In Runeterra, there was no such thing as catching every mage.
Take the Rock Hag, for example, some ancient old witch who had already become a legend in Demacia more than a hundred years ago.
And over all that time, as a mage, she was bound to have left things behind.
Among them, naturally, would be information on how to practice magic.
Things like that happened often enough.
In Demacia, aside from those who naturally awakened magical power, there were also people with the talent to learn magic who chose to study it on purpose.
For example, black magic, dark spells that ordinary people could learn by paying a price, gaining tremendous power in the process.
The cult Luke had run into before had taken advantage of exactly that, forcing many innocent people to learn black magic.
And besides black magic, there was ordinary magic as well.
It was inevitable that some people would still choose to study magic despite the anti-magic laws.
To stamp that out, Demacia destroyed any records related to magical cultivation the moment they were discovered.
Quietly, Luke flipped through the few pages of the book in his hand, titled Essentials of Magical Training.
It was not a long book. Judging by the handwriting and the contents, it had not been printed. Every word had been written out stroke by stroke by the owner.
There was no name, and the text never mentioned who the owner was.
But it did describe how the writer had discovered their magical talent and then actively sought to understand and learn more.
When Luke reached one particular passage, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"I found a page or fragment of a scroll left behind by a mage in a crumbling ruin.
At least, I think that was what it was.
It was covered in dust, and there was no telling how long it had been lying there.
But even after all that time, I could still feel the lingering magic on it.
After blowing the dust away, I found it covered in writing I did not recognize. I searched everywhere and finally managed to decipher it.
It recorded an ancient type of magic known as Arcane, along with several incantations I could not understand.
I studied them for a long time, and at last I grasped the possibility of learning magic, and I came to understand those incantations as well."
That passage mentioned one key word that caught Luke's attention.
Arcane magic.
It was another branch of magic.
But from what Luke remembered, there did not seem to be many people left who could still use it.
And the first person he thought of was a certain bald, purple-skinned guy.
He read a little further. As for the actual cultivation methods, Luke skimmed them, then confirmed that this was what he had come for.
He did not know whether he himself had any talent for magic, but judging from how natural it felt when he used holy relics, he figured he probably had at least a little.
Still, Luke was not all that interested in magic right now.
He had only come to the Runic Vault this time to find a way for the little blonde to control her magic.
The book could not be taken out, but there was not much written in it. Luke found some paper and a pen and copied down the important parts in just a few minutes.
Then he tossed the book back into the chest, shut the lid, and walked out of the Runic Vault.
Only the guards remained outside. The moment they saw Luke emerge, they lowered their heads and waited for orders.
"Lock it up."
After saying that, Luke turned and headed out.
As he passed the training yard, he saw Sylas again. From start to finish, the man kept running straight ahead without even glancing to the side, as though something in front of him was pulling him onward.
A few guards' voices drifted into Luke's ears.
"You have to admit, the guy can take a beating."
"Yeah. How many days has it been now?"
"I figured he wouldn't last two."
"Same here. Every day he drags himself back to the cell so exhausted he doesn't even have the strength to eat, but the next morning he still gets up again."
"No idea why His Highness is going so hard on him."
"Don't ask about things above your station."
"Shh, His Highness is coming."
Their voices were low, but Luke heard every word.
He gave Sylas one more glance, then withdrew his gaze and kept walking.
Once he got into the carriage, some time passed before he returned home.
The yard looked the same as when he had left. If there was any difference at all, it was that Poppy, who had been sitting there reading earlier, now had the book covering her face as she slept soundly.
The noon sun was just right, the temperature had climbed a little, and even the breeze carried a hint of warmth.
It was the perfect time to soak up the sun.
Luke stepped into the yard, stretched, walked over to the rocking chair, and lay down.
Then he quietly enjoyed the stillness of midday.
About half an hour later, the sound of a carriage came to an abrupt, hurried stop outside the gate. Several people got out and rushed into the yard.
"Your Highness!"
"It worked!"
Navis's face was full of excitement.
Luke rarely saw her emotions swing this hard.
Her voice startled Poppy awake. She shot upright, the book sliding off her face, then looked around blankly. "What happened?"
"Nothing."
Luke glanced at her.
"Oh."
Poppy flopped back down, rolled over, and went right back to sleep.
Ever since she had moved into the yard, she had not learned much else, but she had definitely mastered laziness.
Luke stood up and looked at Navis. "Tell me on the way."
With that, he walked out of the yard and climbed into the carriage.
About an hour later, the carriage stopped at the Research Institute's development base.
Wenward had specifically chosen this place for research into inventions like gunpowder and electricity, so it had a fair degree of secrecy.
Very few people knew about it.
Once inside, Luke saw several Research Institute staff members hurrying about.
Led by Navis, the group quickly arrived at a room.
When the door opened, Wenward and several of the top researchers were already waiting inside.
Luke's gaze immediately landed on the device in the center of the room.
It was a strangely shaped machine. Strange because it was still unfinished, with quite a few parts that looked rough and improvised.
