Chapter 1881 - 13 - 20

Chapter 13: Molta Language

Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared

Although Merlin felt that old man Etha was rather odd, Carice had already said that the old man had very high attainments in appraising Molta Empire era antiques. Therefore, he did not have any more misgivings. Bowing slightly before old man Etha, he said respectfully, "Merlin is willing to follow and learn from you, teacher!"

"Very good."

Old man Etha's face, which had just been somewhat ashen, immediately changed into a big smile. "Merlin, come this afternoon and begin by learning some basic knowledge about appraising antiques."

Merlin was unable to figure out old man Etha's temper. He did not dare to object, so all he could do was nod and indicate that he would come in the afternoon. Following which, old man Etha sent Merlin and Carice out the door.

"Miss Carice, who on earth is teacher Etha?"

Merlin could not wait any longer and inquired Carice.

Carice was in a deep thought for a moment before lowering her voice and said, "Mr. Etha seems to have come to Blackwater City from some other place. It's just him as I've never seen that he has any relatives. His personality's a bit reclusive, and he only likes to collect antiques. I also met Mr. Etha by accident and asked for his advice on antiques. It has come to a point where I always consult Mr. Etha if I encounter some antiques I don't understand. As for other things about Mr. Etha, I'm not very clear myself."

Merlin nodded. Subsequently, they got on their way respectively and Merlin went back to the castle in his carriage.

…

In the afternoon, Merlin came once more before the small house of old man Etha.

By then, the weather had already cleared up. The snow which had fallen heavily for a full day had now stopped. However, the air was still very chilly. Merlin pulled his coat tightly and went up to the second floor before knocking on old man Etha's door.

The door opened very quickly. Upon seeing Merlin, old man Etha's face was indifferent.

"Still considered on time, not bad."

Old man Etha said nothing more and let Merlin through the door.

Merlin came to the side of the fireplace where old man Etha liked to sit. He could see a thick book placed next to the fireplace.

Old man Etha lifted his head, gave Merlin a look, and said casually, "Antiques are the sediments of history. A piece of antique may perhaps be bearing a special period of history. So, if you wish to understand antiques, you've to be knowledgeable and understand the historical background of antiques in depth. For example, the antiques of the Molta Empire era that you like – if you wish to truly be able to identify the antiques of this period, you must first understand the Molta Empire. Do you know what is the most important thing about the Molta Empire?"

Merlin shook his head as he lacked knowledge in the Molta Empire.

"It's language. Language is indispensable to a great and united empire. Only through language can we understand the many events during the time of the Molta Empire. Of course, language is also a very good method in identifying the antiques of the Molta Empire era."

Old man Etha casually picked up the small book on the table and handed it to Merlin.

Merlin casually flipped to a page and discovered strange symbols on it. He had never seen them before. Old man Etha explained, "This is the Molta language. It's the language used during the time of the Molta Empire!"

"Molta language?"

Merlin's eyes lit up. This Molta language was very different from the language that was being used in the Kingdom of Light now. The sacred language of Light was somewhat similar to the western Latin alphabets of his previous world, with various letters forming more than thousands of words and phrases.

As for the Molta language, every component looked like a tadpole. To Merlin, he was unable to identify the differences between these letters.

"Merlin, if you wish to appraise the antiques during the time of the Molta Empire, you've to begin by learning the Molta language."

So, Merlin began to learn this complicated Molta language here at old man Etha's.

Learning a language was an extremely dull task, but Merlin was passionate about learning the Molta language. Perhaps this body had been born very sensitive toward languages where he showed great talents while learning the Molta language. Within an afternoon, he had already mastered a few dozen words.

Of course, perseverance was required when learning a new language. One would only be able to grasp it fully after learning for a few months, or even years.

The afternoon passed very quickly. Seeing that the sky had gradually darkened, old man Etha said coldly, "Alright, that's it for today. Go back and practice the Molta vocabulary you've learned today properly."

"Teacher Etha, I'll definitely do my revision well when I get home."

Merlin gave old man Etha a slight bow to show his respect once more before leaving the small house.

"Hoo…"

Outside, the cold was biting with a chilly wind. Merlin's mind, which had been somewhat drowsy became much awake and clearer. He could already see Moss' carriage.

"Moss, back to the castle!"

Merlin darted into the carriage and stretched his legs, leaning his back against the carriage. He lightly massaged his head with both hands. Although it had been tiring learning from old man Etha today, this had been the most productive day he had ever since he arrived in this world.

…

A few days had passed. Merlin went to and fro old man Etha's place and the castle daily. Life was very simple then as he traveled between these two points.

"Butler, is there something wrong?"

After Merlin had his breakfast, he asked the butler in a soft voice. He had noticed earlier that something seemed to be amiss with the butler today.

The butler hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth to say, "Master Merlin, Miss Macy has already left the castle for nine days and hasn't been back since. Should we send people to look for her in Grand City?"

Merlin was stunned. During the past few days, he had only been concerned about learning the Molta language. Every day had been very productive so he had somewhat forgotten about Macy.

He remembered Macy saying that the social exchange in Grand City would only take about three to five days but it had almost been ten days now and she had not returned. No wonder the butler was worried.

"How about this, let's not send people over to Grand City in haste first. I'll find time later and ask Anson about it to see if he has any news."

The butler nodded before ordering the servants to clear the dining table.

"Hoo…"

Walking out of the castle, a burst of chilly wind blew into Merlin, causing him to shiver involuntarily. Although snow had not fallen these past few days and the weather had been sunny, it was still very cold.

"Moss, go to teacher Etha's."

Merlin hesitated for a moment. He usually goes to old man Etha's in the afternoon. Since he was going to find Anson today to inquire about some news, he still had to first go to old man Etha's and explain the situation.

The carriage slowly left the castle.

…

Merlin stood in front of old man Etha's door and called out softly, "Teacher Etha."

After a few moments, Merlin did not hear any response from old man Etha so Merlin stretched out his hand to knock on the door.

"Squeak…"

The main door was unexpectedly pushed open the moment Merlin's hand touched it gently.

Merlin paused for a while before going inside. He searched all over the place and saw no traces of old man Etha. It looked like old man Etha was not at home.

"Teacher Etha is really too careless. The door's not even locked. Isn't he afraid that thieves would come in?" Merlin muttered.

Recently, the security in Blackwater City could not be considered satisfactory. However, Merlin knew that old man Etha had always been weird and mysterious. He had been coming here for almost ten days now, and still, he did not know what on earth old man Etha did for a living. He only knew that there was only old man Etha in this house. Other than Merlin and Carice who visited occasionally, no one else had come.

Merlin guessed that old man Etha had probably come to Blackwater City alone.

Seeing that old man Etha was not at home, Merlin sat quietly in front of the fireplace and waited, taking the time to review the Molta language he had learned over the past few days.

After waiting for about an hour, the temperature in the house seemed to have dropped considerably. Hence, Merlin casually added some firewood into the fireplace. It was at this moment that Merlin heard footsteps downstairs, outside the door. Old man Etha had most likely returned so Merlin hurriedly stood up.

"Bang!"

The main door was shut harshly. Seeing Merlin in the house, old man Etha was startled and asked, "Merlin, why are you here?"

Merlin saw that old man Etha was wearing long, leather boots which had mud and earth stuck all over them. The big coat on his body was also covered with some dew. His face was slightly pale, and he looked as though he was very tired. Merlin did not know where on earth he had gone to.

"Teacher Etha, I've come to ask for a vacation. I might have to attend to some family matters in the afternoon, so I won't be coming today."

Merlin watched old man Etha for any reaction. To Merlin's surprise, old man Etha did not look furious but rather calm instead. A long time passed before old man Etha nodded his head and said in a composed manner, "I'll be traveling far these few days, so your education might have to stop for a while."

Merlin was astonished. Old man Etha usually looked like he could have been rather carefree and idle. What matters could he have to attend to?

"When is teacher Etha coming back?"

"Can't say for sure, perhaps three or five days, perhaps ten days or half a month. But you must remember, even if I'm not around, you've to practice the Molta language well. I've some insights here on learning the Molta language, and some translations in the sacred language of Light. I've organized all these a few years ago so take them and try to figure them out yourself. They should be of some help in improving your level of understanding of the Molta language."

While saying this, old man Etha took out a stack of thick materials and passed them to Merlin.

Merlin was at a loss. This stack of information was not an ordinary item. Was this not equivalent to a dictionary from his previous life? Moreover, these records were written by old man Etha, so they were extremely precious. In this era, such things could be considered a priceless treasure. Although Old man Etha was strict and stern, he still placed a lot of importance upon Merlin.

"Don't worry, teacher. I'll definitely practice the Molta language well at home."

Hence, Merlin took the materials and turned to leave.

"Wait…"

Old man Etha's face changed. Finally, as though he had made up his mind about something, he drew a black ring out from within his arms and immediately tossed it to Merlin. He said in a low voice, "I'll give you this little knick-knack, so you wouldn't be calling me 'teacher' in vain."

"Teacher, this…"

Merlin was somewhat hesitant, but old man Etha waved his hand casually and said impatiently, "Go, go quickly, go do what you should be doing. I'm rather tired, I want to rest properly."

The old man had not had a hint of courtesy where he immediately shooed Merlin out the door.

Merlin went downstairs and into the carriage, putting the materials inside. He was still in a daze, feeling that something was slightly amiss with old man Etha today, gifting him the materials as well as the ring.

