15 Curios to cabbages

Inside the weathered old trunk were several tomes, a few scrolls, and a tiny bottle that was about a third filled with a glowing blue liquid. Looking through the books and parchment scrolls Zanir realized they were written in an ancient language which he couldn't understand.

He would absorb them directly to see how the space reacted. Starting with the parchment scrolls he began to take them in as the system began to prompt him.

[Material analyzed. Language detected does not match any known sample parsed. Unknown radiation type detected. Results will be logged for further review as relevant data becomes available.]

The system was able to recognize the runes as a language but had no basis to classify them. Let's see if these basic magic tomes will help out. He began to absorb several thick tomes such as 'Fundamentals of Magic theory', 'Mana sensitivity and manipulation', and 'Ragnar's repertoire of Runes'.

*Ding*

[Host has absorbed significant magical related knowledge. System recommends creation of Magic subroutine.]

[Authorize the system to use 10 dimensional power to create Magic subroutine?]

He quickly agreed to create the Magic subroutine. Zanir knew that magic played a major role in the world of Norantal. It had even replaced technology in some ways. He needed in depth knowledge and analysis of the items and spells he would run into.

Seeing the Magic subroutine handling the data impressed him. It began indexing the tomes right away. He could browse a digital copy of them any time but found it was not necessary. A simple search would bring up the relevant sections without having to browse through the entire book.

The Magic subroutine even began to correlate and label the previously unknown scrolls. He watched as they changed from mysterious characters into legible text. 'This would make a pretty cool screensaver' Zanir mused.

Casually he explained to his mom that soon he'd be able to read the scrolls. Naturally she was shocked by this as he had just absorbed the old reference tomes she had. It would take many hours of research to comprehend these things. That kind of comprehension would overshadow even the most gifted genius. Sarah urged him to take caution and not to reveal it to any outsiders.

Zanir readily agreed. He knew that people would be suspicious if someone knew so much about magic but wasn't a mage. It would have to be kept under wraps until he could go to some academy for 'training'. He could just download the library and let the system do all the work.

While the subroutine was busy decoding Zanir went for the item that most interested him. The vial of blue liquid which was still giving off it's gentle glow. It reminded him of the blue color that some deep sea creatures like anglerfish used to attract prey. He reached out and grabbed the mysterious and mesmerizing liquid.

The absorption process was quick as efficient as always. He saw both the vial and the liquid inside vanish. The system notification he was expecting came right away.

[System has detected a higher quality water being absorbed. Concentrated levels of Dimensional energy detected. Replacement of spatial water base source pending Magic subroutine analysis of structure. Estimated time of completion: Seven days, six hours, and thirty seven minutes.]

Finishing up the items in the trunk he helped his mom pack it up. Zanir asked her a few questions about magic as they brought the trunk back in. Some things were always easier to learn in person as opposed to from learning them from a book. A few of the questions even gave Sarah pause.

Luckily his father came in right at that moment saving her from the embarrassment.

"Zanir, I've gathered a few crops for us to try out."

He had a crate with him containing some of the different crops that they grew on the farm. The system mentioned it could activate a Farming subroutine. Zanir knew why his father was so excited. If the system could do the farming he would have a lot more time to spend on training. People would always gravitate towards what they loved to do.

Zanir found that more and more he loved absorbing things. People had hobbies and would collect this or that. He didn't have to pick or chose what to collect. He would take anything from the rarest curios to the most common cabbages.