Chapter 119: The Archmage of the Mental/Spiritual and Soul Studies
As Scar began his long-awaited first lecture, Durin did not linger in the Alchemy Tower for long. However, when he attempted to use the teleportation array to return to Norsrick, Dean Hohenheim, who had been listening to the lecture, suddenly communicated with him via mental resonance:
"Someone wants to see you."
"Someone wants to see me? Who?"
Even Durin was taken aback by the request, freezing momentarily in his tracks.
Hohenheim continued, "The archmage of the Mental and Soul Studies discipline. She is waiting for you in the second-floor hall of the Mage's Tower."
"Mental and Soul Studies?"
Puzzled by why such an archmage, whose research seemed entirely unrelated to his own, would want to meet him, Durin decided to head towards the teleportation array leading to the Mage's Tower. He soon arrived at the specified location and encountered the mysterious sage.
The archmage appeared to be a woman in her early twenties. Durin wasn't surprised by her youthful appearance; after all, as an archmage, she could easily alter her looks if she wished.
Though archmages like Hohenheim hadn't altered their appearances, it didn't mean it was impossible. A woman who cared about her appearance might naturally use magic to maintain or change it.
"Uh, sorry to keep you waiting. I am Durin Edward. Are you the archmage of Mental and Soul Studies?"
The woman standing before him gave a slight nod and replied, "Yes, I am Rosa of Mental and Soul Studies. Mage Durin, I called you here not for any other reason but because of 'Fate/Zero,' which you screened at the Imperial Mage Academy some time ago."
"'Fate/Zero'? Are you here to urge me to release more episodes?"
Before Rosa could respond, Durin quickly added, "Haha, I'm kidding. An archmage wouldn't come all this way just to urge me to release the next chapter, would they?"
Rosa, however, quietly said, "Well, if my request could expedite the release of the second chapter of 'Fate/Zero,' it would indeed align with my purpose."
"Ah?"
The awkward start led to a bit of an uncomfortable silence, but both, being top-tier spellcasters, soon found common ground. Their opening conversation alone lasted over ten minutes.
This wasn't merely an act of politeness but a basic form of probing. Given that Durin and Rosa had no prior interactions and belonged to different factions of mages, it was necessary for them to gauge each other's depth in the topics they intended to discuss.
This situation can be likened to two experts in cutting-edge fields talking to each other. However, to make it easier to understand, let's compare it to two anime enthusiasts meeting for the first time.
For example, when you see someone in college who seems interested in anime (regardless of gender), you wouldn't just walk up and ask, "Do you like anime?" Such direct behavior is hard for most people to pull off, and even if you did, it could lead to either a fun, laugh-out-loud connection if the person is also an anime fan, or a very awkward situation if they aren't.
Therefore, to figure out if the other person shares your interest without losing face, you'd subtly drop some hints during the conversation. You might casually mention famous anime quotes or names to see their reaction.
For instance, you might say things like, "I'm so hyped right now," or "But I refuse!" to check if they are a fan of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure." Or you might deliberately show off your phone wallpaper featuring Saber to see if they recognize it as from the "Fate" series. If they respond positively, it's clear they are part of the anime community, making it safe to continue with more inside jokes and references. If they don't, it means they either aren't into anime or are only casual fans, and the conversation would likely remain polite and superficial, avoiding any awkwardness.
Similarly, the initial interaction between two powerful but specialized mages from different fields would follow this pattern. It's an easy analogy to grasp, right?
In this case, Rosa, being the higher-ranking archmage and the one who initiated the meeting, naturally took the lead in probing Durin's knowledge. As for the outcome...
Rosa's questions, clearly designed to gauge Durin's depth, were all answered by him methodically. He didn't hide anything and couldn't really afford to. In high-level exchanges like this, if he couldn't answer her questions, even trying to deflect with compliments would signal that he wasn't interested or qualified to continue the conversation.
To use the earlier analogy: If person A wanted to confirm if person B was a "Type-Moon" fan by saying, "Hey, did you hear about all the new anime coming out from Type-Moon lately?" and person B (Durin) responded with a nonchalant, "Oh, really? Sounds impressive," the conversation would likely end there. A would think B isn't a true fan and would stop talking about anything related to Type-Moon.
To avoid this, Durin's response needed to be more enthusiastic and specific, like, "Yeah, I know! Poor Waver has to endure so much again, but I'm really looking forward to the Fate/strange Fake movie." This kind of genuine, detailed response would show he was indeed part of the community, allowing the conversation to continue in-depth.
Only such a response would make A instantly realize that you are indeed part of the community, leading to a no-holds-barred conversation. The same dynamic applies to two mages discussing magical theory.
In summary, as an archmage specializing in soul studies, every question Rosa asked was laced with a "Can you understand the meaning behind this?" challenge. While Durin was only a grand mage with little research in soul studies, his past life as a hardcore Type-Moon fan prepared him well.
As someone who had spent countless hours online debating Type-Moon lore and power levels with fellow fans, Durin's experience came through as he instinctively answered all of Rosa's probing questions. He even pointed out flaws in her reasoning, drawing on his extensive background in intricate Type-Moon discussions.
Compared to fans who tirelessly reference lore, whose collection of setting guides is mountainous, and who analyze anime and manga with unparalleled scrutiny, Rosa's high-level but somewhat crude questioning technique was no match for Durin. He easily navigated her "tricky" questions and even countered with deep insights, referencing concepts like Alaya, the Counter Force, the true meaning of Origin, and the relationship between Reality Marbles and Origin.
Durin, getting carried away, almost blurted out Type-Moon-specific settings, like the difference between magecraft and True Magic, what the Root is, and the reasons behind the decline of the Age of Gods. He feared that if this knowledge spread, he would be pestered endlessly by inquisitive mages.
In this exchange, where one spoke "nonsense" and the other took it seriously, their relationship unknowingly improved. Rosa, initially stunned by Durin's radical "theories," almost wanted to kneel and ask him to be her mentor, since normal mages couldn't utter the nuanced knowledge only Durin from another world could.
After roughly ten minutes, Rosa could no longer see Durin as just a prodigious youth. If she previously thought Durin's success in creating "Fate/Zero" was due to a powerful mentor, now she believed Durin himself was a seasoned mage with profound knowledge in soul studies.
For Rosa, Durin's words offered more enlightenment than her previous mentor ever did. Her respect for him grew visibly, and she started addressing him with formal honorifics. This shift was due to Durin's deep expertise in seemingly fantastical lore, combined with his unique perspective from Earth.
Despite being different fields, Durin's foundational knowledge from a more advanced civilization was beyond this world's imagination. Coupled with the fact that Durin himself was no ordinary mage but a true grand mage, even his casual remarks left Rosa deeply awed.
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