Chapter 2: The Apprentice Encounters Soldiers, Reasoning Falls on Deaf Ears

For the next ten days, Salin repeated the same magic over and over again, but he could not complete it once, no matter how perfect his incantation and gestures were.

During this time, Mage Jason only appeared once and spent the rest of his time in the laboratory he was renovating in the living room. He seemed to have no need to eat and was constantly doing magical experiments in the room.

Salin became anxious, but there was no use in being in a hurry to learn magic. He could only practice over and over again. Finally, in the third ten-day period, Salin learned the magic.

Excited, he rushed to Jason's magic laboratory. Seeing Salin's excited expression, Jason sighed and said, "It took you 30 days to learn a 0-level spell. Your aptitude is extremely poor. I suggest you stop now, or you may only be an apprentice for your whole life."

Salin was stunned. "Teacher..."

"Not satisfied? Come and do an experiment," Jason said as he took out a crystal ball and placed it on the table. "Complete a spell against this."

Sally quickly cast a reading spell, but the transparent crystal ball showed almost no change.

Jason put away the crystal ball and said, "It's worse than I thought. Your mental power is strong, but your affinity for elements is too weak. Based on the test results, you may not have a chance to advance to a level one mage until you're a hundred years old. Sally, if you're willing, I can give you some money to go to the swordsmanship school in Skochnya City. At your age, learning swordsmanship might still offer you a way out."

Sally felt as if he had been doused with cold water. Without this opportunity, he might have accepted Jason's suggestion. However, thirty days of practice had made her addicted to magic. When he completed his first level zero spell, the sense of pleasure in controlling everything could no longer be erased from her bones.

Become a swordsman? Like the guards in Sillan City, walking around the streets every day, blocking the city gates to collect taxes, or becoming a mercenary and not being able to get married until her thirties?

"Teacher, is there really no other way?" Sally struggled to ask in his heart.

"Not that there isn't a way, but the cost is something even I can't afford. It's not a problem that can be solved with gold coins. Unless a ninth-level mage is willing to help you, to modify your physique. Even then, your future achievements would only be at most a low-level mage, not reaching fourth level." Jason answered helplessly.

"Teacher, I still want to give it a try. I'd rather be a hundred-year-old apprentice than become a swordsman. Please teach me the rules of meditation." Sarin gritted his teeth. He had a very bad impression of swordsmen, and there weren't any decent ones in the city of Silan. And he didn't know what might happen if he took Jason's gold coins to learn. Having been cheated so many times since childhood, Sarin was disappointed with the world.

"If you insist, well, after learning my meditation rules, you can't leave unless you become a formal mage."

"I'm willing to continue."

"My meditation rules are very precious, even in the Qin Empire. If you reveal it to others, I will take away your life. Do you understand?" Jason said flatly, and Sarin felt a chill in his heart. He knew that his teacher was not someone who would make empty threats. If he violated this requirement...

"Where do we start?" Jason muttered to himself, feeling a bit unsure as this was his first time taking on a student. When his own teacher had taught him the principles of meditation, he was already a 2nd level apprentice with a wealth of foundational knowledge. It was clear that Sarin didn't know anything yet.

"The principles of meditation include meditation techniques, elemental absorption, hypnosis, and mental resonance. Ordinary mages can only learn meditation techniques, and the complete set of principles can only be learned from a grand mage. Books only cover individual meditation techniques. If you rely on self-study, you will never become a grand mage..."

Jason patiently gave Sarin a crash course from the beginning, and Sarin was able to fully memorize everything Jason said in just half an hour. Jason also marveled at Sarin's intelligence while feeling sorrowful for him. Such a smart child, yet his affinity with elements was exceptionally low.

"Alright, I've taught you everything about the principles of meditation. You're very intelligent. Read the books upstairs in order, and meditate at least once a day. It might benefit you. Remember to cook for me once a week, and if there's no bread left, go buy some in town. I'll leave a gold coin for you. After you completely master the principles of meditation, I have work for you."

"Yes, teacher," Sarin bowed his head and left the room. He was still young and didn't understand the incredibly difficult path he had chosen. He only felt excitement in his heart, as if the door to another world had opened for him. Little did he know, entering that door would require a great price.

