The Truth of Magic - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Female Wizard
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After Zhao Xu heard those words, he turned around to look at Antonya, wide-eyed.
But she still looked as mysterious as ever under her cloak and didn’t seem to object.
Zhao Xu still felt something amiss about this elderly wizard, but he didn’t hesitate for long, just started walking forward.
All the other apprentices in the hall were still seated properly in their chairs, and they kept looking at Zhao Xu as if he was getting food before the rest of them.
Even the most competitive players would have angrily deleted their accounts and left the game after being stuck in Arthur’s wizard training for two weeks. The players who remained and made it through were the ones who had the most perseverance, so they didn’t lack patience at all. 1
But there were many players who couldn’t help grumbling. Didn’t the company say that Arthur was a game with no in-game items for purchase? And that it was wholly dependent on individuals’ performance?
So how could an ordinary-looking guy like Zhao Xu. who didn’t exude any aura at all, receive special treatment? Why was he allowed onstage without having to say anything?
Whereas the apprentices native to Arthur were all silently analyzing, wondering where this young man could have come from.
Two weeks ago, they had heard about how a group of adventurers would be projected into Arthur from a different universe called Earth. Many of the wizard apprentices from aristocratic families would have received this information. 1
Even though they didn’t set foot outside of the floating city, they had their own private channels of communication.
On top of that, over the past ten-odd days of interaction, they knew even more about these people who called themselves ‘players’. They watched as these players swiftly completed wizard training and managed to reach a stage that they had only achieved after a year or more of hard work.
Zhao Xu’s face turned a little red because of all the people staring at him. He finally understood how the hat sorting scene in Harry Potter must have felt like. 2
Finally, Zhao Xu slowly made it up the stage.
His gaze fell upon the silver chair in front of him, which the old wizard had called the Arcane Throne.
The stage floor wasn’t flat and the stone surface wasn’t carpeted, so the various carved symbols carried signs of wear and tear.
There were many wizard apprentices like him in Mystra. After persevering through the tough training course, they would finally be able to step onto this stage and begin their own personal adventure.
When Zhao Xu walked up to the throne, he realized that this throne was already covered in a web of scratches.
He had no idea how much impact from spells this throne had taken.
Then his eyes suddenly widened even further.
This throne’s backrest alone was already the height of two people, and the entire thing was made from mithral.
Zhao Xu’s brain started racing again immediately. Mithral sold for at least 1,000 gold pieces for every 500 grams, and this throne had to weigh more than a ton.
Did that mean this throne alone was worth more than 2 million gold pieces?
It might be worth even more than that by now.
That’s all it took for one to become nouveau riche. 1
Zhao Xu laughed a little. His world had expanded and now he had finally touched something that was worth more than a million gold pieces.
Just like that +12 Legendary Headband of Intellect that was constantly hidden under the hood of Antonya’s cloak, hidden from view just like her face.
“Don’t be dumb and stop calculating how much this thing is worth. Hurry up and sit on it. I still have to bring you out to witness wizards battling later.”
Zhao Xu’s body went numb as Antonya’s voice suddenly rang out within his own head.
But he managed to stay calm and not spin around to look directly at Antonya.
Even though he had never tried this, Zhao Xu focused his attention on the halo around his character stats and then started talking to himself like some lunatic, “Mentor, can you hear me talk to you?”
“Of course. This is a Level 5 spell, Telepathic Bond, so two-way communication is possible.”
Zhao Xu calmed himself down and turned around to plop down on the Arcane Throne.
He looked down and met the eyes of several of the apprentices seated below the stage and he felt an illusion of looking down at his subordinates. 1
Zhao Xu could feel the coldness of the metal on his butt, and he stretched a hand out to touch the armrest of the throne.
“This throne belonged to an ancient king of arcane magic, King Earnest. We later brought it over to be used as a medium for the awakening ceremony. This throne can increase the success rate of the awakening ceremony to more than 80%.”
“Mentor, are you saying that the success rate of awakening isn’t 100%?”
“Have you ever seen anything that’s always 100% successful?” 3
Zhao Xu couldn’t help but curse about how hearsay might be the death of him.
In his previous life when everyone was happily bragging to one another about the things they did after they all moved into Arthur, nobody ever told him about anything like that.
If it wasn’t 100% successful, wasn’t that just like trolling them?
Why hadn’t anyone mentioned this in the forums over the past few days?
But before Zhao Xu could think any further along these lines.
A bright beam of light streamed down from above his head, and the scattered rainbow halo of light shone on his entire body.
The light flowed to the floor like water, following the markings of the symbols on the floor.
Everyone watching from below the stage couldn’t help but watch dazedly with the mouths open wide at this scene before them.
Even the elderly wizard’s hand was trembling slightly.
He started to think about who else had been able to produce this scene over the past hundred years.
But Zhao Xu didn’t feel anything at all. The scene in front of him had changed to a gigantic round library, countless books stacked to the sky.
In front of all the books stood a female wizard. She wore a deep red coat adorned with golden brocade and seemed inexplicably in harmony with everything.
She seemed to be bathing in the long river of time, representing both the beginning and the end. 1
For the first time in his life, Zhao Xu felt that he understood what the word perfect really meant.
The lady slowly walked over to him and looked like she was going to bend down to serve him. 1
Zhao Xu suddenly shut his eyes very tightly.
He remembered that he was here to receive a ceremony that had a chance of failing.
There were heavenly spirits from other worlds that appeared during the awakening of wizards. Or rather, there were temptations from the demons of the abyss.
Zhao Xu was afraid that this was a test, so he started to chant the Level 1 spell he had copied recently, Protection from Evil, over and over again in his heart.
At the same time, he was also mumbling to himself, “Please don’t kiss me. Please don’t kiss me.” 5
He didn’t have any spell slots, so he couldn’t actually cast any spells, but he was just trying anything he could think of.
Zhao Xu had been involved in a battle against the demons of the Abyss and Hell, and he knew that creatures like demons were able to morph themselves into beautiful and pitiful looking young ladies, and would use this sad and pitiful look to fool men.
He had a comrade who had been attracted to one such demon. He had dropped from Level 5 to zero, and his body rotted away on the spot.
“How very interesting. I’ll be waiting for you in the future.” 2
That voice sounded like a holy, ethereal chant.
Zhao Xu didn’t move because of that voice. Slowly, he started to feel the coldness of the metal throne on his butt again.
“Open your eyes, the ceremony is over.”
Zhao Xu was about to listen to that voice when he suddenly shuddered violently and cursed himself for being stupid.
Antonya was still using telepathy on him moments ago, so why would he now hear her voice in front of him?
These demons were really excellent at morphing themselves. They even sounded exactly like Antonya’s voice. 1
But Zhao Xu didn’t make any sarcastic comments at the other party.
He continued to guard his heart and mind with all sorts of determined thoughts.
“Am I really going to get shown up by an idiot like you?”
This time, he heard Antonya’s voice from within him.
Soon after, Zhao Xu felt someone grab his hand and he felt the warmth from that person’s palm.
The familiar feeling of being teleported entered his heart and he chose to accept it.
Zhao Xu only finally opened his eyes after the feeling of being teleported had fully worn off.
He looked out at the vast and boundless sky.
“The Obelisk.”
“This is the highest point of the floating city.”
Antonya said these words as she appeared next to him.
“But before we go and see the battles, tell me what you saw earlier.”