Chương 22: Against Frilian's Noble Phantasm

Xia En had never seen such a shameless person.

What does it mean to be "a very powerful magician"? What normal person would introduce themselves like that?

Moreover, you poached my teammate right in front of me; I think you need to be taught a lesson.

"don't want."

Before Shane could even get into the conversation, Frilian, standing to the side, succinctly refused.

The blond boy paused for a moment, thinking Frillie hadn't understood him. He raised his hand, summoned a staff, and repeated, "I really am a very powerful mage. You won't lose out by teaming up with me. Besides, I don't want any gold or silver treasures; everything in the labyrinth is yours. How about that? Pretty good deal, right?"

He is very confident.

But Frillie was more confident: "No."

The blond boy got angry again, and for a moment, Xia En even felt that he wanted to swing his staff.

But miraculously, he held back.

"Think about it, Frilian. If we team up, we can easily conquer a dungeon like the 'Upside-Down Land,' which is a great opportunity to become famous. The whole of Gostan will be singing our praises! Hey, are you even listening to me...?"

Frillie completely ignored the chattering blond boy, ignoring him entirely.

Xia En almost laughed.

A great opportunity to become famous?

This is probably the last thing Frilian needs.

Sometimes it has to be said that eloquence is something not everyone possesses.

Xia En walked past the frizzy-haired boy and gave him a look full of sympathy.

……

After successfully getting rid of the troublesome person, Xia En couldn't help but laugh.

Frillie was puzzled by his inexplicable laughter.

"I suddenly remembered when I invited you to team up. So, do you regret teaming up with a teammate like me who's 'good for nothing but being handsome'?"

Frillie replied calmly, "You're not entirely useless. You're brave when facing monsters, and you always manage to come up with solutions quickly when things get tough. You're a reliable teammate."

Xia En, who had only meant to make a joke to lighten the mood, was stunned for two seconds when he suddenly heard Frilian's serious praise. His heart warmed instantly.

Although she's an emotionally oblivious elf, she has really good taste.

"Most importantly, you said you would provide travel funds," Frilian added.

She stretched out a small hand towards Xia En, "Now, sir, the patron of the travel funds, please give me some silver coins."

"..."

The latter reason is actually unnecessary to mention.

From a reliable teammate to a "money bag," how come his status keeps getting lower and lower?

"You'll keep your word, won't you?" Frilian asked.

"..."

What's with this feeling of being caught red-handed?

A man should never be doubted!

Helpless, Shane took something out of his pocket and slapped it onto Frillie's hand.

"Take it."

!!!

Upon seeing what was in her hand, Frillie's eyes widened instantly.

Xia En gave a smug "humph".

I knew you'd like it.

Tiny sprite, hold it tight.

[Half-price discount coupon for Goldstein City Library (unlimited quantity)] This is one of the rewards given by the city hall.

Frillie's eyes lit up when she saw the coupon.

"Can I use it now?"

Now?

Xia En glanced at the setting sun; it was almost evening, and if they went now, the library would probably close soon.

As a result, before Shane could even object, Frillie, holding the coupon, had already teleported to the next intersection:

"Hey, don't hesitate, let's go!"

"..."

Xia En shook his head and followed helplessly.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Great Library of Gostan City.

Located in the north-central part of the city, there is a marble building with a circular dome, reminiscent of ancient Rome.

The library's receptionist was an elderly gentleman with white hair.

After giving the two a brief introduction to the different sections of the books, I sat back down and continued reading.

Frillie headed straight for the magic book section and happily started picking through them. In no time, she had two or three books piled up in her arms.

The petite elf, carrying a magic book bigger than her own face, walked with a wobbly gait.

From behind, it looks like a clumsy penguin.

Judging from her enthusiastic appearance, Xia En estimated that she wouldn't be able to stop until she picked out a dozen or twenty books.

So he transferred to the History of Magic section.

His gaze swept across the rows of bookshelves, trying to find clues about the "mad sage" Charles.

"During the period of unified empire..."

"The Sage..."

I would occasionally pull out a book, browse the table of contents, and only move on to the next book after confirming that I didn't find what I was looking for.

Thanks to the boost from the "Accelerated Thinking" entry, his reading comprehension of these lengthy documents improved significantly.

But faced with a vast sea of books, it's still like finding a needle in a haystack.

The setting sun streamed its last rays through the window, casting its final glow into the room. Tiny dust particles could be seen floating within the beams of light.

Xia En pulled out a thick book with a black, gold-embossed cover, titled A History of Magic on the Continent. The section on "Court Sages" in the table of contents caught his eye. He quickly flipped to the specific page number, and the first line made him break out in a cold sweat: During the unified empire's period, to enhance its strength and rapidly advance its southward expansion plan, the empire added the position of "Court Sage" in addition to the "Court Magician."

The Court Magician was originally created by Flame, the teacher of Frillian and the progenitor of human magic.

The first batch of court magicians were almost all disciples of Vlame.

It was thanks to these early magical talents that magic in the human world was able to spread rapidly and completely overwhelm other races in its constant innovation, becoming a unique existence.

Unlike the Court Magicians, the Court Sages are not cultivated; instead, they are recruited by the Empire from various places.

These brilliant scholars gathered together to provide the empire's mages and ordinary soldiers with more powerful equipment and armor, enabling the empire to crush its enemies more quickly during its southward expansion.

"Alchemy, blacksmithing, those are normal things... wait!"

Xia En's fingertips traced the pages of the book, his brows gradually furrowing.

"... As the empire expanded and wars continued to be won, the lives of the royal family and nobles gradually became extravagant, giving rise to the pursuit of [immortality]. The research focus of the court sages shifted from aiding in war to exploring the magic of [immortality]. During this period, the sage Charles discovered a set of unconventional magical theories in the notes left by the great sage Evish from the mythological era, which sparked discussions among many sages."

The written account ends here.

Xia En anxiously turned to the next page, but there was no connection. He turned to the next page, but there was still no connection.

There is only this small section about Sharl in the entire history of magic on the continent, and there is no more information about him.

Undeterred, he searched for several more historical records from the unified empire period, but apart from mentioning the title of "Court Sage," there was no other information about "Sage Charles."

Xia En leaned against the bookshelf, looking somewhat dejected.

Humanity's ultimate victory?

eternal life?

The Age of Myths?

The notes of the great sage Evish?

These jumbled words completely confused him.

What exactly is that mad sage planning?

Just as my brain was about to explode, I heard Frilian's slightly smug hum behind me.

"Shane, look what I've found."