Lina Jones blinked and tentatively asked, "If you have access to a warhorse like this, could it be that you're from the military? And that's why you have a robe similar to those of the Nine Provinces Alliance?"
"Oh?"
Dean Bruce raised an eyebrow, realizing he had just gained a significant piece of information.
The military's attire resembled that of the Nine Provinces Alliance!
What was the relationship between the two factions? Were they allies or enemies?
This thought made Dean Bruce's expression grow more serious.
He had initially intended to deal with the Nine Provinces Alliance only to seek out information about his parents. But now, it seed that more and more powerful forces were becoming entangled in the situation.
Fortunately, the faction backing Alita Miller clearly opposed the Nine Provinces Alliance, and though the Temple of Wisdom had dealings with the alliance, their relationship wasn't particularly strong.
With this in mind, Dean Bruce realized he wasn't entirely surrounded by enemies. Otherwise, he might have had to curse the heavens for his luck!
"Am I wrong?"
Lina Jones pondered for a mont before speaking again. "I've never heard your na before, and you don't have the aura of soone with faith, so you're definitely not from any of the major temples."
"Plus, when you dealt with those mbers of the Nine Provinces Alliance earlier, you didn't hold back at all, so you're certainly not one of them. In fact, it seems like you've made enemies with them..."
"Could it be that you're from the Magic Guild? That would explain how you know such powerful magic!"
Hearing this, Dean Bruce flashed a bright smile.
It was true—people can be useful in unexpected ways.
Dean Bruce hadn't anticipated that just by chatting with Lina Jones, he would uncover two extrely valuable pieces of information!
The Nine Provinces Alliance had ties to the military, and they were enemies of the Magic Guild!
[he enemy of my enemy is my friend, Dean Bruce thought. It seems I need to find a way to establish contact with the Magic Guild. That'll make it much easier to deal with the Nine Provinces Alliance.]
While outwardly pretending to listen to Lina Jones as she continued to guess his identity, Dean Bruce's mind raced with new thoughts. [t first glance, the power structure of this magical world seems simple, but in reality, it's branched into several complex factions. I'll need to tread carefully.]
[s it stands now, the military likely refers to the top layer of the empire's military structure. Though large, the army has already been divided among the city lords, becoming their private militias. Only the legion at the imperial capital is probably still fully under the empire's control.]
[nd if there's a Magic Guild, is there also a Warriors' Guild? A Swordsn's Guild? An Alchemists' Guild? Are they independent, or do they overlap with each other?]
[s for the temples, no need to overthink it. Each temple is likely a rival to the others, competing for people's religious devotion. Any temple that opposes the Nine Provinces Alliance can probably be brought over to my side as well.]
Dean Bruce, being from the modern world, had a bit of a personal hero streak but also a major flaw—laziness.
Why not gather so allies, recruit a few underlings, and let them handle the simple tasks? Wouldn't that be much more enjoyable?
If he had to do everything himself, he'd be exhausted in no ti!
While Dean Bruce's mind was racing with these thoughts, Lina Jones, on the other hand, was growing increasingly frustrated, guessing wrong over and over again until she was nearly driven to the point of ntal exhaustion.
"Dean… What faction are you from?"
Lina finally gave up, exasperated. "I've practically guessed every power across the continent, and you haven't reacted at all! It's clear you're not affiliated with any of them. But how did you, all by yourself, reach such a level of power?"
"Powerful magic or advanced cultivation techniques—they all co from legacies. You don't just get them easily!"
"And if you were a noble… ever since I joined the Temple of Wisdom, I've read many ancient records, and I've never once co across the na Bruce tied to any powerful figure. So, it can't be that your family has such a long-lasting legacy."
Sensing Lina's chaotic thoughts, Dean Bruce chuckled softly and said, "Actually, I co from another continent. I grew tired of everything in that world, so I crossed the seas to co here."
"I was hoping to live as an ordinary teacher, but as you can see, it seems that trouble still finds ."
"What? You're from another continent?"
"Oh my! Every continent is separated by death zones—areas so dangerous they're almost impassable. Only those who've reached the peak, like saints, or those with rare treasures can traverse them. So, you must be…"
Lina's eyes widened, and suddenly, she leaned in closer to Dean Bruce, a pleading look in her eyes as she asked, "Could you teach a more powerful and easier-to-learn magic spell? The one you taught before… I'm completely lost. I can't grasp it at all!"
