Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 57 - 54 The Scholar’s Answer

Mr. Giant Dragon tapped his fingertips on the table, causing a dull sound to emit as the vibration passed through the thick velvet cloth to the table surface. Lyle and Alianna unconsciously lowered their voices to provide the true elder with a quiet environment for contemplation.

The giant dragon’s claw occasionally moved across the surface of the egg, pressing, kneading, and a pale grey magic power sparkled at the junction. If one’s gaze was keen enough, they could see the surface of the egg constantly changing, altering its shape along different energy fluctuations.

Time marched on, and the giant dragon’s movements gradually slowed. He would pause for four or five seconds, and just when you thought it was over, he would start moving again. These intervals of inactivity gradually lengthened, and Mr. Giant Dragon’s puzzlement became apparent.

Mr. Giant Dragon withdrew his hand.

At this moment, he appeared rather disinterested, much like a scholar who has just haphazardly completed a paper and entered a phase of boredom. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"I can only roughly determine that this is not a biological entity; it appears to be some kind of device that has established a unique mechanism. Its responsiveness to my touch is quite limited, which means, Mr. Plague Doctor, that its capacity for subjective change is quite restricted."

Lyle felt somewhat disheartened, akin to the disappointment one feels when an heirloom appraised by an expert fails to meet one’s anticipated value.

"Don’t be disheartened. As for innate gifts, I am not an authority on the subject either. I am a professor of Spirit Summoning Studies; I can only determine that the spirit of this egg is not strong, meaning it cannot grow like a normal creature would. Perhaps, if handed over to a real authority for assessment, their opinion might differ from ours."

"A real authority?"

"Yes, the creator of the innate gift awakening ceremony, the traditional magic authority, the third-generation president of the Magic Research Society, and also, Andrey’s specially appointed professor of spells, my colleague, Mr. Scholar."

"If Mr. Plague Doctor has some time, we can depart now."

"Alright."

......

In a room, on a rosewood desk facing the entrance, a figure fiddled with a crystal ball. Wearing a pointed wizard’s hat and a black robe, he murmured indistinct words. The mist inside the crystal ball churned, and as the fog cleared, the image of the Plague Doctor cradling an ivory egg appeared within the ball.

A shrill voice echoed through the room, "They’re coming, they’re coming..."

It then turned into a sharp, eerie laugh.

"Ms. Mory, could you please refrain from making strange noises at my crystal ball? If you really like it that much, you’re welcome to take it—the Magic Research Society’s magic item shop sells them to the public, and I wouldn’t mind if you took this one."

The speaker was seated on a ladder leaning against a bookshelf, dressed in a simple linen robe with a stone mask covering his face, upon which energies formed wavy patterns—a product of enchantment.

Books taken off the shelf piled up beside him, a feather quill danced over a scroll of parchment, and a large bucket of notes had gathered at his feet.

Ms. Mory sprung from her seat, steadying the chair poised to tip over due to inertia. The chair, although covered in the fur of an unnamed animal, wouldn’t suffer any damage even if it fell.

"My apologies, Mr. Scholar, you have visitors."

"Thank you for the notice, Mory," the Scholar’s blue mask looked towards the crystal ball, "My guests are arriving, Mory. When you leave, could you close the door behind you? Thank you."

"Mr. Scholar, are you asking me to leave?"

The Scholar put down the feather quill in his hand and lightly tapped his forehead.

"I have expressed it as delicately as possible, Ms. Mory. What I mean to say is, yes, you have already been here for two hours."

"But, Mr. Scholar, you haven’t agreed to my request yet."

The scholar rubbed his brow, "So, what is the Witch Council thinking, issuing an invitation for me to join your society, and then arranging a young lady who lacks common courtesy to torment this old bag of bones?"

"Because we wish to repay Mister Scholar, and besides, we haven’t sent any member to bother you. The person lacking in courtesy, I have been here for quite some time and haven’t seen anyone like that. You must be worrying too much; indeed, the memory of the elderly is not so reliable."

The scholar tightened the ink bottle cap, giving it three vicious twists as if he wished to wring some foolish girl’s head the same way.

"So, Miss Mory intends to accompany me to meet the guest?"

"Yes, I shall stand quietly by your side and will not disturb you."

"..." Mister Scholar thought of something, "Ah, I’m afraid that won’t do, my colleague, Mister Giant Dragon, is a chauvinist. He greatly dislikes being in the same room with a woman of outstanding talent like you. He once told me that he would rather spend time with female animals than with women. So, Mory, I’m afraid you need to leave; I can’t be impolite to a guest."

It took the scholar nearly twenty minutes to placate Miss Mory, who was as furious as a fighting rooster, enduring her vicious curses as he ushered her out of his room.

He escorted Mory out and closed the door behind her.

Opening the door, the Giant Dragon and the Plague Doctor were standing in front.

Before the Giant Dragon could speak.

"My old friend, meeting you is always a delight for me. Come in, come in. Whatever requests you may have next, being your close friend, I will certainly agree to them."

......

Mister Scholar’s mask was quite archaic, with very gaunt carved facial features and eyes and mouth indicated only by a simple incised line, resembling an ancient sectarian ceremonial mask, imposing and eerie.

But Mister Scholar was far more approachable than he appeared. He warmly pulled the two into his room, even holding hands with Mister Giant Dragon and exchanging pleasantries. To Lyle, it seemed excessively warm, perhaps even a bit greasy, but nonetheless a good sign.

Birds of a feather flock together, Mister Giant Dragon’s friends were all genial seniors.

"It is like this, this is our newcomer, Mister Plague Doctor. He attended an awakening ceremony a few days ago, but his talent is... unconventional. I know, all talents are unconventional, but his is somewhat irrational, beyond even the explanation of the mystic arts."

The Giant Dragon gestured for Lyle to show his egg.

"Mmm, the talent has detached. It’s an unlawful awakening."

He immediately noticed something extraordinary about Mister Miracle.

Mister Scholar looked it over and then extended his palm, with strands of blue magic power weaving around the egg from between his fingers, starting to twinkle like a bioluminescent jellyfish living in the air.

The analysis quickly concluded.

"Giant Dragon, what is your assessment?"

"Not biological, an apparatus with special reflex arcs."

"Half correct. The Caster apparently tried to strip his talent away and make it independent, turning the detached part into a new entity."

"But it failed, maybe due to the inherent limitations of the talent itself, or perhaps an error in the ritual spell. The result of the experiment was only half successful; the talent has been stripped but has not evolved into a new entity. It has become an external accessory, unable to fulfill its intended function."

"There are two possible solutions: one is to re-merge the detached talent, restoring it to its original state; the other is to go all in, compensating for the deficiencies of the external talent, to complete its individuality."