"Old man Etha's been mysterious, weird and kooky the entire time. I wonder what on earth had happened? But this ring's really strange – it looks like it's been around for a few years…"

He did not know what material this black ring was made of. It was so light that it felt like nothing as he held it in his hand. The entire ring was as black as ink, and there was a hideous monster with three heads engraved on it, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. It looked remarkably true to life and made those who looked at it to feel somewhat strange.

Probably, not many people would be willing to wear a ring like that.

Merlin fiddled with it carefully for a moment but he did not discover anything special about it. Thus, he put the ring into his pocket and said to Moss, "Moss, let's go. I'm attending etiquette class today."

The carriage slowly left old man Etha's small house.

Chapter 14: Heretic

Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared

Merlin sat in the spacious carriage. Although the journey was as bumpy as always, his physical attributes were no longer what they used to be, so this bit of distance felt like nothing to him anymore.

"Master Merlin, we've arrived!"

Moss said to Merlin while pulling the curtains in the carriage.

Merlin opened his eyes and alighted from the carriage. Before his eyes was a small three-story building, with an old man watching at the door. Merlin ignored the old man. Just as he was about to enter, little fatty Gutt's luxurious carriage which was drawn by four horses, arrived as well.

"Hey, Merlin."

The little fatty poked his head out from the carriage before leaping down casually. Anson alighted from the carriage behind him. It seemed that Gutt had picked up Anson along the way.

Gutt and Anson quickly walked to Merlin. The little fatty Gutt stretched his chubby hand out and patted Merlin's shoulder lightly and said with a laugh, "Merlin, you've not come for so many days, what have you been up to?"

Before Merlin could answer, Anson's face suddenly fell. His eyes were staring fixedly on something behind Merlin.

"It's Tirath and Teacher Gia. Why are they walking together?"

Anson's expression was dark and gloomy. Ever since he laid his eyes on Gia, he had always been thinking about her. Never had he thought that Tirath would rush in and take the first step.

Merlin turned as well to see Tirath and Gia chattering and laughing away. They seemed to be deeply immersed in their conversation.

Tirath also saw Merlin and the others. The corners of his lips curled into a sarcastic smile. In a high and mighty demeanor, he walked into the small building with Gia.

Gutt glanced at Anson, who was next to him. In a deep, heavy tone, he lowered his voice and said, "Anson, don't be so crestfallen. This Gia is not an easy target. Hehe, haven't I said the other day that I'd investigate Gia thoroughly within three days? I've really gone and did my investigation. Guess what I found out, guys?"

Seeing Gutt's serious face, Merlin could not help but ask rather curiously, "What did you find out? Is Gia's background really great?"

Gutt shook his head and spoke in a low voice, "Her background isn't great, it's that she has no background at all! To be accurate, I've not found anything. Gia has only appeared in Grand City, and it looks like she appeared out of thin air. I've not been able to find out where she's from, what she does, and who her relatives and friends are at all! Hehe, my family's business is spread throughout the entire Kingdom of Light so we're very powerful when it comes to intelligence. If we wish to investigate a person, we'll definitely be able to, but this Gia… She's really mysterious!"

Gutt might be careless and unconcerned most of the time, which made him look like a good-for-nothing rich man's son, but after Merlin had come into contact with him more, he had discovered that this little fatty controlled a part of the Dougland family's business. He was definitely not as deplorable as he seemed on the surface.

Even if the Dougland family's powerful web of intelligence could not find out anything about Gia's true identity, then he was afraid that there were really some secrets surrounding this Gia.

Gutt continued to speak to Anson, "Anson, you've to be alert. This Gia might be pretty but her identity is unclear and is very mysterious. You also need to be more careful and do your best not to have anything to do with her. As for this fellow Tirath, hmph, if there's anything wrong with Gia, he'll be sorry by then."

Gutt curled his lips. It was obvious that he thought nothing of Tirath.

Hearing Gutt's advice, Anson's expression eased up a little. Merlin did not have much interest in this Tirath and the mysterious Gia so he asked Anson for news about Macy, "Anson, Macy, Swordsman Pero, and the others have gone to Grand City for so many days and they haven't returned by now. Have you heard about any news?"

"Macy, huh? I've actually heard some news. Let's get inside first. I'll tell you about it slowly."

Anson's eyes were flashing. For a moment, Merlin's heart sank a little.

In a single file, the three of them went into the spacious house. This class was a history class, as always. However, Gia and Tirath were both not here and no one knew what they had gone off to do.

"Anson, has something happened to Macy?"

Merlin asked hurriedly after they had sat down.

Anson shook his head gently, and said with a wry smile, "Don't worry, Merlin. Your sister Macy's fine. But you're in quite some trouble, though."

"I'm in trouble?"

Merlin did not know what Anson was talking about. He looked at Anson in confusion.

"It's like this. Haven't Macy and the others gone to Grand City under Swordsman Pero's leadership to join the social exchange? It's at this exchange that Cawthon had a breakthrough and became a true Elemental Swordsman, and what's more, a Light Swordsman! This matter has even shocked the bishop of the Grand City church, who personally blessed Cawthon and received Cawthon as a Guardian Swordsman of the Church of Light. That was why they had delayed their return. Tsk tsk, this fellow Cawthon can be considered to have reached the heavens with a single step."*

Anson's face was full of excitement as though he was the one who had become an Elemental Swordsman.

Merlin knew that an Elemental Swordsman was not much but to be a Guardian Swordsman of the Church of Light was different. A Guardian Swordsman would receive the full nurturing of the Church of Light. Also, when it came to the position, although he would not receive the title of an aristocrat from the Royal Family of Light, the position of a Guardian Swordsman in the Church of Light was, in fact, practically the same as an aristocrat!

As the power of the Church of Light grew greater in the kingdom and their influence became more widespread, the position of these Guardian Swordsmen would also improve, like a ship rising with the water level.

After a while, Gia and Tirath walked in together. Gia was radiant and beautiful, as always. Tirath, on the other hand, had a long face. His expression was somewhat dark.

"Hehe, by the looks of Tirath, could he have been rejected and humiliated by Gia?"

The little fatty snickered secretly and delighted in Tirath's misfortune.

Then, Gia began to explain the history course. Merlin had no interest in Gia's course but he was secretly observing her. Even Gutt had not been able to figure out Gia's identity by mobilizing the intelligence network of the Dougland family. She must have kept some secrets.

Nevertheless, Merlin was unable to see anything that was out of the ordinary with Gia even until the end of the course.

"Merlin, see you tomorrow."

Little fatty Gutt and Anson bade Merlin goodbye. Thus, Merlin returned to the Wilson Castle in Moss' carriage.

…

A team of more than twenty knights moved swiftly across the wide-open road. The outfits of this team of knights had very distinguishable features; all of them wore white light armor and on their backs was a greatsword each.

"How much further until Blackwater City?"

The team of knights came to a gradual stop. A middle-aged, golden-haired man asked in a cold voice. This man had long, brown hair which had been tied into a small braid, tucked behind his head. He wore a white robe with light armor fitted on the outside. He looked rather androgynous. However, there was a silver crossed-swords imprint embroidered in front of his chest.

"Sir Jason, after we go over the mountain in front, we'll reach Blackwater City."

A knight wearing a beautiful silver helmet spoke slowly. Fear flashed across his eyes as though he was extremely afraid of this androgynous, white-robed knight.

The white-robed knight nodded. His expression was cold and indifferent as he spoke to the knight in the silver helmet, "Swordsman Bogg, this operation cannot go wrong. The evil heretic hiding in Blackwater City must be captured. I believe that the bishop has already told you what should be done?"

The white-robed knight's eyes were sharp, causing Bogg's entire head to break out in sweat.

"Don't worry, Sir Jason. The bishop has already told us before we depart. This time, all authority over the operation is in your hands, Sir Jason."

"Very good, let's go."

The white-robed knight nodded satisfactorily. However, the heart of Swordsman Bogg was very heavy. He was one of the Guardian Swordsmen of the Church of Light in Grand City and also a powerful Second-level Light Swordsman.

Despite his level, Bogg was still very careful in this operation as the church had mobilized people from the Inquisition and Jason was one of them. Bogg was not clear about the Inquisition but all he heard before were some rumors about how the members of the Inquisition were mysterious and strange, and possessed great power which only ordinary people could imagine. Also, they were God's most faithful believers.

Every time the Religious Court sent out its team, it was due to the evil heretic which Bogg understood well of. It was a mage in the legends that blasphemed against the God of Light and possessed evil powers, the most powerful force in the depraved Kingdom of Blackmoon.

Faced with the evil heretic and mobilizing the people from the Inquisition, even Bogg, a Second-level Light Swordsman, felt ill. He did not know what awaited him in Blackwater City.

…

With his eyes closed, Merlin laid quietly in the bathtub of steaming hot water. He was holding the piece of relief sculpture in his hands.

After a moment, Merlin opened his eyes, looked at the relief sculpture and a deep thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"For the past few days, there's no longer any sweat on my body in the morning. I don't feel any effect anymore when I perform the posture of the relief sculpture. I think it's already ineffective for me…"

Merlin murmured quietly. Although he had already expected it, he still felt sorry when this day had really arrived. He felt that the tremendous power he experienced with his body could practically rival that of real Elemental Swordsmen, and such a change had been brought about by this mysterious relief sculpture.

Then, Merlin got up, put the relief sculpture away properly and headed downstairs.

Macy had already given up on waiting for Merlin and had begun eating breakfast.

"I'm going to practice my swordsmanship at the church."

Macy quickly finished eating and spoke in a cold tone to Merlin. Then, she immediately walked out of the castle with her sword.

Merlin was already used to this. Ever since Macy had returned from Grand City ten days ago, her entire personality had become cold and indifferent. Moreover, she had been desperately training her swordsmanship to a point that the liveliness she had possessed previously had disappeared.

