Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 420: Formations

”Runes?” Old Bede asked with a raised eyebrow. ”Since when were you interested in rune magic?”

Adam chuckled, ”Since a while ago.”

”Donʼt divert your time and effort on things you donʼt really have to, Adam,” said Old Bede with genuine concern.

”Herbalism is already such a vast field that it takes us our whole lives to study it. Not to mention, we also have to invest our time in practicing mindfulness.”

He paused for a moment before solemnly speaking, ”Adam, us Magi, we arenʼt immortal. We only have so much time to focus on a few things.”

”I understand, Old Bede,” Adam smiled.

He could truly understand where this old magus was coming from. Old Bede wanted him to devote his time and energy to practicing mindfulness and studying the art of herbalism.

If Adam were to add the study of runes to his schedule, he might end up in a situation where he wasnʼt able to properly study anything.

As the old saying went, to grasp many things was to hold onto none; true knowledge came from mastering one lesson at a time.

However, what Old Bede didnʼt know was that Adam already had a vast treasure trove of knowledge related to herbalism.

Not one, but two of the soul fragments he had absorbed had given him knowledge about this profession. Unlike others, he didnʼt need to allocate his time to studying herbalism.

He already knew it by heart. All he had to do was put it into practice.

”I only want to study rune magic so that it can help me with brewing potions,” Adam added.

”Hmm, fine, fine.” Old Bede waved his hand and turned around to open the large metal door behind him. ”Donʼt neglect your studies on herbalism. You are a gifted herbalist. I would hate to see you waste your talents.”

The old man weaved a few hand gestures and then pressed his hand against the door. Following that, the entire door lit up with bright runes.

Seeing this, Adamʼs eyes sparkled with interest, ”Do you know who carved these runes?”

”Eh, some runesmith from Acryon carved them when the guild was first established in Ravenfell,” said the old magus as he pushed open the metal doors.

Immediately the smell of old parchment and leather gently assaulted the pairʼs nostrils. Adam involuntarily took a deep breath and stepped inside the library.

This was his first time visiting here so he was curiously looking around. The library wasnʼt too fancy. It was a small room supported by stone columns.

The walls were lined with towering bookshelves, each filled to the brim with leather-bound tomes as well as scrolls.

In the center of the library, a candelabrum chandelier cast a gentle glow, illuminating the space with a warm light.

”By the way, are there a lot of books on rune magic?” Adam asked excitedly.

Old Bede shook his head with a dry chuckle as he guided the youth toward a particular bookshelf. ”The art of runes is even more esoteric than herbalism and artificing. That is why there are so few runesmiths in this world.”

Adam frowned. In the memories of all the experts he had absorbed, runesmiths, along with the other two professions were very common in all the planets with magical civilization.

Suddenly, realization dawned on him and he thought of something he hadnʼt thought before.

I see… All those planets were interconnected, making it possible for magi of different professions to become ubiquitous.

Damn it! If this is so, itʼs going to be highly difficult to get my hands on runic magic, Adam thought to himself in dismay, his eyes flashing with disappointment.

Tron was a planet that could be considered to be in a backwater region in the universe.

Unlike the other planets that Adam had seen in the memories, his home planet did not have any means of interplanetary travel—at least, not that he knew of anyway.

So it would make sense why there would be a lack of runesmiths. Due to Tron being isolated from the rest of the magical civilizations in the universe, there were far fewer opportunities for magi here.

Considering the mana density here, Adam even believed that there would be a fixed ceiling beyond which a magus couldnʼt advance anymore.

Due to isolation, not only did the magi of Tron face limited opportunities but also magical stagnation.

”How many books are there?” Adam asked with hopeful eyes.

”Iʼm afraid thereʼs only one,” said Old Bede as he stopped in front of a tall bookshelf. ”But it should help you form runic formations that you can use for brewing potions. This is basic knowledge, nothing too fancy.”

His eyes darted around from one book to another, until finally he found what he was looking for. ”Ah, there it is!”

He reached for the textbook and observed the title, nodding to himself. ”Yes, this is the one.”

The book was bound in leather and appeared to be very old. Its cover was engraved with intricate symbols and geometrical patterns that formed the title.

Inside, the pages were yellowed with age, some crumbling at the edges, yet magically preserved nonetheless.

Old Bede handed the book to Adam and exited the library. ”You know the rules, laddie. Grade 2 herbalists will only get two hours. Iʼll call you when the timeʼs up.”

The Herbalist Guild didnʼt allow its members to borrow books from its underground library. Each of its members had limited time slots. Naturally, grade 2 herbalists had more privileges than grade 1 herbalists.

Hearing the metal door close behind him, Adam couldnʼt help but sigh ruefully, ”Two hours? Iʼm afraid I wonʼt even need more than one.”

He glanced down and read the title of the book written in the local language - Runic Formations: A Herbalistʼs Guide.

Just from the title, Adam could tell that this book didnʼt fully dive deep into the philosophy of true rune magic. If anything, this book had knowledge that could only complement herbalism, nothing more.

”Haa, something is better than nothing.” Adam walked to the nearest desk and sat down.

He took out his grimoire, quill, and a bottle of ink from his earring and prepared his study session. Next, he cast Magus Hand and directed it to start jotting down notes on his grimoire while he read from the textbook.

Adam flipped open the hardcover and began reading the first chapter.

”Creating energy circuit for flame runic formations…”