John woke up from a coma after two months. It was just that taxing to overcome his palace formation in his baby body.
He heard from his mother that today would be his birthday celebration, with his whole family, even his big sister and brother will return from the outside world.
John was excited to meet them. He heard a lot about their talents and adventures, so he imagined his siblings as pretty heroic youngsters.
"I should also visit grandpa Lyrius. Mom said he asked me to come over to the library when I recover." John recalled.
A cute toddler was cutely walking through the halls, with two maids following behind him. Soon he reached the arc entrance of the Westgate Family library.
"Hello, Felix. I hope it isn't tiresome to walk for you?" Lyrius asked with a curious smile. After all, a tiny walking man was a pretty sight but still questionable.
"It's okay, grandpa Lyrius. But I still can't walk for a long time." Smiled John and entered the library.
Lyrius led them to a nearby table, where he placed a small box. It was from luxurious crystal, with an engraving of phoenixes and dragons.
"What's that?" Inquired John and sat on a tall chair.
"Well, of course, it is your birthday present!" Lyrius laughed in his signature Santa laugh and pushed the small box near John.
John didn't dally and opened the box without much difficulty. Inside laid a tiny yellow crystal engraved with golden light letters.
"What is this thing, grandpa Lyrius?" Asked John with interest in his cute baby face.
"Well, I know how much you struggled in the library with mental consumption of colored information. So, I decided to gift you this mental energy crystal. Inside this crystal is the total capacity of the fourth-stage expert's mental energy. So, you only need to crush it to use it, and the mental energy will flow inside your mind-space. This gift will let you read three golden tomes, so use it wisely!" Lyrius smiled and looked at the kid's eyes.
John was very excited and happy. He had already found out that green tomes were very precious. John also could read the silver tome, but it was very gruesome for him. However, the very thought of reading the golden book was exhilarating for John, as he had seen the names of these tomes.
"Energy sword formation," "Light control," "Buddhas Rage Sutra," and many more tomes that fascinated John's imagination. It seemed that golden tomes were special abilities or information that could directly help him get stronger.
"Thank you, grandpa Lyrius!" John thanked him sincerely.
"No need to be polite. You deserve it." Lyrius chuckled and finally said his real purpose of inviting John over.
"I invited you not to give you gifts, but an opportunity! Today is the shuffle of information inside the Westgate family. This event comes as all branches swap numerous tomes every fifty years to increase their information pool. As we acquire more tomes every year, the old ones are recycled. This shuffle means there will be new and unlocked tomes, which you can read without the penalty of mental exhaustion." Lyrius explained and caught John looking greedily at him.
"Don't be greedy, Felix. I will let you pick five tomes. There are other family members, so I cannot be so partial. However, I will help you choose helpful books." Lyrius stood up with an indication to follow him.
John didn't even consider following Lyrius like a puppy. Instead, free information was what he hailed as a number one priority.
Soon they reached an underground chamber filled with books all over the place. John couldn't believe that there could be so many books.
Piles of books spanned across the unending hall.
"Grandpa Lyrius, how can one even read so much information?" John asked with a quivering voice.
"Ho-ho, kid, if the books were the only information passing method, we would die first, before we had the chance to read them all. However, when a person reaches Soul Transformation stage, there are abilities we can use to transfer information directly to their mind!" Lyrius laughed and explained, shocking John once again.
"Let's go to the shuffle chambers. The books should have already arrived!" Lyrius walked to the left chamber.
John entered the room and saw several bookshelves filled with various tomes. He also caught two women sitting cross-legged near the entrance in the room.
"They are our clan's rose guards, Felix. Only women can become a rose guard, as it is a separate battalion inside the family. Do not offend them. They are very united and vengeful, but also fair." Lyrius introduced the two women to John.
"Okay, let's see what do we have here!" Lyrius went to browse through the books and let John look around by himself.
John noticed that other people were arriving as well. Some children and teenagers were brought by their elders as well.
Everyone curiously looked at the toddler as it was a rare sight to behold.
"No need to stare. This kid can talk, so ask if you have questions!" Lyriu's booming voice sounded behind the shelves, dissipating the awkward staring contest.
"Hello, my name is Marcus! Why are you here? Shouldn't you still be learning how to read?" A fatty five or six-year-old boy stepped forward and asked John without batting an eye.
John didn't get upset, even though this fatty asked quite abruptly, he didn't feel any malice from him. On the contrary, it was refreshing to hear such straightforwardness.
"Hello Marcus, I'm Felix. Unfortunately, I already learned reading several months ago. Today grandpa Lyrius brought me to pick some books." John answered easily.
