Kael had been exploring the mysteries of magic for the past few days.
With the power of eleven Kaels added to him, his mental power and perception far exceeded those of ordinary people, allowing him to'see' very intuitively how magic was formed.
As for that flickering, uncertain Ark Rune?
Forget it, leave it alone for now.
In this world, there was no Ancient One to help with 'pulling up the seedlings to help them grow,' nor was he in Runeterra where he would have a home-field advantage. If he wanted to nurture results purely with magic, there was no telling how long it would take.
It was better to focus his attention on magic itself for the time being.
Just as Roxy had taught, there were two ways to cast spells in this world.
Chanting an incantation could resonate with the magic within the caster's body. Without needing the influence of mental power, the magic would form the circuits necessary for spellcasting under the effect of the incantation.
The more advanced the magic, the more magic circuits needed to be constructed, and naturally, the more incantations required.
This was an exponential change.
For instance, beginner magic might only require three lines of incantations, but for Imperial-tier Magic, it would require a thick book of them.
Chantless Casting, on the other hand, was essentially using mental power to replace incantations to control magic.
This naturally placed higher demands on the caster.
After all, in this world, magic existed in everyone's body, but mental power was different. This world hadn't even given birth to Meditation Methods for tempering the spirit.
Unless one was born with mental talent, this first threshold would block the vast majority of contemporary casters.
It was evident that almost no casters in this world had ever explored mental power.
It was understandable when one thought about it.
With such convenient and easy-to-use incantations available for spellcasting, how many people would be willing to break away from this long-matured system to walk another unknown path alone?
Even if there were, most probably failed halfway.
As for the origin of the incantations?
Don't forget that Gods truly existed in this world.
And the current incantation system was likely the result of millions of years of casters continuously imposing 'memories' onto magic.
The magic of this world was an incredibly mysterious existence.
Through Kael's experiments, it could become a carrier for almost all knowledge and power, presenting the knowledge systems and powers of different worlds in the form of magic.
Looking at the Mimetic Mechanical Butterfly flapping its wings and dancing before him, Kael couldn't help but smile; he truly had great potential in this world.
"What kind of magic is this?"
Roxy's eyes widened in disbelief. She carefully reached out her hand and watched as the Mimetic Mechanical Butterfly landed on her fingertip. She leaned her face in close to observe the gear structure on the butterfly's body.
It was simply too exquisite.
Roxy had never seen magic like this.
It almost didn't seem like magic—it wasn't an elemental condensation attack spell, nor was it a magic construction summoning spell; it was a tangible, physical creation.
If she hadn't been able to sense the abundant magic within the Mimetic Mechanical Butterfly, she would have truly doubted whether it was magic at all.
"Mechanical Magic, or perhaps Gear Magic."
As Kael spoke, he disconnected the magic link with the Mimetic Mechanical Butterfly. The previously 'living' gear creation instantly stopped rotating and rested quietly on Roxy's fingertip.
"Try injecting your magic."
"Me?"
Roxy was stunned for a moment, but she followed his instructions with anticipation, trying to inject magic into the Mimetic Mechanical Butterfly.
With the injection of magic, the Mimetic Mechanical Butterfly instantly came back to life.
This transition between 'motion' and'stillness' was the greatest mystery of Gear Magic.
If it could go even further, it would be the transition between 'life' and 'death'.
The former could still be considered magic, but the latter would truly belong to the realm of miracles.
"Want to learn?"
Kael asked with a beaming smile.
The smile on Roxy's face froze. She looked at Kael gloomily, and it took her quite a while to squeeze out a sound.
"Please, Teacher Kael."
"Gear Magic is still too early for you. Master Chantless Casting first."
As Kael spoke, he habitually patted Roxy's head.
"You're intentionally tempting me!"
Roxy finally saw through Kael's mischievous intent. Gear Magic was a hook that had her firmly caught. She turned her back to him, puffed up with anger.
Was it that she didn't want to master Chantless Casting?
Just look at the dark circles under her eyes.
They were the result of practicing all night, yet it was still difficult to master.
"Not at all. The key to Gear Magic is still using the mind to control magic, which is also the key to Chantless Casting. You have the talent; you're just missing a little spark to break your fixed way of thinking."
Kael made a gesture with his index finger and thumb.
