Building the Seven Luminaries Divine Law Array was not as easy as Kroya had imagined. Even with the extremely clear instructions on the Parchment, it was still extraordinarily difficult for him.
The most troublesome part was the array's magic network.
According to the Parchment:
Once the array was drawn, it had to be activated with magic power in one uninterrupted attempt. There could be no pauses or hesitation, or the rampaging magic power would destroy the lines already drawn.
It was an enormous test of both total magic reserves and mental power.
For a First-Level Mage like Kroya, this was an insurmountable gulf. Even using Thirsty Sea Glow Algae as a power bank was not enough.
His mental power was sufficient, but that meant nothing if he lacked magic power.
He was out of options. He had been confident he could do it, yet all he could do was build the rough framework before getting stuck at this step.
It was truly agonizing.
"And that's with a special meditation method that ordinary mages don't have. Without the Red Song Meditation Method, wouldn't it be even harder?" Kroya frowned.
By his estimate, he would have to become at least a Second-Level Mage before the boost from Song of Red would give him barely enough magic power.
At his current rate of accumulation, he probably needed another five or six days-he should have reached that point already. Unfortunately, he had spent these past days engrossed in the laboratory, meditating less often and for shorter periods, which was why he was stuck here.
Once he realized this, he accepted it.
It's not that I won't do it. I really just can't do it yet!
So he decided to give himself a break-ever since the Merfolk arrived, he had spent a full half month holed up in the castle.
Every day, he went back and forth between his laboratory and bedroom. A little relaxation was important, too.
He would revisit this after advancing to Second-Level Mage.
With that, he stretched and put down the magic drawing pen in his hand.
"Let's take a walk outside."
Having decided to take a day off, he did not even bring his staff. After leaving the laboratory, he headed first to the sunflower patch at the top of the castle.
He had not checked on them in half a month. He wondered how they were doing.
After half a month of growth, the sunflowers had not changed much in size, but the golden glow inside their seeds had grown ever brighter.
It was completely different from the faint wisps at the beginning.
It was gradually filling each entire sunflower seed.
Kroya immediately grew eager and licked his lips.
"Has the flavor changed? Let me try..."
Unable to resist, he plucked another seed and cracked it open. This time, the Sunflame Magic Power inside poured straight into his mouth.
It was far more abundant than before.
"Now that they have magic power, I should think about how to use it, shouldn't I?"
He stared at the sunflower and cast a minor spell called "Magic Drain." Mages mostly used this spell on things like magic crystals to replenish their magic power quickly.
Azure Magic Tentacles immediately wound toward the sunflower, passed through its crystal-clear shell, and seized the golden magic power inside.
Then they sucked up the magic power like straws, carrying it back and channeling it into Kroya's body.
The sight really did cost a little sanity.
There was no helping it. Sometimes, mages chanting spells came across like people in the grip of some mystical hysteria, and certain spells were downright bizarre.
Take this one, for instance. Draining magic power felt incredibly satisfying to Kroya-even more satisfying than eating the sunflower seeds directly.
The marvelous sensation of magic power pouring straight into his body and surging through his veins was truly addictive-so he nearly drained the sunflower dry without noticing.
By the time he finally came to his senses, the sunflower had wilted. Its once-scarlet petals had lost their luster, and its seeds had become as clear as crystal.
He had sucked every last bit of Sunflame Magic Power out of it.
"..."
He hurriedly dismissed the magic tentacles.
No wonder the Mage Association said only mages with exceptional willpower could control this kind of spell. Otherwise, they might become addicted to magic.
It really was true.
Even Kroya had succumbed to it briefly.
For mages who had never experienced high-quality magic power, it would be like a lecher encountering a stunning beauty.
"Huh, wait."
"If I can drain magic power this way, can I use the same method to channel magic power into magic plants?"
His curiosity piqued, he cast Magic Tentacles again, but this time he poured his own scarlet magic power into the sunflower.
In theory, his red magic power also came from absorbing sunlight.
It should not cause any adverse reactions.
There were no adverse reactions. Instead, the sunflower grew excited. Its flower head trembled visibly, expressing joy and longing for this scarlet magic power.
Seeing its reaction, Kroya let it continue.
A single sunflower did not need much magic power anyway. He could afford to supply it.
However,
After absorbing enough magic power, the sunflower suddenly burst into flames. It literally became a torch, from its flower head all the way down its main stem.
The roaring scarlet flames made even Kroya retreat a few steps, staring at it speechlessly.
"You... spontaneously combusted from that little bit of magic power?"
Kroya deeply regretted it now. Had he known, he would never have tested it this way. He only had twelve sunflowers in total!
And just like that, one was dead.
He felt terribly bitter, and he still had to make sure its flames did not spread to the other sunflowers.
But once it had burned to ashes, Kroya unexpectedly spotted a ruby-like seed in the pile.
It lay quietly among the ashes, glimmering with scarlet light, looking like a priceless fire spirit ruby.
Inside it, Kroya sensed a very unusual vitality, along with magic fluctuations identical to his own.
"A brand-new magic plant seed?"
"Why didn't it activate?"
He picked up the seed and examined it carefully, but the Astral Body Inscription Technique never gave him a prompt saying it could be inscribed-though that did not stop him from activating the Astral Body Inscription Technique.
Under the Astral Body Observation Technique, everything inside the seed was revealed to Kroya.
The red threads wrapped around the sunflower had turned scarlet, and translucent red magic patterns suffused its interior. They looked rather like... tentacles.
"It mutated just like that? No, how did it mutate so suddenly?"
"Was it because of my special magic power?"
Unable to make sense of it, Kroya suppressed the urge to keep modifying the sunflowers and chose to plant this seed properly in the soil.
For now, he had no idea what was actually going on.
Only once it had fully grown would he be able to understand what had happened.
"I hope the mutation doesn't turn out to be too troublesome."
After planting the sunflower, Kroya happened to glance into the distance and suddenly noticed what looked like a carriage approaching the castle.
"A carriage? Why didn't anyone notify me?"
He frowned, turned, and headed downstairs.
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