Everyone was surprised by the cute baby voice. However, they didn't try to shame or contradict the kid.
"It is astonishing for a baby to be so intelligent, lets be friends from now on!" Marcus said with a severe expression while putting his hand in front of John, seemingly waiting for a handshake.
John didn't know whether to laugh or cry. However, as the fatty looked sincere, he just should his hand.
"Okay, let's be friends!" Said John with a calm expression, surprising everyone with his composure.
Fatty smiled as if he had won the lottery and began chatting with John about the family while waiting for elders' recommendations.
John was thrilled to learn more about the family. He could remember his first days, looking through the vast windows of the palace and wondering how he was so lucky to be born in this background.
As a scholar, John read reincarnation fantasy books in his previous life. He remembered some main characters struggling through the world without a place to call home.
Even though he didn't get a weird system or a treasure to help him dominate the world or absurd talent, he had a vast, powerful family behind him.
Marcus chattered endlessly, telling all he knew as it was very nice to the fatty to teach someone.
John learned soon that the Westgate family was immense. They were an ancient clan that thrived for thousands of years. Higherups erected branches worldwide as the prominent family lived in the central continent, where the hub of all cultivators existed.
This star was not the family's main headquarters, as they spanned throughout the universe!
John was stunned by this information. He couldn't fathom how there could be such a big family.
"Marcus, are you sure you aren't fantasizing about this?" John interrupted the fatty, spitting all over while excitedly telling the news to the baby.
"What!? You don't believe me?" Fatty shouted in an angry voice.
"Calm down, Marcus. It is just hard for me to digest so much information." John tried to calm down the fatty.
"He is not wrong, kid. This Boundless Star is only one of the worlds we occupy. Our headquarters are located in Ximen Star, several starfields away!" Lyrius voice boomed behind him.
John was speechless for a while. He couldn't even understand what starfield was, but he knew that it was a tremendous amount of space.
"You will learn that later. Stop staring like a fool and look!" Lyrius showed ten books.
John stared at the tomes with a greedy look.
"Kid, you are lucky this time. These books can easily be considered gold or crystal level. You won't have a chance to read something like this for years now. " Lyrius smiled and introduced his recommended books.
Marcus was shocked and instantly looked over with a jealous expression. "Felix, are you sure you want these books?" Fatty asked with no shame.
Marcus already heard from his seniors that only a few gold rank books usually appear in the shuffle. However, now he saw even crystal books, how could he stay calm?
"Fatty, don't be a fool. Only a mage has any need for these books, so just beat it!" Lyrius scoffed at the kiddo with no remorse.
The seniors of other kids looked over with shocked expressions when they heard about the mage.
An old lady with a cane and blue hair came over and began the conversation immediately.
"You old coot, so it's true that a new mage is born in the family!" The older woman looked at Lyrius and John with a curious glint in her eyes.
Considering that the last mage was born three hundred years ago, the old lady's reaction was typical.
"Lady Naomi, you don't need to be polite. This kid is indeed a mage." Lyrius looked over at John, who somehow understood that he shouldn't talk about his palace formation.
"Hello, Lady Naomi, my name is Felix." John politely introduced himself.
"Child, it is a blessing and a curse to have a gift of magic! So here's a gift for you. Maybe it will help you in the future." Naomi passed a tiny pendant with a blue tear-like crystal.
"This is water attribute crystal. It can help you understand the mysteries of water." Naomi explained and turned to walk back to her disciples.
"Felix, you are quite lucky today, huh ?" Lyrius joked as he started explaining the tomes.
"There are ten books here that are useful for a mage, kid. Here are golden tomes of energy manipulation, water controlling, fireball technique, earth shield, mental energy control, and mage classification systems. These golden books are quite important to you now, so pick wisely." Lyrius explained the golden ranked tomes first and placed four additional books before John.
"These are crystal-level books, but I recommend you pick only one of them, as they are pretty special. This tome is called Basic Magic Spells."
Lyrius started explaining the books, and John noticed that everyone in the hall was listening with curious expressions.
"Basic spells are the most straightforward way for a mage to attack and defend. It includes fireballs, water serpents, and earth shields, with many more." Lyrius rattled without stop.
"I presume you would need at least ten years to master them all," Lyrius told John his calculation and began looking at the second book.
"This here is a book called Faleo's Spell of Protection," Lyrius said with a happy look.
"Mastering this spell lets you defend yourself from Soul Transformation Stage expert!" The whole hall gasped when they heard the older man exclaim in a cheerful voice.
They have had several shuffle experiences, but a book concerning Soul Transformation powerhouse was rare and useless to most participants.
