Chapter Seven: The Blue-Strand Mage and the Spell-Slot Mage

Chu Yun declined Xiya’s proposal.

An awkward silence settled between them. Xiya lowered her head and said nothing, while Chu Yun found himself at a loss for words.

Fortunately, at that moment, the other rescued captives—having finally washed themselves—came ashore. After donning their somewhat tattered clothes, they gathered before Chu Yun.

“Master Mage, thank you for saving us.” The group knelt on the ground, and several women, having suffered much, could no longer hold back their tears.

Chu Yun glanced at the sky; in the distance, he could occasionally hear the howling of wolves. He frowned and said, “It’s getting late. It’s not safe to travel now. These fires can keep the beasts away. You’d best leave in the morning—it will be safer.”

The eldest woman, who seemed to be their leader, nodded at once at his suggestion. “We’ll do as you say. Master Mage, may I ask if you’re heading to Rockridge Town?”

“Rockridge Town? In truth, I’m a wandering mage traversing the wilderness. I’m not familiar with these parts.”

The woman went on to explain, “Rockridge Town is the nearest settlement. Most of us here are townsfolk from there.”

Chu Yun looked over the others. Most of them behaved with great caution before him, looking very much like farmers’ wives.

Such women were the most easily captured by goblins while working the fields outside the town.

“I am Mela, the blacksmith’s wife from Rockridge. If you’re willing to escort us back to the town, I can offer you a handsome reward in gratitude.” As she finished, she seemed to realize her words might be inappropriate and quickly added, “Of course, if you don’t wish to go now, you’re welcome to visit at any time in the future.”

Chu Yun understood her intention—she wished for him to escort them home.

“How far is it to Rockridge Town?” Chu Yun asked.

Even if she hadn’t mentioned it, Chu Yun intended to find a human settlement for shelter first. Though his magic was potent and he could rely on the Mirror World, he didn’t know how strong the wilderness monsters here might be; running out of mental energy could be very dangerous.

He was a stranger to this land and had no map, and even if he did, he was so reliant on satellite navigation that he’d inevitably get lost. Having a guide would certainly be more reliable.

Sensing his interest, Mela quickly replied, “A day’s journey—just one day on foot.”

“If we could gather some wild fruit to fill our bellies, perhaps half a day would suffice.” She glanced regretfully at the fruit trees across the river—goblins had already stripped them bare.

The women hadn’t been fed tonight; if hunger kept them awake another night, they’d be in even worse shape come morning, which would only slow Chu Yun’s pace.

In fact, the goblin camp had once held some provisions, but now everything had been reduced to ashes by fire. And even if anything had survived, most of it would have been human flesh.

“That’s a simple problem to solve. Gather some branches for me, and I can conjure food with magic.” Chu Yun was eager to try another of his spells.

“Not too many—one or two fresh twigs will do.”

At this, Xiya volunteered eagerly, “Leave it to me, Master Chu Yun.”

Before Chu Yun could reply, her nimble figure vanished into the trees.

About five minutes later, Xiya returned, panting, carrying seven or eight branches. It was clear she was eager to prove her worth in front of Chu Yun.

“That’s more than enough—never mind, just set them all down.” Chu Yun actually needed only one branch for his Miracle Berry Spell.

Since she’d brought back so many, he picked the freshest and largest, as this would improve the spell’s effect.

As the others watched with curiosity and anticipation, Chu Yun selected the biggest, greenest branch.

“Are you sure this type of tree bears edible fruit?” he asked again.

Mela affirmed, “Absolutely. There are many such berry trees near Rockridge Town.”

Chu Yun nodded, placed the branch in his hand, and began to chant the incantation for Miracle Berry.

Spellcasting was the process of reshaping the magical energies that permeated the multiverse; incantations and gestures were merely aids—the real key lay in mental control.

Chu Yun had a keen mind and strong perception. When reciting the spell, he could sense the presence of magical energy, then use his willpower to assemble the Miracle Berry spell’s model into the branch.

Wandering mages differed from this world’s traditional spellcasters—in short, one was a free-flowing “mana mage,” the other was a spell-slot mage with more limitations.

The principles of casting were similar: both required remarkable intellect to understand and build complex spell models capable of storing energy. Using various rare materials, they would channel magic into the model to charge and release their spells.

This process demanded extraordinary intellect—to memorize spell models more intricate than three-dimensional blueprints, and to successfully outline them with one’s mind.

Such a difficult process was simplified with the advent of the Magic Web. Even mediocre apprentices could, with its help, cast spells far beyond their own comprehension.

Spell-slot mages had to memorize the models of Magic Web spells in advance each day; when casting, they merely recited the incantation to invoke the web’s power.

The structure of Magic Web spells was far simpler than true spell models—like sketching a person’s portrait but never knowing the organs beneath the skin.

The Magic Web spared mages much research and mental labor, and they no longer needed exceptional intellect to wield magic. But such spellcasters found it difficult to reach the true source of magic.

The Magic Web was the creation of the Goddess of Magic, who set the limits on both spell slots and available models. Unless they transcended the Web’s restrictions, mages could never surpass her.

Should they leave this plane for a place beyond the Web’s reach, these spell-slot mages would find their power plummet, perhaps even reverting to apprentices forced to relearn spellcraft from scratch.

Most mages in this world didn’t care; to them, the Goddess of Magic was an object of faith. Only those who had reached their limits—geniuses with nowhere left to go—would strive to break the Web’s chains.

By contrast, a mana mage like Chu Yun was a true spellcaster.

Yet even he was not a traditional mana mage; his “Player” specialty played a significant role.

For him, any spell he had studied would produce a translucent blueprint during construction. He needed no memory at all—like coloring in a picture, he simply filled in the magical elements to complete the casting.

In the spiritual realm, time was nebulous, so Chu Yun’s casting speed was no slower than those “cheating” Magic Web mages.

His only limitation was his mental energy.

Of course, while “coloring,” Chu Yun was also rapidly learning and understanding the principles of magic—a method leagues more efficient than traditional study.

By this time, Chu Yun had completed casting Miracle Berry. Under the spell’s effect, luscious, glowing berries began to sprout from the branch.

[Berries (Exceptional): Restores 1 point of life and provides all the nutrition a human needs for one day.]