"In this world, no one can really control my destiny except myself. As for saving the world? That is a matter of course, not an obligation."
On the coastline of the island, the sea breeze carried the salty and wet breath and hit his face. Duriel stood by the reef, looking at the young wizard who was about to leave in front of him with complicated eyes, and couldn't help but confirm again. "Sir Ian, are you really sure you don't need our help? After all, you are about to embark on the journey..."
"I'm sure."
Ian interrupted Duriel with a smile. Although his tone was gentle, it revealed an unquestionable confidence, "As I said before, if it comes to needing help, I will never be polite."
He turned around and waved to the Dwarves leaders who came specially to see him off. The sunlight shone on his black robe, coating it with a layer of gold. The next second, his figure rose from the ground and turned into a stream of light, rushing straight towards the eastern sky.
That is the East, an unknown and mysterious continent.
Halfway through the voyage, the originally calm sea surface suddenly surged violently.
"Boom--!"
A huge water column rose into the sky, and accompanied by a disgusting fishy wind, a deep-sea giant snake as big as a mountain suddenly broke out of the water. Its pair of lantern-like vertical pupils locked on Ian in the air, and its huge mouth full of fangs opened suddenly, as if it wanted to swallow this tiny "fly" together with the surrounding air.
"Just in time, lunch is ready."
Ian was hovering in mid-air, facing this beast that could swallow up a battleship, without even raising his eyelids.
His figure disappeared out of thin air the moment the giant snake closed its mouth. When he reappeared, he was already standing behind the giant snake's head.
[Magic·Dark Rift Slash] (from the cutting magic of Captain Jack)
Ian's fingers gently cut through the air, without any brilliant light effects, only five almost invisible thin black lines that instantly cut through the huge body of the giant snake.
"Pfft--"
Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and then, the giant snake's indestructible scales disintegrated like tofu, its huge body slipped neatly, broke into five pieces, and the blood stained the entire sea area red.
Ian didn't even let a drop of blood splash on himself. He skillfully opened the space in his pocket and put in the prepared top-quality ingredients.
In this independent little world, he immediately activated Charmy (Charmy)'s [Cotton Magic]. Several round cotton chefs appeared out of thin air, skillfully set up grills and pots, and began to cook the essence of this deep-sea beast.
After enjoying a sumptuous snake feast and taking a comfortable nap, Ian set out on his journey again. While he was flying, his hands continued to construct complex runes in Void - he was building a stable space passage connecting the two continents, and collecting the space coordinates and resources needed to build "World Gate" along the way.
A few hours later, night fell.
The figure of Ian landed quietly on an unfamiliar coastline.
Even though it was dark night, in Ian's magic-strengthened eyes, everything around him was as bright as day.
The architectural style here is completely different from the Western Continent. Low wooden houses are lined up in rows, and the thick tile roofs are supported by exquisite wooden frames, revealing a simple and restrained beauty - this is a typical Edo period style.
Among the mountains in the distance, the outlines of many temples can be vaguely seen. The designs of those buildings clearly integrate elements of Buddhism and Daoism, making them unique in this world.
Occasionally there are pedestrians passing by in a hurry on the street. Most of them have black hair and black eyes and soft facial contours.
"Land of the Sun..."
Ian was in a state of invisibility, walking through the crowd like a ghost. He casually pressed the shoulders of several passers-by, and Divine Power sneaked in quietly.
[Memory Reading]
A large amount of information poured into his mind like a tide: language, customs, currency, history...
In just a few minutes, Ian had an overview of the country.
"That's it." Ian digested the information in his mind, his eyes slightly Blink.
About twenty years ago, in this land called "Land of the Sun", the powerful Yamato Clan launched Unification War, annexed all surrounding neighboring countries, and established today's Yamato Dynasty.
Among those conquered countries, there was an area ruled by the Sukehiro Clan. Unlike other countries that chose to surrender in order to retain their nobility status, Sukehiro Clan chose to fight to the end.
The ending was tragic - they were completely exterminated and no one survived.
"Jie Da..."
Ian touched his chin, and a rough figure who always smoked a cigarette and carried a samurai sword appeared in his mind, "It seems that Yami that guy is a prince."
According to the intelligence originally possessed by Ian, Yami·Jie Da should be the son of an ordinary fisherman couple. But now, in the reality of this dimension, Yami is most likely the runaway prince of the Sukehiro Clan whose country was destroyed.
"That makes sense."
