Chapter Eight: The Scholar of Archives

Zhao Xu gazed up at the towering floating city that soared above the clouds. Even though he had heard tales in his previous life of the mysterious grandeur and magnificence of Mystra, the City of Magic, he could not suppress the surge of emotion within him at this moment.

The world of Arthur possessed magic and even divine power—mysterious forces beyond comprehension. Yet for ordinary people, their greatest reliance remained on primitive means: human strength, water, and beasts of burden. Travel over long distances was done on foot or by carriage. Even as a level 5 warrior before his death—top-tier in a small township—Zhao Xu had only experienced the privilege of a teleportation portal once or twice in ten years of adventuring.

The reach of ancient empires was always limited by their communication methods. In Arthur, lacking Earth’s vehicles, nearly everyone’s activities were confined to places their own legs could carry them. Even players were no different—not that there were no scrolls of teleportation, but teleportation itself was a fifth-level arcane spell. Unlike the fifth-level resurrection spell, which carried an extra cost due to its power, teleportation could only be cast by wizards or clerics of level 9 or above. Such high-level spellcasters could only be easily found in major cities, which were also the only places with various professional guilds. Ordinary wizards conducting research generally sequestered themselves in remote, unknown locations to avoid disturbance. The saying goes, “Poor men in the mountains have distant kin”—all the more so for a wizard.

The unreachable floating city above Zhao Xu’s head was precisely the research haven of such mages. The floating city hovered at such heights that only a teleportation portal or spell could reach it. In his past life, Zhao Xu traveled everywhere on foot. Even during the six years of hardship and revenge that followed, he never visited Mystra, the sanctum of wizards. Most of his ventures took place in the Northlands, like most players, who spent their lives in the vicinity of their starting cities. The only reason his class guild could form at all was because Arthur assigned starting points by region—students from the same university would typically be placed in neighboring cities.

That was why Zhao Xu was so taken aback to find himself here in southern Mystra. It meant he was separated from his peers and would be on his own when completing quests and leveling up. To be called a “Master Wizard” was something reserved for after reaching level 5. A level 1 wizard could cast first-level spells, a level 3 wizard could cast second-level spells, a level 5 wizard could cast third-level spells, and so on. The power difference between levels one through four was dramatic. Without a party, and with so few spell slots in the early stages, Zhao Xu knew it would be a hard journey to reach level 5.

The only thing he could rely on was his simultaneous cleric abilities. At the very least, his spell slots were doubled with divine magic. Zhao Xu carefully read through his letter of recommendation, which included a map of the city, with his current location marked. Upon examining the map, he discovered that the headquarters of the Mystra Mage Association—the Gate of Arcana—was situated right next to the Grand Cathedral and Main Temple of the Goddess of Magic, Siservina.

He thought this made sense; after all, Siservina herself had attained legendary magical accomplishments and possessed immense divine power. Even the most arrogant high-level wizards often worshipped the Goddess of Magic, seeing her as the pioneer and foremost figure of their path. Zhao Xu now felt his letter of recommendation burning in his hand. This academy for training wizards was considered the best on the continent. Legendary wizards were as common here as dogs, and even high-level wizards—rare in most major cities—were ubiquitous. Clerics, for their part, were usually trained in temples, and he had also been recommended for training at the Sacred Heart Cathedral.

To put it in earthly terms, it was as if he had been simultaneously admitted to both of the country’s top universities. Zhao Xu understood that for those who underwent professional aptitude tests, the more compatible the initial training location, the higher the level of recommendation they would receive. But the destinations indicated by these two letters could not simply be called “high level”—they were top tier. No wonder he saw so few players on this street; most had not yet reached the qualifications to be recommended here. Even a year after the game’s launch, few players would ever set foot in Mystra.

As Zhao Xu quickened his pace, the number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased. Inns, scroll shops, and material stores catering to mages and adventurers began to cluster together. Occasionally, squads of robed guards riding mounts would thunder down the avenue, patrolling the entire city. Zhao Xu recognized their deep blue and black robes from memory—they were Mystra’s Spell Guards.

This was the only force on Arthur’s main plane that could afford the luxury of mages serving as city guards. More accurately, their advanced profession “Spell Guard” was renowned throughout the land. Advanced professions were the stuff of dreams for countless Arthurian players. Mage advanced classes were especially rare; without joining an organization and making significant contributions, one could hardly hope to be taught. There was once a player who, after countless hardships, finally earned enough merit in Mystra to advance as a Spell Guard. That player later wrote a post about it. The entire post could be summed up in two words: “Don’t bother.” Yet it was that exposé that made Mystra famous among legions of mage players.

For Zhao Xu, being in Mystra, the great metropolis of Arthur, the greatest advantage was that it would be easier here to obtain an advanced profession, or even secret inheritances of some basic professions. Here he might also learn powerful feats simply unavailable elsewhere. His feat list was still blank. As he walked, he rummaged through his backpack. At the bottom, he actually found two badges. He examined them and read the inscription in the common tongue: “Mystra / Gate of Arcana / Apprentice / Midsummer.”

With a gentle squeeze, Zhao Xu realized the badge was made of mithril—a material that, when worked into armor, reduced arcane spell failure and was more expensive than gold. Spellcasting required somatic gestures, and the higher the armor’s protection, the worse it interfered with arcane spells—often causing a 25% failure rate. That was why mages almost always wore only robes. The other badge was that of a novice cleric, its polished surface inscribed with his name and title.

He put both badges on. Many players, after a period of professional training, found it unsuitable or were still uncertain about their path; it was common to undertake multiple trainings. Ultimately, only those who met the requirements would be granted a level in the corresponding profession. Until then, it didn’t matter how many trainings one went through—one of the reasons the system selected professions directly. If you couldn’t decide with your brain, just try with your body.

Zhao Xu’s thoughts now centered entirely on the two badges. Could they possibly be magical items? Most magical items in Arthur required identification to reveal their properties, but even unidentified, they could still be used. For those that granted attribute bonuses, wearing them for twenty-four hours would make the benefits apparent. He wasn’t blind—he’d see the stat changes on his panel tomorrow. But after a few steps, Zhao Xu slapped his forehead. +2 enhancement gear cost 4,000 gold coins each, and even more in remote areas. How could the system possibly give him 8,000 gold worth of equipment at the start?

Having figured this out, Zhao Xu pressed on toward his destination, which was now close at hand. What he didn’t yet know was that only when the Hall of Creation was left with only the statues of the wizard and the cleric glowing could one obtain both badges. As long as the bearer’s starting point was Mystra, they could embark on Arthur’s most mysterious basic profession: the divine variant of the wizard—the Archivist.