Old Mage glanced slightly sideways, staring at Cheng Yun.
Cheng Yun stared back at Old Mage.
The principle behind such a miraculous method was undoubtedly beyond what he could imagine, but it did not matter. He only needed to know how to use it.
"I certainly don't mind teaching you spellcasting theory, but I must also be frank: currently, I truly haven't discerned any magical talent in you whatsoever," Old Mage said calmly and faintly. "Actually, it doesn't matter. You can entirely use a very long lifespan to make up for this flaw, or seek a way to change yourself amidst an extended existence. Yet one point is fatal—"
"The most basic and also the most crucial point in becoming a mage—a strong thirst for knowledge—is something I currently do not see in you."
"Perhaps it is because you are too old." Old Mage paused his staff against the floor. "Every newborn infant is full of curiosity about this world, and he always explores everything in this world with excitement. But regrettably, if no one preserves this thirst for knowledge of his, after his questions are brushed aside tens of thousands of times, he will become a person who views this world as a given. He will grow accustomed to the rules and appearance of this world, no longer asking what things are, nor pursuing why they are shaped this way."
"He sinks into the ordinary; he bogs down in the trivialities. If he fails to step out, he will never again be able to become an excellent spellcaster," Old Mage kept staring at him and said.
Cheng Yun did not take up the conversation.
It seemed he had inexplicably been struck by a spacetime node, and then muddle-headedly had to start running around for two goals: 'Earth's peace' and 'ensuring guests from different time-and-space dimensions do not starve to death'. Yet now, this Old Mage had told him with two sentences that these still could not change the salted-fish nature of his bones, at best merely turning him into a somewhat special salted fish.
If what this Old Mage said was true and he also possessed a remarkably long lifespan, for a salted fish, this seemed to merely raise the difficulty of coasting through life.
"So what the hell do we do?" Cheng Yun asked.
"Perhaps magic is not necessarily suited for you," Old Mage said. "In any case, your lifespan will be very long. You can slowly choose and pick another path."
"Let me timidly ask: with my talent, how long would it take to learn enough magic to casually comprehend languages like you do?"
"Hm?" Old Mage looked him up and down thoroughly. "Around ten thousand years or so, though the reality might be shorter. I cannot confirm when you will encounter something capable of altering your physical conditions."
"Then how long did it take you?"
"Me? When I learned magic, the entire world didn't possess this spell yet, so it lacks reference value." Old Mage shook his head with an enigmatic smile. "However, taking a mage from our world who can pass the mage examinations as a measure, learning from zero to the point of being able to use this spell takes about five or six years."
Cheng Yun suffered a heavy blow.
"Right!" Cheng Yun suddenly recalled a matter, his gaze fervent as he stared at Old Mage. "Lord Mage, since your world is a magical civilization... are there spells that can bring the dead back to life?"
"Bring the dead back to life?" The mage looked at him, narrowing his eyes. "No wonder your demeanor is so gloomy. Did a relative pass away recently?"
"Yes, my parents just died in an accident."
"I am sorry," Old Mage lowered his head, then continued, "We have many medical technologies that can save someone who died in an accident not long ago, on the premise that the corpse's damage is not severe. Although we currently lack the necessary medical equipment, I am still very willing to give it a try. I wonder about your parents—"
Cheng Yun's expression abruptly turned quite ugly. "What if they've already been cremated?"
"Then nothing can be done." Old Mage said indifferently.
"Aren't you guys a... mysterious civilization? Are there no other methods?" Cheng Yun still refused to give up.
"Necromantic spells aimed at ordinary humans possess fatal flaws, and using them privately is strictly forbidden by international law." Old Mage seemed to have seen through his thoughts and stated bluntly, pausing before continuing, "Moreover, world rules differ. In this world of yours, the rate at which souls dissipate might be faster than flesh rotting, so I am very sorry—the knowledge and abilities I master are temporarily insufficient to help you."
Cheng Yun was greatly disappointed, yet fortunately, he had already gradually accepted this fact over these past few days.
"Are there any other methods, then?"
"I cannot give you a definitive reply on this. There are infinite possibilities in the world, and a person exhausts their entire life only to master limited knowledge," Old Mage said calmly. "Flesh is the vessel of life, and the soul is the backup of the flesh. Together, they record a life. We once also believed they could not be copied or replaced, but the rapid development of eras later proved that our previous technology simply fell short. Now we have proven that flesh can re-spawn a soul, and according to souls, bodies can likewise be reshaped. Yet no one knows whether this world still employs another method unknown to us to record every life that walks through it."
Cheng Yun did not quite understand, but grasped the general meaning.
Old Mage glanced at him, smiled, said nothing more, and instead turned to appraise the hotel's storefront.
"Judging from the decoration of this building, it seems to be an inn?" He changed the subject.
"Yes, an inn run by my parents before they passed away."
"Mm." Old Mage nodded. "That happens to suit."
"Uh..."
"I would like to go out and understand your world. Do you think that is acceptable?" Old Mage looked at him inquiringly.
"I can't stop you anyway." Cheng Yun spread his hands helplessly.