Sarin went straight to the first room where books were kept and began to study. The first bookshelf was about linguistics, but Sarin could hardly recognize any letters. Reading magic was miraculous, as it allowed him to self-learn the language. The only trouble was that he needed to rest for half an hour after using the reading magic once, before he could cast it again.

In this way, Sarin spent a month learning the Common Language of the continent, which was the language he now spoke. He wanted to look ahead at the other books, but he found that the magical books in the room were extensive, and not all of them were written in the Common Language. The books on the shelves were written in at least twenty different languages, so Sarin had to finish learning all the books on the first shelf before moving on to the next.

Magicians were knowledgeable people, and without the reading magic, they could not complete their studies.

Fortunately, after a month, Sarin finally mastered the principles of meditation. Now he could cast the reading magic twice in a row, and then fully recover within ten minutes.

As an apprentice magician, Sarin had a meager amount of magical elements stored in his body, even less than the average apprentice. Nonetheless, he was already very satisfied. With four enormous rooms, dozens of large bookshelves in each room, and tens of thousands of books, there was more than enough for him to read.

He was no longer in a rush to advance to the next level, but rather eager to absorb more knowledge. Sarin patiently studied in order, and there were over a thousand books on linguistics alone, including Common Language, Mels Language, Magic Language, Qin Yin Language, Skogynian Language, Tanggulasi Language... Sarin even learned Caucasian languages. The Caucasus people had never produced a wizard, and the region was still very primitive, with only priests. But Sarin was obsessed with language learning, and in half a year, he mastered the languages introduced in over a thousand books.

At first, he was slow, but as he recognized more and more characters, his learning speed became faster and faster.

When he finished reading the last book, he was able to cast the Reading Spell three times in a row, indicating that he had become a Level 2 wizard. Sarin didn't know that this was actually because his mental strength was very strong, and the magic consumption was too small when controlling magic. Since he was only casting Level 0 magic, the consumption was even less, and in fact, the magic elements stored in his body were still only at the level of a Level 1 apprentice.

This speed may not be unique, but it is definitely unprecedented. If an ordinary person practiced at this speed, they would have been kicked out long ago. Sarin had the best meditation principles and spent half a year without improving his ability to store magic elements in his body. Jason did not just dismiss him, Sarin really was not suitable for learning magic.

The following content is about magic knowledge, still a bookshelf with over a thousand books. The mysterious veil of the magical world was unveiled, and Sarin didn't know how much he could learn, but he believed that diligence would always pay off.

The origin of magic is unclear, but it is generally believed that magic on the Mels continent has a history of at least thirty thousand years, and was perfected during the second dynasty over ten thousand years ago, divided into six major categories: earth, water, wind, fire, light, and dark. From that time on, the Mels calendar was completed, with a year divided into twelve months, each with thirty days, and six days in a week. The sixth day of the week was the day of darkness, a day of rest for various industries. Even after the fall of the Mels goddess (the goddess of nature) and the rise of the Holy See, this habit was not changed.

The Holy See's calendar was too complicated, and the Holy See believed that a week should consist of seven days. After a hundred years of promotion, the new calendar was only used within the Holy See, and ultimately came to nothing.

Apprentices are not limited to casting 0-level spells before becoming a 1st-level magician. After advancing to a 6th-level apprentice, a magic apprentice can actually learn and complete a 1st-level spell. This is called transcendent casting in the magic formula, and there is only one chance for transcendent casting. It is not surprising that magicians can do it.

After casting magic beyond their level, a magician will fall into a state of weakness, making it almost impossible for them to recover on their own. They can only rely on meditation to possibly restore the magical cord that was consumed.

The magical cord is the foundation of magic. Without it, an apprentice can never advance to become a formal magician. To form the magical cord, one must have strong mental power and elemental affinity. Salin's elemental affinity is very low, so Jason told him that he might have to wait until he is one hundred years old to become a magician.

According to Salin's progress, this is not an exaggeration.

As for what the magical cord is, there are detailed descriptions in various books, but there is no uniform definition. Salin understands that the magical cord exists within the magician's body, providing the basic elemental power for casting magic. Apprentice magicians accumulate magical elements in their bodies through continuous training. This process is the formation of the magical cord, which ultimately leads to the promotion from apprentice to formal magician.

