Chapter 584: Secrets of the Runes
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hearing this, he felt incredibly awkward.
In the original plan, there was no such thing as a "Runes and Elemental Plane" research team. Yesterday, he had wanted a capable mage to stay with the academy and make preparation for his magic vacuum period. But now, as he looked at the old mage’s smile filled with anticipation, he realized he had been found out about it.
It wasn’t hard to discover though. He would easily find out the truth just by roaming around the academy and asking some simple questions.
However... judging by the old mage’s expression, he didn’t seem mad at all.
"Honestly speaking, only I know about the element dimension and runes." Benjamin decided to let the cat out of the bag, "We don’t know the basics, nor do we have the people who do. We will, of course, develop a research team in the future, but it can’t be done now."
The old mage wasn't bothered by it, instead, he continued to press for answers, "How did you find out about the elemental plane and runes? How much do you know about them?"
Seeing how hasty he was, Benjamin realized the reason why the old mage was not offended by his bluff.
Because the subject of elemental planes and runes was simply too important.
From previous conversations, many who perceived the old mage as a representative had likewise reached a glass ceiling in their capabilities. Their magic had reached a point where they have lost their momentum and only runes and the elemental plane could help them to continue forward.
Hence, Benjamin became their only hope.
"Alright... There are things that I can’t speak of but… on the topic of elemental planes, I have entered it many times in spirit form," Benjamin sighed as he started to explain.
"You have entered it before?"
The old mage’s mouth gaped in horror as if he had just heard something absurd.
Benjamin nodded.
The old man seemed to be struck by a thought and took a deep breath as he slowly recovered from the shock.
"Director Benjamin, it may be too presumptuous of me, but could you spare a little more time to explore this matter deeper with me?" He hesitated for a moment before nervously asking.
Benjamin smiled, "Of course."
And so, they found an empty classroom and sat down. Benjamin generally described to the old mage the things he had seen during each trip he took to the Pure Blue World.
The old mage nodded as he ran voraciously absorbed the information, taking out his paper and pen and writing from time to time. He was completed absorbed in the conversation.
"Mage Benjamin, the way you enter the elemental plane frequently proves that your method of learning must be quite different from us regular mages, right?"
The old mage suddenly concluded after listening to Benjamin.
Did he also know about the Space of Consciousness?
If he did then Benjamin didn’t plan to hold back. He nodded, "That’s right. You saw right through me."
"No... It is just that when I was researching related clues, I found some information about the fourth-generation pope. During that time, I thought it was a method of meditation exclusive to the divine arts, but, now it looks like the same goes with magic."
Benjamin interest piqued, "What did you manage to find?"
The old man sighed, "The fourth-generation pope... He is strong beyond imagination and had slaughtered many mages during his era. The Church hid the information about him well. I only know that his strength and the elemental plane are connected. It is said that he builds a rift space in his Spiritual World that connected the reality and elemental planes. He obtained his strength from the elemental plane which explains how he became undefeatable."
Benjamin did not react as he heard this.
His Space of Consciousness... seemed to be exactly the same.
Now he was just unsure of whether that pope ever experienced the merging of runes and the change of the dimension. If he did, then how did he go about it?
It would be great if he could draw lessons from the pope’s experience.
"You have been chasing after the elemental plane but... what do you think it really is? Do you think it can really resolve the plateau you are all experiencing?" Benjamin asked curiously.
The old mage answered seriously, as if expecting the question, "But of course. The way I see it, the elemental plane is the source of magic."
"So, you think that the elements from this world came from another dimension and perhaps that there was an accident billions of years ago there which led to the gods accidentally leaking elements into this world and created magic?"
The old mage nodded.
Benjamin rubbed his chin.
This assumption was fair and would certainly explain a lot. However, after going through to the Pure Blue World, Benjamin felt that it wasn’t that simple. The elements weren’t simply leaked into the world because of some accident.
He felt that the elemental plane and this world had a more deeply rooted connection.
Moreover, he didn’t think that the elemental plane has such a thing as "Gods".
"Try to think back to the time yesterday when the priest launched a sneak attack. Wasn’t it like some kind of god-like being had possessed his body?" The old mage seemed thrilled and continued, "There was another will within his body which had completely suppressed his. I do not know much but it is clear that that will came from the elemental plane."
"I agree with you on this. It came from the elemental plane," Benjamin nodded, "But... I don’t think that will is God."
He has got to be kidding. If there was indeed a god, how could it be cast away so easily? If it was really god, they would not be alive right now. The entire magic academy would be turned into nothing but ash.
In the end, it was a battle between two wills over the priest’s body. A god would not sink to that level.
Hence, he was leaning more toward the theory that the elemental plane had its own consciousness. However, that consciousness only existed inside the plane. It was just like any other living being, certainly not one that was at the rank of a god.
"Mage Benjamin, a god is only a title," The old man smiled, "We can use another title to substitute it but the Church will surely believe the will in the elemental plane is their god."
"Well that god has no dignity," Benjamin curled his lips. "Moreover, the will that’s there is not alone – there could be an infinite number of them. Is it possible to have that many gods in the world?"
What he failed to mention... Was that he accidentally stole one and it was now living in his Space of Consciousness.
"Okay, let’s put all this talk of god aside and focus on other related matters," Before the other party could rebuke, Benjamin sighed and continued, "About the runes, how much do you know?"
The old man did not say anything but instead took out a yellowish parchment paper from his little big.
He placed the paper on the desk and slowly unrolled it open.
"This was what I found in one of the ruins. There should be identical markings on the runes as the ones of this page." He coughed from the dust, "I don’t know what kind of power these things possessed but every time I carefully trace it, I can feel my Spiritual Energy tremble."
Benjamin raised his brow and looked at the parchment.
On it was seven runes. Among them, he saw a familiar triangular shape. That triangular shape was drawn with incredible precision but had a small cut on the vertices of the right-hand side.
Wasn’t this...
The old man noticed Benjamin’s gaze.
"Mage Benjamin, this rune is one of the most basic. Its representation should be that of the water element," He said as he pointed at the triangular rune.