Just like that, Asa candidly revealed his magic talent and his outlook on the magical world.
Yennefer told Asa that she had actually noticed his body slowly absorbing the free-floating magic particles in the air, but after some thought, she still advised against it.
"Learning magic is not as simple as you imagine. For a Wizard to grow into a proper mage, they need to start studying at the age of thirteen, only gaining a preliminary grasp of their knowledge upon reaching adulthood. To truly become a Wizard, it takes another ten or twenty years of continuous study."
But now that Asa was in his thirties, it was too late to start; he might as well enjoy the present to the fullest.
Asa pinched Yennefer's cheek.
"Do I look like a thirty-year-old to you?"
"You certainly look very young, strong, and powerful."
Yennefer sighed.
"That's right. Believe me, perhaps I just need an opportunity."
Asa said sincerely.
"I see. Perhaps you also possess a portion of elven blood."
Yennefer finally nodded.
"Very well, I will invite my mentor, Tissaia, to Vengerberg to test your magic talent. In the meantime, you can start learning basic magic theory with me."
It worked.
Moreover, studying blindly on one's own was far less efficient than being guided by a mature and experienced teacher.
Asa prepared to delve deep into the path of magic before the main plot began.
Besides, things were not entirely smooth sailing in this world; the elves of Aen Elle had long coveted the lands of the human world.
To the south, the Nilfgaardian Empire watched the Northern Kingdoms with predatory eyes.
The Northern Kingdoms were not a united front, and the shadow of war loomed over the northern lands all year round.
More importantly, in the near future, the White Frost apocalypse would descend.
This was a doomsday crisis present in the original works. Scholars from Thorne had proven that the world of sorcerers was not the center of the universe, but merely one of a thousand planets rotating in the endless darkness.
This endless darkness was described as a vacuum.
Invisible to the naked eye, the White Frost traveled through this vacuum.
Humans did not know what the White Frost was. Wizards once speculated that it was an infinitesimally small particle with abnormal properties that would absorb warmth like a sponge until the entire world was frozen into a bone-chilling ice field.
The White Frost had already destroyed many worlds, and one day it would come to this world, just as the elven prophets had foretold.
At the end of the game, it was Ciri, possessor of the Elder Blood, who destroyed the White Frost and permanently ended its threat.
If Asa, this butterfly, stirred up a storm, would Ciri still be born?
Without Ciri, putting the apocalypse aside, the fun in this world would be cut in half.
Even if the apocalypse came, he could simply leave at worst, but what about Yennefer, who existed in this world?
However, this timeframe was actually quite good. With over sixty years plus the ability to travel between worlds, if he still couldn't grow to the point of stopping the White Frost, then Asa might as well just go kill himself.
He couldn't drag down the track record of transmigrators.
"I have already notified my mentor. She will arrive before the next full moon."
"Tissaia?"
Asa was also very curious about this Sorceress who had taught Yennefer.
For one, Asa wanted to know if she was an important plot character; after all, she had a significant role in the original novels.
On the other hand, Tissaia was the Dean of the Aretuza Academy. Although the academy only admitted female sorcerers, even so, Tissaia had certain connections with the male magic academy, Ban Ard.
Perhaps he could study at the academy through her. Asa was a bit older, but he was eager to learn.
As long as one could endure and keep an open mind, whether in an academy or a prison, where was it not possible to learn?
After meeting the King at court, aside from the mornings when the Sorceress needed to attend, the rest of the time was spent with Asa in the mansion.
They would either monitor Asa learning progress, with her as tireless as a teacher, or the two would explore physiological knowledge together, learning about each other's physical structures.
Asa sighed:
"Asa, oh Asa, you cannot continue to be so depraved. You must learn magic to stop the apocalypse as soon as possible."
But it couldn't be helped; Yennefer was too sexy. Dammit, how did that pair of black stockings repair itself automatically!
Overall, the learning process continued at a relatively fast pace.
Asa truly seemed like a toy boy kept by a wealthy woman, staying deep within Yennefer's house and rarely going out.
He was either studying the magic books in his hands or practicing meditation to sense the magic particles in the air.
The enhancement brought by his talent allowed Asa to enter a quiet state of meditation in an instant and sense the four major elements floating in the air. At these times, Yennefer would stand by Asa side, observing his meditation process.
But in reality, after only a few days of study, Asa talent shocked Yennefer. From sensing particles to guiding them, and finally driving elemental ions, Asa only took two days, whereas Yennefer had taken a whole month back then.
"Your talent is just like an elf's! If it weren't for the fact that you don't have those pointed ears, I would have thought you were an elf."