Hearing this, Dean Bruce couldn't help but twitch a little. The reason he had taught Lina that spell in the first place was because, as the designated saintess of the Temple of Wisdom, he had assud she would have remarkable talent and would quickly master it.
He never expected that Lina's understanding of the spell would be even worse than Lucy Michelle's.
Could it be poor talent?
Impossible. If Lina had poor talent, she never would've been selected as the designated saintess of the Temple of Wisdom!
There was only one explanation: the so-called "spell" he had taught her was actually a series of deep philosophical quotes. Mastering them didn't depend on innate talent but on whether the individual had enough imagination to rge those words with the magical theories of this world.
Upon realizing this, Dean Bruce couldn't help but let out a long sigh, his face showing clear frustration.
If this was indeed the case, finding a disciple or teaching students would be incredibly difficult. Even if he managed to talk them into it, not many would be able to grasp the concepts he was sharing.
Dean Bruce could only hope that Lina Jones' inability to comprehend the magic was because it wasn't suited to her, and not for so other reason. Otherwise, his quest to earn Supre Mage points would beco even harder.
Sensing Dean's visible disappointnt, Lina Jones grew nervous. She cautiously asked, "Dean, are you really disappointed in ? How about you try teaching a simpler spell?"
"…"
Dean Bruce glanced at Lina Jones, not inclined to refuse outright. He decided to treat it as another experint.
If Lina still couldn't grasp the spell, it would confirm that he'd need to find people with particularly unconventional minds to teach—or rather, to persuade into learning magic.
However, if she could learn this new spell, it would an that even when he was "persuading," he'd need to align his teachings with the student's way of thinking for them to succeed.
With this thought in mind, Dean Bruce said calmly, "I'll teach you another spell, but this is your last chance. If you still can't understand it, then it ans our paths weren't ant to cross."
"Got it, got it." Lina Jones nodded eagerly, grinning. "But before we get into that, let's head to my house. Once we're there, you can tell what you want! Oh, by the way, the Divine Descent magic scroll is unavailable. If you were hoping to get that, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until we return to Saint Laurent City."
"While Divine Descent magic scrolls aren't the rarest treasures, they can only be produced in the imperial capitals or cities like Saint Laurent, where people have the ability to make them."
Dean Bruce wasn't disappointed in the slightest, as the Divine Descent magic scroll was never his true goal. He mounted Firebolt, then extended his hand to help Lina Jones up as well, pulling her into the saddle with him.
Feeling Dean Bruce's warm embrace, Lina's face didn't turn red this ti, but her heart was racing uncontrollably, her emotions brimming with excitent.
The more she interacted with Dean, the more she felt that he was an enigma. Add to that his good looks and the fact that he had saved her life, and Lina found herself increasingly drawn to him.
Dean Bruce didn't pay much attention to Lina Jones' thoughts. He simply had her guide the way as they rode Firebolt at a slow pace.
In this world, although there were no rules against riding mounts within the city, the streets were rougher compared to modern tis. Going too fast could easily lead to accidents.
Besides, Lina's family hadn't fallen from grace—they still resided in the city. There was no need for him to rush.
Once they had put so distance between themselves and the Temple of Wisdom, Dean Bruce finally spoke in a low voice, "The reason I sought you out was because I have a question. If you can clear up my confusion, I promise to give my all in this little performance."
Lina Jones straightened up and asked, "What's the question?"
"I want to know how you opened the entrance to the Lulu Ruins earlier. Do all Relics share the sa unlocking principle?"
Dean Bruce's tone grew more serious as he continued, "Is it a matter of requiring a specific type of power, or is there so special thod?"
"Huh? You wanted to ask about that?"
Lina Jones looked at him with surprise, then softly said, "With your level of strength, don't tell you've never been to a Relic before? How could you not know sothing like that?"
Dean Bruce calmly replied, "Didn't I tell you? I co from another continent, and in that world, there are no Relics."
Hearing this, Lina nodded slightly, her suspicions now quelled. She spoke softly, "This is easy enough to explain. Since you're helping with the performance, I'm definitely going to reward you."
After a brief pause, Lina began to explain, "The thod for unlocking Relics is actually the sa across the board. It's just that different people use different techniques. What you saw doing—praying—was just a way to focus pure energy to activate the spatial gateway hidden within the pool."
"It doesn't matter what technique you use, as long as you can channel the right kind of energy to activate the spatial passageway, the entrance to the Relics will open."
"For Relics that are more ordinary and exist in our own world, it's even simpler. You just need to break through whatever barrier is restricting access, and you'll be able to enter."
Reviews
All reviews (0)