The Magic Seal Seed

"Magic Seal?"

Before Karl could ask, Eve Dorn beside him had already gone pale. She hurriedly said:

"Lev, don't forget what you promised me!"

"Of course." Old Lev nodded, his voice heavy with sadness. He waved the others away, leaving only Aya and Xiao Nan.

Only then did he continue:

"I won't forget what I promised you. The Magic Seal I bear belongs to the Dorn Family, and I'll return it to the Dorn Family."

"Hmph!" Eve snorted.

"You'd better remember. If it weren't for the Magic Seal you carry, do you think I'd have come here to help?"

Karl raised an eyebrow.

It seemed Old Lev was no ordinary man.

He knew the Breathing Technique and martial arts, and even bore a Magic Seal. He wondered how Lev had ended up in such a state.

"Sorry."

Old Lev turned to Karl and smiled apologetically.

"I can't pass the Magic Seal on to you, but I do know quite a lot about them."

"That's all right." Karl shook his head.

"Knowledge is a kind of wealth, too."

"Knowledge is a kind of wealth?" Old Lev murmured, his eyes unfocused.

"Everyone should remember that. Even old fellows like me still have value."

"Then..." Karl asked curiously, "where did the Magic Seal tradition originally come from?"

"The origins of the Magic Seal tradition are too distant to trace. Perhaps it dates back to before the Goddess of the Moon fell." Old Lev shook his head.

"The Magic Seal I bear can ultimately be traced back to the Gryphon Duke. Most other people's Magic Seals also came from some duke or another."

Magic Seals came from dukes?

As far as Karl knew, this world had no kingdom in the true sense of the word, and therefore no king. Instead, various dukes controlled different territories.

The most famous were the Nine Great Dukes.

Duke Tedal, whose territory included Black City, was one of the Nine Great Dukes. He was renowned for his cruelty and madness.

In this world, a duke was more than just a title of nobility. It was also a symbol of power, authority, and strength.

Every duke possessed overwhelming might.

That was completely different from the Kingdom of Gondo.

Karl continued to ask:

"How can I gain control of a Magic Seal's power?"

"If the person who owns a Magic Seal is still alive, he can pass it on to someone else," Old Lev replied.

"If he's dead, then you need a Magic Seal Seed to activate it. But you can't wait too long. Without blood and vitality to nourish it, the Magic Seal will fade away completely."

"A Magic Seal Seed?" Karl's eyes flickered.

"Do you have one?"

"Hmm..." Old Lev looked at him in surprise, but didn't ask whether Karl already had a Magic Seal. Instead, he said:

"Not everyone can withstand a Magic Seal."

"In fact, the vast majority of people can't wield a Magic Seal's power, even if they're willing to pay with their lives."

Karl's expression grew solemn.

"Why?"

"I don't know either." Old Lev shook his head.

"To gain a Magic Seal, you have to undergo a trial. If you pass, you'll gain its power."

"If you fail..."

"You'll most likely die."

Karl frowned.

He only had one life, and he wasn't willing to gamble it away. Did that mean he still had to keep analyzing the seal? But he probably didn't have enough time. The seal's patterns in the fixing solution were already growing blurry.

"Of course,"

Old Lev continued,

"I do know a way to keep a Knight Squire alive through the process. If it doesn't work, though, he'll still need some time to recover."

He wasn't the only one who knew this method. Otherwise, so many Knight Squires wouldn't be willing to try accepting a Magic Seal. People valued their lives.

"Oh!"

Karl relaxed and asked with a smile:

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean I'm guaranteed to gain a Magic Seal?"

"How could that be?" Old Lev shook his head.

"If you fail once, that means you'll never succeed. Without the talent for it, even a knight can't manage it."

Hmm?

It worked that way, too?

That was similar to wizard aptitude. Without talent, one couldn't learn witchcraft.

He wondered whether Magic Seal aptitude overlapped with wizard aptitude. If it did, then Karl could give it a try.

"One more thing,"

Old Lev said.

"Magic Seals have extraordinary powers. Some of the more powerful ones are even more mysterious. But once you accept a Magic Seal, it becomes very difficult to continue along the Knight's Path."

"Even with Exotic Beast Meat, it's the same. The only exception is if you pass your Magic Seal on to someone else."

"Wait!" Karl raised a hand, his expression grave.

"You just said..."

"Exotic Beast Meat?"

"That's right." Old Lev nodded.

"Exotic Beast Meat contains the power of life and can help knights train. Haven't you heard of it?"

He had heard of it.

Of course Karl had heard of it!

It was just that, in the Kingdom of Gondo, exotic beasts had been nearly extinct for a long time. Their meat was an extremely rare commodity, and only a select few could afford to consume it.

The Life Potion that helped Knight Squires advance to become knights was said to be extracted from Exotic Beast Meat.

He'd never even dared to dream of getting his hands on something like that.

He immediately asked:

"Is there a way to get Exotic Beast Meat in Black City?"

"Well..." Old Lev hesitated.

"The city's major factions control several exotic beast lairs underground, so outsiders have little chance of getting any. You can exchange Black Stone for some through the City Guard, though."

"But no matter which route you take, there isn't much available."

Karl relaxed.

As long as there was some!

Even if it was scarce and hard to get, that was still better than nothing.

"Uncle,"

Aya spoke up at the right moment.

"I've gathered some more soul powder recently. When will you need it?"

Karl fell into thought.

If he agreed now, it wouldn't just mean continuing their cooperation. It would also bring them closer than before.

If he refused,

He wouldn't lose much, but he'd have to find another way to get Exotic Beast Meat and anything else he needed.

"This is a Magic Seal Seed." Seeing Karl hesitate, Old Lev took something from his robes and held it out.

"Consider it a gift for our first meeting."

"Hmm..." Karl looked at him in surprise, then smiled calmly.

"Thanks!"

He turned to Aya.

"Let's make the trade in two days."

"Do you need anything urgently? You can make a list, and I'll find a way to bring it over."

"Okay!" Aya exclaimed, delighted.

"That's great!"

Old Lev smiled, too.

*

*

*

I need to learn more about the other world anyway. I might as well start with Aya and her group.

They're familiar, which makes things easier and relatively safe. I can treat it as training an agent.

Back in the Divine Domain Fragment, Karl set down what he was holding and summoned his Data Panel with a wave of his hand.

Name: Karl (Lord of the Divine Domain Fragment)

Constitution: 0.78

Mental Strength: 1.25

Source Essence: 0

Profession: Knight Squire, Junior Wizard Apprentice

With a steady supply of Light of Wisdom potions to consume, Karl's mental strength had already risen to 1.25 in a short time.

However, taking the same potion for too long caused the body to build up a tolerance. Light of Wisdom was no exception.

By now,

The potion was only half as effective as it had been at first.

But that was already enough for Karl. At least he wouldn't need to worry about finding potions to increase his mental strength before becoming an Intermediate Apprentice.

Also, with his current mental strength, he was qualified to learn a second Zero-ring Witchcraft.

But first, Adolf wasn't home.

Second, openly revealing his talent might attract unwanted attention, so he hadn't gone looking for anyone yet.

"With no way to learn witchcraft for now, I might as well try the Magic Seal. I can remove it whenever I want. At worst, I'll just need a few days to recover."

Karl took out the Magic Seal Seed and pondered.