Energy Crisis

I had to admit, working at Fastherin Academy was incredibly easy.

There were only two classes a week, each lasting about two hours. As a new teaching assistant, Lanlos had done little more than introduce himself to everyone; there was nothing for him to do during the rest of the lessons.

Compared to his previous life, this easy routine left him feeling a little uneasy.

But before long, he scoffed at his own fussiness. Having an easy job was a good thing, after all. It meant he would have more time to do what he wanted.

After leaving the classroom, Lanlos didn't hurry back to his dorm. The quiet room held no appeal for him. At that moment, his attention was fixed on the library in the Highborne district.

In fact, there were only three floating buildings in the upper district. Unlike the lower district, with its buildings at varying heights, the three libraries stood at the same level. Connected by suspended walkways, they formed a huge triangular structure.

The largest of them was Lanlos's destination.

As he stepped through the entrance, a faint breeze brushed past him. It felt as though he had entered another world: almost every sound around him vanished, and it took him a moment to get used to it.

A barrier?!

Lanlos spun around and reached out to the surrounding magic, extending his perception. He quickly detected a faint, almost imperceptible current of magic. Unlike the natural magic flowing through the air, this current was dense and stable, forming a vast "film" around the entire room.

Clearly, the Academy wasn't trying to hide the purpose of this spell. Lanlos soon figured it out.

"Never seen you before. New here?" a lazy voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, before he had time to finish marveling.

Turning around, Lanlos saw a middle-aged man lounging in a chair, leafing through an old book.

Lanlos nodded and opened his mouth to answer. To his surprise, though he could feel his throat vibrate, no sound reached his ears.

The male elf glanced up at him, a hint of amusement plainly visible. "You don't know where you are?"

Surprise appeared on Lanlos's face again. He could hear the man's voice, yet the man hadn't opened his mouth!

"This is the Silent Library. Sound doesn't travel here."

Then how...? Lanlos pointed to his ear, looking baffled. At his clueless gesture, Teliralun's smile widened. "Only spellcasters are allowed in here. The silence barrier blocks the transmission of sound, but it doesn't erase it. Control your magic and let it take the place of your voice."

Sound was a wave. Did that mean magic could take its place? If so, by controlling magic with his mind, could he control how sound traveled?

Still amazed, Lanlos quickly gave it a try. It felt a little strange, but as if using his mind in place of his throat, he made the magic vibrate to produce "sound waves" and convey his "voice" to the other man. "Like this?"

"Exactly. You did well, though you don't actually need to move your mouth." Teliralun smiled and shook his head, then got to the point. "So, young man, what have you come to the library to borrow?"

"Some introductory materials and analyses of spell models. Do I need to sign in here?"

"Sign in? Ha!" As if he'd heard a wonderful joke, Teliralun burst out laughing. Seeing Lanlos's awkward expression, he quickly composed himself. "Sorry, young man. I couldn't help myself..."

"As I just said, this is the Silent Library, a library of magic. Everyone who comes here is a spellcaster. We can forget ordinary people's habits; we don't need so many tedious rules and regulations."

When Lanlos still seemed confused, Teliralun sighed and explained in detail. After all, it was one of a librarian's duties. "Every spellcaster's magical signature is different—unique. You should be able to sense it: when you entered, the barrier recorded your information through your magic. Of course, if you resist or try to conceal your signature and sneak in, I'll have to throw you out."

"As for borrowing books, just channel your magic into the shelves to take the books you need. The amount of magic you channel determines how long you can keep them. Remember to return them on time, or our friendly Spellbreakers will come calling." Teliralun's smile held a hint of mischief, as if he were encouraging Lanlos to have a nice chat with the "friendly" Spellbreakers.

"Of course, if you don't channel enough magic for the shelf to recognize you, don't waste your time. Learning magic is a gradual process. Reaching beyond your grasp will only cause your mind and will to collapse in the face of the incomprehensible unknown." The librarian waved a hand and turned his attention back to his book, with no intention of answering any more questions. Speaking with magic was rather tiring, after all.

