The Secrets of Arcane Magic

Faced with the Magic Empire's declaration of war, the Five-Nation Alliance clearly didn't believe that the nation they had destroyed a thousand years ago would suddenly reappear. However, the numerous strange events unfolding made the Five-Nation Alliance realize that things were spiraling out of control. They unanimously decided to keep the matter secret. Like the Vila Federation, the other three nations also ordered their border troops to strengthen their defenses. Only Lalia continued its relentless attacks on Kudel's army. Clearly, for them, the vanished Magic Empire was less important than the current Kudel army.

Meanwhile, work in Ringwraith City was in full swing. Mages began mass-producing low-level Weapon Spirit, mostly in the form of rapiers, the weapons elves excelled at. The repeating crossbows that Li Lin had learned from Earth were also being manufactured in large quantities to equip both armies. The City of a Thousand Towers began slowly shrinking its sphere of influence and systematically recalling some key members stationed elsewhere. Of course, all of this was done in secrecy, and no one except the actual leaders knew the reasons behind it. Furthermore, the current movements of the Five-Nation Alliance were attracting the attention of most of the continent, so few noticed these subtle actions of the City of a Thousand Towers.

The Mages' Association split into two factions after Li Lin's declaration that day. The Mages' Association's leadership was now completely nominal. Some mages, clearly fed up with being controlled by the Five-Nation Alliance and the Temple, began to rebel. Others, however, decided to rely on the Five-Nation Alliance rather than place their hopes on a vague Arcane Mage. They surrendered and turned against their own comrades. The Mages' Association itself was now completely powerless; chaos reigned in the mage towers of various cities. The Temple, contrary to its usual practice, began a large-scale crackdown on the mages, burning many at the stake to "destroy those evil souls," but this only fueled the mages' anger.

The situation is developing in the direction Li Lin predicted.

Although the mages who started the rebellion were also bewildered—after all, it was Li Lin who instigated them—after making their final choice, they discovered that Li Lin had not appeared before them to offer any guidance. Having completely broken ties with the Temple and the Five-Nation Alliance, they did not want to become roasting animals, so they could only grit their teeth and endure, awaiting the unknown future that would determine their fate.

At this moment, Li Lin paid no attention to the mages; he had more important things to do.

"You've finally arrived, Nisi."

Gazing at the elven mage before him, Li Lin raised an eyebrow. In the few months since they last met, this elven mage's understanding of magic had improved considerably. If before she had some reservations because of her sister, now that she had let go of those reservations, her progress could only be described as leaps and bounds. This was easily seen from the elemental power swirling around her; Nisi had now completely mastered the portion of power she was supposed to possess.

"I've arrived, Arcane Mage."

Nia lowered her head and gave Li Lin a mage's salute, then raised her head and gazed at the tall, majestic city before her with a nostalgic look.

"The Ringwraith City, it brings back so many memories... Back then, all I knew was how to play..."

"That's no longer the case."

Li Lin smiled slightly and then stepped forward to greet them.

"I can see that you've made great progress... Have you really been stagnant for the past thousand years?"

"Perhaps... this is my punishment."

Looking at Li Lin's outstretched hand, Nisi blushed slightly, then hesitantly reached out and grasped Li Lin's hand.

"Although things are different now... it is still so gentle and expansive."

"With her eyes closed, "Nisi said softly. Then, she slowly opened her eyes, a hint of hesitation flashing in the depths of her beautiful eyes before turning into seriousness.

"Arcane Mage, I'd like to... go see my sister first..."

"Certainly."

Li Lin was not surprised by Nisi's request. He simply nodded and then turned to walk towards the tower.

Although the design of the Ringwraith City dictates that the deceased should be buried in the Garden of Silence under Anna's jurisdiction, it has now become the Scourge Legion's playground, so Li Lin naturally wouldn't bury Ailinna there... even though she hadn't even left any ashes.

In the garden behind the tower, beside the clear pond, a small tombstone stands out conspicuously, surrounded by countless small white flowers blooming in profusion, like a sea of flowers.

"Starlight Flower..."

Standing before the tombstone, gazing at the tiny, white flowers, Nisi's voice trembled slightly. She slowly knelt down and reached out to stroke the beautiful, delicate blossoms.

