Scroll Scholar

Scroll Scholar

Zhao Xu gazed at the towering Floating City high above the clouds.

Even though he had heard of the mystery and grandeur of Mystra, the Magic Capital, in his Previous Life, Zhao Xu still could not suppress the surge of emotion in his heart.

The Arthurian World possessed unfathomable supernatural powers such as magic and even divine power.

Yet for ordinary people, what they could rely on most remained primitive power—human labor, waterpower, and animal power.

Long-distance travel depended on walking or horse-drawn carriages. With Zhao Xu's Fifth-level Fighter strength before his death, he had been considered the top combat power of a small town.

Yet throughout ten years of adventuring, he had only experienced the convenience of a teleportation gate once or twice.

The territory an ancient empire could govern was limited by its means of communication.

In the Arthurian World, lacking Earth's transportation, almost everyone could only move within the range their own legs could carry them.

Even players in the Arthurian World were no exception. It was not that Teleportation Spell scrolls did not exist, but Teleportation Spell was a Fifth-level Arcane Spell.

While it did not carry the extra price imposed by the resurrection effect of a Fifth-level Resurrection Spell, those capable of casting Fifth-level Spells were Wizards or Clerics of at least Ninth Level.

Spellcasters capable of casting Fifth-level Spells could only be easily found in major cities.

Only such major cities possessed guilds for every profession.

When ordinary Wizards conducted research, they usually stayed in unknown places to avoid being disturbed.

Even a poor man in the mountains had distant relatives—let alone a lordly Wizard.

The inaccessible Floating City above Zhao Xu's head was precisely where Wizards conducted their research.

The Floating City hovered at an extremely high altitude, and one could basically only reach it through a teleportation gate or a Teleportation Spell.

In his Previous Life, Zhao Xu had traveled on foot. Even during the six wandering years of his later revenge, he had never come to Mystra, this holy land of Wizards.

Most of his activities back then had been confined to the Northern Lands.

Like the vast majority of players, he had spent his life moving around the area near his own city.

The reason Zhao Xu's class guild had been able to form in his Previous Life was that Arthur generally assigned starting locations by region.

Students from the same university were usually assigned to nearby cities.

That was why Zhao Xu had been so astonished upon learning that the city before him was Mystra in the south.

He had effectively been separated from the group. When completing quests, leveling up, and Grinding Monsters, he would no longer have his classmates' help.

A Wizard could only be called a lord after reaching Fifth Level.

A First-level Mage could cast First-level Spells, a Third-level Mage could cast Second-level Spells, and a Fifth-level Mage could cast Third-level Spells, and so on.

Spells from First Level to Fourth Level each had very obvious increases in power.

Zhao Xu had no party in the early stages, and Wizards only had a small number of Spell Slots then.

Until he endured his way to Fifth Level, things would not be easy.

The only thing he could probably rely on was that he also possessed a Cleric's class abilities.

At the very least, he now had Divine Spell slots as well, doubling his total number of Spell Slots.

Zhao Xu carefully read the recommendation letter. It already included a rough city map, with his current starting location marked directly on it.

After roughly examining the map, Zhao Xu discovered that Mystra's Mage Association headquarters—the Gate of Arcane—was actually right beside the grand cathedral and main temple of the Goddess of Magic Sislvina.

After some thought, he found it reasonable. Sislvina herself was a powerful deity who had achieved divine power as a Legendary Mage.

Even many arrogant high-level Wizards worshipped the Goddess of Magic, seeing her as the first and foremost pioneer on the path of magic.

Zhao Xu looked at his recommendation letter and began to feel that it was burning his hands.

This Wizard training academy could be called the best on the continent.

Not to say that Legendary Mages were everywhere, but high-level Wizards who were rare even in major cities should be everywhere here.

Meanwhile, Clerics were mostly trained in temples, and he had also been recommended to the Sacred Heart Cathedral for training.

Back home, would that not be like receiving guaranteed admission to both Qinghua and Peking University at once?

