The gift of Runes

"Nine nights I hung from a tree swaying in the Gale, wounded by spears; I was offered as a sacrifice to Odin, a self-sacrifice, on a great tree unknown to anyone!"

There was no bread to fill my stomach, no water to quench my thirst. I looked down, picked up Runes, and shouted as I did so, as they fell from the tree.

This is what Odin said after returning from the Well of Wisdom. He made a deal with the Well of Wisdom in exchange for Rune Runes that have been passed down from the Age of Gods to the present day. The first Magecraft Bai Mo encountered was Rune Magecraft taught to him by Touko.

If Touko were to witness this scene, what would she think?

"The very first Runes... I never imagined I'd actually see them with my own eyes." Ophelia, Magecraft herself, couldn't help but exclaim. If these things appeared in the Magecraft world, they would probably cause an earthquake.

The Runes shone brightly in the air, circling around Bai Mo like a school of fish. A small portion of them surrounded Ophelia, and that small portion of the Runes entered her body, sending an indescribable sensation through her mind.

As someone who experienced it firsthand, she didn't need to spend time learning; knowledge simply opened the door and entered her mind.

What's going on?

Mimir looked at Bai Mo, who stood in the ocean of Runes, the Rune Runes around him shining brightly and flowing into his body. But like light passing through glass, it only created ripples before passing through the serpent's body and flowing outwards.

Mimir was now just a skull, flickering with the light of his soul, but even so, Ophelia could still see the great confusion in his pale eye sockets.

"What happened? Why didn't the Runes enter your mind, and why are they flying outwards? This doesn't make sense. Even the most foolish person will gain wisdom after experiencing hardship."

In this situation... did you sell your soul to some demon?

"I don't know. I'll go back and ask someone, but it's probably unlikely."

Bai Mo didn't seem to care. He watched the Runes fly away without paying much attention, only feeling a little regretful that if he saw Touko again, he wouldn't be able to give them to her. But Ortlinde frowned.

"This is absurd! Even I received all of this, so why did Bai Mo's share slip away? If that's the case, I'd rather not have these Runes. Is the wisdom of the Well of Wisdom used to withhold what others deserve?"

"The Well of Wisdom wouldn't do such a thing. As for why it's like this, it's the first time I've seen it, but I can protect it. The reason must lie with you."

Mimir said with absolute certainty, "No one knows the Well of Wisdom better than me. Runes did indeed come into Bai Mo's body, but it flew away later."

Is it because of my physical condition? Or is my soul damaged and therefore unable to accept it?

Bai Mo shook his head, deciding not to dwell on such meaningless thoughts. He turned to Ortlinde and said in a relaxed tone:

"Don't talk about such things. Perhaps there are other reasons about me that made the Well of Wisdom feel that fusion would be harmful, so it didn't do it?"

That's true. If Bai Mo's secrets were revealed, they would scare many people to death.

"Don't reject this power. When you have the courage to share it with me, this is what you deserve. Besides, there are still battles to come, and I'm counting on you."

Ortlinde nodded somewhat reluctantly, and as the last piece of Runes vanished, an invisible wind emerged from the bottom of the Well of Wisdom. This wind distorted space, like the blurry picture on an old television.

In the wind, an eyeball lay there quietly. Tiny points of light shimmered within it, like looking down at the shimmering surface of the sea from underwater.

"Finally out, Ophelia, thank you for your help."

Ophelia strode forward, removed the blindfold, and under the vision of the Mystic Eyes of Postponement, the blurry eyeball gradually became clear.

"This eyeball is real now. But the moment it's touched, it will become a mirage. Odin really knows how to think of things, seeing in the future that someone is destined to possess the Mystic Eyes of Postponement, and then devising a spell that only the Mystic Eyes of Postponement can take it."

Hearing Mimir speak again, Bai Mo asked somewhat warily:

"Will there be any more problems this time?"

"Logically, Odin should have already set everything up, but judging from the appearance of the things..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ophelia's hand seemed to have touched a hidden wall, unable to move forward an inch no matter what she did. Mimir, somewhat embarrassed, avoided Bai Mo's subtle gaze and explained:

"Don't look at me like that. These eyes are so moist; I bet the last drop of wisdom is inside. In a way, they've appreciated in value, so the price has changed."

"Isn't this blatant forced buying and selling?"

"How was I supposed to know this would happen? Odin should have anticipated this, but he didn't make any arrangements. Either this is what he wanted to see, or he's just an idiot!"

Looking at the chattering Mimir, Bai Mo wondered if, in the mythology, after Odin took Mimir's head, his relationship with him as his advisor might be different from what he had imagined.

I initially thought it would be a simple superior-subordinate relationship, but now it seems more like a close, albeit mischievous, friendship.

"The price is probably not just as simple as losing an eye, is it?" Bai Mo asked. In this world, it is not difficult to regain an eye, but Odin never replaced his eye in the empty socket until his death.

"Yes, it's not just an eye; more precisely, it's the soul of that eye. Once that soul is lost, it can never be restored unless someone is willing to offer it to you."

Upon hearing Mimir's words, Bai Mo understood that this was roughly similar to Bai Cinan's situation regarding the loss of his arm.

"Tsk, this is really bad."

"Logically speaking, losing something in exchange for wisdom isn't a bad deal..."

But before she could finish speaking, Ortlinde rushed to Ophelia's side and placed her hand on her. Her action was almost without hesitation, leaving Bai Mo, who was pondering whether to go out and find a hapless giant, completely caught off guard.

"Ortlinde?"

"This is the only way I can do, Bai Mo. I saw your soul state back in Helheim; you absolutely cannot get injured again. As for Miss Ophelia, if she loses her other eye and can only rely on the Mystic Eyes, she won't be able to hold on."

Let me do it; this is the right choice. Besides, this is... ultimately my hometown.

Hearing her words, neither of them knew how to stop her. Mimir smacked his lips a few times and said:

"That's true. I still don't quite believe that Odin didn't make any arrangements. As for you, you're an outsider, right? I suggest you give up that idea, and it's best if you never have it."

"If an outsider's soul is infused into a soul ritual, who knows what might happen?"

Blood flowed from Ortlinde's right eye, trickling down slowly. Ortlinde's Ruby- like eye, like a ripe fruit, slowly fell, splashing onto the pool of blood, and gradually rolling into the deep spring.

The invisible barrier vanished, Ophelia activated her Mystic Eyes of Postponement. The disadvantage of turning into a phantom was delayed by five seconds. She reached out and directly took Odin's eye from it.