On the other side, Richard was puzzled.
This was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing.
"This is for people at our level," Aldric suddenly spoke, knowing Richard needed an explanation.
"What do you mean, Grandfather?" Richard asked.
"You see, the World Magic Aether appears in every era. When someone obtains it, another one will appear, though still hidden. But without a doubt, the World Magic Aether is the power of the entire world. Whoever possesses it becomes as strong as the world itself. Even without being owned by anyone, the World Magic Aether practically has the power to suppress anyone. If someone binds their oath with the World Magic Aether, it will ensure they uphold that oath and no one can break it. It is far more terrifying than a Slave Seal because it can even prevent someone from committing suicide."
This was something Richard had never heard before. He couldn't help but be amazed.
"Are only people at your level capable of binding an oath with the World Magic Aether?" he asked again.
"Yes, because only we are acknowledged by the World Magic Aether. The rest are nothing more than ants, unworthy of attention," Aldric explained with a tone of pride.
After hearing his explanation, Richard turned his gaze toward the Fire Spirit Queen.
"You may regret your words," he said.
"Say that when you master it," the woman replied before leaving once more.
"She still can't accept her fate, but that's understandable. After all, she once stood at the peak of the world, only to awaken as an enslaved old woman. Most people would go insane." Aldric chuckled.
He didn't notice Richard's quiet smile.
Richard then opened the second book, which contained an Arcane Art.
(Flame Lotus Arcane Art; allows you to transform your flames into lotus fire capable of destroying the world. Each 1% mastery increases the number of fire lotuses you can unleash with the same amount of Aether. You can also merge your fire lotuses into a larger one, and you can combine other elements into your fire lotus to create a stronger lotus!)
"Richard, this is the strongest Arcane Art owned by the Fire Spirit Queen. She relied on it to burn vast lands. Don't think it's just a fire lotus—truth is, it can appear directly beneath the target and ignite everything above it. To be honest, even at that time, I struggled to escape from it because the heat made it difficult for me to move." Aldric gave Richard additional details.
Richard nodded without saying a word, immediately reading the book's contents.
DING!
(You have obtained the Flame Lotus Arcane Art!)
(Your mastery of the Flame Lotus Arcane Art has increased from 0% to 10%!)
[Arcane Arts:
100 Shadow Monster (19%)
Lighting of Darkness (19%)
Mind Attack (13%)
Flame Lotus (10%)]
'If the Fire Spirit Queen finds out about this, I hope she doesn't go insane,' Richard thought.
"For this Arcane Art, the chances of you mastering it are greater," Aldric said.
Richard remained silent, only nodding.
"Grandfather, I'll be going now," Richard said.
"Mm!" Aldric allowed him to leave.
---
That night, after dinner, Richard was once again visited by the bird sent by Mrs. Wilson. It came straight to his room without meeting Lisa first.
It carried a letter and a ring.
Richard immediately took them both.
He opened the letter first.
(Fortunately, you won. I didn't expect Wren to head toward Purple Rose Village. Inside your ring, there are thirty thousand Nature Spirits as a reward for the mission to kill Wren. The entire Night Valley City is in an uproar over his death. People are wondering who managed to kill him. Because he is dead, the tournament organizers had no choice but to reinstate Gray to replace Wren.)
Richard smiled as he read the letter, which described the situation in Night Valley City.
Afterward, he checked the ring, finding a massive pile of Nature Spirits.
Who would have thought he would obtain the same amount as he did from Lilith and the sale of Cymora Land?
With his wealth increasing, Richard decided to train through the night without rest, not stopping even when morning came, and continued further.
During his training, the System gave him a notification.
(Your affinity with the Cloud Element has increased from 80% to 90%!)
(Your mastery of the Flame Lotus Arcane Art has increased from 10% to 12%!)
(Cloud: 90%)
(Flame Lotus: 12%)
Richard paused briefly upon receiving the notification, but he didn't dwell on it. He knew the System's increase was more significant because of the addition of one Codex and the Arcane Art.
He continued training until he accumulated 200 total Aether—100 absorbed directly and 100 from an Aether Bottle.
[Aether: 3680/10,000 <Tier 3>] +200
[Aether Accumulation: 8680 <Tier 3>]
'Perhaps I'll advance when I'm eight years old,' he thought.
He always kept track of his age. In about a week, he would turn eight.
However, birthdays weren't important in this world. Few people celebrated them, since most didn't even remember their exact date of birth. They usually only had an estimate of their total age.
Richard was utterly exhausted after training nonstop from night until noon.
But he didn't feel like sleeping.
He stepped out of his room, only to find Sister Lisa examining a rather wide silver sword.
"Sister..." Richard approached and greeted her, his gaze falling on the sword in her hand.
"Richard, you've been locked away in your room for so long. What have you been doing?" Lisa asked, a little surprised to see him.
"Of course, I was training," Richard replied.
"Sister, where did you get that sword?" Richard asked next.
He thought it was a Tier 2 Weapon. For someone like Lisa, it wouldn't be easy to obtain such a weapon. Besides, Lilith had never given her weapons, only armor.
"I've had this for a long time," Lisa answered with a smile.
"Ohh… Did you buy it?"
"No, I found it during an adventure. I just kept it at my home. If I didn't have the Sky Armor, I wouldn't be able to use it, because when its power activates, this sword becomes far too heavy." Lisa explained.
"By the way, this morning I received a raven from Lilith. She said she would meet you tonight, but she asked you to come to Apple Town," she added.
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