Chapter 394: What are the Advantages of Pay-to-Win (Part 1)_1

The unpredictable weather of late winter had returned. What had been a bone-chillingly cold night just yesterday had given way to a sunny, clear day this morning.

At the peak of the Himalayan Mountains, the blue of the sky was akin to thick paint splashed across a white canvas, with only occasional patches of cloud revealing white gaps. Everywhere else was an intense hue of blue so vivid, it bordered on surreal.

A wisp of cooking smoke rose in the air, punctuated by the sound of a distant horn echoing deeply and longingly. A traveler leaning on his stick looked out from the foot of the mountains. Unbeknownst to him, a mysterious, ancient temple calmly stood right at the farthest reach of his sight, silently observing all of humanity.

Frost from the night before still clung on the eaves, which were adorned with an air of antique Eastern charm. Additionally, icicles hung from the roof. In the window of the main hall, a hand inserted three incense sticks into an incense burner.

As the slightly rough hands withdrew, the face of Wong, the Head Steward of Kamar-Taj, was visible.

As he withdrew his hands, Wong pressed them together, closed his eyes, and began to meditate quietly. However, his peaceful moment was abruptly interrupted by the sound of rushed footsteps incongruous to the serene setting.

A young mage clad in a yellow wizard's robe stomped his way into the hall, ascending the front steps. Wong heard the noise but chose not to turn around, only sighing and saying: "An, I've told you many times to tread lightly when you enter the temple. You must learn to keep your mind as still as water to better attune yourself to the summons of Mysterious Power..."

The little wizard, who was only about seven or eight years old, looked sheepish at Wong's words. He walked further into the temple, offered a respectful bow, then said: "It's bad, Grand Mage! The Supreme Magician has run off to the pond behind the yard to see the sacred cranes again!"

Wong's eyes flew open, as he spun around to focus on the little wizard, saying, "Sacred cranes? What is he up to again???"

Saying that, he hastily set aside all thoughts of tranquility and picked up his pace. Following the little wizard out of the hall and dashing down the temple steps, he grumbled: "I don't understand what the Supreme Magician has been up to lately. First, he brought in a huge amount of useless wood, then carved and assembled them into sticks, before going out in search of feathers from a phoenix and heartstrings from a dragon. And now, what does he want to do to the sacred cranes? He couldn't possibly..."

At this point, Wong got increasingly anxious. He swung his arm, conjured a portal, and stepped through it.

When he got to the side of the lake, he saw Strange standing on a pavilion by the water, studying a crane.

Although Kamar-Taj is a land of magic, it is also home to a variety of animals. Livestock such as cows, sheep, horses, and deer. Various breeds of ducks, swans, and cranes could be found in the water, while geese and hawks roamed the skies. Further up the mountain, sizable agricultural plots occupied by mages practicing cultivation besides their regular work could be found.

Wong rushed over and exclaimed to Strange, "Supreme Magician, what on earth are you doing? Please, put it down at once! The feathers are all wet!"

Strange cradled the crane, gently stroking its long neck and said: "Nothing much. I'm just trying to see if it could deliver messages. The other day, I caught an eagle, but it was too unruly, and I couldn't even tie the envelope to it..."

Moving on, he looked down at the crane in his arms and pondered: "This one is quite docile. I wonder how capable it is of flying…"

Wong let out a sigh. He glanced around and caught sight of the pile of lumber that Strange had brought in earlier. He asked, "Supreme Magician, what are you trying to do? If you want to create something, you can just ask the Grand Mages who specialize in crafting magic tools."

"Even if you want to practice on your own, you didn't need to acquire so many materials all at once, did you? To my knowledge, I heard of no magic tool made from wood. Generally speaking, special metallic materials have a better affinity with magic."

Strange set the crane down and rose, then walked over to the pile of wood and said, "I am simply conducting an experiment. Wong, do you know if there is any mage in Kamar-Taj who specializes in studying material properties?"

"Material properties? Are you referring to which material is better to use?"

Strange let out a sigh and said, "I mean their hardness, density, flammability, magic affinity, magic bearing capacity, magic output, etc."

Wong shook his head, which seemed to disappoint Strange even further. He asked, "Then how do you guys figure out which material to use for a specific magic tool?"

"The Grand Mages refer to some of the texts on crafting magic tools. They contain many experiences and recipes summarized by our predecessors. Generally, we will use the formulas from these books because the chance of failure is too high if we use other materials."

Wong let out another sigh and revealed a nostalgic expression, saying, "Although we're well-off now, we still have to be frugal. Who knows when we'll run out of energy and will need to borrow."

"Borrowing energy comes with a price. We must carefully budget every bit of energy and utilize it where it counts."

Listening to Wong's words brought a hint of sadness to Strange. He said, "So, it is because the costs of trial and error are too high that the development of magic material science has not been possible?"

"More or less. Besides, there are already quite a number of existing material types. There are four kinds of metal alone, and more than a dozen types of fabric. Whether it's for making armor, robes, cloaks, or jewelry, they are sufficient."