There was a lot of common knowledge that could be gleaned from books.
For example, regarding Duncan’s (Mordenkainen’s) place in the world of magic.
Compared to the mundane world, the magic world still had a bit of recorded history; after all, they were all intellectuals, and some of them had intentions of passing down their legacies.
Besides, some spells were named after the inventor.
Mordenkainen invented at least about a third of all magic, according to what was now known, and all of it very practical. It could be said that to become an Elite Mage, you would have to have learned at least one spell he invented.
For example… Hand of Magic.
Or, Magic Shield.
Amongst higher level spells, more than half of them were his inventions.
The one person that a Mage could never avoid, from their initiation until they were buried in the earth.
Mordenkainen.
The Goddess of Magic, Mystra, became a god by standing on the shoulders of giants.
One of these giants was Mordenkainen.
The invention of many spells was just a testament to his overwhelming talent.
And the real reason why he became the most prestigious person in magic, even surpassing the goddess of magic, was because he pioneered the most important path in magic… or rather the system.
Spell models.
Before the advent of spell models, the number of Mages was about one-tenth of what it is now.
In those days, Mages were a rare breed and… very weak.
Much weaker than Warlocks.
Nor could they be compared to Priests.
At that time, the three big shots of spellcasters referred to Warlocks, Priests, and the Elven Druids.
It was Mordenkainen who invented an easy-to-use spell that gave Mages standing.
Then, little by little, high-level magic was invented, making Mages strong in combat.
Finally, the spell model system was created, which caused the number of Mages to go up quite a bit.
After Mordenkainen, many amazing figures emerged, such as Melf, Bigby, and Mystra.
However, they all benefited from Mordenkainen’s spell model system.
In essence, they were all Mordenkainen’s apprentices and students.
Same with Roland.
This was why Roland was startled after hearing Mordenkainen’s name.
How could Roland not be surprised when the man in front of him was a legend, and almost everything he had learned was his legacy.
After being taken aback, Roland sat back down and then let his emotions settle.
As a Mage, it was necessary to control one’s emotions.
“Young man, don’t be so mature. Smile and act surprised when you should, or else you’ll develop the personality of an old man at a young age—how dull that would be.” Mordenkainen took a sip of “tea” and spoke with a smile.
Roland thought about it and said, “But wouldn’t mood swings affect the precision of spellcasting?”
“Indeed,” Mordenkainen said, “so all the more reason for you to conquer this weakness, because you can’t always maintain a calm mind. Not to mention the trivialities of life, your enemies might also use some special magic to disturb your emotions, and when you can’t maintain a calm mood, the so-called calm-mind spellcasting becomes a weakness. Therefore, it’s better to cast spells perfectly in any mood without restrictions. This is the experience of an old man.”
Roland asked after some thought, “How old are you, old man?”
“Five hundred and seventy-two.”
Hiss! Roland gasped.
He had known that Mages had a long lifespan due to their high soul strength.
However, it was certainly still a bit ridiculous to live for more than 500 years.
A five-hundred-year-old man who was also a forerunner of the magic world, his experience definitely had reference value.
And having lived five hundred and seventy-two years, judging by the old man’s mental power status, he was indeed about to pass.
His old body was beginning to fail to hold his mental power.
“Have you ever considered turning into a Lich, old man?” Roland asked.
Mordenkainen shook his head and said, “I’ve considered. After all, to us Mages, the body doesn’t matter, it’s the spirit and soul that are eternal. But the problem is, my spirit is on the verge of collapse and I can no longer transform into a Lich.”
The things that these two Mages were discussing could scare the hell out of people when spoken to outsiders.
Lichs symbolized the epitome of terror.
But for Mages, especially those who were pragmatists, Lichs were just a life form.
Just like holy spirits.
Both were immortal creatures, just called by different names, but the nature of the energy they used changed somewhat.
As long as they didn’t kill, didn’t prey on other people’s souls, and stayed true to their hearts, what was the difference between an ordinary spellcaster and a Lich?
“So, old man, what have you pulled us people of the future over for this time?”
“This city is on the verge of destruction, or rather, the entire ancient kingdom is in danger of destruction,” said Mordenkainen worriedly. “But I am too old to save this kingdom, so… I made a wish to find someone who can help me save this country.”
Roland raised his eyebrows. “So when you saw me using that huge fireball, you weren’t surprised by the power of it, but you were excited to see a new spell theory and knew that I was someone from the future?”
“Hahahaha!”