Though the man was clearly slacking off, Lanlos quietly thanked him and headed farther into the library to explore. He didn't notice the librarian peering over his book, eyes fixed on him with a sternness and sharpness that hadn't been there before.

Apart from the silence and the seemingly endless rows of shelves, there didn't seem to be much else remarkable about the library. After familiarizing himself with the "rules" Teliralun had described, Lanlos made his way to the introductory Arcane section. It contained not only theoretical explanations of Arcane Magic, but also what he wanted most: breakdowns of basic spell models.

Pursuing a thorough understanding of theory was a lifelong endeavor. For now, he needed practical knowledge that could become power. To learn a spell, he had to fully interpret and study the array model that constructed it, then activate specific nodes correctly to produce the corresponding effect.

Breaking down spell arrays was essential. It was the wisdom and experience of countless great predecessors, passed down from ancient times. By absorbing and altering natural magic, spell arrays created all manner of extraordinary effects. As magic had developed, one could master powerful abilities through rote memorization alone, without delving into their origins.

Of course, this inevitably led to what had been mentioned earlier: only a handful of people could truly understand and use the limitless possibilities of Arcane Magic.

The demon lore Lanlos had learned from Belash and Vihana was very different from the Arcane Magic he was studying now.

Doomguards were one of the many demon races serving the Burning Legion. Their race was known as the Eredar. Before joining the Legion, they had been called the Titans' hounds, tasked with overseeing the use of Arcane Magic. Their mastery of magic was a true divine gift, an enviable talent.

Lanlos, who had gained that ability through sacrificial magic, knew it well. Unfortunately, to escape the Shattered Abyss, he had handed all that power over to the Keystone. But even if he still had the ability to wield magic as effortlessly as breathing, he might not have been able to use it properly on Azeroth.

The Twisting Nether and the Astral Realm were filled with vast, chaotic magic. As long as one's will was strong enough to set that chaotic magic in order amid its tumult, it was easy to control the immense power and cast all kinds of spells. Azeroth was different. Under the Blue Dragonflight's watch, a magical network spanned the entire world. Under the network's control, Azeroth's magic was stable and orderly, making the world more hospitable to mortal life.

It was immensely difficult to use one's individual will to break through the Ley Line's restrictions and seize control of large amounts of natural magic.

And what happened during a demon invasion? The demons used Fel to corrupt or destroy systems that stabilized the world's laws, such as the Ley Lines. Once the world descended into chaos, demons from the Twisting Nether could invade in force and bring about the apocalypse.

Back to the point: the only useful thing Lanlos had learned from Belash was how to wield Fel. But now, only a tiny bit of Fel remained within him, not enough to make much of a difference. Of course, he could ignite Fel by sacrificing his own mana or flesh, but unless he had no other choice, he wouldn't make himself suffer for nothing.

The Fel that came from his soul hadn't accepted this "different" body, so it was easy to imagine the pain of burning flesh. Besides, after what had happened in Golden Branch Village, transforming into a demon in public would be suicide.

As for Vihana, she had left him some knowledge and experience in soul magic, which had allowed him to take possession of this body after arriving on Azeroth. But he hadn't found a trace of the Eredar's once-glorious mastery of Arcane Magic, forged on Argus. Had he carelessly sacrificed it as fuel without even looking? Or had Vihana erased it herself through her own power?

He didn't know. By then, he had been trapped in an inescapable state of confusion, and he could remember few details.

As he pondered, Lanlos plucked a book from the shelf. It contained a comprehensive analysis of several first-circle spells. He opened to a page and quickly memorized the detailed description of one spell.

Ding!

Spell model acquisition complete...

Recorded in root directory: Spell List...

Spell List:

1st Circle: Fireball, Mage Hand (0%)

These past few days, Lanlos hadn't spent all his time in class. He had also been gradually learning about the Keystone's functions.

Put simply, the Keystone was his plug-in, and he was its control system. The Keystone drew energy and instructions from him, while he used its abilities to turn his perceptions into data. It could even let him control the functions of certain parts of his brain.

