"Honey, come down for dinner."
Lin Xiao's hand paused on the paper. He had spent the entire afternoon holed up in that secret little room of less than twenty square meters on the fourth floor. In front of him were seven or eight sheets of draft paper, covered with messy runes and arrows. Some he had drawn from memory after returning from Kamar-Taj, and some he had seen on Doom.
"Honey, you guys eat first, I'm thinking about something."
The area downstairs quieted down, then Betty's teasing voice drifted up.
"Honey, you've changed your ways. I'll give your share to Ned then."
Lin Xiao tossed the toilet paper onto the table, pushed his chair back, and rushed downstairs. In the dining room, Mei was serving the last Italian soup. Betty and Jane sat at the table looking at their phones, Peter was setting the table, Ned was already sitting opposite him with two sets of chopsticks and bowls in front of him, his eyes sparkling as he looked at him.
Lin Xiao pulled out a chair and sat down, moving the bowl and chopsticks in front of Ned to his side.
"Who said I'm not eating?"
Ned pursed his lips but didn't say anything, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat.
The meal was lively, with chatter filling the table. May said that Vought had signed two more contracts today, Betty said that the condom company had come to ask if they could change the plan, and Jane said that her astrolabe's machines were ready to be put into use soon after adjustments. Lin Xiao listened to the three women's conversation, a smile curving his lips. This was the taste of home. But when he saw three empty bowls piled in front of Ned and made a strange noise, Lin Xiao's lips twitched, and he slapped Ned on the back of the head. Ned looked bewildered, Peter smiled slightly, his eyes provocatively fixed on Ned.
"Are you stupid? You should at least show some respect when adults are speaking. Don't interrupt. I've learned this the hard way too."
Ned opened his mouth, looking aggrieved.
"But Aunt May's cooking was so delicious, I was starving in Kamar-Taj... I'll remember next time."
Mei smiled and glanced at Lin Xiao as he placed a large chicken leg on Ned's plate.
After dinner, Lin Xiao returned to the fourth floor.
He spread out the drafts he had drawn that afternoon and looked at them again, then opened the system panel. He still had three free attribute points left. Two of them were accumulated from a B-level mission he had taken on a few days ago. The mission was to eliminate a robber who called himself Vulture. Lin Xiao had no idea who this person was; he only remembered slapping the man into a trash can at the end of an alley, and then the system popped up a notification that the B-level mission was completed.
He stared at those three free attribute points for a while, then took a deep breath.
" Doupao."
"Ding--Here."
"I think I've grasped the basic principles of magic. Before Doom uses magic, the runes on his body light up; those runes are actually mediums for guiding certain elements in the air. Tao Yuhan uses ice and fire, relying on the innate affinity of Mutants, but ultimately he's also manipulating things in the air. The Five Thunder Spell works on the same logic. Am I right in my understanding?"
Doupao paused for a moment.
"Ding--Host's understanding is correct. The fundamental essence of magic is elemental guidance and energy conversion; runes are the medium, mental power is the driving force, and natural elements are the raw materials. The differences between different magic systems lie in their guidance methods and energy sources."
"So the Harry Potter system follows the same logic. The wand is the guiding tool, and the spell is the verbal expression of runes."
"Ding--Host's understanding is correct."
Lin Xiao's lips curved slightly. He liked this feeling—not the system directly giving him the answer, but him first coming up with a rough idea and then having the system confirm it. This was much better than being directly given a divine instruction.
He stared at the three points of free attribute, recalling the ice and fire in Tao Yuhan's palm during their fight, and the way Storm could summon wind and rain with a wave of her hand. Those Mutants were born with an affinity for certain substances in the air. He wasn't Mutants, but he possessed mental power. If his mental power were strong enough, could he do the same?
He added the first point to the spiritual aspect.
A buzzing sound filled his mind. It was like someone suddenly turning up the equalizer in a quiet movie theater, making the previously blurry background sounds clear—the sound of the night wind whistling through the exterior wall outside the window, Mei's footsteps downstairs, and a very subtle, continuous hum in the air. He had never noticed these things before, or rather, his mental strength was not high enough to perceive such subtle details.
