Chapter 3: The Principles of a Magician

The soldiers were too afraid to leave and nervously accompanied them on the side.

The guard station of Xilan City didn't have many people. The real army was all under the control of the city lord's mansion, forming the lord's personal guard. When the commotion happened at the guard station, someone had already gone to inform the lord's guard at the mansion.

Soon enough, the sound of thunderous hooves could be heard from the street as over a hundred swordsmen surrounded the guard station, with ten of them dismounting and entering the gate. The gate had already been blasted open by Jason's fireball.

The leader of the team, wearing armor, drew his sword and approached the main hall. The swordsmen following behind him also drew their weapons.

When the armored swordsman saw the situation inside the hall, he became enraged and pointed at Jason, saying, "Who are you to dare to break into the prison? Surrender now!"

"Idiot!" Jason scolded, pointing his finger and unleashing a burst of green light. A stream of acid shot out and hit the swordsman squarely in the face. The sound of sizzling and smoke filled the air as the acid instantly corroded the skin on the swordsman's face. He screamed in agony and fell to the ground.

After completing the task, Jason turned to Salin beside him and said kindly, "Even if they're enemies, they shouldn't insult wizards. Even if it's an emperor, they can't make a wizard bow down. There's no need to be polite to such rude people."

"I understand, teacher," Salin replied softly, and everyone in the hall trembled at his words.

"Take him outside, he's making too much noise," Jason said to the soldiers on the other side. The intruding soldier felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly dragged the wounded soldier away.

"I don't have much time. Whoever brought my student here, bring them to me within half an hour," Jason took out a magic hourglass and placed it on the table beside him, flipping it over.

At that moment, two armored swordsmen walked in. Their armor was clearly of a higher quality, and they looked like officers. The two swordsmen were of similar build, tall and straight, one with red hair and the other with golden hair. The golden-haired swordsman looked up and saw Jason still maintaining the illumination spell, sending a chill down his spine.

He is not an ignorant ordinary soldier. There are two magic marks on Jason's gray magic robe, indicating that he is a Level 5 mage. Who was the idiot who offended such a big shot?

Mage robes come in three colors: white for levels one to three, gray for levels four to six, and black for levels seven to nine. The magic marks on the mage robe represent the mage's level. Gray-robed mages are already considered great mages, and even the city lord cannot afford to offend them.

The red-haired swordsman silently saluted Jason, then said to the surrounding soldiers, "You, immediately go and arrest everyone involved in this matter. If one person is missing, I'll replace you."

These soldiers looked at Jason with their eyes. Jason remained expressionless and did not object, so the soldiers dispersed.

The red-haired swordsman then cautiously asked Jason, "Great mage, is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Well..." Jason pondered for a moment and said, "Don't let your lord come here. I don't want to see him."

The red-haired swordsman nodded and bowed, "Yes, Master Mage. This young man is injured. Shall I go fetch a healer for him?"

"No need. He can bear the pain," Jason declined the swordsman's offer. He was in no hurry to heal Sarin's wounds. It was just a minor injury and he wanted Sarin to remember what had happened today. Sarin must have done something to get himself arrested. Whether he was right or wrong, a lesson needed to be learned to avoid similar incidents in the future.

The red-haired swordsman whispered something to the blond swordsman and he bowed and left the hall. The red-haired swordsman stayed by Sarin's side. Sarin realized the importance of a mage. Although he had read about their status in books, it was hard to believe until he saw one in person. He recognized the red-haired swordsman as a servant of the lord of the city. He was not a bad person. During the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, Sarin went to collect the flour that the lord had distributed and the swordsman gave him an extra bag.

Within half an hour, the four soldiers who had arrested Sarin, the merchant, and his servant were all brought in.

The six of them had no idea what was going on. When the merchant saw Sarin standing beside Jason, he knew things were not looking good. He was the first to kneel down and his servant followed suit.

"Who captured my student?" Jason asked coldly.

The four soldiers glanced at each other, then looked at the red-haired swordsman standing to the side. The swordsman seemed to ignore them, gazing upwards. The soldiers had no choice but to answer with gritted teeth, "It was us. We received a report that he...stole Lord Zhanbu's coins."

The soldiers pointed at the merchant, feigning innocence.

"Zhanbu? Was it you who falsely accused my student?" Jason stared at the merchant, asking one word at a time.

"My lord, this is a misunderstanding. I mistook him for someone else..."

"You're lying. I'll give you one more chance," Jason interrupted him.

"My lord, it's really a mistake. We have no enmity between us. Why would I frame him? I..."

The merchant tried to continue, but Jason impatiently unleashed a spell. A white light flashed, and an ice cone pierced through the merchant's head, leaving a cup-sized hole gushing blood.

