- It is working well. - Gomes told Gabriel as soon as he could get up and fix his tight pants. - We have hosted the whole array through the burned areas. We just need to activate the rune by a secondary mana circle, as Silena told us.
- Do.
Gomes touched the Primary Circle of magic and the symbols rotated in different directions, each one to a different side. After a while it began to gradually disappear, without a trace.
- Even a sense suppressing symbol was used - commented Huggens next to Gabriel. Many Magi came to see such magic being implemented, and cheered in admiration. - It is a complicated thing, sir. It takes a lot of precision not to leave anything out.
- I understand.
Silena watched with her aunt farther away as anxiously as the others. She herself had seen in Orion's house how the rays behaved when the magic was activated. And seeing the reaction of those old men would be fun.
Adelaide noticed how her niece smiled, enjoying herself.
- This friend of yours is quite different, isn't he?
- You'll see, Auntie.
Gomes nodded, stepping away from Gabriel. The barrier expanded over the entire black part of the fields, like a transparent paper wrapping a food to be stored. And when the thin layer touched the other side, the darkness that permeated the ground cleared vaguely. Bright flakes began to emerge from the ground, rising up and clinging to the inside of the barrier.
- That's Lumos," Huggens said with conviction. - Gods, it is the oldest archaic symbol being used in a passive magic.
- Is it rare to happen? - Gabriel questioned, not really understanding.
- It is one of the most complex things in Common Arcanism. It requires a high understanding of Common Arcanism, Arcane Evolution and Arcanist Physics. - The Wizard had no happiness on his face, it was just surprise. - Incredible.
Gomes was also shocked. It was the first time he had seen the scorched ground lose its black color, replaced by a light brown. The bright flakes clinging to the inside of the barrier were exploding into hundreds of smaller and smaller ones. The force was gradually lost, returning to the ground. As they slowly collided, the earth sucked in the sphere of light and glowed.
A field of nearly two miles was bathed in a white color in the middle of the day, drawing the attention of farmers from afar, the residents of the Great House, and the soldiers on the battlements.
What they watched was a ground completely defeated by flames having a new beginning, one in which it shone brightly. And the rain.
The heavy drops began to come down. Gabriel stood in the same place, being greeted by them. Salles used one of the umbrellas to protect him, standing next to him. Gomes laughed alone with his hands on his waist, and the other Magi went through the magic so as not to get wet.
The rain squeezed, crashing against the barrier. With each drop that fell, the color purple appeared at the place of impact. For minutes, countless symbols, smaller than a finger, appeared to confront the nature of the heavens.
- The water is losing strength," Huggens said quickly. - It is being drained on the outside, converted on the inside, and strengthening Lumos. - He opened his mouth, having understood. - The other Archaic Symbols that were designed were just that.
- Even if someone uses an active magic, it will be converted to mana. - Gabriel could not help but smile as he saw his crop gaining strength and growing. - A passive spell like 'Accelerated Growth' takes how long to be completely used on a tree?
- Seven to nine years, sir. That depends on how much mana is going to be used.
- And if there is never a mana peak, how long does it last?
- Two years. - Huggens wasn't sure since he didn't study Arcane Evolution. - Light spells are only used to reshape open concepts, it is rare to see a passive magic being used on a large scale.
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Gabriel was still unsatisfied. Two years was too long, and yet it made no sense at all. Half of that crop would be ready for harvest in eight months. So it made no sense to wait that long.
- Mr. Gabriel Germaco.
The man turned around and stared at Silena Vidian, the newspaper woman. Unlike the others, she was not carrying an umbrella, with an elastic barrier around her, holding back the rain.
- This barrier, did he give it to you?
- As a gift. - She came closer. - The Professor asked me to warn you that once the magic is implanted, your crop should be renewed within a week. He studied the soil and said it should be watered every other day for a month, with a basic moisture of 3% Agrimal use fertilizer. When you are close to the corn browning and the rice swelling, cease the barrier, but do not deactivate the protective rune.
Gabriel took another small piece of paper from young Vidian.
- He did all this for us?
- The Professor helps those who helped him in the past. My coming here was for two reasons, to see my aunt and uncle, and also to tell him not to stop helping those in need in their most complicated moments. The Professor remembers everything and everybody. Don't forget that.
- If what you say is true, Silena Vidian, then I owe him a debt. - And he stared at her with gratification. - And to you.
Silena thanked him and said goodbye to her uncles. After this, she took her horse back to her home. She had been away for many days and needed to report back to Cairo Rent about what had happened.
I
Orion received his father at the end of the week on his doorstep. He was holding a small suitcase and came in a very different outfit from the one he usually wore, with a cape that covered half of his body up to his shins.
- Finally. - Oliver unloaded the suitcase and took a deep breath. - My leg is killing me.
