Trade

Shane rapped Taigo's armor with his knuckles. The bang bang sounds were crisp, but it did not feel like metal. It felt more like some kind of polymer. He controlled a set of orbs above his head and fired them at the armor. The three types of energy left three shallow pits of equal depth, but ripples spread across the armor's surface like a lake disturbed by wind, then quickly settled, repairing the damage.

"The armor has equal resistance to all three types of energy." Shane noted this down, then led puppet Taigo out of the mage tower.

Having gone many days without seeing the sun for the sake of his experiments, Shane felt somewhat unaccustomed to the sunlight when he first stepped outside. He stood at the mage tower entrance for a while before heading toward the training grounds. Halduron Brightwing was leading the rangers through their daily training.

"Halduron, take it and run some tests." Shane pointed at Taigo and handed him a form.

"At once." Halduron made a gesture. Several rangers came over, saluted Shane, and then took Taigo away.

"Lord Shane, Mage Solarian has been looking for you several times. She told us that whoever saw you come out of the laboratory was to tell you to find her immediately."

What did Solarian want with him? Shane returned to the mage tower and went to the library to find her. Sure enough, she was there, reading in the arcane magic section. The book in her hands was Evocation First-Circle Spell: Magic Missile.

"She's already read it three times." Shane was slightly surprised as he slowly walked over. As he passed the shelves, he noticed several newly added books, marked in Solarian's and Firehawk's handwriting.

"Mage Solarian, what did you need me for?"

"Letter from the Council. Letter from mentor. Urgent reply." She held out her hand, and two letters floated out of her magic pouch.

Shane took the letters and returned to the chief's floor. He opened the Council's letter first. Skipping over the lengthy official formalities, he went straight to the actual contents. The Council was very satisfied. They were awarding him three fifth-circle spellbooks and three sixth-circle spellbooks as personal rewards. At the same time, they would provide the Red Sun White Tower with all spellbooks below the second circle, as well as sixty rangers and ten puppets. Finally, they asked whether Shane had any additional requests.

He set his requests aside for the moment and opened his mentor's letter.

"My student, Shane:

Not only is your magical talent astonishing, but you are also exceptionally capable in handling practical matters. The Council thinks highly of you. They have already prepared sixth-circle spellbooks for you. Perhaps in only a few years, the Silvermoon City Council will gain another chair belonging to Dawnblade.

I have already selected the spells in the spellbooks the Council awarded you. I truly look forward to seeing you grow quickly. You are only a little short of being able to appreciate the power of the core knowledge of the Conjuration school.

Windrunner, hehehehe, we gave them another little lesson. We taught them how elves ought to behave. Without a serious attitude and a cautious style, they cannot accomplish anything. No matter the occasion, we will never pass up a chance to mock the Windrunners. But this time is an exception. The Council needs you to remain silent. Still, that does not stop us from secretly taking delight in it."

Just from the words in the letter, Shane could imagine how Dawnblade had cheered and celebrated. If his mentor learned that his most favored student was close to two Windrunners, he wondered what expression he would make. Shane put away both letters and began writing replies to the Council and his mentor.

The opening of his letter to the Council was also routine official language. Among his requests, Shane did not mention material support. He only wrote, "In order to deal with the trolls more effectively, we need to acquire knowledge of trolls."

In his reply to his mentor, he stated that he would follow instructions and remain silent regarding matters related to Sylvanas. Once he had finished, he felt certain that Dawnblade and the Windrunners had made some sort of deal behind the scenes.

At night, a cool breeze brushed against them as Sylvanas returned. She was practically treating Shane's living quarters as her own room now. She found her usual seat, sat down, and waited for Shane to make her tea.

Leaning back in the recliner with a cup of tea, she told Shane the whole story without hiding anything. The elves had enjoyed peace for too long. Comfort and tranquility had worn away their fighting spirit. From the king and the Council down to the major high clans, all of them hoped to inspire the people. Thus, Sylvanas fighting thousands of trolls alone had become a glorious tale, spread among the elves.

"Although I have no standing to be indignant, I still have to say that politics are no different from a pot of troll stew. I enjoyed glory that I should not have received."

When Sylvanas said this, Shane saw that her fists were clenched. She was perhaps the proudest flower among the three Windrunner sisters.

Setting aside everything else, Shane actually wanted to know what role he would play in the story.

"What relationship could there possibly be between the Windrunners and Dawnblade? What do you think?" Sylvanas said, glancing at Shane with the corners of her lips raised. Her tongue slid across her lips, making Shane recall that kiss. The female elf's saliva had been sweet.

Since returning from troll territory, neither of them had mentioned that kiss, as if by mutual understanding. Yet Shane knew that something had changed between them. Both he and Sylvanas were careful, neither willing to touch that change just yet. As usual, while Shane studied magic in the evenings, Sylvanas quietly read beside him. When Sylvanas spoke, Shane listened quietly.

Thinking that the tests on puppet Taigo were probably finished, Shane spent an afternoon going to the training grounds. Halduron showed him the results. Rusted swords and blades lay piled all over the ground.

"When weapons strike the armor, their edges chip. Before long, the blades rust. Toward the later stages of testing, we discovered that the metal from their edges was being 'eaten' by the big fellow. Only enchantment effects can damage it, but it recovers quickly." He was extremely excited as he spoke. "It is the power of arcane magic, my lord. It must be the power of arcane magic."

Whenever elves spoke of arcane magic, especially arcane magic they could not understand, they became very excited. Shane calmed Halduron down and took the puppet back.

A convoy arrived outside the outpost, transporting the Council's rewards. There were several large chests, each perfectly protected by defensive spells. Arcane knowledge was the elves' greatest treasure. The spellbooks below the second circle were placed directly in the library's arcane magic section, their heavy volumes filling several shelves.

The three fifth-circle spellbooks awarded to him were Evocation: Frost Ring, Abjuration: Cold Ward Orb, and Conjuration: Summon Monster V.

Shane did not begrudge sharing them with Firehawk and Solarian. Once he had memorized the spells, he let the two choose among the three. Firehawk chose Frost Ring, which suited him. Solarian's level was insufficient, so she could only look at them curiously before returning them to Shane. The three spellbooks were stored in the library and opened to all members, though there were currently only three members.

Shane carefully stored the three sixth-circle spells in his magic pouch. He only looked at their names and did not rashly learn them. They were Conjuration: Dimensional Anchor, Conjuration: Portal, and Conjuration: Planar Creature Summoning.

There were also three chests, which were carried to the chief's floor. Inside were books related to trolls. The handler was also a Dawnblade, and he had thoughtfully included an explanation. There was a comparative study of elven and troll languages and writing, manuscripts by arcanists from the Troll Wars, and records of the types of hexes used during the Troll Wars.

During the day, Shane spent his time studying troll knowledge, beginning with troll writing. Every written language had patterns to follow, and once he found those patterns, learning became easy.

Troll writing expressed meaning clearly and had rigorous grammar. There were few words with repetitive or ambiguous meanings. Comparing it with A Comparative Study of Elven and Troll Languages and Writing, Shane translated the contents of the five stone tablets. They seemed to be five names—the names of five gods once worshipped by the trolls.