"What spell are you looking for? En—Enlightenment... what?"
A dwarf clerk at the Caster Association's branch in Thaldarian asked, looking a little puzzled.
Jia Xiu judged that the clerk was a dwarf because he had no beard.
Ever since meeting Dean Nico and Shopkeeper Taco, two dwarves who were remarkably untiny, Jia Xiu had found it harder to tell whether someone was a dwarf.
All he had left to go on was whether they had a beard.
"Enlightenment Spell," he replied.
"Oh, right, the Enlightenment Spell. Um, are you sure there's such a spell? Or have you developed a new one? If it's a new spell, you'll need to use a different window."
The spell's obscurity had stumped the clerk.
"I'm sure. That is, if the information in Saint Delro Academy's library's Encyclopedia of Historical Spells is correct."
Over the course of magical history, countless strange spells had appeared and then fallen out of use. Some had been recorded, while many more had vanished into the past.
The recorded spells had been compiled into an encyclopedia, but it wasn't especially academic. It simply listed the spells that had existed, who developed them, and what they did. It didn't include their exact circuits or runes.
Jia Xiu had only read that sort of encyclopedia because he had nothing better to do.
It made for an entertaining read, perfect for a bit of fun. He hadn't expected it to come in handy.
"Historical spells, historical spells... Please wait a moment while I check." As he spoke, the clerk sent a letter containing the relevant information into the pneumatic tube.
Ten minutes later.
"Um, could you wait a little longer? It should be ready soon." The dwarf gave an awkward smile.
Twenty minutes later.
The awkwardness had reached the point where they needed