rudeness. I did not know you were an Artificer.”

“I’m not— you know what, never mind,” I said. “Can you show me the blade in action?”

He gave me a doubtful look, but then looked at Veena who nodded. Reskan looked around, then took a wooden practice weapon from a nearby rack.

“Stand back,” the captain said.

He laid the practice sword across two stools, raised his sabre, and brought it down.

Tak!

The enchanted blade cut through the wood like it was paper.

“Again!” I said.

The captain raised an eyebrow at my enthusiastic grin. Hmph, what a serious guy. What kind of a boy wouldn’t enjoy watching someone hacking something to bits with a sword?

Veena sighed. “Just humor him.”

Reskan picked up another piece of wood and repeated the demonstration. This time I focused entirely on the mana formation. When the captain swung, the blade drank the atmospheric mana it cut through. Then I saw the active particles flow towards the cutting edge, and then I noticed something.

The kinetic component wasn't simply hardening the blade. With each swing, it was magically directing the force of the swing to the impact point. The mana the blade was drinking was converging on where the blow’s weight was.

That was very clever!

Also very intricate. I wondered if I could do that for a Water Bullet. It would require me to somehow either remote control it after the spell was launched, or to program it into the activation formula. I told him to stop so I could study the blade further. I leaned closer and tried to follow the inscriptions with my Mana Sight now that I had an idea of what to look for.

I traced my thumb on the flat of the blade and deciphered its magic. Some of the enchantment’s symbols were interlocked in a way that flowed like cursive. Well, well, I hadn’t seen that before. Was this the dynamic spell effect that allowed for redirection of energy when the blade was swung?

Then something clicked.

[Meditation level 21!]

[+1 Perception]

[+2 Focus]

[Mana Sight level 20!]

[+4 Perception]

[+2 Mana Flow]

[Arcane Convergence strengthened!]

[Mana Precision: +20%]

[Mana Efficiency: +20%]

[Perk obtained: Arcane Deconstruction!]

Description: Allows you to isolate and analyze the functional components of observed mana formations. Improves your ability to understand unfamiliar magical structures.

Ah, that felt gooood. It was a long time coming. Even though it had been my second skill, it was lagging a bit behind. I supposed something finally clicked, because I was so deliberately using my Mana Sight.

The perk was fantastic. I was now even more excited by the prospect of studying magical items. I was absolutely sure I could improve my Spellcrafting by studying the formulas.

Then another notification appeared.

[Attribute Milestone Reached: Perception 100!]

[Achievement obtained: Attribute Milestone I — Perception!]

[Reward: +5 Perception!]

Ooh, that was a nice bonus. Don’t mind if I do.

[Total Skill Level 100 reached!]

[New Skill Slot unlocked!]

This was expected, but entirely welcome. I felt so much more comfortable, now that I had a free Skill Slot. Although, I was starting to really warm up to the idea of an awareness Skill. At least now I had a chance to learn one.

I knew I was with company, and entirely absorbed into my own little world, but I couldn’t help myself. I checked my Status.

Name: Luka

Attributes:

Perception: 106

Focus: 49

Mana Flow: 99

Magic Power: 97

Skills:

Meditation II (Uncommon): 21

Mana Sight (Mythic): 20

Mana Manipulation II (Uncommon*): 23

Spellcrafting (Rare): 16

Mana Absorption (Epic): 13

Mana Transmutation (Epic): 8

Total Level: 101

Skill Slots: 6/7

Cultivation:

Arcane Body Art — First Layer: 1.2%

Insight: Purified Mana

Perks:

Sage, Contemplative, Magical Insight, Unique, Arcane Convergence (20%), Mana Weaving, Continuous Casting, Perfect Initiation (Mana Absorption), Mana Augmentation, Mana Resonance (9%), Multicasting, Apex Predator, Prodigy, Arcane Deconstruction

Special Achievements: Awakened Mind

Achievements: First Skill, Unique, Cultivation, Beastslayer I, Prodigy, Attribute Milestone I — Perception

Absolutely beautiful.

