Chương 68: Mind Magic

Silas led Jack and Karen away from the main hall of the Golden Scale Consortium and into an adjacent, heavily guarded corridor. They stopped in front of a small window set into a thick stone wall. Thick iron bars covered the opening, and a clerk sat safely on the other side. Silas reached into his robes and pulled out the vow token. He dropped it onto the small metal tray beneath the window.

"One hundred Imperial Gold coins," Silas stated simply. The clerk brought back a small, soft velvet bag and pushed it through the tray. Silas opened the bag. Inside were ten clear, crystalline stones. They were roughly the size of a plum, and they glowed with a faint, steady white light. The air around them felt physically warm. Silas took out three of the stones. He handed two to Jack and one to Karen. Karen took the glowing stone carefully, looking at it with wide eyes. Jack held the two stones in his palm.

He could feel the dense, raw magic packed inside of them. It felt very similar to his own Iron Core, but completely unaligned to any specific element or person.

"These are Spirit Stones," Silas explained, looking at Jack.

"Gold coins are the currency of mortals and standard merchants. But in the magical economy, these stones are the true currency."

"Why?" Jack asked, playing the part of a curious, magicless noble.

"Because magical artifacts require mana to function," Silas answered smoothly.

"A heating rune, or a defensive shield—they all drain magic. If a normal human tries to use a magical artifact, it simply will not turn on. If a mage uses one, it slowly drains their personal core." Silas tapped one of the stones in Jack's hand.

"A Spirit Stone acts as a universal mana storage," Silas continued.

"You slot this stone into an artifact, and the artifact drains the stone instead of the user. Even Gold Core mages use them constantly so they do not waste their own combat reserves. They are the absolute lifeblood of this city." Jack slipped the two Spirit Stones into his coat pocket. It was a brilliant system. The elite class controlled the only fuel source that made magical technology work.

"Come," Silas said, turning away from the window.

"The Grand Auction does not begin until tommorow sundown. There is a place nearby where we can sit." They walked a short distance down the marble street until they found a high-end café. It had an open patio facing the bustling road, surrounded by a low stone wall. Jack could feel the faint hum of protective magical wards built into the patio stones, keeping the dust and noise of the street away from the wealthy patrons. They took a seat at a polished wooden table.

A waiter immediately brought them three cups of hot, fragrant tea. Jack took a slow sip. He decided to use this quiet moment to gather the intelligence he desperately needed.

"Silas," Jack said, setting his cup down.

"Since I will be doing business in this city, I need to understand the people I am dealing with. If Spirit Stones measure wealth, how exactly is power measured? How are the mages and adventurers officially ranked?" Silas leaned back in his chair. He didn't mind the question. It was good that the boy wanted to understand his place in the world.

"The ranking system for adventurers and guild members is tied directly to the development of their magical core," Silas explained, holding up a finger for each stage.

"It begins with the Grey Core. That is just a loose cloud of mana. It is the foundation, but it holds very little true power." Jack nodded, keeping his face neutral.

"Once a mage compresses that gas into a solid foundation, they reach the Iron Core," Silas continued.

"This is where true rankings begin. From Iron onward, the stages are Bronze, Silver, and finally, Gold."

"And within those stages?" Jack asked, remembering his grandfather's journal.

"There are three distinct layers within every stage from Iron upward," Silas confirmed.

"Layer One is Stabilization. Layer Two is Expansion, where the core grows in volume. Layer Three is Peak Concentration, the final threshold before evolving to the next stage. It takes years, sometimes decades, for an average mage to cross a single layer." Jack listened closely. He knew he was currently at Iron Core, Layer One.

"However, Lord Jack," Silas said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Power is not just about the stage of a core. A Silver Core mage can easily lose to a Bronze Core mage if they have a bad matchup. It is all about affinity."

"The elements," Jack guessed.

"Yes," Silas nodded.

"Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind. Those are the common affinities. They are powerful, but they are predictable. Then there are the rare affinities, like Lightning or Ice. A Lightning mage is incredibly fast and highly prized by mage guilds." Silas leaned forward, his golden eyes narrowing slightly.

