Preparing for a Visit

"I have a student."

Sest coughed softly and moved farther into the darkness. Clearly, he was afraid of being discovered too.

"He may not have amounted to much, but he is still my disciple. Unfortunately, he was young and hot-blooded and could not endure being wronged. That was how the Knights Templar discovered and imprisoned him. As his teacher, I have a responsibility and an obligation to help this poor child."

"But we don't."

Li Lin shook his head.

"In fact, we aren't going there to rescue anyone. We only intend to go in for a look around and gather some information. We have no intention of helping anyone escape. Besides, you're a mage, and so am I." He went straight to the point. "You should know very well how formidable the Magic-Banning Prison is."

"Of course I do, but I have a little information of my own."

The old man gazed at the black iron staff in his hand, looking remarkably composed.

"I once read some written records from the Magic Empire. A long time ago, this place was called Wensains, and it wasn't a prison either... But none of that matters to us. You only need to know..."

"The restriction there doesn't work on mages of intermediate rank or higher."

Li Lin spoke before the old man could finish.

"Thank you for the offer, but we already knew that. So, unfortunately, you have nothing of equal value to offer us in exchange at the moment."

"How did you know?!"

Sest's expression changed drastically at Li Lin's answer. He considered himself gifted and intelligent, and he also had information left behind by the Magic Empire. Only then had he confirmed this fact. When Li Lin said he intended to "go in and explore," Sest had thought it was just an excuse, and that Li Lin was afraid of the spell-nullifying restriction and meant to sneak in and assess the situation first. All Sest had to do was offer this valuable information, and Li Lin would surely ask for more. When that happened, whatever their objective might be, an extra person would mean extra strength, and it would be safer than breaking in alone. But he had never imagined that a secret he believed almost nobody knew would be spoken so readily by the young man before him.

At the thought, Sest could not help taking a step back, eyeing the two before him with suspicion and uncertainty. He tightened his grip on his staff, at a complete loss for words. Did they already know? Judging by the young man's expression, he did not seem to be bluffing. If he had said it after Sest revealed the information, Sest could have taken it as an attempt to bargain. But as things stood, he was clearly confident... This was going to be difficult.

"Now that we've said our piece, I think it's time for us to go."

With that, Li Lin nodded to Sest, then turned and walked toward the exit.

"Please wait."

Sest's voice rang out again. Unlike before, it trembled with excitement.

"May I ask which of the thirteen Arcane Mages you are, sir?"

Li Lin stopped.

"I'm surprised you would think I'm one of the thirteen Arcane Mages."

"The gesture you made just now..."

Sest's expression became exceptionally solemn and respectful. In fact, he had already given up hope. If he had not suddenly recalled the gesture of courtesy the young man had made to him earlier, the possibility would never have occurred to him—it was a courtesy peculiar to Arcane Mages when dealing with lower-ranking mages. As an admirer of the Magic Empire, Sest had long since committed the surviving records to memory. Based on those written accounts, he had imagined such a gesture hundreds, even thousands of times. When he first saw Li Lin perform the unfamiliar gesture with far greater skill than he possessed himself, his memory had evidently already told him something was amiss.

A mage so young could cast an advanced spell like Dispel Magic. If such a mage truly existed on this continent, Sest, who had lived for three hundred years, could not have failed to know of him. Yet the mage before him was a complete stranger, someone he had never seen before. Add to that his immediate disclosure of the Magic-Banning Prison's characteristics and his fluent, practiced use of Magic Empire-era etiquette, and even if he was not one of the thirteen Arcane Mages, he might be a survivor of the Magic Empire. After all, although Sest was quite familiar with the magic systems of the past three hundred years, he knew only a little about the Magic Empire of a thousand years ago. In any case, the mages of that time had been far more powerful than those of today; their ability to soar through the heavens, delve into the earth, create things and craft objects was beyond what modern mages could imagine. Thus, it was not impossible that one of those mages had escaped the catastrophe and lived until now under an assumed name.