Don't let Roxy's small appearance fool you; she was actually in her thirties.
Her more than twenty years of spellcasting experience had long ago formed a mature spellcasting mindset. How could it be easily overturned in just a few days?
"Really?"
Roxy asked with a bit of joy.
So she wasn't that bad after all.
The former genius magic girl had begun to fall into self-doubt after one blow after another from Kael.
"Of course, of course. If you don't believe in yourself, can't you at least believe in me? I'm already researching Mental Synchronization magic. I expect to succeed before long, and it will definitely help you then."
As Kael spoke, his hands didn't stop, messing up Roxy's originally neat hair.
He couldn't help it; this girl was just too fun to pet.
The so-called Mental Synchronization was actually Neural Link Technology.
It was just a magic-modified version.
A genuine magic modification.
"..."
Hearing this, Roxy didn't know whether to be happy or depressed for a moment.
She was still fumbling along the path of magic, while Kael was already able to create new magic. The gap was just too large.
However, after being struck down so many times, Roxy felt she was almost getting used to it. Checking the time, she moved Kael's hand back to the table, pulled out her textbook, and resumed her teacher's persona.
"Time's up, Kael. It's time for my Demon God Language class."
"Alright, Teacher Roxy."
Kael sat up straight, instantly completing the role reversal.
It was clear that the two of them were already quite practiced at this kind of role-play... "Do you really not want me to go with you?"
Kael's mother looked at her cub pitifully, as if she were about to be abandoned.
"Mother, I'm just going to the market with Teacher Roxy. I really don't need you to come along."
"Waaa~ Now that little baby Kael has a teacher, he doesn't need his mother anymore."
Kael's mother was quite the actress.
In the past, she accompanied Kael in everything he did, but ever since Roxy arrived, the time the mother and son spent together had plummeted.
"..."
Roxy was caught in the middle, feeling a bit awkward.
This didn't sound quite right.
"Father, aren't you going to do something?"
Kael looked helplessly at his father, who had just returned.
As the head of the household, Kael's father was reliable and pulled Kael's mother back.
"Do you really want to go out with me?"
Roxy lowered her head, her tone somewhat unreadable.
This trip out was Kael's request; using the teacher was just an excuse.
"Of course."
Kael knew what Roxy was worried about—it was nothing more than her identity as a Demon Race member causing her to be ostracized.
But how could a few strange looks possibly bother him?
Kael took Roxy's hand.
It was soft and a little cool.
"Let's go, Teacher. You haven't been out for several days either."
"Mm."
Roxy glanced at the small hand holding hers, and for some reason, her mood suddenly lightened considerably.
The market Kael wanted to visit was located in the most prosperous and bustling area of Roa City. Almost all the cross-border merchants gathered here, and the various guild outposts were on the next street over.
As soon as they entered this district, the bustling atmosphere hit them.
Here, you could see many Adventurers from different races. After completing guild commissions, most would come here to spend their earnings.
"Teacher, you were an Adventurer for a while before, right?"
Kael looked up at Roxy beside him.
"Mm, it was an unforgettable experience."
Roxy's tone grew slightly heavier.
"Could you tell me about it if you get the chance?"
"My story isn't all that grand or exciting."
"It's fine. We'll treat it as a bedtime story."
Roxy blushed at his words, remembering the experience of being used as a body pillow last night.
Thinking back on it now, it felt as if she had been charmed. They had agreed to just cooperate in testing a newly created magic, so how had she ended up lying in Kael's bed in such a muddled state?
But Kael hadn't exactly been lying.
He really was testing his Mental Synchronization magic, but the claim that clothes would interfere with the experiment was definitely a lie. More importantly, she had actually believed it at the time.
He's already so good at tricking girls at such a young age; what will he be like when he grows up!
Roxy's mouth pouted unconsciously, though whether it was because she was unhappy about being tricked or something else was unclear.
But one thing she was sure of: she probably wouldn't escape the fate of being a body pillow again tonight.
Roxy had long since realized that it was becoming harder and harder for her to refuse Kael.
The light of wisdom and magic shining from him truly fascinated her deeply.
"Let's go check over there first."
Kael pulled Roxy toward a corner of the market.
What was being sold here were weapons and equipment, mostly swords, spears, and other gear for swordsmen; magic staves were basically nowhere to be seen.