For example, memory.

For most people, forming a clear, lasting memory took repeated practice and review. The brain had limited capacity, after all, and the amount of information it received from the senses each day was enormous. Remembering all of it would make someone less than mortal. So the brain automatically filtered and discarded information, and this process wasn't under conscious control.

For example, if we wanted to memorize a poem, most people would have to recite and write it out again and again before it left a trace in the hippocampus and became a lasting memory.

But now, through the consciousness-assimilation program uploaded by the Keystone, whenever Lanlos needed it, he could leave a complete memory trace in his brain as if processing personal data. From the perspective of his senses, it was like a sudden electrical current etching the memory into his mind.

Of course, the more words the memory contained and the more vivid its details, the more "power" it consumed. The Keystone had its own energy module, but as a mere plug-in, it had no way to recharge—no charging port. It could only rely on the main control system to supply energy, but the magic in Lanlos's body was far too weak to keep it running properly for long.

As for drawing magic from the environment, if this had been the Twisting Nether, Lanlos's mental strength would indeed have let him supply enough energy. But this was Azeroth. Under the Ley Lines' influence, natural magic tended toward stability and order, and most of it gathered at Ley Line nodes. That left the ambient magical energy relatively sparse, with barely any left over after supplying what his body needed.

The difference between humans and elves made it clear. Thanks to the Sunwell, High Elves lived an average of three thousand years, while humans barely reached eighty. More astonishing still, under the protection of the Well of Eternity, Night Elves and Highborne were theoretically immortal.

There was one way to redirect the magic his body needed to power the Keystone: meditation. By reducing the body's activity, he could create a surplus in magic consumption. He could use that saved magic to replenish the Keystone's energy module, charging it little by little. The problem was that it was a very slow process, and one that would drain him dry.

Most spellcasters used meditation to conserve magic and gradually expand their bodies' ability to attract and "bind" it. The excess magic entered their flesh and bones, subtly altering their bodies and strengthening their affinity with magic, allowing them to store more mana.

Interestingly, spellcasters weren't the only ones who meditated. Combatants in this world who relied on their bodies did so to strengthen themselves, too. Of course, since most couldn't control magic with their minds, they mainly used meditation to recover quickly after training. Though they couldn't cast spells, many had grown up surrounded by magic and developed some unusual tricks for using it.

Things like Invisibility, Mirror Image, Shadowstep; Bloodlust, Berserking, Thunder Clap...

In short, it bore repeating: magic was the foundation of this world. Accumulating magic was essential not only for his own growth but also for activating the Keystone's functions. After all, this thing had another astonishing ability: teleportation.

But the Keystone's calculations and cached records had also given him one crucial piece of information.

Although natural magic couldn't charge the Keystone properly, this world had sources of energy capable of gathering vast amounts of magic. And with Fel's destructive power, he could sacrifice and absorb those sources. That would not only strengthen his own affinity with magic to some degree, but also rapidly replenish the Keystone's energy module.

For example, powerful magical creatures, a sufficient supply of pure mana crystals, Ley Line nodes, the Sunwell...

Yeah, none of those were an option right now.

To keep it from shutting down at a crucial moment, Sargerite had gone into standby, preserving the last of its energy. Now, whenever he used the Keystone's functions, it rapidly consumed his own mana. Fortunately, creating a document didn't take much.

Memorizing only Mage Hand definitely wasn't enough, so Lanlos swiftly flipped through the pages and continued. He memorized the basic analyses of nearly every spell from first to third circle. A spellcaster's erudition wasn't just about how many spells they could cast; the most important thing was recognizing spells. To become a mage who could stand on their own, they had to understand the magic used by enemies and allies alike, even the magic embedded in arcane devices.

Of course, it was easy enough to say. But magic had eight schools: Conjuration, Evocation, Divination, Abjuration, Enchantment, Illusion, Transmutation, and Necromancy. Spells like Fireball and Ice Bolt, which focused on transforming energy, were examples of Evocation. Mage Hand was an introductory spell in Transmutation.

