In the port of Asshai, a 4-sail sailboat and a warship were slowly sailing towards the city. Although the sailboat had 4 sails, only two were working, with the other two broken. The reason was that this ship had been through many battles and storms. The sailboat only found peace when a certain warship protected it and escorted it safely here.
Salim, who was now a supervisor, soon sent 3 young men to board the newly arrived ships and provide help as guides. As it was daytime in the port, in addition to the shadow men, there were apprentices offering medical care in exchange for money, and many merchants approached to do business. Salim was surprised that both captains were asking about the Red Sage. The warship also refused to do business until it could speak to the Red Sage. Without much choice, Salim soon sent a message to Rafael.
***
Rafael, who had finished his first mission inside the tower, was in the mission hall on the first floor with Yun Zhe while they received their points for the month. They didn't just receive the points for the month, but the flower they found gave them another 1/3 for the two of them. Even though Rafael was the one who found it and could keep everything, he still split the 2/3 of the points with the boy.
After receiving the reward, Rafael decided to stay in the mission hall and tried to find another mission. Preferably one that only he could complete easily, but before he could choose, with his sharp hearing he heard the whispers of some people.
"Yes, it was one of the newbies, he was in position 101 this year…"
'Sigh… That was a new record, I think everyone is desperate not to be expelled in the test at the end of the month.'
"It's his fault for accepting to take care of a creature on the 11th underground floor. They only found a few pieces of his clothes. If it weren't for the circle of life ritual that the tower has, it would have taken a long time for someone to find him."
Rafael lamented with regret. It seemed that one of the new students had died while doing a mission. He quickly decided to send this news to everyone in the tower as a reminder and care. But without thinking much, he quickly went ahead and took on two new missions. He would have more time on the weekend and wanted to do different types of missions to better understand how the entire tower worked. The first mission was one that required 1-2 people and could be completed in 4-7 days. But he chose to do it alone because with his huge inventory, he didn't need help. His mission was to collect 50 barrels of water from the Ash River. He would do this mission tomorrow in one go. The other mission was to enter a small dungeon and collect a certain moss that grew there. He didn't need to fight anyone and could find the moss even on the upper floors. So it was a good way to do his first investigation into these places. When he finished taking on the two missions. There was a distortion of shadows near his feet and a black serpent appeared, Rafael was a little scared, but relaxed when he saw that it was a message from Salim. This method was used by the shadow men and many inhabitants of Asshai to quickly send messages even to people who were inside their towers.
As soon as he read it, he guessed that the unidentified ship must be from Black Cat. He then wrote a message saying to take the two leaders of each ship to his mansion and that he would only see them at night. He then used his own red crow to send the message and soon the serpent turned into smoke. There was a disgusting cost for this type of message method and Rafael preferred not to use such an animal. After lunch, the first of the 3 most awaited classes finally began…
Shadowmancy was the name given to the method that the Shadowmancers used, it was a way of manipulating, controlling and creating shadows without the use of any elemental affinity. Just like the affinity for shadow magic, the Shadowmancers held great power throughout the Shadowlands. Especially in places where there was no daylight, such as Asshai and Stygai. The professor explained that the reason this magic was so coveted by everyone was its method of true immortality that only the three professions could provide. The Shadowmancers could absorb the shadows' own magic and energy to remain eternally young, this was also one of the final secrets of Shadowmancy. Among the other secrets of this magic was the use of shadows as a means of reducing certain magical and energy requirements in rituals, converting ordinary creatures into shadow creatures, and even contaminating and controlling these creatures through corruption. Each Shadowmancers was unique with their magic, and when they reached the peak of this profession, they would create a unique supreme magic.
Among the many types and possibilities that a Shadowmancer had, it was even possible to create new species made completely of shadows through the use of such a profession. Being very similar to what Bloodmages could also do. When the teacher finished explaining about true immortality and supreme magic, many raised several questions. One of them was about potions and items capable of rejuvenating someone as well as other rare plants and fruits that everyone said existed. Then the teacher explained that all of this was just temporary measures. There would come a time when the body would become immune to such potions and their monetary values were not low either. The only true and eternal way would be the effect of the 3 professions.
In the case of the Shadowmancer they fed on the energy of the shadows, the Necromancers created an eternal soul and the Bloodmages constantly rejuvenated their own bodies through high-level alteration. Bloodmages were also the only ones capable of using such methods on other people, but few trusted them due to them being the most infamous among the three professions.