There were two slots on the machine, several lines running through the middle, and on the far end sat a few specially made light bulbs.
Navis had already explained things to him on the ride over.
The light bulb project was now nearing its final phase. After repeated rounds of testing, the results were obvious.
So now it was time for him to see it for himself.
Everyone present, including Wenward, looked excited.
They had spent more than two months researching day and night, and now they could see that all their hard work had not been in vain. Of course they were excited.
At the same time, this successful experiment had shown them a new direction for Demacia's future.
"Director."
Once inside, Luke gave Wenward a slight respectful bow.
"Come take a look and see if it's like you said."
At this point Wenward could not have cared less about formalities. He just waved him over.
Luke stepped closer to the machine and examined it.
Wenward then picked up a copper-colored object shaped like a metal tube and inserted it into one of the slots.
After that, he picked up a second battery and placed it into the second slot.
At once, a humming sound filled the room, as if the generator itself had come to life.
The next second, the few bulbs at the other end burst into light.
The brightness was not weak at all. It lit the room clearly, and it looked very stable.
"We actually started testing it a week ago," Wenward said as he watched the glow of the bulbs. "Around the day before yesterday, we began a new round of trials. The tests showed that one battery alone was not stable enough, so I added a second. In this new round, with two batteries supplying power, the bulbs should stay lit for at least one hundred hours."
Watching the bulbs shine without dimming at all, Wenward's eyes gleamed.
The lit bulbs were not actually the most important thing here.
The most important thing was the generator.
The generator's success represented countless future possibilities in the study of electricity.
And the light bulb was only one product among many that would need electrical power.
More than anything, they had to thank Luke.
The knowledge and insight he had passed on had saved them from taking countless wrong turns.
Otherwise, with only his basic understanding of the subject, Wenward estimated that he might not have managed to build a generator and light bulb even in two years.
Looking at the generator in front of him, Luke wore a thoughtful expression.
The diligence of the Research Institute's geniuses had exceeded his expectations.
He had not expected them to reach this stage in just two months.
For him, that was naturally a good thing.
The sooner electricity was put to practical use, the greater the benefit to him.
Now that there was a generator, that waterwheel in his yard that had been sitting in storage gathering dust could be converted into an electric turbine.
With a bit more effort, they could even make a water heater.
With even more effort after that, they could develop an engine.
Following that line of thought, the influence of the generator was not just a small thing.
This officially meant that Demacia had truly stepped onto the path of scientific advancement.
And there was one important difference here.
This was Runeterra.
There were more resources to work with.
Take Piltover, they had fused technology and magic into one.
Demacia could not do it the same way.
But thanks to the unique nature of this land, there were still plenty of ways to make use of what it had.
Take sound transmitters, for example. Under normal circumstances, a transmitter could never carry sound for over a thousand meters, but by using the shell of a magical beast that could capture and amplify sound, that limitation had been overcome.
And the batteries now supplying power in front of him were also made partly from special materials found in Demacia itself.
The reason they performed so well was because of that.
In other words, in Luke's eyes, Runeterra was a place full of endless possibilities.
By the afternoon, Luke had returned home.
He let out a breath and dropped back into his chair, feeling much lighter.
Fiora stepped out of the house and glanced at him. "You've been pretty busy today."
"Busy for nothing, really."
Luke closed his eyes, and the lazy air around him became almost visible.
Fiora smiled at him, then lay down in the chair beside him and relaxed into the calm afternoon as well.
Half an hour later, Kahina was the first to come into the yard. She happily shared her news with Luke and Fiora. "The new academy rankings are out. I made the top three this time!"
Luke opened his eyes and smiled. "That is good news."
Fiora smiled too. "Looks like your hard work really paid off."
Kahina's face was full of delight. She looked to be in an excellent mood.
She had enrolled in the physical training academy, but her last set of academy results had not been very good.
Making the top three this time was proof enough of how hard she had worked lately.
About twenty minutes later, Lux trudged into the yard, looking wilted and dispirited, her face full of misery. "It's over, it's over. I got third from the bottom again."
Her little face was full of frustration.
Compared to the two people who had just walked into the yard before her, the contrast could not have been clearer.
Luke only needed one glance to know she was probably regretting all over again not studying properly.
Smiling, he comforted her, "It's fine. It's just a beating. Endure it and it'll be over before you know it."
Lux: "..."
Her mood instantly got even worse.
The moment she thought about what would be waiting for her when she got home that night, she felt utterly miserable.
She collapsed into a chair and did not move.
But before long, Miss Crownguard's mood improved again and her energy returned.
Because compared to the unavoidable beating waiting for her that night, there was an even better piece of news right in front of her.
These academy exams also meant vacation was almost here!
And this was not just a few ordinary days off.
This was a super long, unbeatable two-month vacation!
For Lux, that was absolutely incredible news.
The thought that she only had to hang on for a few more days before the long break began immediately brightened her mood.
As the sky grew dimmer, Quinn returned from the barracks and walked into the yard.
Soon enough, the yard became lively again.
Luke, meanwhile, called Lux into his room.