Ian secretly analyzed, "Either Yami concealed his life experience in order to protect himself, and the so-called 'lost and drifted to the Western Continent' was actually an escape arranged by the family to preserve his bloodline; or..."
He raised his head and glanced at the starry sky with a deep gaze, "It was my arrival that triggered the butterfly effect, and the ripples in time and space changed the origin setting of Yami."
"No wonder that guy never likes to talk about his past."
Ian marked this important piece of information in his mind, then flashed and flew towards the most conspicuous and magnificent mansion several miles away.
If you want to understand the deep secrets of this world, the memory of civilians is obviously not enough. Only the minds of nobles or wealthy businessmen hold what they want.
Target mansion, outside the library.
Ian was suspended in the air, and an invisible magic ripple swept across the entire house, instantly constructing a detailed 3D map. He went straight to the place with the richest collection of books, but was blocked by a shimmering door.
"Magic barrier?"
Ian raised his eyebrows, "It's interesting, but it won't stop me."
[Penetrating magic·Invisible Ghost]
His body instantly became illusory, as if it did not exist in this dimension. This was not only invisibility, but also double penetration at the physical and magical levels. He passed through the barrier and the heavy wooden door without any hindrance, just like passing through a water curtain.
In the library pavilion, there are many bookshelves.
Ian wasted no time. He flicked his fingers, and dozens of ancient books flew out automatically and floated in front of him. The pages turned automatically, and his eyes were like a high-speed scanner, greedily absorbing the knowledge in the book.
Just then--
"Brush!"
A sharp chill hit the back of my head!
It was pure killing intent, incredibly fast.
"Clang!"
A translucent magic shield appeared out of thin air, blocking the fatal knife. The huge repulsive force bounced the attacker several meters away, and Ian also slowly turned around and released his invisibility.
Standing in front of him was a middle-aged man holding a samurai sword, with eyes as sharp as an eagle.
"How did you find me?" Ian asked with great interest. His invisibility magic combined with penetrating magic can theoretically completely block even the breath.
"A stranger? And he's an Onmyoji?" The middle-aged man held the handle of the knife tightly with both hands, staring at Ian without answering.
"So, you are going to ignore my question?" Ian tilted his head.
"I don't feel the need to talk nonsense with a thief who broke into my home." The man said coldly.
"That makes sense." Ian nodded, with a relaxed tone, "Then, is there still the possibility of peaceful negotiations?"
"What do you think?"
Before he finished speaking, the figure of the middle-aged man had disappeared from the spot.
Quick!
Extremely amazing explosive power!
But this was not fast enough in the eyes of Ian. His Grimoire automatically floated in front of him, and the pages of the book turned.
[World Tree Magic·Myriad Phenomena]
Countless thick branches instantly burst out from under the wooden floor, like countless flexible tentacles, trying to wrap around the middle-aged man.
"Hmph!"
The middle-aged man snorted coldly, and flexibly shuttled through the gaps in the branches. The katana in his hand danced into a ball of silver light, and each cut accurately cut off the approaching branches. His movements were smooth and smooth, without any unnecessary movements.
But the number of branches is too many and endless.
Finally, a branch caught the flaw and wrapped around his left leg.
"Damn it, I didn't expect this foreigner to control the wood attribute to such an extent." The middle-aged man was shocked, "Looks like we have to take action."
He took a deep breath and shouted:
"Armed!"
"Boom!"
A burst of red energy suddenly burst out from his body. A set of fine red armor emerged out of thin air, covering his whole body. At the same time, an illusory red light blade was attached to the katana in his hand. The originally plain Blade instantly exuded a heart-stopping heat and sharpness.
"Samurai?"
Ian squinted his eyes and watched the transformation, "It's a bit interesting. The power system here seems to embody magic power into equipment?"
"Cut!"
The samurai named Toru swung his sword Cleansweep, and red flames roared out along with the sword energy, instantly burning the branches in front of him to ashes.
The next second, his boots glowed red, and he rushed towards Ian like a cannonball, five times faster than before!
"I see, the armor not only gives elemental attributes, but also greatly strengthens the body's functions."
Facing the roaring flames Blade, Ian did not retreat but advanced, with the light of analysis Blink in his eyes.
Countless branches rushed towards Tohru again, but at this moment, Tohru seemed to be possessed by the god of war. Not only could he predict the attack trajectory of the branches, but his slashes with fire damage were even more powerful.
However, Ian still stood calmly, observing all this calmly.
