Spell Research

The next moment, the first thing to enter Richard's view was a large, plump Gray Hare hopping about. Next came a monkey, followed closely by a goat, a Big Horn Deer, then a Gray Fox, Wild Cattle, Wild Boar...

A vast army of animals emerged from the same direction in the forest, lining up as they made their way to the pond. They drank in an orderly fashion, then quickly departed. There was not the slightest conflict between them; the harmony was almost absurd.

Suddenly, a trace of disorder appeared in the middle of the line. A Wild Boar was using its snout to shove its way forward, trying to cut in line for a drink. But in the next instant, its body froze stiff as a soft pink fist rapidly enlarged in its eyes.

"Bang!"

The Wild Boar's entire body shook violently. With a thud, it was smashed ruthlessly to the ground. Its four short legs twitched wildly, and it struggled for quite a while before managing to stand again.

Pandora stood beside the Wild Boar with an icy expression and pointed behind her. The Wild Boar snorted twice, lowered its head, and hurriedly ran to the back of the line to queue obediently.

Richard understood. The harmony of this animal army was built upon Pandora's terrifying violence. No wonder...

But... how was the list of animals allowed to drink determined? Why could these animals drink now, while the cheetahs and Black Bear from earlier could not?

Could it be because the cheetahs and Black Bear were carnivores? No, the Gray Foxes and jackals in the line were carnivores too.

Could it be because the cheetahs and Black Bear were larger? No, the Wild Boars and Wild Cattle in the line were even bigger.

Could it be because the two cheetahs and the Black Bear were uglier? Well, that was possible.

But most likely, the cheetahs and Black Bear had come to drink for the first time and did not know the rules. Not only had they failed to line up, they had tried to get ahead of the entire animal army. Naturally, they had to be beaten.

All right, all right!

Richard watched the animal army continue drinking, shook his head, and turned to walk back to the hill.

Rather than compete with a pack of animals for water, Richard used Water Droplet Condensation to liquefy some water for himself. After washing up briefly, he began his research.

Taking out items from the suitcase in the palace room, Richard read through the contents of the Chapter of Munro. Whenever he encountered something that required careful consideration, he would use materials to conduct experimental tests. Occasionally, when the commotion was too great, he would carry them out in the open space outside the castle.

After this happened several times, Gregory emerged from the Dragon Cave with a dark expression. He watched Richard's every move, then, after a long while, yawned and rumbled, "Hey, kid, what are you doing? Can't you see I'm sleeping?"

Richard glanced at Gregory and said, "Doing something interesting. Researching the principles behind spells."

"What nonsense? I don't understand." Gregory said.

Richard looked at Gregory. "To put it simply, I'm analyzing the most fundamental principles behind how spells are realized. Once I succeed, I'll be able to understand many things. For example, why burning flames can be released, why water vapor can be condensed, why you can fly through the sky, why you can switch between two different bodies... things like that."

Gregory's eyes flickered, and his brows furrowed slightly. "What's the use of that?"

"Of course it's useful," Richard said. "Only by understanding the principles can you truly understand it, master it, and make it part of your own strength. Otherwise... you will ultimately remain under someone else's control."

"You're a strange kid. I've never seen anyone do this before," Gregory said.

Richard shook his head. "Strange? I think the people who don't do this are the truly strange ones. They're the ones being illogical."

Richard asked, "Gregory, if you encountered something strange, would you try to figure it out, or would you accept it completely, even if it was utterly unreasonable? For example, one day, you suddenly discovered that you had grown eight legs. Would you think you were supposed to have eight legs in the first place, then try your best to live normally?"

"Of course not."

"Exactly," Richard said. "The current situation is like suddenly growing eight legs. No matter what, you have to find a way to figure out why. Once you understand it, you can try to return the number of legs to normal. Or perhaps you might discover that more legs are more useful, and you could control yourself to grow even more.

By the same logic, once you understand why flames can be released, you can release more powerful flames, or prevent others from releasing flames. Once you understand why water vapor can be condensed, you can condense a greater amount of water vapor, or perhaps condense something else. Once you understand why you can fly in the sky, you can fly in the same way, or use some method to make you fall while flying."

"You..." Gregory's eyes widened as he looked at Richard, a strange feeling rising within him. This kid clearly looked so frail, and much of what he said was incomprehensible, yet sometimes he inexplicably made Gregory feel pressured. After hearing him out, Gregory really began to worry whether he might one day suddenly fall out of the sky for no apparent reason while flying. It seemed he would have to fly lower and slower in the future. Damn it, had bringing this kid here been the right choice or the wrong one?

After a moment of silence, Gregory asked, "Are you sure you can really do all that?"

"For now, I'm only conducting the most basic research, so I can't do it yet. But if the research makes a breakthrough, then I can," Richard said.

"So... you mean it's useless right now, correct?" Gregory asked, feeling somewhat relieved.

"Not necessarily," Richard said. "Research is a very long road. Success does not only come at the very end. In fact, there are corresponding rewards at every stage along the way. For example, this."

Richard quickly chanted a spell, and a ball of dim blue flame appeared in his hand.

Spell · Phosphorus Candle!

"This is a Zero-Ring Low-Tier spell used for illumination, and its essence is combustion."

With a wave of his hand, Richard dispersed the spell. Then he chanted another incantation, and a ball of blood-red flame appeared.

Spell · Flame Impact!

"This is also a Zero-Ring Low-Tier spell, used for attack. Its essence is still combustion."

"So?"

"Both are combustion, so why are their colors completely different?"

"How would I know..." Gregory muttered.

"Combustion is a chemical reaction that releases heat and light," Richard explained slowly. "The process is very complicated, but its principle is a free-radical chain reaction, while its phenomena are light and heat. Because the spectra of the burning elements differ, the flame colors differ as well. For example, the Phosphorus Candle spell burns phosphorus oxide, so its color is blue.

Furthermore, temperature has a great influence on flame color. When a flame's temperature is very low, around 200 to 300 degrees Celsius, incomplete combustion produces a great deal of black smoke, and the flame appears black. When the temperature rises somewhat, to around 500 or 600 degrees Celsius, the flame appears dark red.

As the temperature continues to rise, the flame brightens, becoming cherry red, crimson, then blood red. For example, Flame Impact is blood red, and its temperature reaches 1,000 degrees Celsius."