The black sun hangs high

Chapter 76 Study hard
Hughes's attitude toward the gods of Brahma has always been very ambiguous.

His past habits, common sense, and beliefs made it difficult for him to truly respect and identify with a so-called deity.

Hugh was not particularly interested in the pervasive faith in Vaan that had penetrated into all aspects of people's lives, nor in the deep-rooted belief in the goddess of magic that was so deeply ingrained in people's hearts because of the miracle of magic.

Although he was the author of these settings, things on a textual level are different from real, visible, and tangible devout faith.

When mages greet each other, they praise the goddess of magic; goblins inscribe the image of the god of commerce and wealth on their buildings and decorations; farmers pray during the harvest; and fishermen and hunters swear oaths by their gods when selling their catch…

At least, when Hughes casually typed out these "settings," he never thought about how they would be presented in real life, or how they would fill in and enrich the missing details on their own.

Just like those "ancient gods" he had never heard of before.

The existence of Theseus, and the lost "truths" he and the Dream Sanctuary revealed, filled Hugh with caution and fear towards this unknown being.

When Theseus first met him, his words about the current state of the gods in Vaan made him even more suspicious.

Logic told him that the development of the world of Vaan was probably closely related to the lost ancient gods and the succession of the current gods.

"It seems that the Legal Committee attaches great importance to the faith in the Goddess of Magic. At the very least, they hope to exert some influence on all spellcasters when they first begin their studies."

Hugh flipped through the pages, glancing past the opening proverbs and images, and officially began his magical learning journey in the new world.

This book, "Magic and Tricks: The Foundations of the Tower," reminded Hugh of the textbooks he had encountered during his student years. However, the difference was that in Vaan, the casting of magic and the manipulation and use of magical power were always linked to people's perception of magical power. The fundamental reason why Hugh Ernst was stuck at the threshold of becoming a mage apprentice was that he had difficulty effectively perceiving magical power.

This has nothing to do with the ability to understand knowledge.

"Magic exists in everything in Vain: rain, soil, plants, animals... everything that can be touched contains magic."

"The earliest spellcasters were a group of people who could sense and draw magic from nature. Therefore, in the beginning, people did not know the name of the goddess of magic, Mel. These spellcasters were common in settlements of all sizes and were called prophets because they could perform 'miracles'."

"However, as magic was used more and more, the connection between these early spellcasters and magic became deeper and deeper. When magic accumulated to a certain limit, they gradually became able to sense the presence of the goddess Mel—the wise and loving goddess gave these spellcasters corresponding revelations. They thus learned how to store and use magic more effectively, how to truly use magic, and how to inscribe the power of magic into their spirit and body."

"This is the origin of today's mages..."

"Magic is the foundation of all magic, just as needle and thread are to clothing and bricks are to a house. Therefore, how to sense magic and how to draw magic from everything around us is the first lesson for spellcasters."

Hughes turned a page.

The text continues on the pages: "Based on the most basic 'law of magic,' even ordinary people who have difficulty perceiving magic possess this power. Therefore, the first step in perceiving magic is to come into contact with anything around you (things with highly concentrated magic, such as magic crystals, are naturally the best choice)... Ensure your mind is calm, close your eyes, concentrate your mind, and imagine yourself and that thing in a closed space."

"...When the magic sense is successfully established, the spellcaster will be able to 'see' the shape and lines of the magic emanating from the object in contact. These should be directly captured by the spellcaster's mind and form different structures according to the object's volume, weight, and properties."

"The following are the possible forms of various common items in magical perception: A common magic crystal (constant one, quality rating 3~4) often appears as a smooth cone composed of a large number of magical lines in magical perception."

"When this book is perceived, it often appears as a cuboid similar in size to the book itself. Because there are some words written with magical ink in the book, multiple lines and shapes extending in uncertain directions may also appear on the cuboid."

Hughes frowned, then picked up the book, cleared his mind as instructed, and closed his eyes.

Perhaps because magic already existed within his body, Hugh's first formal magic perception went extremely smoothly. In fact, the magic model of the book appeared in his mind as soon as he closed his eyes.

As the book describes, the magical model is presented as a standard cuboid, with many thin lines of varying lengths extending from the top of the cuboid, which are derived from the magical ink and patterns in the book.

"...It feels like a middle school student suddenly looking back at their elementary school textbook."

Hugh pursed his lips, then opened his eyes and continued his reading and learning journey.

Since the perception of magic was already easy to accomplish, Hugh skipped this lengthy passage and went straight to the chapter "The First Trick".

The author of the book clearly possesses a certain sense of humor.

At the beginning of this lesson, there is this passage.

"To all beginners, if you feel that you may have 'been experiencing a magical sensation,' please go back to the beginning of the previous lesson or consult your tutor—you are most likely being overly arrogant or having unwarranted delusions. This is not meant to be sarcastic or mocking, but rather as well-intentioned advice."

"Without magic as a support, too much magical knowledge will only become a mental burden for you."

Below this text, the printer deliberately left a large blank space before entering the main text.

"Tricks are the foundation of magical inscriptions, but unlike magical traces that are directly imprinted in the mind, learning tricks relies more on the spellcaster's memory and comprehension."

"As the first lesson in formally beginning magical studies, all spellcasters should attempt to memorize and recite the following simplified spell runes, and try to imitate them using their own magic power within their mental realm..."