Merlin also understood the reason for Macy's change. Apparently, Macy had been provoked by Cawthon.

Macy and Cawthon had always been the candidates whom Swordsman Pero looked highly upon – the geniuses who had the most hope of becoming Elemental Swordsmen. Cawthon, however, had broken through very early and had even become a Guardian Swordsman of the church. Macy, on the other hand, was a genius like Cawthon, and yet she had not become a true Elemental Swordsman until now. With this, Macy had changed into a cold and indifferent person. All she could think about was practicing her swordsmanship.

"It looks like I've to find the time and have a good talk with Macy."

Merlin muttered quietly. Perhaps even he had not noticed that he had slowly melded into the identity he possessed now and had completely become one of the inhabitants of this world.

After finishing his breakfast, Merlin returned to his room upstairs. Within the past ten days, he had mastered over a hundred words in the Molta language. Including previous ones, he had already mastered over two hundred words and phrases in the Molta vocabulary. This was already enough for him to read some simple sentences in the Molta language.

To grasp the Molta language well, Merlin had even neglected his swordsmanship training at the church in the morning. It was lucky that Macy was now provoked by Cawthon, so all she could think about was to become an Elemental Swordsman, therefore she did not have the time or energy to meddle in Merlin's business. This was why Merlin had been living comfortably for the past ten days.

"It's been ten days, I wonder if old man Etha has returned?"

Merlin was about to continue practicing his Molta language, but upon careful contemplation, it had already been ten days – he should go and see if old man Etha had returned.

Although he had the materials old man Etha had given him, he would still encounter some problems while self-studying. If old man Etha was around, those problems would naturally be solved with the greatest of ease. He would no longer have to make guesses so painstakingly.

Thus, Merlin put on his clothes and left Wilson Castle, sitting in Moss' carriage as it rumbled toward old man Etha's little house.

(TN: The Chinese idiom used here is 一步登天. Literally translated, it means to step into the sky with a single step. It is used to describe instant success.)

Chapter 15: Spell Caster I

Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared

The carriage was driven slowly on the main road. Merlin had his eyes closed, resting in the carriage. Suddenly, he felt the carriage being jolted around violently and heard the horses outside neighing and whinnying.

"Moss, what's wrong?"

Merlin pulled open the curtains of the carriage asked Moss with a frown.

At the same time, Moss was exerting as much energy as he could to control the panicking black horse. Hearing the dissatisfaction in Merlin's tone of voice, Moss said with some unease, "Master Merlin, a team of knights had rushed in from the back. I don't know who on earth they are, rampaging on the street."

Merlin raised his head and looked into the distance. Indeed, he saw a team of knights in bright and shining armor in front. They were currently rushing forward, completely ignoring the passersby and carriages on the road. The entire street was chaotic with the curses of many people.

The outfits on these knights' bodies were unlike those of the City Defense Troop knights. Merlin had never seen them before.

"Aye? Merlin?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted into Merlin's ear from the side. Merlin turned his head to see a carriage stopping by the roadside on the right side of the street. The coachman was doing his best to calm the shocked horses down. As for the person in the carriage, it was surprisingly Carice, whom he had not seen for more than ten days.

"Miss Carice."

Merlin hurriedly got down from his carriage and went to Carice's carriage and asked, "Miss Carice, are you alright?"

Carice shook her head gently and said, "It's just that the horses have been frightened, I'm fine. Right, I've gone to visit Mr. Etha a few days ago but Mr. Etha wasn't home. Do you know what's going on?"

"Teacher Etha said he has some personal matters to attend to and has to leave Blackwater City for a period of time. I want to go and see if Teacher Etha has returned today."

A hint of a smile appeared on Carice's face. "Such a coincidence, I'm also preparing to go see Mr. Etha. Shall we go together?"

Merlin nodded. With their carriages in a single file, they drove toward Mr. Etha's small wooden house.

After a short while, the carriages came to a halt slowly. Moss pulled open the carriage curtains and said to Merlin helplessly, "Master Merlin, we're unable to go forward; it's been blocked."

"Blocked?"

Merlin frowned and lifted his head to look outside. At a location not far from old man Etha's small wooden house was a circle of people blocking the road.

"What's going on?"

Carice had also gone down from her carriage. She glanced at Merlin, looking very mystified.

"Miss Carice, the road seems to have been blocked. Shall we go and see what the matter is?"

So, Merlin and Carice got down the carriage and walked a few steps forward, arriving in the midst of the crowd. Merlin and Carice were tall so they were still able to see the situation inside even though they were outside of the crowd.

"This bunch of knights again? Miss Carice, do you know these people?"

Merlin saw over twenty knights wearing silver-white armor in the midst of the crowd. They had been the ones who had rampaged on the street and caused the chaos. Now, they were blocking the road and not letting anyone pass, resulting in a large crowd around them.

Carice frowned and observed the outfits of this group of knights carefully for a long time. Then, she lowered her voice and said, "I don't really dare to confirm it but looking at their attire, they seem somewhat like the Guardian Swordsmen of the Church of Light. But we don't have Guardian Swordsmen in Blackwater City, so I don't dare say for sure."

"Guardian Swordsmen?"

Merlin repeated the words. Immediately, he remembered Cawthon because he had become a Light Swordsman and a Guardian Swordsman of the church in Grand City.

"Could it be the Guardian Swordsmen of Grand City?" Merlin guessed in a low voice.

"Grand City? It's possible but they've mobilized so many Guardian Swordsmen to Blackwater City all at once. Could there be some great trouble?"

Carice and Merlin did not dare to say for sure. It was known that every Guardian Swordsman was a big personality, especially in a small city like Blackwater City. In a sense, the Guardian Swordsmen of the church were equal to aristocrats.

There could have been something serious to have all twenty Guardian Swordsmen who were equal to aristocrats to be sent out all at once.

It was at this moment that another team of knights came from behind. Merlin was very familiar with the attire of this team of knights. They were the knights brigade of the City Defense Troop in Blackwater City.

The crowd immediately split apart, letting the team of knights from the City Defense Troop through. The leading knight yelled at the unidentified knights, "Where are you knights from?"

A knight wearing a silver helmet walked forward. With a high and mighty expression, he said to the knight of the City Defense Troop, "We're the Guardian Swordsmen from the Church of Light in Grand City!"

"Guardian Swordsmen from Grand City?"

The knights of the City Defense Troop were shocked. On normal days, even the castellan had to give a Guardian Swordsman careful treatment if one was to come from Grand City. Therefore today, it was needless to talk about it when more than twenty Guardian Swordsmen had come all at once.

"May I know what business do these few honorable Swordsmen have to come to Blackwater City?"

The knight from the City Defense Troop asked cautiously.

"We've received orders from sir bishop to come and capture the evil heretic of the Kingdom of Blackmoon. You should leave quickly or you'll be hurt by the magic of the evil heretic."

"The evil heretic?"

As though they had heard about some frightening thing, the crowd which had just been densely packed retreated speedily. In the blink of an eye, they were far away from these Guardian Swordsmen.

Even the young knights in the City Defense Troop were shocked with looks of horror on their faces.

Merlin did not know what that evil heretic was. However, seeing the reaction from those around him, he could more or less guess that it was someone who was extremely horrifying and scary.

"Swordsman Bogg, the evil heretic is in the small wooden house in front. Bring your men and surround the place."

A man wearing white robes with light armor instructed the Guardian Swordsmen around him.

There was a chill in Bogg's heart. As expected, they had found the evil heretic. He did not dare to waste any time. Unsheathing his greatsword in a hurry as though he was about to face a great enemy, he got a dozen or so knights to quickly run forward and surround the small wooden house.

"Ah? Isn't that Mr. Etha's house?"

Alarmed, Carice cried out involuntarily. It was fortunate that the noises of the surrounding crowd were very loud, covering her voice.

Merlin hurriedly grabbed and pulled Carice's hand. He could not bother himself with how it felt, and hurriedly said in a low voice, "Miss Carice, don't make a sound."

Of course, Merlin could see that the target of this group of Guardian Swordsmen was the small wooden house of the mysterious old man Etha. He knew that since this group of Guardian Swordsmen had arrived, they must have had obtained some sort of news.

"Merlin, don't know if Mr. Etha's back yet, huh? But the situation now seems to be very disadvantageous for Mr. Etha. I hope it won't involve him."

Carice spoke in a low voice.

Merlin's expression was grave and heavy where he shook his head slightly. There was a bad premonition in his heart as though this matter and the mysterious old man Etha were irreversibly linked.

A few dozen Guardian Swordsmen surrounded old man Etha's small wooden house in groups. Swordsman Bogg, who was wearing the silver helmet on his head, asked the white-robed man respectfully, "Sir Jason, what do we do now?"

The white-robed man narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to see the situation in the small wooden house. However, the doors and the windows of the small wooden house were shut tight. No one could see what was inside properly.

After a long time, the white-robed man waved his hand and said, "Swordsman Bogg, go in. It'll be best if the heretic can be captured alive."

Swordsman Bogg was slightly stunned. He felt suffering in his heart as everyone knew how horrifying the evil heretic was, but Jason had already given the order. Although Bogg was a Second-level Light Swordsman, he could only obey.

So, Swordsman Bogg summoned three Guardian Swordsmen and rushed into the small wooden house together.

