biography of lvan

Just as Ivan was about to ask the old man for details, the old magician clearly saw through what was on his mind and said gently, "I've roughly guessed the task that Mr. Juan wants you to complete. This matter is of great importance to many people, and I don't want to interfere with Juan's plan.

"However, your task is extremely dangerous. Since you're the person I value and we're fated to meet, I will definitely help you. From now on, you'll be my student. You can tell Juan that you're the disciple of Lavash. Juan will know how to take care of you. When your task is over, come back here to learn magic from me."

"Teacher, you obviously already know everything. Could you tell me something? I've been extremely troubled by this matter all along," Ivan said.

"Juan didn't tell you probably because the time isn't ripe yet. He'll tell you everything when the time comes. Since he wants you to complete the task, he must tell you everything. Don't be impatient for now," the old magician said. "By the way, I also have a task for you to complete before that."

"What is it? I'll definitely try my best to do it," Ivan replied hurriedly, though he wasn't sure if his abilities could be of any help to a magician.

The old magician pointed to the scene outside where wind and rain were raging and lightning was flashing, and said, "My student, seeing all this, don't you think it's rather abnormal that the lightning is so dense?"

Ivan had indeed long felt that it was strange that so many powerful bolts of lightning were concentrated in this forest within a radius of dozens of li. Usually, when there was thunder, it was rare to see even one or two lightning strikes hitting the ground. But here, the lightning was not only dense but also each bolt hit the ground, and the charred trees were evidence of it all.

If this question had been raised by Etke, Ivan would surely have explored it from the perspectives of natural phenomena and geography.

But now that the question was raised by a magician, it was obvious that this abnormal phenomenon was caused by some mysterious power.

Ivan asked, "Is it because of magic? Did magic summon the lightning to this land?"

"Yes, that's exactly the case." The old magician was quite satisfied with his disciple's intelligence and continued, "You may not know that the area where the lightning gathers can be regarded as a forbidden land for magic. Inside it, the distribution of thunder spirits and the state of the magnetic field are completely different from other places. In that area, it will be extremely difficult for us magicians to move around.

You know, what makes us different from ordinary people is that we possess powerful mental power. But in that forbidden land of magic, powerful mental power will attract a large number of thunder spirits. Thunder spirits are the most destructive spirits in nature, and a large gathering of them can destroy everything."

"So you need an ordinary person to help you enter that area?" Ivan asked.

"Yes, I need you to help me find a book. You probably haven't heard of the name 'Aubrey Di'. In the magic world, he's quite famous. Aubrey Di was an outstanding magician in the era of Franc III.

"He lived for a full two hundred years and once served as the teacher of Franc IV, teaching him all knowledge except magic. He was also the teacher of Franc V. If it weren't for his firm refusal to hold public office, the position of prime minister in these three dynasties would surely have been his.

"However, like all magicians who were obsessed with magical research, Aubrey Di gave up fame and status. His achievements were great. As an outstanding alchemist, Aubrey Di invented many things, such as gaseous life forms, flying ships, giant stone statues, and so on. It's a pity that all of his research results have been lost. Aubrey Di never took in any magic apprentices.

"In the last ten years of his life, he traveled around the world. Nobody knew where his final tomb was located. Nobody could even be certain whether Aubrey Di was truly dead or not. People just took the end of the year when he completely disappeared as the day of his death. In the following hundreds of years, for any magician, finding the magic notes left by Aubrey Di was an extremely tempting task.

"During the reign of Franc IX, a magic note left by Aubrey Di in his early years was found in the deep mountains of Baburong. It mentioned giant stone statues. His Majesty Franc IX at that time ordered the Magic Association to build these giant stone statues that were eleven meters tall and weighed fifty tons with all their might. He originally planned to completely defeat Rurik by relying on this super weapon. But facts proved that such an idea was foolish. The giant stone statues were not invincible. Human wisdom is more powerful than any magic weapon.

"Sixteen giant stone statues were almost completely wiped out. Only one intact one was captured and transported to the capital of Rurik, Palin. A victory memorial hall was built in the center of Palin, and that giant stone statue became the monument in front of the hall.

"Although the giant stone statues failed, in the initial stage of the attack, they dealt a heavy blow to Rurik. The six strongest and hardest-to-destroy cities on the border of Rurik were razed to the ground. Therefore, the magical research results of Aubrey Di became something that people were eager to find even more.

"When I was in my twenties and still a magic apprentice, I traveled around various countries with my teacher. Finding the magic notes of Aubrey Di became my lifelong dream. But forty years passed, and I found nothing. Later, I worked in the Magic Association in the capital, Franc, for nearly twenty years. That dream from my youth had long been shattered. It was at that time that I got to know Juan and Lipper.

"Five years ago, Lipper told me that there were such strange natural phenomena in this forest. At that time, he just mentioned it casually, but it aroused my great interest. Originally, I didn't expect that all this would be related to the treasure of Aubrey Di that I had been searching for for a long time. When I first saw the situation here, I immediately guessed that the abnormal gathering of these thunder spirits was due to a special magic array set up here.

"This magic array is extremely interesting. It not only repels magicians from approaching but also periodically absorbs the energy of lightning from the air to constantly replenish itself. It's an exquisite magic device that can maintain and replenish itself automatically. I've read through all the books but haven't found a similar example. But it's indeed a meticulous masterpiece of a magician.

"Interestingly, in the hundreds of years since Aubrey Di's death, this strange phenomenon had never appeared here before. And it has only emerged in the past few years. The only thing that happened during this period was that a certain baron in Piton built a villa in the central area of this region.

