The Black Iron Glory
Decision to Learn Magic

Chapter 65

Decision to Learn Magic

Perhaps because he was worried that others would not understand the empty state required before practicing with Hexagram Meditation, Landes wrote several pages of explanations and even included some of his own thoughts inside. However, Claude did not find any problems at all. Basically this was the focus and deep silence just like what did the Qigong practitioner do right? What's the big deal in that?

The only thing that bothered Claude was visualizing the right hexagram in his mind. He had to carve a hexagram with his mental strength in an void state and guide the essence photons to the six hexagram points before turning it into mana. The key question is: where should the 'emptiness' be placed relative to its body?

According to the Qigong arts of his previous life, qi was guided into his dantian, before it could be circulated throughout the meridians. Although science cannot prove the existence of dantians and meridians, given that no such physical component exists in the human body, all practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine know that the dantian is located three inches below the navel and the meridians are spread throughout the human body . They can only 'feel', not 'look'.

If the empty state is more of a feeling that comes with calming the mind, hexagram carvings and the accumulation of photons of essence do not exist only in the virtual mental landscape. During Qigong practice, one had to channel qi through one's meridians and return to dantian in the end. So, emptiness must exist somewhere in the human body in order for the body to be considered as a container for mana. Only by activating the hexagram can one channel exit the body.

However, there was no answer to Claude's question in the diary. Maybe that's a question Landes shouldn't even consider. He wrote in the diary that when practicing using Hexagram Meditation, one can draw photons of the essence of the most harmonized elements and push the ones that are not. Landes only realized that after Tawari taught him how to. That was the crucial difference that allowed him to become a first rank magus rune in three short months.

The diary states that during the Hexagram Meditation, taking a photon of essence alone would take a lot of effort and time. Some essence photons would even enhance or annihilate each other. For example, people of the fire element will cancel out those of the water element, wood and earth will feed each other, and light and dark will wipe each other out.

Drawing in one type of essence photon that is suitable for conversion into mana is the most efficient approach. A practitioner does not need to undergo a magic talent evaluation to find out which elements he or she harmonizes the most. He will know automatically during the Hexagram Meditation; photons of essence that can be sensed and drawn in the fastest are the ones most liked by the user.

Another point to note is that apart from the elemental affinity, the mental strength of a practitioner is also a huge factor. Landes believed that the reason he could use only three months to become a first rank magus rune was thanks to his strong mental strength.

Back when he was tested for his talent, Landes scored nine in fire affinity and eight in mental strength. So under Tawari's guidance, he only drew photons of fire essence during the Hexagram Meditation. Thanks to his strong mental strength, he was able to manage it without any problems. He was also able to accelerate the speed of attracting flame essence photons and filling the six triangles on the hexagram side in a short time while turning them into mana simultaneously. .

Claude didn't sleep all night and actually read the diary first. At the end of the diary, Landes recorded the many alchemy formations and insights he gained after becoming a magus rune as well as some of his experiences and thoughts of being an assistant to other rune magi. But those things were too early for Claude to learn.

He read the section on Hexagram Meditation three times correctly and memorized most of its contents. What he had to consider now was whether he should start practicing according to the diary and master the Hexagram Meditation.

It was a choice that he would not be able to revive, so he had to really think about it. It was not a martial arts manual that would make one instantly invincible after training in it. It's magic, the biggest taboo on the continent of Freia. The consequences of being a magus are days of endless darkness and hiding. When others realized he knew magic, what awaited him was only pursuit and execution. Maybe he even had to escape from the continent itself.

It was a choice that he would not be able to revive, so he had to really think about it. It was not a martial arts manual that would make one instantly invincible after training in it. It's magic, the biggest taboo on the continent of Freia. The consequences of being a magus are days of endless darkness and hiding. When others realized he knew magic, what awaited him was only pursuit and execution. Maybe he even had to escape from the continent itself.

Perhaps he could only relax after going to the island called Cyclos where the 'evil magi' were exiled. But can he really go there? The diary was something Landes left behind and he was a key figure who helped Regius Au Syr in his rebellion against key figures of the wizarding world. Without modified weapons and magical crystal gunpowder, Baron Regius Au Syr would be unable to successfully attack the magic holy land, Symposium, and exile the rest of the magi far from Freia to Cyclos.

