A genius!

This man was absolutely a genius in magical research!

Du Wei had already formed his judgment of the mage prisoner before him. If this man continued his research, perhaps one day he would become the founding master of an entire school!

But what Du Wei cared about most right now was how to use magic through potioncraft.

The mage had spent countless hours developing these results, and speaking of them made him excited. He had only ever been able to keep them hidden, unable to share the greatest achievement of his life with anyone. That had naturally left him with regrets. Now, at last able to speak freely, his eyes shone with pride. He even began gesturing animatedly. “Someone like me has enough mental power—enough magical power. But my sensitivity is too poor. I cannot sense the magical elements in the natural world around me. So I thought of this: a person with poor hearing cannot hear sounds around him if they are too quiet... But if those sounds become loud enough, perhaps he can hear them!”

Du Wei’s eyes lit up as well. He immediately said, “So... you found a way to use substances refined through potioncraft to increase the concentration of magical elements around you?”

“Exactly! The most basic thing in fire magic is the fire element, yet even the most accomplished mages do not know what the so-called fire element actually is. Everyone only knows how to use it, not what it truly is. But any potion that can burn must contain fire elements! I made an assumption: my magical sensitivity is too poor. In the same environment, someone with strong sensitivity can sense the surrounding magical elements, but I cannot. Then... if I could increase the magical elements in the environment to a certain concentration, even someone as dull in sensitivity as I am should be able to sense them. Would that not let me use magic?”

“And... you succeeded?” Du Wei sighed.

“I did!” the mage said solemnly. “I performed countless experiments. My principal focus was fire magic. I assumed that flammable potions contained fire elements, but discovering how to extract those fire elements took me a great deal of time. I left my master and came south alone. I have a small magic laboratory there, where I made many refining tools myself. After several years of research, I finally found it.”

Du Wei was excited despite himself. “You found fire elements? What exactly are they?”

“...I do not know either.” The mage could not help sounding a little helpless. “I tested more than a hundred formulas and more than three hundred refining methods. Then, not long ago... after one experiment, I used a formula to extract substances from more than a dozen plants and combined them into a powder—a black powder. And then... suddenly, I sensed it!”

“You sensed it?” Du Wei raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I sensed it! My magical sensitivity was originally so dull that I could not detect any magical elements around me. But after I made that powder and followed my experimental procedure, using an air blower I had made to scatter the powder into the air... I finally sensed them! I tried a fire spell and discovered that I could clearly feel the pulse of fire elements in nature! I... I had succeeded!”

The mage became increasingly agitated. “I set out on the path of magic at thirteen and spent a full twenty years on it! At last I could use magic... though it was only the most insignificant, lowest-level fireball spell! Even so, when I saw that fist-sized fireball fly from my hand, I nearly died of joy.”

Du Wei studied his face and sighed. “So the fireball spells you used while fighting my people in the tavern were also...?”

“Yes.” The mage nodded. “I carry several sealed bottles with me. They contain the powder I refined. When I need to use magic, I quietly open one with the hand hidden in my sleeve, exposing the powder... Then I can sense the fire elements and use magic.”

An odd method... but this man truly was a genius.

Then a question came to Du Wei, and his expression turned strange. “Your mage qualification—did you pass the examination with this method?”

The mage flushed. “I know that this is effectively cheating. But my desire to hold the title of mage was something I could not control.”

“I can understand that.” Du Wei said, “But I find it strange. Why did you qualify only as the lowest first-level mage? You have talent for magical power, and now you have solved your sensitivity problem. You should be able to qualify as a higher-level mage, should you not?”

“No, I cannot.” The prisoner shook his head. “My method solved the sensitivity problem, but it immediately led to another difficulty. I have thought over that difficulty for a long time and cannot solve it.”

“What difficulty?” Du Wei cared deeply about this. Whether he himself could learn and use magic depended on this man.

“I have conducted experiments. Although I refined that yellow powder containing abundant fire elements, my sensitivity is so poor that even with such plentiful fire elements, I can only use the most basic fireball spell.” The mage gave a bitter smile. “Do you think I do not want to use higher-level magic? I even imagined that, since I could use my own methods to increase the fire elements around me, then in theory I could keep increasing their concentration! Perhaps I could eventually cast the ultimate forbidden spell of fire magic, Inferno Devours the City! To become a forbidden-spell mage—what glory, what an achievement! I would rise in a single step to the very peak of the continent’s mages!”

His expression was animated, but his voice dimmed by the end. “Unfortunately, my sensitivity is poor. To use more advanced fire magic, I can only keep increasing the amount of fire elements around me. The greater the concentration, the more advanced the fire magic I can use. But the yellow powder I refined already contains fire elements at an extremely high concentration. I truly cannot think of any way to increase that concentration further. I even made a rough calculation... Even in an environment with that much fire element, I can only cast the most basic fireball spell. To use intermediate fire magic, the amount of fire elements around me would have to increase dozens of times over! Dozens of times! What would that mean? Unless someone threw me directly into flames! Only within flames would there be such a dense abundance of fire elements. But if I did that, I would burn to death first.”

