8mi Chapter 141 A World Between Reality and Illusion
Chapter 141 A World Between Reality and Illusion
Chapter 141 A World Between Reality and Illusion
To answer Geb's question, the Book of Sand quoted Imint's summary of the various schools of thought: "[Protection School]: Focuses on obstruction, isolation, and protection. Many wizards consider the Protection School to be a cowardly school; rather than actively seeking knowledge, they prefer to hide behind a magical shield, complaining like a cautious old man about the recklessness and radicalism of other wizards." However, no one can deny that when disaster strikes (for the wizards of the Arken Empire, disaster is always just a matter of time), everyone wishes they had a decrepit old man of the Protection School by their side, erecting anti-magic barriers while muttering: "I knew this would happen!"
"An ordinary protection-type wizard can protect himself and his allies from physical and magical harm."
"A high-level protection wizard can physically seal off a huge area, preventing anything he allows from entering or leaving the place."
"A legendary-level protection wizard can erect an unbreakable wall between the ethereal plane and the material plane, creating a dead magic zone within a certain area."
Wow! So strong!
Geb was startled by this description. He knew wizards possessed great power, but he hadn't imagined it to be this powerful: to seal off an area both physically and magically—this was tantamount to completely deciding the fate of a city, or even a nation, whether through protection or imprisonment.
No matter how you look at it, self-preservation is always the right thing to do. It's a very tempting option.
Next up is the [Summoning School].
"The wizards of the Summoning School revel in the process of creating something from nothing. They are masters at controlling the flow of energy between the etheric and material planes. Unlike the Protection School, the Summoning School often attracts the most radical wizards in the academy. They are obsessed with solidifying the magical energy of the etheric plane into reality, whether in the form of elements, objects, or creatures. The vast majority of magical monsters, relics, and magical ruins on this continent are the work of the Summoning School."
"An ordinary summoning wizard can summon matter and creatures at will to use for his own purposes."
"A high-level summoner can build his own magical fortress and have an army composed of magical monsters, golems, and soldiers."
"A legendary summoner can tear a rift in the ethereal veil, allowing magical energy to freely flow into the material plane—an extremely, extremely dangerous act, one that no human has ever accomplished. In elven records, thousands of years ago, the ancient elven arcane nobles made a similar attempt, which directly led to the destruction of the Old Elven realm—the aftershocks of that event, known as the Ancient Scar, can still be felt today. Deep within the Old Elven realm, there remains a land overrun by wild magic, a place no one dares to set foot in."
Goodness, it seems the Summoning School and the Protection School are mortal enemies who love and hate each other.
In this light, the Summoning School seems to be stronger; otherwise, the Protective School wizards should have been able to prevent the birth of the Ancient Scar.
Oil spells, cloud spells, summoning summoned creatures, and golems are all spells from the Summoning school. Gebu developed a strong interest in this school of magic.
Risks and opportunities coexist.
Next up is the [Prophecy School]. Geb had already read Imint's assessment of the Prophecy School. They were a group of people who believed in fatalism and that they could observe the predetermined fate of all things through magic.
"An ordinary prophetic wizard can predict fragments of the future and glimpse what is to come. He seeks the past, understands the present, and foresees the future."
"A high-level prophetic wizard can unveil the veil of time and consciousness, and grasp and manipulate the threads that constitute reality. He can see through phenomena and directly understand the essence of things; nothing can escape his divine eye."
"A legendary prophetic wizard transcends the rules of physics and magic. He can choose to travel through the past, present, and future as an observer, and even communicate directly with the highest beings. Some of my colleagues believe that the ultimate goal of the prophetic school is ironic: to see through everything yet be unable to influence it, remaining only as an eternal observer, seems meaningless. My personal opinion is that everyone has their own aspirations, and glimpsing the truth is the fundamental purpose of the path of wisdom in seeking mysteries. To use the knowledge of mysteries for one's own benefit is a selfish act. From this perspective, the prophetic school is the purest follower of the path of wisdom."
Therefore, the school of prophecy wasn't just charlatans, but very pure, selfless ones—Gob developed some respect for this school, though he wasn't particularly interested in it himself. His essence in learning magic was to change his own circumstances; this lofty philosophical pursuit was something goblins didn't possess.
The school of prophecy corresponds to the school of illusion. One seeks to glimpse the truth, while the other conceals it.
"Using magic to confuse the senses and deceive the mind. The wizards of the Illusion School are the most ingenious tricksters, and also the most detestable group among wizards."
"A significant number of illusion mages idolize the Troll, using illusions to deceive, intimidate, and satisfy their personal interests."
"Another group of illusionists are what people call chaos theorists," who demonstrate their sharp minds by fooling and toying with others. They believe the world itself is absurd, everything is a joke, and nothing is sacred or inviolable.
"I cannot agree with the values of these two groups, but it is undeniable that the fantasy school of wizards are the most creative and also the most difficult to deal with among wizards. You never know if the wizard in front of you is real, or even if the world you are in is real, or an elaborately crafted dream trap—"
"An ordinary illusion wizard can skillfully manipulate reality and illusion, creating sensory and magical effects to deceive others."
"A high-level illusion wizard can create a perfect illusion the size of a city, bustling with life, where every resident has their own life, logic, and even emotions. It's flawless from the senses of touch, hearing, sight, and smell. It's like a perfect dream; those within it will never realize it's all an illusion. Once, a petty illusion wizard trapped someone who had offended him in an illusion for a lifetime. Only on his deathbed did this unfortunate fellow discover that his entire life had been a lie."
"A legendary illusion wizard can blur the difference between reality and illusion, making the illusions he creates have a real effect for a certain period of time. At this level, the only thing that can limit an illusion wizard is his imagination."
Imagination? Geb's greatest strength is his imagination.
Gebu deeply understood the power of illusion magic—if used properly, a small, minor illusion could influence the thoughts of many people, achieving a powerful effect with minimal effort. This was something other schools of magic could not do.
The goblin wizard got to this point by using illusions to bluff and deceive. If he could avoid conflict with illusions, he wouldn't need to summon or protect himself.
The highest level of combat skill is to avoid getting involved in the fight.
Moreover, the ability to turn illusions into reality is too versatile; a little effort can achieve great results. If one has the strength of a thousand pounds and then amplifies it through illusions, wouldn't that be incredible?
Geb already had a preference in mind, but he decided to finish watching the rest first.