Witch, don't be so lazy

No wonder he was so crazy before, but he had already sat down.

"That's amazing! You've achieved this in just a few months. You're truly gifted."

Deshup clapped his hands with a smile, and said with a hint of regret,

"Unfortunately, there aren't many of us here who delve into ancient curse patterns, so we can't have an in-depth discussion with you. But if you're willing, you can sit down and listen."

He pondered for a moment, then looked at An Ke and said, "How about this? I'll change the content of today's report to an analysis of the differences between modern and ancient spell patterns. You'd be happy to listen to it. It should be something that's not in that brief treatise."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

An Ke blinked and found a random seat to sit down.

Although she was a little surprised that there were not many people here who understood ancient spells, the staff said that those who could participate in the seminar were all outstanding spell masters in the workshop.

But on second thought, modern runes cover tricks and low-level spells. There are only seven or eight first-level wizards here, and the rest are apprentices. There is really no need to involve ancient runes.

After waiting for a while, several people came into the venue and took their seats.

Deshup knocked on the table, the door closed, and then he waved his hand and spoke loudly.

"Okay, now that everyone is here, except for a few people who have things to do, let's begin this quarter's seminar. Who would like to come up first and share their achievements from the past few months?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire conference room fell silent.

Some of them are obviously in their forties, but they still can't help but lower their heads and pretend to be cowards, as if this can avoid attracting the attention of the old man. It's obvious that this is useless.

As for those who were rolling their eyes and making small gestures to each other to signal the other to go first, it seemed that they had some confidence.

There are also some people with blank minds and dull expressions. I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe they have given up struggling.

At last.

The little brat Kanis spoke first:

"Then I'll go first."

He walked onto the stage, carrying a huge easel in his hand, and lifted the black cloth, revealing the intricate and detailed spell patterns engraved on the skin of an unknown animal.

"What I'm bringing today is 'Research on the Low-Level Spell 'Flame Arrow' Rune - Adaptation and Optimization of the Burning and Aiming Patterns on Black Steel.'"

Kanis paused deliberately, snorted at Anke, and then began to narrate while pointing at the easel.

After talking for quite some time, the people below had different expressions.

After all, everyone has different strengths. The ones from the School of the Fiery Sun are still easy to deal with. Even if the spells they are good at are different from the materials they are familiar with, there are still times when they can get involved.

But if it were a spellcaster from another school, they would be scratching their heads and worried most of the time.

Because Deshup would ask questions from time to time, and he liked to say before asking a question, "Do you all understand it already? How come you don't have any questions at all?" and then start calling on people.

Most of the unlucky people who were called out were very nervous, because if they were not careful, they would be scolded.

After Kanis finished his report, everyone applauded and a new round began.

This time, it's "A Study on the Magic Trick "Greasy Technique·Wide Area" - On the New Improvement of the Map Filling Technique"

The so-called filling in the map mainly refers to adding some additional patterns that are not related to the spell itself when enchanting.

The purpose is simple, to increase the difficulty for runes masters in other areas to crack and reverse the code, and to make customers feel that it is more worthwhile. After all, at first glance, the equipment is full of runes.

If necessary, the quality of the enchantment can be reduced. Note that this does not refer to the quality of the enchantment spell itself, after all, this is too obvious and easy to self-destruct.

Enchanters usually tamper with the endurance of the equipment. For example, enchanted equipment requires repeated charging, which can secretly increase the wear and tear of the process, forcing the other party to spend money to find an enchanter to adjust it after using it for a period of time, or even replace it with new equipment.

This is also a little trick that alchemists like to do.

After two or three reports, everyone took a break, had something to eat and drink some water, and then it was Deshup's turn to go on stage.

Because everyone is in good shape at this stage and is far from being exhausted, it is suitable for heavyweights to appear.

The old man raised his hand and waved it, and the pen in the air quickly wrote a few large characters on the white cloth -

Analysis of the Differences between Modern and Ancient Mantras

"As we all know, ancient spell patterns have a long history. After years of development, they range from cantrips to super-level spells, encompassing the mainstream spells of most schools."

"While modern runes have a long history, originating in the late Laurel Dynasty and gaining some attention in the early days of the Old Empire, by the time they truly began to develop rapidly and become mainstream in the rune world, the Northern Tower had already stood for decades."

"According to common parlance, modern spell patterns are simplified versions of ancient ones, serving as inferior substitutes for them. They were deliberately developed by our ancestors to reduce the difficulty of spell practice and to make life easier... Do you agree?"

The people below looked at each other, no one answered, and Deshup didn't care. He just asked and answered himself.

As his palm slammed heavily on the whiteboard, a dull sound was heard, and the old man said in a deep voice,

"I'm telling you, apart from the fact that modern spells are simply simplified ancient ones, the rest is bullshit!"

"Modern runes are the unavoidable choice of Iris Workshop and many predecessors of runesmiths. It's a new experiment that must be undertaken. As for the advantages that people often praise, they are merely incidental byproducts."

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Wow, I originally planned to write a long chapter to make it more coherent, but I am too sleepy, so I will try to update earlier tomorrow!

