Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 489 Dreams of the Old Land
"Level 9 elemental summoning is not a spell that can be cast casually."

Tyrantir, too lazy to pay attention to his apprentice's petty thoughts, said seriously:
"Usually, the upper limit of arcane power is limited to the ninth level of summoning an elemental elder, while summoning an elemental legion can connect to the elemental planes and request an elemental prince to lead his subordinates to descend."

"But that's already a legendary spell, teacher, what you just cast..."

Zhang Yuansheng, who also had theoretical knowledge of high-level arcane spells in the spellcasting system, was puzzled.

"What I just used was indeed a level nine elemental summoning, and what I summoned was indeed an elemental prince."

"What about this?"

"Arcane magic and the magic network have their own operating rules, but order does not mean rigidity."

Anyway, the elemental giants had finished their work and gone home, and the archmage gave a quick lesson.

"The standard nine-ring arcane system progresses step by step from the outer ring of the magic network. However, the inner ring of the magic network is closed. When you reach the end and there is no way to go further, it is the most difficult. Whether you are creating new spells or improving existing spells, you must seek a breakthrough to find a way out."

"His Excellency Gallas said something similar back then, also about breaking down barriers and not being bound by rules."

Zhang Yuan pondered for a moment and recalled his conversation with that old man known as the Wrath of the Sky.

"How could I not understand that? It's just that knowing is easy, but doing is hard. It can't be explained in just a few words."

The high priest's knuckles, gripping his staff, were slightly white, and his expression became more solemn.

"Whether it's improving or innovating spells, these are merely means of exploration, not the ultimate goal. There's no such thing as reaching the pinnacle without developing a new spell."

"Teacher, what do you mean?"

Zhang Yuan vaguely grasped a ray of inspiration, but it was not very clear.

"How powerful an innovative spell is is not really important. Many conventional spells have been tested by spellcasters throughout history before they have been passed down and are widely used. Even when successors innovate, few can surpass them."

"But we must always try, to find the path to break through the limits among countless possibilities, to find a glimmer of hope to touch the inner ring of the magic network."

Although the Grand Master's words were somewhat abstract, Zhang Yuan quickly understood: wasn't this a firewall?
The original goddess of the magic network, Mysra, was open-minded and managed the magic network without any defenses. As a result, the arcane mages of Nether were like Wu Dalang drinking milk—jumping up and sucking.

Even when she was being exploited like this, Misra still tolerated the spellcasters' almost insatiable demands, which was due to the philosophy of the first generation of the Goddess of Magic.

Since she was newly appointed, Misra believed that the more she used the magic network and created spells, the more the value of the magic network would be demonstrated.

Until the year of disaster arrived.

The fall of the Nether Empire and the death of the first generation of the Goddess of the Magic Network changed many things. After his rebirth, Mystras finally realized the limitations and fragility of mortal races in the face of near-infinite power.

The inner ring of the magic network above the ninth ring was closed, and Mystra drew a thick veil, hiding her deepest secrets from the outside world.

The effect is remarkable!

The good old days of recklessly extracting magic network energy and creating forbidden spells at will are gone forever. While the new era of the magic network is more friendly to those with mediocre talent, it has created an insurmountable barrier for those geniuses and high-level players.

As they say, you learn from your mistakes; even the ladies who went back to their old ways have learned customer analysis.

However, there are no foolproof barriers in this world. Perhaps Mystra herself still harbors a sliver of compassion and is unwilling to truly sever the supreme path of arcane magic.
Those who can become top spellcasters are no ordinary people. They have finally found their way through layers of mist, but it is much more difficult than the previous stairway to heaven.

How to breach that formidable firewall to gain access to the inner ring of the magic network is a difficult problem facing every spellcaster striving for legendary status in the post-Netherlands era. The key is that this problem has no fixed solution; each person can only find their own answer.

Only by advancing to legendary status and touching the inner magic net can one weave legendary spells. However, without the experience of communicating with the inner net and casting legendary arcane spells, one will always be separated by a veil, unable to understand or explain the mysteries within, and it will still be difficult to advance.

Frustrated by this incomplete understanding, those archmages hoping to take this step could only do their utmost to improve and innovate high-level spells, or use methods such as ritualistic spells to glimpse deeper levels of power.

As for the results, not to mention how many experts are stuck at this stage, just looking at Tyrandeur's rare sighing expression gives a rough idea of ​​what will happen.

Upon hearing his teacher's感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection), Zhang Yuan scratched his head, unsure of what to say. That level was too far removed from his own, and any words he uttered would seem too superficial.

"However, for you, it might be a better chance."

Zhang Yuan was stunned, never expecting that he would have anything to do with this.

"What...do you mean by that? Is it because I'm a visitor from another land?"

"What's possible?"

Tyrandeur rejected this conjecture and stated his own speculation directly without beating around the bush:
"It's because of the existence of the final mountain."

"The final mountain?"

With Zhang Yuan's current memory, he can recall every piece of bread he ate when he came to Faerûn, and he will never forget the experience of first coming into contact with the magic network and starting his arcane path.

"At that time, Teacher Bantley also mentioned some rumors and anecdotes about the final mountain, but they were all like looking at flowers through the fog without any certainty. I heard that it was related to the source of the inner ring of the magic network, but I don't know if it's true or not."

The disciple's question caused the Grand Master to fall silent for a moment before he spoke again, his voice tinged with an ambiguous awkwardness:

"The more absurd and bizarre a rumor is, the more truth it sometimes contains. Precisely because it is absurd, people do not need to distort or modify it too much."

"So, is this rumor true?"

"Not entirely. I'm saying it contains a part of the truth."

"So what is the truth?"

"how could I know?"

Tyrandeur replied curtly, then continued:
"The real situation probably needs to be asked of the ancient beings among the rainbow dragons, or even the mysterious lady."

"..."

"The secrets involving the core of the magic network are probably one of the ultimate questions of this multiverse. How could I possibly provide an answer?"

"But what about the previous rumors?"

"The rumor that the so-called final mountain is the physical existence of the core of the magic network is a typical misinterpretation. How could the magic network, which connects and extends to all the outside world, have a physical core? Besides, you said you heard what sounded like the cry of a rainbow dragon,"

Tyrandeur scoffed at this point:
"Tsk, how come I didn't know that the Rainbow Dragon Clan and the Mysterious Lady had such a good relationship that the inner ring was directly opened to them?"

"However, it is not without reason that the mountain is the final resting place of those rainbow dragons. They are naturally arcane-friendly and adept at using magic network energy. When they reach the level of extremely old dragons, they will leave their previous living environment and migrate to this place."

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(End of this chapter)