Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1219: Moment of Respite

Adam found himself inside a small chamber, untouched by time.

His breathing turned heavy when he realized what this place was. Tracing his fingers across the objects in the room, his speculations gradually turned to confirmations.

The chamber was compact but densely packed with remnants of magic. Shelves were lined against the walls, filled with tomes, scrolls, and crystal balls and tablets. Some were destroyed with age, but others were surprisingly intact.

What caught Adam’s attention the most was the faint scent that permeated the chamber. The air smelled faintly of herbs and chemicals, a lingering taste of the experiments conducted by a Magus millennia ago.

In one corner, a stone workbench was cluttered with herbalism instruments such as glass vials, flasks, a mortar and pestle, and small metal tools. Some still contained dried residues of potions, while a few rare bottles glowed faintly, as if kissed by magic.

“…How is this possible?” Adam exclaimed in a hoarse voice.

Many of the things here should have long since been destroyed by the ravages of time. In fact, most of them had. But a surprising number of them had persisted through time, preserved in an impeccable fashion.

The floor was scattered with parchments. These notes were written in Old Lunari, and several partially completed concoctions could be seen sealed in glass jars.

“This is incredible!” the youth murmured, tracing his fingers against the characters written on the page.

“This magic… how did the Magus manage to magically preserve most of the things inside this chamber?” His voice was suffused with excitement.

He felt like he had once again become a child running through the halls of Clover Academy, learning new and fantastical subjects regarding the mysteries of arcana. Adam was utterly thrilled.

As he focused his senses to the maximum, intently observing even the tiniest details inside the chamber, he finally realized how the items inside were preserved to such a degree.

Strange runes were etched into the walls and the floor, faintly glowing as if they were a living, breathing entity.

“I see…” he murmured, his palm pressed against the cold wall.

“Rune magic… School of Alteration… Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! The rune magic siphons the mana from outside and fuels the magic inside the chamber. The magic preserved the objects within, and more importantly, it suppressed any sound or smell that may originate from the room…”

Realizing what that meant, Adam took a deep breath and… laughed.

He laughed and laughed and laughed.

“A Magus Tower!” He muttered in joy. “I can’t believe I found a Magus Tower, one belonging to a Herbalist, no less!”

The chamber was both a personal library and a potion-making station, a place of knowledge and experimentation frozen in time, preserving the essence of the Magus who had lived and worked here thousands of years ago.

A surreal feeling washed over Adam as his knees buckled and he collapsed on the ground. He lay on his back, a happy smile on his face. For the first time in so long, he could finally relax without fearing for his life.

“Goodness arcana!” he muttered, his tone full of choking emotions. “In the jungles, I couldn’t even take a dump, fearing a leopard might eat me.”

But now he could finally relax a little. It was ironic, really. He found the safest spot in Mabi in the very heart of its most dangerous place.

The events of the past weighed heavily on him, each memory pressing like a boulder on his chest. The madness, the battles, the fleeting moments of terror and victory, they all collided in his mind, drowning his thoughts in a relentless tide.

Slowly, the fatigue seeped into his body, numbing his senses and the ravings of the mask, and for the first time in what felt like ages, he surrendered. He gladly welcomed this moment of respite.

Sleep finally claimed him, pulling his exhausted mind and body into the depths of slumberland.

***

When he awoke, he had never felt so refreshed, not even before the time he turned mad.

Stretching his limbs with a lazy expression on his face, Adam couldn’t help but smile brightly. He remained on the floor, lying on his back for a long time.

“Hey, Gege,” he called out, “how long did I sleep for?”

The mimic, who had now transformed into his base form—a large wooden chest—turned to him and yipped, “Gege!”

“…Of course.” Adam’s lips twitched. “I totally understood what you said.”

“Gege! Gege!” the mimic jumped on his tiny legs.

There were no windows inside this secret chamber, so it was impossible to know how long had passed outside. Not that it mattered to Adam. He had all the time in the world to deal with the beasts and the portal.

Still, he felt like he must’ve slept for at least two days. Feeling energised, he rose to his feet and then walked to the mimic.

“Come on, hand me the smoked fish strips,” he said, extending a hand.

“Gege!” The mimic opened its chest lid, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth. Then, it spat out a few strips of meat that landed straight into the youth’s palm.

Adam didn’t care about the food having been stored or that it had been coated by the mimic’s saliva. Food was food. Besides, he couldn’t be bothered to care about such things in the wildlands. He was already used to eating raw meat. This much was nothing.

Munching on the fish meat, he walked up to the bookshelf. He observed that some of the tomes and parchments had been claimed by the weight of time, but most of them were in good condition.

Once again, he couldn’t help but marvel at the genius of the Magus who had employed rune magic to preserve this room.

He reached out for a random book and let his fingers trace the surface of the leather cover, attempting to discern the title by touch.

Finally, when he was able to learn the title of the book, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Is fortune finally smiling upon me without making me go through any life-threatening trials?” He exclaimed.

The next moment, he burst into a fit of laughter. A long time later, he finally calmed down a little and sat down on the ground, his back comfortably leaning against the wall.

He flipped the book open, tracing the letter with his fingers as he read in a joyful mood.

The title of the book read: A Brief History of Tron.