What frustrates Salin is that he has never seen any book mention other ways to form the magical cord. If it relies solely on accumulation, he really has no hope of becoming a magician.

After half a year, the kitchen's supplies have run out, and Salin knows he needs to go to the city to purchase more. He goes to Jason's laboratory and tells him he needs to go to the city.

"How is your studying going?"

"I can now perform three consecutive Reading spells," Salin said, emphasizing the word 'three' in the hopes of getting the teacher's attention.

"Good. You can go then," Jason replied without saying much else, but he gave Salin another five gold coins. Salin's progress was a little faster than Jason had anticipated, but he knew it was because of Salin's strong mental power. Jason could tell that Salin still only had the power of a level 1 apprentice, and casting an additional 0-level spell would not be very helpful. At least, it wouldn't help Salin accumulate enough magic elements to form a magic cord, meaning he would still be unable to become a true wizard.

Sarlin exchanged the coins and put on the robe prepared by Jason. The robe was not tailored to fit him, and although Sarlin was well-fed now, he was still only 12 years old and his body was not very tall. The robe was too long and not very well-fitted.

Now he had six gold coins, which was a lot of money. He couldn't spend this much in a year before.

The city of Xilan remained unchanged, and the lazy soldiers at the city gate didn't even look at Sarlin, despite his absence for half a year. They still recognized him as the little beggar. Collecting taxes from beggars entering the city? Other cities would laugh at that idea.

Sarlin walked along the main road to a tavern. He wasn't in a hurry to go to the food market since he still had time. When he was poor, he had always wanted to come here and have a meal. With six gold coins in his pocket now, he could finally fulfill his dream.

The tavern was spacious, with a courtyard on the right where carriages could park. Although Xilan was no longer what it used to be, there were still a few nobles and merchants. Skochenya established its country through commerce, and the four major merchant companies' presence spread throughout the Meles continent. Xilan was still a port city, and even though it was declining, it was still like a centipede that wouldn't die.

This tavern was very popular, and wealthy people in Xilan would usually choose to entertain their guests here.

Sarin now knows how to read. He looked up at the signboard and saw the words "The Whale of Xilan" written in the language of Mels. In the past, when Xilan was prosperous, the restaurant's signature dish was whale meat. Nowadays, with fewer fishermen willing to venture out to sea for whale hunting, the restaurant hired a chef from the Qin Empire to sustain its reputation. However, the signboard with hundreds of years of history remains unchanged. If you are willing to spend enough gold coins, there are still fishermen willing to risk their lives to go to the open sea for hunting.

Sarin couldn't afford whale meat, but he could still order two dishes on the first floor for less than two silver coins.

He walked into The Whale of Xilan and sat down at an empty table. Unexpectedly, the waiter saw him and ran to the table, shouting loudly, "Beggar, get out of here, there's nothing for you to eat here."

Sarin was furious, his whole face turned red. He used to be a beggar, but now he was a magic apprentice. Even as an apprentice, he should have his own dignity. He took out a gold coin from his pocket and slapped it on the table with a crisp sound. He looked at the waiter with a sidelong glance and asked, "Who's begging here?"

The waiter was taken aback and immediately put on a smiley face, nodding and bowing, "Oh, young master, I mistook you for someone else. Yesterday, a kid ate and didn't pay. It definitely wasn't you. Please don't take it to heart. I'll bring you the menu now."

Sarin now knows how to read. He looked up at the plaque on the front gate, which was inscribed with the words "Sri Lankan Whale" in Morse code.

When Sri Lanka was still prosperous, the restaurant's specialty was whale meat. Now, there are fewer fishermen willing to go out to sea to hunt whales, and the restaurant has hired a chef from the Qin Empire to keep things going. However, the hundreds of years old plaque has not been replaced, and if you are willing to spend enough gold coins, there are still fishermen willing to risk their lives to go out to sea.

Sarin couldn't afford whale meat, but he could still order two dishes on the first floor for less than two silver coins.

He walked into the Sri Lankan Whale and found an empty seat. Unexpectedly, the waiter, upon seeing him, ran over to the table and shouted at him, "Beggar, get out of here, there's nothing for you to eat here."

