The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 509: Volume Eleven: Shrouded in Fog and Smoke - Twenty-One: Grand Ceremony

Chapter 509: Volume Eleven: Shrouded in Fog and Smoke Chapter Twenty-One: Grand Ceremony

"Hmm, the Flame Dragon Magic Needle is a hybrid of Fire Magic and Ice Magic. Although the spell’s damage may not have been significant at the time, it could cause considerable complications for the injured. Many people did not realize the danger of their injuries, but by the time the symptoms erupted suddenly, it was already too late to treat them. Eve, your insight is quite remarkable. While you couldn’t heal Burianos’s wound completely, you at least saved his life by suppressing it with your White Magic. Otherwise, after so much time, even if he hadn’t utilized his Inner Qi, his condition should have erupted by now."

Eve both envied and admired Komer’s understanding of Magic Skills. He had managed to heal most of Burianos’s wounds with just the Holy Flame Bathing Spirit technique and could even see that it was her White Magic that had suppressed Burianos’s injuries. This performance was far beyond the level of a common mage. Could it be that he had already reached the realm of the archmage? Eve couldn’t believe it.

An archmage was impossible to find in someone of Komer’s young age. Even if Komer was a Magic genius, it seemed unlikely that he would possess such formidable Magic Power. This wasn’t a matter of Magical knowledge, but the cultivation of Magic Power alone required a long period of uninterrupted accumulation.

"Reese, don’t say that. I’m a Shepherd who hasn’t even reached the level of a Priest, and my healing Magic ability isn’t even half of yours. Aren’t you mocking me by saying this?" Her cheeks slightly blushing, Eve was a bit embarrassed by Komer’s praise.

"Heh, Eve, don’t compare yourself with me. My experiences are beyond comparison to yours. Life is strange; many hardships seem like punishment, yet they can bring unexpected benefits to those who endure. Perhaps this is what they mean by ’you win some, you lose some.’"

Komer shook his head with a semblance of emotion and let out a sigh, then brought the conversation back on topic, "Eve, if there’s a chance, I would like to exchange thoughts with you about healing Magic. I’m not skilled in White Magic, but I have some understanding of the healing techniques in both Light Magic and Dark Magic."

"Dark Magic? You know Dark Magic?" Eve’s beautiful eyes widened in astonishment; she could hardly believe her ears. His Holy Flame Bathing Spirit was clearly the purest form of Light Magic, but now he claimed to have some understanding of Dark Magic. Could it be that the two types of Magic were compatible? This was inconceivable!

"Why? Eve, do you find it surprising? Is there something wrong with me knowing Dark Magic?" Komer glanced at her, asking rhetorically.

"But your Magic power should be from the Light series; you should never be able to use Dark Magic." Stuttering a little, Eve felt totally confused.

Komer’s words had completely overturned her understanding of the Magic system. Could Light Magic Power and Dark Magic Power merge into one? This was something she had never heard of before, and not even the legendary Magic Tutors had achieved this.

"Heh, you think my Magic Power should be from the Light series?" Komer asked again.

"If not from the Light series, how could you cast Holy Flame Bathing Spirit? Even Elemental Series Magic could not accomplish that." Having a comprehensive grasp of the orthodox Magic system, Eve knew that Holy Flame Bathing Spirit required the highest and most pure Magic power within Light Magic. It could not be cast without Light series Magic Power, and since her cultivation was in White Magic, which is based on the Elemental Power of the wood series, she admired Holy Flame Bathing Spirit but knew she could never cast it herself.

"Eve, that’s just an appearance. Once you comprehend one magic, you comprehend all. Many things that seem opposing often share common mysteries deep within. This principle of contradiction and unity is one of the profound essences of Magic purpose, it’s just that we often fail to see the essence through appearances. Alright, for today, let’s end our discussion on Magic here. When I have the time, I will have a meaningful exchange with you. There’s a little snippet I understand about White Magic that might be of help to you."

With a faint smile towards Eve, who was still looking bewildered, the glint in Komer’s deepening dark eyes possessed a magnetic charm, involuntarily drawing people in to understand everything about him. It wasn’t until Komer playfully blinked that Eve snapped out of it, as if awakened from a dream, her crimson cheeks blooming with color, inciting a sudden urge within the silent Lome beside them to howl in frustration and vent his inner turmoil.

The annual Mage Guild’s Roundtable Conference was finally declared open amidst countless salutes of Magic fireworks streaking into the sky.