The latter were rarely found on street stalls and mostly only appeared in high-end shops.
Although the incantation system lowered the threshold for mages, mages in this world were still a minority profession.
Factors like knowledge, magic power, and money still limited the general public's aspirations toward magic. Most Adventurers could only choose to become swordsmen.
Even so, the professional rank of these Adventurers basically hovered at the beginner stage for their entire lives.
The profession of swordsman was easy to enter, but breaking through to higher levels was just as difficult.
Nevertheless, there were still some good things on these stalls, though most were unidentified items.
"Yo, a Demon lady and a noble young master. That's a rare combination. Interested in seeing some of my good stuff? They were all just obtained from a dungeon."
A burly Adventurer with a bare torso called out to Kael.
Kael walked over and looked at the items on the stall; they were mostly just worn-out dungeon antiques.
The reason these things weren't taken for identification was that once identified, most would turn out to be worthless junk. Rather than taking a loss, it was better to leave them for someone 'destined' to buy them.
With Kael's noble attire and youthful face, he looked exactly like the kind of 'destined' person who had plenty of money.
"Don't bother, Kael. It's all worthless trash."
Roxy had been an Adventurer for several years and naturally understood these Adventurers' tricks.
"You can't say that. What if?"
The half-naked Adventurer wasn't angry.
Mainly because the staff Roxy held clearly wasn't simple, and since the appearance of the Demon Race was set early on, who knew how old she actually was? What if she was some old monster?
The Adventurer viciously slandered her in his mind.
"I'll take a look first."
Kael's gaze swept over these worn-out antiques. Indeed, none of them had any magic fluctuations. Even if they had once been magic items, they had turned into junk under the wear of time.
However, for Kael, the magic circles and inscriptions on them still had certain educational value.
"One gold coin. I'll buy all of these."
Kael offered a price.
"What? This joke is not... Don't go, Young Master! You haven't even heard my quote yet. Fine, fine, fine, it's a deal."
The half-naked swordsman put on an expression as if he were taking a huge loss, but in his heart, he was secretly rejoicing at finally getting rid of this junk.
To be honest, the price of one gold coin wasn't actually high, but the problem was that these dungeon antiques had no market at all and couldn't be sold. Having finally found a 'destined' buyer, he had to grab the chance.
Kael handed over a gold coin.
The half-naked swordsman hurriedly took it and stuffed it into his crotch area. He didn't even plan to keep his stall and turned to run away, fearing Kael would change his mind.
"What were you thinking?"
Roxy didn't quite understand and asked in a low voice.
One gold coin wasn't small change; her monthly salary was less than half that amount.
And that was only because Roxy had a graduation certificate.
"I want to study the Magic Patterns and Circles on them."
As Kael spoke, he called over a market errand boy and had him deliver this junk—er, these antiques—to his home.
"If it's you..."
Roxy muttered, accepting the answer.
If it were anyone else, it would be a different story.
Who knew what era the magic patterns on these damaged items were from? Studying such potentially lost magic circle knowledge was a thankless task for most mages.
Afterward, Kael and Roxy went to the stalls selling magical beasts.
Most of the magical beasts sold here were dead.
Magical beasts were mostly difficult to eat and tasted bad, but certain organs and furs from them were excellent magic materials and were a major source of income for Adventurers.
Kael was also very interested in studying these magical creatures; it would be even better if they were alive.
Unfortunately, magical beasts were hard to domesticate and very aggressive. Even if there were live ones for sale in the market, they were mostly of the lowest tier.
Things like Flying Rats and Snow Rabbits basically only had some basic magical beast characteristics, but Kael still intended to buy some to study.
"Is this a Slime?"
Kael looked at the translucent magical beast contained in a jar.
There were Slimes in the Interspecies world, but they were a completely different thing—those were called Slime Girls.
Ahem, don't overthink it; Kael didn't have such heavy tastes.
A person cannot, at least should not... Alright, I'm guilty.
"A very rare magical beast."
Roxy nodded, confirming Kael's judgment.
In the past, Slimes used to be all over this continent.
However, due to years of continuous war, magic in large areas became chaotic and nature decayed, to the point that low-level magical beasts like Slimes, which had high requirements for magic purity, became rarities.
"How much?"
"One silver coin."
"Bought. Pack them all up."