Chapter 4: Spell

"A great transmigrated spellcaster offers his deepest sympathy to those who will come after."

After concluding his meditation, Shaoke selected a quill and began recording in Chinese on his Spell Record his summary of the magic practice just completed, along with his insights during the spellcasting. Such record-keeping is part of a mage's daily routine. Every mage sets aside a period during their busy day to use a quill, brush, carving knife... various tools to write characters imbued with magic or mental energy onto parchment, diaries, or even stone slabs, inscribing their reflections and summaries of today's spells and battles.

As these records are often not particularly formal, neat, or orderly, most mages refer to them as "Spell Records." They are typically carried on one's person or kept in one's residence.

Shaoke's Spell Record consists of dozens of thin sheets of parchment connected together, about thirty centimeters wide. Most of it has already been used. Whenever it is nearly full, he takes another sheet of parchment and attaches it to the blank end using a special magical adhesive. Usually, he rolls both ends together and stores it in a pouch he carries with him. Of course, this pouch also contains some daily reading materials, writing implements, and other items.

Compared to these Spell Records, another type of record possesses the advantages of neatness, clarity, order, and clear categorization. This is what most mages consider the most precious thing in a mage's life: the "spellbook." Although called a book, its form varies from person to person. Some are made in the style of scrolls, others are crafted as wooden slips, stone slabs, shields, or vambraces. In short, they are not only bizarre in shape but also distinctive in the materials used—ranging from high-quality paper, various parchments, wooden strips, and stone slabs, to some mages even using various special, precious materials to create strange types of paper.

However, no matter how peculiar these spellbooks may be, they all share one trait: they are written in obscure scripts the mage believes others cannot decipher. Some particularly eccentric mages even use characters they have created themselves to replace standard writing, ensuring that others cannot easily understand or interpret their spellbooks, even after the mage's death.

These spellbooks record, using various scripts and symbols, the incantations, structure, formation, principles of a spell, as well as the accompanying meditation, the language used for chanting, and gestures. A spellbook can only be created once an apprentice officially becomes a mage. Of course, this book records all the spells the mage knows, the spells they have transcribed, and their unique spellcasting techniques. Therefore, it is protected with extreme secrecy and is also the primary basis for exchanges between mages.

Besides the two types of magical records mentioned above, there is a third, most rigorous type of magical record. However, that can only be written upon reaching the level of Archmage. In addition to recording the spells found in a spellbook, it also includes self-created spells, spellcasting techniques, chanting techniques, meditation methods, as well as various secrets and legends. Such records are mostly inscribed on precious metals using ancient magical scripts or special scripts and symbols to ensure long-term preservation. They are usually equipped with various magical traps and mental traps. They generally serve as the inheritance artifacts of Archmages and are known as: the Crystallization of a Mage.

What Shaoke is currently recording is the most common type: the Spell Record. His Spell Record is written in the Chinese characters of his homeland. He always believes that since he transmigrated here, this script is appearing in this world for the first time. Even if other mages are immensely knowledgeable, it is impossible for them to recognize Chinese characters—unless descendants of previous transmigrators existed before him, in which case they might recognize it. This maximizes the protection of his Spell Record from being interpreted by others. Another reason is: he hopes that if future transmigrators have the chance to see the spellbook he writes, it might offer them some help. Because through his long journey of magical study, Shaoke has finally come to understand how unrealistic the events depicted in those novels are. Therefore, on the title page of his Spell Record, he writes: "A great transmigrated spellcaster offers his deepest sympathy to those who will come after." Of course, perhaps tens of thousands of years later, it is not impossible for a wretched transmigrator to purchase our mage's book from a street stall.

As Shaoke writes, he slowly channels the magic power within his body through the special ink, infusing it into each Chinese character, to ensure these characters will not fade or deteriorate over the next ten thousand years, and also to prevent others from stealing and studying them.