- New clothes?
- I knew you were going to say something. - The old man grumbled after he entered. He went straight to the armchair, putting his legs up. - I never imagined that you would want to stay here doing nothing.
- First week on the job and already you want to leave? - Orion laughed. He went to the kitchen and returned with a cup of coffee and two rolls of bread he had prepared earlier. - Tell me how it went.
- I started with the bureaucracy, the whole centralized Arcanism thing. But, the Elder who took care of me was part of one of the Heirs, the same one you have been supporting.
- Silena?
- From her tone of voice, she didn't tell you anything about this. But, I guess it was expected. - Oliver took a sip of his coffee, sighing with relief. - There have been many complications because of the Germaco family. They wanted to study the rune that was implanted in the fields.
Orion was a little surprised. It was difficult for one family to want to dialogue with another because of Arcanism, even more so the Vidians, stuck in Fire School dogma for years.
- They said that the rune should not only be a Germaco possession, so they requested a direct meeting between the leaders of the two houses. According to Ernesto, the rune should be shared since it had enormous potential for plantations. I heard that within a week, the plantation that had been devastated was restored and is ready to be harvested.
- This was to be expected, I made the rune to always renew the soil.
- I knew it was you who did it, but why did you send Silena Vidian in your place? - Oliver drank more of his coffee. - If he could get direct support from them, he would have a little more freedom to produce his work.
Orio denied this, putting away his father's suitcase beside the living room closet.
- Silena already does this for me.
- And you trust her not to expose you?
- I trust her enough. But about the meeting, when is it going to happen?
- This weekend, at the Germaco house. They refused to go to the Vidians since it was a direct request from them. You know how the pride of the families counts at these times. By the way, this project that you developed, have you patented it?
- Cairo Rent did it for me during the week.
- Ah, Cairo. - A certain displeasure appeared on your father's face. - That old man.
- Keeping mages is not good, Dad. I won it from him for you, didn't I?
- Yes, but I still want to compete. I wish it was temporary, but every time I hear his name, I wonder what it would be like if I dueled today.
Your father's competitive spirit was always high, even more so after his defeat to Cairo Rent almost ten years ago. However, he always practiced, every single day. And as much as a duel did not take into account all the attributes of a Scholastic in relation to Arcanism, it was the only way to tell who was more adaptive than the other.
And Cairo Rent always beat Oliver Baker at that game.
- Moving to the subject of the Germaco again, did you make some kind of system for the miners as well?
- No. It will take time and I haven't read much about Righteous Runes.
- The Art of Dwarfing? - Oliver was a little surprised. - Why would I read it? It's geared towards forging.
- Its basis is made for any tool, father. Forging items is just a means by which you can improve techniques. But, for that, I would have to read 'Overlapping Metals', 'Inorganic Substances', and then start with 'Material Reactions on Bonding'. - Orion shook his head. - I have read the first two, but we don't have the last two.
- Stop being silly, Orion. - Oliver said fiercely. - Silena has the biggest library in the Boilers. Ask her. A book or two won't kill anyone.
His father's attitude was suspicious.
- Why are you so eager for me to do something about the mountain?
- Oh, there's an important event coming up. - Oliver hid his mouth behind his cup. - A comp... of... leios.
- Speak up, Dad.
- Competition.
- Of Knights, is that it? - His eyebrow went up. - Why would you want me to participate in this?
- Because you're good at it. You know all the Baker styles, and you're always first in the family competitions. This year, the winner will have the chance to get his or her hands on an Incomplete Magic book from the School of Matter.
Orion paused what he was about to say. An incomplete Magic book was very different from a complete one. Its contents were scarce, but they were relics left by Magi from ancient times, before the Islet Boiler itself existed.
If Orion could get his hands on one of these, he could get a brief sense of how active and passive spells evolved. And since the School of Matter had a great reputation for being able to reproduce spells from other Schools to a lower degree, it was better for studying other table schools.
Such a book to study was a gift from heaven.
- When will the competition take place?
Seeing Orion's different posture, Oliver became excited.
- In two weeks, they will make an official announcement, but since I work there now, I got this information earlier.
- But will you produce a system for the tools?
- No, I want the book too.
- Do you? - Oliver asked, surprised. - Studying Incomplete Magic is of no benefit to you.
- I want the book, Dad. - Orion's words were stronger. - And I won't let anyone take it from me.
There were few times that Oliver felt a certain fear of his son. The most usual was when the boy's focus and attention took him to his own world, full of thoughts that Oliver himself could not enter. His line of reasoning would guide him to his final goal, no matter how complicated it was.
And the second, were when his eyes did not waver in saying what he wanted. If the Book of Incomplete Magic was what Orion Baker wanted, no one in the Boilers could take it away from him, not even his own father.