Thales stared blankly at the "invitation" in his hand, his thoughts in confusion.
No way.
Is this true or false?
He blinked his eyes in disbelief to confirm that everything in front of him was not an illusion.
Is someone playing a prank?
After a few seconds, he put down the invitation and took a deep breath.
Trying to make sense of the current situation.
First of all, wasn't that guy given... by Yodel?
Then, Ada was next door.
Wyatt and Rolf took turns guarding the door.
There are also other soldiers and guards in the mission, as well as countless guards in the entire Palace of Heroes, and even those cool-looking so-called white-blade guards. Why do you let that guy...
That rascal……
Suddenly, a wave of heart palpitations surged into Thales' chest.
His breath stopped.
Thales felt something.
He turned his head numbly.
Focus on the window.
At that moment, the prince's heart skipped a beat.
His "long-lost friend" - Asheida Saxon, was standing by the window with her hands behind her back, looking at him silently with her seemingly indifferent eyes.
Just like when they first met, the magician was wearing a thin but neat blue robe, his figure was tall and straight, and he had a mysterious but confident smile on his handsome face.
As elegant as ever, as self-possessed as before.
At that moment, Thales's mind went blank.
As promised...how about fifteen minutes?
"Hello," the Qi Magician nodded slightly to him and said in a gentle tone, "My smart, mature and naughty child."
Thales opened his mouth and took a deep breath.
"From now on, no sound between us can be heard beyond a foot." As if she knew what he was thinking, Aixida slowly raised her right index finger and shook it at him with a smile: "Others
They won't bother us."
When Thales heard this, he was like a deflated balloon, spitting out the breath he had sucked in again.
He gave up the idea of calling for help.
Asheida's smile was obviously so warm, but when she saw it in Thales's eyes, it made him feel chilled.
etc.
He and the magician were not the only ones in the room.
Thales's heart moved.
"Of course, your cute little maid," following Thales' line of sight, the magician gently glanced at the little slipper who was sleeping beside the bed, "you won't be woken up either."
Little Huatou's mouth was still opening and closing slightly in her sleep, but Thales could no longer hear any murmurs or even breathing from her.
Thales sighed softly, turned his head, raised the corners of his mouth, and revealed a smile that was uglier than crying: "You are still the same, you are so considerate."
Aixida nodded politely.
Thales forced himself to think about all the information about this magician.
However, the first memory that popped up was of the three people squeezed into balls in the chess and card room in the center of Hongfang Street.
The second prince swallowed, laughed dryly, and tried to imagine some acceptable scenes.
For example - compare him with lovely Giza?
"By the way," Thales shrugged pretending to be relaxed, raised the invitation in his hand, and tried his best to use the most normal tone and said nonchalantly: "I thought you would come in fifteen minutes."
"You know," Aixida showed her white teeth: "I like to enter early."
Thales tried hard to stop his thoughts and swallowed back the complaints that came to his lips.
"Really... I thought you wouldn't show up so soon," Thales changed his sitting position and smiled awkwardly: "They... everyone said you would disappear for a long time."
Asheida looked straight at him, her eyes as calm as water, which made Thales feel a little scared.
"The weapon in the hand of your masked friend is obviously not complete," the Qi Magician said slowly: "Otherwise, a legendary anti-magic weapon in perfect condition and fully activated can seal a magician's weapon.
The deadline should be..."
Asheida's eyes remained calm, but the words she spat out made Thales slightly startled:
"permanent."
Legendary anti-demon force.
seal.
Magician.
permanent.
"Even so, that incomplete weapon can still seal me - at least for more than ten years." Aixida raised the corners of her mouth and continued to smile: "But I got some little help to be able to come out so quickly.
prison'."
I don’t know whether it was the curiosity inherited from the memory fragments of his previous life, his innate personality, or his anxiety about his own mystery. At that moment, Thales’s strong thirst for knowledge about the magician overwhelmed him.
Fear of the identity of the Calamity - his desire to know more.
"First of all, I want to congratulate you," Aixida put her hands behind her back and walked towards Thales with a smile that was obviously friendly but inexplicably scary: "Tails... Your Highness? Although judging from your performance,
I know you are definitely not ordinary, but I must admit that this identity surprises me."
Thales looked at Asheida approaching him, his heartbeat slowly accelerated, and he reluctantly shrugged: "I remember that there are chairs for guests over there, we can sit down..."
"Don't bother." Aixida shook her head and said nonchalantly.
The next moment, Thales watched with numbness as Asheida walked up to him, then bent her knees and "sat" down in the invisible void.
Aixida grinned brightly on the transparent "chair" and said, "I brought my own chair."
The time traveler looked at this weird scene and tried desperately to control his face to prevent it from twitching too much.