There were many others. As the saying went, "Once you enter the depths of Arcane Magic, the mortal world is behind you." Mages often struck others as aloof because the study of Arcane Magic was endless. Fortunately, with his mana limit so low, he couldn't borrow intermediate or advanced magical knowledge above the fourth circle, so Lanlos wasn't in danger of becoming like that just yet.

There was a reason for this restriction. In the past, there had been similar incidents: novice Arcane practitioners often thought too highly of themselves. After learning the theories and analyses of mid- and high-level magic, many tried to bypass the requirements for higher-level spells through unorthodox means. For example, cooperative casting or sacrifice.

Cooperative casting was fine. As long as both parties—or all of them—worked well together, nothing bad would happen. But many people were already looking for shortcuts, and naturally didn't want to go to that much trouble. As a result, in the early days, many dark mages used the flesh and souls of animals, elves, or humans as sacrifices to meet a spell array's mana requirements.

Naturally, in the name of humanitarianism, that profound knowledge wasn't made available to immature novices.

After spending some time in the library, Lanlos had basically memorized the basic analyses of every first- to third-circle spell he could find. He didn't know whether his dizziness came from expending magic or taking in too many memories, but he hadn't wasted a moment of his precious free time.

The island behind the Academy, cut off by a riverbed, was Fastherin's backyard. Its wooded hills sheltered it from most of the sea wind. Lush and quiet, it offered the gentle murmur of waves and sunlight dappling the branches. Without a doubt, it was an idyllic place to relax and unwind.

At that moment, Lanlos sat on a jutting rock with his back to the Academy, gazing at the setting sun and the sea below. He seemed to blend seamlessly into the breathtaking scenery.

If only he weren't completely focused on the flickering display in front of him.

Vertical axis deviation: 17 degrees... energy cycle impossible... correction: retract 3.41 mm...

Horizontal axis deviation: 9 degrees... cycle impeded, casting time extended by 3 seconds...

Invalid spell node detected... coordinates (6.94, 11.21, -2.7)... correction: rebuilding node...

Feedback from the Keystone's recognition function kept sounding in Lanlos's mind. In front of him, a projected spell array roughly the size of a human face flickered with faint light.

Yes, projected. Consciousness assimilation helped Lanlos understand the Keystone's feedback, and it also let the Keystone understand his instructions. By coordinating its analyses of pictures and books, Sargerite had easily projected the standard spell model for Mage Hand in three dimensions before his eyes.

Of course, it did this by affecting his visual nerves, so only he could "see" the projection.

But copying something by eye was no easy task. After all, he wasn't using his hands to draw; he was using his mind.

Model construction complete... Compatibility assessment: 96.2%...

After drawing a circle around the entire array and completing the final circuit node, Lanlos finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then guided magic into the activation node. As the array glowed faintly and vanished in a flash of light, he felt as though he had acquired an extra "hand" outside his body.

Of course, it wasn't a real hand. Mage Hand was more like a force applied in a vector's direction, except that its direction could change while the spell lasted. After testing its range and strength, he shifted his attention, and the connection between his mind and the "hand" was severed.

Mana: 16%

Casting a first-circle spell alone wouldn't consume that much. The projection had lasted only a short while, but this function used far more power than saving a memory.

Saving the motions involved in drawing the spell array used up nearly all the mana he had left. Lanlos couldn't help feeling dizzy.

His current supply wasn't nearly enough to satisfy the Keystone. Even the assistant system that could communicate with him had gone dormant to save power, let alone teleportation, the ability he'd been craving for so long.

An energy source, huh?

Lanlos looked behind him. Though the trees blocked his view, they couldn't hide the golden beam shooting straight into the sky. If he could get close to the Sunwell—even touch it—the Keystone would probably gorge itself until it burst.

Imagining himself draining the Sunwell in full view of everyone, Lanlos couldn't help grinning like an idiot, overwhelmed by an exhilarating sense of guilt.

Great, his magic addiction was acting up again.