Before explaining further to Ryan, Alexander waved his staff and chanted an incantation, casting several magical wards in succession. Only then did he slowly continue.
Ryan watched the unfathomably powerful legendary mage perform a series of actions before him. His heart tightened. The real show was finally about to begin.
Alexander reached for the box made of Magic-Sealing Stone on the nearby table. He chanted an unknown incantation, and the magical patterns on the box lit up one by one, glowing blue. Then, with a click, the box's magical lock opened.
The old man glanced at Ryan, who was waiting quietly off to one side, and said kindly, "You've carried it around for so long. You must be curious about what's inside, right?"
Ryan nodded his little head, his bright blue eyes full of curiosity and wonder. It was impossible not to be curious. A basic quality of any proper mage was an inquisitive mind about everything in the world.
"Go ahead and take a look." Alexander casually tossed the box, lid shut, to Ryan. Ryan fumbled to catch it, then shot a resentful glance at the old mage, who was calmly stroking his beard and enjoying the show.
Holding the box carefully, Ryan held his breath and gently uncovered its secret.
Nestled inside the box's red velvet lining lay a scroll made of thin gold foil. Ryan gently removed it and unfurled it in his hands. As supple as the finest paper, it felt smooth to the touch, and silver magical script shimmered across its surface, slowly flowing as if alive.
The moment Ryan looked at it, a torrent of information rushed straight into his mind. Marvelous, advanced magical techniques and the principles behind various spells surfaced in his thoughts. While lamenting, Here we go again?, Ryan calmly relied on his system's storage capacity to absorb the flood of incoming information, as practiced as ever.
Seeing Ryan's calm reaction, Alexander's hand paused as he stroked his beard. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, and the smile at the corner of his mouth grew enigmatic.
When Ryan came to, he looked at the mysterious scroll in his hands, and certain records he had read before came to mind.
A mixture of astonishment and the disillusioning sense that he'd just struck it absurdly lucky rose in Ryan. He stared wide-eyed at the old man, who was quietly enjoying his shock.
"Could this... be a Nether Scroll?" Ryan still found it hard to believe, but the facts were right before him. The scroll's appearance and effects were exactly the same as those described in the records he had read in books.
The Nether Scrolls were artifacts discovered by the Netherese in the ruins of Aryvandaar. It was said that they recorded the truths of magic and the secrets of the gods. The Netherese Empire's rise owed a great deal to the knowledge it inherited from the Nether Scrolls. By studying them, the mighty magical empire had created wonders such as the Mythallar and flying cities.
The age of Netheril was an age of magic. Legendary mages who could move mountains, fill seas, summon wind, and command rain raised flying cities high into the sky to contend with the gods, ruling over vast and fertile lands.
The magical empire had also opened the doors to magic, selecting many gifted young mages through its academy system and passing down countless magical teachings. It could be said that the foundations of magical theory on Faerûn today had all developed from and inherited the knowledge of the Nether Scrolls.
According to the records, the Nether Scrolls were divided into two sets, each containing fifty scrolls. One entire set lay deep within the Tower of Song in the ruins of Myth Drannor. It took the form of golden beechwood and was called Keryvanya, "the Golden Grove of Hidden Knowledge." By now, it had been completely destroyed by natural and man-made disasters.
The other set consisted of scrolls, each a thin gold-foil sheet measuring eight by ten inches. They had been scattered, and most were lost. Only a few were known to be hidden in dangerous, remote places, while the location and condition of most of the remaining scrolls were unknown.
As things stood, only a few major powers had the strength and the means to preserve even a handful of Nether Scrolls.
The knowledge recorded in the Nether Scrolls formed the basis of magical theory in Faerûn today. Although not directly, ever since Netheril's rise, every mage skilled in any field of the arcane arts had gained knowledge from the Nether Scrolls. Of course, much of the information they contained had since become common knowledge among Faerûn's magical community. Even so, the Nether Scrolls still held a vast amount of information that could benefit anyone studying the arcane arts.
Thanks to the mysterious magical knowledge they contained, anyone who read a Nether Scroll had the chance to deepen their understanding of magic's nature and gain a wealth of information about magic and the arcane arts. They could also develop a profound grasp of magic and its practices. They were truly priceless.
Ryan could hardly believe that his teacher had entrusted such an invaluable treasure to a weak, pitiful mid-level mage like him for delivery. It was as if they thought nothing of a national treasure.
Ryan's expression darkened at once. "You're having a mid-level mage like me deliver something this precious? Isn't that a little reckless?"
At that, the kindly old mage burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You're underestimating your teacher. That quick-witted teacher of yours is no simple mage. This is a test—and an entrance ticket."
"A test? An entrance ticket?" Ryan asked, puzzled.
"Exactly. Your teacher put her own magical mark on the Magic-Sealing box. If the mark is more than a thousand feet away from you for over two days, Yefalin will use divination magic to locate it and teleport straight there. She might even run into a few big fish.
"She also placed a special magical lock on the box itself. Anyone who doesn't know the incantation can't open it.
"That's your test. If you manage to deliver the scroll to Waterdeep, you pass." Alexander's old face beamed with delight. Bringing up the next generation was so much fun.
"Were the Zhentarim part of your plans too?" Ryan's mouth drooped. He'd gained a new appreciation for just how deep his teacher's well of scruples ran.
At the mention of the Zhentarim, a cold gleam flashed through the old mage's eyes. He replied calmly, "Those rats in the Zhentarim never dare face us head-on, but they always find some sewer to hide in, lurking in the shadows and waiting for a chance to strike.
"So we used this opportunity to spread some rumors, hoping to root out the rats in the association. Following the trail led us to quite a few spies and turncoats inside.
"As for your safety, Yefalin has a great deal of faith in you. She also said she'd given you a trump card to save your life, so we didn't investigate further."
Only then did Ryan understand why Yefalin had given him a Teleport scroll before leaving. So if I ran, you'd come right after me to retrieve the mission item—and maybe catch a few big fish while you were at it. If I'd known that, what was I even worrying about?
Although he understood that Yefalin had meant well, he was still a little annoyed by the fact that he'd been neatly arranged into the role of a pawn.
Noticing Ryan's twitching brows, the mischievous old mage teased him, "Hahaha, do you think Yefalin went too far? That little monster enjoys this sort of thing. Her mastery of divination magic once let her glimpse fate itself. Otherwise, why do you think they call her the 'Sage of Stars'?"
Ryan was speechless. He muttered to himself, *If you hadn't told me, I'd have thought it was because she was so good at her ninth-circle spell, Meteor Swarm, that she got the title. Who knew that was the real reason? Damn, I really did underestimate my teacher.
Still, I knew she was a master of divination, but peering into fate seems a little too overpowered. She's managed not to attract the attention of the Goddess of Fate all these years. I've got to give you a big 666 for that, teacher.
Before you continue