Zhao Xu knew that for those undergoing class recommendation tests, the better their fit with an initial class training location, the higher the recommendation they would receive.

Yet the places indicated by these two recommendation letters could not simply be described as high-level. They should be called top-tier.

No wonder there seemed to be so few players on this street. Everyone else simply had not reached the level required to be recommended here.

Even a year later, not many players would be able to set foot in Mystra.

As Zhao Xu quickened his pace, the number of pedestrians along the street gradually increased.

Inns catering to Wizards and adventurers, scroll shops, and material shops also became steadily more concentrated.

From time to time, groups of guards in robes rode past with a howl, patrolling the entire capital.

Looking at their dark blue-black robes, Zhao Xu gradually recalled who they were—the Spell Guards of Mistral City.

They were the only force on the Material Plane of the Arthurian World extravagant enough to use Wizards as guards.

Or rather, their Advanced Profession, Spell Guard, was even more renowned.

Advanced Professions had always been something countless Arthur players dreamed of obtaining.

Wizard Advanced Professions were especially rare. Without joining an organization and earning sufficient contributions, one would hardly have any chance of being taught one.

Once, a player had endured countless hardships before finally earning enough merit in Mystra to advance to Spell Guard.

Later, that player made a post about it. Its entire message could be summed up in two words—stay away.

Thanks to the revelations in that post, Mystra became famous among countless Wizard players.

For Zhao Xu, being in Mystra, one of Arthur's major cities, was most advantageous because this was where he could most easily obtain Advanced Professions, as well as secret inheritances of certain Basic Professions.

And powerful Feats that could not possibly be learned elsewhere.

Zhao Xu's Feat list was still completely empty.

As he walked, Zhao Xu also rummaged through his backpack.

In the end, he actually found two badges at the very bottom.

He picked them up and looked at them. He could still read the Common Tongue inscribed upon them: "Mystra/Gate of Arcane/Apprentice/Midsummer."

Zhao Xu gave one a gentle squeeze and immediately realized that it was actually made of Mithral. When added to armor, this material could reduce arcane spell failure, and it was even more expensive than gold.

Spellcasting required gestures and movements. The higher an armor's protection, the more it became the enemy of all arcane spellcasting. It could easily impose a 25% arcane spell failure chance, so Wizards generally traveled the world in nothing but robes.

The other badge was an apprentice Cleric's badge. Its smoothly polished, crystal-clear mirror surface bore his identity and name.

Zhao Xu put them both on. After receiving training in one profession for a while, many players discovered it did not suit them, or remained uncertain whether they wanted to pursue that path, and would generally undergo training in other professions at the same time.

In any case, the system would only acknowledge and grant a First-level Class Level once they ultimately met the required standards.

Before that, it did not matter how many professional training programs they undertook. This was also why the system allowed players to choose their classes directly.

If they did not want to test it with their brains, they could test it with their bodies.

At that moment, Zhao Xu's mind was no longer on anything else. It was entirely focused on the two badges. Could the texture they gave him mean they were really Magic Items?

Most Magic Items in Arthur had to be identified before one could know what they were.

However, failing to identify them did not affect their use.

For those that provided Attribute Value bonuses, wearing them for twenty-four hours would activate their effects.

He was not blind. He could just check the Attribute Values on his status panel tomorrow.

But after taking only a few steps, Zhao Xu slapped his forehead. A +2 enhancement attribute item cost 4,000 gold coins each on the market, and prices could fluctuate even higher in remote regions.

How could the system possibly give him 8,000 GP when the server opened?

Having figured that out, Zhao Xu continued toward his destination, which was no longer far away.

Yet Zhao Xu did not know at the time.

Only when the Hall of Creation had lights remaining on only the Wizard and Cleric statues could one obtain both of these badges.

As long as their starting location was in Mystra, the owners of these two badges could take up Arthur's most mysterious Basic Profession: the Divine Spell version of a Wizard—the Scroll Scholar.