Of course, even if he was not an Arcane Mage, Sest had heard that the Magic Empire held Arcane Mages in great reverence and envy, so a little flattery could do no harm. Even if he had guessed wrong, Li Lin would not be angry at being "mistaken" for an Arcane Mage. He might even be pleased.

Li Lin did not give Sest's calculations much thought. Although he had a vague sense of what the old man was thinking, he had no intention of joining him in a jailbreak.

"Since you know about the Magic-Banning Prison's spell restriction, you should understand that if your disciple really is that gifted, he ought to learn to make his own way out."

"That may be true."

Sest frowned slightly, unsure what to say. In fact, he knew about the Magic-Banning Prison's effects too. If possible, he really would have liked to leave that fellow inside for a while; it might even have helped him improve his magic. But he was, after all, the first disciple Sest had taken in three hundred years. It would be a shame if he died like that... Even so, it was obvious Sest had nothing to offer that would persuade Li Lin to help him.

"We're only passing through and stopping for a visit."

Li Lin gazed quietly at the old man before him.

"We're also gathering some information, so I don't want any sudden accidents to disturb us... You should understand what I mean. If you try to break in while we're visiting and drag us into it..."

Li Lin paused.

"I think you understand the consequences. As a high-ranking mage who has already formed a True Name, you don't want to die so soon, do you? Even having your True Name destroyed would be a severe price for you to pay, wouldn't it?"

Li Lin's voice remained gentle and mild, as though everything were open to discussion. But Sest could not help shuddering when he heard it. A True Name was a name a mage acquired upon entering the high ranks, and it was also a symbol of the source of their power. Knowing a mage's True Name not only revealed what that mage excelled at, but also made it possible to use certain rituals to control the mage and make him serve. The True Names of the Magic Empire's legendary Arcane Mages were said to possess power like that of gods. If a mage learned one of their True Names, he could even draw on their power or call upon them for aid in person. Of course, anyone dreaming of treating an Arcane Mage as a servant could forget it. The True Names of gods were also little known, but not entirely unknown. Not all believers were good people. If a goddess misjudged someone and gave her True Name to an ambitious fellow, could he use it to make her his slave?

At that level, one could at most "borrow" their power. As for "controlling" them, that was out of the question.

What made Sest tremble was not the threat of death, but the fact that the young mage had guessed his rank after only a few glances. It filled Sest with dread. Without another word, he bowed and backed away, soon disappearing into the darkness.

"All right."

Only after Sest disappeared did Li Lin take Angela's small hand and walk out of the alley.

"He won't interfere with us anymore."

"Are you really so sure?"

"Of course."

Li Lin nodded at Angela's curious question.

"A True Name is a mage's most important achievement. Every powerful mage possesses such power. Once their True Name is destroyed, it's equivalent to depriving them of the ability to cast spells... like castrating a man. So unless he has a death wish, he should obediently do as I say."

"I see..."

Angela's eyes shifted, and she suddenly spoke again.

"Then, Master, what is your True Name? I've followed you for so long, yet I still don't know it."

"My True Name..."

Li Lin fell silent for a moment. Then he leaned down and whispered a word imbued with Magic Power into Angela's ear before patting her head.

"Don't use it carelessly."

He spoke in a low voice, his tone exceptionally grave and serious.

"The Black Magic you use is different from the magic system of our world. You can't use the magical power here, but you can still use it to summon me. Remember, don't tell anyone else. If you're in danger, just recite it the way I taught you."

"I promise, not even the dead will know your secret."

Having learned Li Lin's True Name, Angela seemed very excited. She hugged his arm tightly, looking quite happy.

"Then, Master, what are we going to do next?"

"Next..."

Li Lin pondered for a moment and looked up at the sky. It was noon, and the crowds outside were gradually growing.

"First we'll eat, and then it's time to go sightseeing."

He smiled as he spoke, then led Angela toward the white building standing on the mountainside.