"Kid, this spell can save your life, so be wise," Lyrius advised with a gentle smile.
"This here is a compendium of magical herbs. I know it seems useless, but you could ask your grandmother to help with your alchemy studies. It is always a good practice to learn more. " Lyrius advised once again and turned to look at the fourth item.
It was an old scroll full of dust. However, everyone could feel an ancient aura coming from it.
"This, Felix, is an ancient spell." Lyrius began his explaining.
"In the past, there was a massive civilization of mages. It was called the Magi World. It encompassed thousands of stars and hundreds of starfields. However, times changed, and catastrophes destroyed it, forever burying it in the past. So now we can only find the ruins of this civilization, and this scroll comes from one of them. " Lyrius was very serious now, so John tried to focus even more.
"Kid, this is an ancient spell Elemental Beast Creation. It lets you form a totem beast from your rune's power. For example, creating a fire tiger or water serpent is not a problem with this spell. These creations act like real beasts and are very formidable in combat. However, the best part is using several elements to create an ultimate beast. This spell is an advanced-tier crystal scroll." Lyrius looked straight into John's eyes and said this heavy news.
"When mastered, this spell is useful throughout your whole life, so I believe you will take it no matter what." Lyrius smiled and looked at the shocked expressions of people in the hall.
The experts believed it was the luckiest shuffle draw in a hundred years. Admittedly, it was absurdly valuable books, but they couldn't help but sigh as they were not mages.
"Okay, begin your picking. I don't have all day, kid!" Lyrius impatiently hurried John and sat on the chair.
"You guys don't need to sulk. I saw many gold tier books in here with several crystal tomes. It seems that headquarter's send some new information for some reason."
Lyrius looked at the jealous-looking kids and told them his findings. With his reputation as this branch's best literature expert, his words were very effective.
John made his pick quite quickly. He took the ancient scroll, introductory spells, energy manipulation, mental energy control, and mage classification systems.
As these books covered Johns' needs, he told his decision to Lyrius.
"Good kid, let's get going. I heard you have a birthday party today, so don't dilly dally here. Leave these tomes with me. I will keep them safe for you."
No matter how drawn to read was John. He knew that today was not the right time to begin his learning. Sitri was already expecting his arrival at the banquet hall.
John still went back to his chamber to change into festive clothes and began his journey to his party.
Inside a spacious hall, many tables stood in rows with chairs and some free space for people to mingle.
Three beautiful maidens played music with their instruments, creating a comfortable and celebratory atmosphere.
John looked around and saw a bunch of strange faces. His mother entertained some old guests, and his grandparents were sitting in the top chairs in the middle of the main table.
It was a comical sight to behold. A cute toddler is waltzing inside a banquet hall, with two maids following from behind.
"Felix, happy birthday!" John heard his grandparents booming voices.
John could feel the happy festive atmosphere in the hall. It made him feel weirded out, as he had no such experience in his previous life.
"Come, come, quickly! There is a ton of presents for you today!" Granny Ofelia invited him to sit at the head of the table.
"Felix, don't be upset, but your father is still in his breakthrough seclusion, so that he couldn't make it." John heard his mother's calm voice.
John could see unrest in her eyes. He understood that she wanted his father to be here as well.
"It is fine, mom. I hope dad succeeds in his seclusion." John said cutely, smiling wickedly. He already had a knack for using his baby face to his advantage, so he used it in situations like this to diffuse the uncomfortable conditions.
"Good child, it seems you deserve this then." John heard granny Ofelia and saw her taking out a small piece of fabric.
"What is this ?" John asked as he felt magical energy from this white piece of cloth.
"This is a handy scarf, Felix. It is from magical energy silk naturally produced by the Moonlight Moths. It will increase energy surrounding you, helping in your cultivation." Granny Ofelia explained with a smile.
John was delighted with such a practical gift. However, his mind still couldn't believe that he got so lucky to get such a family.
"This is not all. We got you a full sett. Here the Ring of Mind!" Grandfather Abbadon said while giving him a white ring with a red triangle in the middle.
John took the ring in his tiny hand and was amazed how it automatically adjusted its size for his little fingers.
"Here is the last part, my child." John saw his mother taking out a small white badge. It was a tiny white shield with initials of the Westgate family.
"The scarf is for cultivation. The ring is for mental energy, and the shield is for protection!" Abbadon stood up and led them all into the free area.
"Guests! I have a toast! Long live happily, our newest family member, Felix Westgate The Second!" Abbadon made a toast, and the crowd cheered.
John received many gifts, blessings, and good words this day. He left the hall only after being stuffed from food and tired as a slug.
The next day John roused up in his chamber within his mom's courtyard.