"Let's talk about your future," Asheida looked at Thales' performance with interest, "Your Highness?"
Thales knew in his heart that although he called himself Your Highness, the man in front of him actually didn't care about this special status at all - this made Thales, who had been exposed to all kinds of eyes after becoming a prince, suddenly feel a strange feeling.
Thales took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down so that he could understand the situation clearly and protect himself - even if the existence in front of him was a disaster that could not be treated with common sense.
"Of course," he recalled his conversation with Ramon and mused: "During this period, I tried every means to investigate some things about...well, magicians and magic."
First of all, in this asymmetrical conversation, he must seize the initiative of the topic.
"Very good, this will save us a lot of time." Sure enough, Aixida's eyes lit up: "What do you know?"
"Not much, but not much," Thales chose his words carefully: "For example, what is magic, and the three magic towers - I met a person who has done a lot of research on magic."
Asheida looked interested.
After Thales was worried and briefly repeated what Ramon said to him, even Asheida couldn't help but sigh slightly: "After the magic tower collapsed for a thousand years, and magic was banned for six centuries, there are still believers in magic. This
It really exceeded my expectations.”
Thales observed Asheida's expression while desperately thinking of ways to escape from him.
The other party is a magician - there is no need to think about non-peaceful means.
Delaying time - this can be considered, but can he really delay the rescue, or can the rescue really work?
The other party's purpose should be to hope that he can become one of them. Damn it, everyone is shouting to beat up the magician.
Then his best choice is to deal with the opponent on this issue and achieve some results with concessions and a low profile...
"So, is magic the kind of existence he said? A kind of meaning, a kind of belief?" Thinking of this, Thales said cautiously, and at the same time he really became curious about this question: "What do you think?"
But the qi magician didn't answer right away.
Asheida's lowered gaze remained motionless.
Under Thales' curious eyes, he crossed his hands and remained silent for a long time.
"No."
"Magic...isn't like that, it's not just that, it doesn't have to be like that," Asheida finally shook her head slowly and slowed down her speech, "Everyone has their own understanding of magic, and they believe in the magic they understand."
Thales was startled when he heard this.
Aixida raised her left hand and looked at the palm of her hand with complicated eyes.
At that moment, Thales felt that the Asheida in front of him looked more like a normal person than ever before.
Rather than a terrible and terrible disaster.
"Magic is a choice," Aixida looked at the palm of her hand and slowly clenched her fist: "And these choices are neither the only one, nor mutually exclusive, nor superior - this is the 'seat of all magic' in the Tower of Souls.
The basic philosophy of One Line.”
Thales was so excited.
etc.
He heard special words.
"It is also one of the magic concepts that I agree with and recognize." Aixida said lightly.
Thales raised his hands subconsciously - this was his habit from his previous life in the memory fragments.
He quickly realized that this was not his previous life, and that there were only the two of them. When he was about to put down his hands...
To Thales's expectation, Asheida stretched out her palm very skillfully and naturally, tilted it slightly towards him, and then nodded.
Questions are allowed.
It felt like I had done this action hundreds of times.
The two of them looked at each other's actions and were stunned for a moment.
Aixida reacted and smiled slightly: "Very good, it seems that I don't need to teach you the classroom etiquette and habits of a mage apprentice."
Thales put down his hand and asked eagerly:
"Tower of Souls? I know this, but what kind of magical tower is it? What is its origin?"
Thales didn't even realize that he had completely forgotten that Asheida in front of him was an extremely dangerous inhuman being.
He even forgot his original intention.
At that moment, his desire for unsolved knowledge completely trumped his consideration of reality.
"Tower of the Soul?" Asheida narrowed her eyes and smiled mysteriously, as if she knew Thales would ask this: "What do you know?"
Tower of Souls...
Thales lowered his head and desperately recalled Ramon's words: "Well, I remember it has a special emblem... Then, the impression this magic tower gives to the world seems to be divided, and there is no consensus? Also, it seems to be different from the other two.
Discord in the Magic Tower?”
Aixida didn't comment, she just kept her eyes on him for a long, long time.
Facing the other party's appraising gaze, Thales smiled dryly.
"Very good, strong curiosity and desire to explore, these are qualities worth encouraging..." The Qi Magician spoke slowly.
Thales could only smile in response.
"Besides, this is the prerequisite knowledge that you should know." Aixida's face was expressionless, but her eyes were bright: "Listen up."
Thales sat upright unconsciously.
This time the magician did not whet his appetite and answered cheerfully:
"In the year 618 of the Kings, not long after the battle for survival between humans and the three tribes ended, the 'teacher' Master Yili Crescent who returned from the war took his five students and left the Tower of Ascetics because of differences in their ideas.
.”