If he really went to the island, how would he explain the legacy of the magic he inherited? Before he could ascertain the magi's point of view regarding Cyclos, he would never go there. Who knows if the magi there documented Landes treachery? If that was the case, he would give his life without pay if he headed there. There is a good time and place to die, but it is definitely not that.

If she doesn't learn magic, she can continue to live the relatively safe life her father planned for her. After a year and a half, he will head to the Nubissian continent and join a godfather he has never met before, Jerrihausen Van Cruz, in the colony of Tyrrsim. Although the life he would live there was full of unknown things, it would be much better than having to constantly worry about whether he would be discovered by others after learning magic.

Claude knew that this was an important choice that would determine his life path. The first was to build his career in the military. The road was relatively stable and safe and predictable to some extent. Perhaps, he could become someone who had a reputation like his father and live his life quietly. The other was a magic path, something completely unprepared for him. It was a path filled with danger and darkness. Perhaps he would die in his youth and die unnoticed from being hunted.

Do I really want to learn magic? He knew that his mind was made. No matter how many reasons he could think of not learning magic, there was no way he could convince himself to do so. He is a transmigrator, who happens to be all qualified to start learning magic. He could not suppress his desire to comprehend the mystic arts.

The sky is clear. Not long after, the bell of the wargod temple rang and woke Whitestag from his silent slumber. Soon, the streets began to be filled with his usual bustle.

Claude rubbed his face to refresh himself. He stayed up all night and had to sleep at school. But since he had already made his decision, he decided to start practicing Hexagram Meditation that night to take the first step into the path of magic.

On the way to school Borkal gave them all the good news. Their business ventures that required one thale of each one finally ended. They managed to sell 172 targets within a short month. In addition to keeping a small amount of money in reserve, each of them could make a profit of three thales. The news made Eriksson and Welikro very happy. Claude just smiled to show his happiness, but he didn't really care to make money.

After class started, Borkal secretly told Claude that his shaliun might be on sale after a while more. His father had invited a group of friends to his house for a meeting and they talked about raising funds for their new venture. Borkal pretended to keep his belongings and 'accidentally' dropped his shaliun gold coins to the ground, attracting much attention from his father's 'friends. He said that he noticed a lot of people staring at the shaliun in his hand as he picked it up.

Claude asked him if his father would mind him doing such a thing.

But Borkal just smiled like a fox who managed to steal a chicken. He said he had told his father everything. His father also knew that Claude had other shaliuns to look after as well. For his father, having one for a collection was more than enough and there was no point in keeping two. He even praised Claude for his economical mind based on his decision to sell his additional coins.

Borkal happily tells Claude that it doesn't take three days before one of his father's friends makes an excuse to come and ask about the coin Borkal dropped to the ground. They will definitely offer a good price, as the coin collection is quite popular among his father's acquaintances. Having a shaliun gold coin in one's collection is something worth showcasing.

"Alright, I'll leave everything to you and treat you all to a good meal after it's sold for a good price," Claude casually said, before he began to make up for his lost sleep.

After school, Claude refuses Eriksson's invitation to fish at the dock and rushes home. He wanted to sleep less so that he had enough energy at night to practice meditation techniques at night.

Before dinner, Angelina comes upstairs to wake Claude up. He took a bath before going downstairs and told his father about the hobby of learning ancient Hez. He justified his usefulness by saying that many languages in Freia were branches of the same language, and that perhaps he could find a job as an ambassador after he retired from service. If that didn't work out, he could still try to become a translator.

That explanation was enough to satisfy Morssen, so he no longer berated Claude about using too much oil for his lights at night. After a simple dinner, he plays with his brothers and a snow dog for a while before forgiving himself for 'learning' and returning to his little attic. He could finally start a Hexagram Meditation.

According to the diary, no posture should be adopted before starting. One does not have to sit cross-legged and go back straight. There's nothing like it. He can sit or lie down, whichever is more comfortable for him. No matter what posture he took, his crucial point was to enter an void state as soon as possible.

Claude experimented for half an hour by standing, sitting, lying down, but was still unable to find a posture that could relax him. He felt stiff wherever he did. His hands or feet would not be able to relax no matter what he did. Sometimes, his back itches and he feels the urge to scratch it. After a while, he started to get impatient. . .

Until he saw the silver moon hanging in the sky. Sparks of inspiration flashed through his mind. He climbed out through the window of his attic and lay on the roof under the moonlight and slowly felt himself loosening. Immediately, his consciousness drifted to a seemingly empty place. . .