"But you ought to learn to stop me." Old Mage grew serious, appearing to play the role of a mentor. "In the future, many people traversing across boundaries will not be simple characters. If you cannot learn to control them, they will stir up trouble."
"Fine!" Cheng Yun nodded solemnly. "Then in my capacity as the station master of the spacetime transit station, I forbid you from leaving this place."
Old Mage stood in place, looking at him very helplessly.
"All right, you should change clothes before going out," Cheng Yun said. "The outfit you have on is truly a bit strange, and moreover... far too much like a beggar."
"Do you have spare clothes here?"
"No," Cheng Yun paused. "I have them at home. I'll bring them over for you tomorrow."
"Then I shall go upstairs to take a look first. That is fine, yes?"
"Please make yourself at home."
"Good."
Old Mage turned and walked upstairs.
Seated inside the counter, Cheng Yun saw that it was already past eleven, and opened QQ to send Cheng Yan a message telling her he was not returning tonight.
Only then did he remember that the roof terrace was locked.
However, that probably wouldn't stump that Old Mage, right?
"Traversing from other worlds... just how immense an ability is this!" To this day, Cheng Yun still felt marvel and astonishment.
This exceeded his understanding, yet toward his own encounter, he accepted it rather quickly.
The roof terrace.
Old Mage very easily unlocked the plum-blossom lock securing the rooftop's iron security gate without any psychological burden, then stood at the edge of the rooftop to gaze into the distance.
The brightly lit city was reflected in his somewhat turbid eyes; building after building was piled up on the ground like building blocks. Roads and highways illuminated by streetlights resembled glowing ribbons, vehicles drove like flowing water, neon lights lit up the night sky as well, and airplanes with flashing points of light flew past.
Light and shadow swayed within his eyes.
An elementary material-technological civilization.
Old Mage lowered his head, inexplicably stirred.
When he raised his gaze to the night sky once more, his pupils suddenly held a few more scenes, as if time had reversed and a thousand years had passed in an instant.
The first proto-ape stood up from the forest; the first tribe left that vast grassland.
Hunting turned into raising; conflicts turned into wars.
Villages became countries; symbols became poems; calls became songs.
Order matured; culture sublimated.
The ravages of viruses, the development of technology, the sound of camel bells bringing communication, and desires that could not be satisfied sparking world wars.
The path that every civilization walked was much the same...
For a long time, Old Mage withdrew his gaze, letting go of his staff. The staff stood quietly beside him without falling.
In his eyes, profound and unfathomable symbols began to flash once more, continuously alternating and changing.
After a long time, he sighed. "Rules..."
This universe seemed to have never spawned a civilizational system similar to theirs; at best, there were merely legends imagined by people whose external manifestations were relatively similar to them. The rules of this world were very unfamiliar to him, suppressing his abilities to a very low level. Perhaps it would take some time to slowly adapt. Fortunately, he himself had already reached a very high tier and had experience with cross-boundary travel; otherwise, if replaced by a minor mage, I'm afraid even a low-level spell could not be cast, leaving them flustered and at a loss.
Turning and walking downstairs, he asked Cheng Yun for a room card, then walked back to his room—
A relatively modern-decorated single room featuring a 1.8-meter-wide large bed, a simple long desk embedded in the wall equipped with a chair, a single-person sofa, plus a liquid crystal television, air conditioning, kettle, and hair dryer. The window was not small, featuring a bay window sill. The bathroom was medium-sized, more than adequate for bathing.
In the bathroom, he discovered a bar of soap bearing the words 'Anju Hotel', rendering him speechless and shaking his head endlessly.
Walking over to the long desk, Old Mage pulled out the chair and sat down. With a casual tap in midair, a floating transparent screen frame appeared before him—littered with unfamiliar text, with new words continuously jumping and updating.
"June, New Calendar year 1383: Arrived in an unfamiliar world and discovered a newly awakened spacetime node, very close to the world, and this spacetime node has already fused with a sentient being."
"This experiment proves that spacetime nodes possess non-negligible variances, irrefutably. In addition, the spacetime node is controlled by the sentient being in a fused manner, and the sentient being exists in a way akin to the 'consciousness of a spacetime node'. Specific circumstances await subsequent investigation. Spacetime nodes fused with sentient beings differ from ownerless spacetime nodes; it is currently impossible to prove whether the fusion caused the variance or the variance caused the fusion..."
Word after word emerged, reading like experimental data, yet resembling even more an experiential reflection.
At the same time, there was already an immense amount of text on this screen, all concerning spacetime nodes. Most of the time, Old Mage would append things at the end, or scroll upward to insert remarks in the middle or alter certain things.
Meanwhile, Cheng Yun still waited in front of the counter for the arrival of twelve o'clock, reflecting all the while and feeling exceptionally exhausted at heart.
As a mere salted fish, why should he shoulder the responsibilities of a superpower hero? Without power or influence, how was he supposed to negotiate with those big shots carrying out spacetime travel in the future?
It seemed that the Old Mage upstairs was currently the only object he could rely on!
Once twelve o'clock struck, he launched his hotel across major platforms: Meituan, Dianping, Mafengwo, Qunar, and so on and so forth...
Afterward, he sat for a while before also heading upstairs to sleep.
Before you continue