"This is Ailinna's favorite flower... She once said that although this flower is small and inconspicuous, it can bloom anywhere on the continent, and no matter how harsh the environment, it will not hinder its growth. She also wants to live like this flower, strong and brave, no matter where she goes..."

"This is just a memorial, Nisi."

Li Lin spoke in a deep voice, placing his hand on his shoulder as he gazed at the grave before him. Only this tombstone remained; no trace of Ailinna's existence had been left behind.

All we did was remember her, but that's enough for us.

"Of course, Arcane Mage."

Nisi took a deep breath, wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes with her finger, then turned around and looked at Li Lin with a serious expression.

"I am ready."

"Are you sure?"

Li Lin frowned at Nisi's words, his expression more serious than ever before.

"Becoming Arcane Mage is not just an honor. You once received magical runes from me, so you should know very well that it is not just a title, nor just a symbol... Once you make a decision, there is no turning back."

"... Of course, Arcane Mage."

Faced with Li Lin's serious gaze, Nisi nodded vigorously.

"I must become Arcane Mage, for myself, for the elves, and especially for my sister... I must do this, no matter the cost, I must become an Arcane Mage. I understand. I do possess great power now, but it's far from enough, especially compared to our enemies."

"... very good."

Staring at Nisi, Li Lin pondered for a moment, finally revealing a helpless smile.

"It seems you are no longer the little girl you used to be."

He then paused for a moment, his expression returning to a serious and focused one.

"Come with me, there's no turning back now."

Led by Li Lin, Nisi entered the tower. This time, Li Lin didn't lead her back to the previous room. Instead, he went to the statue in the center of the hall, whispered a few words, and then the two statues, symbolizing the order and eternity of magic, slowly moved aside, revealing a dark entrance. Without turning around, Li Lin gestured to Nisi and then turned to walk inside. Nisi hurriedly followed, but her expression showed surprise as she looked at the darkness before her.

Although Nisi wasn't as diligent and studious as her sister during her childhood, she was mischievous and loved exploring. Nisi was very familiar with many places in Ringwraith City. Nisi had even secretly gone to observe the Star Pavilion, which Li Lin used to hold meetings of the gods. But this was the only place she had never seen before.

The entire space was unusually dark, but Nisi felt an unusual warmth. Moreover, she could sense several incredibly powerful magical forces slumbering beneath, something she had never felt before. This situation made Nisi secretly wary. After all, although she had been very playful back then, she had still possessed the power of a mid-level mage. Logically speaking, with such immense magical power exposed without any barriers, she shouldn't have been completely unaware of it, having spent so much time running around above it. Yet, in the past, she hadn't sensed anything amiss. Now, however, she could keenly sense that the strength and purity of these forces far surpassed the level that an ordinary mage could measure.

Perhaps only Arcane Mage possess such power.

Li Lin stopped in his tracks.

Before Nisi lay a vast, oval-shaped void, its background an endless expanse of darkness. Only fleeting flashes of bright magical light offered respite from the gloom. A magnificent, intricate, and immense magic circle was the sole source of light, extending in all directions to form thirteen smaller circles on the outermost edge. Within twelve of these circles floated shimmering, dazzling silver characters. Nisi, well-versed in magic, immediately recognized these characters as representing the twelve schools of magic.

"Stand in the middle."

Li Lin's voice sounded desolate and leisurely, even carrying a strange sense of oppression. Nisi calmed herself down, quickly walked to the center, and stood still. She stared at Li Lin in front of her and was surprised to find that the magical runes on his body began to appear one by one. Soon, this beautiful magical light covered Li Lin's entire body. The enormous and seemingly insurmountable power even made Nisi feel absolute awe and fear.

"Before the ceremony begins, I need to take something back."

As Li Lin spoke, he lightly snapped his fingers. Soon, Nisi felt a sharp pain on the back of her hand. The magical talisman Li Lin had left her years ago had left her body, slowly floating back to Li Lin's side. Nisi gazed at the talisman with a lingering look, clearly reluctant to part with it. It wasn't just because of its immense power—after all, she was about to possess hundreds, even thousands, of such powers—but because this talisman had been her guarantee throughout her journey. Whenever she felt discouraged or in pain, it would remind her of the joyful and happy memories she had shared in the Magic Empire. This was something no other power could replace.

But that's all in the past.

Nisi quickly averted her gaze and looked at Li Lin seriously again.