"I felt... the magic flowing inside him."
Ian's [Magic Sensing] is fully open.
"He divided the energy in his body into two parts: one part is used for armor and weapons, and the other part is used to strengthen the body. And..."
Ian keenly discovered a weakness, "His flame attribute can only be attached to the body or weapon. When used as a long-range attack method, once it leaves the body more than two meters, the flame will naturally extinguish."
Is this the fighting system of this world? What is the difference between a samurai and an onmyoji?
"Okay, data collection is complete, don't waste time."
Ian typed the Snap.
"Wow!"
Just when Tohru thought he was about to hit the target, countless dark chains suddenly shot out from the blind spots of his vision - even from the shadows!
This is not ordinary magic, but one with a sealing effect [Demon-Sealing Chains].
Before Che could react, he was tied up and hung in the air.
"My power... gone?!"
Toru was horrified to find that the magic power (or energy) he was proud of was completely suppressed, and the red armor also dissipated.
At this time, noisy footsteps were heard outside the door. It was the guards of the mansion who noticed the movement.
Ian turned his head and glanced at the door, a faint light flashed in his eyes.
[Mind Control]
The dozens of guards outside the door who were about to rush in suddenly stopped and their eyes became empty. Ian erased their previous memories and implanted a command, "Everything is normal, return to duty."
After dealing with the miscellaneous fish, Ian looked back at Tohru, who was hanging in the air.
"Now, let me see what's in your head."
Ian pointed his finger on Tohru's forehead and forcibly read the memory.
After a moment, Ian retracted his finger and showed an expression of realization.
"It turned out to be discovered by Qi."
The warriors in this world do not rely on Magic Sensing, but sense the life energy in living things - Qi. Although Yami is also from here, he was only ten years old when he left and knew very little about the advanced use of "Qi", so he could not teach Ian how to perfectly hide "Qi" in front of masters.
In addition, Ian also obtained several key information:
First, the magic system of this continent does not use Grimoire. Second, Yamato Dynasty's social class is strict. Third, and the point that makes Ian frown the most - knowledge monopoly.
In this country, 95% of the knowledge of magic (here called witchcraft or Onmyodo) is in the hands of the Imperial Family. Nobles can only learn the basics of how to control "spiritual power" (that is, magic power). If they want to access advanced magic, they must enter Imperial Onmyo Academy.
"Trouble."
Ian sighed, threw Toru on the ground, and applied sleepiness and Obliviate.
Using the map he got from Toru's mind, he directly opened the portal and came to the outskirts of the capital of the Yamato Dynasty.
This time, he carefully applied a layer of "Qi" seal to himself, and then sneaked in the direction of the Imperial Onmyo Academy.
When the magnificent college building appeared in sight, Ian's face became more solemn than ever.
"This breath..."
Deep in the academy, he sensed three familiar and dangerous things:
Zure's aura - that old enemy with terrifying power.
The fluctuation of the third book Origin Grimoire.
And a vast, cold and oppressive force--Heavenly Dao Will.
"Why is Zure here? Things get complicated."
Ian did not enter rashly, but created a [Mirror Clone] to sneak into the academy to test.
The results were as expected.
As soon as the clone stepped into the academy, the strange "Heavenly Dao Will" instantly locked onto him. The alarm sounded loudly, and several terrifying auras quickly approached. To make matters worse, the space inside the academy was locked, making it impossible to teleport.
"Bang."
Ian decisively detonated the clone and cut off the contact.
"The Heavenly Dao Will in this academy is as weird as the one I felt in 'Elysium'."
Unwilling to give up, he turned to the direction of the palace to investigate.
The result still gave him a headache.
The Royal Palace, Yin-Yang Guardian Hall, and the Royal Academy—these three locations are connected together by a huge ancient magic circle. The core of this magic circle is the academy, which gives these three places the ability to defend and attack with the help of "Heavenly Dao Will".
"It's impossible to break in forcefully."
Ian stood on a tall tower in the distance, his robes fluttering in the night wind.
Although with his current strength, he might be able to forcefully break through the defense with an all-out explosion, but the cost would be absolutely heavy. In this enemy base camp full of unknowns, especially with Zure peeping in the dark, injury would mean death.
Ian looked away, with a helpless smile on his lips.
"It seems that I can only go back to my old business."
He straightened his collar and turned around to blend into the darkness.
"It's been a long time since I went to school. I hope this campus life will be more interesting."