"But sitting at the absolute top of the social hierarchy are the Uncommon Magics," Silas said seriously.

"Spatial manipulation. Mind manipulation. Flesh and Transformation magic. These mages break the standard rules of combat and reality. They are extremely rare, and they often outrank higher-core elemental mages purely based on their terrifying utility." Silas took another sip of his tea, keeping his face calm. But internally, a dark thought crossed his mind.

"And then there is Necromancy. The ultimate forbidden uncommon magic. The one that breaks the cycle of life itself." He looked at Jack. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"I understand," Jack said. He tapped his wooden cane against the stone floor.

"Grey, Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. But surely progress does not just stop. What comes after the Gold Core?" Silas froze. The teacup in his hand rattled very slightly against the saucer. His composed, professional demeanor instantly cracked for a fraction of a second.

"Nothing," Silas stated. He said it a bit too quickly, his voice entirely stiff.

"The Gold Core is the absolute peak of mortal achievement." Jack raised an eyebrow, sensing the sudden tension.

"There are stories. Legends about stages beyond Gold. Transcendental stages."

"They are myths," Silas interrupted sharply. He placed his teacup down firmly on the table.

"They are just old fairy tales meant to scare children and keep ambitious apprentices humble. There is nothing beyond Gold." As Silas spoke the lie, a cold sweat broke out on his back. The terrifying image of High Cardinal Xander crushing him against the marble floor of the Grand Cathedral flashed in his mind. Silas knew for an absolute fact that the Transcendental stages were very real. The upper echelons of the Holy Church were filled with monsters who had surpassed the Gold Core.

But Silas dared not speak a single word of it aloud. If he leaked the Church's true power scaling to a minor noble, Xander would erase him from existence.

"Just myths, then," Jack agreed smoothly, deciding not to press the issue. He had clearly hit a nerve. Silas took a deep, silent breath, forcing his heart rate to slow down. He stood up from the table.

"I need to take my leave for a short while," Silas said, returning to his usual professional tone.

"I have to visit the Holy Sanctum guild down the street. I need to deliver the corpse of that Sun-Flare Condor we killed on the road." Silas pointed toward the busy market street outside the café.

"The Grand Auction starts at tommorow sundown in the central amphitheater," Silas told them.

"You have your Gold Vow-Tokens, and you have Spirit Stones for smaller stalls. Enjoy the market. It is safe here in the Inner Ward. I will meet you at the auction house entrance tomorrow."

"We will see you then, Silas," Jack nodded. Silas turned and walked away, his white robes quickly blending into the busy crowd. Jack finished his tea and stood up.

"Come on, Karen. Let us see what the richest city on this part the continent has for sale." They left the café and began walking down the wide marble street. The shops here were incredible. There were windows displaying glowing swords, heavy armor sets that seemed to float slightly off their wooden stands, and countless strange potions bubbling in glass vials. Karen stayed close behind Jack, looking around in quiet awe. She was much more relaxed now that the terrifying Inquisitor was not walking right next to her.

They were looking at a display of enchanted boots when a sudden, loud commotion erupted a few shops down. A man suddenly stumbled violently backward out of an open shop door. He hit a wooden display cart, knocking it over with a loud crash. Jack stopped and watched. The man was an adventurer wearing sturdy leather armor. Jack narrowed his eyes, passively feeling the magical pressure radiating from the man. It was dense and solid.

"Iron Core," Jack thought instantly, comparing it to his own strength.

"And it is thicker than mine. He must be at Layer Two." The adventurer didn't just stumble. He scrambled to his feet and suddenly lunged back toward the street, turning in circles. He locked eyes with Jack for a second, then looked at a completely empty space next to a brick wall.

"The blue fire!" the adventurer screamed, pointing at nothing.

"The stones are melting! Why are you melting the stones!" The shopkeeper rushed out of his store, looking furious.

"Get away from my shop! I told you we don't sell that!" The adventurer spun around, his expression changing from pure terror to absolute, vicious rage in a split second.

