The magic changes

Chapter 5 Mercenaries

Only by establishing the connection between the internal and external can one truly grasp the rules of meditation," Ron pondered the meaning of this sentence while indulging in wild thoughts: “Does this mean that if a person is a capacitor, then meditation is actually the process of charging the capacitor? Just like charging the crystal earlier, except the capacitor or crystal replenishes charges, while a person replenishes magic, right? The level of magic is equivalent to the capacity of the capacitor, and the power of a large capacitor is certainly incomparable to that of a small one.”

A bright light appeared in front of Ron, followed by a slight pain in his neck as a long sword silently pierced towards him, resting against his neck. A low voice, barely audible, spoke from behind: “I don’t want to kill you, but if you scream, I will have to make that regrettable decision.”

Startled, Ron dared not move. “Who are you? This is my room. If you need something, I can fulfill your request, but could you please temporarily put down the sword? I swear on my life not to disturb anyone else.”

After hesitating for a moment, the person put down the sword, and Ron slowly turned to see a figure that reminded him of the radiant knight described by Dus. Clad in light armor, disheveled hair, and a very prominent scar on the abdomen, the person’s eyes were resolute, likely due to the recent activity causing the wound to bleed.

Although the sword was removed from Ron’s neck, the person remained vigilant, pointing the sword at him. “My name is Chris. If you can help me, I will do my best to repay you in the future.”

Seeing the bleeding wound, Ron felt a sense of compassion. “Perhaps you should bandage it first. I’ll find something to clean the wound for you. Please sit down, swordsman, and stop pointing the sword at me. I mean you no harm.”

Ron fetched some clean water and gauze, carefully tending to Chris’s wound with his mediocre skills, managing to stop the bleeding. “You can call me Ron. I think you need to rest for a while. This is the Mage Guild, and no one will come here looking for you. The Radiant Knights are searching for you outside. Although I don’t know what happened, it’s best for you not to go out.”

Observing the young man and his actions, Chris finally relaxed, lowering the sword and sitting in Ron’s chair, breathing heavily. A gust of wind blew in through the window, causing his golden hair to flutter, revealing his handsome face. “Thank you, Ron. I won’t disturb you for long. Once I’ve recovered a bit, I’ll leave.”

“Your wound is deep. You need a doctor to treat it, preferably a mage to help you recover,” Ron said, putting on his hat and straightening up. “Master Lake will be back soon. I need to go out for a bit. It seems you need something to eat, and I can help you with that later.”

“It’s best not to let others know I’m here. I’ll be in trouble if they find out, Ron,” Chris said, clearly anxious.

Ron smiled slightly at Chris before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Chris sighed, having exhausted all his strength running from Rad Prison to here. His wound throbbed like a dagger, and even the muscles around it were spasming slightly. Although he had escaped the pursuit of the Radiant Knights, he had not completed his mission to rescue Captain Nis. Out of the eight people who participated in the mission, four were captured, and the whereabouts of the other three were unknown. The elite members of the Iron Blood Mercenaries were almost completely destroyed here. If Ron were to bring the Radiant Knights here, it would increase the number of captives to five. Even if Ron wanted to harm him, there was nothing he could do now, as he couldn’t walk far in his current condition. “Let fate decide,” Chris thought.

Looking around, Chris noticed many strange things. There were many depleted magic crystals on the table, a circular tube in the middle of the room leading to the ceiling, and a large crystal at the bottom, about the height of a person from the ground. On the desk in the corner, there was a strange array, very different from a typical magic array. At the end of the array was a fire crystal, followed by a ruby, and then a crystal with what seemed to be a layer of mercury on the back. Across from the crystal was another crystal, but there were no magic symbols visible.

Not daring to touch the owner’s belongings, Chris felt dizzy and lay down on Ron’s bed.

Master Lake returned relatively early. When Ron saw him in his room, Master Lake was frowning and touching his crystal ball, which emitted a red light that slowly expanded. As the red light enveloped Master Lake, a wave of heat spread out, followed by countless tiny sparks appearing in the surrounding space. The sparks collided with each other, resembling miniature fireworks, before dimming and restoring peace to the room.

“Ron, come here,” Master Lake said, relaxing his furrowed brow upon seeing Ron.

“Master, Lazel came to see you. She took a wind crystal from your lab,” Ron said, walking over to the Master and feeling a sense of tranquility.

“I already know,” the Master said, placing the crystal ball on the shelf and glancing at the peculiar wand hanging from Ron’s waist. “Lazel has a unique grasp of wind magic and is willing to guide you. I know you are eager to learn magic, and in fact, despite being my apprentice, it is Lazel who is teaching you.”

After sitting down, the Master continued, “I may be going on a long journey in ten days. During this time, put aside all your work and formally study magic with me. If you can cast a fireball spell within these ten days, I will take you with me.”

“That would be wonderful! Master, I will study hard. If I can’t learn the fireball spell within ten days, I will regret missing this opportunity for the rest of my life,” Ron’s eyes lit up. After three months in the guild, he was eager to explore the world outside.