Thales was stunned.
"They preached ideas and taught methods along the way, and gathered many mages who were exiled due to the war. Their team gradually grew, and their theories and methods became clearer and clearer."
Having said this, Asheida paused and squinted at Thales's expression.
Thales frowned: "Then what?"
Don’t say half the words!
Aixida stared at him thoughtfully and continued with a smile:
“Finally, Master Yili—we later respectfully called him the Master—and a group of mages led by twenty-one other sages came to the “Tripping Peninsula” on the coast of the mainland, built a twin tower here, and settled down
Study magic."
Asheida paused for a few more seconds. His eyes passed through Thales in front of him, seeming to see the past many years ago.
But Thales had no time to pay attention to the other party's expression, because he was already fascinated by what he heard.
Putting away her confused gaze, Aixida shook her head and continued: "The new magic tower attracted many mages to visit. The novel, free, casual and equal magic research atmosphere there gathered a lot of popularity. Soon, that land was formed.
A gathering place for mages centered on the twin towers.”
"Different from the hard thinking and protection of the ascetics and the fanaticism and destruction of the alchemists, this settlement has gradually become the forefront of theoretical research in the magical world. Various unprecedented and incredible magical theories and hypotheses have been put forward.
, gradually improved through endless debates and demonstrations, branches of magic that were not originally recognized by the two magic towers were established one after another, forming the Soul Tower magic system we are exposed to today."
"In this way, the sages jointly established the third branch besides the Tower of Ascetics and the Tower of Alchemy. It is also the youngest, most special, most active, most prosperous, and most influential mage lineage in the world."
At this point, Asheida lowered his head and let out a sigh that only he knew.
"After the death of Iri Crescent, his urn was suspended in the center of the Twin Towers. There was a sentence engraved on the surface of the box with iron elements: 'May every mage have an independent and free soul.'
"
"This is how the Tower of Souls got its name."
Asheida closed her mouth gently.
Thales came back to his senses and exhaled a long breath.
Chronicles of Kings.
The fight for survival.
"Dharma transmitter" Master Yili.
The youngest mage inheritance.
The origin of the Tower of Souls.
These were forbidden knowledge that he could not easily obtain from books, and Thales' heart beat faster when he heard it.
It was as if an unprecedented world had opened up.
If Ramon were here - Thales thought to himself: Would he be so excited that he would kneel down and cry?
He continued to raise his hands eagerly: "Also, the Seat of Ten Thousand Dharmas you just mentioned? What is this?"
"'The Seat of Ten Thousand Dharmas'," Asida seemed not to have seen Thales's expression, and still spoke slowly and slowly. A clear and pleasant male voice echoed in this small space, describing the world.
The most taboo lost knowledge:
"This is an important research branch in the Tower of Souls."
"It originated during the first civil strife in the empire, and was officially established in the 373rd year of the imperial calendar. It flourished between the 5th and 7th centuries of the imperial calendar. At its peak, even half of the mages in the entire Soul Tower came from the Temple of Ten Thousand Laws.
Every time a seat is opened, there will even be apprentices and mages from the Alchemy Tower and the Ascetic Tower coming to listen, comment, and tit-for-tat."
Asheida paused again. He looked at Thales's face full of curiosity and desire for knowledge, and nodded with satisfaction.
Thales's heart moved slightly, and then he realized that the initiative in the conversation once again fell into Asheida's hands.
but……
He really wanted to know.
The second prince looked at Asheida in front of him and felt a sense of conflict in his heart.
The magician continued with a smile:
"I can't use simple words to summarize the characteristics of this line of branch theory - that would be irresponsible to students - but I can give you a list of books, including dozens of the most influential books in this line.
No, to be precise, it should be twenty-three important books, if you want to have a deeper understanding of the 'Seat of All Dharmas'."
Thales listened to the magician's words with his heart racing, and an inexplicable sense of excitement filled his brain.
But he quickly calmed down and realized a problem.
"Mr. Asheida, you are a mage, right?" Thales looked at Asheida in surprise: "Before it became a disaster?"
He didn't even think about whether his words violated the other party's taboos.
"Mage?"
"That is a title that can only be obtained by those who have achieved recognized achievements in a certain magical field - at least that is the case for the Tower of Souls." Aixida crossed her hands, grinned slightly, and shook her head slightly: "I was just a little kid at the beginning.
Just a young apprentice."
Thales's heart moved: "Ah, so sure enough, you were once..."
"Yes," Aixida nodded, with strange colors flowing in her eyes: "Apprentice of the Tower of Souls."
Thales frowned: "But you just said... the magic tower has collapsed for a thousand years?"
Collapsed for thousands of years...
so……
"I know what you want to ask," Aixida looked at him and smiled slightly: "One thousand one hundred and ninety years old - this is my age this year."