Mordenkainen laughed. “When I was younger, I could just casually summon a Great Meteorite and a city would be destroyed with one hit. A great fireball naturally didn’t catch my eye, but I certainly did see that your theory of magic was very different and that made me happy. And this Language Proficiency cast on you is quite interesting as well.”
As Mordenkainen spoke, he snapped his fingers and cast Unhindered Communication on himself.
This was Roland’s innovative spell, so he best knew of its magic fluctuations.
Mordenkainen released it at will, meaning that in less than half an hour, Mordenkainen had completely parsed his spell and replicated it.
This ability was way too powerful.
He was not even slightly comparable to him.
However, Roland calmed down. The old man was a big shot in the magic world, and because of the era, there were very few people who could communicate with him, limited by the level of the magic of the entire era, which made his concepts seem less than the era he was in. Once Mordenkainen was exposed to modern magic concepts, his magic background and philosophy could definitely advance further.
At this moment, Lamia came in from outside and put some delicate pastries on the table.
Roland thought for a moment and said, “According to the nature of the Wishing spell, you can pull us in, meaning we are the ones who can help you save this country. But as far as I know, the ancient kingdom has been gone for over a thousand years in my time.”
Lamia was right there at the moment, and she heard this and glared at Roland angrily.
Mordenkainen, on the other hand, had a flat expression as he sipped his tea and said, “There are no eternal things in this world. Even gods have a time when their lifespans end, and I’ve seen three gods fall for various reasons, not to mention human nations.”
“And you?”
Mordenkainen continued, “But my prophecy tells me that if we survive this crisis, the ancient kingdom has at least three hundred years to live—enough for Lamia to live to a ripe old age.”
After hearing this, Lamia, who sat on the side, said, “Grandpa, you don’t have to worry about me. Even if the ancient kingdom is gone, I’ll survive. I’m strong with the sword.”
“But a peaceful country is much more comfortable to live in than a chaotic one, isn’t it?”
Lamia opened her mouth and closed it again.
Roland instinctively propped his chin with both hands and started to contemplate, and after a moment, he said, “Old man, I’m a bit confused. Even though your mental strength has dropped so much now, you’re definitely stronger than me, and you’re also very influential here. What you can’t even do, how can we outsiders, powerless and un-influential, do?”
Mordenkainen chuckled. “There is no way my Wishing spell can go wrong. Either it doesn’t activate or it does, and then it’s bound to work. Think carefully. In what areas can you help this country?”
Roland pondered but didn’t seem to think that he was in any position to help.
He wasn’t one of those hotheaded heroes who would cheerfully charge forth when his destiny has been assigned.
Or go into immediate action to save this country.
Seeing Roland in deep thought, Mordenkainen was in no hurry. He sat quietly, sipping his tea, and waited for Roland to think it through.
And Roland thought and calculated, but he didn’t think that he and the others had the power to save a country.
“Forgive me for asking.” Roland raised his head. “What trouble is this country in?”
“The Goddess of Light changed generations, and now she’s a baby.” Mordenkainen smiled slightly and said, “The last generation of the goddess reincarnated, so… And the ancient kingdom is a country founded under the divine grace of the Goddess of Light. If it doesn’t continue to receive the goddess’s grace, this country will fall apart.”
So goddesses also reincarnate. Roland smiled. His quest was also a clue provided by the Goddess of Light… Wait!
Roland suddenly thought of something.
Dinah’s quest was related to the Goddess of Light, and the safety of the ancient kingdom was also related to the Goddess of Light.
Everything seemed to be quite natural, but Roland still felt something was strange about this, and most importantly, he had encountered an oddity.
Great Wishing spell… a divination spell.
It all tied together, and he understood the key point of the quest.
He took the petals of the World Tree out of his Backpack. The translucent purple flower shimmered lightly and beautifully on the table.
Lamia’s eyes widened.
“A complete World Tree flower.” Mordenkainen laughed softly. “It seems your quest is to bring this flower to me.”
Roland felt quite uncomfortable, even a little irritable. This quest didn’t even require fighting or thinking—he just had to follow procedure.
Simply put… his appearance was arranged by the Great Wish.
From the moment Betta received the quest, he was affected by the divination magic of the Great Wishing spell.
Everything that happened after that was so that he could bring this World Tree flower to Mordenkainen.
This feeling of being led by the nose with a bull’s nose ring made Roland feel quite irritated.
He rubbed his face and asked, “Old man, is there any way to counter a divination spell like the Great Wishing spell?”
“Want to learn? I’ll teach you.”