As soon as she went in, Lux sat on his bed without the least bit of ceremony and blinked as she looked around the room.
Luke asked, "Did your magic go out of control again today?"
"No. Nothing happened all day."
Lux shook her head.
She had never imagined there would come a day when she could talk to someone else about this.
But ever since Luke had found out last night that she was a mage, her magic seemed to have stabilized quite a bit. It had not flared out of control again today.
Though maybe that was because she had fed some of her magic to the colossus the night before.
"Take a look at this."
Luke sat on the bed as well, took out the copied pages from Essentials of Magical Training, and handed them to Lux.
"What is this?"
Lux took them curiously, lowered her gaze, and then froze for a moment.
Luke said, "Can you understand it?"
She came back to herself and shot him a glare. "Who are you looking down on?"
She lowered her gaze back to the paper, and warmth like a hot current rose in her heart.
She could naturally tell that this was Luke's handwriting, and that what he had copied down was material related to magic.
She could not help asking, "Where did you find this?"
Luke chuckled. "I dreamed it."
"Yeah, right."
Lux rolled her eyes, but her gaze moved line by line across the page, taking in every word.
Gradually, she grew quiet, sinking all her focus into it.
Seeing the serious, concentrated look on her face, Luke stayed beside her without making a sound.
After reading the first page, Lux turned to the second and continued reading line by line, the spark of understanding in her eyes growing brighter and brighter.
Some time later, she finally finished all of Essentials of Magical Training and showed a faint look of realization.
"So that's how it is..."
She murmured to herself, then closed her eyes.
She sank completely into her own sea of consciousness, as if she saw something flickering there, and began moving toward it.
Very soon, she saw something like a star, blazing with scorching, dazzling light, as though it had been burning deep within her soul all along.
This was the thing she had always feared, suppressed, and avoided.
But after reading the cultivation notes, she gradually understood.
If she wanted to master it, then she could not keep running from it.
At that moment, Lux let out a long breath and fully relaxed both body and mind. And along with that relaxation, the restraint she had kept on that power all these years finally loosened as well.
A hum filled the air.
Suddenly she felt power surging and rushing through her body, and she could clearly sense it in every corner of herself.
For the first time, she was not trying to suppress it.
She had never expected it to feel like this.
It felt... unbelievably good.
Luke's gaze drifted toward the window. Maybe it was just his imagination, but the setting sun outside seemed a little brighter than before.
The next second, Lux opened her eyes, and a gleam flashed through them.
She raised a hand. At once, light blossomed over her delicate fingers. Then, with a thought, she condensed that light.
A few centimeters from her hand, it gathered into a small glowing orb.
"Look!"
Lux turned to Luke with delighted pride. "How about that? I did it!"
"Incredible, incredible."
Luke cooperatively clapped.
"This is easy!"
Lux grinned, suddenly playful. Blinking, she made the orb spin around her hand.
Then she looked at Luke with even more pride. "Pretty impressive, right?"
"Incredible, incredible."
Luke played along again.
It was obviously perfunctory, but Lux was too happy to care.
She lifted her pale chin and raised a hand. "There's more."
The next second, the orb dissolved into her fingertips. She thought back for a moment, then started tracing something in the air.
Before long, a glowing incantation appeared in front of her, one Luke had seen while copying the text earlier.
The instant the incantation was completed, it lit up with even brighter radiance.
Then a ball of light shot forward and slammed into the table in the room.
With a boom, it exploded.
Luke reacted fast enough. He immediately activated his protective aura and stepped in front of Lux.
Splinters from the table flew all over the room. The bookshelf beside it blew apart too, and even cracks split across the wall.
Dust burst into the air.
Lux stared at the scene, stunned.
Luke turned back and looked at her speechlessly. "Are you getting a little carried away?"
Realizing she had caused trouble, Lux shrank back and said weakly, "I didn't know that incantation was that strong. That's not how it was described..."
"You're a complete beginner. Where did you get the confidence to try something like that?"
Luke reached out without ceremony, pinched her soft cheek, and squeezed a little.
"Ow, ow, I was wrong, I was wrong."
Knowing she was in the wrong, Lux admitted it immediately.
Luke let go, looked at the mess behind him, and sighed.
The right side of Lux's face had turned red from the pinch. She covered it with one hand, and there was even a tear in the corner of her eye.
Looking at Miss Crownguard's absurdly high talent, Luke could not help sighing inwardly yet again.
Other than the incantations he could not understand, the copied text was mostly plain writing, so he had been able to grasp the gist of it.
It said that for beginners, the first step was entering the sea of consciousness and establishing contact with their magic.
Usually, after some time, they would be able to release magic outside the body.
After more training, they could gradually manipulate that magic with ease.
But Lux had skipped straight to the third step and started using spells right away.
And those few incantations were very likely something even more advanced, Arcane magic. Even with annotations, they still required comprehension.
She had only glanced at them a few times and was already using them.
It was terrifying.
Still, judging from how poorly she controlled her magic, she would need some time to adapt.
But that time probably would not be very long.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810