"You stole my shadow!" the adventurer roared, spitting as he yelled.

"Give it back!" He was completely insane. He had absolutely no control over his own mind. He was shouting about one thing, and the very next second he was ranting about something entirely different. Jack took a step back, raising his cane defensively. A madman with an Iron Core was incredibly dangerous in a crowded street.

"Karen, stay behind me," Jack said, turning his head slightly. He didn't get an answer. Jack turned completely around. Karen was gone.

"Karen?" Jack called out. Panic spiked in his chest. She had been standing right behind his shoulder just seconds ago. Before Jack could even take a step to search for her, a massive, agonizing headache slammed into the front of his skull. Jack groaned, dropping to one knee. He leaned all his weight onto his wooden cane to keep from collapsing onto the marble street. It wasn't a normal headache. His mind was suddenly flooded with countless, chaotic thoughts.

They were rushing through his brain so fast he couldn't stop them.

"The cold is coming back. The dark void is watching me. Father said I would get a wooden sword for the summer fair." Jack squeezed his eyes shut. The thoughts were blending together. He couldn't tell which thoughts belonged to him, the transmigrator, and which thoughts were the deeply buried memories of the original John Frost-Grip. He started seeing flashes of scenes he had never witnessed—a dark, empty room, a woman with a blurred face crying, a massive shadow moving under a frozen lake. He couldn't think.

He couldn't focus his mana. His brain felt like it was drowning in a storm of foreign static.

"Get on the ground!" a loud, authoritative voice boomed over the noise of the street. Heavy steel boots clattered against the marble. Four city guards wearing polished silver armor rushed through the crowd. Two of them tackled the mad adventurer directly to the ground, pinning his arms behind his back. The exact moment the guards slammed the adventurer onto the stone, a strange ripple washed through the air. Jack gasped, taking a massive gulp of air. The headache vanished instantly.

The chaotic storm of thoughts and disjointed memories evaporated from his mind, leaving his head clear. A few feet away, the adventurer stopped struggling against the guards. The wild, insane look in his eyes completely disappeared. He blinked rapidly, looking at the guards holding him down with utter confusion.

"Wait," the adventurer stammered, his voice completely normal and completely terrified.

"Where am I? What happened? Why are you holding me?"

"Save it for the magistrate," one of the guards grunted, pulling the man roughly to his feet. The captain of the guard walked over to Jack, who was slowly standing back up with the help of his cane. The captain noticed Jack's coat and remembered seeing him walking with the Gold Core Inquisitor earlier.

"I deeply apologize," the captain said respectfully, bowing his head.

"The Inner Ward is usually very peaceful. We do not know what came over this man. We are taking him to the holding cells for questioning immediately."

"Make sure he is heavily restrained," Jack said, his voice tight. He realized exactly what had just happened. This wasn't a natural sickness. It was magic. Someone, or something, had just used a powerful burst of Mind manipulation magic in the middle of the street. It had completely shattered the adventurer's sanity for a few minutes, and the area-of-effect had hit Jack's mind as well. The guards dragged the highly confused adventurer away, and the crowd of onlookers slowly began to disperse. Jack ignored them all.

He had a much bigger problem.

"Karen!" Jack shouted, walking quickly down the street. He pushed past a group of merchants, his eyes scanning the storefronts frantically. If she had been caught in the mind attack, she could have wandered anywhere. He walked past two more shops before he finally spotted her. She was standing inside a small, quiet jewelry shop. Jack hurried through the open door. Jack stepped up beside her.

"Karen. Are you alright?" Karen blinked slowly. She looked at Jack, her face pale.

"Lord Jack? I… I am sorry. I don't know how I got in here. My head felt so strange for a moment." Jack looked down at her hand. Held loosely in her fingers was a small, simple piece of jewelry. It was a hair clip, adorned with a single, dark blue stone. Jack stared at the blue jewelry, his mind racing. The magical attack had stopped, but Jack suddenly felt a deep, chilling sense of paranoia.