What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 17, Section 17: The Burning Sunflower

Setting up the Seven Luminaries Divine Law Array was not as easy as Kroya had imagined. Even though it was written very clearly on the parchment, it was still extremely difficult for him.

The most troublesome aspect is the magic network of the magic circle.

According to the parchment:

Once the magic circle is drawn, it needs to be activated with magic in one go, without any pauses or hesitations, otherwise the rampaging magic will destroy the already drawn magic circle's structure.

It is a huge test for both the total amount of magic power and mental strength.

This was an insurmountable chasm for Kroya, a first-level mage; even the Sea-Burning Algae as a power source wouldn't be enough.

I have enough mental strength, but I don't have enough magic power, so there's nothing I can do.

He was at a loss. He was confident, but he could only complete the basic framework and then got stuck at this step.

It's truly painful.

"Even with this, I still have a special meditation method, different from ordinary mages. Wouldn't it be even more troublesome if I didn't have the Crimson Song meditation method?" Kroya frowned.

Based on his estimation, he needed to be at least a level two mage to barely meet the magic power requirements with the amplification from the Crimson Song.

His current magical energy accumulation will probably take another five or six days—it should have reached that point by now. Unfortunately, he's been immersed in the laboratory these past few days, reducing the frequency and duration of his meditation, which is why he's stuck here.

Once he realized this, he felt relieved.

It's not that I don't want to do it, it's just that I really can't do it right now!

So he decided to take a break—he had been staying in the castle for a full two weeks since the mermaids arrived.

I spend my days shuttling between the lab and my bedroom, so it's important to relax occasionally.

Let's talk about it after we advance to level 2 mage.

So he stretched and put down the magic paintbrush in his hand.

"Let's go for a walk."

Choosing to give himself a break, he didn't bring his staff. After leaving the laboratory, he first went to the sunflower field located at the top of the castle.

I haven't checked on it for half a month, I wonder how the sunflower is doing.

After half a month of growth, the sunflower's size hasn't changed much, but the golden halo inside the seeds has become increasingly bright.

It's completely different from that initial strand.

The sunflower seed has gradually filled up.

Kroya was immediately eager to try, and licked her lips.

"Has the taste changed? Let me try it..."

He couldn't resist plucking another one and cracking it open. This time, as soon as he cracked it open, the Yang Flame Magic Power inside poured into his mouth.

It has much more magic power than before.

"Now that we have magic, shouldn't we think about how to use it?"

He stared at the sunflower and cast a minor spell called "Mana Drain," which is basically what mages use on things like magic crystals to quickly replenish their magic power.

The azure magical tentacles immediately wrapped around the sunflower, piercing through its crystal-clear shell and grasping the golden magic within.

Then, like a straw, it sucked up the magic power inside, and the tentacles transferred the magic power back and injected it into Chloe's body.

It does seem like she's lost a bit of her sanity.

Unfortunately, sometimes when a sorcerer chants incantations, it sounds like a delirious, rambling madness, and some spells are even more bizarre.

For example, the feeling of absorbing magic power was quite exhilarating for Kroya, even more so than eating sunflower seeds directly.

The magical power flowing directly into his body and coursing through his veins was so captivating that he almost inadvertently drained the sunflower dry.

By the time he finally realized what was happening, the sunflower had already withered, its once bright red petals were now dull and lifeless, and the sunflower seeds had become crystal clear.

He completely absorbed all the Yang Flame Magic within.

"..."

He quickly dispersed the magical tentacles.

No wonder the Mage Association says that this kind of spell requires a mage with extremely strong willpower to master, otherwise they may become addicted to magic.

It really is so.

Even Kroa was briefly captivated by it.

If it were mages who had never experienced the power of magic, it would truly be a case of a lecherous man encountering a great beauty.

"Wait a minute."

"If I can absorb magic this way, can I use it to infuse magical plants with magical power?"

Driven by curiosity, he used his magical tendrils again, this time pouring his crimson magic into the sunflower.

Logically speaking, red magic should also be magic that draws upon sunlight.

There shouldn't be any adverse reactions.

Instead of causing any adverse reactions, the sunflower became excited, its flower head trembling visibly, showing joy and longing for this crimson magic.

Seeing this, Kroya simply let it be.

Anyway, a sunflower doesn't require much magic, so he can afford to supply it.

however,

After absorbing enough magic, the sunflower suddenly burst into flames, truly transforming from its flower head to its main stem into a torch.

The blazing crimson flames made Kroa take a few steps back, staring at them speechlessly.

"You... you spontaneously combusted with just that little bit of magic?"

At this moment, Kroya was filled with regret. He should have known better than to test it this way; he only had twelve sunflowers in total!

One tree died just like that.

He felt extremely bitter, and he also had to be careful that his flames didn't harm the other sunflowers.

But after it burned to ashes, Kroya unexpectedly found a seed that looked like a ruby ​​in the ashes.

It lay quietly in the ashes, shimmering with a crimson glow, looking like a priceless fire spirit ruby.

Inside it, Kroya sensed a very peculiar vitality and magical fluctuations that were exactly the same as his own.

"A brand new magical plant seed?"

"Why didn't it work?"

He held the seed in his hand and examined it carefully, but the Astral Imprint Technique did not give any prompts to imprint it—but this did not prevent him from activating the Astral Imprint Technique.

Under the effect of the Astral Observation Technique, the entire internal structure of the seed was revealed to Kroa.

The red threads binding the sunflower had turned crimson, and the sunflower's interior was filled with translucent crimson magic patterns that looked somewhat like... tentacles.

"It's mutated already? No, how could it mutate so suddenly?"

"Is it due to my special magic?"

Completely baffled, Kroya suppressed her urge to continue modifying the sunflower and chose to plant the seed properly in the soil.

We have absolutely no idea what the specific situation is right now.

Only when it has fully grown will we be able to understand what's going on.

"Hopefully, it won't mutate too much and cause too much trouble."

After planting the sunflowers, Kroya glanced into the distance and suddenly noticed a carriage heading towards the castle.

"A carriage? Why didn't anyone notify me?"

He frowned, then turned and walked downstairs.

(End of this chapter)