Inside High Breeze Library

Aryon liked libraries. Like southward-bound birds in winter, his profession as a wizard had instilled an instinct in his soul to seek out places of knowledge.

But after browsing the selections in this ‘High Breeze Library’, his opinions on this world’s scholarly practices had dropped.

“Martial technique scroll, sword manual, movement technique manual, sword scroll, sword manual… Is it all cultivation-related things here?”

“High Breeze Library has the largest collection of cultivation techniques and mystic arts in all the prefecture, lord. Is there a particular item you’re seeking.” said the sect elder.

“Yes.” he said with impatience. “Where are the plain writings? History? Language? Stories? I’d go with a children’s fairy-tale book at this point.”

Aryon took another glance at the shelf of scrolls and manuals before him.

‘Heaven Earth Embryonic Breathing Technique… useless to me; I don’t breathe.’

‘Ten Wind Steps Movement Technique… I’ll stick to walking and running.’

‘Grand Sun Crow Inferno Spell… so a maximised fireball in the shape of a crow? Fancy, but overcomplicated.’

‘Whirling Iron Stone Cutting Sword… why are there so many swords here too? These swordsmen are the pyromancers here, I swear. If those buffoons back in Tarminas somehow hog the Evocation roster again…’

A librarian finally came around to lead Aryon to the section he desired, located in an obscure side of the library in a smaller-than-average shelf.

‘Barbarians, all of them.’

Guardian Ji and his charge parted ways with the Green Blade Forest Sect party after they finished in the library. Despite the young master’s vigorous attempts to pay for their purchases or draw the lord to their side, the party firmly rebuffed them and went off for more sightseeing.

‘At least our grudges have been settled peacefully.’ thought Guardian Ji. ‘Young mistress Hua will be quite happy with the news.’

They still don’t know if Green Blade Forest Sect was gunning for their objective, but at least one powerful man held no interest in it. ‘Though he could be bluffing. Still, what a strange man he was. Dignified and well-mannered like a noble lord, but he possesses too many quirks that set him out as different.’

His strength was something he also couldn’t gauge properly. Some manner of mystic art kept his gear’s grade and his own cultivation constantly fluctuating and he couldn’t pin it down properly. Against such unsurety, no man would make a sudden move against him.

He made a mental note to try and have the young mistress meet him. ‘If anyone can draw out something from that stone, it’ll be the young mistress.’ Bai Hua was the eldest child and only daughter of the patriarch, and a devilishly intelligent woman at that.

“Young master, let’s go back to the inn.”

After some more shopping (‘I need a few reagents for a little project.’ said lord Aryon), Liu Wong and the rest of the group returned to the inn late in the afternoon, encountering no more trouble.

On returning, he took the time to practice some careful sword moves with his new third-rank Mortal grade sword inside their shared living room. Lord Aryon and Feng Yan, with some elders, were also present, discussing matters.

“Some of our sect elders were being followed the whole day.” said one elder.

“That is common.” said Aryon, now returned to his normal form. “You do stand out with your sect colours. Some group, likely the local authority, will have you tailed for information.”

Liu Wong made a mental note to always look behind his back the next time he was in a town.

“Just so, lord. Did you sense anyone following you as well?”

“No. But I assume it to be likely.”

Lord Aryon waved a dismissing hand. “Let them observe so they can keep their peace of mind. So long as they do not interfere, they can look at me all they want. That is, if they can see me.”

The sect elders nodded. “There’s also some rumors about the auction today that the sect wants investigated.”

“Oh? Whatever could that be?”

Liu Wong adjusted his stance, which coincidentally put him ~ juuust a bit closer to the talk...

“We don’t know yet, lord. But there’s been movement from the big clans. The governor of Dragon Border Gate City, Dongguan Baofeng, is also observing the auction closely.”

His young eyes sparkled ‘Oooh. Is it a treasure?’

“Hm.”

Aryon gave it some thought before waving that off as well. “I think that… it is none of my concern. I am only after the crystal; pardon me for not embroiling myself in your local politics.”

Liu Wong was a bit disappointed. He had no business with clan politics unless his ‘host’ interfered. ‘And it sounded so interesting too…’

“Is that all you can give me for news?”

“Yes lord.”

“Alright. Continue your training and observing, then. I will be… busy.”

Retreating to his own bedroom, Aryon looked around before casting his spell.

“ [Mage’s Private Sanctum] “

There was a soft boom, and a wave of air emanated from his location that stopped at the room’s surfaces. Now feeling secured, he began his work.

Aryon brought over several bags to the nearby writing table, each filled with items he bought today. Within were raw materials that he picked out himself.

‘So strange, these things. ‘Spirit iron’, ‘thunder-attracting cypress wood’, ‘deep azure pearls’... Even the materials here are saturated in magic.

Each item, even in their unprocessed state, would be worth hundreds of gold in Tarminas. ‘When I return, I should request the current king to found a colony here.’

He had no specific important goal in mind here; he simply wanted to try his hand at crafting with these excitingly magical materials, ever since he saw them in the first day of sightseeing.

And there was also…

‘Heh. Wait til they see this…’

He looked at his hands as he flexed them. His armour was still pristine; forged from adamantine and laced with a list of abjurations and enchantments that even he forgot, the smiths of Tarminas truly didn’t spare any cent in its creation.

‘Those illusion and anti-divination enchantments come in handy too, when the paladins are about hunting for the undead.’

It wasn’t the armour he was appraising, though, but the rings on his hand. He had eight rings, four on each hand, that conferred certain powers to his person. And now he was looking at three of them.

‘The ring of reagents, to help me eschew certain requirements for lesser spells. The ring of the soul, which cuts the soul-price for imbuing magic to items. And the ring of the crafter, which improves my craft.’

It had been a long time since he did artificer work. His greatest creations were the Sword of Earth Mastery and the Baton of Frost; things he forged with the help of Tarminian smiths when he was just a royal apprentice. These he gave away to his hosts to pay for their help.

But now, centuries later, he felt that he could do much better, even on his own, with these materials in hand.

‘Let’s see if I can top my achievements.’