Sarin was furious, and his whole face turned red. He used to be a beggar, but now he's a magic apprentice, and even as an apprentice, he should have his own dignity. He took out a gold coin from his pocket, slapped it on the table with a bang, looked at the waiter with a sidelong glance, and asked, "Who's the beggar here?"

The waiter was stunned, immediately put on a smiley face, nodded and bowed, and said, "Oh, young master, I mistook you for someone else. Yesterday, a kid ate and didn't pay, it was definitely not you. Don't worry about me, I'll bring you the menu."

Afraid that Sarin would say more, the waiter turned around and left. Although Sarin's anger had not subsided, the waiter had apologized, and he felt like a nouveau riche, so making a fuss again seemed pointless.

At this time, a few people came down from upstairs, but Sarin didn't pay attention. The leader was a fat merchant, and by his side was the servant who had almost killed him with a kick.

When the merchant saw Sarin, he was stunned, especially when he saw the gold coins on his table, which were shiny and obviously real Scogna oak coins.

The merchant didn't show any emotion, left the Sri Lankan Whale, and only then said to his servant, "That kid just now seems to be the unlucky one from the Metatlin family. How come he's still alive?"

"Sir, I'm also surprised. Nobody has helped him, so he should have starved to death a long time ago. I saw gold coins just now." The servant replied obediently with his head bowed.

"Weird. How could a beggar like him have gold coins?"

"Sir, I heard that there is a group of thieves in the city who have taken in several children. Maybe it's them..."

"Never mind who he is, you insect. You go to the city guard station and get a few soldiers, tell them we lost our money, and have this kid arrested and killed quickly. You bring a gold coin and say that's all." The merchant gave careful instructions and then led the other servants back into the Whale of Ceylon.

Salin had no idea that disaster was coming. He ordered two dishes, both not too expensive, and together they cost less than two silver coins. Being young, he didn't dare to drink alcohol and instead ordered a pot of tea, which he enjoyed sipping. Now he realized that his attire was not suitable for the Whale of Ceylon, as all the other customers he could see were dressed properly, and some even wore clothing made of silk from the Qin Emperor Empire.

His own robe looked like it was picked up from somewhere, no wonder the waiter had thrown him out. When he had money, he would definitely buy himself some decent clothes so as not to be looked down upon.

As Salin's first dish arrived and before he could even pick up his utensils, four soldiers rushed in and pressed him down, chaining him up without saying a word.

"What are you doing?!" Salin was both shocked and angry, but he was firmly held down and couldn't resist.

"What are we doing? Kid, you committed a crime and still dared to eat here. Take him back!" The soldiers who arrested him were like wolves and tigers. They were from the city guard station and were responsible for maintaining order in Ceylon City. They hadn't made much profit in a while, but today someone reported a crime, true or not, and they even received a gold coin. It had been two years since they had a deal like this.

"Fart!" Salin's face was pressed against the hard tabletop and he was a bit disoriented. He believed he had done nothing wrong and struggled to resist. A soldier from the City Guard lifted his leg and kicked Salin under the ribs.

"Ahh!"

Salin made an inhuman sound. The kick was too hard and had caused his bones to crack. What was even more damning was that this kick reminded him of the days when he was still a beggar. In those days, he was kicked and beaten at will, and injuries didn't bother him. But now, Salin felt humiliated. He turned his head to the side and spat heavily on another soldier's face.

This spit was met with a barrage of punches and kicks. The fierce soldier simply used an iron chain to gag Salin's mouth. The four soldiers dragged Salin out of the restaurant while the merchant followed them surreptitiously. The waiter chased after them and shouted, "Sir, he hasn't paid yet."

The soldiers laughed, "His money was stolen. Do you want to be an accomplice?"

"I dare not, I dare not," the waiter meekly replied, thinking that he was unlucky. He shouldn't have served this guy who was dressed inappropriately. He probably would have to pay for the meal from his own salary. Damn it, he had worked for half a month for nothing! He quickly turned around and took the dishes back to the kitchen, hoping that the second dish had not yet been made, so he could save some money.

Salin was taken directly to the dungeon of the City Guard without any interrogation.

"Sarlin shouted, 'Why did you arrest me!' as he regained some strength and desperately pounded on the iron bars.

