Chapter 114: The Druid's Dilemma
Drawing magic from the Earth this wasn't covered in the Book of Illusions...
Arthur subconsciously looked at Mousesack, hoping for some guidance.
But the old Druid merely narrowed his eyes, clearly intending not to help: "Use your heart to feel the ground beneath your feet. See how the magic in the soil differs from that in the water veins."
Arthur closed his eyes, his mental power plunging directly into the earth below, like the root system of a tree. Perhaps due to the Forest Speaker's blessing, this process went unexpectedly smoothly.
The Earth responded to Arthur's exploration with a welcoming rhythm, and a sight he had never witnessed unfolded in his spiritual vision: The soil beneath his feet was no longer simply pitch black but had transformed into an ocean composed of countless points of light. They clustered together, slowly contracting and expanding, seemingly welcoming Arthur's arrival.
This, he realized, must be the magical particles the Treants and Druids speak of.
Unlike the magic in water veins, which had limits to its range, the magic within the Earth seemed infinite. Wherever his mental power extended, the points of light stretched to meet it.
"Did you see it?" Mousesack's voice, close to his ear, sounded pleased.
Arthur nodded repeatedly. He had never imagined the Earth's magic could be so vast.
It's strange. Why do sorcerers neglect such a widespread source of magic and insist on seeking out water veins?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Mousesack spoke: "Curious why so few sorcerers use this power, yes? You can try it yourself."
Arthur followed the method he used when drawing magic from water veins, concentrating his mental power to try and capture the points of light in the Earth. Considering the extreme abundance of magical particles in the ground, Arthur intentionally reduced the intensity of the capture to avoid injury.
However, the Earth's magical particles reacted completely differently from those in water veins. Instead of surging into Arthur's body, they clustered together even more tightly. No matter how much Arthur increased his mental output, he couldn't move them even slightly.
"Hee hee hee. The Earth's magic isn't so easily captured!"
It wasn't until beads of sweat began to appear on Arthur's forehead from the effort that Mousesack finally began to guide him, his voice becoming soothing and peaceful:
"Try to open your mind. Imagine you are lying on a spring lawn. The sunlight is neither too weak nor too strong, just warm enough to feel cozy, with the soft grass tickling your face."
Arthur took a deep breath and opened his mind to the Earth, following the Druid's guidance.
Then, a miraculous scene occurred:
The points of light that had been unmoving against his forceful capture now swarmed toward Arthur's mental presence, like a devoted follower rushing toward a goddess's smile. His magical reserves instantly increased by a fifth.
At this point, the second difference between Earth magic and water vein magic emerged once the abundance dropped to a certain level, no matter how much Arthur tried to 'coax' them, the magical particles remained still, as if they had entered a state of quiet contemplation.
Arthur opened his eyes. Mousesack's face before him looked increasingly kind: "What are your insights?"
"The Earth's magic seems impossible to capture through mental force; one must rely on attracting it to come willingly," Arthur said thoughtfully, then added: "I feel that the magical particles in the Earth are much purer than those in the water veins!"
But what did this have to do with Mousesack's question about whether 'Nature is truly natural'?
Facing Arthur's confusion, the old Druid calmly stated:
"Right now, there should be at least two types of magic coexisting within your body that which you drew from the water vein, and that which the Earth gifted you."
"Now, try casting any non-offensive spell using the water vein magic."
Is he setting up a control experiment?
Arthur instinctively cast the first formal spell he had learned the Illumination Spell. As the short, few-byte incantation was completed, a ball of light appeared in Arthur's palm, hovering quietly in the air, its glow soft and bright this was cast using water vein magic.
"Remember the appearance of this light sphere. Now, use an equal portion of the other type of magic and cast the same spell once more."
Arthur nodded and chanted the spell again. Another ball of light materialized, floating quietly beside the first one.
"Casting two spells simultaneously, what a remarkable gift for mental discipline. This makes things simpler." Mousesack offered a slight compliment, then raised his staff, pointing it at the two spheres in the air: "Can any of you discern a difference?"
"Who couldn't see the difference!" Zoltan spoke quickly, pointing at the second sphere: "The second one that appeared is clearly dimmer and dissipates faster are you saying the Earth magic is less durable?"
"That is not it," Koglgrim tapped the dwarf's shoulder, motioning for him to look down at their feet.
Around the sphere powered by the Earth's magic, the tiny blades of grass that had just sprouted were visibly lengthening and growing taller this process continued until the sphere completely dissipated.
"The Illumination Spell cast with Earth magic promotes plant growth!"
"I suspect that is why the second sphere dissipated so quickly the magic inside was absorbed by the plants!"
Arthur's breathing became heavier. He had only intended to inquire about the Conjunction of the Spheres, yet he had stumbled upon the key to helping trees ascend the Forest Speaker Magic the Treants spoke of was, in fact, purified Earth magic!
Mousesack nodded: "Logically, regardless of whether the magical particles are extracted from a water vein or the Earth, after being refined by the caster, their effects should be identical. Yet, what do we observe? The exact same spell, merely by utilizing different types of magic, produces distinct results. This contradicts our common knowledge."
"What does this suggest?"
Arthur reached for Dandelion's teapot and summoned a few water spheres to soothe his parched throat. Just minutes ago, he was merely a moderately talented magic apprentice. Now, he was discussing what might be the greatest mystery in the magical world.
Mousesack's facial wrinkles deepened, making him look instantly decades older:
"It suggests that the fundamental magical particles of our world were artificially altered a long, long time ago."
"The Earth's magic excels at growth and defense; Water vein magic is best for healing and flexibility; Air magic is vast and subtle; and Fire magic, ha, possesses unparalleled offensive power."
"By utilizing these four distinct types of magical particles, even a caster of mediocre talent can easily cast the required spells. But for those with truly exceptional aptitude, this setup is a shackle any attempt to advance further is destined to fail before the intrinsic properties of the magical particles themselves."
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