The Book Eating Magician - Chapter 235

Chapter 235

Chapter 235 – Old Books Maniac Heinrich (3)

The transaction between the two bibliophiles reached a satisfactory end .

One was a magician, and the other a scholar . There were many differences in their jobs, but their desire for new knowledge was the same .

Regardless of how expensive they were, the balance between ‘books which had been read’ and ‘new books’ tilted toward the latter . They were books which hadn’t been seen in Kargas, and there was no doubt that the translations of the books were perfect .

Starting from the Book of Clouds, dozens of books were traded .

It was a barter which was based on thoroughly subjective standards, completely disregarding financial standards . If there were a merchant in this place, they would’ve squeezed their own head .

Every time one exchange was made, one side lost money . The amount lost was several hundred gold . Nevertheless, the two people made the exchange without any hesitation .  There was an unspoken consensus that this was okay .

‘This grandfather, isn’t he a good match for me?’

‘It is rare for there to be a young man like this…’

Theodore and Heinrich felt a sense of kinship with each other . They were willing to throw away money if it was a book they wanted .  They craved knowledge from the bundle of old papers because their spirits couldn’t be satisfied with their current knowledge .

This kinship crossed the age difference of almost 50 years, and they spoke like they had known each other for a long time .

“Sir Theodore . ”

In the end, the sun headed to the west, and the blue sky became dark . After a few hours, the two men moved from the secret library to the reception room .

Heinrich felt a deep affinity with Theodore and offered an unprecedented proposal, “If you don’t mind, would you like to stay overnight? I live alone except for the servants, so there are quite a few rooms left . It should be enough for a short stay . ”

“Well, I haven’t found accommodations yet . ”

Due to his circumstances, Theodore tried not to reveal himself as much as possible . Therefore, it was hard to find a good place to stay at sunset .  In that case, it would be better for Theodore to accept Heinrich’s offer . “I will accept your goodwill, Sir Heinrich . ”

“Haha! I am honored to have a ‘hero’ stay overnight . Tell me if you need anything . ” Heinrich gave a laugh and clapped his hands . Then a maid waiting outside entered, and Heinrich told her, “This is a precious guest . Please guide him to the room on the third floor and make sure he doesn’t feel uncomfortable . ”

“Yes, I will do so . ”

“Ah, what do you want to do for dinner?”

Theodore didn’t have a great obsession with food, so he just ordered lightly, “I’ll have a simple meal in the bedroom . I spent a few days in the carriage, so I just want to rest . ”

“Oh, I was being rude again . ”

“No, I also had a great time . ”

The two people finished their goodbyes and got up from their seats . Then the maid naturally turned around .  Theodore followed her into the corridor, where she spoke with a polite voice and attitude, “I will guide you to your bedroom . Should I move your carriage to the stables?”

“Ah, please do so . ”

“By the way, where is the driver? I will also give him a room . ”

“That’s okay . He has already left and will come back to the mansion tomorrow . ”

“Yes, then I will have the carriage put away . ”

Heinrich’s residence was rather large, but it was nothing compared to the royal palace and magic tower which Theodore was familiar with .  Shortly after speaking a few words with the maid, he was able to arrive at the bedroom .

“Then I will go now . Please pull the string from the ceiling when there is a problem,” the maid said and closed the door .

Theodore immediately threw himself onto the bed once he was alone .  It was because the carriage ride had been quite severe .

The shortest distance meant crossing over a mountainous road, not a paved road . No matter how good the carriage was, the wheels would jolt when they hit something . He had barely slept since it had been a few days’ worth of this . Moreover, he had motion sickness and dizziness as well .

However, the result made it all worthwhile .

“Even so, I didn’t think I would see the Book of Clouds . ”

In fact, Theodore had seen the Book of Clouds in the past .

There was no copy of it, but a manuscript was present in the white tower . The symbols and drawings were too difficult, and there were many passwords hidden in the words to show that other manuscripts were false .  At that time, Theodore hadn’t been able to understand half the contents . Then what about now?

‘Okay, I should try again . ’

He would set the goal of reaching 98% understanding by the time he reached Meltor .  Theodore made a pledge and opened the book . ‘I can do it somehow if I don’t give up!’

Then exactly 30 minutes later…

“What?”

He remembered it clearly . There had been high-level formulas and descriptions, as well as a magic power control which hadn’t allowed even a single leak . This had been close to the level of obsessive-compulsiveness, so it hadn’t been easy for Theodore to understand despite being in the 7th Circle .

However, Theodore opened and closed the Book of Clouds several times with confused eyes . It wasn’t because it was too difficult, but because it was the opposite .

“Why is it so easy?”

His understanding had originally been at 32%, and it was now already up to 97% . He just needed to read it once or twice more to go over 98% .  It was a great success, but Theodore felt no sense of accomplishment . He had spent less than half a day reading and his understanding was already at 97%? It was a phenomenon that was hard to understand .

The unfamiliar notions came easily to him, and the difficult formulas felt like simple arithmetic operations .  It was like he received knowledge from the gods—

‘Wait a minute, the gods?’

