Chapter 126: Spellcasting Without Materials

“How many?” Leonard asked.

“Your Excellency... there... there are...”

The court mage was so nervous that he could barely get the words out.

“Speak!”

“Your Excellency, eight people under investigation have disappeared!”

The mage hurriedly continued, “When we searched their residences, we found a large amount of information concerning evil gods, as well as blasphemous writings!”

Although precautions had already been taken and the populace evacuated in time, the destruction caused by the massive aberration could not be undone. The western district in particular—the wealthy quarter—had been reduced to one enormous demolition site.

The higher-ups certainly would not concern themselves with the aftermath. If the victims were Netherese, matters would at least be somewhat better: they could receive a substantial compensation payment and a comfortable new residence. As for outsiders, they could only consider themselves unlucky. Unless they had acquaintances willing to take them in, their only option was to move into the commoners’ district and live alongside beggars, thugs, and criminals.

Afterward, a group of powerful officials sat down and began dividing the spoils. Materials this fresh were rarely seen, and quite a few people had contributed in one way or another. Was it really excessive to claim a share of the loot?

Snake hide, snake meat, fangs, and the like were all divided up with painstaking clarity.

Then came the wrangling and the shifting of blame. The administrative departments in which serpentfolk infiltrators had been discovered were dragged out and publicly condemned several times. After that came all manner of exchanges of interests, along with the placement of their own people into key positions.

Ordinarily, Borne had no right to participate in such an exalted political squabble.

Yet Borne’s position was somewhat unusual. Quite apart from his own identity, he had earned a place there as the discoverer of the serpentfolk incident.

Still, Borne had no interest in such gatherings. If anything, he found them somewhat repellent. A person ought to know his own limitations, and he was better off staying away from matters so obviously political. Not to mention his previous life—even now, he was still a complete novice in politics. His grandfather was a perfect example: he had worn the title of vice dean while devoting himself entirely to climbing the ranks of the arcane arts. And now, who would still dare look down on the Iolum family?

Borne had not wanted to come, but Hussein loved forcing people into doing things. Lately, Borne felt that the man had been deliberately targeting him.

Borne had already been doing his best to become invisible, but his keen senses could still feel countless people watching him, as though he were a monkey on display.

Even so, watching a group of powerful figures pound the table and curse at one another was rather entertaining.

The military, the nobility, the court mages, the city guard, and the other factions were tangled together in a complicated web. Broadly speaking, they could be divided into two camps: the nobility and the royal family. However, because of the court mages’ grave dereliction of duty, the royal faction had been thoroughly beaten down. The court mage sent as its representative looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

Just then, someone knocked on the main door.

The noisy meeting instantly fell silent. Everyone sat upright, wearing an expression that suggested they had been discussing something of the utmost importance.

Borne stared in astonishment.

That actually works?

A warrior clad in armor entered the room. Borne recognized him as Hussein’s captain of the guard.

The captain strode forward and saluted. “Your Excellency, urgent news has just arrived from the front lines. The foreign races have launched an all-out assault and are battering the defenses. The military has issued orders for the legions to return!”

Hussein’s expression changed slightly.

The captain continued, “Aberrations have invaded the cities of Habridge and Zhenis. The lord of Habridge was ambushed and killed by an unidentified assailant. Habridge has been declared lost!”

“What?”

This time, it was not only Hussein. Many of those present rose in shock.

The news was so devastating that even Borne was stunned.

Netheril had begun as an alliance of seven fishing villages. Over the centuries, it had developed into a unique political system: the city-state.

Seventon was Netheril’s royal city. In particular, after the death of the first king, Old Nether, the nobles’ continual influence had left each successive monarch with less and less control over the cities of Netheril. Little by little, the nation had evolved into its distinctive city-state system.

Had they not seen how, during the meeting just moments ago, the representative of the court mages had been suppressed so completely that he could barely raise his head? The court mages served the royal family and could almost be said to symbolize it. If even they had been “tormented” to such an extent, one could easily imagine how awkward the royal family’s current position was.

Once Habridge and Zhenis had grown powerful under the protection of the Black Road, their respective lords had become regional magnates. They had even established separate legal systems of their own.

Seventon’s existence was more akin to that of a central government. The major city-states therefore possessed tremendous authority. Apart from diplomatic and military affairs, each city-state was practically an independent “small kingdom.” Large city-states such as Habridge and Zhenis could formulate their own laws and systems governing taxation, city guards, and social classes.

Upon hearing such explosive news, no one could remain seated. Every faction had its own unique means of communication, and the authenticity of the report was verified almost immediately.

The loss of a major city, together with the death of its lord, was a momentous event. Its consequences would be enormous.

The gathering to divide the spoils came to an abrupt end.

Once it was confirmed that no serpentfolk remained hidden in Seventon, Hussein hurried back to the front lines with the legions.

For a time, summoned beasts from all over Seventon ran everywhere. Borne seemed to have been forgotten, and no one came to bother him anymore.

Borne was delighted to enjoy the peace and finally had time to read the Golden Scrolls he had recently acquired.

He had already read nine volumes, so he quickly finished the remaining nineteen. As an introductory guide to Netherese magic, they helped him tremendously.

He had even gained a special ability.

Eschew Materials!

However, this ability was not nearly as miraculous as it was in the games. Spell components served a significant auxiliary function in the casting of magic.

Eschew Materials: Depending on one’s mastery of a spell formula, spell components may be omitted at the cost of reducing the spell’s power.

In practice, this feat was somewhat useless to Borne. Arcanists primarily used magic they had created themselves, and Borne in particular had the assistance of his chip. He had no shortage of arcane spells. Arcane magic could already be cast instantaneously and without material components. Even without this ability, Borne could use the chip’s calculations to bypass the need for spell components without reducing the spell’s power.

At present, however, most of the chip’s processing power was devoted to deducing a new sixth-circle arcane spell.

After successfully casting the fifth-circle spell Teleportation, Borne had begun simulating and deducing sixth-circle magic.

Progress was slow. Even with the biological chip, the process would take more than twenty years. Borne secretly clicked his tongue. If he had still been using the mechanical chip, it would probably have taken several hundred years.

Now that he had finished reading the nineteen volumes, the progress bar advanced by a considerable margin, saving him a full decade.

Borne felt somewhat regretful that two volumes were still missing. He had a feeling that completing the set would produce astonishing results.

Everything in the alchemical workshop was ready. Layman had planted the magical flora, and the Magic Storage Device was operating at full power. Nourished by the abundant magic, the plants soon began to sprout.

The main reason they had grown so quickly was that Borne had followed the cultivation methods from his previous life, planting each species in a separate section. Every type of magical plant had different temperature and humidity requirements, and only by placing each one in its optimal growing environment could they sprout so rapidly.

Layman had already witnessed this before, but the people of the Layman Trading Company had seen their entire worldview shattered.

If Borne had used elven magic to “force” the plants to mature, they could still have understood it. But from beginning to end, they had been the ones doing the work, with Layman giving the orders. No magic had been used at all, yet the plants had violated the laws of nature and sprouted in the middle of winter!

The way the group looked at Borne grew even more fervent.

Although Borne had remained cooped up in the alchemical workshop, he had continued to monitor developments in the outside world.

Netheril was not the only place to suffer an attack. The dwarves of Danzon had been attacked as well, though in their case the assailants were creatures from the Underdark. Rumor had it that dark elves were involved.

“No, there isn’t enough time!”

Borne said, “Layman, go find a few elves or druids. We need to accelerate the growth of the magical plants!”