Of course, the ordinary public didn’t have much interest in the Roundtable Conference that was related only to magic practitioners. In fact, the Roundtable Conference wasn’t particularly related to the ordinary magic practitioners either. The annual Roundtable Conference was simply to determine the distribution of qualification certificates for mages of various regions and schools, as well as the discussion of some special issues. However, what made this year exceptional was the magic competition that was about to be held, which was the biggest highlight attracting numerous magic practitioners and the general public.

The Morsonas Grand Altar is one of the most important structures in Prague, besides the palace and the Magic Academy. It is probably the building that Bohemians take the most pride in. It is said to be 1,300 years old, even predating the Dark Ages by several centuries. The ancestors of the Bohemians constructed this series of buildings with huge stones and mortar here to worship the deities, and now it has become the main venue for the Bohemia Kingdom’s significant events.

Besides the central gigantic altar, more than ten other large altars are distributed in parallel across the West Suburb of Prague. The entire altar area covers thousands of acres, enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people for gatherings and activities. The central gigantic altar was built by the ancestors of the Bohemians to worship the primordial founding gods, while the other altars were for the worship of the rain god, wind god, thunder god, lightning god, wine god, fire god, and other ancient deities.

With the rise of the Bright Holy Teaching and other religions, the original worship gradually got replaced by religious ceremonies. However, even now, a considerable part of the Bohemian population still adheres to the deities left by their ancestors. Especially in the last ten to twenty years, there has been a resurgence of this retrospective trend.

As hundreds of magic celebratory cannons bloomed in the sky with dazzling brilliance and exquisite patterns, successive mirages also continuously transformed above the grand altar into magical and beautiful scenes, accompanied by the resonant music played with magic-powered instruments across the altar area, signaling the official start of the Prague Magic Competition.

Komer had to admit that Bohemia’s prosperity was incomparable to any country in the Northern Continent. While the Kingdom of Nicosia was still worried about raising funds for military expenses, Komer estimated that the magic celebratory cannons released in just a few minutes alone would cost millions of Gold Shields, and the cost for the mirages was astronomical.

Komer was aware that each magic scroll depicting a mirage was priced at several hundred thousand Gold Shields. Usually, only on national holidays and celebrations or when the Great Aristocracy and Great Lords had special days like births and funerals would one or two mirages be displayed to showcase their achievements. To see more than ten successive mirages, such an extravagant scene, was a first even for Komer, who was accustomed to the lives of the rich.

Considering the benefits he schemed for the Caucasus from within the Three Cities and seeing that here it was equating to only a few mirages, Komer could only sigh about the injustice of the world. The cost of a single mirage could sustain countless people for more than a year, and this was just for the happiness of the public. The Bohemians, rich and poor alike, seemed not to care, each one cheerful and fully immersed in what seemed like a national celebration, without giving any thought to how much money this grand event would cost.

"Wow, His Majesty the King is really generous, huh? How many Gold Shields do these mirages and magic celebratory cannons cost? Our Mercenary Corps couldn’t earn this much in a lifetime!"

The Dwarf Warrior’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Although Bayezid wasn’t a Hill Dwarf adept at mining and forging, nor a Forest Dwarf skilled in crafting, as a Dwarf, he certainly understood how costly it would be to create these mirages and magic celebratory cannons. Greedily staring at the sky, Bayezid had forgotten everything for the moment. Having this magnificent sight imprinted in his brain, he could brag about it to his descendants in his old age.

Even Havier, who was burdened with important tasks, was absorbed in the marvelous spectacle at this moment, forgetting his duties. Lome, Eve, and Grace, the three girls, were utterly enchanted as well. Inherently fond of beauty, the women were bewitched by this world-class sight, longing for it. For a magic practitioner to witness such a magnificent scene, it was a fortune of a lifetime. Indeed, the magic festival was the pinnacle of displaying magic.

The grand altar, designated as the judging area, was off-limits. To prevent accidents, especially with the release of potent magic during the competition’s offensive spells, the competition committee had invited several mages from the Kingdom Court Mage Corps, along with guest mages hired by the Mage Guild, to help maintain order at the site and prevent magic from getting out of control, harming the spectators.

Moreover, the Magic Competition would select the winners from the countless practitioners who sparred with each other, awarding them with necessary material and honors to encourage magic enthusiasts from all over the Continent to more actively engage in magic practice.

On more than ten altars, magic practitioners from all over the Continent ascended to compete, and the rousing magic competition thus began.