Aozaki Aoko Case File [494] (Patreon)

This was a room filled with all kinds of magical weapons, but the most conspicuous item was still the book placed front and center on the bookshelf.

Even from several meters away, Aoko could sense the immense power contained within from where she stood, as if the threads of the Weave were being twisted near it.

Taking a deep breath, Aoko carefully avoided all the traps and walked up to the bookshelf, taking the book into her hands.

The cover of the book was crafted from red dragon hide, set with intricate patterns carved from enchanted gold. On the front cover, a huge and elaborate cross-star emblem was embedded.

“That’s the crest of Karsus,” Mystra’s voice sounded in Aoko’s mind. “Open it and take a look—I’m curious about what’s inside.”

“Even your predecessor didn’t know?” Aoko asked curiously.

“She definitely didn’t!” Mystra chuckled mockingly. “Because it was my predecessor’s predecessor who was actually involved!”

Aoko didn’t comment further but simply opened the book, which was filled with many secrets. As she turned the first page, several large, gold-embossed characters appeared as the title before her eyes.

"The Annals of Karsus"

Because the book itself possessed extremely powerful magic, Aoko couldn’t use any reading spells to scan its contents; she had to rely on her own ability to rapidly skim through the notes.

“...Why is everything in this book encrypted?” Aoko wondered aloud, turning page after page. Most of what she saw had nothing to do with magic—clearly, the book had been encrypted by its author.

“Keep turning the pages at this speed,” Mystra instructed. “I have a way to decrypt it. The content itself isn’t the problem—getting it through your hands is what matters.”

So Aoko sat down on a nearby chest and spent a full hour flipping through the book in this booby-trapped room, until finally, she reached the unencrypted part—the very last page.

This was the main point. The content here was clearly written by Karsus himself, as the tone and words dripped with arrogance, reminding her of Tokiomi from Fuyuki City.

On this last important page, it was recorded that near the end of his life, Karsus had created three immensely powerful artifacts: a crown, a sphere of annihilation, and a scepter.

From the descriptions, each of these items possessed extraordinary power—even Aoko’s Midnight’staff couldn’t compare. However, what puzzled her was that Karsus described these artifacts in vague and ambiguous terms.

For example, “filled with powerful mysterious energy” or “can unleash unimaginable power.”

“Find it strange?” Mystra’s voice sounded in Aoko’s ear. “You should!”

“How so?” Aoko asked, intrigued.

“Karsus, that guy, truly became a god in the last instant of his life,” Mystra said with a tone full of ridicule. "But at the same time, he was designated by the gods above as the Fool of the Gods, having committed an unforgivable act of folly.

“But his actions were guided by some presence behind the scenes,” Mystra continued. “That being made Karsus arrogant, blind, and impatient, causing him to neglect many of the most complex parts of magic. So even though he created these three artifacts, he probably knew nothing of the truths hidden behind them.”

“I see,” Aoko nodded. “A pure practitioner—knows how to use things, but not how they really work.”

“You did well,” Mystra praised. “Now I can finally confirm the existence of these three artifacts. As soon as they appear in the future, I’ll be able to take notice immediately.”

“By the way, about that sphere of annihilation—is it...?” Aoko asked her most pressing question.

“Yes, it does indeed contain a fragment of the Weave inside,” Mystra explained seriously. “But unlike the fragment within you, this is a warped Karsus Weave—a shattered remnant from the past. It’s harmful to this world and brings nothing but disaster.”

“But the fragment within you is different,” Mystra said. “That’s a part I placed in your soul myself. It’s not broken. Rather than 'fragment,' which is misleading, it’s more accurate to call it a 'reflection of the Weave.'”

“As long as this thing is safe, that’s all that matters,” Aoko breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, “What should I do with this scroll?”

“You can take it,” Mystra said. “It’s a remnant of a past calamity—very powerful, but if you use it, the Weave around you will fall into chaos, and you’ll temporarily lose the ability to cast spells.”

“Got it,” Aoko carefully stowed the scroll into her imaginary space. “If someone ever pushes me to the brink, I’ll just blow us all up with it!”

“Now, go look for the other book,” Mystra instructed. “But that book is cursed, so remember to dispel the curse first. Nothing special.”

With that, Mystra fell silent. Aoko got up from the chest and retraced her steps out of Karsus’s room.

She then followed the sequence of Silver Hand to unlock the room opposite Karsus’s.

This room contained quite a few scrolls. Aoko picked out the ones for Wall of Stone, Wall of Ice, Sunbeam, and Flesh to Stone, then came to the glass display case at the center of the room.

She tapped the glass case with the tip of Midnight Staff, and the lock popped open in response. Inside lay a black-covered spellbook, inlaid with gold arcane patterns and radiating a sinister aura.

Cautiously, Aoko cast dispel curse, then used her gloved hand to touch the book, finally picking it up to browse through.

Coincidentally, this was a necromancy tome from Thay, titled “Codex of Szass Tam.”

Its contents were far deeper than the spellbook Sofia had possessed; even the Red Wizards would covet it.

After carefully reviewing it, Aoko concluded this book was likely written by one of the early leaders of Thay’s necromancer school, before Szass Tam’s rise.

Not only did it describe the powerful effects of necromancy spells, but it also detailed various precautions and associated risks.

No doubt, when Szass Tam wrote books, he wouldn’t bother with these unnecessary details.