"So that's all it takes?"
As the carriage gradually pulled away from the streets of the Spine District, Merlin couldn't resist poking his head out. Only after finding no sign of the Red Scarf Gang did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"They won't come after me again, will they?"
"Not as long as they can't find you."
Tang Qi recalled the guard captain's earlier instructions.
"After all, delivering you to the Red Scarf Gang was only meant to prove that the City Guard had actually released you. Whether they could catch you afterward was up to the gang."
"So what exactly was that? I've seen Spellcasters use illusions before. Any contact should make the illusion disappear. Why was that phantom so lifelike? I even had this bizarre feeling that I was 'touching myself'..."
"Because he was a Clone that actually existed."
Tang Qi squeezed the mushroom in his hand. The spores inside had been completely depleted.
The most fundamental difference between the [Spore Replicator] and Illusion School spells was that its creation "really existed."
Take the [Silent Illusion] Kuru often used. It could deceive people's eyes, distracting them or luring them into a trap.
But its short duration, illusory nature, limited area of effect, and need for concentration all meant it couldn't interact with anything truly physical, leaving it at some risk of exposure.
Against perceptive people or Spellcasters well versed in illusions, such tricks rarely worked.
Why had the Red Scarf Gang's thugs lain hidden in the grass, waiting until he unlocked the door before rushing him all at once?
Because Spellcasters had fooled them too many times before.
A Clone, however, could readily touch and interact with reality because it was real. Authentic details such as [unlocking a door] or [stirring the air with its footsteps] would