"That wouldn't be very good. I don't want to become a bean sprout."
Asa spread his hands; he didn't want to change his race.
"Then do you want to try learning spells? Let's start with some of the more basic ones."
The Sorceress was very excited. Teaching a magic genius personally, especially one who was her lover, was a very pleasant thought.
It gave her a sense of nurturing someone.
"Sure."
Asa agreed readily.
Yennefer's book, the "Encyclopedia of Natural Spells," only recorded some basic spells.
Truly high-level spells were often as thick as a single book. Unfortunately, Asa currently had no channel to obtain those spells.
Under Yennefer's earnest guidance, Asa Air attribute finally achieved a massive transformation from zero to one, from nothing to something, as he continuously absorbed the floating magic elements.
In just two days, he conveniently mastered a basic magic from the four elements, "Light-body Technique."
Among the four elements, this spell belonged to the Air system, which is wind magic.
On Asa interface, a magic skill named "Light-body Technique" was forming:
[Light-body Technique (Novice): Consumes Air attribute. Can use the power of wind to briefly increase the caster's movement, running, and jumping speed. At the same time, this magic can be used on others to grant them the same effect.]
As expected, if learned in this world, anything that can be mastered can be converted into a skill.
This way, even in other worlds, he could consume Air attribute to use it without switching equipment!
Asa was very excited. On the path to becoming extraordinary, he had finally taken a firm step.
...
Meanwhile, in Dol Blathanna, the elven settlement once known as the Valley of Flowers, one of the most powerful mages in the world, the elf Francesca Findabair, was frowning as she recalled her dream from last night.
Rather than a dream, it was more like a premonition of the future.
In the dream, the female elven mage saw a figure.
He was a human male with eyes as deep as the night. Every time he waved the scepter in his hand, spells like natural disasters would fall from the sky, the earth would crack, and the oceans would overturn.
By his side were countless powerful and mysterious figures, each possessing the terrifying ability to destroy cities and nations.
As a powerful mage, the female elf never dreamed without reason, but the images in the dream were limited to that.
Francesca had no idea if this was the destruction in the prophecy, or salvation? Or perhaps just a cold-eyed bystander?
The pure-blood elven Sorceress felt uneasy because the figure in the dream was a human, not an elf!
This was very important.
Did this mean the elves had to retreat further and further? From Dol Blathanna to the Blue Mountains, then from the Blue Mountains to the desert—if they kept retreating like this, where else would be left to go?
After the elves from another world arrived here, they created a brilliant culture and a glorious history, dominating the entire continent and ruling the world, from the endless ocean in the west to the Blue Mountains in the east, from the Dragon Mountains in the north to the Mahakam Mountains in the south.
Map of the Northern Kingdoms
Yet now, only the ruins of elven cities across the world remained to prove their past glory.
In the struggle against humans, the elves had declined unstoppably, even though they were smarter, stronger, and longer-lived.
As an elder of the elven race once said:
"Even if we fight like wolves, we still cannot beat a race that breeds like rabbits."
If fertility cannot keep up, one will only be replaced.
The elves now only had their reservations in the Blue Mountains left. Even Dol Blathanna beneath Francesca's feet, also known as the Valley of Flowers, had been occupied by humans hundreds of years ago, becoming a fiefdom on the eastern side of the Kingdom of Aedirn.
The elven population was becoming increasingly sparse, while humans bred like sows.
Francesca had once considered ways to save the elven race. Currently, she was an important member of the Council of Wizards within the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, determining the loyalty of Wizards throughout the Northern Kingdoms.
Her current idea was to indirectly influence the human world through Wizards to secure a free fiefdom for the elves.
But yesterday's dream had shattered her delusions.
The rise of a new power often meant the decline of the old. Would such a powerful Wizard sit by and watch the glory of humanity be ended?
"Find him. Either eliminate him or assist him. Most importantly, do not let him become an enemy of the elves."
In an instant, Francesca thought of the most prudent method.
But how was she to find that figure?
The person in the prophetic dream only revealed a pair of black eyes. Perhaps the condition of being a "mage" could be added, but that was still like looking for a needle in a haystack.
This pure-blood elven Sorceress, who possessed dark gold hair and beautiful azure eyes, thought of her own kin.
"Perhaps I need the guidance of a Sage."
The Sages of the elven race were different from the sorcerers among humans. Sages were not only skilled in magic; they were more like prophets, possessing a wealth of understanding about all things in the world.
More importantly, in the eyes of an elven Sage, one could see a person's past, present, and future.
Ida Emean, the only surviving Sage among the elves, might be able to bring her the answer.