Everyone stared nervously at the small wooden house. After those four Guardian Swordsmen had entered, there did not seem to be any movement. Even the white-robed man frowned and muttered under his breath, "Could the information be wrong?"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, there were a few muffled sounds came out from the originally calm and quiet small wooden house. The bodies of the few Guardian Swordsmen who had rushed into the house earlier flew out immediately from the small wooden house. Their bodies were charred black as though they had been burnt by fire. There was even the charred stench of grilled meat.

The bodies of the few Guardian Swordsmen fell to the ground heavily, unmoving. They were all dead.

The knights of the City Defense Troop who had been nearer to the small wooden house were no longer able to hide the horror in their hearts after seeing the three charred bodies. All of them turned and ran, retreating far away.

These Guardian Swordsmen were not ordinary men. Every Guardian Swordsman was at least a First-level Light Swordsman and can be concluded that they were all great and powerful Elemental Swordsmen.

Nevertheless, now, these Elemental Swordsmen had only gone in for a while to only die mysteriously.

"Holy Light Cleave!"

It was at this time that a loud roaring voice rang out from within the small wooden house. There had been four Guardian Swordsmen who entered the house. Three were now dead and Swordsman Bogg was still inside.

This voice came from Swordsman Bogg.

A figure immediately jumped out from the small wooden house accompanied by a dazzling white light. Astonishingly, it was Swordsman Bogg.

"Sir Jason, the evil heretic is inside."

Bogg's body was shrouded in dazzling white light. However, the tattered clothes on his body could still be vaguely seen. There was also fresh blood dripping to the ground from his right arm. It was obvious that he had also been injured.

"Second-level Swordsman, it's a Second-level Swordsman!"

Carice, who was standing next to Merlin, said in a tone of disbelief. There was also a slight chill in Merlin's heart. He was afraid that a Second-level Elemental Swordsman would be the number one master in the entire Blackwater City, and in a way that was rightfully deserving.

Swordsman Pero was only a First-level Fire Swordsman and Old Wilson who had been through the battle for a long time seemed also to be a First-Level Elemental Swordsman at his peak. However, they had never broken through to the Second-level.

However, right now, a great and powerful Second-level Elemental Swordsman was in such an unexpected and pitiful state. He had practically escaped out of the small wooden house in a flurry.

The white-robed man gave a cold glance at Swordsman Bogg. Then, he took a deep breath and shouted at the small wooden house, "Heretic, God is forgiving. If you could only return into God's embrace, believe in God and be one of God's people, then the sin on you shall be cleansed."

"God? Is there a God in this world? You Church of Light have been around for so many years, and you're still so pretentious. Laughable, really laughable! You, as a First-level Spell Caster, could you still not know about those laughable lies of your church? I only believe in the truth, I believe in the true essence of magic, and not the imaginary God that you men speak of."

A hoarse voice rang out from the small wooden house. Subsequently, a figure slowly walked out from there.

Chapter 16: Spell Caster II

Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared

"It's Mr. Etha. How can it be Mr. Etha?"

It seemed to be rather difficult for Carice to believe that the figure which had appeared outside the small house was, astonishingly, old man Etha who had disappeared for more than ten days and that the evil heretic those Guardian Swordsmen spoke of was old man Etha.

Merlin fixed his eyes stubbornly on old man Etha. Although he knew that old man Etha was very mysterious and seemed to have kept some secrets that no one knew about, he had not realized that old man Etha was such a powerful and strong master.

Those few Elemental Swordsmen had died at old man Etha's hands. Moreover, that pitiful Second-level Light Swordsman had also been defeated by old man Etha.

However, what Merlin was paying even more attention to was the question of what sort of power did old man Etha, who looked extremely ordinary, used to defeat so many masters?

"Shut up, heretic! Your soul has already been completely depraved. If you don't believe in God, then you must receive God's punishment!"

The voice of the white-robed man was very sharp. He waved his hand violently, signaling Swordsman Bogg to go forward.

Swordsman Bogg took a deep breath. He raised his greatsword with both hands and right at that instant, the greatsword emitted an incomparable dazzling light.

"Light Sword!"

Swordsman Bogg brought the blade down. The strong force in the air spread out into the surroundings. Even Merlin could feel the great power as though he was going to be squeezed open.

"Such power and might from a Second-level Swordsman!"

Merlin could not help but feel a chill in his heart. By relying on the mysterious posture of the relief sculpture, the strength of his body had been improved to a state where it could barely rival that of a First-level Elemental Swordsman.

However, if he was to face a Second-level Swordsman, Merlin knew without a doubt that he would not have any chance of winning.

Nevertheless, although he faced an attack as ferocious as Bogg's, old man Etha behaved as though he had not seen it. He even shook his head gently and said, "Still sending a Normie to die. You Church of Light are hypocritical to the extreme!"

All they could see was old man Etha waving his finger around. A cluster of fireballs with the size of a fist each appeared in the direction of his finger. This cluster of fireballs floated in midair and was even spinning around furiously.

"Go!"

The moment old man Etha's voice fell, this cluster of fireballs charged toward Swordsman Bogg and collided brutally against that strong and bright light of his.

Swordsman Bogg was a Light Swordsman, so he could channel and erupt the powerful force of the Light Elements.

Nevertheless, when Swordsman Bogg's greatsword encountered with the fireballs, the solid greatsword was immediately melted by the scorching heat. The fiery flames even continued burning directly toward Swordsman Bogg's body. Swordsman Bogg made a quick decision and threw the greatsword in his hand away promptly. The light on his body flashed once more as his body speedily retreated backward.

The greatsword that had been thrown by Swordsman Bogg onto the ground turned into a clump of metallic liquid in the blink of an eye. It was enough to show how terrible the temperature of the cluster of fireballs earlier had been. The three Guardian Swordsmen who had died previously had probably been burnt to death by them.

Old man Etha's eyes narrowed slightly and shifted his gaze at the white-robed man. In a hoarse voice, he laughed coldly and said, "Hehe, First-level Spell Caster, could it be that you still want these Normies to die in vain?"

Being stared at by old man Etha, the white-robed man's face turned ashen and green. He said, "Evil heretic, you're courting death!"

The voice of the white-robed man was shrill beyond compare, causing a stinging pain in the ears. It was evident that he could not be more furious. He sat on his horse as always, with both hands propped up before his chest as he began chanting in a low and deep voice, "The Lord of mercy, the omnipotent Lord, your faithful believer needs to borrow your strength and eliminate that evil heretic! Holy Light Adjudication!"

For a moment, the sun in the sky dimmed. Beams of gigantic white light condensed above the small wooden house, bringing humongous airwaves and slashing down directly, whistling toward old man Etha's head.

Old man Etha had originally been wearing a black bowler hat but following the spell cast by the white-robed man, the great airwaves that had surged up immediately blew old man Etha's hat away, revealing a head of sparse hair.

Old man Etha's expression slowly became grave and serious. He pointed his skinny hands into the airspace in front of his body. Clusters of fireballs appeared promptly, spinning non-stop.

This time, there were four or five fireballs floating in the empty space. Old man Etha's face had also turned pale. It seemed that four to five fireballs were already his limit.

"A First-level spell, Holy Light Adjudication?"

There were faint traces of craziness in old man Etha's serious expression. Pointing with both hands, the four to five fireballs charged toward the Holy Light in front at a great speed.

"Fizz… Fizz..".

It was as though those four to five fireballs had fallen into the water and they were drowned by the vast Holy Light. All they did was emit some strange noises before they moved no more.

Seeing that his Fireball seemed to be useless, old man Etha hurriedly took a few steps back. However, his feet staggered slightly, causing him to almost fall to the ground. Apparently, he had already retreated until the front steps of the small wooden house. Behind him was the building – there was nowhere else he could retreat to.

"Whirlwind!"

Old man Etha gritted his teeth slightly and waved his hand where a whirlwind appeared in the garden in front of the small wooden house, whistling away and uprooting the plants and trees that had originally been all over the place. Earth was being mixed into the whirlwind endlessly, showing off its tremendous destructive powers.

The gigantic whirlwind whistled as it rushed toward the Holy Light which was closing in quickly. Suddenly, both powerful forces collided and, in that instant, sand and pebbles flew everywhere as the earth shook. The small wooden house seemed to be somewhat unable to withstand such a violent shock and it looked as though it was about to break apart and collapse.

Finally, the Holy Light drowned the whirlwind that old man Etha had cast. The vast light was like a giant web, enveloping old man Etha ferociously.

Old man Etha seemed calm. A hint of a smile slowly appeared at the corners of his lips.

"Boom!"

A cluster of flames appeared above old man Etha's body and swallowed him entirely. In the blink of an eye, old man Etha had been burnt into ashes by the flames. The Holy Light struck the ground brutally, blasting the steps in front of the small wooden house into powder where tiny gravel flew in all directions.

Old man Etha was dead. His body had been instantly turned into cinder by the fire.

The corners of the white-robed man's lips contorted. His expression looked very dark as he stared at the spot where old man Etha had been standing. A long while passed before he gave his instructions to Swordsman Bogg. "The evil heretic has died. Swordsman Bogg, bring your men into the house where the heretic had lived and search it at once. Don't let go of anything inside the house, take them all away."

Swordsman Bogg nodded. He immediately led the remaining Guardian Swordsmen and dashed into the wooden house.

Having witnessed such a dream-like battle from the sidelines for a long while, everyone's faces had become rather agitated. Perhaps everything that had happened today would become memories they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

"Sir pastor, please pray and bless us. Help us cleanse the filth of the evil heretic!"

The Normies around them bowed slightly toward the white-robed man, expressing their respect for this honorable pastor. They did not know the true identity of the white-robed man. Amongst the people they could see in the church, only the pastor who specialized in leading the people into prayer seemed to fit the identity of the white-robed man.