Don't be so foolish anymore. Magicians can detect lies. Tell me, why did you falsely accuse my student?" After killing someone with ease, Jason went to ask the servant. He didn't necessarily want to convict the person, he just wanted to know if Saren had caused any trouble.

The servant was scared to death, lying on the ground crying: "Sir, it wasn't my idea. Master wanted to buy Master Metatelin's house without going through the procedures at the City Hall. Master Metatelin never dies, so Master had this idea. It really has nothing to do with me..."

"I know it's not your fault," Jason said and then released a blade of wind casually. The pale blue wind blade instantly cut off the servant's head. Blood gushed out, and the head with snot and tears rolled to the side.

After finishing all this, Jason said to Saren next to him, "Saren, it's really not your fault. Come with me." He then turned to the other four people in the hall and said, "You guys like to catch people so much, it makes me unhappy. So let's chop off your hands to prevent you from catching the wrong person again. If you make another mistake, I'll take your head."

"Sir, your student is safe, so..." The red-haired swordsman pleaded.

Jason stood up and walked out of the hall with Saren without looking at the red-haired swordsman. His voice echoed in the hall, "I spared them because my student is safe. If anyone dies, I'll bury you all. Count Exhib's property should be inventoried tomorrow and sent outside the city as an apology to my student. If one coin is missing, I'll kill one person.

The red-haired swordsman shivered as he approached the four soldiers. There were no magicians in the city of Xilan, and if this fifth-level magician were to cause trouble, it was possible that the entire city would be massacred. He quietly drew his long sword and walked towards the soldiers...

Sarin was led by Jason out of the city of Xilan. The soldiers guarding the city had already received the news and opened the gates anxiously to send the two troublemakers away.

Back at their ancestral home, Jason finally used his healing magic to treat Sarin. While treating him, Jason asked about what had happened during the day. Sarin recounted the events in detail, and Jason roughly understood what had happened. He didn't blame Sarin, as he was just a child who didn't understand the danger of human nature. This lesson must have made Sarin understand that in this world, strength was the only thing that mattered.

After the treatment, Sarin returned to his room to rest and thought over everything that had happened that day. If it weren't for his teacher, no amount of money would have saved him from being an accomplice in his own demise.

He had to become stronger, he had to! Absolutely!

He lay in bed with his eyes wide open, unable to sleep. The room was dark, just like being in a dungeon. The feeling of palpitation and despair had not disappeared, and the fear of death was corroding his young heart. Sarin felt his way out of bed, lit a candle on the table, and finally closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning, the red-haired swordsman arrived with the gold coins. It seemed he had been busy last night, as counting one's wealth was no easy task. Jason didn't say much to him, only instructing Sarin to take care of anything the swordsman needed to discuss.

The red-haired swordsman anxiously sat in the front hall, and Sarin came downstairs. The swordsman quickly stood up and greeted him, "Young Master Metatelin, you're up."

Sarin still wasn't used to the swordsman's kindness. In the past, the swordsman would have ignored him if they crossed paths on the street. Perhaps the red-haired swordsman was a good person, but without his teacher, he would have been no different from someone who helped him carry an extra bag of flour during a festival. He probably would have forgotten about the incident by now.

"Young Master Metatelin..." The red-haired swordsman called out tentatively when he noticed Sarin's distraction.

"Hmm, what is it?" Sarin asked.

The red-haired swordsman replied somewhat awkwardly, "We have counted and recorded Zhannbu's assets. In total, there are 2,200 gold coins, two properties, some livestock worth around 400 gold coins. The houses are not easy to sell, so we'll have to keep them for the time being. I will send the gold coins over once we sell them. Here are 2,000 gold coins worth of imperial bank notes and 200 gold coins in cash."

The red-haired swordsman placed four money bags on the table, each one filled to the brim.

Sarin's eyelids twitched, but after yesterday's ordeal, he didn't rush to count the coins. Instead, he calmly said, "Those two houses are yours for 300 gold coins. If it's convenient, you can bring the money this afternoon and also help me deliver six months' worth of rice, flour, seasoning, and dried meat, okay?"

"No problem!" The red-haired swordsman was delighted. Originally, selling these two houses for 400 gold coins would be somewhat difficult, and he was afraid of Jason's warning: "One gold coin short and I'll kill one person." Now that Sarin was willing to sell at a discount, he could make a profit of tens of gold coins without having to worry about filling the gap himself.

After sending off the red-haired swordsman, Sarin carried four money bags and two Imperial Bank deposit slips to Jason's magic laboratory.

"Teacher, here's yours."

