The Correct Way to Teach Magic

Even ordinary people could feel the mana, and those with magical talent present felt it even more intensely.

Even for them, this was the first time they had seen magic elements dancing at their fingertips so clearly, responding to their every whim. They were experiencing the world as it appeared to a true genius.

Yet, a few mages felt that something was off.

Payson was one of them.

Payson was the Minister of the Department of Education in the Eastern Territory. He was a White Robe of the intermediate rank. However, he was not a local mage of Cecilia City; he hailed from the Royal Mage Tower in the Royal Capital of Seyekin City. In the magical circles of the Central Empire, he was as orthodox a Royal Mage as one could find.

Despite this, Payson lacked the arrogance common among Royal Mages.

He possessed a kindly, round face and always wore the expression of a genial, good-natured man; it seemed nothing could make him angry.

This time was no exception.

Even though the school fell under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, Mayor Owen and the Magic Association had only pulled a minor agent from the department to inform them, without even bothering to notify him, the Minister. Payson had no complaints; instead, he had taken the initiative to attend this Foundation Ceremony, which had actually left the Magic Association feeling a bit embarrassed.

However, the moment the rainbow descended from the sky and the magic elements rippled joyfully outward, the smile on Payson's face finally cracked.

Such a high concentration of magic elements—could it be...

A Magic Well?!

Payson's eyes widened, his expression one of utter disbelief.

As an orthodox Royal Mage, Payson had experienced a Magic Well before. In fact, the Royal Mage Tower still preserved the most complete Magic Well facility to date.

The Crimson Well.

This well was built during the peak of the Magic Era by the humans, Elves, and Dwarves. It was said that even the design was the work of the gods. At full output, it could envelop the entire Royal Capital, and the mana barrier it generated could withstand a direct impact from a Plane. It was a far more solid and magnificent existence than the Immortal Wall of Cecilia.

However, throughout history, the output of this well had never been pushed to its maximum.

Even when the Demon Race army invaded, its defense barrier had barely managed to cover the Royal Palace.

In modern times, the mana output of the Crimson Well was controlled even more strictly. Only the Star Glory Towers in the Royal Capital were qualified to use the energy within. Payson had only been able to replenish his mana at the Crimson Well once, when he was dispatched from the Royal Capital to collect his Scholar's Staff from a Star Glory Tower.

The level of mana activity Payson felt now was similar to what he had experienced near the Crimson Well.

"This mana concentration is... a Magic Well?" he asked in disbelief.

"The Black Robe said that, in principle, it is," Agent John replied.

"But isn't a facility of this caliber a waste, given to a group of untalented civilian brats?"

"Huh?!"

Agent John's eyes widened in shock. Had he just heard their Minister utter a discriminatory remark that no educator should ever make?

Minister Payson, however, was too preoccupied to notice his subordinate's reaction.

He gripped his Scholar's Staff and whispered a few incantations, attempting to draw upon the rich mana in the air. That was the only "non-wasteful" way to use it.

But those magic elements did not respond to his spell as he had hoped.

Instead, accompanied by a "beep" sound, bright red text popped up before him:

[Your traffic is insufficient; unable to connect to the network.]

[Would you like to complete magic courses to replenish traffic?]

"What is this?!" Payson exclaimed in surprise.

"Is your mana traffic insufficient?" Although Agent John looked at his superior with suspicion, he recalled the Mana Network Transmission Protocol 1.04 that Angell had handed to them earlier.

He explained, "The Black Robe said that the Magic Well here isn't a pure Magic Well, but a Mana Pool. The mana provided is finite and cannot support the consumption of a mage; it is intended solely for student instruction. To avoid wasting mana and to encourage students to use magic actively, all children must earn mana traffic by completing magic courses."

"Oh, a very rational plan," Payson said dryly.

He had wondered how anyone could be so foolish as to open a Magic Well for people to use for free!

But even so, it was too extravagant!

It was far too extravagant!

If he had had these conditions when he first entered the Mage Tower...

