The library was located on the 50th floor of the Central Black Tower. Lacking a levitation spell, Edwyn had to climb all the way from the first floor. By the time he reached the top, his legs were jelly.
Standing before the grand doors of the library, he tidied his appearance and stepped inside.
The library was massive, rows upon rows of bookshelves soared ten meters high and stretched as far as the eye could see.
Suddenly, a palm-sized, winged sprite appeared out of thin air in front of him.
The sprite was stunningly beautiful. Except for the wings on her back, she looked like a perfectly scaled-down human woman.
She flew a circle around Edwyn.
"You're a new student, right? Take out your crystal orb."
Edwyn complied, retrieving it from his bag. The sprite gently touched the orb, and a faint light flickered across its surface.
After scanning his information, she floated before him, her face both cute and serious.
"New apprentice Edwyn, I'm Fiona, the library's administrator. If you want to borrow a book, just press your crystal orb against the book's catalog number. I'll record your borrowing. Also, no noise, no horseplay, and no magic other than levitation. Break the rules and I'll throw you out. Bad enough, and you're banned."
"Got it. Uh, how do I find the books I want?"
With so many books, finding anything without a catalog would be impossible.
Fiona pointed at his orb. "All the books you're allowed to borrow are now synced to your crystal orb. To access more, increase your strength. Every time you level up as an apprentice, your library access expands. When you become a full Mage, you can borrow anything."
Edwyn used his mental energy to probe the orb, and immediately, a list of books appeared in his mind.
"Any other questions?" Fiona asked.
He snapped back to reality. "Oh, no. Thanks."
"Then I'm off."
With a wave of her arm, Fiona created a glowing portal from sparkling dust and vanished into it.
"Amazing magic," Edwyn murmured, then began searching for the book he wanted.
Guided by the orb's data, he quickly found The Gazetteer of the Magus World.
Unlike spellbooks that required Mana Stones to borrow, this one was free, perfect for someone like Edwyn, who desperately needed to understand this world.
He found a quiet corner and began reading.
The Magus world was far larger than Earth from his previous life. A vast super-continent that housed nearly a thousand Magus academies, each run by a Mage of at least the fourth rank.
The Howling Winds of the Far East, the Grand Desert in the Southwest, the Magnetic Floating Islands at the center of the continent, and the Sky-Piercing Ice Walls at the world's edge…
As he turned page after page, a vivid and majestic world unfolded before him.
But as he studied the map, Edwyn noticed large swathes of land marked as uninhabited. No academies. No people.
"What happened here?" he wondered, flipping pages for answers.
Eventually, in the history section, he found it.
The Magus world's history was divided into three eras: the Age of Ignorance, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Age of Expansion.
In the Age of Ignorance, Mages operated alone, carving out pockets of knowledge in a hostile world. At that time, they were far from dominant, sea monsters and dragons reigned supreme.
Then came the Age of Enlightenment, when Mages began to unite. Those with similar fields of study formed associations and schools. Magus Houses rose to power, tying bonds through marriage and contracts.
It was during this age that Mages replaced dragons as rulers of the land and even reached pacts with ocean beasts.
By the end of the Enlightenment, the world had been thoroughly explored. Only the deep sea and elemental storm-zones remained untouched. Everything else was claimed.
But the number of Mages kept growing. With the world's resources finite, conflict was inevitable.
Mage wars broke out.
Each faction unleashed its deadliest magic to annihilate their enemies. Elementalists drowned entire towers in magical floods. Necromancers summoned legions of undead. Soulmancers brought forth horrifying soul-beasts. Alchemists sent golem armies pouring out of factories. The Mysterium unleashed curses that killed silently and en masse.
These wars devastated a third of the continent and gave rise to the Ring Archipelago.
Eventually, five major factions made peace and formed the Council of Truth, with their leaders becoming known as the Truth Mages.
Thus began the Age of Expansion.
The wars had destroyed much ancient knowledge, but birthed new, powerful technologies.
With the perfection of interstellar navigation, Mages could pilot floating space-cities and invade other planets.
But planar wars needed vast numbers of Mages. The old family-breeding model was too slow, it might take centuries to produce a few dozen.
So, Magus Academies were born.
Edwyn closed the book. Now it all made sense.
"So, all Magus Academies are essentially military schools. And all their graduates… are soldiers in the planar wars."
Planar wars. Stellar navigation. These ideas lit a fire in Edwyn's chest.
In his past life, he had adored sci-fi, dreaming of starships, peace, and the infinite cosmos.
Funny how he had to die and reincarnate to actually see it.
"I have to become a Mage."
Before, he'd only fought to survive. But now… he had a dream.
By the time Edwyn left the library, night had fallen.
At the dorm entrance, he ran into Elia. Her hair and burns had fully healed, and she now wore a sleek, fitted dress.
The academy's hospital could treat anything, from fevers to missing limbs. Even death wasn't final; for the right price in Mana Stones, they could raise you as an undead Mage via necromancy.
"Hey, Edwyn! Where've you been? Want some fresh bread?" Elia waved a steaming baguette at him and handed him one.
Edwyn took it, the rich aroma immediately made his stomach growl.
Gurgle...
Looks like the Residential Zone had some good bakeries after all.
"I was at the library. You should go. There's a book called Gazetteer of the Magus World, you'll love it," Edwyn mumbled between bites.
"Okay, I'll check it out tomorrow," Elia said, cheeks slightly flushed.
It was true: clothes make the man. Edwyn now wore clean clothes, his malnourished face had filled out, and his once-scrawny frame looked lean and bookish.
Red hair. Handsome face. Calm demeanor.
He was now squarely in Elia's strike zone.
Not to mention, back on the airship, he had played the hero.
Remembering the silhouette she saw through her door that night, Elia's cheeks turned a shade redder.
"Be sure to read the history section," Edwyn added, patting her shoulder.
She shivered slightly.
"Got it! I definitely will!"
Back in his room, Edwyn eagerly grabbed the Beginner Meditation Manual.
To become a Mage, one thing was essential: mental energy.
And meditation was the most common way to strengthen it.
[Material: Beginner Meditation Manual]
[Extractable Knowledge: Beginner Meditation Method]
[Extraction Cost: 10 Spiritforce]
[Proceed with extraction?]
"Yes!"