"Once upon a time, we were just a group of ordinary mages engrossed in the study of magic."

Whether it was an illusion or not, when Li Lin spoke, even the magical glow of the surrounding rumors seemed to diminish considerably.

"We once believed that studying magic and mastering its mysteries was our duty as mages. We were captivated by this beautiful art, exploring its boundless knowledge... But we soon discovered that things were not as leisurely as we had imagined."

"You should also know very well that so-called gods are the personification of rules, but magic has no gods. There is no God of Magic in this world. We also do not want God of Magic to emerge. After all, magic is different from faith, and we cannot allow our power to be in the hands of an existence that is superior to us. Fortunately, at that time, the power of magic was not very strong, but we also discovered that the more we studied it, the stronger it became. Sooner or later, it would develop its own will, its own personality, and then ascend to the throne of gods. This is something we cannot tolerate. Therefore, the thirteen mages who were closest to the origin of magical power finally united and divided the power of magic."

"We divided the power of magic into thirteen parts according to their respective schools, and etched them into our bodies and souls as magical runes. In this way, the power of magic can still be enhanced, but because they can no longer be combined, the God of Magic will never appear—but for Arcane Mage, this doesn't just mean power. We built our kingdom, the Magic Empire. Just as gods need Temple to draw strength from faith, we also need a highly concentrated magical civilization to maintain and enhance the power of our respective magical rules. The Magic Empire nurtures us, and Arcane Mage will protect the Magic Empire ... We are one with the Book of Magic. No Arcane Mage will choose to leave when the Magic Empire is destroyed, because our rules bind us; we must protect this nation. It is the realm of mages, it is the Temple of magic. The destruction of the Magic Empire will also foreshadow the demise of Arcane Mage ..."

Upon hearing this, Nisi covered her mouth in surprise. Although she had imagined some rumors about Arcane Mage, compared to the truth that Li Lin had revealed, those hearsay rumors were not even one-thousandth as true.

"We are like gods, yet not gods. We guard the rules of this world, vigilantly watching its operation. We are the guardians of magic, monitoring it to ensure it doesn't stray onto a path we don't want... Nisi, are you ready to become an Arcane Mage? This means you will become bound to the Magic Empire by fate, and become a loyal protector and watchman."

"I do."

Nisi answered again with unwavering conviction and without hesitation.

Upon hearing this answer, Li Lin smiled slightly.

"Then, I now bestow upon you the power and destruction within the force of the rules... Before it, all elements will submit, and the forces of nature will become your most loyal subordinates—the representative of the Evocation Rule. You are ready to become a true rule mage, Arcane Mage."

As he spoke, Li Lin began chanting an incantation aloud. Under the influence of the incantation, a silver rune within one of the circles slowly drifted away from its original position and came to Nisi's side. Gazing at the rune filled with elemental power before her, Nisi hesitated before reaching out her hand. She could clearly feel the power contained within it, enough to reduce any mage to ashes. But...

This is for me, and even more so for my sister.

Nisi gritted her teeth, stretched out her finger, and touched the silver rune.

Shining brightly.

Hundreds of ornate Magic Tattoo flowed from the original single rune, eagerly surging onto Nisi's body. Nisi felt only immense, overwhelming power, like an uncontrollable flood surging towards her. The terrifying speed and power of this force were so great that Nisi couldn't even instinctively take any defensive action. She could only scream, and then her consciousness plunged into a deep darkness, and she knew nothing more.

"It's a success."

Reaching the unconscious Nisi's side, and watching the magical runes slowly flowing and radiating light on her body, Li Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief. The power of the rules was so great that not every mage could resist it. If Nisi hadn't been qualified to be recognized by the rules, she would probably have been reduced to ashes. But Nisi, now clearly, had been recognized by the rules of the Evocation School and had become a qualified Arcane Mage.

Although what she truly needs to learn has only just begun. For Nisi, how to skillfully use Magic Tattoo in combat, communicate with the power of the elements, and create her own spells are all subjects she must learn right now, and are fundamental to an Arcane Mage. In this respect, Nisi still has a long way to go before becoming Arcane Mage.

Anyway, congratulations.

Li Lin spoke softly, bent down and picked up the unconscious Nisi, gazing at her face.

"Welcome to the realm of Arcane Mage... the Evocation Master."