Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 22 Spellbook

The next morning, Ouling brought several Earth Bows to pay his respects to Su Mu.

They looked relaxed and full of energy, indicating that the Baron had treated these soldiers well.

"As expected of a high-class mansion, the food is excellent, the things I've never seen before are all unique, and there are people to serve me. It's much better than the countryside."

"Eugen is only a baron, yet he has such wealth. The nobles are truly rolling in money!"

Ouling glared at them: "A bunch of ignorant fools, you've been fooled so easily? It's only because of the adults that you're allowed to live in the Baron's mansion. Otherwise, what right do you peasants have to live here?"

The archers all agreed and praised Su Mu.

Su Mu waved his hand: "Suffer when you should suffer, and enjoy when you should enjoy. Since the Baron is taking such good care of you, enjoy yourself for a few days. Just don't be so happy that you don't want to go home."

Oling and the archer hurriedly said no, their expressions very firm.

Su Mu didn't seem to mind: "I mentioned you to the Baron, and he greatly admires you and plans to meet you today. I'm going to the city alone. If anyone else comes looking for me, please help me deal with them and make a good impression."

Ou Ling looked embarrassed. He naturally knew what Su Mu was thinking, but he was really at a loss when it came to dealing with these people.

Su Mu smiled and said, "It's alright, just listen to the praise. Don't agree to anything or make any promises. Just say a few nice words and we'll talk about it at the banquet later."

Ouling could only nod: "Yes, sir."

Leaving the matter to Ouling, Su Mu left the mansion alone and walked into the city.

Longletburg is thriving; the town is full of shops and pubs, and there are many pedestrians coming and going, making it very lively.

However, Su Mu wasn't there to go shopping; he had important business to attend to.

Arriving directly at the very center, a towering structure built of massive stones stands there. It has two levels, each lit with several lamps that never go out, day or night, with blue and purple flames burning fiercely, radiating powerful natural magic.

[Level 2 Magic Guild: Visitors can learn Level 2 magic from it.]

Comment: The Magic Guild is a bridge connecting magic and the world; no matter how famous a magician is, he will always start from here.

The sorcerer puppet stepped forward and blocked the approaching person.

Su Mu handed over the letter of introduction given by Eugen and was then led inside by the people from the Magic Guild.

He didn't say he was looking for the guild master, but in reality, the guild master of the main city's magic guild is definitely a powerful hero. Eugen might know him, but to say that they are sworn brothers would probably be a bit of an exaggeration.

Su Mu's purpose in coming here was simple: to obtain a magic book and learn as much magic as possible.

[Buy a spellbook - 500 gold]

Since Forrest took over the town council, he effectively gained control of the town's tax revenue. Even without exchanging logs, Sumu now possesses considerable assets.

He stepped into the depths of the building, where there were countless books.

Actually, there are very few books about magic inside the building, but the rest are equally valuable.

Civilization, history, geography, etiquette, mythology—each of these is knowledge that is difficult for ordinary people to access. Without understanding these aspects, it is impossible to comprehend the origins of many things, and it is also difficult to make the best decisions.

To put it simply, without a magic map, one cannot even properly know the territory of a marquis or the jurisdiction of his subordinates.

The reason why the castle lord has control is because of the power of magic and boundary markers.

A castle without a magic guild is at best just an empty village.

Su Mu wanted to study this knowledge, but he was in a hurry, so he could only browse magic first.

At the end of the bookshelf, three stone platforms rise from the ground, each bearing a different ancient scroll, its yellowed covers exuding powerful magic.

【Earth and Wood Convergence (Level 1, Earth): A powerful construction magic that can build roads and earthen buildings, shorten the time required to construct special buildings within a city, and enhance the ability to refine logs and stones.

Evaluation: Excellent production magic; an essential skill for architects.

This magic would be a perfect fit for Forrest; it's practically tailor-made for an architect.

Once the castle is completed, constructing special buildings, such as barracks, city walls, or magic guilds, requires extensive construction and a long waiting period; otherwise, the castle's spiritual essence cannot be sustained.

However, if an architect were to construct it and learn this magic, the time would be greatly reduced, achieving twice the result with half the effort. Most importantly, Forrest could use it in conjunction with a lumberjack, which would further increase timber production.

I'll definitely bring Forrest next time.

Su Mu continued walking, the next spell he had been eagerly anticipating.

【Slowing Spell (Level 1, Earth): Changes the battlefield environment, creating a swamp that makes it difficult for enemies to move, reducing their speed.

The duration and cost are affected by the level of earth magic.

Comment: When the world slows down, you can arrange everything at your leisure.

It should be the most powerful earth magic in the early stages, and also the most suitable magic for the current tactics in Kuraki Town.

Earthbow has a chance to slow down enemies, but the effect is not significant and can only be used as a supplementary measure. If a hero actively coordinates with magic to completely reduce the enemy's speed, then even the most powerful units will become nothing more than sitting ducks.

[Gold -500, the secret to slow learning]

The Magic Guild charges fees to heroes seeking instruction, even those introduced by Eugen from within the guild. After all, practicing magic within the building depletes one's magical power, requiring time to recover.

Su Mu didn't care. He didn't expect the baron to have any influence; it was already good enough that he was brought in.

He must learn this magic.

He sat cross-legged in front of the magic circle on the stone platform, entered a deep meditative state, and began to comprehend new magic without caring about anything else.

Fortunately, he already had a basic mastery of earth magic, which greatly helped his training in elemental magic; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to get out in a few days.

Around dusk, he awoke from his meditation and learned his first elemental magic.

Su Mu gently raised his hand, and a swamp floated on the surface of his palm, full of constraints and shackles, from which no one could escape.

With this gain, Su Mu was already satisfied and continued forward to view the last volume of magic.

【Fire Magic: Increases the fire magic resistance of allied troops, reducing elemental damage by 30%】

The duration and cost are affected by the level of the fire magic.

[Comment: If you possessed this magic, you could even walk back and forth through a fire.]

This is somewhat of a waste. Not to mention that there aren't any powerful fire-based damage spells available in the early stages, even if there were, Su Mu hasn't yet mastered fire magic, so casting this spell would be extremely costly and not worth the effort.

Langlit Castle currently only has four level 1 spells, and I heard that one of its spellbooks has run out of power and is still recovering.

Su Mu wanted to continue climbing the tower to see the level two magic, but was stopped by the guild mage.

"I'm sorry, sir, practicing level two magic requires the guild master's permission."

This is something that money can't solve; it seems we really have to rely on the Baron's influence.

Su Mu returned to the mansion and saw the steward in a hurry.

"Why are you only just returning, sir? Have you forgotten the welcome feast prepared for you tonight? Come with me now!"

After saying that, he pulled the carriage and led Su Mu into the city.

A welcoming banquet? Eugen seemed to have mentioned it briefly. But Su Mu knew his own limitations; his little affair probably wasn't valued by the nobles of Langlitburg.

There must have been a banquet tonight, and Eugen was just inviting him along the way.

The car stopped, and Su Mu got out to see a magnificent and noble courtyard, with a pool and fountain inside, and light music and dancing. Everywhere, well-dressed nobles were chatting and drinking, their manners elegant and their demeanor graceful.

Eugen was talking to Orling and introducing him to several colleagues, showing great enthusiasm.

Upon seeing Su Mu's lateness, a hint of displeasure flashed across her face, but she still went over and brought him here.

He was about to speak when the music in the entire venue stopped, as if a very important person had arrived.

(End of this chapter)