Reforged Chapter 51: The Secret of the Handbook

Duke was astonished.

The breath he exhaled was filled with surprise.

The old man looked at Duke, his seemingly aged and murky eyes gleaming with wisdom. The room's furnishings were simple, with soft beige walls, two comfortable armchairs, and a low tea table. There was nothing else that could possibly distract Duke's attention.

After a brief moment of shock, Duke faced the old mage who had given him a chance, who had provided him with a new beginning in the world of Azeroth.

His gaze was complicated, filled with disappointment from self-abandonment and hope placed on others.

On the old man's face, Duke seemed to see the final wish of an elder who had been obsessed with magic, struggled for it all his life, but had achieved little. Unable to refuse the expectation of an old man at the end of his life, Duke eventually nodded.

"If you agree, I'll call you 'Master' from now on."

The elder Norton looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He shook all over, as if his ears were playing tricks on him, and his eyes widened in disbelief—what? The arrogant youngster whom even the world's strongest mage, Medivh, had dismissed, was calling me his master?

Happiness came so suddenly that the old man couldn't believe it.

"Uh, Duke, well... I did originally want to become your teacher... But Medivh... well... I, actually..." The old man's words became jumbled.

Duke stepped forward and grasped Norton's hand firmly: "Don't underestimate yourself. If it weren't for your proposal at the Northshire Abbey, I might have been killed by Brand. As for my refusal to be Medivh's disciple, it's not just because of pride, but for deep reasons that you will understand in the future."

The old man's mouth twitched, and his eyes began to moisten. In the end, he didn't cry but sighed deeply: "Please forgive me, a spellcaster with little courage. I'm not worthy of being your master. To be your teacher, I should have become your safe harbor with my own body. The moment I didn't step forward, I knew I had lost the opportunity to be your teacher forever. However, I would be honored to be your guide into the world of magic."

Seeing the old man's determined heart, Duke could only nod.

A teacher and a guide are not the same. But this would have to do.

Elder Norton immediately put on a stern teacher's demeanor, holding both the High Elf Mage Apprentice Handbook and a translation he had written himself.

"I've studied this Apprentice Handbook carefully for a long time, and I've found that, for a thousand years, mankind's research in the field of magic has actually taken a detour."

"A detour?"

"Yes! Traditional magical training involves teaching a large amount of magical knowledge to children with potential, then letting them communicate with other realms, such as the Elemental Plane, for magical energy. Then, through meditation, they guide the magical energy into their bodies, transforming themselves and forming a magical circuit. Following that, it's day after day of cultivation, making the magical circuit thicker and stronger."

At this point, the old man pointed to the Elvish text in the notebook and suddenly spat, "This is indeed the safest way to practice magic. Back when humans had no contact with magic a thousand years ago, this method was the safest way to practice. But the cunning elves held something back."

"Held something back?" Duke pricked up his ears.

"Yes, they held something back! Do you know why high elves are naturally better at magic than humans?"

Duke frowned, "Racial talent?"

"That's certainly a factor, but there's another reason - the Sunwell!"

Duke immediately realized what he meant, "You mean..."

"Yes! In fact, for those with excellent physical fitness, the foundation of magic can be quickly mastered. No, even apprentices with average physical fitness can easily advance to the level of a Morningstar mage. The prerequisite is that they need a highly concentrated mana source to transform their bodies day and night, and it must be the body of a child still in the growth stage."

Duke was overwhelmed. Where could he find a Sunwell? The high elves guarded it tightly, and anyone who tried to touch it would face their wrath. He didn't think he had the ability to go to Quel'thalas and deal with the Sun King.

At this point, the old man Norton patted Duke's shoulder, "I'll bet even the person who gave you this Apprentice's Handbook didn't realize they gave you such an amazing treasure trove!"

Duke added in his heart: It's 'she', not 'he.'

"The first 49 pages are basically the same as a human mage apprentice training manual, just more refined. But the last page..." The old man flipped to the last page of the notebook. Duke didn't know Elvish, but that didn't stop him from noticing that the Elvish writing on this page became sloppy, completely different from the neat writing in the rest of the book, as if it was very casual.

The old man also opened Duke's translated version. Duke found that the last page had not been translated.

"Do you know why I didn't translate it?"

Duke shook his head.

"Because this page of Elvish is nonsense." The old man squinted and smiled, "Just as you created a Pearl route out of thin air. I was suddenly inspired; this is not a language at all, but a series of special magical circuit diagrams."

The old man suddenly became excited, "Ha! It's just that an arcane expert like me would discover the secret. This is a special magical circuit design that can absorb the surrounding free arcane energy like a vortex!"

"This..." Duke was astonished.

"And this is a completely different magical circuit cultivation method from the one commonly used by elves. It has a more extensive way of expanding the magical circuit for absorbing arcane energy. I don't know why the Sun King would suggest Prince Kael'thas to practice like this, but this is like helping you. If you practice according to this, even without the Sunwell, you can quickly increase and strengthen your magical circuits."

As soon as Norton mentioned this, Duke immediately understood why. If history in the game proceeded as it should, Quel'thalas would fall in the not-too-distant future, and all surviving high elves would become hopelessly addicted to arcane energy.

As the king of high elves, Sun King Anasterian knew full well how terrible the Sunwell's addictive nature was to the elves. So, sending Kael'thas to study in Dalaran was a way to give him more hope and a broader future.

But the Sun King didn't expect that his little selfish act, which he thought would never be discovered, would eventually end up in the hands of Alleria and then to Duke.

Duke suddenly sighed, Alleria truly was his benefactor!