Generally speaking, if non-magical individuals view records written by mages, the consequences range from burning their eyes to destroying their minds, leaving them in a state of idiocy. Mages all learn a compulsory spell: "Magic Deciphering." This spell is used to interpret most magical books. The prerequisite for using this spell to interpret those magical books is: to recognize and be able to read the script. When using the deciphering spell, reading each character consumes three to five times the magical and mental energy the writer infused when recording that character. Of course, deciphering magical traps consumes even more of the caster's spirit and magic power. Therefore, interpreting the Spell Record of a high-level mage is quite time-consuming.

In the wooden hut lit by beeswax candles, only the soft sound of writing rustled occasionally. Just as Shaoke was writing, suddenly the alarm spell outside transmitted a signal of being triggered. He hurriedly put down the quill, grabbed the staff beside him, and began a rapid, low chant. The rather short incantation of over thirty syllables was quickly completed. This was a follow-up zero-level spell used in conjunction with the external alarm spell array: "Truth of the Night." This spell is often used together with the external alarm spell "Eyes of the Night." When a person, object, or creature specified by the caster enters the alarm range, the "Eyes of the Night" spell transmits a series of special magical vibrations to alert the caster. Then, the caster uses "Truth of the Night" to form an air mirror about twenty centimeters in size to display the object that triggered the spell. Subsequently, based on the intruder, the caster makes the appropriate spell choice.

Through the spell, Shaoke saw that the visitor was a squad leader from the town's garrison. He then felt relieved. At least it wasn't one of those detestable magical beasts. Although most of the magical beasts in the surrounding area had been hunted down, there were still occasional stragglers, so precautions had to be taken.

Putting away his staff, he sat back on the bed, quietly waiting for the visitor's arrival. Soon, a series of rhythmic, powerful footsteps sounded outside the door, steadily approaching the mage's dwelling. The visitor reached the door, steadied his slightly hurried breathing, straightened his clothes, which were disheveled from the hasty journey, and then gently knocked on the smooth birchwood door. After a brief pause, he lowered his voice: "Honored Mage, soldier Chake greets you!" After a moment, the mage's voice came from the small hut: "What is it, Chake? Why aren't you maintaining order in the town? Come in and speak."

"Honored Mage, thank you for your invitation." Chake thanked the mage for the invitation in a suppressed, tense tone, hurriedly straightened his less-than-clean military uniform again, stomped the mud and snow off his leather boots on the stone slab in front of the door, took off his helmet, held it in his left arm, and only then pushed open the door to the mage's dwelling—a place these soldiers greatly desired to enter. Even these simple wooden huts were the same. At least, in their eyes, they had only seen their stern battalion commander visit another mage's residence before. Even though he stayed for only a short time, Chake and the other soldiers were extremely envious of their captain's good fortune. Chake now felt he had something to boast about to his comrades. Of course, all of this was thanks to the mage's gracious invitation and the captain's assignment.

"Honored Mage, thank you for your gracious invitation." Accompanied by a creaking sound, Chake entered the mage's dwelling, bringing with him a gust of cold mist. The owner of the wooden hut sized up the hurried guest: about 1.8 meters tall, holding a leather helmet in his arms, a small hand shield and a long one-handed sword hanging from his waist, wearing a pair of long leather boots that were relatively clean, with no mud or snow brought in. His resolute face was flushed red in the cold weather, and his large mouth was tightly shut, as if no secret could escape from it.

After entering, the soldier quickly closed the door to prevent the cold airflow from rushing into the mage's room. Then, he respectfully walked to Shaoke's bedside, placed his right arm across his chest, knelt on one knee, and saluted: "Honored Mage, two mages have arrived in the town. They possess the military's border stationing orders. The battalion commander received them and dispatched three of us squad leaders to invite the three mages to verify their authenticity."

Shaoke immediately understood. "You may return first. Inform the battalion commander that I will be there shortly." Chake stole another glance at the furnishings in the mage's room. Even though he couldn't see everything clearly, it still made him quite excited. After bidding farewell to the mage with another salute, he hurriedly braved the severe cold back to the not-so-distant town to report the completion of his task to the battalion commander as soon as possible. As for whom he would boast to later and how he would boast about it, that was not something he could consider now.