Enlightenment

Breaking one's bottom line is the sort of thing that only has two states: zero times, or countless times.

When Borne managed to get a magic pouch from the Count—his grandfather—by acting cute...

...Well, it smelled so sweet!

"Grandfather, what is this?" Borne asked in his milky, childish voice.

"Oh, this is a magic parcel, look."

The Count looked at Borne with a benevolent expression, took a sword from a nearby guard, placed it inside, and weighed it in his hand.

"Wow! That's amazing." Borne's eyes lit up. He took it; it wasn't heavy, actually quite light.

He reached his small hand inside and rummaged around, discovering that the space within was quite large.

"This little pouch is something Grandfather made a long time ago. I had just started learning Enchantment back then. It has a cubic meter of space; use it to store your little toys."

"So it's Grandfather's earliest work? It must have unusual significance to you, so I'd better not take it." Borne pushed it directly back toward the Count.

The Count was very happy and laughed a few times. "It's fine, it's of no use to me now. Just take it, my little Borne."

After saying this, he kissed Borne on the cheek.

Viscount Gordon stood to the side, curling his lip. He knew exactly what this little brat was up to.

He thought back to his own childhood and felt a pang of heartache. He had spent his youth constantly clashing and arguing with the Count; he never gained any benefits, but he certainly received his fair share of beatings.

Borne glanced at Viscount Gordon but ignored him, continuing to study the magic parcel.

Though called a parcel, it was actually only the size of two palms, made of some unknown leather. It had likely been imbued with a permanent Extension spell or something similar.

When Borne put his small hand inside, it felt as if it shrank even further.

How interesting!

He picked up some books and started playing with putting them in and taking them out.

The Count watched him with doting eyes as he busied himself. Suddenly, Borne looked up, gazing at the Count with hopeful eyes: "Grandfather, will you teach me how to make one? It's so magical!"

The dagger was finally revealed; Borne had laid the groundwork for quite a while before speaking.

The Count paused, then picked Borne up. "Creating magic is very difficult, you know. You must first become an Arcanist."

"Okay! I want to be an Arcanist too!"

"Hahaha! Becoming an Arcanist is very hard work. First, you must have a thirst for knowledge, be able to endure loneliness to study, and learn a great deal of lore. You won't be able to go out and play anymore."

The Count spoke to Borne earnestly.

Borne seemed moved by the Count's words and fell silent for a moment.

Beside them, Viscount Gordon watched Borne nervously; he had experienced this exact situation when he was a child.

Viscount Gordon spoke up without a second thought: "You should become a powerful knight and be a hero! Marry the most beautiful woman!"

This type of soul-searching question utilized Psychic magic, forcing the subject to honestly reveal their deepest inner thoughts.

The Count was furious.

But it had been very effective; even though the Count later forced Viscount Gordon to practice magic and meditation, it yielded no results, and instead, the relationship between father and son became very strained!

Gordon did eventually become a knight, though only a third-rate one...

Under the interference of the Psychic magic, even though Borne had been secretly guarding against it, his rudimentary breathing technique offered little defense. This time, the spell was aimed directly at him!

"I want to be an Arcanist, to become the strongest Great Arcanist in history!"

A childish yet firm voice rang out in the room.

A smile appeared on Gordon's face.

The Count took a deep breath.

He took out a white crystal, placed it on Borne's forehead, and said, "Child! Close your eyes, concentrate, and focus your attention on your forehead."

Borne heard the tremor in the Count's voice, as if he were reminded of something. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

It felt as if a long time had passed, yet it was also very slow.

The room was very quiet.

Borne could even hear the breathing of his grandfather and father.

It wasn't until Borne suddenly heard Gordon's exclamation that he immediately opened his eyes, a flash of red light vanishing from the corners of his vision.

The Count felt a hint of regret, but he was still pleasantly surprised; his descendant possessed the talent of a spellcaster.

The talent was a bit low; perhaps his final achievement would only be at the Primary or Intermediate level.

No matter!

As long as he had the talent and could get a foot in the door, it was enough.

The requirements for an Arcanist were not too high; magic was the greatest miracle, and there were many ways to increase elemental affinity!

Borne felt his head was a bit heavy, similar to the feeling of pulling an all-nighter.

He knew it must have been the earlier test that drained his mental energy.

The Count told him to rest early today.

After bowing and exiting, he heard the Count's joyful laughter; Borne's lips curled slightly, his heart filled with excitement.

It worked!

That night, Borne slept soundly and had a dream.

In the dream, he became an Archmage, with various monsters and dragons bowing at his feet, until he finally opened a portal and returned to Earth.

