Li Mo's Family's Meal Today

Department of Lore headquarters.

"Here, the doubanjiang you wanted," Touko Aozaki said with an unhappy look, handing Li Mo a jar of Pixian Doubanjiang.

She had run all over London before finally finding it at a little shop run by a Chinese immigrant couple!

Li Mo grinned, baring his teeth as he said happily, "Great! Have a seat for a while. I happened to buy a chicken on my way back, so I'll make Dry Pot Chicken for you today."

Li Mo's smile was radiant, and smiles were always contagious. Sure enough, Touko seemed to be affected too, swallowing back all her complaints without a word.

Or perhaps it was simply because she had heard the words Dry Pot Chicken?

Curling her lips without speaking, Touko turned and headed for the living room.

That was right. Since Li Mo was usually unaccustomed to the Clock Tower's food, and Touko Aozaki had now joined them, while the Department of Lore itself had few people, Li Mo had happily decided to convert the small room beside his bedroom into a kitchen~

As for Brishisan?

"Li Mo, I'm hungry!" A death-knell-like cry came from the kitchen doorway. Li Mo wiped away his sweat and was about to answer when Brishisan poked his head in through the door.

"Chicken today? Braised Chicken or Spicy Chicken? I think we should have Chicken Hot Pot instead. I haven't had it in three days!"

Faced with this scene, Li Mo seemed thoroughly used to it. He gently placed the doubanjiang on the shelf. "We're having Dry Pot Chicken today, Teacher Brishisan. Please wait a little longer."

Yes, Brishisan had become a captive of Li Mo's cooking.

Though, in the beginning, he had actually opposed it!

In his view, as a Magus, one should pursue power and knowledge. Was there any need to be so particular about food?

Wasn't it enough to roast food over a fire? Did they really need to go through all that trouble and specifically make a kitchen?

However, according to the universal law of "it smells so good," people like this generally had only one possible ending.

"It smells so good!"

This child has really suffered. He hasn't had a proper meal in all these years, Li Mo thought to himself, his gaze toward Brishisan filled with pity.

Brishisan could not feel it at all. He merely looked delightedly at the doubanjiang Li Mo had placed on the shelf. "Is this the seasoning you mentioned before? As expected of a mysterious seasoning from the East. Hurry up and cook, hurry up! I can't wait to eat it!"

"Uh..." Li Mo was speechless. Chinese food was indeed delicious, but there was no need to be this impatient...

Foolish Brishisan—no, foolish British people. With that bland diet of yours, weren't you bound to kneel before Chinese food?

Hehe!

Li Mo's expression turned serious as he bent down and grabbed a chicken he had brought back earlier, its feet tied together. "Command: Blood Siphon!"

If he wanted the chicken to stay tender, he had to drain as much blood as possible. And what method could drain it more thoroughly than magecraft?

But why was such a lofty-sounding spell being used for something like this?!

The chicken refused to accept this. Then, with a miserable "Gawk," it tilted its head and went to heaven.

"How do you make Dry Pot Chicken taste good? First, chop it into small pieces, then heat the oil and add it to the pan. First..." Li Mo recited the recipe from memory while his hands never stopped moving. Several instant spells that required no chants flew out in succession, cleaning up the freshly dead chicken until it was spotless.

Seeming to hear someone by the door, Li Mo stopped talking and turned around. Half of Brishisan's body had once again squeezed through the gap in the doorway.

"That old man Mystic Code has already agreed to let you transfer departments. Have you decided which faculty you want to join?"

Li Mo was delighted. He had finally agreed?!

Although he had completed the Department of General Fundamentals' courses two months ago, transferring departments required a Lord's approval, so the matter had been dragged out until now.

After all, Li Mo had only been in the Department of General Fundamentals for three months. Even if he had finished the courses, the Lord still had to personally verify things.

Setting down the plucked chicken, Li Mo looked at Brishisan and asked very seriously, "Teacher, which department do you think I should go to?"

But Brishisan shook his head and refused. "You need to make this decision yourself. When you first entered the Clock Tower, there was something I didn't tell you. Every Magus has their own Mage Characteristic, and those characteristics create differences in their aptitude for magecraft. So although we can learn all magecraft, only the individual can know whether it suits them."

Li Mo froze. Aside from elemental affinity and Magic Circuits, a Magus's talent also involved Mage Characteristics?

He thought hard but could not find any relevant memories. He asked, "Are Mage Characteristics unrelated to a Magus's elemental affinity?"

Characteristic and affinity—there was only one word's difference. Perhaps the two were connected?

But Brishisan shook his head and explained, "They are somewhat related, but not closely. Elemental affinity is a separate concept. The so-called five elemental magecraft of Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Void is merely basic magecraft. A Magus's elemental affinity allows them to directly manipulate the elements corresponding to their affinity, then freely cast related magecraft. Characteristics are different. Characteristics attach meaning to the five elemental magecraft and broaden their versatility. You can regard them as a Magus's personal application of basic magecraft, or as habits a Magus develops while casting spells. In any case, they are not the same thing."

Put simply, elemental affinity was the foundation, while characteristics were something more advanced built upon it. Like a plot of land: different people would inevitably build different kinds of houses on it.

Li Mo's eyes shifted as he quickly grasped the general idea, though he still felt like he understood everything except the crucial part.

Scratching his head, Li Mo asked tentatively, "Teacher, according to what you mean, do the Reinforcement Magecraft and Projection Magecraft I use count as characteristics too?"

Brishisan nodded, looking pleased that Li Mo was teachable. "You can understand it that way, but those Characteristics are merely the most basic traits that have been developed.

Do you know why lineage theory is so prevalent among Magi? Because the Magic Crests passed down through our bloodlines not only preserve each generation's understanding of magecraft, but also contain the Characteristics refined by everyone in the family."

Li Mo's eyes lit up. "You mean Characteristics aren't unique?

Going by what you said, everyone in a Magus family would have the same Mage Characteristic, right?"

Brishisan nodded in confirmation. "Exactly.

Take the Bartholomellos of the Clock Tower—the Characteristic of their lineage is omnipotence.

Or take the Tohsaka Family, descended from that Grand Marshal among the Three Great Families. Their inherited Characteristic is called conversion."

Didn't that mean Magi born into established families started out far ahead of everyone else?

At that thought, Li Mo's face immediately fell. How were Magi like them, starting from scratch, supposed to get by?

This was way too hard for him!

As thoughts raced through his mind, Li Mo suddenly seemed to think of something. His eyes lit up as he looked at Brishisan with a sly grin.

"Teacher, what's the Mage Characteristic of the Brishisan family? How about passing it on to me?"

???

Brishisan's mouth fell slightly open. He said irritably, "What are you thinking? You're already setting your sights on my Magic Crest?"

I'm only sixty-two. I'm not dead yet!

Hurry up and do your **!