The thoughts of these people were very simple. Unbeknownst to them, an evil heretic had slipped into their midst. Perhaps their bodies had also been stained with the filth of the evil heretic. This was why they were begging the honorable pastor who had eliminated the evil heretic to cleanse them.

A smile broke out on the face of the white-robed man. The pastor was the most basic clergy member in the church as well as one of the lowest positions. He, on the other hand, was a Wizard in the Inquisition. When it came to the position, his was naturally higher than that of a pastor.

However, at the moment, he was glad to be a pastor. Thus, he said in a high voice, "Don't worry, the evil heretic had used evil magic to hypnotize all of you but if you would only believe in God sincerely, God will not abandon you."

Then, the white-robed man spread out his arms and chanted loudly. Vaguely, a hint of faint white light enveloped everyone and put their hearts at peace.

Many stayed where they were, praying to the God of Light in low voices. Only Merlin and Carice were somewhat at a loss. Carice's face was turning slightly pale, and her lips had become purplish blue. It was evident that there was utter horror in her heart.

Anyone, as long as they had been living in the Kingdom of Light and had stayed under the influence of the Church of Light for a long time would be horrified at the evil heretics. Carice was not an exception. She was unable to imagine that old man Etha, who had not seemed any different from any ordinary old man who had extensive knowledge, was a terrifying and evil heretic.

Merlin's face looked bad as well but he was much calmer than Carice. Merlin did not feel horrified by old man Etha's identity as an evil heretic. Rather, he felt that this matter might get him into trouble.

"Miss Carice, let's go."

Merlin stretched out his hand to hold Carice's. Her palm was sweaty, showing how nervous and scared she was.

Luckily, many people were still praying. No one really noticed Merlin and Carice so they went into their carriages and left without a sound.

…

Back at Wilson Castle, Merlin hurriedly entered his room.

"Hoo…"

It was only after he had returned to his room that Merlin let out a long sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease. Thinking back to everything he had just seen, he still felt it had been rather unimaginable.

The battle between old man Etha and the white-robed man seemed to have opened up an entirely great, new door for him. Previously, he had thought that Elemental Swordsmen were strong and powerful beings in this world. The energy that a First-level Elemental Swordsman could break out into with all his might was downright terrifying.

However, the energy of old man Etha and the white-robed man from the church was completely beyond Merlin's imagination. The usually superior and aloof Elemental Swordsmen did not have the slightest bit of resistance before old man Etha as they were extremely weak.

Old man Etha and the white-robed man were the ones who possessed the truly great and powerful energy!

"Right, old man Etha has given me a ring before."

It was then that Merlin remembered the ring that old man Etha had given him. He had originally thought that it was a normal handicraft but after having discovered how abnormal old man Etha was, naturally, Merlin no longer considered the ring to be an ordinary handicraft.

Thus, Merlin began to search the room in haste.

Chapter 17: The Ring

Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared

Merlin finally found the ring in an inconspicuous corner on the writing desk. Back then, Merlin had not taken the ring seriously after old man Etha had given it to him, so he had casually placed it on the writing desk.

Merlin took the ring and lightly rubbed off the dust on it.

The ring was still as black as ink. Holding it in his hand, it seemed to have a cold and gloomy aura. Although Merlin had not given this strange ring much thought before, this ring was not going to be that simple now that he knew old man Etha's true identity.

Merlin carefully recalled old man Etha's every move when he had given him the ring. Old man Etha was pale with a rather exhausted expression. Merlin also did not know what he had gone to do.

"Could Teacher Etha have foreseen that he'll be in danger at the time?"

The more Merlin thought about it, the more suspicious he felt. Otherwise, old man Etha would not have suddenly gifted this ring to him for no reason.

A savage and terrifying monster had been carved on the ring. Using his finger, Merlin lightly caressed every part of the ring, but he did not discover anything out of the ordinary.

Thus, Merlin placed the ring close to his eyes and carefully scrutinized every inch of the ring. He wished to see if there were any prompts in the form of writing on the ring.

Surprisingly, just as he was focusing all of his attention on the ring, there was a spell of trance as though everything around him had darkened in an instant.

Right when Merlin was feeling panicky and confused, he had a strange sensation where it seemed like this darkness was completely unable to block his senses, and he could clearly "see" everything around him.

This was a space about ten square feet wide. There was darkness everywhere and it looked exceptionally empty and vast. Merlin could only see a book with a black cover that had been placed in the space. In this spacious place, the book looked extremely eye-catching.

"Space?"

A hint of doubt flashed across Merlin's head. Then, he was awakened in the blink of an eye. Slightly stunned, he looked around to discover that he was still sitting on the wooden chair, holding the ring in his hand. It was as though everything that had happened earlier was merely his illusion.

"No, it isn't an illusion."

Merlin pondered deeply for a moment. He could clearly recall everything he had seen in that dark space. He believed that it was definitely not an illusion.

Therefore, he focused his mental energy and stared at the ring once more. After a while, just as he had expected, he was back in the dark space that he had been a while ago.

'It seems that this ring contains a space.'

Merlin thought in his heart quietly. Old man Etha had given the ring to him, so he had certainly left something behind for him. Merlin wished to see what on earth old man Etha had kept here for him.

The space in the ring was wide and empty. There was only a book with a black cover. Without a doubt, it was this book that old man Etha had left behind.

Thus, Merlin tried to meditate in his heart to get the book out. This method proved to be very useful; the book with a black cover disappeared in the blink of an eye. By the time Merlin came back to his senses, he discovered that the book with a black cover had already appeared on the writing desk.

The book with a black cover was very thick and was divided into a few sections and was bound with black thread.

Merlin flipped to one of the pages lightly, only to see some strange images drawn on it. They looked similar to some mathematical models that belonged to the world in his previous life.

There were densely packed words written under the images. The words were in the Molta language and the handwriting was very familiar. It was old man Etha's handwriting.

"Molta language?"

Merlin frowned. He had only mastered over two hundred words in the Molta language so far so he could only merely read out some sentences with difficulty.

For example, Merlin could recognize words like "fireball", "model", and "magic". Nevertheless, Merlin could not understand when it came to the majority of the other content.

However, through these simple intermittent words, Merlin had already been able to guess for the most part, that this book was very possibly old man Etha's handbook or perhaps he recorded some of the experiences he had while practicing magic during his everyday life, into this handbook.

This was a Spell Manual that was true to its name!

Thinking about this, Merlin's heart was beating excitedly. Ever since he had seen the great powers of old man Etha and the white-robed man, he could never again forget such immense power that was beyond imagination.

Moreover, this Spell Manual of old man Etha had opened up a completely new door for Merlin!

In the end, despite his escalating emotions, Merlin still shook his head helplessly after reading the handbook for a while and closed the handbook.

There were many words in the Molta language on this Spell Manual and many of them were extremely rare words. With only the two hundred or so words that Merlin had mastered so far, he was unable to understand even a complete sentence, let alone understand the content of the handbook.

Thus, if he wished to understand what was written in the handbook, he had to first learn the Molta language. At the very least, he needed to master over a thousand words before he could understand the content in the Spell Manual at a minimal level.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

A series of hurried knocks sounded from the door, startling Merlin. Hurriedly, he hid the Spell Manual away properly before opening the door.

"Master Merlin, a few knights from the City Defense Troop have arrived at the castle, saying that there are some matters which Master has to talk to them."

The butler was standing outside the door. There was a deeply worried expression on his face.

"Knights from the City Defense Troop?"

There was a shock in Merlin's heart. After he had returned to the castle, he had vaguely felt like a premonition that the matter with old man Etha would be made into a huge issue and everyone related with old man Eta would be in trouble.

Only, he had not expected trouble to come so soon.

"Let's go, butler. I'll go and meet with them."

Merlin went downstairs and arrived at the hall.

In the hall, there was a man wearing light silver armor sitting on the chair. Next to him were three knights who were wearing the uniforms of the City Defense Troop.

Merlin merely cast an indifferent glance at the three knights from the City Defense Troops and as for this man in silver armor, Merlin was even more certain in his heart now that this must be related to the matter with old man Etha because the attire of this man was of the Guardian Swordsman from Grand City.

"Are you Wilson Merlin?"

The man in the silver armor asked coldly.

"I'm Wilson Merlin. What are you here for?"

There was no change to Merlin's face as he asked the question calmly.

"We're the Guardian Swordsmen from the church of Grand City. There are some issues we've to investigate. Let's go."

The three knights from the City Defense Troop quickened their steps and went behind Merlin, fixing their eyes on him fiercely.

Merlin frowned slightly. He knew that the power of the church was extremely great and if the knights of the City Defense Troop had been mobilized, then they must have obtained permission from the castellan so he had no choice but to follow them.

"Alright, I'll go with you guys for a while."

Merlin arranged his clothes for a moment before following the silver armored man out of the castle.

The butler hurriedly ran a couple of steps. Next to Merlin, he anxiously asked, "Master Merlin, what's this about? Are there misunderstandings? Shall I go and get sir baron to return?"

Merlin was the only son of the Wilson family and the heir to the title. Thus, it was natural that the butler would be very anxious about such a big incident.

Merlin shook his head. There was a hint of a smile on his face as he spoke, "No need to trouble Father, it'll be fine. I'll be able to settle this matter very quickly. Right, don't tell Macy in case she gets impulsive and does something irrational."

After Merlin had given his instructions, he leisurely sat in the carriage prepared by the City Defense Troop and left the castle slowly.

In the carriage, only a knight from the City Defense Troop and the silver armored Guardian Swordsman watched Merlin. The other two knights were riding the horses and guarding the carriage.