"Is that Black Robe's motive really sound?" Payson couldn't help but doubt. "Providing a facility like this—is he really not using the children for some experiment?"

Don't worry, that Black Robe was sent by the Masterless Tower to implement the Magic Revival Project.

Otherwise, how could an intermediate mage come up with such powerful equipment?

Agent John almost blurted that out.

Fortunately, he remembered that this was merely a theory deduced by Owen and Hume, and the fewer people who knew, the better.

Although Payson was a decent man, there were many in the Department of Education who opposed Compulsory Magic Education. If one of his friends happened to be part of the Opposition Faction, it would be disastrous if the information leaked.

John spoke cautiously: "It seems to be his research project, but you don't need to worry. We specifically drafted the user safety section of the Mana Network Transmission Protocol to ensure the life, soul, and property safety of all users."

Payson remembered: "I believe you did mention that."

John had previously submitted a copy of the protocol.

"Minister, are you discussing the Mana Base Station?" someone suddenly asked, interrupting them.

Payson turned his head and saw several people dressed as reporters looking at him.

One look was all it took to confirm they were all from the Royal Capital.

However, under the current circumstances, emphasizing that games were a waste of time would only distort the facts—the man had actually brought out a Mana Well.

If this Mana Well had been built by Mayor Owen, one could still claim he was wasting tax money on a vanity project.

But it had been donated by a private Alchemy Workshop, and the owner of this workshop was the Cecilia Family, who were destined to remain commoners forever. Even if one wanted to claim there was some dark curtain behind it, no one would believe it.

The only thing that could be exploited was Angell's identity as a Black Robe.

But aside from the fact that Mayor Owen had the Magic Agreement as a safeguard, attacking too aggressively would offend the many Black Robes. Who knew what those lunatics would do if they went off the deep end? Offending them was definitely not worth the cost.

Minister Payson quickly weighed the situation in his heart.

Then, he put on his habitual smile: "This Magic Education Pilot Project is such a grand gesture! With such rich mana, even the Royal Academy in the Royal Capital doesn't have these conditions! It makes one very expectant of the results!"

As Payson said this, he pushed John forward.

"This is John, an operative from our Department of Education, and one of the leaders of this pilot program! He is a very talented educator who truly cares for his students. With him overseeing this pilot, our Eastern Territory Department of Education is very reassured! I believe that when the Mana Appraisal comes this Winter, we will be able to reap unexpected results!"

"You flatter me, Minister!" John said, surprised.

So Minister Payson actually thinks so highly of this pilot? I must have misheard him just now, right?

John thought to himself. He was soon blinded by the flashes of cameras. He wanted to show a more handsome smile for the lens, and the reporters cooperated by snapping photos of him frantically.

Minister Payson watched from the side with a beaming smile, seemingly not caring at all that he had been upstaged.

He also noticed that several reporters looked relieved, as if they were glad they wouldn't have to write disingenuous reports.

Minister Payson's smile deepened:

Fools, learning magic is not that easy!

Those without talent will achieve nothing, even if they are thrown directly into the center of a Mana Well!

Although I don't know what stupid experiment that Black Robe wants to conduct, he will soon learn that talent determines everything. It is unnecessary to have any expectations for those without talent; they are only fit to become fuel for factories in the end.

The higher they are lifted now, the more "spectacular" the results will be when the Mana Appraisal arrives!

Payson smiled and retreated from the bustle of the crowd.

Also escaping from the crowd was the person who should have been the center of attention:

Angell Cecilia.

Angell avoided the crowd and walked to a small pond on the side of the school building, cupping water to splash on his face.

He had stood in front of the crowd for too long, and he felt dizzy.

A huge group of irrelevant people, a mountain of meaningless noise, and a pile of time-wasting speeches.

This was why Angell hated ceremonies, galas, and meetings the most. Whether on stage or off, they were all uncomfortable! If it weren't for his research project, he would never have attended such a hellish, performative ritual!