"Leave it there. If your magic progresses and you need a lot of money, come to me for it. Use it up first." Jason didn't take Sarin's money. He didn't care about that small amount of gold coins. Last night, he was just a little annoyed that a small merchant dared to offend the dignity of a wizard and repeatedly lied to him. That's why he casually copied Zhanbu's house to compensate himself and Sarin.

Thank you, teacher." Salin was overjoyed as he carried his money bag back to his room. He placed the bag and the Imperial Bank deposit slip into his chest, which also contained expired loan documents, files, and his family crest. Salin stuffed the money into the chest, feeling uneasy, and then took it out again, unsure of where to put it.

After fidgeting for a while, Salin felt a little ridiculous. With his teacher around, what thief would dare to sneak into this house?

Thinking of Jason at the city guard, effortlessly releasing spell after spell with just a flick of his fingers, without even chanting incantations, Salin's heart was stirred up again. If he could do the same, who else would dare to bully him!

Magic was the only truth in this world. Those who possessed magical abilities had already transcended the law.

Thinking this, Salin couldn't sit still. He casually put his money on the bed and went to the room where he kept his magic books.

Looking at the rows of bookshelves in the room, Salin became impatient with the idea of looking through each book. He walked towards the shelf where the level 0 magic books were kept.

Level 0 magic wasn't the most abundant kind of magic, in fact, there were fewer of them than level 1 magic, yet the "Compendium of Level 0 Magic" alone had four thick volumes.

Salin took one of the books, sat down on the spot, leaned against the bookshelf, and started flipping through the pages.

Reading magic, illumination magic, burning magic, detection magic, poison detection, invisible shield...

As he read through each one, Salin became a little dizzy. He realized that without a theoretical system to support him, he didn't know how to choose which one to learn. He leaned against the bookshelf and stared blankly for a while. Salin felt like he was losing control. Even if he was eager to improve his strength, he shouldn't aim too high and neglect the basics. The teacher had told him to learn in order, and if he skipped the basics, there would certainly be hidden dangers.

Thinking about this, Sarin put the "General Overview of Level 0 Magic" back on the shelf and returned to the basics of magic.

Magic is divided into six categories according to its attributes, but in practice, magic is generally classified according to its purpose, such as attack magic, defense magic, healing magic, alchemy magic, magic medicine, etc. Outside of these six categories, there is also summoning magic, which is a truly obscure magic that originated less than 10,000 years ago and declined 5,000 years ago.

Releasing a magic spell involves three stages: preparation, completion, and release.

The preparation stage involves chanting incantations, assisted gestures, gathering elements, and resonance of magic power. All of this requires a mage's mental control. Through training, mages can shorten the preparation time for magic spells, and can also recite incantations and skip gestures.

The completion stage means that the magic has formed and can be released at any time. This stage can be extended, and mages can achieve an intensive attack effect by retaining a prepared magic spell and preparing a second magic spell. For example, after preparing a fireball spell, a mage can prepare a second fireball spell and release both of them simultaneously.

This technique is called "casting twice" and is a common way for mages to increase their attack power.

Similarly, casting a spell for a second time also requires the mage to possess strong mental power. Otherwise, they will be unable to control it and produce elemental disorder, which can cause serious harm to the mage themselves.

The release phase is not as simple as just releasing the prepared magic. This phase includes locking onto a target, final cutting of the elements, and time control.

All three of these parts require mental power to be completed. Locking onto a target is the most basic ability, and without tracking ability, a mage is no different from an archer. The final cutting of the elements is the key to magic consumption. Without this ability, a mage's consumption will always be at its maximum. If not controlled properly, a first-level mage may use up their magic string after releasing just two first-level spells instead of the usual twelve.

Time control refers to continuing to control the magic that has been released and letting it be fully released at the most suitable time. This skill is also called second-level casting. Advanced mages are skilled in mastering second-level casting to control the rhythm of battle. Similarly, second-level casting is also used in the creation of magic scrolls and alchemy.

Only by fully mastering these abilities can one barely be considered a qualified mage.

Sarin also learned that the numerical values of a spell's basic attributes are not fixed.

The three parts of spellcasting - casting time, casting distance, and energy units - are all variable. The casting time of a spell is not measured in seconds, but in frames, with one frame equivalent to one-sixtieth of a second.

Instant casting is not actually zero frames, but rather two frames. The common phrase "instant cast" actually refers to the total time it takes to prepare, complete, and release a spell, which is two frames or sixtieths of a second. No matter how powerful a mage is, they cannot compress this time any further.

However, there is a technique called "dual casting" that creates the illusion of zero frames. After completing a spell, the mage does not release it but instead keeps it prepared. When they release the second spell, the first one is released simultaneously. In reality, the release phase of the first spell occurs at the same time as the release phase of the second spell, requiring extremely high mental fortitude.

