Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 117 (Part 1)

Fortunately, no incidents occurred during the night. Bianca, who had fallen asleep after midnight, slept in, but it wasn’t enough to be called an incident.

Breakfast was prepared by the Crowder Trading Company. It was a meal that Daniel, the head of the trading company, had put great care into. It was meat-heavy and decorated lavishly.

Yet, it didn’t compare to Matthew’s cooking. Bianca, who had woken up late, barely ate half of her meal, seemingly without an appetite.

Still, the others finished their meals.

Rodin, Larry, and Matthew were not ones to leave food on their plates. Karis and Jena, who preferred to store food rather than waste it, were no exceptions.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, Mage Betner. What brings you here?”

A 4th Circle magician, Betner, who was known to be a friend of Daniel, approached with a cautious expression.

Rodin guessed why Betner had come.

From Betner’s pocket, Rodin could sense a cluster of mana—it was a mana stone. The reason for his visit was likely to resolve his curiosity about it.

“Could I have a moment of your time?”

“Yes, I don’t have anything else to do before we depart. What is it?”

“This morning, Daniel handed me this, saying it was pulled from the troll’s stomach yesterday.”

“Yes, I have a few myself.”

As expected, Betner pulled out the black stone Rodin had named a “Failed Mana Crystals.” He carefully presented five stones, each the size of a walnut.

Rodin took out his own stones from his pocket and displayed them—three in total.

One of them was the stone he personally retrieved yesterday, and the other two were extracted from the stomach of the troll Karis had decapitated.

“What exactly is this thing?”

“I don’t know either. I only have my suspicions.”

“Speculations are fine. I intend to report to the Tower but lack information.”

Magicians affiliated with the Tower had the duty to report any unusual occurrences they witnessed. Although failing to report wouldn’t lead to penalties, they generally tried to uphold this responsibility.

“Betner, can you feel anything from this stone?”

“Yes. It’s filled with mana.”

“You’ve probably heard that the world is brimming with mana, right?”

“Yes, it’s one of the basics taught when learning magic.”

Even magicians who couldn’t sense mana didn’t deny its existence. After all, the concept of the training room itself wouldn’t make sense if mana didn’t exist.

“This stone—I call it a Failed Mana Crystal. Oh! I just named it that yesterday, so don’t mind it. Anyway, this stone absorbs the mana abundant in the world and stores it as energy.”

“So… if this stone can absorb surrounding mana and become full of energy… isn’t it better than a Refined Mana Crystal?”

“What?”

Rodin’s voice rose at the unexpected comparison.

Comparing a simple stone full of mana to a Refined Mana Crystal made no sense to Rodin.

The comparison was absurd enough, but to claim that the mana stone was superior was beyond understanding.

Rodin began to think Betner might have a misconception about the nature of mana stones and Refined Mana Crystals.

“Isn’t that right? A Refined Mana Crystal is created by converting a raw mana stone into an energy-storing gem, correct? It only holds as much power as the mana it originally contained. But this stone, by drawing in mana from its surroundings and converting it into stored energy, seems far better.”

“Betner, I think you misunderstand what a Refined Mana Crystal truly is.”

“Are you saying I’m wrong?”

“Yes, you’re mistaken. The essence of a Refined Mana Crystal lies in its ‘purification.'”

It wasn’t just Betner who misunderstood the nature of Refined Mana Crystals. Every magician of this era mistakenly thought that a mana stone was just a piece of rock that had been infused with mana.

“Purification?”

“Yes. Whether it’s mana existing in nature or contained within a raw mana stone, it’s never purely mana alone. There are all sorts of impurities mixed in. This is why, in ancient times, they created Refined Mana Crystals. They removed the impurities from a raw mana stone, then condensed it into manageable energy.”

In fact, Rodin believed he could create a Refined Mana Crystal within a few months if he set his mind to it.

He hadn’t delved into it yet due to time constraints and because it wasn’t an immediate necessity.

He spent over five hours daily in classes about illusions taught by the Frouval.

He also read the Empire of Magic’s books for three to four hours each day.

Plus, he had to train in magic.

At the moment, he was engraving magical circles onto the carriage and couldn’t miss his early morning physical training with Larry.

“What happens if you use mana stones with impurities?”

“Using impure mana crystals is generally fine. That’s what they’re known for. For example, consider the shock-absorbing carriage of the Tracia Tower. It suffers from reduced efficiency and shorter lifespan.”

This was a slight jab at the Tracia Tower’s carriage. Even so, Betner couldn’t deny it.

Such complaints were commonplace among magicians who crafted artifacts at the tower.

It always seemed like mana stones didn’t fully utilize their power.

It felt as if energy was wasted without purpose.

Such conversations were never-ending. Betner himself had once made similar remarks.

“It’s a chronic issue with today’s artifacts.”

“Yes, chronic, yet artifacts are still made with mana stones. The inherent safety of mana, naturally occurring in the world, makes it less risky.”

The differences between mana stones and Refined Mana Crystals were well documented in texts.

Using a raw mana stone resulted in a lower success rate in creating artifacts, reduced power, and poor energy efficiency, leading to shorter artifact lifespans.

“Is the danger with mana due to its artificial nature?”

“Exactly. When impure mana is involved… how should I put it? Oh! You know the risks a magician faces when trying to increase their circle beyond their capacity, right?”

“Mana surge?”

“Yes, that phenomenon. Uncontrolled, rampaging energy.”

This was the first time Betner had heard anything about purification. Without Rodin’s explanation, he would have continued to believe that a mana stone was merely a rock filled with energy.

“And the trolls yesterday?”

“They weren’t experiencing a mana surge. They were just agitated and aggressive because of the uncomfortable clump of energy lodged inside them.”

“So, a mana stone can be used if purified?”

“That’s right. The purification is the challenge.”

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