Chapter 98 Curse

"As His Majesty the Almighty has famously said, spell patterns are a pursuit of eternity. Just as a painter attempts to depict landscapes and worldly affairs, we attempt to use specific patterns to depict the ever-changing spirituality and magic."

"And all of this originated from the gift of the kite—just as drawing the line across the water allows the sky and the sea to be distinguished; just as drawing the line between light and darkness allows light and shadow to appear; when the kite's tail feathers drag across the starry sky, the brilliant rainbow is reflected in the angry eyes of the ancient gods, and sublime power outlines the lines, spells are born in rainbow-colored blood, and all spirits accept the bird's grace in sorrow and joy."

In the conference room, Deshup stood on the stage, reciting the ancient legend in a rhythmic manner.

"Runes, Oghams, Runes, divine runes... they all refer to the same thing, the grace of the kite. We'll just call them runes here. It's unclear how many there are, but every time a rainbow falls, a rune foundation stone appears in the world, inscribed with the secrets of different runes."

"In those ancient times when magic was only in its infancy, any living being could grasp the mysteries of runes and thus master powerful powers."

"Of course, this process isn't easy. Even for legendary beings, faced with such new and profound things, they spend a great deal of time and often only manage to grasp the surface. Furthermore, fighting for and protecting treasures isn't easy either."

"Anyway, after a long struggle, when the Age of Gods finally came to an end, those rune cornerstones were finally divided among different factions, and each of them conducted rune research."

"Through this, the Laurel Dynasty created the Elven Runes, the Abyss created the Abyssal Runes, and the Dragon led the scattered forces to create the Ancient Runes."

"So-called creation is actually the process of organizing and combining the superficial insights gained from each of our experiences, just like sketching a towering mountain from different angles and methods. As long as you try enough times and piece together the entire mountain, and finally achieve sublimation, you will naturally master the secrets of the rune."

"With the power of runes, magic experienced an unprecedented surge in development. Enchantments, scrolls, rituals, barriers... a vast array of achievements emerged, mushrooming like mushrooms after rain. Then something went wrong."

Deshup paused and looked around. Except for Kanis, everyone else was holding their breath.

It's funny to say that some people have joined the workshop for a long time, and they have raised various questions during this period. For example, the difference between modern runes and ancient runes was asked by someone in the early years.

Although Deshup would answer at that time, he would usually just say one sentence. Even if asked further, he would just laugh and say "Let's talk about it later."

Everyone originally thought that the master actually had only a vague understanding of many things, until Kanis appeared, they realized that the master just felt that there was no need to explain too much to mediocre people.

And today, besides Kanis, the second person who could earn the patience of Master Deshup appeared...

Some people couldn't help but turn their heads to look at Anke.

An Ke pretended not to notice, she was listening attentively with her ears perked up.

"The reason for this incident is quite simple. They first grasped the existence of the Rune and planned to destroy it. Or perhaps they weren't content with just obtaining the Rune's secrets and began to covet the Kite's power. Or perhaps they simply thought the cornerstone could have other uses... In short, they set their sights on the Rune Cornerstone and used it to conduct various experiments."

"For example, the evil witch Baba Yaga, known throughout the North, is rumored to have used the Rune of Shadows as a key tool to create the terrifying demon cat Antica."

"The price is that it becomes increasingly difficult for others to master the Rune of Shadow, although this is likely one of Baba Yaga's goals."

"While the foundation stone is still there, as long as you cultivate the Abyssal Demonic Runes to a certain level, and then comprehend the most primitive Shadow Runes on the foundation stone, if you have enough talent, you can complete the sublimation and master it smoothly."

"But if the cornerstone disappears, those who come later will have to seek help from those who already have the corresponding runes."

"Regardless of whether the other party will ask for too much, even if you agree, you still have to worry about whether they will deliberately create false information."

"Just imagine, a demon lord in the abyss who has mastered the runes. Do you think he would be kind enough to teach this skill to other demons?"

"No, he will only spread false and distorted information, either openly or covertly. It would be best if he could kill the demons that once studied runes with him. That way, he would be the only one in the world who could master this rune."

"The Abyss is like this, and the elves and dragons are not much better. Sooner or later, the Rune Foundation stones will be lost and destroyed one after another. At the same time, a large amount of rune information has emerged within various factions, and it's hard to tell whether it's true or false. It's hard to say whether it was done by undercover agents, or whether it was the conspiracy of their own top leaders."

"And with the rise and fall of powers, such as after the fall of the Laurel Dynasty, a great deal of heritage and information was lost. Even the theoretically most reliable elven runes became riddled with pitfalls."

"Without proper guidance, those who come later can only slowly grope their way through practice, which is absolutely fatal."

"Especially for those whose spell-mark attainments have already touched the edge of rune, if there is any problem in the middle, the consequences will be absolutely catastrophic, almost like a failed forbidden spell."

"Even if you're lucky enough to avoid death or injury, the resources wasted from failure alone are unbearable. I think you all understand this. Once an enchantment fails, looking at the damaged materials, your heart must bleed. This is still at a low level. When you reach a higher level..."

