CHAPTER 199: SACRED ARCHIVES (2)

Adrian was surprised to find out that the System was capable of translation. It was a function he was grateful for because of the possibilities it opened up.

But then his mind shifted to the cost. Five thousand Tech Points. His immediate thought was to analyze the value proposition. How valuable was a Transcendent spellbook? He had no market data.

He didn’t know how many of them were available in the entire world, though he suspected the number was small. It was a complete mystery. ’I should ask Nyra about this later,’ he thought, making a mental note.

He ignored the thoughts and focused on the notification. Did he want to spend 5,000 TP on a fire spell he couldn’t even use? It hurt him a bit to let go of his precious TP for something with no direct combat application for himself.

But the value of the knowledge itself was a price worthy of being paid. He accepted the decision.

The moment he confirmed, the contents of the book appeared in his head, not as a jumble of alien script, but perfectly translated into a language he could understand.

He repeated the same process with the next three books in their respective cases. There was one for each of the primary elements: a water affinity spellbook, a wind affinity spellbook, and an earth affinity one. Each cost the same amount to translate and catalog.

But the fifth and final book came as a profound shock to Adrian.

[Would you like to translate and catalog the Martial Technique, ’Thousand Starfall Volley’ for 5,000 TP?]

’Martial Technique?!’

If the existence of Transcendent spellbooks was a surprise, hearing of a book that could teach a Transcendent-level martial technique was an even more shocking revelation.

The norm in this world was that physical arts were to be passed down from master to student. The idea that a physical skill could be contained and taught by a book was a groundbreaking concept.

Adrian didn’t hesitate to accept immediately. The knowledge flooded his mind, the intricate theory of the technique settling in his head, waiting for him to access and begin the long process of learning it physically.

Unlike the [Lore Grasp] skill, the knowledge from a cataloged technique didn’t get instantly absorbed into his muscle memory; it provided the perfect blueprint, but he still had to build the house himself.

But what was most especially saddening was that even with how grand this realization was, the technique had almost no use to him.

After quickly checking the content for himself, Adrian found out that it was an archery technique of the highest order. And he wasn’t an archer.

He couldn’t even consider adapting the technique to his mana gun, because its core principles were intrinsically linked to the physical draw, anchor, and release of a bowstring.

Adrian stepped back from the case, his work with the mysterious books now done. Nyra was looking at him expectantly. "So, did you find anything useful?"

"Yes, I did. But before that, have you ever heard of Transcendent spellbooks?"

He could see a puzzled look on Nyra’s face as she shook her head.

"No, of course not," she explained, as if stating a simple fact of nature. "Such things don’t exist. Transcendent mages are those who have reached the pinnacle of their element. They no longer need to rely on the rigid structure of spells. They can control their elemental mana freely, experimenting and shaping it with their will to perform some feat. There is no spellbook for them, because their every action is a unique spell of their own creation."

Adrian nodded his head slowly. Her explanation made perfect sense in the context of this world’s understanding of magic. It also made his next statement all the more world-shattering. He didn’t plan on hoarding the information for himself:

"The five books in these cases are all Transcendent-level. Four of them are spellbooks for the four main elements. The fifth is a martial technique."

"And from my knowledge of the contents, what they teach is far from simple."

"You can understand them?" Nyra asked right away. "How?!"

"Yes, I can. It came as a surprise to me as well." he replied honestly.

Nyra had a puzzled look on her face, her mind trying to connect the impossible dots. She eventually let out a long sigh.

"I wish I could understand it as well. A spell like that would be incredibly useful if any of us ever manage to break through to that level."

"There’s actually a way for me to share the spells with you," Adrian decided to say after some thoughts. "But you would have to learn it yourself if you ever reach that level."

Nyra’s eyes lit up once again with hope. "Really? How is that possible?"

"It’s more complicated than you think," Adrian replied. "My abilities allow me to transfer spellbooks directly to people who are... marked by me."

"Marked?"

"It’s a Soul Imprint. A bond I can form with those I trust implicitly. It has advantages, but also some very serious disadvantages."

He went on to explain what it meant to become his Vassal.

He expected her to be hesitant and weigh the loss against the benefits. Instead, Nyra looked at him with a strange, clever glint in her eye.

"Would you take extreme hot weather over extreme cold?" she asked all of a sudden.

Adrian was completely baffled by the question’s irrelevance. But he decided to annoy her by being logical.

"Well, both extremes present significant challenges. However, mitigating extreme heat would require lesser energy expenditure over staving off extreme cold." He paused for a moment.

"I don’t know what that has to do with my question, but I guess hot isn’t bad."

Nyra’s clever smile instantly vanished, and she brought her palm to her face.

"Ugh! You...!" she groaned from behind her hand. "Any normal person would have just said they prefer cold weather! Who likes being sweaty over being cool?"

She dropped her hand and looked at him with a frustrated pout.

"My point was going to be that my decision to accept your offer was as simple and obvious as the answer to that question. But you had to go and ruin it!" She sighed dramatically.

"Fine. Yes. My answer is yes. Now are you going to mark me?"

Adrian let out an amused laugh as a result of her reaction, before replying, "Alright, alright. This might take a while."

Thirty minutes later, after a process far more gentle than the one Karl had endured, a notification pinged in Adrian’s mind.

[Soul Imprint Successful!]

[Your connection with the Vassal ’Nyra’ has been established.]

[Vassals: 8/10]

Nyra opened her eyes, which were now sparkling with an even greater intensity.

"Is this it?" she gasped, clenching and unclenching her fists. "It’s amazing! I feel... I feel so much stronger! Like the mana in the air is actively trying to flow into me. I want to try cultivating right now!"

Adrian wasn’t surprised by her reaction. "That’s your mana core being strengthened, and unlocking more of your potential," he said with a small smile. "So, before I send you the spellbooks, I need to know. What’s your elemental affinity?"

He saw Nyra’s smile turn into a wide, proud grin, filled with a hint of playful arrogance. "Oh, you know," she said casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Have you ever heard of penta-affinity?"