"This place used to be livelier and more extravagant. I was born into wealth and loved ostentation. People called me learned and talented, little knowing that much of my inventiveness came from wanting to make pleasure more convenient."
After laughing, Ovesto began speaking in fluent Elvish, a nostalgic look in his eyes as he recalled his youth.
"After achieving fame and success, a few old friends around my age and I liked to meet often. As the old saying goes, like calls to like, and kindred spirits seek one another out. Yet somehow, whenever we gathered, we would complain about everything. We recalled all the eating, drinking, and merrymaking of our youth as though we had lost some priceless treasure, always feeling that only our former lives had any flavor, while our present days were hardly worth mentioning.
"Some complained that, because they had grown old, even their closest friends and family mocked them. They found this unbearably upsetting, and so regarded old age as the source of their suffering.
"But in my view, age was not the problem."
"That's true," Roland agreed aloud, while inwardly scoffing. What the hell do you have to suffer over? Not having money-that's real suffering.
Ovesto took a small sip of his Magic Brew and smiled. "I once kept beauties from over a hundred races, and lived as outrageously as any worldly emperor. But if you ask how I feel about romance now, whether at my age I still enjoy scepters, harems, and jewels, all I can say is: don't bring it up! I've washed my hands of all that!"
"Thank heavens, I feel as though I've escaped from a mad, vicious slave master.
"Age does indeed bring peace of mind, tranquility, and fewer desires. That state truly feels like escaping a whole gang of savage slave masters."
Really? I don't believe it.
Roland said this silently to himself.
"Roland, the cause of all those troubles I mentioned-the entanglement of love and desire, the conflict between emotion and law, the various grievances of family and friends-lies not in a person's age, but in their character.
"If you are gracious and even-tempered, growing old will not be much of a hardship. Otherwise, even in your youth, you will have no shortage of troubles."
(Note: approximately 380 Chinese characters above were quoted from The Republic, by Plato [ancient Greece], translated by Guo Bin and Zhang Zhuming. Assume a disruption of time and space, and that these works do not exist on Blue Star.)
Roland nodded repeatedly. "You are absolutely right, Grand Mage."
For all his inward scoffing, he understood that some wisdom was innate, while other kinds needed time to develop.
The Grand Mage's words could well be called insights into life. Perhaps they also stemmed from the waning of his many desires, which allowed him to focus on the spirituality deep within his soul.
"I'm curious. When you came up just now and saw them, did you have any amorous thoughts? Did your imagination run wild, perhaps even stray into fantasies?"
With an enigmatic smile, Ovesto suddenly pointed at the succubus sisters, who stood smiling nearby awaiting his orders, and posed a pointed question.
The succubus sisters smiled at Roland, seemingly curious about his answer as well.
Roland answered honestly, "A little."
They were bare-assed succubi!
Who the fuck could resist that?
"Hehehe..."
Ovesto laughed.
"You really are honest."
Helpless, Roland took a sip of wine to conceal his embarrassment.
"Actually, some of the mages in the tower whom I summon for the first time also encounter scenes like this."
"Then how do they react?" Roland set down his wineglass and asked curiously.
"How else? Some are shy and awkward, some are utterly bewitched, some cannot sit still, and some offer clever words they do not mean.
"Some even feel deeply insulted, yet are forced to endure it because of my power.
"All of these are perfectly human reactions.
"But I believe only a gentleman who is truly open and upright at heart can face it calmly. I am very pleased with how you behaved."
His words left Roland rather embarrassed, as well as somewhat exasperated.
This really was...
A bizarre sense of humor that was hard to fathom!
Ovesto said, "Don't think I'm making sport of you. I'm not that bored. I've simply heard and seen too many cases of geniuses falling into mediocrity, and wanted to see what sort of character you have."
He looked solemnly at Roland, his voice turning serious.
"On the long road to the Hall of Wisdom, we must not only face countless difficulties, but also resist innumerable temptations. Most of those who think they can relax after passing the entrance examination for the Mage Tower gradually sink into decline.
"Magic flourishes in Atrelin, and we face no troubles from within or without. Extravagance has become increasingly common. Many young mages indulge in sensual pleasures and lose themselves in enjoyment, when they are actually squandering the best years of their lives. Be sure to take this as a warning. Do not become like them."
Roland hurriedly replied, "You are absolutely right, Grand Mage. I'll remember that."
Archmage Ovesto changed tack and smiled again. "Don't think I preach while indulging myself, as though I say one thing in public and do another in private. Today, I'd like to take this opportunity to teach a young man like you a little trick."
Roland felt sheepish, with the guilty sense that his private thoughts had been exposed.
Just a moment ago, he had been silently scoffing, My advice is that you stop giving advice.
How could someone spend his entire youth having a wild time, reach an age well past fifty without anyone even knowing whether he had begun to rein himself in, then lecture his juniors like some saintly gentleman?
He had never expected Ovesto to have that remark waiting for him.
"Grand Mage, what is this trick?"
He hurried to ask, genuinely eager to learn.
Ovesto smiled faintly. "It's simple. Turn desire into motivation."
"I'd love to hear more."
"Turn anything that might make you wallow in pleasure, or become lax and weak, into a driving force for self-improvement."
Roland paused, lost in thought.
Indeed, wanting all sorts of resources could become motivation to learn web scraping.
An addiction to porn could become motivation to study AI and make it himself.
Spending money on gacha pulls could become motivation to work hard, earn money, and save...
People sought happiness, not the things that brought them happiness.
When you could derive greater happiness from something else, those little things you had once been addicted to were no longer worth clinging to.
By the same reasoning, dangerous things that could disrupt the brain's reward-and-punishment mechanism had to be strictly forbidden and avoided without delay!
"In fact, many of my fellow mages are researching similar methods. For instance, potions produced through alchemy can convert dopamine into endorphins. Targeted applications of Wish can keep mental fatigue from interfering with your studies. There are also special contracted partners, or fellow scholars who keep one another accountable. Some even modify their own bodies to acquire a special constitution that makes it easier to derive pleasure from learning..."
As a Grand Mage of the Arcana world, Ovesto was not merely giving Roland empty lectures. He genuinely offered concrete solutions.
"However, some of these methods carry potential risks, such as adverse spell effects or failed modifications...
"Atrelin's laws prohibit access to and use of these methods during the Apprentice Student stage, precisely because we fear you might be led astray before your values have fully matured.
"I also believe that going too far can be just as bad as not going far enough, so I use an enchantment spell with relatively few adverse effects, called Scholar's Zeal.
"It temporarily causes you to lose interest in everything else and devote yourself entirely to Arcana research. Although it is only rated Level 1 by the magic network's evaluation system, its impact on your entire Arcana career and life is undoubtedly immense. I recommend you study and master it as soon as possible. Whenever you feel you cannot keep going much longer, cast it on yourself."
Ovesto did not merely offer fine words without practical help, dispensing empty advice to a young man. Instead, he immediately ordered the succubus sisters to retrieve a wand from a nearby cabinet.
It was exquisitely crafted from dark cherrywood and felt of excellent quality, measuring about forty-five centimeters long and one and a half centimeters in diameter. Its surface was smooth and lustrous, and a pink crystal carved in the shape of a praying maiden adorned its tip.
"This is a Scholar's Zeal wand with fifty charges stored in it. It can cast the Level 1 Spell Scholar's Zeal at a cost of two charges per use. Once it is depleted, you can buy mana crystals from the magic equipment shop in the tower to recharge it. It's yours-a gift to mark our first meeting."
Before you continue