The four soldiers turned around, grinning, and said, 'I almost forgot, you have stolen goods on you, and we haven't searched you yet.'

'This money is mine!' Sarlin was robbed of six gold coins and couldn't resist.

'Now it's ours.' The soldiers locked the iron door and ignored Sarlin's shouting. They didn't even hear the crucial words in Sarlin's hoarse voice - 'My teacher is a magician!' Even if they heard it, they wouldn't believe it. A magician is a highly respected figure, how could they take this beggar as a student? Even the Lord of the city would not have a chance to invite a magician back.

Sarlin began to feel really scared now. He was even a little desperate, not knowing what had happened. Jason would often disappear for ten days or more at a time, and he wouldn't even eat the meal Sarlin prepared for him once a week.

The dungeon was pitch black, and Sarlin's heart was filled with fear. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to shout. His face was in extreme pain, especially his jaw, which was probably fractured. His lips were swollen, and Sarlin felt his eyes moisten, but he held back his tears.

'I am already a magic apprentice, I cannot cry anymore, never!'

Night falls and the city of Xilan quiets down, with the city gates closed. Under the moonlight, a figure quickly approaches the gates at an astonishing speed. The person arrives at the gates, frowning, and with a wave of their arms, a pair of wing-like objects unfold behind them. They take off into the air, flying over the city walls and landing inside the city.

Patrolling soldiers spot the figure and shout, "Who goes there!"

Ignoring the challenge, the figure disappears into the streets like a wisp of smoke. They soon arrive at the city guardhouse and come to a stop. Under the moonlight, the gray magic robe appears extremely mysterious, surrounded by what seems like smoke. The person is Jason Stevenson. He had placed a magic mark on Salin, and when Salin didn't return, Jason knew something was wrong and immediately followed the guidance of the magic mark to Xilan City.

Magic marks can guide a mage's direction, so even though Salin was imprisoned underground, it didn't stop Jason. He raised his hand and shot a fireball, blasting open the door of the guardhouse and striding in.

"Who..." the soldier on duty had only managed to shout half a sentence before Jason grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. As a fifth-level mage, Jason's body was exceptionally strong, even a regular swordsman would find it difficult to resist.

"Where are the children you captured today? Take me there," Jason's voice was cold and devoid of the kindness he had shown to Salin.

"What children?" the soldier asked.

Jason pulled the soldier's face close to his own, staring into his eyes. "Take me to the place where you keep your prisoners and gather all of your men."

The soldier's soul was terrified. He saw a demon in the middle-aged man's eyes, with a tongue writhing out of the dark abyss and choking him, making it difficult to breathe. His legs went weak, and he collapsed on the ground foaming at the mouth. Jason frowned, realizing he had used too much intimidation. This soldier was at best a junior swordsman and couldn't withstand it.

Following the guidance of the magic mark, Jason found his way to the dungeon, using an illumination spell to light up the way. The dungeon was now brightly lit. Salin saw Jason suddenly appear and tightly grasped the iron bars, unable to say a word. His throat was almost completely hoarse.

After Jason's commotion, guards blocked the exit of the dungeon. One soldier shouted loudly, "How dare you, thief, to break into the prison! Put down your weapons immediately!"

Before he could finish, another soldier with a sharp eye pointed to the glowing dungeon and stammered, "It seems... seems like..."

"Magic? Are you kidding me!"

"Really, look!"

Ignoring the people's disbelief, Jason grasped the lock with one hand and effortlessly pulled it open. Sarin rushed out of the cell, nearly throwing herself into Jason's arms. Her lips moved but he couldn't hear what she said.

"Who imprisoned my student?" Jason asked with an expressionless face.

The soldiers looked at each other, afraid to answer. Some cursed inwardly at the trouble caused by that idiot who dared to capture a wizard's student.

"If no one knows..." Jason said no more, extending his hand to conjure a fireball, which silently hovered in his palm. While a first-level spell, holding back the power of such magic required the skill of at least a fourth-level wizard. However, for these ordinary soldiers, even a wizard of a few levels was more than they could handle.

"Sir, please don't be angry. I'll go find out for you." One soldier was quick-witted and turned to run away.

With a face like water, Jason pulled Sarin along and walked out of the dungeon, heading straight for the City Guard's hall.