"True Word Spells?"
Roland was startled.
Lunifis's discovery touched on the origins and essence of spells.
There was not just one prototype of these true word spells, but three: "True Word Spell: Halt," "True Word Spell: Repel," and "True Word Spell: Shock."
Of these, "True Word Spell: Halt" and "True Word Spell: Repel" were her own inventions based on the principles of turning Oracle into magic, while "True Word Spell: Shock" was a modified, downgraded version of the level-eight spell of the same name.
All three spells could adjust their levels according to the mana supplied, automatically scaling up or down.
Whatever level of spell quota they were prepared in, that was the level they became.
They could be used flexibly at any level from zero to nine!
"Incredible. What an astounding discovery!"
Even Roland could not help being amazed.
"Nisi, your mastery of Arcana is extraordinary!"
He could tell that for Lunifis to accomplish this, she had to know countless spell structures and casting principles inside out.
That was far beyond his current abilities.
"You're too kind. Although I do have some skill in Arcana, this discovery was still thanks to you.
As I mentioned before, both your initial creation of the characters and their subsequent magical construction gave me a great deal of inspiration. Even the three true word spells I've worked out now are rooted in Oracle.
I feel it should also produce remarkable results with other spells in the same family, but that involves some of the deeper meanings of Oracle-Bone Characters, as well as their corresponding pronunciations. That's why I wanted to consult you, their creator."
"There's no need to be so formal. Whatever you want to know, I'll share everything I can!" Roland replied gladly.
"Your generosity really is surprising. I'd been worried that asking so presumptuously might conflict with your upcoming research." Even Lunifis's written words carried a hint of surprise.
"My research? Haha, I have plenty of research directions."
As Roland sent that reply, what he actually had in mind was quickly drawing on the efforts of Lunifis and others to help Oracle flourish.
"Honestly, seeing such an outstanding colleague as you join in the Arcana research on Oracle brings me nothing but relief and gratitude. If you really bring these spells to fruition, I'll be able to master new powers too!"
Things were different now. He was sitting on a vast gold mine; he could not possibly do everything himself.
He immediately organized Lunifis's questions and answered them all according to his own understanding.
In the field of Arcana, Roland's proficiency was actually nothing exceptional.
But his understanding of Eastern culture, the ideas he had absorbed throughout his life, and the memories of his previous life that seemed engraved deep within his soul allowed him to analyze the characters and explain to Lunifis the meanings of the words associated with True Word Spells.
This Roland really is extraordinarily generous.
Far away in another part of Atrelin, inside the Yther Wizard Tower, Lunifis's lips curved slightly, her eyes crinkling into a charming smile.
Even she had not expected such detailed, patient answers to her questions.
She was certain Roland understood the value of this knowledge, yet he had still chosen to share it.
"Thank you so much. If these true word spells are completed successfully, I'll pay you royalties at the highest rate."
In the Orvisto Wizard Tower, Roland gave a faint smile when he read those words from Lunifis.
"A higher royalty rate also means higher costs for spreading them. That isn't necessarily what I want.
It's better to leave matters like this to professionals who can weigh all the factors. We don't need to worry too much about it ourselves."
"That makes sense."
"By the way, Nisi, something just occurred to me. Ultimately, true word spells are closely tied to speech, aren't they?
If they're made into Spell Scrolls, the results might not be ideal.
But so far, I haven't had time to provide a phonetic scheme for Oracle. The pronunciations corresponding to these characters remain unexplored territory.
Since you've managed to discover how they can be used in True Word Spells, I imagine you have some understanding of this field.
I have a few ideas myself that I'd like to discuss with you..."
Roland sent another email. This time, in a rare departure from his penny-pinching ways, he paid to send it himself.
He included a whole host of ideas about direct phonetic spelling, fanqie, zhuyin, pinyin, and more, asking Lunifis for her thoughts.
Atrelin had a great variety of species, and many intelligent races had vastly different physical structures, providing a wealth of material in this area.
But that diversity also meant even more varieties of dialects, spanning planes, worlds, countries, regions, peoples, species, and eras, among other things. It gave him quite a headache.
He was considering simply getting it right in one go and implementing a localized Modern Chinese Pinyin Scheme!
This approach was entirely different from following the historical evolution of writing.
"?" (Transliteration: Seris Pinyin)
Inside the Yther Wizard Tower, Lunifis was deeply shocked.
Oracle-or rather, the Chinese language and Chinese characters to which it belonged-was not a phonetic writing system.
The Modern Chinese Pinyin Scheme (Seris Pinyin) proposed by Roland, however, truly was a refreshing new approach.
"Another stroke of genius!"
Lunifis marveled sincerely.
She attributed entirely to Roland the final achievement of the intellectual elite of a nation, a civilization, and a population of hundreds of millions, who had spent years researching and selecting it from over a thousand proposals. Naturally, she thought he possessed truly staggering wisdom.
"Just as its name suggests, it's as smooth as silk! This scheme is already mature enough to be put into widespread use."
"I've been busy lately delivering the theoretical results requested by the Arcane Committee, so I won't devote much more attention to this. Nisi, if you have time, feel free to use it as a reference.
Besides, at my current level, providing a pinyin scheme like this is all I can do. I'm probably incapable of constructing magically structured incantations."
Roland meant every word.
When Lunifis read this, she sighed with a smile.
She did not believe Roland's claim that he was incapable for a second.
He was deliberately giving her this Arcana achievement so she could develop it!
This was no longer a simple exchange of favors, but a profound expression of trust and recognition.
Moved, she immediately replied, "Since you put it that way, leave turning it into incantations to me. We'll put both our names on it."
After replying, she felt that still was not enough, so she extended a finger and gave a light tap.
The Quill on the large desk floated into the air and began writing on the stationery beside it.
"Special Spell Quota transfer application..."
Before you continue