After all, Merlin was different from the others. Merlin was the only heir to the title in the Wilson family. He held a very high position so a Guardian Swordsman had been specially sent forward. Otherwise, there would really be no way to get Merlin out from Wilson Castle by relying on just these City Defense Troop knights.

"Master Merlin, you don't have to be nervous. We're only getting you to accompany us for an investigation. After we've confirmed that there are no relations between you and the evil heretic, we'll let you return."

The person speaking was the knight of the City Defense Troop in the carriage. He was very afraid of the Wilson family as Old Wilson did not have a very good temper. In Blackwater City, there was really no one Old Wilson was afraid of other than the castellan. Now that the men of the City Defense Troop had taken Merlin again, how horrible it would be if Old Wilson knew about it?

Although the knights of the City Defense Troop had to obey orders and have taken Merlin again, they did not dare to treat him harshly.

Merlin nodded slightly and no longer paid attention to this knight from the City Defense Troop. Instead, he fixed his eyes on the Guardian Swordsman who was in the carriage.

This Guardian Swordsman was not very old and was no more than thirty years old but his expression was very cold. After he had sat in the carriage, he had been still. There was no intention of him to pay Merlin any attention.

Merlin still wished to dig out some news from the lips of this Guardian Swordsman. Therefore, he spoke in a soft voice, "I have a friend who went for an exchange in Grand City some days ago and he has become a Guardian Swordsman. I heard that he has even received the blessings of the honorable bishop of Grand City. I don't know whether you'd know him, Guardian Swordsman sir?"

"Are you talking about Cawthon?"

This cold Guardian Swordsman finally opened his eyes wide, speaking in astonishment.

Merlin's heart moved. He hurriedly nodded, saying, "That's right, it's Cawthon."

Seeing Merlin nod, the expression of this Guardian Swordsman finally warmed up. He said, "Now that you've mentioned it, it's quite a coincidence. After Cawthon was blessed by the honorable bishop, he's been sent to our small team but because Cawthon has just become a Guardian Swordsman, he isn't allowed to come this time."

The relationship between Merlin and this Guardian Swordsman had been drawn a lot closer due to Cawthon. Thus, Merlin finally voiced the doubt that had been long hidden in his heart. "The evil heretics are very powerful. According to the legends, all of them possess evil powers and Normies wouldn't be able to fight against these evil heretics at all. However, you guys unexpectedly killed that evil heretic this time. Who on earth is that Sir Jason?"

After Merlin had asked this question, the atmosphere in the carriage became dense immediately. Even the knight from the City Defense Troop looked at the Guardian Swordsman expectantly.

The Guardian Swordsman looked at the hopeful expressions on Merlin and the City Defense Troop knight. He seemed very satisfied as a hint of a smile showed at the corners of his lips before he said in a low voice, "You guys have really asked the right person this time. Anyone else doesn't know Sir Jason's identity at all. Sir Jason is a high-ranking official in the Inquisition. His position is higher than even us Guardian Swordsmen, and he directly reports to the jurisdiction of the headquarters. Even the honorable bishop doesn't have the authority to direct the members of the Inquisition. The Inquisition only sets out to deal with evil heretics and they're usually extremely mysterious so no one knows what they do. However, in the church, it's rumored that the members of the Inquisition are the people who are closest to God where they've even been granted all sorts of mighty powers by God!"

After he finished speaking, a hint of envy showed upon the face of this Guardian Swordsman.

Chapter 18: Interrogation

Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared

"The Inquisition, huh?"

Merlin etched this place into his mind. That strong, white-robed man came from this Inquisition of Church of Light. Merlin felt even more alert. If he met anyone from the Inquisition in the future, he would need to treat them with care.

The carriage slowly came to a halt. Led by the Guardian Swordsman, Merlin went out of the carriage. He raised his head to see and to his surprise, he had reached the Blackwater City's church.

There were many people same as Merlin but most of them did not have such privilege as him. They were all normal citizens and were brought into the church by the City Defense Troop.

"Let's go. Tell them everything they need to know. As long as it's not related to the evil heretic, they'll let you go soon."

The Guardian Swordsman said to Merlin with a smile. Due to Merlin's relationship to Cawthon, he had a good impression of Merlin.

Merlin nodded and entered the church with this Guardian Swordsman.

In the church, there were up to a hundred people. They lined up in a few rows. Some were asking the crowd about matters related to old man Etha. There were also some clerks who were responsible for the records.

Merlin had a good hearing. Listening closely, he heard a few people in front of him interrogating a middle-aged man.

"When have you met the evil heretic?"

"For many years now. I'm a tailor. Whenever there's a change of season, Mr. Etha will come to my shop for tailored clothes."

"Except for clothes, have you seen him anywhere else?"

"Except for clothes, I haven't seen Mr. Etha anywhere. He's very secretive, always hiding in his wooden house. Usually, he doesn't even come out. Who would've thought that he's an evil heretic?"

"Good. Next."

That was the whole process of the questioning. Those who had gone through the process would be brought away swiftly for the next round of interrogation.

"If it was such a simple interrogation, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Merlin finally calmed himself.

Soon, it was Merlin's turn. The clerk standing in front of Merlin seemed neat and tidy. He was responsible for recording the conversation while the one doing the questioning was a Guardian Swordsman.

This Guardian Swordsman only took one boring glance at Merlin before he asked, "What's your name?"

"Wilson Merlin."

After hearing Merlin's name, the Guardian Swordsman's expression changed slightly. Then, he took a good long look at Merlin and his expression obviously became stern.

"What's your relationship with the evil heretic?"

Merlin did not hesitate and said directly, "I don't know Etha's true identity so I learned antique authentication from him for a while."

Merlin was also observing this Guardian Swordsman closely. He saw that there were not many changes to his expression and Merlin immediately understood.

These people were clear who old man Etha had contacted with before the interrogation. They had also gotten hold of some information of the people Etha had contact with. Surely, they knew of Merlin's relationship with old man Etha.

The Guardian Swordsman asked Merlin more questions and Merlin had also answered truthfully except for the ring. Merlin would not hide any fact regarding the old man. Otherwise, the people would doubt him.

After a long while, the Guardian Swordsman had asked all he needed to ask. He raised his head and said to another Guardian Swordsman by his side, "Bring him in. Let Lord Jason do the last bit."

Hence, another Guardian Swordsman came forward and brought Merlin to a small house in the church.

"Go on in."

The Guardian Swordsman stopped after he sent Merlin to the door. He said to Merlin without much emotion.

Merlin sighed deeply before he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The house was a little dark and humid. As soon as Merlin stepped inside, he could feel a few gazes upon him.

"Miss Carice?"

Mersin squinted his eyes. He saw that there was someone he knew in the house. It was Carice. She was brought here too.

Carice also saw Merlin and only nodded her head slightly as an acknowledgment. It seemed that her emotion was much stable and she was not as afraid as she was yesterday.

Other than Carice, there were a few more strangers in the house. A bald old man, a fat madam and the tailor who was questioned by the Guardian Swordsman before.

They stood in the small house feeling unrest. They gazed up to the white-robed man sitting in the chair with fear.

After seeing this white-robed man, Merlin knew that he was the Wizard who killed old man Etha – Wizard Jason of the secretive Inquisition.

Merlin was the same as others, standing idly in the house. Jason did not speak and he was simply waiting silently instead.

After a while, a few people came in. In total, there were eight of them. They were feeling unrest, sometimes a hint of fear escaped their eyes. They did not know what sort of interrogation awaited them here.

There was a large religious mural behind Wizard Jason. It was about God of Light who was punishing a bunch of devils who committed all sort of atrocities. Accompanied by this mural and the indifferent Wizard Jason, it was inevitable to induce fear in the people's heart.

After a long while, Wizard Jason finally stood up. His sharp gaze scanned everyone briefly before saying slowly, "More or less, you're the people who've spent a long time with the evil heretic. That evil heretic is cruel, sly and extremely capable of evil spells. So, I want to test for myself if you've been tainted by the evil heretic."

Upon hearing Wizard Jason, that bald old man and the fat madam were already full of trembles. If there were no one holding them, they would have already passed out.

In Church of Light, those who were related to evil heretic would receive the cruelest punishment. The most serious of all was to be strapped to the stake and be burnt alive. So, the fact that Wizard Jason questioned if they were related to the evil heretic had caused insurmountable fear in them.

Wizard Jason's mouth quirked into a smile. With both of his hands crossed in front of his chest, he spoke in a low pitch, "Don't be afraid. If you're not tainted by the evil heretic, God will definitely forgive you."

After that, Wizard Jason began to murmur. From his body, he began to emit a faint white light that felt holy and noble.

In the blink of an eye, it covered the whole house. Meanwhile, Wizard Jason had already taken off the light armor he wore. Along with the huge white robe and the brightening of the holy light, the mark of a silver cross on his white robe became clearer as well.

The people who were engulfed in the holy light felt as if they were seen through completely. They could not hide even the slightest secret. Merlin took a sideways glance at Carice to see that she was bright red with a slightly awkward expression.

Merlin frowned because he felt it too. Albeit well-dressed, in this holy light, clothes did not seem to have any effect of covering one's body. It was as if they were seen naked by others. He could not blame Carice for being awkward about it.

"Is this the magical spell? Luckily, I didn't bring the ring with me. Or else, there's no way I can escape Jason's investigation."

Merlin became stern and more terrified of the secretive Wizard because the magical yet strong spells were powers that he could not fathom at all.

The others were horrified by the holy light Jason emitted as well, but Merlin remained calm. He even had the energy to observe Wizard Jason. Merlin then noticed that obvious mark of a silver cross on Jason's white robe.