This technique is called advanced control and is a very dangerous practice.

As Salin read on, he realized how ignorant he was, thinking that magic was just a powerful means of attack. He had no idea how complex the basic knowledge of magic was. Without studying it properly, he feared his progress would be extraordinarily difficult.

Without this fundamental knowledge, not only would a mage's abilities be limited to a small range, but they would also be unable to judge the abilities of others.

For example, minimizing and maximizing the numerical values of casting time, converting numerical values between casting distance and attack power, and understanding the relationship between energy units and element cutting, etc. Advanced magicians can instantly make calculations and judge what effect their magic will have, rather than relying on luck.

"Control! The power of magic lies in control!" Sarin patiently read and began to learn mathematical knowledge, learning how to calculate these magic formulas. This mathematical knowledge is also the key to drawing magic circles.

In the blink of an eye, three months have passed. Except for eating and using the bathroom, Sarin hardly left his room. The more he learned, the more depressed he felt. His intelligence and mental power were so perfect, but his affinity with elements was not good. Even if his affinity with elements was only at the level of an ordinary person, it was enough to become an excellent magician.

Unfortunately, he was a failure in terms of affinity with elements, which made it difficult to form a magic chord. Without a magic chord, all of this was just empty talk.

A year has passed, and Sarin still has the ability of a level 1 apprentice and the ability of a level 2 apprentice. He has now learned 5 level 0 magic spells: reading, detecting poison, acid splash, flame burning, and elemental fusion. He has also mastered the principles of meditation and can quickly recover lost magic elements through meditation.

The effects of the magic spells are so minimal because there are too few magic elements accumulated in Salin's body. Even if he were to rely on natural recovery without doing anything, it would only take 10 minutes.

What can three level-0 spells do? Not much. If used for combat, it would be more practical to give Salin a small knife. After a year of cultivation, Salin's health has improved significantly, although he still looks thin and weak, his actual strength has increased.

The food that the red-haired swordsman brought last time has already been eaten up, so Salin has to go into town again. He no longer has the ridiculous ideas he had half a year ago, such as fancy clothes, trendy hairstyles, and fancy carriages. For a mage, all of these things are foolish and laughable. Only knowledge is the mage's sole reliance.

Wearing the ridiculous robe and the black boots that Jason bought for him, Salin said goodbye to Jason and left his ancestral home. Jason gave him two bags of gold coins, a total of 100, and a list of items. Mage experiments require a lot of low-level materials, and Jason's laboratory has been running almost constantly for a year, depleting his basic materials as well.

Sillan City is a port city where many items not available locally can be ordered. It only takes a week to receive the goods. This is why Jason chose to stay here, as it is a relatively remote city where essential items can still be purchased.

Returning to Sillan City, the dilapidated city looked completely different in Salin's eyes. When the guards saw Salin appearing on the main road, they immediately straightened up their bodies.

The gate guards were under the jurisdiction of the lord's mansion and had nothing to do with the city guards, but everyone had not forgotten the lesson from half a year ago. The mage went on a killing spree, and the lord acted as if nothing had happened. That terrible mage was living outside the city, and the son of the Metatlin family became the mage's student.

The two guards had a strange look in their eyes, a mixture of envy, jealousy, and fear, squeezed into a flattering expression.

"Good morning, Young Master Metatlin!"

Salin nodded and didn't know how to answer. The guards of the lord's mansion were much better than the city guards. When he entered the city before, he never encountered any trouble. At that time, he was like a ball of air, and a tasteless ball of air. As long as he didn't go looking for trouble, no one could see him.

Young Master Metatlin? If it were half a year ago, Salin might have been proud. After the incident with the city guards, Salin matured a lot. He understood that these people were afraid of his teacher, afraid that a fifth-level mage would blast their heads off.

Salin walked towards the harbor, following the road in the direction of the sun. There was a long street full of all sorts of shops near the harbor. The only equipment shop in Sillan City was located here, and Salin almost bumped into a young man when he walked in.

The young man across from Salin was around the same age, and seemed to be startled by Salin's presence, stumbling and bumping into him. Although Salin was only a magic apprentice, his mental power was comparable to that of a real wizard. He was sensitive and quickly noticed that the young man's hand was reaching towards his money pouch.

The hand was stretched out stealthily, and Salin was amused. He wondered if he was unlucky to encounter a thief as soon as he went out.

He gently pushed the hand away, and a flash of fire appeared, pressing on the young man's hand. The young man felt a sharp pain on his backhand, as if he had been burned with a branding iron. He looked up in shock and suddenly shouted, "Salin, is that you?"