Chapter 243: Simulation

"Fireball!"

In Bell's Space, Merlin's mental projection pointed forward, summoning a fireball that streaked across the darkness before exploding with a fiery burst.

There was no discernible difference between this and a standard Fireball spell. Yet Merlin knew it was merely a simulation; it could only exist within Bell's Space. Outside of it, the spell and his mental projection would cease to exist.

"This simulation space allows spellcasters to safely practice constructing spell models without risking their lives. It even permits multiple mental projections to battle against one another, testing the effects of spells or Pandora's Magic."

This was Bell's Space's primary function—**simulation**.

Merlin suspected it might have other capabilities, but for now, the ability to simulate spell construction was invaluable. For most spellcasters, crafting a spell model was a delicate and dangerous task. Failure could result in severe mental damage—or even death.

With Bell's Space, such risks became negligible. Spellcasters could experiment with any spell in the simulated environment, significantly improving their chances of success when constructing the spell in reality.

Though Merlin himself didn't rely on this feature due to the analytical prowess of his Matrix, the space's ability to host mental projections had another critical advantage: **continuous mental training**.

By placing part of his mental energy into Bell's Space as a projection, Merlin could have it continuously meditate using advanced mental techniques. As long as the projection didn't collapse, he could reabsorb the strengthened energy into himself, effectively accelerating his mental growth.

This method could even outpace the effects of potions.

"Spells can be simulated... but what about Pandora's Magic?"

Curious, Merlin decided to test Bell's Space with his most potent ability: Pandora's Magic.

He began by simulating the required material, **Hundred-Year Cold Essence**, to practice his **Frostfinger** magic. The process succeeded, and Merlin found he could seamlessly train his Frostfinger ability within the space.

However, when he attempted to train the second stage of Frostfinger, he hit a limitation. He couldn't simulate the rare materials required for the next stage because he had never encountered them in reality.

This revealed a constraint of Bell's Space: it could only simulate elements that the spellcaster had a clear conceptual understanding of. Additionally, the space itself had limits; attempting to simulate magic or phenomena beyond its capacity would fail.

Even with these limitations, the ability to simulate spells and enhance mental strength made Bell's Space an unparalleled tool.

Merlin decided to take full advantage of this feature. He channeled one-tenth of his total mental energy into Bell's Space, creating a powerful mental projection dedicated to training advanced mental meditation techniques.

The stronger the projection, the more effective its meditation, resulting in a gradual but steady increase in Merlin's mental energy. While the process wouldn't lead to overnight breakthroughs, consistent practice could yield significant long-term gains.

Merlin recognized the necessity of such growth. Reaching Tier 4 mental strength was a formidable hurdle, separating lower-tier spellcasters from the elite. This limitation was why his **Darklight Domain** could only trap Tier 3 spellcasters; Tier 4 minds were too strong to succumb to its illusions.

With this new avenue for growth established, Merlin shifted his focus to potion-making. Using the materials he had acquired from the Silver Tower, he began preparing **Phantom Potions**, which were instrumental in boosting mental strength.

Previously, Merlin's success rate for Phantom Potions had been a modest 30%. However, with practice and improved techniques, he had raised this to 40%. This seemingly small increase was significant.

Out of 40 sets of ingredients, Merlin successfully crafted 16 Phantom Potions—enough to sustain him for a considerable time. Coupled with his continuous meditation in Bell's Space, these potions would likely propel him to the threshold needed to construct Tier 2 spells.

However, Merlin had other priorities. His journey wasn't solely about personal advancement; he had made a promise to Lorinka that he intended to keep.

Approaching Anleina, Merlin said calmly, "Anleina, thank you for your help during all of this. But it's time for me to leave Floating City."

"You're leaving Floating City? Are you returning to the Arcane Domain? If so, let me accompany you. I've been planning to go back and begin constructing my first-tier spell."

Anleina's hopeful expression tugged at Merlin's resolve. She had yet to advance beyond the novice level, and her time in the Arcane Domain was nearing its three-year limit. If she didn't reach the first tier soon, she would face expulsion.

Merlin shook his head. "No, I'm not returning to the Arcane Domain just yet. I need to visit a place called Dolan City. Do you know where it is?"

Anleina's brow furrowed in thought before she replied, "Dolan City is far from here, within the territory of the Flame Domain. Let me fetch you a map with its precise location."

A short while later, Anleina returned with an expansive, meticulously detailed map. It marked the boundaries of the Arcane Domain, Abyss Fortress, Flame Domain, and Lava Domain, along with their respective territories.

Merlin quickly located Dolan City within the Flame Domain's sphere of influence. The journey from Floating City would take over ten days by carriage.

"Dolan City," Merlin murmured, his thoughts drifting to Lorinka and the promise he had made long ago.

This journey was about more than keeping his word—it was the next step in Merlin's unfolding destiny.