Hugh gradually became engrossed in the book.

He hadn't experienced this feeling of studying seriously for a very long time, like a student who, after indulging for too long, had a "pang of conscience" and picked up his books again, determined to catch up on his studies.

Gradually, Hugh memorized the magical runes that he had never encountered or learned before. After that, he began to experiment in his own mental world—extracting small amounts of magic power and stretching and constructing them into a specified shape.

His actions naturally attracted the attention of the other inhabitants within the metal disc. Led by the Messenger in the Mirror, the Touch of Calron and the Scurrying Rat Sniggy began to intensely observe Hugh. However, they soon showed signs of annoyance and boredom. The Touch of Calron was relatively well-behaved, probably because it had previously benefited from Hugh; it remained very quiet and unassuming in the groove. Sniggy, who had the most contact with Hugh, was more unruly. It leaned against the edge of the groove, swaying its three tails back and forth, and occasionally, in a very human-like manner, opened its mouth to yawn.

As for the Mirror Messenger who led the way at the beginning, he glanced at it briefly and then retreated behind his desk, where he was writing something.

Time always flies when you're studying hard.

It wasn't until someone knocked on the door that Hughes snapped out of his study mode, by which time he had already mastered the basic magic runes of three fundamental magic tricks.

These are "Awakening Light" for illumination and "Magic Water" for creating small amounts of clean water.

Of course, there's also the "Mage's Hand," which Shug has been eyeing for a very long time, and which can only slightly enhance a spellcaster's "prestige" and the convenience of their life.

Seeing that Hugh remained somewhat bewildered, Vera got up and opened the door.

As a self-disciplined nun, she was very satisfied with her "students'" learning attitude.

A waiter from the Adlon Hotel, trembling under the watchful eyes of several Imir Legion soldiers, brought the pre-ordered lunch into the living room.

It was only then that Hughes realized he was starving.

The waiter diligently brought the lunch for the two people to the dining table in the living room.

This is a very classic dish from the Kingdom of Walter, which can be simply summarized as "lots of meat," "lots of vegetables," and "lots of sauce."

However, unlike the methods of the local chefs in Walter, the chefs at the Adlon Hotel clearly had access to higher-quality ingredients and better cooking tools and conditions. When a piece of leg meat from the "Needle Pig" in the Black Nest Mountains was carefully marinated in a special sauce and then thoroughly roasted using a cooking utensil engraved with a simple flame trick, the surface of the meat became incredibly crispy.

The vegetables next to them underwent a classic Walter cooking process—washing them in magical water, soaking and cooking them in a herbal broth, and then quickly cooling them in ice water.

This will cause the herbal juices to form a thin film on the surface of the vegetables, which not only removes the greasiness of the meat but also stimulates the appetite.

"Hmm... much better than the meals provided by the Legislative Affairs Commission."

Verin gave the lunch provided by the Adlon Hotel a very high rating. Perhaps because Hugh and his companion were still under Princess Sophia's surveillance, they not only received high-quality meals but also comprehensive security. At least Hugh could now sense the strong traces of magic on the two dishes. Verin pointed out that they had undergone multiple "toxin detection" spells before being delivered.

This is sufficient to ensure food safety.

"How's the progress?"

"I am currently learning basic magic runes. I have already mastered ten of the twenty-two basic magic runes. In another hour, I will be able to memorize them all."

Vera nodded. She didn't question Hugh's learning progress. As a spellcaster who had already completed magical inscription and could directly use multiple spells, this kind of progress was normal.

"What about magic tricks? How many have you mastered?"

"Three."

Hugh made a cut in the meat and then recited the names of the three tricks he had learned.

Now, a satisfied expression finally appeared on Vera's face. She smiled at Hugh and picked up a piece of chopped vegetable with her fork: "In fact, there is one thing that books don't say, and that is that at any stage, the learning of magic and the control of magical power require a lot of practice to improve... Well, if conditions permit, you'd better let magic permeate every moment of your life."

Hugh was puzzled. He stopped what he was doing and waited quietly for Vera's explanation.

After swallowing the vegetable with satisfaction, Vera wiped her mouth and said, "Simply put, you need to gradually learn to tie your life to magic, and the Mage's Hand is one of the best ways to practice."

As she spoke, a blue mage's hand appeared beside Vilin. It floated to the dining table, picked up two clean glasses, and placed them between the two of them.

"That's it."

Vera smiled and said, "If you can entrust everything to magic, then don't try to solve it yourself. Mr. Hughes usually needs to write and keep notes, right? You can try entrusting them to the mage."

As she spoke, the mage's hand gestured to Hugh: "Come on, Mr. Hugh, as a student, you can now try pouring half a glass of wine for your teacher, consider it your first practice."

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Hughes nodded. He drew upon a portion of his magic and attempted to construct the Wizard's Hand Trick within his mental world using five different runes.

"puff!"

With a soft sound, Hughes successfully performed his magic trick.

However, Virin, who was sitting across the table, frowned. She stared blankly at the mage's hand floating next to Hugh, a look of confusion on her face.

Hugh himself also fell silent.

For some reason, the mage's hand, which appears as a pale blue or ice blue to all other mages, has a deep, dark green color in Hugh's hand, as if it contains some kind of dark, corrosive poison.

(End of this chapter)