Chapter 56: Confoundment

What is a seat instructor? Within the eight major sects of the Red Robe Mage Association, the most esteemed mage is known as the "chief." The so-called seat instructor is someone qualified to hold the position of chief.

Being able to access the nine-layer magic web, such top-tier mages are few and far between in the Red Robe Mage Association, numbering only around twenty or thirty in total. Within the sparsely populated Prophecy Sect, there are only two individuals. One of them is the chief, Yefa'an. Upon seeing the silver strands above the mage's head, Panne already discerned the name of this grand mage before him: "I am Gastiray," spoke the silver-haired lady.

Panne grew even more apprehensive. Though she was only the second-in-command within the Prophecy Sect, Grand Mage Gastiray stood beneath Yefa'an, yet within the inner circles of the Red Robe Association, Gastiray's renown surpassed even the reclusive Yefa'an, if only slightly.

One notable peculiarity of this grand mage is her aversion to the standard image of a Red Robe Mage. It is said that she created a second-tier arcane spell called "Gastiray's Long Hair Technique" to counteract the power of specialized tattooing. Clearly, she succeeded—the silver hair before them is the result.

However, one cannot deem it an unqualified success. Under the suppression of specialized tattooing, the hair produced by this spell is a flamboyant pure white, and the consequence of this spell being fixed on the head is the suppression of tattooing's power. The prophecy spells cast by this second-in-command of the Prophecy Sect are said to be less effective than spells of other categories.

Nevertheless, this contribution has been made to the Red Robe Mage Association. In recent years, several Western countries devoted to the Dawnlord have begun to focus on scrutinizing white-haired mages entering their borders because such mages could potentially be Red Robes in disguise.

However, this tactic is evidently ineffective against Red Robes who dye their hair. Moreover, this second-in-command has another peculiarity: when encountering other Red Robes, she always attempts to impart this spell to them.

Panne, upon reflecting on this, touched his head and imagined the chilling image of himself as a white-haired mage. He decided that he would rather be bald than learn this absurd spell.

Fortunately, due to factional reasons, he could never learn this spell.

Panne sighed with relief, but Gastiray shook her head gently. "What a pity. You've taken the same stance as Johan on Transmutation magic. One day, you'll regret it."

"Well... on the path of arcane, one always needs to make choices," Panne replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Yes," Gastiray nodded with a smile, then turned to Osira, the High-Level Envoy beside Panne. "Osira, what do you think of this child? You know, my divinations haven't been quite sharp lately."

"He is indeed a fine child," Osira nodded, a smile gracing her face. "Madam, we must trust Johan; his judgment has always been sound."

"Yes, Johan's judgment has never been amiss," Panne said, astonished to see Gastiray's face soften with nostalgia. He felt a dissonance in the warmth between this "mother and daughter"... Could this really be the Red Robe Mage Association?

Or perhaps, he had never truly understood this organization?

It seemed so.

Panne furrowed his brow in silent contemplation.

"Young man, there's no need to be too nervous," Gastiray smiled at Panne once more. "You have our approval already."

"Approval? May I ask..." Panne furrowed his brow, finally voicing the lingering doubt in his heart, "What tasks does the Second-in-Command and the Dean have in mind for me?"

"Task?"

Panne was astonished to notice the exchanged glances between the prophetic mother and daughter after hearing this question. Their expressions were equally bewildered. Then, these two formidable mages gazed at him intently, with a mixture of seriousness and peculiarity. As he felt the prickling sensation of being scrutinized, Gastiray furrowed her brow and spoke, "We do not have any tasks to assign to you. Or perhaps, are you feeling perplexed about your current situation?"

"Yes, Second-in-Command, I still do not understand..." Panne scratched his head foolishly. "Why the Dean brought me here."

There was a moment of silence in the seer's hut. Then, Gastiray and Osira sighed together. "It seems that Johan is not a responsible teacher, Osira," the Grand Prophet grumbled, chin propped on her hand.