Merlin had only seen such a unique mark on Jason. Even the Guardian Swordsman of Grand City did not have such a mark. Merlin guessed that this mark represented Jason's status and identity in the Inquisition.

The holy light continued for a while and then dissipated slowly. Then, Wizard Jason showed a slight cheerful smile and said in a high voice, "Good. I've completed my investigation. You're all loyal believers and haven't been tainted by the evil heretic."

Upon hearing Jason's words, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Some even prayed silently.

"Ee-yah."

The door to the house opened wide and Jason waved his hands, "You all can leave."

Thus, everyone bowed slightly to Wizard Jason, then left the house hurriedly. After experiencing that scene just now, no one would like to stay any longer with Jason.

Swordsman Bogg who was outside walked into the room. With a hint of uncertainty, he asked, "Lord Jason, did you find anything else?"

Jason shook his head, "Nothing. I investigated with Magic-detection. These people don't have any magic power, not to mention anything that has the aura of that evil heretic. It seems that evil heretic came to Blackwater City by himself."

Swordsman Bogg nodded and continued, "The things in that evil heretic's home. How should we deal with them?"

"Put them in the carriage and bring them back to Grand City. Let the bishop deal with them. Maybe from his things, we'll be able to find other heretics."

Wizard Jason said to Swordsman Bogg.

Walking out of the church, the wind was chilly. Merlin could not resist the urge to pull up his shirt to his neck. However, he was fiery hot within. He had finally overcome the hurdles with the church. Following that, he could properly plan to study old man Etha's Spell Manual in secret.

"Miss Carice are you alright?"

Merlin asked out of courtesy as he saw Carice who was behind him.

"I'm fine…"

Carice pulled a forced smile. He could see that she was still exhausted. Surely the matter with old man Etha had pulled a great deal on her.

"Miss Carice, you should go back and rest for a few days." Merlin consoled Carice while the latter nodded. She then bid Merlin goodbye, entered her carriage hurriedly and left.

Ensuring that Carice's carriage had left his view, Merlin looked at the church. He knew the butler would definitely come.

As expected, Merlin saw the familiar figure of the butler and Moss. However, beside Moss, in this chilly weather, there was yet another familiar figure.

Chapter 19: Spell Manual

Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared

"Macy?"

Merlin frowned as he shot a questioning glare at the butler.

The butler shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "Young Master Merlin, Young Lady Macy got hold of the news herself."

Macy had a dark expression on her as she shot deathly glare at Merlin. Merlin was extremely troubled by his sister Macy because in Macy's eyes, Merlin always seemed to be the rich kid who needed to be restricted.

When Macy was about to speak, Merlin quickly held Macy's hand and lowered his tone, "Don't say anything. Say it when we get home. Let's enter the carriage first. Let's go."

Macy was pulled by Merlin into the carriage. The butler and Moss were sitting in front of the carriage. It then slowly left the church.

In the carriage, there was no chilly wind so it seemed a little warmer. However, the air in the carriage seemed stagnant. Macy was gawking at Merlin as she tried to say something while Merlin seemed calm.

After a long while, Merlin raised his head and looked at Macy. "Ask away. What do you want to know about?"

Macy frowned and had a complicated look on her. She only spoke after a long pause, "Is there any trouble?"

"Most of them have been dealt with. After some time, the people from the church should be back in Grand City. There won't be anything more."

Merlin stated the facts as calmly as he could be.

"That's good, then. This matter involves the church. It isn't anything big and father is away. So, from now on, you shouldn't go out too often. I'll ask for leave for you from Swordsman Pero. I'll say that you're ill."

Macy said in a serious note. She knew it clearly that once things had involved the church, even the smallest matter could become detrimental. She was not clear with the whole matter but restricting Merlin from going out could at least save him from some troubles. This was the best solution Macy could think of.

Merlin nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'll stay in the castle for the meantime and not go out."

He had the thought of studying old man Etha's Spell Manual wholeheartedly anyway. Now that Macy was able to explain the situation to Swordsman Pero, he could save some trouble for himself.

The carriage slowly came to a halt in front of Wilson Castle. After they had entered the castle, Merlin ordered the old butler to tell anyone who came for him lately that he was not home.

After he had given that instruction, Merlin returned to his room upstairs.

After a short rest, Merlin carefully took out the well-hidden ring from under his bed. Upon seeing this ring, Merlin felt a warm sensation drawing into his heart.

He recalled how small he seemed in front of Jason at the church. Once Jason decided that Merlin was acting odd, he would've died in that place.

Wizards. Wizards who had gotten hold of strong spells were the true powerful people!

Merlin sent his Mind Power into the ring. With a thought, that thick Spell Manual in the ring appeared in Merlin's hands but he was not rushing to flip it open. He placed the manual lightly on the study table and studied the ring instead.

"If he can store the Spell Manual in the ring, then I should be able to store other things in the ring as well."

Merlin guessed in his heart. He intended to test it so he took the mysterious relief sculpture out. According to the method provided in the manual, he had to use his Mind Power and touch the ring at once.

"Swoosh."

It disappeared in the blink of an eye. Merlin squinted his eyes slightly to check the ring with his Mind Power. As expected, the relief sculpture lied quietly in the ring.

Knowing that the ring could store other things as well, a weight was lifted off Merlin's chest. This relief sculpture was extremely mysterious and unfathomable. Putting it in the ring would be safer.

After that, Merlin grabbed the Spell Manual and flipped it open lightly. Even though he had seen it before, he was simply surprised by it and did not have a good look. Now, Merlin would like to study the content in the manual.

However, Merlin only tried a few sentences before giving up helplessly. Even if he had the information from old man Etha as reference and he could understand it word by word but doing this was nearly ineffective. He was extremely slow and he could not attain the effect he wanted.

Thus, the most urgent thing was to have a grasp of Molta language. At least, he needed a strong foundation in it. This required Merlin to grasp hold of more than one thousand vocabulary in the following days to at least try to understand the content of the Spell Manual.

So, Merlin directly placed the manual back into the ring. As long as he could not grasp hold of more than one thousand Molta words, he would never retrieve the Spell Manual.

The butler entered the hall of Wilson Castle hurriedly.

"Young Master Merlin, the Guardian Swordsman from Grand City had left Blackwater City this morning."

The butler flashed a smile. He was ordered by Merlin to observe the Guardian Swordsman of Grand City. Once they had left, he needed to report it to Merlin.

Merlin stood up suddenly and said in a low voice, "Butler, are they all gone? Is there anyone who stays behind? What about the leader, Wizard Jason? Has he left?"

The butler answered, "They've all left. Led by Lord Jason, the Guardian Swordsman brought three carriages of things away. I heard they're all things moved from the evil heretic's home. Their pace is slow but they've left Blackwater City this morning. I only returned after confirming it repeatedly."

"Butler, you've done well."

Merlin was relieved. Even though he had not left home for a while lately, he was still taking note of the movement of the Guardian Swordsman who came from Grand City closely.

Only after making sure that they had already left, he felt truly relaxed.

"Right, did anyone find me lately?"

Merlin asked the butler.

The butler hesitated for a while and said, "Yesterday, Young Master Anson and Young Master Gutt came for your but they were chased away by Young Lady Macy."

Merlin shook his head with a bitter smile and let the butler left first.

However, Merlin did not take this to heart. Anson and Gutt should not have any urgent matter. They were better off chased away by Macy. That way, he could learn the Molta language at peace.

Without other disturbances, Merlin's pace of learning Molta language was quick. In just a few days, he had grasp hold of more than a hundred words. Now, he had the vocabulary of about three hundred words. As the number of words increased, the speed to learn Molta language would increase significantly as well.

Since these Molta words were highly correlated, the few first hundreds of Molta words were the hardest to learn. However, as time passed by and when he had understood Molta words enough, he was able to correlate the words and learn new vocabulary in a much higher speed.

"With my current speed, I'll be able to understand more than a thousand words and at most, a month. At that time, I can read the content of that Spell Manual."

Merlin was looking forward to that day.

The heat from the burning furnace warmed the entire hall. Now that it was October, the weather had become even colder. The ground outside was already faintly frosted and extremely slippery. The servants of the castle were also bearing the freezing wind as they rid the ground of the frost with shovel as quickly as possible.

In the hall, Merlin and Macy were dining. There were butter bread, wheat porridge and a glass of milk prepared on the table. Macy took a glance at Merlin who was gobbling up food. She seemed to have something to say to her brother hesitantly.

"Macy, I've finished."

Merlin used his white handkerchief to wipe away the food on his mouth. Then, he stood up and was about to leave when Macy stopped him.

Macy frowned and said, "Merlin, wait a minute."

"Anything wrong?" Merlin turned and looked at Macy.

Macy put down her fork and knife and wiped her mouth. She said softly, "Merlin, yesterday Gutt and Anson came to look for you. Why didn't you go out with them?"

Merlin showed an odd expression. Macy had not liked seeing fatty Gutt and Anson before and said they were Merlin's bad influence. Once she met them, she would not show any good expression.

However, Macy's attitude today was a little strange but Merlin did not think too much about it. He said nonchalantly, "Anson and Gutt didn't have any urgent business with me. The weather's so cold. It's better staying in the castle."

"Merlin, you've been staying in the castle these days. It's been more than a month. It's better to go out for a walk some days."

Macy's gaze showed a hint of worry.

Right now, Merlin also realized that his lack of socialization these days was too abnormal as compared to his previous behavior and had caused Macy to worry about him. She probably still thought the incident with the church had caused some effect on Merlin somehow.