“So... although you overcame the obstacle of magical sensitivity, you can only use the lowest-level magic.” Du Wei gave the final summary.

“Yes.”

“And what about your instant casting?” Du Wei was still interested in the way the man could fire one fireball after another without reciting incantations.

“That is no more than a potioncraft trick.” The mage looked embarrassed. “My magic does not come from commanding magical elements in nature. It comes from magical elements I created myself. Ordinary mages must use incantations to call upon and seek the magical elements in the air... But I do not need to call or seek them, because the fire elements are already in my sleeve...”

This time, Du Wei’s expression truly changed.

If that was the case... then if—just suppose—

Suppose they could solve the present problem and allow this man to use higher-level magic... He could still cast it instantly!

Imagine a mage capable of casting advanced fire magic, while also casting without incantations. What a powerful figure that would be!

After that, Du Wei spoke patiently with the mage for a long time. He deliberately steered the conversation toward magical potioncraft. The mage was surprised to find that this not-yet-grown youth, this young noble of high status—though he had not known who Du Wei was at first, the sight of this young man owning such a vast castle on the Rowling Plain made it likely that he belonged to the renowned Rowling Family.

A noble of such high status, yet so skilled in a discipline most people of rank looked down upon, was a rare sight indeed.

Yet this young noble genuinely understood magical potioncraft. His breadth of knowledge made the mage feel a quiet admiration. Once their conversation had become somewhat more cordial, Du Wei finally explained his own experience: he had once wanted to become a mage, but had been judged talentless and failed.

The tale immediately stirred the prisoner’s sympathy. A feeling of shared misery rose in him.

This young noble had suffered the same kind of fate! He too was filled with longing and desire for magic; he too had discovered that he had no talent. Both of them were born with exceptional magical power but suffered from poor magical sensitivity!

Under those circumstances, despite their earlier unpleasantness and despite the fact that he was still a prisoner, the mage’s dislike of this young noble diminished considerably.

The other boy had captured him only because of his thirst for magic.

At least in their determination to become mages, they were so alike.

“Sorskya.” Du Wei softly called the mage’s name. Through their conversation, he had already learned the talented mage’s name. Du Wei looked at him. “Let me ask you something... What do you hope to gain by becoming a mage? What do you want after becoming one?”

“...That.” Sorskya thought for a moment. “A mage’s duty should be to seek the ultimate mysteries of magic, to study magic diligently, and to spend a lifetime immersed in its secrets. But I am destined never to become a high-level mage, so seeking magic’s ultimate mysteries has little to do with me... I only want what I desire.”

“You mean the status and treatment of a mage?” Du Wei smiled. “That is an honest answer, and not an unreasonable one. Mages have always been treated well. Wherever they go, accomplished mages are sought after by powerful and influential people. They receive the best treatment and respect... But do not forget that you are only the lowest first-level mage. No great figure will pay a high price to recruit a low-level mage of limited ability.”

Sorskya fell silent. He knew that Du Wei was right. Although he had received official recognition as a mage, he had discovered wherever he went that a lowest first-level mage was not as welcome as he had imagined.

At first, people who learned that he was a mage would be amazed and respectful. But when they discovered he was only the lowest first-level mage, their enthusiasm immediately dropped tenfold.

That was why Sorskya had ultimately had to swallow his pride and join Roline’s unimpressive little adventuring party. He had wanted to join a large mercenary company, but no one thought much of him.

Seeing Sorskya’s helpless expression, Du Wei knew the moment was right. He smiled. “Sorskya, since your dream is to receive the treatment and respect due a mage, why not pledge loyalty to me? You can become the magic consultant I retain. I will treat you well. The respect, status, and everything else you need—I can provide them. You already know that I am a member of the Rowling Family. The Rowling name should not disgrace you, should it?”

Sorskya's heart stirred.

Serving this young noble... That seemed a good choice. They had clashed before, but it had only been because the other boy was obsessed with magic. Their talk had gone well, and more importantly, this young noble had also turned to magical potioncraft after finding no path forward in magic. Their similar circumstances made Sorskya feel that he had found a kindred spirit.

And he could become a magic consultant to the Rowling Family and receive generous treatment... What was there left to hesitate over?

“I...” Sorskya considered it. “I am willing to accept your offer, but I need to return south first. My laboratory is there. I have many essential tools, precious materials, and various powders I refined in the laboratory. All of them must be moved here, and I must do it myself. You know that a mage’s laboratory cannot be moved by ordinary people. It would be too dangerous.”

Du Wei considered it briefly. Letting him return south was not really a problem... But what if this man intended to use the opportunity to run away?

Besides, this man who had cheated his way to a mage’s title was now worth his weight in gold to Du Wei. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong!

Du Wei immediately made a decision. “Then this is what we will do. I am very interested in your laboratory as well. I will go south with you!”

On that day, the future Roland Demon's path began.