Knock, knock, knock~ The knocking interrupted Alcat’s thoughts, but the impact of his first view of this otherworldly landscape had not yet faded. Amelia entered the room with lunch, greeted him, and deftly set the meal on the blue-heart wutong round table nearby.
"Lord Alcat, please enjoy your meal."
"Thank you." Alcat sat down, seemingly recalling something, and asked the girl, who was about to leave, "Has anything notable happened in the city recently?"
Amelia felt a slight thrill at Alcat’s question. Despite being his maid, Alcat rarely spoke to her.
"Lord Alcat, I heard the Arcane Association is planning an arcane seminar in November, with all three Grand Arcanists attending."
"And?" Alcat adjusted his plate, currently uninterested in meetings. Recalling the scene he had just witnessed from the window, he asked, "Are there always so many beggars on the streets?"
Amelia quickly shook her head, "No, Lord Alcat, recently the orcs in the southern Far Mountain Range started another war, causing a surge of refugees." She quickly added, "If it displeases you, I can have the beggars near the Arcane Tower driven away immediately."
Most Arcanists were known for their peculiar temperaments. Although Amelia felt compassion for the unfortunate beggars, she knew that if they angered Alcat, their lives might be in danger. Alcat shook his head. The street scenes he had observed gave him a rough understanding of the political, economic, and social state of Edoras Empire and Aventon City. High-ranking nobles, powerful slave owners, cautious commoners, ruthless mercenaries, pitiable beggars, and somewhat kind but cautious shop owners—this was far from a stable world.
"That’s not necessary. If there’s extra bread, feel free to distribute some, but not too much. You may go now."
Amelia quickly grasped Alcat’s intent. Although her master was kind, he was also pragmatic. Giving too much would attract a large crowd of beggars, creating a problem. Their Arcane Tower wasn’t a city lord’s mansion; they didn’t have the responsibility to aid beggars.
"Yes, Lord Alcat." Seeing that Alcat had no further questions, Amelia bit her lip and left with a slight disappointment in her step. Alcat was fully aware of her thoughts but said nothing. It was fine to give some food to the beggars occasionally, but large-scale help was out of the question. His position was too precarious. An Arcanist occasionally showing kindness by distributing food was acceptable, but doing so frequently would raise suspicion. This was a matter for the city lord, not an Arcanist.
Seated at the table, he began his meal. For a vampire, human blood was the true sustenance; human food couldn’t provide the necessary nutrients, although it posed no harm if ingested. The vampire progenitor had maintained a routine of eating meals to conceal his identity. Alcat, however, enjoyed gourmet food, turning this obligatory task into a pleasure.
Lunch was quite sumptuous: a glass of milk, a large piece of arcane-rich roast meat, two large pieces of bread, two side dishes, and a dessert. The roast meat, rich in arcane energy, was particularly rare, only sourced from magical beasts. In Aventon City, this piece of meat alone could fetch at least fifty silver pukes, while an average worker earned only ten silver pukes a month. His lunch alone was worth a year’s food for a family of three.
In "Divine Radiance," currency consisted of copper, silver, and gold pukes, with an exchange rate of 100 copper pukes = 1 silver puke, and 100 silver pukes = 1 gold puke. Copper pukes were the basic monetary unit; one copper puke could buy a black bread loaf on the street, roughly equivalent to 1 RMB. However, this wasn’t a straightforward comparison. Despite "Divine Radiance" being an arcane world, it still had a medieval Western backdrop with low productivity, meaning purchasing power differed significantly.
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Alcat, as an elite member of the Arcane Society of Aventon City and a baron enfeoffed by the Edoras Empire, receives a monthly stipend of 20 gold pieces. Additionally, he earns about 10 gold pieces each month from protection fees for the area around the Crimson Arcane Tower. Furthermore, some allied nobles provide him with a monthly fee of 20 gold pieces for his protection. Thus, Alcat's total monthly income is around 50 gold pieces, while maintaining the Crimson Arcane Tower costs him 20 gold pieces per month, leaving him with a surplus of about 30 gold pieces. For him, indulging in a meal of magical beast roast, which is considered extravagant by ordinary people, is not a big deal.
The magic-infused roast melts in his mouth, with rich arcane energy washing through every cell of his body, making him feel like he’s had a luxurious spa treatment. Every cell in his body rejoices. "This is the real treasure," Alcat thought, understanding why the price of magical beasts is so high. After tasting magical beast roast, other foods seemed bland and tasteless. He quickly finished the food on the table in a few bites.
After resting for a while, Alcat looked at the skills on his attribute panel. As someone from Earth, his curiosity about these fantastical abilities was undeniable, and it had only intensified after his transmigration. Arcane magic was more attractive than gold. Although he had no casting experience, after inheriting the memory of the Vampire Progenitor, Alcat was incredibly familiar with these skills and arcane spells, as if he had practiced them thousands of times. This familiarity relieved him greatly. The Shining World was far from peaceful, filled with various evil races. Without some strength, surviving here would be challenging. Unlike players, his identity as the Vampire Progenitor didn't allow for infinite respawns. If he died, that would be the end.
Alcat turned his attention to his skills. For a modern person, such supernatural abilities were the most intriguing. He began to focus. In his mind, the arcane models formed from the memories of countless practices of the original body appeared. An arcane model consists of arcane nodes and circuits. To cast a spell, an arcane mage must activate the arcane model. Arcane nodes are fixed points, and the paths connecting these nodes are called arcane circuits. Arcane energy flows from the first node through the circuits to subsequent nodes until the final node is activated, forming the arcane model and allowing the spell to be cast.
Understanding the principles of arcane magic is one thing, but using it is another. To cast a spell, an arcane mage must inscribe the arcane model in their mind. Fortunately, the Vampire Progenitor had already inscribed several arcane models. Now, Alcat only needed to input arcane energy according to these models. After recalling the casting process several times, Alcat calmed his excitement. It's common knowledge among arcane mages that maintaining a calm mind is crucial for successful spellcasting. Once he was calm, Alcat began to channel arcane energy into the arcane model.
He started with a minor flame spell, the simplest entry-level arcane spell, a 1st-level spell with no more than a hundred nodes. The minor flame spell had only fifty nodes. For the original body, casting this spell was as easy as snapping fingers, but Alcat, being a novice, was a bit nervous. Extending his left hand, he mimicked the casting gesture from his memories and began channeling arcane energy. Five seconds later, a fiery orange-red ball the size of an apple floated in midair, raising the room's temperature by several degrees. Alcat was ecstatic. He had succeeded on his first try!
It's hard to imagine the thrill of summoning a fireball without experiencing it. This was real arcane magic. Alcat could clearly feel that he could control the fireball at will. With a mere thought, the fireball could fly towards an enemy at high speed, packing a punch akin to a high-explosive grenade. The power could be increased by channeling more arcane energy into the fireball. After scanning the room, he decided against testing its full power.
Guiding the fireball with his mind, it danced around like a tethered balloon, emitting intense heat. The room's temperature kept rising due to the fireball. The fiery orb was a beautiful and dangerous marvel. Alcat was completely absorbed in the arcane magic. After about half a day, he slowly ceased channeling arcane energy into the fireball. Deprived of energy, the fireball began to shrink and dim, eventually dissipating into nothingness.
This is arcane magic. Alcat’s interest in arcane magic skyrocketed after successfully casting the minor flame spell. He loved the feeling of controlling arcane energy, and he swore that the sense of achievement from having a fireball dance at his fingertips surpassed anything else.