Chapter Sixty-One: Aenstone

The vast library was remarkably empty. Zhao Xu had chosen a secluded corner, and even as the number of people gradually increased, few paid any attention to their presence.

After voicing his choice, Zhao Xu could still feel the tense pounding of his heart.

“Hmm? Could you explain your reasoning?” Antinoia’s words were calm and measured.

Zhao Xu wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt as though Antinoia’s face beneath her cloak was, for the first time, somewhat clear.

“Because I know nothing about the power of a wizard,” Zhao Xu replied after some thought, returning the words to her.

“It seems you do have confidence in me,” Antinoia nodded gently.

“With the ‘Spell Delay’ feat, a ‘Read Magic’ spell lasting over twenty-four hours would require a caster level of at least seventy-two. Since the Cataclysm, let alone level forty, even casters above level thirty have become exceedingly rare.”

Antinoia’s tone grew a bit languid, as if recalling distant memories.

“You guessed correctly,” Antinoia said, and at the same moment, the green cloth bundle on the table was pushed toward Zhao Xu by an invisible force.

Zhao Xu was struck with disbelief.

“Mentor, this isn’t a joke, is it? Level seventy-two?”

In Arthur, everyone—players, natives, monsters alike—had their own character cards. There were no abstract, conceptual entities.

Once, in their ignorance, players boasted, “As long as you know someone’s character card, you could even kill a god.”

For Antinoia to reach a caster level of seventy-two, each level must have a clear origin, replicable by others.

This sense of shock made Zhao Xu forget to even open the package before him.

“Let me correct you: wizard level is wizard level; caster level is caster level.”

“Wizard level determines what tier of arcane spells you can cast, but the effectiveness of your spells depends on caster level, which can be increased by various means,” Antinoia explained calmly.

Only then did Zhao Xu realize why there were two distinct terms.

To raise his wizard level, he would have to earn experience and become a high-level character.

But caster level could be boosted with equipment and various abilities.

Thus, even a level one wizard, by increasing their caster level, could cast a ‘Read Magic’ spell with a duration of twenty or thirty minutes.

“You already know the ‘Spell Guardian’ class ability, right? Its fifth-level feature increases caster level by one.”

Listening, Zhao Xu gave an awkward smile.

In his previous life, he only repeated what others said, familiar with a few unique abilities but never grasping the full picture.

“Go ahead and open it. You’ve chosen the right reward.”

Zhao Xu nodded and reached forward to unwrap the bundle.

A spindle-shaped transparent stone lay within.

A faint suspicion rose in Zhao Xu’s mind, making his hands tremble slightly.

“An Ion Stone. Hold it, then release it to activate its effect. Ion Stones come in different colors and shapes, each with unique powers. This particular one allows you to sustain life without water or food.”

Upon hearing the words “Ion Stone,” Zhao Xu nearly jumped out of his seat.

Such a famous magical item, he had coveted it in his previous life.

It wasn’t the strongest, but its effect was undeniably impressive.

In this life, Zhao Xu pursued pure strength, and had little regard for mere appearances; he cared more about the power of the item itself.

Hearing its effect—“sustain life without water or food”—he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

It was useful, but only a year from now.

Currently, all the players were projections, eating and drinking in the real world. Their bodies in Arthur were nothing more than shadows, not even needing a trip to the restroom.

Any player receiving this would first think they had no use for it.

Nevertheless, a year later, its true value would certainly be revealed.

Unfortunately, after Antinoia gave him the Howard Handy Bag, she warned him never to sell anything she gifted him.

Otherwise, Zhao Xu could have found a way to exchange it for four thousand gold pieces in the future.

“Not satisfied?” Seeing his hesitation, Antinoia asked softly.

Zhao Xu quickly shook his head. “No, I’m very satisfied.”

“Would you like to know what’s inside the blue pouch?” Antinoia asked.

“Yes, I’m quite curious,” Zhao Xu replied, confident that he wouldn’t regret his choice.

The transparent spindle-shaped Ion Stone was the cheapest in its series; whatever lay in the blue bundle surely wouldn’t be another Ion Stone.

Antinoia gently lifted the blue cloth, and a pearl rolled out.

Zhao Xu focused on it—it was similar to the pearl he had used yesterday when casting ‘Identify,’ worth no more than a hundred or two hundred gold coins.

He thought to himself, from a hundred gold pieces to four thousand, surely the difference couldn’t be so vast.

“This is a First-Level Pearl of Power. It can restore a spent first-level spell slot. So never assume that a wizard is out of spells—you never know how many reserves they have.”

Zhao Xu grinned. He wouldn’t dare underestimate any wizard.

Even a dead wizard might pose a threat, let alone one who lived.

Not just Pearls of Power, but who knew how many scrolls, wands, and staves were yet unused.

“Do you want this Pearl of Power?” Antinoia suddenly asked.

Zhao Xu’s heart leapt. For a moment, he could hardly believe his luck—was he truly one of those legendary children of fate?

No, in Arthur he would be called a child of the planes.

He had picked up the golden axe, and now it seemed he could also take the silver axe.

A First-Level Pearl of Power was equivalent to gaining an extra first-level spell slot.

Many players now had only two or three first-level slots; this would increase their capacity by thirty-three to fifty percent.

“Very well,” Antinoia nodded, but with a swift motion, she tucked the Pearl of Power back into her dimensional bag.

The whole process was so smooth that Zhao Xu didn’t even have time to blink.

“Mentor?” Zhao Xu asked after a moment.

“Hm?”

“Why did you ask me, then?” he asked awkwardly.

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence—weren’t you going to give it to me?

“Oh, I just thought this First-Level Pearl of Power was a bit trivial. But since you still want it, it must have some value. I’ll reluctantly keep it; it can take up space if it must.”

Zhao Xu looked at Antinoia’s dimensional bag, certain it was the most expensive, top-tier, fourth-level variety.

He recalled others boasting its capacity—seven cubic meters, able to carry over half a ton.

His own Howard Handy Bag could only hold three hundred liters, less than 0.3 cubic meters.

A standard barrel of water was 18.9 liters—three hundred liters would fit over a dozen barrels, so 0.3 cubic meters was hardly insignificant.

But seven cubic meters was like the space from the floor to the ceiling of a hotel room.

And yet she complained that a single pearl took up too much room?

Clearly, she was teasing him—a poor, novice wizard.