Badge in Azure Chapter 149

Chapter 149: Crystal Ring
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There had once been many divine weapons in the Myers Mainland, but that had been tens of thousands of years ago. Back then, humans had still been able to create magic equipment that was similar in strength to these divine weapons. These pieces of equipment had been passed down and known as half-divine weapons. The Holy See considered them fake weapons.
The Holy See only considered the weapons that had been created by the God of Light and gifted to his followers to be divine weapons, and this Seal of Divine Power was one of them.
The Bramble Crown, God Grace Staff, and the Seal of Divine Power. These three divine weapons belonged to the Holy See. Without them, the pope would not have been able to control the seven oracles who had similar powers. If the pope fell by chance, there would be no appointed pope who would take over, and the leaders of the Holy See would need to take over the duties of the pope until a new pope was chosen.
The pope had been at the peak of Grade 9 power, and with three divine weapons, he had naturally been able to command the oracles, cardinals, and the tribunal. Without the three divine weapons, the pope would have been like an emperor without his army. Aside from his symbolic meaning, he would not have any power.
The divine weapons of the pope were not simple piece of divine equipment. They possessed the ability to communicate with the gods. Having gained this Seal of Divine Power, it felt as though Saleen were holding onto a melting gold coin. It would not be wise to hold onto it, and yet he could not throw it aside either. If he brought this back to the Myers Mainland, it would surely be noticed by the God of Light and they would send out a divine decree. The Holy See would pay any price to get back this small seal.
Leaving this behind in the interdimensional space did not seem right either, and this was something that Saleen was sure of. The fact that Viscountess Lex had been banished to the god’s hell was not something that could be concealed, and once she returned, the Holy See would find this interdimensional space that was connected to the Myers Mainland.
Once the Holy See found their way here, the Seal of Divine Power would likely return to them. Hence, Saleen wanted to hide this divine weapon in his Ring of Gifts, for only the equipment of the Myers Goddess could mask the scent of the God of Light.
Saleen had a deep hatred for the Holy See. If he could not use it himself, he would not let them use it either.
Nailisi stored the remains of Raphael and Saleen returned to sit beside the table. Six magic arrays were hidden under the table and each belonged to a different type of element. Saleen tried to activate the water element magic array, and a drawer beside his left hand suddenly sprung open.
Within the drawer was a cubic box and on its surface was a snowflake pattern formed naturally in the metal. Opening the box, there was a magic book and a ring inside. The crystal-clear ring was placed atop the book, and Saleen could not feel any powers coming from inside it.
The only thing Saleen could confirm was that the quality of the ring surpassed his own knowledge of materials. He knew that even the spear of god’s punishment would not be able to destroy it.
Saleen put away the ring and picked up the book below. It had a white cover with no title, and on the lower right corner was a small signature: Raphael Jabba.
Saleen flipped through the white magic book and quickly scanned through it, unintentionally realizing that it was a combat magic book.
Although magic books and combat magic books differed by a single word, they were two completely different things. A magic book was used to note down magic knowledge while a combat magic book was assaultive equipment and could be used to pass down magic as well.
Combat magic books were incredibly hard to make and the special materials within the pages of the book could allow the release methods and effects of a mage’s magic to reach their full potential. Even if a person did not have a teacher, they could still study by following the contents of a combat magic book.
A combat magic book usually marked a stage of a person’s lineage.
Like the bronze magic book, eighteen spells were written within. From Grade 1 to Grade 3, each grade had the methods of study for six different spells. These six spells each belonged to one of the six types of magic elements. With a bronze magic book, even without a teacher, a magic disciple could follow the knowledge written within the book to advance all the way to a Grade 3 mage.
At the same time, the bronze magic book had eighteen spells that were the same as the eighteen spells from Grade 1 to 3 of the six different elements. Most importantly, within a bronze magic book, the mage who created it would leave their experiences of advancing to a grand mage.
With a bronze magic book, one had the opportunity to become a Grade 4 mage. Although this promotion process would take a very long time, for many magic disciples without a teacher, even spending decades on the promotion was worth it. Without a teacher, they had no chance of becoming a mage.
The white combat magic book only recorded Water Magic and did not have the ability to store any spells. Saleen flipped the book back to the first page, and on it were some words written in the Myers Language: Crystal Ring, the Beginning of Grade 6 Magic.
Flipping to the next page, Raphael had not recorded anything strange, and just like any combat magic book, it listed the meaning of this Grade 6 magic and anything one should avoid when it came to these spells.
Crystal ring was a spell that not many people would use and just like the Ice Ring spell, it had an unusually short effective range. For mages, a distance like this could nearly be considered close combat. The advantages of this spell were unusually striking too, for it not only had incredible assaultive powers, but it could continuously become stronger and evolve. In fact, the combat magic book had the methods for learning the Crystal Ring spell from Grade 6 to Grade 10.