"He has always been like this. He never utters more than necessary, and he certainly never says what he can avoid," Osira shrugged helplessly.

"Well... your name is Panne, isn't it?" Gastiray sighed again before turning back to Panne, who looked puzzled. "Listen to me, we are your certifiers."

"Certifiers?" Panne was momentarily puzzled.

"Yes, certifiers. If you wish to become a formal member of the Mage Guild, you must pass our certification," Gastiray nodded, explaining.

"But I am a sorcerer," Panne said with a strange expression.

A sorcerer of the Red Robes needing certification from prophets?

That clearly defied logic.

Upon hearing this remark, Gastiray and Osira exchanged a glance, then shook their heads once more with a sigh. Osira wordlessly shook her head at Panne, "It seems you truly know nothing. Johan has not revealed any information to you at all."

"What should I know?" Panne felt increasingly perplexed as he listened, sensing that some crucial information had been withheld or overlooked by Johan. His curiosity was now piqued even further.

After a moment of silence, Osira placed a hand on Panne's shoulder and said, "What you should know is to get some rest. If you can't sleep, go to the library across the hall and read some spell books—though the materials are old, they are suitable for studying basic spells. As for what comes next, simply rest until your Dean comes to fetch you."

The senior mentor seemed to have no intention of further explanation. She led the drowsy Panne out of the cabin, pointing out several rooms along the corridor: the dining hall, bedrooms, and library. Before leaving, she added, "If you still have doubts, I suggest you discuss them with the Red Robes here. Perhaps they can help dispel your confusion."

"Thank you, Lady Osira," Panne bid farewell with a bow.

"You're welcome. We are already comrades," she replied. Before her words finished, she vanished, leaving Panne even more bewildered.

What did she mean by "comrades"?

Panne now felt that the promotion process of the Red Robes was filled with oddities. The attitudes of these two prophets and Johan were also incredibly peculiar.

He opened the bedroom door pointed out by Osira. The bedroom was modestly furnished, with just a bed, a table, and a chair. Behind the door hung a magical lock—though its practical utility was uncertain, it provided a sense of reassurance. He remembered Johan's teachings and took out two scrolls, "Seal Door" and "Magic Alarm," intending to make some arrangements. Feeling somewhat alert and unable to sleep due to heavy thoughts weighing on his mind, he decided to study some spells in the adjacent library.

His progress in studying third-level spells could only be described as slightly better than a novice. The series of adventures in the Northlands had left him with little leisure for spell practice. "Fireball" and "Dispel Magic" were still incomplete, so he felt it necessary to recharge.

As Osira had mentioned, the old library contained only outdated materials. Apart from himself, the room was deserted, with documents scattered on shelves and the floor. After searching for a while, he realized that effective learning of new spells would not happen quickly. Despite his current energy, he found it difficult to settle his mind. Sitting in the reading room for a while, he suddenly remembered his findings in the Abyss. He then retrieved the spell research notes from his magic pouch—these seemed far more intuitive than spell books for spell study.

The Abyssal language interspersed with psionic symbols in the notes made Penni's reading experience quite uncomfortable. However, it generated a peculiar sense of reading pleasure—he found himself concentrating deeply as he endeavored to decipher the hidden messages within the psionic symbols. It wasn't until he sporadically traced the traces on the notes and inferred the identity of the author that he suddenly realized the rationale behind this peculiar recording method.

It was only now that Penni understood the name of the original owner of this spellbook: Smospain, a mind-flayer sorcerer whose casting ability reached the sixth level. The origins of such creatures were shrouded in mystery; all that was known was that these highly intelligent beings inhabited the dark realms or the astral plane. Being natural masters of psychic power, it was no wonder that psionic symbols appeared in the notes.

Penni silently rejoiced, grateful for the bit of psionic foundation he had learned from the elder in the Northlands. Otherwise, with his current arcane abilities, he would have been unable to comprehend these notes.

