Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 465 The Broken Road Ahead

With a flick of the wrist, the heavens and earth crumble, mountains are moved and seas are filled, or like a gentle spring breeze and drizzle, it seeps into every corner of society, and the impact of arcane magic on daily life can be clearly felt in every aspect.

The floating city is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Netheril. Zhang Yuan had a deep understanding of the feeling of an entire city floating high above the clouds before, in the Cloud Giant's Cloud Palace Tower.

The floating cities were much larger than the latter, and at its peak, the Nether Empire had over a hundred floating cities overlooking the land of Faerûn from the sky.

The endless energy and regional magic network control effect brought by the Miser Core not only support the flight of behemoths like floating cities, but also allow all sorts of bold and innovative inventions, as well as convenient, practical, and mass-producible magical creations to appear within the radiation range of this mysterious core.

At that time, amidst the dazzling display of success and prosperity, how many people could foresee the hidden dangers and the subsequent crisis?

However, that's another story. In short, among the deeds that have been passed down to this day, the powerful spells and great achievements are so fascinating, yet also make people lament the disappearance of their civilization, making it difficult for these wonders to be reproduced today.

The gap seems obvious. The existing spell system is far inferior to that of the ancient civilization in terms of function and performance, and the inner ring arcane magic that shone in history has become a thing of the past.

Is that really the case?
While the arcane path may indeed have its advantages, some arguments overlook a crucial change.

That is the change in the magic network itself.

Each version has its own god-tier spellcaster, and with each version, the god-tier spellcaster is nerfed. It seems that the spellcasters have been infected by the bad luck of the Goddess of the Magic Network, and their treatment and privileges are also plummeting.

With the activation of the thirteenth-ring arcane spell cast by Karthus's avatar, the fall of the goddess of magic and the subsequent destruction of the Nether Empire became inevitable. The mysterious lady Mystra, reborn from Mystra, felt the audacity and unpredictability of mortal spellcasters and resolutely closed the inner ring of the magic network core, no longer granting access to the mortal world above the ninth ring.

This is the fundamental reason why those earth-shattering, super-ninth-ring spells have disappeared.

To be honest, the arcane class, limited by the entry requirements, should be stronger than the mage class in terms of overall quality. However, this is not the case at higher levels, especially at the level of archarus and the corresponding legendary spellcaster.

Which of those who can reach the legendary realm is weak? To talk about talent among these masters who stand at the pinnacle of the mortal world is pointless; it's more about their own circumstances and the path they chose.

Those spellcasters who can break through the limitations of the closed inner ring of the magic network and research legendary spells—a unique path that is almost equivalent to tenth-ring arcane spells—are they really that much less talented than archmages? And which one of them would be willing to be inferior to others?
If that old rogue Elminster and the patriarch Samass were to return to their past, they might not have gone any further than the great arcane mages. And if the latter came to the present world, he would have to scratch his head in the face of the new rules.

There's no need to bring up old monsters like Iolem and Lalock. Any spellcaster who has lived for thousands of years is extraordinary, let alone those who were top figures back then.

No matter what kind of spellcasting profession it is, it cannot avoid exploring and utilizing the magic network. No matter how much one reminisces about the past glory of Gnatheril, compared to the current mage profession, the arcane system's efforts in dealing with the more tightly closed magic network are enough to make most people who aspire to embark on the path of arcane magic hesitate again and again.

If they really do have the opportunity to access the legacy of the arcane path.

However, for Zhang Yuan, who knew part of the future's trajectory, this choice left almost no room for hesitation. The convenience and power of the spellcasting system relied entirely on the premise that the magic network itself was intact and stable. In the turmoil of the future, the first to suffer would always be the magic goddess who sacrificed herself to the update.

The offerings were all made...

Mystra's fall is not the main issue; the uncontrolled magic network is about to go berserk, and one can only imagine what will happen to the mages who rely entirely on it.

Aside from the legendary figures who truly understand the essence of arcane power, the vast majority of ordinary spellcasters face a near-apocalyptic fate.

Although this catastrophe, which was known as the magical plague in my previous life, is still several decades away, it's never too late to prepare for the worst.

Who can be absolutely certain that they will have reached the legendary pinnacle by then? What if they take a wrong step and fall into the abyss? Wouldn't it be too late to regret it then?

However, the arcane tradition is not something commonplace. Even the knowledge of ordinary mage schools is not easily obtained, let alone the arcane path, which has long been lost in the annals of history.

After learning about the tomb's owner's background, the desire to acquire the arcane arts became even stronger than the desire to relocate the Shadowsteel Golem factory.

The monk concentrated intently, deciphering and reading through all the inscriptions on the stone tablet, and the originally unremarkable story began to change.

Drezan, who had dedicated his life to studying and experienced both disappointment and glory, still failed to reach the level of Grand Archmage, the realm he had pursued all his life. Stuck at the level of High Archmage, he tried every possible means to achieve his goal, but all his efforts ended in failure. What seemed like a mere step away was more despairing than an insurmountable chasm.

Even in Netheril's glorious era, becoming a Grand Arcane Master meant unparalleled glory and immense power and status. It was the pinnacle of a prosperous arcane age, a shining pearl that remained after countless spellcasters had been sifted out.

Moreover, during the time when Drezan lived, the magic network underwent dramatic changes and distortions, civilizations fell and withered, and only the ghost city of Tutankhamun survived by escaping into the shadow plane.

Not to mention Drezan, even among the ghost princes of the Tanshur family, apart from Tramont Tanshur, who had already become a Grand Archmage back then, none of them were able to accomplish such a heaven-defying feat as becoming a Grand Archmage in the Shadow Realm.

Even the two legendary Shadow Princes, Brunus and Rivaren, only achieved their advancement by later following the paths of Shadow Priest and Shadow Mage.

Shadow Demon Network ultimately failed to achieve the feat of counterfeiting against the original. Its use at a superficial level was not a problem, and it even had an advantage in the Shadow Plane. However, when it came to delving into the inner ring of origin, this inherently flawed private server network paled in comparison.

No matter how vast and profound Ms. Shar's power is, she cannot weave a magical web that spans the endless planes of the multiverse all by herself.

Of course, it's not impossible to cross the threshold into the legendary realm. If some lucky person were to be favored by Princess Shar and secretly grant them special access, then it wouldn't be difficult for a spellcaster who could delve into the core of the Shadow Demon Network to become a legendary figure.

However, that would not be a Grand Arcanist!
Thank you to Eric Jin and Wanliu Tongyuan for your monthly ticket support!
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(End of this chapter)