Mercury Prophecy Book

Mercury Prophecy Book

"Next is my personal farewell gift to you."

The Duke opened a drawer and took out an earring made of a gray, semi-transparent crystal.

"A Restoration Pendant. It contains an Eighth Rank Greater Restoration.

When you activate it voluntarily, or when your life force falls below a certain threshold, the pendant will rewind the physical condition of you or another target back to one hour earlier. However, Spiritual Power and certain other special powers will not be restored."

"The pendant can only be activated once every three days. Also, do not activate it too frequently.

If you activate it a second time within seven days, its spell effect may cause you some permanent damage."

With a wave of his hand, the Duke sent the pendant floating toward Anvis, where it hovered alongside the other three pieces of equipment.

A Magic Accessory carrying a top-tier Eighth Rank life-saving spell! Before transmigrating, he had never even heard of such a thing!

In a sense, this was a resurrection stone with usage restrictions and a cooldown, but one that would not be consumed!

"Thank you for your gift. I like it very much."

Setting aside his thoughts, Anvis wore a proper smile and bowed to the Duke once more in thanks.

"Put them away. If there is anything else you need, you may bring it up now."

Following his instructions, Anvis stored the four items in his ring. After thinking for a moment, he spoke.

"Father, I would also like to take a book from the School of Prophecy from the library."

"Oh? Which one have you taken a liking to this time?"

Hearing the somewhat familiar request, the Duke raised his thick eyebrows and looked at Anvis with mild curiosity.

"The Mercury Prophecy Book."

"The Mercury Prophecy Book?"

Rubbing the hollow Arcane Gold Cufflink with his thumb, the Duke considered it briefly.

"Hmm, yes, I remember now. It was left behind by the family's Second Chief Diviner.

According to the last message he left behind, he had intended to travel to a remote place in search of something. After that, he vanished without a trace.

Before setting out, he left that book in the family's Grand Library. After he disappeared, the family sent a Ninth Rank expert specifically to search for him, but found nothing in the end."

As he spoke, the Duke gazed at Anvis, a trace of solemnity entering his azure eyes.

"You possess a talent for prophecy, so I can decide to let you use it. But you must promise me this: never lend it out privately, nor teach the knowledge within to anyone else without authorization!"

"I promise you!"

Anvis placed his right hand over his chest and made the promise solemnly beneath the Duke's stern gaze.

Duke Carlot nodded.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No, Father."

"Mm—"

The Duke nodded again. His azure eyes watched his fourth son, who was about to journey far away, and deep approval flashed through them.

Whenever he closed his eyes, scenes from Anvis's childhood seemed to remain vividly before him. But when he opened them again, the child of old had already grown into the elegant youth standing before him.

Just like his younger self, he was humble and polite, calm and composed. Deep within those sapphire eyes lay the powerful confidence born of knowledge and strength.

As he watched, Duke Carlot could not help but sigh softly.

Though people called him the Empire's youngest Ninth Rank, as he looked into Anvis's clear blue eyes, the Duke suddenly felt a moment of melancholy.

In the end, I really am old.

The next moment, the Duke's expression hardened, and he thoroughly drove those somewhat negative emotions from his heart.

"Remember, Anvis. Once you leave Carlras, you represent the Olyvendi Family! Do not disappoint me—"

"I understand, Father!"

Anvis's expression also turned solemn. Dressed entirely in white, he stood perfectly straight and gazed into the Duke's azure eyes as he answered with utmost seriousness.

"Very good."

The Duke displayed an approving smile without concealment.

"Go. Do what you wish to do."

Anvis bowed once more, then politely withdrew from the study.

Inside the study, the Duke leaned back into his chair. His fingers unconsciously stroked the Emblem Ring on his index finger, his eyes half-closed as he pondered something unknown.

The Mercury Prophecy Book was an unusual tome whose cover resembled liquid metal. When held in one's hand, one could even see faint ripples moving across the material of its cover.

The Mirror Silver Divination Anvis had previously mastered was one of the basic spells of the Mercury Divination School recorded in the Mercury Prophecy Book.

This book described in great detail the cultivation methods and various Secret Arts of the Mercury Prophet school, including many crucial points that required attention.

Moreover, the author had not merely left written records, but also spiritual imprints related to the spells.

When a reader used Spiritual Power to connect with those imprints, they could directly experience the precise sensations and process of casting the spells.

This was the fundamental reason Anvis had specifically asked for this book.

But honestly, few magic books were this detailed.

Anvis suspected that the Second Chief Diviner who had left this book behind might have vaguely foreseen his own possible future.

That was why he had recorded everything he had learned in advance, so that if something happened to him on this journey, his inheritance would not be severed.

After retrieving it from the Grand Library, Anvis headed once again to the Castle Alchemy Lab.

There was a basic Magic Curio of the Mercury Divination School that he needed to craft personally.

Before leaving Carlras, he intended to finish making it as quickly as possible.

But speaking of Carlras...

Anvis paused. He suddenly remembered the Player follower he had recruited some time ago.

He wondered how he was doing now.

After some thought, Anvis used a Communication Crystal Ball to send a magical message to the Chamber of Commerce Head under his command.

He asked about the recent circumstances of the Last Dragonborn, whom he had previously sent into the caravan.

Upon receiving instructions from the big boss behind the scenes, the Chamber of Commerce Head hurriedly contacted the Elf Caravan Leader. After obtaining the information Anvis required, he immediately sent it back through the crystal ball.

"The new elf is good in every way, except that he is usually a little too enthusiastic. He is always asking others whether they need help. And sometimes, he says things that are difficult to understand."

"Unlike his frail appearance, he trains extremely diligently every day, working even harder than the strong young men in the caravan.

But he seems to have a habit of eating while training. You can often see him finish one set of exercises, take out several Broadleaf Lettuces to eat, and then continue with the next set."

"One strange thing is that he does not seem to need to relieve himself, and he sleeps very little.

On his first night as an Apprentice Guard, one of the fellows got up in the middle of the night to relieve himself. Halfway through, he suddenly felt something was wrong. When he turned around, the elf was standing right behind him! The fellow was so frightened he nearly lost his grip on his trousers!"

As he browsed the returned information, Anvis imagined the likely scene.

The Last Dragonborn saw an NPC leave the caravan alone in the middle of the night and quietly followed him, thinking there might be a hidden quest to trigger.

The firelight flickered in his emerald eyes as a ghostly voice sounded from behind the NPC. "Do you need help?"

Yes, that was very Player-like—

But since that was the case, he could take this opportunity to conduct further experiments on the characteristics of Players.

After some thought, Anvis wrote a letter listing several experimental tasks, specifically instructing that the results be delivered to him in the form of a letter as well.

Then, he sealed the envelope with a special Secret Art and had a Family Messenger send it to the Chamber of Commerce Head.

After finishing all this, Anvis closed the doors of the alchemy laboratory and devoted himself fully to crafting.