Deshup couldn't help but twitch his face when he said this, probably because he was recalling some not-so-nice things.

He paused, then pointed to the iris emblem on his chest and said, "Thus, the Iris Workshop was born."

"Because the cost of trial and error in the later stages is too high, a group of rune artists from different factions decided to get together. Regardless of the disputes behind the scenes, they at least cleaned up the erroneous content and then tried to recreate the rune."

"That was the original purpose of the workshop. As for how it gradually became a gathering place for neutral mages and a center for rune magic research, that's all a story for later."

"To eliminate misinformation, the method first proposed by the forefathers of the Iris Workshop was practice. Risks were mitigated through other means, such as rituals, luck, prophecy, and clairvoyance, or through special talents, allowing for gradual adjustments."

"But it's barely effective for high-level and super-level runes. When it comes to forbidden runes, only a few can use this method—for example, our great Her Majesty Adela of the North. It's said that she successfully recreated the Guardian Rune during her legendary time, and later used it in the construction of the tower."

"You can also try exploring ruins and demiplanes, or even searching for Rune's traces in the spirit world tour. Although this is risky and like looking for a needle in a haystack, there are indeed successful cases."

"The Phoenix Royal Family and the Iris Workshop Headquarters used this to gain control of several runes, especially the latter. They used the Thunder Rune and Storm Rune when participating in the construction of Cloud City."

"But most mages don't have these abilities. Therefore, the sages in this area came up with a bolder idea – combining elven runes, abyssal runes, and ancient runes, using their absolutely correct parts to build a new system. That is, through the fragmented aspects of all runes, they can find the commonalities and then deduce them step by step."

Deshup said in a deep voice, "This is exactly the modern curse pattern."

"Theoretically, this should be the final step. Those high-level beings who have mastered a single rune should conduct joint research and then glimpse the ultimate meaning of the curse pattern. This may be the true favor that Kite Bird wishes to bestow."

"Alas, history has not developed as Kite envisioned. Perhaps some gods are interfering. Most creatures, as soon as they master a rune, begin to harm each other. Cooperation is completely impossible."

Deshup shrugged, sighed, and continued,

"The modern runes are undoubtedly the strongest. They are simple and easy to learn, and their power is no less than the strengths of the old three. They also have the widest coverage."

"The only problem is that it's still incomplete. For now, it only covers low-level spells. As for mid-level spells, I heard that the headquarters in Cloud City has already introduced some spells from the Celestial School and the Frost School."

"There's no other way. After all, the research process is likely reversed, and we also have to eliminate the remaining harmful effects left by our predecessors. Even after hundreds of years, progress has been slow."

"But it doesn't matter. As long as you learn the modern runes, it will be easy to switch to them later. After all, they are based on the three."

Deshup paused. "That's the introduction. Does anyone have any questions?"

"If not, I will now explain the specific differences between modern and ancient spell patterns, so that you can transition to ancient spell patterns later."

As he spoke, he first glanced at his beloved disciple, Kanis.

There is no doubt that the only person here who has the hope of being promoted to the second level and turning into the ancient rune is Kanis.

After all, the other one switched to self-study early on.

Alas, he originally thought he could accept another apprentice, and he even hinted to Kanis in advance, but Kanis was in a bad mood for several days.

As a result, after arriving in Asda City, he stayed in the Adventurer's Guild for a month and was obviously closer to Matika. There should be no hope, alas.

Glancing at Anke in the corner, the old man continued his story.

I didn't listen to the following content carefully, and Encore was just daydreaming.

After hearing what she had said before, she finally understood the difference between the runes.

As for the false information that has troubled most of the predecessors of Iris Workshop, it seems to have no effect on her. After all, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can increase your proficiency.

Theoretically speaking, as long as she could get the elven runes and the abyssal magic patterns, she could completely master all the runes. Although she didn't know how difficult it would be, it was something that even Her Majesty Adela and the evil witch couldn't do. They seemed to have only mastered sporadic runes.

Recalling what he had seen in the Witch Forest, Anke finally understood.

Why are there very high-level spell patterns on the witch's treasure? Why does Antica's projection leave a broken original seal after it is shattered? Why can the system use this original seal to create shadow protection for itself?

That thing might just be a projection of a Runestone.

……

Although everyone in the seminar only briefly shared their ideas without fully elaborating on them, and even though several people started to speak, it still took quite a while.

We even had dinner in the middle, and by the time the report and discussion were finished, it was already late at night.

Anke felt sore in her back and waist, and her buttocks were numb from sitting. She relaxed for a long time, and then she saw Deshup walking towards her.

He held the box in his hand and opened it, revealing a purple kite emblem with a tail.

"The number of tails on the kite emblem indicates the number of levels of runes the wearer can draw. The colors are usually divided into purple and white. Purple represents standard runes, and white represents specialized runes."

"Although I haven't personally witnessed the low-level spells cast by Miss Anke, but judging by the hand of the mage carrying the runes just now, the level should be sufficient."

An Ke took the badge and thanked him.

She glanced at the entire audience and found that most of the people were purple kites with one tail, and a few were white kites without a tail.