In the end, the professor also told us that the supreme magic of an Umbromancer was different from innate spells, as they had much more power, did not require reagents and rarely had restrictions. He said little about what the pinnacle of a Necromancer was, but said that the ultimate goal of Bloodmages was to change their own race by reaching a new level of power, but that this also had a high risk and a high reward. And that many chose to just use alteration to live forever or create powerful servants and animals from other races to fight for them. Then the teacher also gave some valuable advice:
"Each person must choose a single path and follow it with great effort, dedication and time. Remember that here time is your greatest enemy. The initial techniques for manipulating shadows can be obtained in free knowledge, the same for manipulating souls and body alteration. But it is necessary to first understand what shadows are and your entire perception of them in your own path. Very similar to the sword intent that the most powerful swordsmen of Yi Ti often mention…"
It was without a doubt the class I learned the most from, I was still far from understanding how to alter telomeres to prolong my own life, and I didn't really like the path of sacrificial rituals for the same purpose, but I wouldn't give up on taking that first step before to think of something as dangerous as changing my own race. As for being a Shadowmancer, I would think about that later, and just focus on the basics for now.
When the next two classes began, there was nothing that the first teacher hadn't already explained, I was already well versed in the basics of Blood Magic, but I finally discovered the name of the potion I needed to facilitate my alterations, I would go after it. of the recipe later... In Necromancy class the teacher explained most of the things a necromancer could do. His sensitivity to spirits, powerful soul capable of fighting even without a body, and enormous abilities to control dozens or even hundreds of dead people. He also explained the differences between the Necromancers and Priests of Bacalon. All the dead controlled by the Necromancer had no consciousness and Bacalon's specters were all sentient beings with their own individualities. But he remembered that more powerful versions of the undead would have better intelligence and also their own consciousness, but this would depend on the talent and power of the Necromancer himself.
After the last class, I went to spend the night in my tower and met with the newcomers. I called each of them to the tower to meet me and find out their reasons for wanting to see me. The first one I met was the captain of the warship, he introduced himself as an envoy from Qarth, he then took out of a magic bag several valuable items such as jewelry, gemstones, crafts and other smaller items made in the city, all of which were gifts from the royalty of Qarth, as a way of thanking me for my warnings. The man then gave me a cargo manifest from his ship asking if I needed any supplies, and I decided to take 2 thirds of his food to stock up the Sage Store. There were more things, but I left it to the other merchants, then we made a deal about the next trips and I recommended that he look at my store, I also said that he could stay at the mansion as long as he needed, he thanked me by bowing and showing much respect and courtesy, probably guided by his lords…
Soon after I found my old fellow countryman from Valyria, he wore the familiar full-face mask with a hood without a single part of his body showing. I greeted him asking if he was okay since I had heard about the situation of his ship and about some injured members of his crew.
"It was a terrible trip. I passed through Slaver's Bay first before coming here because I had some business there. There was an island that disappeared even though it was far from Valyria due to a huge wave... Because of that, there was huge chaos. People didn't feel very safe, and it was possible to see part of the disaster even from Slaver's Bay. The biggest problem was when I left the Bay. All kinds of pirate vessels were attacking anyone who passed through the region, which caused half of my crew to be lost. Things only got better when we moved away from the region. When we arrived in New Ghis, we managed to recruit new crew members, but we were followed by a triad of pirates. It was a difficult fight, but we managed to make them retreat. Only in Qarth did we find peace. We took the opportunity to follow the warship that left there for Asshai. It was a shame that a week later a strong storm took away the two sails that were damaged by the fight with the pirate triad. After that, we were attacked by pirates once again near Leng Ma, but luckily the warship was with us…"
"I'm sorry for the rough journey old friend, I hope your family and friends are all well, during my trip I also lost some crew members and passengers… Take this card, I had already made it for you in advance, it will give you a 10% discount on products from my store. You can buy whatever you need to reopen the Sleeping Dragon. Remember to create a VIP room for my organization. A good property near the port should cost around 300-500 coins. If you need a loan I don't mind helping you too… Now focus on resting and recovering, try to learn the common and local languages and make sure your men do the same. If you need information look for Salim or any shadowmen in the port, they are good guides and will help you avoid falling for scams. And when possible, test your people's magical affinity. This will help you gain power in the city."
"Thanks for your help. I'll pay you back when I'm stable. It seems that in less than 3 weeks you've already done great things in the city, hehe. I'm going to leave now. Sorry to take up your time and thanks for the hospitality."
After Black Cat left, I sat down in a comfortable armchair and took out a physical copy of a book I borrowed today from the free library. Its name was:
"Dungeons and the Five Great Calamities."
***
Special thanks to the Patreons:
Magic Apprentice: Parsa, Pato Senalima, Axel Bour, Gabriele Sulpizio, Vinnie, Jan, Frimorigo, Scott Robertson, Takatchi, and Leery Falcon!