This spell had side effects even though it had unparalleled assaultive strength. In addition to depleting more than twice the magic chords of spells of the same grade, it would cause extreme pain within a mage’s head.
Once a person released the crystal ring, the spell’s assaultive powers would retaliate on the mage’s body. When Raphael had created this spell, he had already modified his body and even his strong bones had not been able to ensure his safety, only reducing the pain on his body.
Hence, regardless of whether it was a scroll or a magic book, nothing could withstand the strength of the crystal ring.
In the end, Raphael created a tough crystal ring to withstand the backlash of this spell. This was the ring that Saleen had taken. This allowed the assaultive strength of the crystal ring to not be restricted by the physical condition of the mage. However, this reduced the effective range of the magic even more.
Because the depletion of a person’s magic chords were twice that of other spells of the same grade, only mages who had reached Grade 3 could learn the Crystal Ring spell. This spell could be upgraded and would reach the peak of its abilities along with the increase in the grade of the mage.
Behind it were contents on how to go about studying the spell. Saleen was only a Grade 4 mage and had not grasped Grade 6 magic yet. He put away the combat magic book without any regret. During this time where he would have no guidance from any teachers, he finally had the ability to study on his own.
Even though the crystal ring did not have much use in combat, it was a spell that could be upgraded. Through continuous study, even without the guidance of any teacher after Grade 6, Saleen would be able to find the path to a promotion through this magic.
Saleen had his icy sight and together with the Figaro formula, he was already able to study magic on his own. However, this required him to continuously observe the magic that others released or to release magic on his own with magic scrolls and observe how those spells were formed, analyzing and breaking them down. This method of studying magic was too slow and a great deal of time was needed in breaking down the secrets of a spell. Furthermore, studying it at a later time required it to be adjusted according to the condition of one’s own body. If a person possessed a combat magic book, they could understand the feelings immediately using their focus.
The other five drawers must have contained knowledge of the other five types of magic. Saleen did not open the drawers. Instead, he checked the size of the table again and stored it into his Ring of Gifts.
During the time they had spent in god’s hell, Saleen and Lex had trained their wills far more than they had in the past decade altogether, and had become more mature as well. In the past, Saleen had only been able to hide his emotions, but now looking at the secrets of the crystal ring, he only put it away and would wait until he had advanced to study it. The joy in his heart was barely noticeable.
While others could not learn the crystal ring while they were Grade 5 since they did not have enough magic chords, Saleen had twice the amount of magic chords as mages of the same grade. Hence, he would be at the perfect grade to learn this spell.
Originally, Saleen had obtained four combat magic books. Three of them were blank, and the demon magic book was missing its main contents. Now, this combat magic book had filled in the blanks nicely.
For Saleen, what was most important was reestablishing a firm foundation. He had advanced from the Grade 1 to Grade 3 too quickly and had only grasped more than ten Water Magic spells. He still did not have a complete understanding of the elements. When he had been Grade 4, this had not been too much of a problem, but once he reached Grade 6 and was about to become a sorcerer, this would become a problem.
It was time to start filling in the bronze magic book. Saleen was vaguely aware of the changes in his journey down the path of a mage.
If he continued advancing in this fashion, even if he managed to break the limits of Grade 6 and become a sorcerer, he would come across an unbreakable obstacle once he reached Grade 9. He had gained a great deal of experience but had not been able to digest them all. If his teacher learned of this, he would be very disappointed.
“Lex, let’s go to the tenth floor.” Saleen did not look at the books. Since the ninth floor belonged to him, he would use this place as a temporary training shelter before they left.
Lex hesitated. The nine floors earlier had been split equally between the two of them. What would there be on the tenth floor? Saleen did not propose any ways to split the tenth floor and hence Lex did not say anything either.
Saleen was not her subordinate and his teacher had originated from Alchemy City. Hence, ever since Saleen had become a grand mage, Lex had begun to view Saleen as her equal.
Saleen laughed and pointed upwards with his fingers. He said, “What’s yours will be yours and what’s mine shall be mine.”
Lex understood. What Saleen meant was that if the item could be used by the country, it would be hers. If it was only equipment that a single mage could use, it would be Saleen’s.
“What if they aren’t easy to split?” Lex said without much thought, regretting her words almost immediately. She was not a petty person. It was simply that this magic tower was too important, and if she could establish a permanent teleportation portal, this place could be a vast supporting area for the Bitter Water Prefecture.
Bitter Water Prefecture did not have much harvest and the matter of forming a county was not too important. The fields that had been established were enough to feed the people in the city, but once a county was established, the surrounding cities would be her territory as well and the number of citizens under her management would increase by a hundred times. Then, Lex would need to consider the issue of her harvests.
“If they are not easy to split, then they can be ours together.” Saleen did not put much thought into his words and Lex’s face turned a rare shade of red. Hmph, this brat has just been promoted. Could he already have some ideas of his own?