The Witch Doctors' Dilemma (Minor Revision, Dialogue Changes)

A new spellcasting system had been born, and Blade Tusk began considering what to do next. His enthusiasm was not because he had evolved into a qualified "wage slave," but because over countless days and nights, "research" had become a habit rooted in enjoyment.

Thus, this was far from something that could be summed up simply as being a "wage slave."

After some thought, he reached a conclusion.

By now, the foundational work on the Meditation Method and the framework for spell research had been completed. For quite some time to come—at least until research methods underwent another innovation—all research would consist of work that added to this system. For example, broader studies into the applicability of incantations and gestures, continued analysis of new rune structures, and changes to the approach behind the Meditation Method.

Blade Tusk had no intention of shouldering all that work himself. There were still three Witch Doctors in the tribe, and Witch Doctor Apprentices would appear more frequently in the days ahead. Whether for the tribe's development or the growth potential of the entire magical system, it would be beneficial to distribute some of this non-pioneering research among them.

Therefore, continuing to bury himself in research was no longer advisable. The urgent task was to show the Witch Doctors the results and explain the principles.

With that in mind, Blade Tusk rested for a night, then went around knocking on the Witch Doctors' doors.

"Blade Tusk, you no out long time? Why?"

The three Witch Doctors, whom he had not seen for quite some time, were quite surprised by his long-awaited appearance.

In truth, Blade Tusk had already completed the Witch Doctor courses and possessed the ability to cast spells with Magic Crystals. He was now a qualified Witch Doctor. Although his experience was relatively shallow, according to the old calendar, he had reached the time when he should take on responsibilities within the tribe.

However, on one hand, he was still young. On the other, Blade Tusk's consistent performance had made the other Witch Doctors place greater expectations on him in terms of "research," so no Troll had urged him to fulfill his duties.

Without realizing that he had been "skipping work" for a long time, Blade Tusk excitedly showed the Witch Doctors his newest achievements and explained them.

"Meditation Method, Visualization Method. Between them is..."

"...This and that, meditation space..."

"...Inside Magic Crystal. Runes, like Flame Spell. This and that, then success."

After a fragmented, scattered explanation that mostly went wherever his thoughts took him, Blade Tusk looked earnestly at the three Witch Doctors, eagerly awaiting their response.

Yet this time, the Witch Doctors could not respond immediately.

There was an old saying from his previous life: "Half a step ahead makes you a genius; one step ahead makes you a madman."

Blade Tusk might not have become a madman in the Witch Doctors' eyes, but the shock he brought was no less immense.

Magic Crystal plus lifespan equaled spells. This truth, which had endured for who knew how many years, had become a thing of the past in the hands of this underage Troll. Not only had he changed "lifespan" into "stamina," he had even discarded Magic Crystals.

The theoretical portions, brimming with imagination and a spirit of exploration, left the Witch Doctors dazzled and overwhelmed, to the point that they even lost the ability to think.

"This... this. Not understand. Not as wise as you..."

The Old Witch Doctor was the first to recover. He picked up the cane that had fallen to the ground during his earlier shock and sighed like this.

Then he said somewhat shamefully,

"Truth, I not understand what you say?"

The other two Witch Doctors were brought back to their senses by his question. They too shook their heads, indicating that they had not yet sorted out the matter.

"Ah, this..."

Blade Tusk scratched his fangs helplessly, feeling rather troubled. There was still much research ahead that required everyone to pool their wisdom. If even this initial stage of spreading the knowledge could not be accomplished, would he not have to keep working alone?

This won't do. I have to find a way to solve it.

He pondered for only a moment before reaching a decision and speaking.

"Then, I turn into words. Easier than speaking."

Upon hearing this, the Witch Doctors' feelings were somewhat complicated. That complexity did not stem from jealousy toward a genius. Being comparatively pure-hearted, they merely felt guilty for "holding him back."

They wanted to decline, but a completely new world lay before them, and they were unwilling to simply let it pass them by.

After exchanging glances, they nodded helplessly and accepted what they considered a "gift."

Blade Tusk was not a particularly emotionally perceptive Troll. Unable to sense the Witch Doctors' feelings, he hurriedly bid them farewell and left.

Watching his hurried retreating figure, the Old Witch Doctor gathered himself, then swung his cane and rapped the other two on their thighs several times—not too hard, not too lightly—as he scolded them.

"Spirit! Shame? Need fed? Go! Go! Go think deeply!"

Leaving aside how the Old Witch Doctor encouraged his juniors, Blade Tusk returned to his home and began considering how to proceed with the follow-up work.

"Not only Witch Doctors. If later people want to have things to research, I should also make a summary of all my research so far. Why not do it together while I have the chance?"

Thus, he took out a spare clay tablet, softened its surface, and began considering a suitable title.

In the end, he carved the four words "Principles of Spellcraft," intending to use them as a summary of all the research he had conducted thus far.

In this "work," he planned to begin with "Speculations on Mental Power"; then use "Principles for Constructing the Meditation Method," "Principles for Constructing the Visualization Method," and "The Combination of the Meditation Method and Visualization Method" to connect what came before and after; next would come the centerpiece, "Runic Analysis of Magic Crystal Structures" and "Material-Free Spellcasting"; finally, he would conclude with "Forward-Looking Thoughts on Arcane Arts Research."

After all, these were all things he had researched himself and already reached conclusions on. He had assumed that aside from the time needed for carving, there would not be much difficulty. Yet when he truly began writing, Blade Tusk discovered that compiling it all into a substantial work that others could understand was by no means simple.

First, his poor research habits became an obstacle. Because he had never developed the habit of recording and organizing scattered thoughts during research, producing a coherent system in one go was little more than a fantasy. The reflective work of reconstructing his memories was destined to consume a considerable amount of time.

Second, as a book intended for all future researchers, it would inevitably require considerable compromise in terminology, level of detail, and other aspects. Many words and phrases that he used as a matter of course would need to be replaced. Some content that could be glossed over in a single stroke from the perspective of a researcher like him might be extremely necessary for later learners. How to balance detail and brevity would also require careful consideration.

Third, based on the fantasies and knowledge from his previous life, many of his viewpoints had what he considered a natural sequence of thought and internal logic. But in this world, which lacked those fantasies and that knowledge, such "natural" things might not necessarily be understood. Therefore, the logical order between many sections had to be reorganized, and the connections between them needed to be made clearer.

Finally, a considerable portion of his research into Arcane Arts rested upon the relatively blurry boundary between reality and illusion. Whether it was "runes," "mental power," the "Meditation Method," or the "Visualization Method," if later generations could not gain a relatively accurate understanding of the foundation on which they stood, and instead blindly treated them as immutable "ancestral laws" for all ages, it would undoubtedly become a massive hidden danger—one even capable of destroying the entire system. Thus, how to express these matters accurately also became a particularly troublesome question.

Faced with these difficulties, Blade Tusk decisively abandoned the fantasy of completing the task all at once and instead began preparing for a long campaign.