Chapter Sixty-Two: The True Aenstone

Zhao Xu didn't equip the Aion Stone after obtaining it; he simply slipped it into the middle pocket of his convenience pouch. In the early stages of the game, walking around with an Aion Stone would certainly make one stand out. But Zhao Xu would rather have others look at him as a novice. He had no desire to attract any attention; quietly developing his abilities was his main goal. As long as no detection spell was cast on him in the beginning, no player would know he possessed a magical item.

Seeing Antinoia clearly intending to let him fend for himself, Zhao Xu didn't dwell on it. He cast "Read Magic" on himself and continued to study the pile of tomes on mysticism stacked beside him. Everyone started with four times the usual skill points because the maximum skill level was character level plus three. As a level 1 character, Zhao Xu could raise a skill up to level 4. Thankfully, Antinoia didn't insist on more, or the workload for level 4 would keep him from adventuring for a month or two.

In his previous life, players were also discouraged from leveling up knowledge skills due to the sheer time required for study. As he read the tomes on mysticism, Zhao Xu couldn't help but speculate about the requirements for becoming a legendary mage. If it required Knowledge (Mysticism), he'd have to max out that skill—meaning by level 21, he’d need it at level 24.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu looked at Antinoia with a trace of sympathy. On Earth, players only struggled through three years of college entrance exams; mages in Arthur had to endure a lifetime of study.

"My today is your tomorrow. You don't need to look at me like that," Antinoia said, flipping through her own tome.

Zhao Xu was startled—he'd been watching her the whole time, and hadn't seen her look up once. Weren't players supposed to be immune to mind reading for the first year? He quickly glanced around the classroom for any floating objects. He'd heard mages had means of remote surveillance, similar to drones, though he didn't know the specifics. Could Antinoia have set something up nearby?

"Don't embarrass yourself as a mage. Go read the 'Overview of Common Spells' in your bag when you get a chance," Antinoia said impatiently. "There's a second-level arcane spell called 'Crab-Tortoise Vision' that grants all-around sight."

So that's how it was. Zhao Xu realized Antinoia had a vision spell that gave her a seamless field of vision, like a white-eyed observer. No wonder she didn't need to look up to know what he was doing. If he had such a spell equipped, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone sneaking up on him, though it would take some getting used to. But for Antinoia to keep such a buff active just to read in the library—she was certainly cautious.

"Professor, is it enough to raise all ten knowledge skills to level 1? No rush for the rest?" After casting Read Magic four times, Zhao Xu finally sensed some progress in his Mysticism skill. He was like an athlete who'd run a few steps, now able to estimate his pace and track length.

"No rush, but some advanced classes require knowledge skills," Antinoia replied calmly, not pausing as she turned the page.

"The one I want to advance into?"

"What do you think?"

"Professor, how high do I need it?" Zhao Xu suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Knowledge (Mysticism) needs to be level 8, otherwise you could advance before reaching level 5 as a mage."

Zhao Xu couldn't help but take a sharp breath. He was sure Antinoia was doing this on purpose. Since skill levels could only be three higher than the character's, he'd need Knowledge (Mysticism) maxed at level 8 by the time he was a level 5 mage. The quadruple points at level 1 only gave him 40 points, barely enough for level 2 if he didn't use them up. By level 5, skill points would be much fewer, making it impossible to max out Knowledge (Mysticism) in one go. This would delay his advancement to a higher class. So he had to max out Knowledge (Mysticism) to level 4 while still at character level 1.

But with each skill level, the required reading increased. Thinking about this gave Zhao Xu a headache—especially since he didn't have enough "Read Magic" spells to cast. He was eager to study, but there was only so much time in the day he could spend with a dictionary. Not to mention, as a dual practitioner of divine and arcane magic, he had twice as many spell slots as others.

"Professor, given my situation, I really can't study properly without the boost from Read Magic," Zhao Xu asked Antinoia for advice. "How about you cast a permanent Read Magic on me?"

"That's not a bad idea," Antinoia agreed.

Zhao Xu was overjoyed, but out of caution he asked, "Professor, does the permanent spell need to be cast in a different environment? Isn't it too crowded here?"

"Environment? We'll see when the time comes. Who knows now?" Antinoia replied.

"When the time comes?"

"How are you going to cast a fifth-level spell like 'Permanency' if you're not at least level 9?" she continued, still reading.

Zhao Xu was momentarily stunned, then realized Antinoia meant for him to cast it himself. He was left speechless. If he could cast Permanency himself, he wouldn't be asking her for help.

Antinoia, completely absorbed in her book, showed no sign of letting him cheat. Otherwise, Zhao Xu would just keep pestering her for more permanent spells tomorrow.

"But if you really have such ambition, I can accommodate you," Antinoia suddenly said. "Joining a major organization has its perks. After all, you players don't need to eat or drink, and that Aion Stone is a bit redundant for you."

Zhao Xu's expression sharpened, his brows rising slightly. "Professor, could I exchange it for a reward that solves my shortage of Read Magic time?"

"That's possible. But there's a condition—the reward is only on loan. If you don't meet the requirements, I'll take it back."

Exchanging the ownership of a 4,000 GP Aion Stone for indefinite use of some unknown reward, but with conditions attached. Still, it wasn't a big deal—he didn't dare sell the original Aion Stone anyway. The only requirement was to meet her terms.

"What are the requirements?" Zhao Xu asked.

"Knowledge (Mysticism), Knowledge (Religion), Spellcraft, and Concentration—all these skills must be maxed out."

"Agreed," Zhao Xu answered decisively. No matter how difficult, he'd agree first and worry about the rest later.

An orange, prism-shaped stone flew toward Zhao Xu. He caught it by hand, examining the Aion Stone closely. He'd never heard of this version before—could it really solve his problem with insufficient Read Magic time?

As he pondered, he took out the original transparent Aion Stone from his convenience pouch and handed it back to Antinoia.

"Keep this one. Hold it for a moment, then let go," Antinoia instructed.

Nodding, Zhao Xu followed her instructions. The orange prism, which had been lying in his palm, suddenly levitated. As if drawn by gravity, it floated above his head. Just as it was about to streak past him like a shooting star, a mysterious force pulled it back. After several passes, the Aion Stone finally settled into a stable orbit, circling above his head.

"This Aion Stone increases your caster level by one," Antinoia explained. "From now on, your Read Magic lasts twenty minutes, and with metamagic, forty minutes. That should be enough."