Thales was horrified.
One thousand one hundred and ninety?
That is to say.
This guy……
Thales stared blankly at the young and handsome Asheida Saxon, who had not changed at all compared to the first time they met.
Unbelievable, he is more than 500 years older than the "Resurrection King" Tormund Brightstar and the hero Nekaru Ax more than 600 years ago!
Thales opened his mouth wide.
"Don't be surprised, every magician is an immortal, immortal existence." Looking at Thales's expression, Asheida didn't care: "This age is very normal - the oldest magician
It has even existed for more than thirteen hundred years."
Thales subconsciously wanted to find a notebook, until Asheida stopped him with a gesture.
"There is no hurry," Aixida raised her head and stared at him with stern eyes: "We still have a lot of time together, and I also have enough patience. I will teach you from the beginning, from the basics... from magic
, to the magic tower, to the magic energy, everything about the magician."
"From ideas to power, from history to the future, all the secrets of the magical world will be opened to you," Asheida's tone was full of temptation: "Then, you will get higher knowledge about magicians.
Secrets and Power.”
"Until you truly become a magician."
At that moment, Thales seemed to be brought back to reality from a dream world.
Become a magician.
Thales swallowed hard.
He thought of Gilbert's attitude towards "disaster" and the drama of the final battle in the Temple of Night.
And that... crazy, unreasonable blood magician.
Is this the magician that everyone calls beating?
Is it okay to say no?
But a small voice also said in Thales's heart: But I am very curious.
I want to know more, learn more, understand more.
Thales realized that the knowledge previously described by Asheida had captured his curiosity and desire.
What's more, his body is obviously abnormal - he must understand his current situation better.
Thales frowned with a grimace and tentatively said, "About this...if, uh, I mean if I don't want to become a magician..."
The qi magician did not speak.
But the traveler felt that the surrounding atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Thales tried hard to control his breathing rate and waited anxiously for an answer.
"Tales," Asheida put away her smile, looked at him seriously, and said softly and seriously: "It is your destiny to become a magician. You cannot and cannot avoid it."
"There is no second choice."
Thales gasped slightly.
It seems a little bad.
"Well, you might as well tell me first." Tension and pressure returned to Thales's heart. He tried his best to smile and asked cautiously: "Magic masters - you... what exactly are we?"
This time, Aixida stared at his face expressionlessly for a long, long time.
Under the gaze of the magician that seemed to contain no emotion but was filled with pressure, embarrassment and confusion crept onto Thales' face.
Until Aixida slowly spoke:
"I can't tell you the answer to this question, because you are not a magician yet," Aixida's eyes were still staring at him motionlessly, but her tone and sentences became cold and mysterious, as if she had returned to the red girl.
Night on the Street: "Only when you truly become a magician, and become a magician that only you can understand - can you finally know what a magician is."
Thales frowned slightly.
He doesn't want to tell me?
"But, before that, you have to tell me some basic information first, right?" Thales scratched his head, thinking about a strategy to escape, and said: "At least tell me your understanding, the magician you know
What is..."
However, before he finished speaking, Aixida's expression changed. He suddenly spoke and interrupted him with an unprecedented solemn tone!
"No!" Aixida said seriously, her expression turned cold again, and she added a serious word: "Absolutely not!"
"You are not allowed to ask this question again."
That way, it was like encountering the most terrifying thing.
Thales was startled by Asheida who suddenly became nervous.
Did he ask the wrong thing?
Thales carefully observed Asheida, and only after confirming that he would not skin her next time she opened her mouth, he asked cautiously:
"Why, why?"
Aixida narrowed her eyes, but her expression remained serious.
"Because this is one of the three major covenants." The magician said softly.
Thales was stunned for a moment.
Three...three big...what?
"Remember, what I am about to tell you next is a top secret that only we magicians know." Aixida knew what Thales was wondering about.
Seeing the solemn expression and solemn tone, Thales said the following words in the frightened eyes:
"Revealing them is equivalent to betraying all the magicians in the world - believe me, you won't like that outcome."
After finishing speaking, Asheida looked directly at Thales coldly.
Taylor was immediately stunned.
Only the magician himself knows... a top secret?
At that moment, it seemed that the surrounding air was frozen.
Thales only felt that his heartbeat was accelerating.
He could only force out a smile and nodded with difficulty.
After seeing Thales's reaction, Asheida slowly nodded.
"There are three rules that magicians must abide by, which are called the three major covenants." In the frightening silence, Aixida whispered: "What I just said is the first one."
Thales frowned slightly.
"The first of the three magical contracts," the young man in blue said with a solemn expression and sharp eyes: "'No further understanding of each other'."