Veena smacked me on the shoulder. I must have had a wild grin on my face. “Magic pervert!”

The captain chuckled. “I think he leveled up, young miss.”

I turned to beam at both of them. “Thank you! This has been so helpful.”

“Well… good!” Veena said. “But you better win at the Tournament, now that I’ve made you strong.”

“I’m not done yet,” I said and turned my attention back to the sabre.

I focused on the enchantment and tried to understand what I was seeing. And immediately I noticed the difference. Before, the formation had looked like one complicated structure. I had to follow the mana flows and try to figure out what each part was doing.

Now I could examine them separately. I could feel my new Perk working.

There was the reservoir, the mana channel, the component that concentrated kinetic force, and another that kept the enchantment stable. I still didn't understand everything, but I could make out the purpose of each part much more easily. The automatic part of the enchantment was still a bit muddled to me, and the cursive part that governed the dynamic enchantment was still gibberish, but now I had a much better idea of how artifacts and their magic worked.

I was so going to learn artificing later.

But first there was something else I needed to examine.

I turned towards Veena. “Your amulet.”

She immediately put her hand over it. “Again?”

“Yes. Please.”

She looked at me suspiciously. “Why?”

“I got a Perk. I think I can understand it better now.”

“A Perk? What level are your Skills?”

“I just got 20 in my mana sensing ability.”

Both the captain and Veena stared at me with their mouths agape.

“Young master…” the captain said. “How old are you?”

“Almost three,” I said. “Why?”

Veena and the captain looked at each other.

“I got my first Skill to 20 at nine years old,” the captain muttered.

Veena just blushed and glared at me. Then without a word she removed her amulet and pushed it into my hands. “Don't damage it.”

“Wouldn't dream of it.”

I held the amulet carefully and activated Mana Sight.

Oh, now that was interesting. Because the amulet was more advanced than the rest of the items, the difference was stark. With the lesser artifacts, I had been able to study their patterns before they got muddled. With the amulet, it had been indecipherable to me from the start.

But now, with Arcane Deconstruction, I could immediately identify several parts of the formation.

There was a mana reserve, a trigger mechanism, and an elaborate structure containing multiple effects. I recognized elements similar to my Kinetic Shield, although the formation was significantly more complicated. After further study, I saw there were two effects that were interlaced into the pattern.

The first was definitely kinetic magic, but the other one…

“Does this thing have two enchantments?” I asked.

Veena blinked, but didn’t let her composure fall. “Maybe.”

“Protection and something else?”

She stared at me in open shock. She totally let her composure fall. “How did you know that?”

I grinned. “Magic.”

“That's not an answer!” She gave me a very annoyed look. “Tell me!”

“The Perk I got was good,” I said and smiled.

After further inquiry, I could see that the first enchantment was indeed Kinetic Shield. Just very powerful. But when I tried to trace the second enchantment, the structure became too fine for my Mana Sight.

“I see,” I muttered to myself. “The first spell is a variant of Basic Kinetic. But the second one is not a basic-level spell. It’s something more advanced…”

The second portion of the formula resembled the incomplete and confusing mess of the Skill Scroll. Clearly I was too low level to comprehend it. I looked at the amulet's silver setting. There were also inscriptions on the metal, but they were almost too small to see even with my new Perception.

I was interrupted from my studies when a butler in a black tailcoat came to the trophy room. 

“Ah, there you are, young miss, young master.”

“Just Luka,” I said.

“Very good,” the butler said. “The governor has asked you to return to his study to finalize the negotiation.”

I was pretty annoyed at having been interrupted, but I was a guest in the governor’s house, and I suppose I had agreed to help him with his political stuff.

I'd gotten my new Mana Sight Perk, another Skill Slot, and five free Perception. I had also learned that magical craftsmanship was an entire profession on the mainland. One that I was absolutely going to learn later.

What a great afternoon!

But this had been an appetizer. I had indeed agreed to help the rich governor, and it seemed that Danek had gotten somewhere in the negotiations. I was eager to learn what would be offered to me.

I sure hoped it was something magical.

“Fine,” I said. “Lead the way.”