However, it was all worth it!

The first Mana Base Station had finally been built! Could the second and third be far behind?

If the development speed was fast enough, perhaps by this time next year, he could have a local area network for the entire city.

In other words, after Angell had transmigrated for over a hundred years, he finally had internet—sob!

Angell felt deeply moved.

As a transmigrator from the information age, Angell suffered from severe internet dependency.

In his previous life, he felt mentally unstable whenever he went to a place without Wi-Fi, and whenever he had to travel and encountered a day of disconnection, he felt like he was about to die.

Now, he had actually survived for over a hundred years in this godforsaken place without the internet!

Humans were truly more resilient than he had imagined!

Angell thought back to two months ago, when he had been kicked out of the Masterless Tower. He had wondered if he had chosen the wrong subject. If he had chosen the "Spatial Plane Travel" project, perhaps he would have returned to his previous plane long ago—though, with the fragile soul of an Intermediate Mage, there was a 99.999...% chance he would have been lost in the space-time turbulence and churned into mincemeat.

He hadn't expected that after the darkest hour, he would stumble upon the opportunity to complete his project outside the Mage Tower!

Angell felt like he could wake up laughing from his dreams.

Although he didn't necessarily need the internet for anything specific, the sense of security that came from knowing he could obtain information from the outside world without having to interact with people was enough to make Angell feel happy.

Just then, a gloomy voice suddenly asked:

"This isn't a Mana Well, is it, meow?"

Angell shifted his gaze to look at his own shadow, only to see huge, heterochromatic cat eyes opening on the black silhouette, staring right at him.

"Don't just pop out like that, you'll scare someone to death," Angell protested.

Mithril ignored his protest and continued: "This is a Sky Spring, isn't it!"

"...Is there a difference?" Angell asked.

"A huge difference!" Mithril gritted his teeth. "A Mana Well is just a man-made device! But a Sky Spring is a living creature! Though it's hard to say if it's a plant or an animal, it is alive!"

That was right; the thing hanging upside down in the sky, looking like a fountain, was alive!

And the area that looked like a rainbow touching the ground was actually its feeding channel!

However, this living creature does not consume humans, nor does it need to feed on other organisms; it feeds solely on mana.

By absorbing mana to sustain itself, the fountain in the sky continues to grow, eventually becoming an existence akin to a Heavenly Kingdom.

In an era even earlier than the Magic Era, people once believed that the kingdom in the clouds it formed was the realm of the gods, leaving behind a vast number of myths and legends regarding the Sky Kingdom.

Even by the Magic Era, many mages still wished to create their own Heavenly Kingdom by raising a Sky Spring.

From this perspective, the Sky Spring can be considered a mythical creature.

"You know quite a lot about Mithril!" Angell said. "Many mages haven't even heard of it!"

"I've lived a long time, so naturally, I know more things," Mithril retorted irritably.

It was worried that Angell didn't understand: "On the contrary, I'm curious where you found the spring eye for this thing! Do you realize that while it looks similar to a Mana Well and the surrounding area has abundant mana, these are actually just the parts it overflows? In reality, it needs to consume much more! In fact, only two people in history have successfully raised a Sky Spring! One was the Bloody Tyrant Inna from the ancient era; she used the magical creatures of an entire nation as feed just to raise her Sky Spring! The other was the Lady of Charm, Cecilia... ah, another Cecilia... but that woman possessed a charm that could captivate all living things! Her Sky Spring was crowdfunded by followers of all races for her sake! Do you think you have that kind of charm?!"

"I know, which is why I almost thought my project was destined to fail," Angell said.

"? What do you mean?"

Angell explained: "Over the past hundred years, I've tried every possibility to build the Magic Net. The hardest part was the transmission of mana. Its elements aren't physical; they are more like an emotion, a concept. It's impossible to produce or transmit it through physical means."

"I realized my thinking was limited. If physical equipment couldn't solve it, perhaps using a magical creature would be more appropriate. The end result is the Sky Spring. Although it is a creature, it can produce and store mana and possesses powerful computational abilities, making it perfect as the core of my network."