He closed his eyes and activated the Five Thunder Spell.
A purple arc of electricity flicked from his fingertips, crackling and dancing in the air. This time, he didn't rush to release the arc. Instead, he used his mental energy to envelop it, trying to sense the lightning element permeating the surrounding air. Before, he would release lightning spells like lighting a firecracker with a match—once lit, he would throw it out. Now, he was trying to "touch" the lightning element, to feel where it was, how much it was, and how it flowed.
After a while, he finally touched it. A few extremely fine, static-like particles floated sparsely in the air, drawn by his mental energy, slowly gathering towards his fingertips. Not many, but they were definitely gathering.
He put in a little more effort.
The static electricity particles gathered even faster. He began to understand what the "induction" in the Five Thunder Spell meant. It wasn't about creating lightning out of thin air, but about guiding, gathering, and then releasing the scattered lightning elements in the air. The runes were the language of this guiding process, and the strength of one's mental power determined how much could be guided and how long it could be controlled. He added one last bit.
"Ding--A connection between the ' Ring of Wisdom ' and the host has been detected."
In the System Space, the second bracelet lit up, golden light spreading from its surface, and a warm energy flowed from his wrist straight to the top of his head. Three new things appeared in his mind.
Elementary Five Elements Spells: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Each element can be used to perform simple attacks and defenses, with power depending on mental energy output and elemental concentration. He tried it out, condensing a small droplet of water in his palm, then a thin sheet of ice, and then a few wisps of flame. None of them were large, but he could indeed summon them.
Telepathy. A basic mind-reading ability, capable of sensing the surface emotions and vague thoughts of nearby targets, and also able to transmit simple ideas through mental power. He tried to probe downstairs with his mental power. Mei was clearing the dishes, in a good mood, while Betty sat on the sofa looking at her phone, her emotions calm, her mind racing with Vought's schedule for tomorrow.
Magic Compression. He hadn't fully figured out how to use this ability yet. The system prompt said, "Highly compressing mental energy before releasing it can increase the power density of spells." He tried it out, using the same amount of mental energy to condense a small ball of flame. After compression, the flame became a white dot the size of a fingertip, and its temperature was more than twice as high as before.
Two lines of gray, locked text were still lit up on the panel: Matter Reorganization, Space Magic.
Lin Xiao slipped the bracelet onto his wrist, placing it next to the Ring of Protection. The two bracelets made a very soft buzzing sound when they touched, as if they recognized each other. He stood up, stretched his shoulders, and checked the time: 10:30.
Betty's voice came from downstairs. "Honey, aren't you coming down?"
"They've arrived."
He put away the draft paper, tucked the bracelet into his sleeve, opened the door, and went downstairs. As he reached the corner of the stairs, he suddenly stopped and gently probed the area below using his Telepathy. Mei was mopping the living room floor, Betty was curled up on the sofa watching a variety show, and Jane was taking in the laundry on the balcony. All three seemed more relaxed than he had expected; none of them appeared tense. He withdrew his telepathic power, a slight smile playing on his lips, and continued downstairs.
As he passed the living room, Mei looked up at him and asked, "What have you been doing upstairs all afternoon?"
"Let's study something."
What are you researching?
Lin Xiao sat down on the sofa, casually took the remote control from Betty's hand, and changed the channel.
"Let's explore ways to raise the price of superhero rental services."
Mei rolled her eyes and continued mopping the floor. Betty reached out and snatched the remote back, and Lin Xiao didn't argue. He leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes, still thinking about the two bracelets. The Ring of Protection gave him defense and counterattack, while the Ring of Wisdom gave him understanding and application. One was outward, the other inward.
Wenwu saw power. He saw protection. Now he sees wisdom.
Of the ten bracelets, two had already awakened. Eight remained. He opened one eye, looked at the ceiling, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.
Eight. No rush.