Sunlight was warming his face, and the room had a refreshing smell. He felt delighted with this new life.
"I see you are happy, kid." John was startled by this sudden voice.
John looked around and saw an unfamiliar face of a young man.
"Heh, I didn't mean to startle you, little brother!" John was surprised to hear that this handsome lad was his brother.
"You can call me a big brother or Verdant."
"Hello, big brother, my name is Felix!" Smiled John as he felt the happiness coming from his brother's eyes.
"You know, Lana and I were quite surprised to hear we got a new brother."
Verdant began talking about John's big sister Lana. John didn't know much about them, so he was very interested.
"She came back with me just this morning, so we missed your party, sorry little bro." Apologized Verdant with a soft smile.
"Well, aren't you a chatter mouth?" John heard an icy voice.
"Lana, you came as well." John saw his sister entering his chamber in a white dress and beautiful black hair.
"Hello, Felix. I hope you like our family." Lana said with a barely noticeable smile.
John even believed that his sister was from ice. She emanated unusual coldness, and even her face was like a chiseled ice sculpture.
"I have Sacred Ice Queen's Bloodline and Heavenly Snow Body constitution, so my cultivation makes me look like an ice sculpture," Lana explained when she saw John staring at her face.
"Little bro, don't worry, she still has feelings, but they are in ice." Joked Verdant with a mischievous smile.
"Humph." John saw his sister harumph, and his brother's arm was instantly frozen.
"Heh, no need for this cold treatment, princess." Verdant just shook his frozen hand lightly, and it returned to normal.
"Felix, don't mind him. He has Mischief Kings Bloodline and a Void Body constitution. We both have a talent for bloodline warlock cultivation. " Lana said with a crystal clear voice.
"That's right, little bro. We heard you are a mage, but you have no other talents, so that it will be a little hard for you." Verdant said with a concerned voice.
"I read in the library that other mages use their talents in their magic to fight, but is it so advantageous?" John asked what truly bothered him.
"Felix, a mage can use bloodline to summon its originator. What do you think, is that strong or not?" Lana said with her crystal voice.
John tried imagining a dragon summoning with a dragon bloodline. Soon, his face became pale as a piece of paper.
"Little bro, mages can use everything, at least that's what I heard, so of course, their additional talents are mighty." Verdant chipped in the conversation.
"Then do I even have a chance against other mages?" John asked with a sad voice.
"Well, first of all, you are strong compared to other cultivators. As a mage, you can make a lot of trouble with your spells!" John heard his brother explain his prospects.
"Also, some bloodlines and constitutions are weak or useless, so you can easily surpass those with hard work." Verdant continued his explanation.
"However, you can bet it will be a hardcore difficulty to surpass someone with rare or epic bloodlines and constitutions or other talents." A big brother ended his sentence with a bitter smile.
"Felix, you don't need to bother listening to this baboon," Lana said with chilling intent.
"He never even met a mage!" Lana raised her voice a little.
"Hey, sis, I didn't have an opportunity to travel to the central continent yet." John watched the two bicker without end.
"Felix, I am cultivating in the central continents Ice Shrine. That is the best cultivation ground for someone like me. During my time there, I met numerous mages. I learned that talent is only secondary to a strong mage. Most talented mages lose their sight and become unable to advance further. This weakening happens because they become arrogant with their early power and lose comprehension." Lana told what she heard in the central continent without holding back.
"These so-called talents are also distractions. You can think of it like this. Their bloodline is their ancestor's power, not theirs and their constitution is only an external body, not what they comprehended inside their mind-space. There are substantial inheritances and bodies, but you can surpass them with cultivation." Lana said with certainty.
"Little bro, it is even more simple than that. Just learn your own overpower magic and blast those arrogant pricks into dust!! Hahaha!" John looked at his big brother with a dumbfounded expression.
"This idiot is correct, Felix. I learned from mages that their most potent powers come from their creations. It is the same with other cultivators, as their spells are the most suited to them." John was relieved when he heard his sister confirm Verdants absurd words.
"That's a relief. I think now I am more certain of my capabilities." John said with a bright smile.
The trio looked at each other and felt glad for this small conversation. Verdant was laughing, and Lana was feeling refreshed with her siblings.
John was reminded of his past life, as his adoptive family ignored and bullied him his whole childhood. However, the Westgate clan seemed to be a genuinely kind family to each other. This love made him very happy.
John spent a whole week together with his siblings, as they taught him all kinds of things from the outside world. They were filling his tiny baby face with fascination the whole time.
However, a new month meant a new training regime in the mountain. And, John's simple magic training began when he was just a baby boy.