Chapter 540 – Searching for Mo Lan

Chapter 540 – Searching for Mo Lan

The only spell that could truly play a decisive role in combat was a single Beginner-level Psychic Magic — Psychic Shock.

This spell could cause a momentary lapse in a person’s mental focus.

Used at the right moment, it could work wonders in disrupting a spellcaster’s state of concentration.

However, this specifically referred to casters like mages, whose spellcasting particularly required concentration.

For Witches and Sorceresses who cast spells using the energy within their bloodlines, concentration was only needed during the initial learning stages. The more they practiced and the higher their level, the more instinctive it became, and the less concentration was required for casting.

Under such circumstances, Psychic Shock had limited effect — making someone’s spell come out one beat slower was already impressive enough.

Mo Lan spent half a year reading through the Apprentice-level magic books on the 7th floor of the Psychic Branch, five months on the Beginner-level magic books on the 17th floor, and four months on the intermediate-level magic books on the 27th floor.

In just over a year, Mo Lan’s name had spread among all students below intermediate level in the Psychic Branch.

Dormitories within the Psychic Branch’s Mage Tower area experienced widespread vacancies, and the cafeteria’s revenue plummeted dramatically.

But the Library Floors at intermediate level and below remained perpetually packed. From the corridors to the open spaces inside the library rooms, mage students could be seen everywhere — carrying sofas and chairs via magic cards, staying in the library rooms for months on end, handling all their meals through magic cards as well.

If it weren’t for the library room administrators banning magic cards that took up too much space, there would have been even more students bringing beds and tents.

Mo Lan had become the motivational tonic that each and every one of them used to push themselves forward.

Just as everyone was speculating how long it would be before she left the 27th floor of the Psychic Branch and headed to the 37th floor, Mo Lan departed the Psychic Branch’s main tower, boarded a magic carriage, and headed for the derivative elemental magic towers of the Elemental Branch.

Before enrolling at the Imperial Magic Academy, her mage-type magic had only covered the five fundamental elemental schools and Alchemy Magic, with over three spells studied at each level from Apprentice to intermediate.

For the five derivative elemental schools — wind, lightning, ice, light, and dark — she had only learned a few Apprentice-level and Beginner-level minor spells.

Psychic Magic had been the most neglected of all — she hadn’t learned a single one.

Now that Psychic Magic had caught up, the five derivative elemental schools were still lagging behind.

According to the requirements of Chapter 5 of the 《Freshman Handbook》, the Ancient Mage Training Program, she needed to learn at least three intermediate-level spells from each of the five derivative elemental schools before she could proceed to study Advanced-level magic from any other school.

Only after learning more than three Advanced-level spells from every school could she begin studying Peak-level magic.

So for the foreseeable future, she had no choice but to make her way through the Mage Towers of each branch.

The nearest derivative elemental magic main tower to the Psychic Branch was the Wind Element Main Tower, and Mo Lan went there first.

The internal layout of every Mage Tower was largely the same — the Wind Element Main Tower’s Library Floors were also arranged as the 7th, 17th, and 27th floors.

Although what Mo Lan currently lacked was intermediate-level wind-element magic, she didn’t actually go straight to the 27th floor.

While mage-type elemental magic wasn’t as flexible or convenient as a Witch’s Elemental Magic, mages had delved far deeper into the study of elemental force!

Every magic book in the Elemental Branch was worth reading — they could deepen her understanding of elemental force and help her design a greater variety of cards.

Mo Lan started, as always, from Library Room 1 on the 7th floor.

While she was earnestly reading in the Wind Element Main Tower, the atmosphere in the Library Floors below the Psychic Branch’s main tower had turned utterly despondent.

“She’s not on the 37th floor, she can’t access the 47th floor yet, and we’ve searched every magic training room — she’s nowhere!”

“Don’t tell me Senior Moira actually got tired of studying and left the Library Floor!”

“Help me! Now every time I see Senior Moira’s name carved into the desk, I just think about how she left the Library Floor to go rest, and I can’t read a single word anymore.”

“Our ‘mental tonic’! Where have you gone? Without you, what are we supposed to do?!”

…

In Library Room 1 on the 7th floor of the main tower, Eberhard sat holding a magic book, staring blankly into space.

For over a year now, he had practically made the Library Floor his home. Whenever he had no classes and no magic training scheduled, he was here reading. He could have moved on to the later library rooms long ago, but he was used to staying in Library Room 1.

He had gone from having no interest in theoretical magic books to treating them as a way to pass the time.

It had been a long while since he’d last zoned out while holding a magic book.

Listening to the wailing of those around him, Eberhard couldn’t stand it any longer. He packed up his sofa chair and headed for the magic training room.

He rented a training room for an hour and practiced for a while, but still couldn’t muster any energy.

Finally, unable to bear his own state any longer, he decided to temporarily put his Psychic Magic studies on hold and go to the Elemental Branch to study another school of magic he had decent talent in.

When Eberhard walked into Library Room 1 on the 7th floor of the Wind Element Main Tower and saw that familiar figure between the bookshelves, he rubbed his eyes. “Senior Moira!”

He clapped a hand over his mouth, quickly used Dawn Society magic, and pulled out a basic Communication Card from his card album.

【Group Chat: Searching for Senior Moira】

【Eberhard: I found Senior Moira! She’s reading in the Library Room on the 7th floor of the Wind Element Main Tower! It looks like she’s been here for several days already!】

This group chat had been created by an intermediate mage upperclassman from the Psychic Branch, who had been equally affected by Senior Moira’s disappearance.

News that Mo Lan was reading in the Library Floor of the Wind Element Main Tower spread from one person to ten, then to a hundred. The mages of the Psychic Branch who had been secretly competing with Mo Lan for over a year felt their hearts settle at once.

【The group owner has changed the group chat name to “Is Senior Moira Still Reading Today?”】

【Fabian: @Eberhard, none of us can go to the Wind Element Main Tower. We’re counting on you to keep everyone updated on Senior Moira’s situation.】

【Eberhard: No problem!】

July 15th

【Eberhard: Senior Moira is still reading.】

July 19th

【Eberhard: Senior Moira moved her sofa chair five times today and read through five rows of bookshelves.】

July 21st

【Eberhard: Senior Moira finished all the books in Library Room 1 and has moved on to Library Room 2.】

…

October 21st

【Eberhard: I heard from the upperclassmen here that Senior Moira has gone up to the 17th floor. She’s still reading.】

…

June 9th

【Eberhard: Senior Moira has left the 27th floor of the Wind Element Main Tower. But I had already guessed she might be leaving soon, so I staked out the entrance of the Wind Element Main Tower for two days and finally saw her come out. I saw her board a public magic carriage heading for the Ice Element Main Tower — she’s gone to the Ice Element Main Tower. Does anyone know someone from the Ice Element Branch?】

【Yamira: I have a fellow townsfolk in the Ice Element Branch. Someone give up a group chat spot and I’ll pull her in.】

【Fabian: I’ve kicked someone out. Go ahead and add her!】

【Cheryl: Hi everyone, I went to check the 7th floor of the main tower, and Senior Moira is indeed there!】

…