Smospain was a wizard who delved into teleportation and summoning, adept at complementing innate psionic talents with enchantment spells.

In the Abyss, spellcasters and warlocks relying on the Weave for spellcasting usually became ineffective. This was because the magical network woven by the goddess Mystra did not extend to the chaotic and malevolent realms of the Abyss. Even on the superficial layers, spellcasters relying on the Weave would face significant suppression.

Therefore, those daring to venture into the Abyss were either scholars of off-Weave spellcasting or wielders of powerful chaotic creatures as minions.

The profound research into teleportation spells by the mind flayer sorcerer deeply impressed Penni. However, he also realized that his own level of research into teleportation was still in its infancy. Nevertheless, other contents in the spellbook piqued his interest greatly.

For instance, some special techniques in mental offense and defense. Smospain had delved deeply into the realm of enchantments related to the mind and possessed profound expertise. Some of the subtle techniques regarding mental offense and defense were indeed worth studying.

"Shield of Thought." Penni attempted to use a psionic ability to blend chaotic disruptive elements into a shield formed by psionic energy, sustaining it for a moment before retracting the stable psionic energy back into the depths of his mind. He then experimented with the "Mental Barrier." After several consecutive trials, he began exploring some of the mind flayer's unique techniques.

For example, embedding psionic energy within mental spells, allowing the "Phantasmal Force" spell to carry the effect of "Psychic Drain." He tested this on a pile of ants in the corner, observing as they frenziedly scurried about, seeming to lose their sense of direction.

He tirelessly conducted multiple experiments until he exhausted his spell slots and felt somewhat fatigued from the psionic expenditure, reluctantly ceasing his endeavors.

Essentially, Penni, whose psychic power was somewhat extraordinary, bore some resemblance to the innate talents of mind flayers. Hence, this spellbook of the mind flayer sorcerer proved to be quite beneficial for him.

As he delved further into the contents, he encountered topics related to off-Weave spellcasting.

Penni furrowed his brow.

For the practitioners traversing the realms of Pharén, delving into such techniques seemed unnecessary.

The magical network established by the goddess of magic stood inviolable in most regions dominated by order across the multiverse. Except for areas with anomalous energy, mages only needed to adhere to the laws of the magical network for spellcasting.

Who among the bored mages would frequently venture into the abyss?

Even if they did, there were many other protective measures available. Wouldn't it be tedious to specifically research off-Weave spellcasting for the sake of convenience?

There are many methods of harnessing magical energy, and the magical network merely standardizes them. If the magical network were eliminated, some advanced mages would still be able to cast spells. Before the magical network system was fully established, the casting methods of ancient magic were diverse.

However, achieving the qualifications to study spells using those methods is beyond the capabilities of over ninety percent of Pharén's mages, and Penni believed he lacked that caliber as well. Nonetheless, the mind flayer's spellbook left him with a favorable reading impression. He continued flipping through it for a while and discovered that the mind flayer was quite innovative.

Using innate psionic abilities, he could actually simulate the rules of the magical network to cast some spells. However, most of these spells were related to the mind—mostly summoning spells or enchantments. As for other spells, it seemed that guiding them through this method yielded poor results.

He perused the texts for a while, realizing that classic Pharén mages like himself had already grown accustomed to the existence of the Weave. Now, fully engaging in the study of these matters seemed rather unnecessary.

Thus, he carefully stowed away these magical research notes, deciding to occasionally delve into them. It was time for him to retire for the night.

Just then, the door creaked open, and a diminutive robed mage entered, carrying a stack of tomes.

The appearance of this mage once again affirmed to Penni the abundance of female diviners in the prophecy branch, just as rumored.

The female mage appeared very young, seemingly even younger than Penni. Behind her large-framed glasses were eyes slightly blurred due to severe myopia. As she noticed the man in the reading room, her expression gradually shifted to one of surprise.