"The only drawback is... it eats too much. It requires too much mana," Angell sighed at last.

Mithril's gaze turned cold: "So, they finally fired you from the Mage Tower?"

"Yes, they are very short-sighted!"

"No, I think the fact that they supported your nonsense for over a hundred years is already quite magnificent!" Mithril felt exhausted just thinking about the "they" Angell mentioned.

How great must one's heart be to be willing to foot the bill for a guy like Angell!

A Heavenly Kingdom!

Tsk!

At the very least, Mithril was unwilling: "Do you think you have enough mana to feed such a monster?!"

"I don't, and neither do those mages at the Mage Tower," Angell said. "But the non-talented might be able to! They have already proven with the Game Table that they aren't devoid of mana, haven't they?"

Otherwise, Angell would not have forcibly launched his project.

His first base station was "built" only after calculating the number of magic cores in the Game Tables during the first month.

"Moreover, this Sky Spring isn't a wild one; I synthesized it using alchemy," Angell said. "I can precisely control its volume and intake. It is a 'creature' completely under my control!"

As Angell said this, he raised a hand.

The concentrated mana in the surroundings reformed into the shape of a rainbow, rubbing against Angell's hand like a cat.

Angell gently stroked it as well: "I will raise it well."

Mithril (Angell's shadow) immediately bristled: "You alchemists are all lunatics!"

"I am not an alchemist; I am a Black Robe mage."

"MeowMeow, an alchemist plus a Black Robe mage—is there any combination more hair-raising than this, meow!" Mithril shrieked.

It disappeared from Angell's shadow as if in disgust.

Angell was not surprised. He waved away the little rainbow that was fawning over him and looked toward the corner. Half a minute later, a stylish middle-aged man with a meticulously groomed, exaggerated handlebar mustache walked over.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Angell? I've finally found you!" he asked, knowing the answer, and flashed an exaggerated smile at Angell. "I am Mandela from Xiesse, running a small entertainment company. I hope to have the honor of speaking with you!"

As he said this, he handed over his business card.

As for what Angell and Mandela discussed, that is a story for another time.

Now, let us turn our gaze away from these dirty adults with their heads full of distracting thoughts and return to the Mana Base Station!

People have been arguing for so long about the education pilot project, the schemes of the Black Robe, and the Game Tables from the Alchemy Workshop, yet few have truly noticed what kind of school the charity school serving as the "education pilot site" actually is.

The Third Compulsory School in Cecilia City is just such a school with no sense of presence.

Located on the edge of the city, it was once an ordinary and unremarkable compulsory school. There are five other such schools in Cecilia City.

--Originally, Mayor Owen wanted to choose the school where Enlise attended, but Angell, considering the various implications and not wanting anyone to make unnecessary fuss, rejected the suggestion and changed it to this ordinary school that had no problems and no distinctive features.

Bolo, who also lacked any sense of presence, was a first-grade student at the Third Compulsory School.

Although the school was chosen as a pilot site and the mayor and other big shots came to visit and give speeches, it had nothing to do with ordinary students like Bolo.

In fact, on the day of the Foundation Ceremony, the students of this school were given a day off to prevent them from causing trouble for the ceremony.

After the brief commotion passed, the students were allowed to return to their familiar classrooms.

Bolo was not happy about this at all.

He had no interest in school.

He had even less interest in magic.

What was the point of magic?

It was either sitting there zoning out (meditation) or dealing with runes that no one could understand. When it finally came to practical classes, he would strain himself for ages just to squeeze out a fireball, which wasn't even as big as the flame from a match. Besides, he heard that the big shots in the Royal Capital didn't even use matches; they used a device called a lighter, which could ignite with just a press—more magical than magic itself!

Of course, the most impressive thing of all was the musket.

With just a single "bang," the prey would drop dead. No meditation or incantations required—how could it be anything but magnificent?