He ordered a table full of dishes at the finest restaurant.

Shredded pork with garlic sauce, braised pork ribs, braised tofu, Dongpo pork knuckle, layered pork belly...

Looking at the table full of food, Borne swallowed his saliva and picked up his chopsticks...

When Borne opened his eyes, he found himself still in bed, drool running down his pillow.

He sighed softly, noticing that dawn was approaching, and sat directly on the bed to practice his breathing technique.

This had become his habit; he believed that constant dripping wears away the stone.

Quantitative change leads to qualitative change!

After finishing breakfast, Borne was led by a guard to a spacious room.

The Count was drawing patterns on the floor; Borne did not disturb him, watching quietly from the side.

Even though Borne did not understand it, he could tell this was a massive magic circle, clearly a form of ritual magic.

The Count held a strange pen in his hand, and the seemingly soft tip was actually carving runes into the hard bluestone floor!

At points resembling nodes, various spellcasting materials were placed.

Borne already knew that his grandfather possessed highly advanced magical craftsmanship.

In the world of Toril, alchemists were a profession that only emerged during the middle and late periods of Netheril.

At this current time, magical items were extremely rare; every single one was a precious treasure!

Before the appearance of the Scrolls of Netheril, human magical items were all obtained through the Elven race!

It was only in the last decade or two that humans began producing their own magical items, such as the earliest Netherese magical item--the Ioun Stone!

It was the very stone floating above the Count's head.

Before the invention of permanent magic, creating a magical item meant channeling the creator's own mana into it to complete a permanent enchantment. The lost mana was permanent, and this portion of lost mana also represented life force!

Life force meant lifespan.

Yes!

Enchantment came at a price; every magical item contained a portion of its creator's life, which was why every magical item was so incredibly precious.

Even the long-standing Ioulaum House did not possess many magical items!

This was also why Viscount Gordon had been a bit envious upon seeing the Count give two of them to a little brat.

Every spellcaster skilled in enchantment looked older than their peers without exception.

The craft of enchantment was a high-level technique; without the inheritance of several generations, one could not afford to waste so much lifespan through trial and error, not even the long-lived Elves.

Unless they were high-level spellcasters or legends, most would not touch this field, even though magical items did indeed possess some peculiar powers.

The entire room was covered in dense magical runes. It seemed the Count had begun preparations immediately after Borne left yesterday, and had not rested all night.

As the Count finished the final stroke, he exhaled in relief and a smile appeared on his face.

Borne felt deeply moved!

He hurried over to offer his greetings, once again acting cute to make his grandfather happy.

The Count took out a red bead, handed it to Borne, and pointed to a circular area in the center of the magic circle.

"Sit there in a moment and hold this Heart of Elements close to your chest. I will cast [Identify] on you. Today, I will perform an 'Enlightenment' on you, and you will set foot on the path of an Arcanist."

"Enlightenment?"

Borne asked, somewhat puzzled.

Don't spellcasters meditate to perceive the Weave? When did they start performing Enlightenment? Isn't that a Druid technique?

"This is a unique inheritance of our Ioulaum House. My grandfather, your great-grandfather, was once a powerful Druid. This Enlightenment circle was improved based on the Druid's [Enlightenment]; it can allow the recipient to directly possess the mana of an intermediate or high-level magic apprentice!"

"Alright, hurry in! Gordon, guard the door and don't let anyone disturb the inheritance ritual."

The Count turned to say to Gordon.

Only then did Borne notice that his father and the Captain of the Knights had arrived, and many knights and guards were standing at the door.

"Yes!"

He then led the Captain of the Knights to stand at the door.

It seemed this ritual was very important. Borne held the Heart of Elements, walked to the center of the circle, and sat cross-legged.

He pressed his hands together, holding the Heart of Elements against his body.

The Count began to chant a spell in a low voice.

Borne felt a miraculous power descend upon his head, a sensation of sudden enlightenment; time itself seemed to sharpen, and his thoughts accelerated as if shifting into high gear!

Identify!

This spell could enhance the target's intelligence, and Borne realized it immediately.

"Focus your attention, do not be distracted."

The Count's voice reached him, and Borne closed his eyes at once, beginning to visualize himself sitting atop a mountain peak surrounded by a sea of white clouds!

This was a visualization technique from his past life's memories, highly effective for clearing away intrusive thoughts!

At this moment, the Count began to chant again.

This time he did not lower his voice, and Borne could hear it clearly; the language was distinct, crisp and melodious, like the chirping of birds in a forest.

Elvish!