Chapter 26: The Land of Wandering Spirits

Aurelia immediately agreed to Patrick’s request. Sebwasa was remote, and having once been ruled by trolls, it was not a place most elves cared for, so once it developed, it would be somewhere he could fully control.

Patrick returned to his study and opened the mage tower’s archive scroll. The first page was a sheet of parchment covered in inscriptions and runes. Arcane symbols began to glow, and Patrick felt his own magic absorbed by the runes.

The arcane nodes on the parchment emitted light, forming an arcane image of a mage tower. Patrick’s fingers slowly approached the image, gently touching the virtual arcane projection, which allowed him to adjust and observe from any angle.

The Sun Sanctuary: six floors above ground, four below, built in the traditional non-floating mage tower style. The fourth underground floor formed the base, containing the energy transmission system and arcane spell matrix. Basic magical arrays such as stabilization and temperature control were located here. The third underground floor was the energy core, absorbing ley line energy and arcane power, fueling the entire tower. These two floors were sealed, overseen by the chief mage.

The second underground floor served as a warehouse for storing common materials. Above, the first underground floor was a workshop, used for preliminary processing of materials, conveniently near the warehouse to facilitate daily tasks. The first floor above ground was the reception hall, much like the one in Dathwither Tower, used to welcome guests and transmit orders from the chief mage. The second floor housed the dormitories for tower members and apprentices.

The third floor contained the public magical laboratory and item crafting room, accessible to all members. The fourth floor was the library and archive, with a scriptorium and quiet room, serving as the tower’s repository of knowledge.

The fifth floor was Patrick’s office as chief mage, with his private magical laboratory, crafting room, and scriptorium. The sixth floor was his residence, complete with living room, bedroom, and even a special observation platform and stargazing deck.

Every floor’s internal layout was meticulously clear. The tower was laced with arcane circuits, connecting to the energy core below, like veins coursing with blood through a living body.

The exterior was quintessential elven architecture: a white base with a red roof, flanked by two golden stone pillars at the entrance, and a golden disk above painted with the sun’s emblem. Patrick had little desire to change the appearance; the elven aesthetic suited him well. He only replaced the two golden pillars at the entrance with dragon totems, marking the Sun Sanctuary with his unique signature.

The interior required few changes. Patrick merely redesigned his quarters, adding a small sitting room and dining area, preserving the overall layout. In his previous life, he could relax in the living room, watching TV and browsing his phone on Wi-Fi; now Patrick found himself missing those comforts. He also added a small staircase between the sixth and fifth floors, creating a homey feeling reminiscent of his past.

“It looks good, but the inner and outer walls seem to lack something. In the old games, the Sun Sanctuary was a miserable sight, but this is much improved.”

“You could add some elven paintings and decorations. Those artworks would delight the eye and make life in the tower more enjoyable,” Allen suggested.

Indeed, art is the creation of emotional symbols. The elves’ intricate patterns and artistic paintings were far more pleasing than the so-called abstract art of the Star-Spangled Country in his previous life. Who could understand those abstract masterpieces? Of the ten paintings worth over a hundred million, who truly comprehended them? Certainly not him.

Patrick adorned the Sun Sanctuary with high elven patterns as decoration.

The next day.

Patrick summoned Aurelia to admire his handiwork.

“It’s beautiful. You must have spent much time on this,” Aurelia said, pointing to the magical patterns on the tower.

In truth, Aurelia thought: Mages are all the same, obsessed with arcane arts and their so-called arcane aesthetics, no different from the engravings on our Ranger banners. Of course, she kept this to herself; the mages of Silvermoon City had always been like this, and the elf women had grown accustomed.

The plans were sent back to the council, and soon Patrick would set out for the Ghostlands. Once the council’s funds arrived, the renovation of the Sun Sanctuary would begin.

The council notified Patrick: a budget of 800 gold coins, and a team of scholars would be dispatched to renovate and refurbish the Sun Sanctuary, fulfilling Patrick’s requirements.

Eight hundred gold coins—a generous grant. Patrick felt the council suddenly become quite liberal; usually, transactions were made in copper, and this sum was enormous. Of course, such generosity was the council’s customary way of showing care and goodwill.

After discussing Sebwasa’s development plans with Aurelia, the two mapped out the region’s future. When the council’s scholar team passed the Eastern Sanctuary, Patrick would join them and journey to the Sun Sanctuary in the Ghostlands.

Patrick had long decided his own path: developing outside was far preferable to idly passing days in Silvermoon City. Combat outside would greatly enhance his abilities, and he needed to quickly gain power—not just for Aurelia, but to survive the tumult to come. A flower in the greenhouse cannot weather the storm.

Following Sarath Avenue, they paused briefly at Taquilin to resupply, then proceeded to Andielin Manor, and finally reached the Sun Sanctuary.

After Andielin Manor, Patrick and his companions encountered Quelrintis, a fifth-circle mage and the Sun Sanctuary’s resident mage. He managed the tower’s affairs, handled daily operations, and maintained the mage tower.

Patrick presented the Silvermoon Council’s credentials and appointment letter to Quelrintis, who then led him directly to the Sun Sanctuary. The council’s scholar team followed along; Patrick paid them little heed.

Quelrintis briefed Patrick on the Sun Sanctuary’s operations, the contacts with ranger units stationed at the front, and the movements of the troll Sebwanuar. His explanation was thorough—he knew the daily workings of the Sun Sanctuary inside and out.

The party walked to the sanctuary. Although Patrick had visited countless times in his previous life, seeing it with his own eyes left him astonished—no, dumbfounded. The Sun Sanctuary in the game had been broken, squat, and crude, but now, witnessing it firsthand was truly breathtaking.