At that moment, Theodore recalled Aiolos’ Pocket which contained the divinity of the wind .  What if it raised not only his affinity with wind but his comprehension of magic as well? It was just an uncertain hypothesis, but it wasn’t a story without credibility .

Apart from talent, magicians had aptitudes to certain magic attributes . Theodore originally had little wind magic aptitude, but it was now sufficient with Aiolos’ Pocket .  However, Theodore shook his head and reached out his hand .

‘It is still just a hypothesis, no matter how I think about it . It would be faster to ask the party involved . ’

The criteria to eat a book was 95% understanding, and he had already reached that standard with the Book of Clouds .  Originally, Theodore would’ve anticipated it, but now he was filled with deep suspicion .

“Eat . ”

–You have brought me good quality food .

Gluttony had been awake from the moment it felt the Book of Clouds, so now it reached out its tongue .

Gulp .

The magic book, which had only two copies in the continent, disappeared .

[’Book of Clouds’ has been consumed . Your understanding is very high . ]

[Proficiency in wind magic has increased . The wind attribute affinity has reached its limit . In compensation, the level of skill proficiency will rise even further . ]

[You have acquired knowledge related to ‘meteorology . ’]

[An original copy has been consumed . Synchro rate will be checked with object name ‘Heathcliff’…It is judged to be a fine rate . Heathcliff has accepted your request . At his discretion, Heathcliff has approved the spiritual connection . ]

Theodore was laying in bed when his eyes darkened . His mind couldn’t withstand the separation of his consciousness and rejected it by making him faint .  In retrospect, it had been a long time since he had experienced Synchro . The authors of the recent original copies he had eaten were monsters, and they had refused the Synchro .

Surely a former tower master wasn’t common?

Theodore laughed a little bit as his consciousness disappeared .

*     *     *

He didn’t know when precisely his consciousness returned . Theodore opened his eyes and saw the landscape of the sky .

When he saw that he was lying on clouds, Theodore realized that this space was someone else’s imagery . Were clouds nothing more than mass of water vapor, or were they filled with hopes and dreams?

At that time, a loud voice spoke out from behind Theodore, “I understand your appreciation, but you are acting a bit impolite, my junior . ”

Theodore turned around at the voice and saw a middle-aged man in a white robe .  Once Synchro was established, one’s surface thoughts could be read .  Theodore was reminded of what he had forgotten and hurriedly bowed apologetically . “I’m sorry . ”

“Well, it’s okay . Anyway, I am a dead man, and you are a magician of the magic tower . You don’t need to be so formal . ”

“It is nothing, Senior . ”

Theodore looked at the senior before him .

Heathcliff had been a white tower master .  He had been a great magician of the 8th circle when he’d still been alive, and his reputation continued on to this day . Heathcliff might’ve left the magic towers, but he was still one of the great masters whom Meltor was proud of .

However, Heathcliff just chuckled as Theodore said this and waved his hands . “You… Aren’t you quite eloquent? I had no idea that I would hear such words after my death . I know that glory is useless, but it feels better than I thought . ”

According to rumors, Heathcliff had been famous as a playboy . He scratched his head like he wasn’t accustomed to such praise and sat next to Theodore .  Unlike the closed-off Orta with his mask and cold atmosphere, Heathcliff seemed like the type to get close to the first person he saw .

“Okay! Rejoice, Junior . I will give you three answers . ”

“Huh?”

“I know your first question, and I will answer it . ”

Theodore recalled his thoughts from before he ate the Book of Clouds and stared at Heathcliff .  He was doubtful, but Heathcliff really knew the answer .

Heathcliff began the explanation by raising his fingers with a cheerful expression, “As you know, divine power and magic reject each other, so you don’t know what effect divine power has . Isn’t that right?”

“…Yes, that’s right . ”

“I will say something before explaining . Divinity is a form of the circles and is one of the final destinations that magic can reach . It is a ‘power’ that can exert maximum strength in the material world . ”

Deities were the incarnations of this material world . Their power to defend the world was so great that they repelled the demons who invaded from outer space .  Their traces had disappeared when the Age of Mythology ended, but their impact lasted for thousands of years . Magic imitated that power .

“It is inferior, but a magician’s circles are like the deities in that they control the power of the material world . It is just that the scope and authority fall far behind . If I compare it to the power that an 8th Circle magician can exert, the gap is at least 3,000 times greater . ”

“3,000 times…”

“I’m not exaggerating, Junior . Even the dragon’s heart, which is far superior to circles, is 10 times less powerful than divinity . Divinity is literally the supreme authority that rules the material world . ” Heathcliff looked at Theodore with bright green eyes . “And you have two divinities . Is it called Aiolos? The god of wind… It is an incomplete divinity, but it still makes the 8th Circle look like a small trick . Once you reach the 9th Circle, you should be able to see through it, from the principles to the application . ”

Then the master of wind and the previous white tower master stopped speaking .

“Now, so let’s move on to the second thing . Is your heart ready?”

“…What are you saying?” Theodore asked with uneasily when he saw Heathcliff’s strange expression .

What was Theodore going to be told? Theodore endured patiently to the end, as Heathcliff finally opened his mouth .

“You… Aren’t you doing to die soon?”