Chapter 115: Spatial Analysis
“I also know that Big Sister once went adventuring far from home. There’s a very good chance she went with him,” Sylvanas said, adding fuel to the fire. “No wonder Alleria cared so much about Patrick Cabolon. So it was all part of a plan from the very beginning.”
“That’s quite possible. When Big Sister fought in the Life Forest, she and he charged into the troll camps there twice together. It’s very likely she was captured by him back then,” little sister Vereesa chimed in, waving the banner of gossip while casting furtive glances at Alleria to see how she would react.
“…”
As a Ranger-General, Alleria naturally possessed exceptional hearing. The three girls’ whispered conversation behind her reached her ears with perfect clarity. The more outrageous their speculation became, the more violently her breasts heaved, yet she could not forcibly stop them. If she did, it would merely serve as indirect proof of their suspicions, and only make matters worse.
The Windrunners continued gossiping about their eldest sister, Alleria, but since she refused to explain anything, there was nothing they could do about it.
…
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Patrick had already led everyone back to the Sun Temple, and their busy lives and work were about to begin once more.
The Sun Temple was flourishing more with every passing day. Thanks to its ripple effect, the flow of people through Andilrin Manor and Tranquillien had grown increasingly heavy as well.
“Chief Patrick, Lady Liadrin requests an audience,” Anida came to report.
“Let her in.”
“Lord Patrick.” Lady Liadrin sounded somewhat wistful. In only a few short years, the little councilor had risen to become an equal of the head of the Dawnblade family. But there was no time for her to indulge in sentiment. She had to carry out the family head’s orders as quickly as possible. “By order of Lord Oks Dawnblade, I have come to deliver this enchanted satchel to Chief Patrick.”
Patrick accepted the satchel and used his mental power to inspect it, finding it packed to the brim with arcane scrolls. “Please convey my thanks to Councilor Oks Dawnblade. May the friendship between the Cabolon and Dawnblade families endure forever.”
Within the entire Silvermoon Council, Councilor Oks was considered a man of considerable foresight. The other four councilors had always confined their vision to Silvermoon City. They had no interest in how marvelous the world beyond might be. All they saw was Patrick voluntarily withdrawing from Silvermoon’s sphere of influence and beginning to transfer most of his industries to the Sun Temple and the Life Forest.
Thus, they had all congratulated themselves, believing that Patrick had recognized the limits of his abilities and understood the difference in status. They intended to remain at home and wait for him to come begging for their assistance.
Yet Patrick never once appealed to the council. Even the four great families received no proposal for cooperation from him. At first, they found this difficult to understand, but gradually they became unconcerned. The intelligence of sentient beings had its limits, but stupidity had none. Little by little, they began to believe that their own families were the true masters of Silvermoon City, and that everyone else was automatically a rank below them.
Did anyone doubt it? Just look at Patrick Cabolon, the newly appointed councilor. Wasn’t he proof enough? His sphere of activity in Silvermoon City, his share of the market, and his influence in every other respect were steadily shrinking. Only his reputation in the Ghostlands continued to grow. But what good was that? Was the world outside more magnificent than Silvermoon City? Was it more prosperous? They alone were the true masters of Silvermoon City.
Patrick could not even be bothered to explain himself. They could continue living beneath Silvermoon’s radiance for all he cared—but he hoped they had enough self-awareness not to interfere with his development beyond the city.
After receiving the materials sent by Oks, Patrick impatiently released all the arcane documents. He instructed Anida that, during this period, all affairs were to be discussed collectively by the six standing committee members, with any disagreements reported separately. Higgins Al Cabolon would serve as acting council chairman and oversee the weighing of major decisions.
Alleria was not at the Sun Temple during this period. After her vacation, the high elf had to return to the Eversong Woods. The position of Ranger-General was not a ceremonial one. Aside from her regular annual leave, Alleria had almost no time to rest.
Once the enchanted satchel was opened, more than a hundred arcane tomes and scrolls were laid out one after another. Master Oks had provided an exceptionally comprehensive collection, covering everything from spatial theory to levitation techniques and practical examples. Patrick picked up the first book, An Analysis of Spatial Theory Through the Application of Arcana.
“We must establish a connection between points within space and ordered energy. To accomplish this, we introduce the concept of arcane energy.”
“As a high-ranking archmage, one who employs the arcane theories of the School of Conjuration can easily tear through the limits of space and travel to any place in the world, or rip open the barriers of space to reach a desired destination. This is where the mystery of space lies.”
“The world consists of innumerable spaces. These spaces are connected to one another, and arcane energy may also be used to construct a direct passage through them, such as a portal or wormhole, allowing one to travel across vast distances.”
“Therefore, for an arcanist, using arcane power to analyze the nature of space is imperative.”
The book presented a detailed exposition of spatial theory. Unlike the School of Conjuration, An Analysis of Spatial Theory Through the Application of Arcana offered Patrick a systematic and conceptual framework through which to understand a new theory of space.
A companion volume to the first book was The Principles of Independent Space and the Theory of Spatial Jumps.
“Only a mage skilled in teleportation can truly understand that tearing space apart and connecting separate spaces both require tremendous amounts of energy. Arcane power and spatial power are enormously demanding, while the strain placed upon the caster’s mental energy is even greater. During teleportation, one may even encounter spatial turbulence, causing the caster to be swallowed directly by the Twisting Nether.”
“The theory of the School of Conjuration uses energy as a medium to achieve the caster’s objective. But aside from the theories of conjuration, there is more than one method of moving through space.”
“If you wish to move from one location to another, creating a spatial passage and breaking through the spatial barriers between the two places are both viable methods. However, if you could fold the space between two locations and leap directly from one to the other, would that not be more direct and convenient? It would also effectively eliminate the threat of spatial turbulence and complete the transition through space in an instant.”
At this point, a storm erupted in Patrick’s heart. A single word appeared in his mind: “warp.”
The book systematically cataloged the high elves’ initial understanding of space, and Patrick read on as though intoxicated. From the covers, it was clear that the first and second arcane tomes had only recently been produced. Oks Dawnblade had evidently ordered them copied on short notice. Patrick simply had not expected the high elves’ research into arcane energy, accumulated over thousands of years, to have reached such profound depths—or their understanding of space to be so unique, and even so strikingly similar to a concept from another universe.