Thinking of this, Little Bolo wished he could turn twelve as soon as possible.

Rumor had it that once you turned twelve, you could enter the factory in the neighboring town; he could go along with his cousin! Although he heard the wages would be much lower than an adult's, he was just a child, so that was to be expected, right? Besides, he didn't get paid for helping out at his family's weapon shop anyway! Once he had his own wages, he would buy a giant box of matches and strike them one by one, tossing each one away as it lit!

But for now, Little Bolo could only sit blankly in the classroom, listening to the endless stream of words coming from the podium:

"...The most important part of meditation is to focus your attention, banish distracting thoughts, and use your mana sensitivity to sense the presence of various elements. Absorb them and convert them into your own power. This is a process of accumulation; there is no room for laziness. Only in this way can you truly embark on the path of magic. Although we are going to try a new meditation method today, the principles remain the same. You might find it more complex than the original, but this is Mayor Owen's decision. Be grateful to him; he is concerned for you even amidst his busy schedule..."

These sounds swirled around Bolo's ears, never truly sinking in.

Instead, lulled by this lullaby, Bolo's eyelids grew heavy. His head began to bob, leaning closer and closer to his desk—

"Snap!"

The sharp sound of a teaching pointer jolted Bolo awake.

He lifted his head to see Mr. Yara, the instructor for Meditation Class, glaring at him fiercely.

Bolo scrambled to sit up straight.

Fortunately, Mr. Yara didn't call on him, merely tapping the blackboard with his pointer.

"Alright, let's put this into practice!"

Practice what?

Bolo wondered, completely bewildered.

However, seeing a large magic rune drawn in the center of the blackboard and his classmates extending their hands to trace it, he quickly realized with a start that they were meant to learn this rune.

But this was Meditation Class, not Rune Class, right?

And weren't formal rune classes only for fourth-graders?

Bolo felt confused, but fearing the cold, icy gaze Mr. Yara was casting from above, he hurriedly stretched out his hand. He struggled to connect with the mana inside his body and began to write in the air.

As he moved, magic elements gathered, but the color was faint, like wisps of smoke, and the lines were crooked, looking as if they would dissipate at any moment.

As for this rune, never mind Mr. Yara—even Bolo himself thought it was terrible.

I'm done for!

Bolo traced the final stroke in despair.

He hadn't been listening to the lecture, so he didn't know what this rune was supposed to do, but no matter the purpose, writing it so crookedly would surely lead to failure... right?

Bolo had already imagined Mr. Yara striking his palms with the pointer, but to his surprise, the moment he finished drawing the rune, a rectangular frame popped up in front of him.

Huh, did it work?

Bolo stared curiously at the rectangular frame before him, only to see square, rectangular, L-shaped, and Z-shaped blocks falling from the top, piling up at the bottom of the frame.

Bolo wasn't stupid; he was just unfocused.

After watching for a moment, he understood that he was meant to arrange these blocks perfectly without leaving any gaps. The completed blocks would then be converted into mana and stored in the small box in the upper right corner.

Bolo found it incredibly simple. Once he grasped the rules, he filled in the gaps left by the falling blocks in no time, even discovering a "little trick" where stacking them higher multiplied the mana gained.

Thus, in very little time, Bolo's mana filled the small box above.

The small box burst open; half of the mana flowed into Bolo's body, while the other half turned into tiny fireworks that exploded within the frame, forming words:

[Meditation successful!]

[Your mana has increased!]

Bolo looked at the small frame and broke into a silly grin.

He didn't even notice that after the magic fireworks finished, that portion of the mana vanished along with them.

Bolo felt unsatisfied and wanted to play another round.

As if it had detected his thoughts, new text popped up:

[Would you like to begin the next round of meditation?]

[Yes/No]

Of course he did!

Bolo chose [Yes] without hesitation and watched as the blocks began to fall from the frame once more.

By now, Bolo had completely forgotten about the existence of Mr. Yara.

He wasn't the only one; the other children were the same.