Thinking about that, Merlin smiled and nodded. "I will when I have time."

After saying that, Merlin turned around and went upstairs. Meanwhile, Macy was still frowning. She was worried about Merlin's current condition. Usually, Merlin would not stay at home even for a day.

The butler hesitated for a while before saying with a smile, "Young Lady Macy, even though Young Master Merlin did not go out much during this period, he was energetic and cheerful all this while. There shouldn't be any problem."

After hearing what the butler said, Macy finally relaxed her eyebrows. She wore a thick coat and left the castle in a hurry.

Merlin returned to his room quickly. He did not take Macy's words by heart. If there was no important matter to attend to, he would not leave the castle during this time.

This was because he had understood more Molta vocabulary. Until now, he had grasped hold of one thousand and one hundred Molta words. He could be deemed as he understood the basic Molta language.

Thus, Merlin was prepared to retrieve old man Etha's Spell Manual today and study its content.

Taking the ring he hid under his bed, Merlin's Mind Power reached into the ring quickly. With a thought, a thick Spell Manual appeared in Merlin's hands.

Merlin only briefly flipped through this Spell Manual the previous time. Since his Molta vocabulary was limited, he did not understand its context at all.

Now, Merlin flipped the Spell Manual open once more.

Chapter 20: Spell Model

Translator: J_Squared Editor: J_Squared

The manual was basically written in the format of diary and notes. Many were comprehensive thoughts of old man Etha toward spells. Even if Merlin had grasped hold of more than one thousand Molta words, reading and understanding the content of the manual was still difficult for him.

However, this was also partly due to the manual where it consisted of many technical terms about spells and Spell Caster so Merlin could not understand those parts easily. As for other content in the manual, Merlin could read them in a breeze.

Soon, Merlin found some descriptive text about spells where it discussed the methods to become a Spell Caster.

"To be a Spell Caster, the most basic thing to have is Mind Power! Only those with a strong Mind Power can simulate the Spell Model. It was only then that they etch it in their mind where it eventually becomes the source of Spell Strength!"

Merlin pondered about these words over and over again. Even if he did not understand what a Spell Model really was, he could understand most of what these words were saying.

Mind Power was the foundation to become a Spell Caster!

Maybe old man Etha had realized Merlin's extraordinary Mind Power in the first place. That was why he had given the ring that hid the Spell Manual to Merlin.

As to why Merlin's Mind Power was different than others, that was easy to explain since he was reborn into this world.

Since he knew he possessed the condition to become a Spell Caster, Merlin was exalted. Thus, he continued to read the text to find the way to become a Spell Caster.

Soon, Merlin found old man Etha's words on the third page of the manual. "Mind Power is the basis of a Spell Caster while the build-up of a Spell Model determines the strength of the Spell Caster."

The words "Spell Model" had appeared in the manual quite frequently, but even after searching for a long time, Merlin could not find any Spell Model.

Merlin now knew most of the steps required to be a Spell Caster. Firstly, one must have extraordinary Mind Power. Next, it was to construct a Spell Model and imprint the Spell Model into one's mind using Mind Power. This was the same as simulating a Spell Model in the mind using Mind Power.

If everything went well, then one could become a Spell Caster.

Old man Etha's Spell Manual had many volumes. Merlin read through the first volume and saw that it was all about old man Etha's experiences when he cultivated spells. It did not record about any Spell Model that was the key to become a Spell Caster.

Then, Merlin picked up the second volume. As soon as he flipped it open, he saw an extremely complicated drawing. Under the drawing, there were some explanatory notes from old man Etha.

"Zero-level spell – Fireball's Spell Model. I have improved this Spell Model several times. Its specialty is its stability. Although it may come off a little weaker than other Fireball in power, its forte lies in its stability. Once this Spell Model is used, beginner Spell Casters don't need to worry about the issue of Spell Model falling apart in their minds."

This complicated drawing of Zero-level spell – Fireball's Spell Model was the Spell Model Merlin was searching for.

Other than this Spell Model that was more stable, there were other models of Fireball that were stronger. However, old man Etha had made his notes under these models. If these Spell Models were exceptionally strong in power, then one must always take note of the possible issue of the Spell Model falling apart.

These strong Spell Models did not have a stable construction. Once these were used by force and fell apart in one's mind, this could cause detrimental effects on the Spell Caster and even jeopardize his life.

Therefore, for a Spell Caster, the most important thing was to construct a Spell Model that suit himself.

Merlin did not pause long at the Spell Model of Fireball. He flipped the pages and found that the manual also had the Spell Model of Whirlwind.

Same as the Fireball, the Whirlwind was also a Zero-level spell.

There were two Zero-level spells in total and these were all the spells recorded in old man Etha's manual. Merlin was slightly disappointed as these were only two Zero-level spells that could be considered as the most basic spells.

However, when Merlin began to further study the important detail to become a Spell Caster, he did not dare to look down on these two Zero-level spells anymore.

Take Fireball as an example, though it was simply a Zero-level spell, the complexity of its Spell Model was unfathomable to Merlin. This Spell Model resembled some complicated mathematical model during Merlin's last life.

To completely imprint such complex Spell Model into his mind in addition to Mind Power without a single mistake was very difficult. It brought upon a heavy burden on his Mind Power.

No wonder the basic criteria for one to become a Spell Caster was to have strong Mind Power. If a person's Mind Power was simply passable, he could never be able to simulate such complicated Spell Model in his mind using Mind Power.

Without considering the complexity of the Spell Model, the Spell Caster needed to choose which Spell Model to use – a stable Spell Model or a stronger Spell Model.

Like the Fireball, old man Etha had built more than ten Spell Models for himself, all of which were extremely complex. Merlin only looked at it briefly and he had already felt dizzy and exhausted.

The other spell, Whirlwind, was the same. Its Spell Model was complicated. Two Spell Models had been expanded into many different types and all of these had been written in the manual in more than thirty pages. The second volume of the manual was mostly Spell Models for these two spells.

Merlin sat on his chair and placed the Spell Manual on the study table. He rubbed his forehead lightly. He was not relaxing but was thinking about these two spells in silence instead. He was considering which Spell Model he should adopt.

"In comparison, the power of Fireball is slightly stronger than the Whirlwind. Moreover, it's the spell Teacher Etha is most familiar with. My first spell should be Fireball!"

After comparing the pros and cons of both Fireball and Whirlwind, Merlin finally chose the Zero-level spell – Fireball.

Of course, there were no limitations to Zero-level spell. Normally, a Spell Caster would possess at least three Zero-level spells because only with three Zero-level spells the mind would be in a more stable state so it would not collapse easily this way. In the future, he would be able to upgrade the level of his Spell Model to become an even stronger Spell Caster.

Three Spell Models were the basic but there were some strong Spell Casters who could possess four or five or six or even more Zero-level spells. However, the prerequisite for that was to have enough Mind Power to support all spells. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to construct more Spell Models in their minds.

Entrance-level Spell Caster like Merlin had Mind Power that could support only one Spell Model at his best.

Having decided on the spell, Merlin would have to face old man Etha's Spell Models again. There were all sorts of Fireball's Spell Model and this was the part that gave him a headache the most.

Although Fireball was simply a Zero-level spell, old man Etha had created thirteen different Spell Models according to his understanding all these years.

Some were stable, some were explosive. However, each of them had their own unique traits.

Merlin read old man Etha's Spell Manual again. In it, he found that some basic Spell Model had to be modified according to personal needs.

The overall structure of Fireball was this way but if the Spell Caster wished to have stronger power and make his Fireball explode when he cast the spell, he would only need to make a slight modification to the Spell Model.

Some Spell Casters wanted to have a more stable Spell Model to support his upgrade in the future to become a First-level, a Second-level and even a higher-level Spell Caster. Therefore, he needed to modify his Spell Model a little to make it more stable.

Merlin was troubled facing these Spell Models. Old man Etha had mentioned in his manual that it was best for him to modify the Spell Model to suit his needs.

However, Merlin was only a beginner. How would he be able to modify these Spell Models left by old man Etha?

Although there were only these few dozens of Spell Models in Etha's Spell Manual, in reality, the calculation and simulation involved in producing these Spell Models surely took old man Etha a long time to complete. Merlin had no time to slowly study these Spell Models at all.

"It'll be much easier if I have The Matrix."

Merlin could not help but sigh. "The Matrix" was a quantum calculator. As a super calculator, the most basic function of matrix calculation, function drawing, and data analysis could be considered as a top notch in the industry. Moreover, the most important aspect was its intelligent core. According to the user's needs, it could construct the perfect model for mathematical or physics purposes.

If he had "The Matrix", Merlin would be able to find the most suitable Spell Model without much effort no matter how complicated these Spell Models were.

"Will you like to initiate the Matrix?"

Merlin was stunned for a minute. He seemed to hear a weak sound, a notification to initiate "'The Matrix".

After a while, there seemed to be no change. Merlin could only shake his head helplessly as he mumbled to himself, "It seems these that Spell Models are definitely too complex for me that I even hallucinated. How can I possibly have The Matrix here?"

Merlin thought the voice earlier as a hallucination that appeared out of exhaustion.

Just when Merlin continued to think about the Spell Models, suddenly a crisp voice rang in his mind. "Will you like to initiate The Matrix?"

The voice this time was extremely clear and kept echoing in his mind. Merlin was stunned for real but soon he was elated. He could not believe this.

"Could it be 'The Matrix' followed me here?"

Though full of doubt, Merlin said in a deep voice, "Initiate The Matrix!"

The order had been placed. Merlin was filled with anticipation as he waited.