People couldn’t help but express their amazement at the sudden appearance of a massive tree overnight. This phenomenon was beyond any explanation by modern magic. Historians began to focus their research on whether this event was related to the treasure room.
Rani, who knew the reason behind this phenomenon, decided to write a thesis about the history of the great witch Estella and the hero Zadrot. Yuric supported her idea, calling it a good thought.
Rani stayed two more days in that place, meticulously investigating the treasure room and the tree, before returning to the city by carriage.
For her, this experience was an unforgettable memory and moment in her life, likely marking a significant milestone.
Nature had already entered the full season of autumn.
During their return journey to the coastal city of Bardran, Yuric continuously taught Rani about history. They spent much time together, building a deep friendship and shared memories.
When the expedition arrived in Bardran, it was late autumn with quite chilly winds. The city, which had just ended its harvest festival, still had remnants of the celebration.
Upon safely returning his daughter, Baron Ollinger recognized the expedition’s efforts and bestowed additional rewards. Thanks to this, Yuric’s purse became quite substantial.
After three months, Yuric warmly embraced the jack-of-all-trades from the stormy hill of Britant.
“How did things go?”
“They went very well.”
Yuric detailed the events at Britant to Tornerel, who was very interested in the mysterious phenomena. Tornerel kept exclaiming “Oh!” in amazement, listening intently to Yuric’s story.
If it were something that could be moved, Tornerel would surely have taken possession of it and stored it in his bag warehouse.
“By the way, I found this very interesting to read these past few months.”
During the three months that Yuric was away, Tornerel focused on reading and researching the diary of the great witch Estella.
The diary received a new item number, 95, which was symbolic as it was the first item Yuric brought into the warehouse.
Yuric, after a long absence, came into the warehouse, fondling his cane and spirits with affection. They circled around him for a while, as if complaining about his tardiness. Seeing this, Tornerel chuckled.
“It’s amazing every time I see it. You just watch it…”
“If you stroke them with respect and affection, they like it.”
Hearing this, Tornerel felt again that Yuric was the only person capable of inheriting his warehouse.
Yuric framed a picture of the two trees and hung it in the warehouse. Tornerel nodded approvingly upon seeing it.
Yuric spent late nights reading Estella’s diary in the warehouse before going back to bed. The next morning, he visited the Baron’s estate early.
He had history lessons with Miss Rani and then headed to the Baron’s warehouse for the first time. Located in the basement of the castle, it was naturally heavily guarded.
Whether the Baron had given prior notice or not, the guards promptly opened the warehouse door as he approached.
The underground warehouse of the Oligner family, with its centuries of magical heritage, was quite spacious, feeling like a few of Dural’s warehouses put together.
Most of the items in the warehouse were magical books. The thousands of magical books made Yuric understand why Miss Rani often visited this place.
Yuric spent some time browsing through the books and then examined magical artifacts. Colorful magical devices, canes, and cloaks filled with dust were displayed. Occasionally, there were objects whose nature was completely unknown.
Empty ink bottles, quills made from the feathers of unknown beasts, old stringed instruments, artistic bowls, ancient paintings, oddly shaped mushrooms…
Amidst this, Yuric discovered a small box in a corner. It was a metal chest locked with magic. Upon inspecting it, he found it sealed with an incredibly complex circuit.
“What could be inside?”
Moreover, the circuit used an ancient method not seen in modern times. Instead of a single spell, multiple spells were intricately intertwined.
“If forced open, it would explode.”
While the sealing spell seemed strong enough to resist most attacks, forcing it open without breaking the seal would certainly result in the destruction of its contents. It appeared to be some kind of device created by an ancient mage.
Realizing this, Yuric knew it wasn’t something that could be solved in a day or two. Even the circuit diagrams were unfamiliar.
“This is really complicated.”
Even for most mages, this would be too difficult to even start. However, Yuric was ignited with a renewed desire for challenge.
He carried the metal chest out of the warehouse. The baron had said he could take anything from the warehouse, so the guards didn’t stop him.
When Yuric appeared with the box under his arm, Tornerel asked what it was.
“I found this in the Oligner family’s underground warehouse. It seems to contain something, but the lock is incredibly complex.”
“Oh?”
“It will take a lot of time and study to unlock it.”
Yuric’s expertise in circuitry had already surpassed that of professionals, making his statement indicate that the complexity of the circuit was unimaginable.
“If you need my help, let me know. I’ll assist you.”
“Understood.”
Thus, Yuric’s analysis of the magic began.
First, he started drawing each circuit from the metal chest onto paper. Surprisingly, the amount of circuitry in this small chest rivaled that of the boundary spells on the southern front.
Furthermore, it was estimated that there were five intertwined spells, all harmoniously mixed without conflict. Even the intricate combination of sealing and boundary spells in curse studies was surpassed by this.
In total, he drew fifteen sheets of circuit diagrams, densely packed with circuits.
Even Tornerel, who usually wouldn’t dare mention his name among experts, immediately whistled in awe. Though he expected it, this was more than he anticipated.
“Do you intend to analyze this alone?”
Even if one spent their whole life in the circuitry lab of the Mage Tower, it might not be enough. The circuits were tangled like ants crawling, and honestly, analyzing just one sheet would be a great discovery.
Indeed, Yuric believed this analysis would take quite some time due to the sheer volume of ancient circuits and spells involved.
Still, he was happy that he could expand his knowledge through this research.
Yuric spent mornings teaching Miss Rani and afternoons focusing on circuit analysis. Sometimes, when he felt frustrated, he would take a break to sketch the city and sea.
Late autumn quickly passed, giving way to a snowy winter.
Walking on a beach with snow falling, gazing at the vast, tranquil sea, Yuric often fell into deep contemplation. In those moments, the sound of waves faded away, and he felt like he was alone in a vast universe.
With a calm heart, Yuric returned to Tornerel’s bag.
He laughed, realizing he had become accustomed to the eerie atmosphere of the sealed curse. This must be why people say humans are animals of adaptation.
Yuric sat down at his desk and resumed circuit analysis, occasionally referring to the stacks of ancient magic books.
The interconnected circuits often revealed combinations that defied common sense. Sometimes, Yuric realized he could use such methods himself.
As circuits formed sets and these sets combined into larger ones, considering up to two or three levels for each circuit was frequent.
Every realization brought joy and excitement.
Magic was like the sea. The deeper one dove, the wider and more wondrous the world became.
Yuric dived deep into the sea of magic, exploring its depths.
Over time, his analysis speed increased. He became more adept at navigating this complex web.
Of course, Yuric did not neglect learning dragon tongue magic and the earth dragon Alaldur.
Actually, dragon knights typically borrow a dragon’s mana to cast dragon tongue spells, but since Alaldur lacked a physical form, this wasn’t possible. Therefore, Yuric had to rely on his own mana for these spells.
Through prolonged study and training, he managed to speak short phrases. However, using incomplete spells consumed large amounts of mana, causing temporary exhaustion. The only solution was to become more proficient in dragon tongue magic and circulate more mana within his body.
Thus, a busy winter passed, and spring arrived, with buds sprouting on bare branches.
Yuric turned twenty-four years old.