"The sudden appearance of this phenomenon couldn't possibly be accidental. I guess that perhaps that baron accidentally opened the Aubrey Di treasure, but for an ordinary person like him, he didn't know the value of this priceless treasure. Unfortunately, for a magician like me, that place is a forbidden area."

"Do you want me to enter the forbidden area and help you look for the treasure left by Aubrey Di?" Ivan said excitedly. This was really easy for him. He was originally going to that place. Moreover, according to what the old magician said, that villa was exactly Baron Lipper's home and also the destination of his visit this time.

"Yes, that's right. I know this is quite dangerous. When Aubrey Di's first treasure was discovered, all five magicians and hundreds of workers who participated in the excavation died. Aubrey Di had cast a special curse on his magic notebook.

"It was a special spell that could emita a powerful mental power wave. This mental wave was powerful enough to kill all living creatures. Neither magicians nor ordinary people could withstand this kind of attack.

"However, don't worry. The magic community has long had ways to deal with it. After Aubrey Di's treasure was unearthed, the Magic Association spent more than twenty years and finally found a way to deal with this mental shock. Magicians created a kind of strange gemstone that can absorb the mental magic energy.

"When I realized that what was in front of me was the second treasure of Aubrey Di, I spent a full three years making such a gemstone. Look!" With that, the old magician casually made a gesture. After a while, a metal butterfly flew up lightly from downstairs. On the delicate feet of that butterfly was hanging a sapphire ring.

The old magician took off the ring and handed it to Ivan.

The ring was made of an unknown metal. It was very light and shiny silver. On the inner wall of the ring were engraved a circle of characters that Ivan couldn't understand. On the front of the ring was set a huge sapphire, the largest gemstone Ivan had ever seen. The surface of the gemstone was cut into a peculiar pentagonal shape.

Through this crystal-clear sapphire, one could clearly see the densely engraved incantations at the bottom of the ring. The long incantations were almost like a book.

"Natural sapphire is a very useful mineral. It can be used to enhance the gathering and invocation of water and wind elements and is the most commonly used raw material for making water and wind magic wands. Sapphire also has a characteristic. Although it is far less useful as a medium for casting mental magic than minerals like emerald or cat's eye stone, it can effectively absorb the mental magic energy, so it is often used to store magical energy.

"If you see a person wearing a sapphire ring or jewelry in the future and obviously has a preference for sapphire, even if he isn't dressed like a magician, you should also pay attention. There's a good chance that he's a magician," the old man said.

"Can this ring protect me from harm?" Ivan asked. "Then how do I use it? I don't know any magic."

"You don't need to use magic. You just need to make a contract with this ring and let the ring recognize you as its owner. Then the ring will protect you. However, this is far from enough against the powerful magic of Aubrey Di. You need to press the sapphire on the ring tightly against the thing made by Aubrey Di and then turn the sapphire on the ring three times with your other hand. Yes, just turn it gently like this. Remember to turn it clockwise three times, and the ring will absorb any magical energy that might harm you by itself.

"However, there's one more thing you need to remember. This ring can only be used to absorb the energy of mental magic, water magic, and wind magic. Once the sealed magic is of other types, don't try to absorb it with this ring. That would be like exposing you as a target to the attacks of those powerful magic spirits. Earth elements can turn you into a rock in an instant. I don't need to explain what will happen if you are attacked by fire magic elements, right?"

"Then how do I know which kind of magic it is?" Ivan asked.

"If we were magicians, we could directly see the gathered magic elements, but you can't. Ordinary people can't sense these. You can only perceive the magic elements through the ring I gave you.

"When you get very close to those magical items, the ring will emit a faint light. Red light represents fire, yellow light represents earth, green light represents wind, blue light represents water, black light... Don't think I'm joking. If you're unlucky, you might see black light, which is the mark of dark magic.

"White light represents holy magic, and purple light represents mental magic. Besides these, if the ring emits any other color of light, it's a sign of extreme danger. The farther you stay away from it, the better."

"I understand. Only green light, blue light, and purple light can be absorbed. For others, I won't touch them. Is that right?" Ivan asked.

"Yes, don't touch them at all. Grand Magus Aubrey Di was an extremely dangerous guy even in his time."

"Then what kind of light will lightning magic emit?" Ivan asked.

"To summon lightning, that is, to gather thunder spirits. Thunder spirits are a kind of wind element. Don't worry. This ring can completely absorb it."

"Does that mean I won't have to be afraid of lightning from now on?" Ivan said excitedly.

"If you're fast enough to turn the sapphire on the ring three times at the moment when the lightning strikes, then you really won't have to be afraid of lightning," the old magician said with a smile.

Ivan shook his head after hearing this. He knew that was simply impossible.

"Teacher, do you know how long this heavy rain will last?" Ivan asked.

"It will stop in another half an hour. But if you plan to leave, it's better to wait until evening. By then, the rainwater on the tree crowns will have almost evaporated," the old man said. "During this time, if you're interested, you can go to my study."

Nothing could excite Ivan more than gaining new knowledge.

After going back to the ground with the old magician, Ivan asked with great enthusiasm about the uses of the instruments on the tables.

In Ivan's impression, magicians were figures close to gods. They had miraculous powers, could call the wind and summon the rain, could fly freely in the sky, and could trigger volcanoes and earthquakes.

The old magician was clearly used to the prejudices of ordinary people. He explained, "Magicians are just some special scholars, just different from ordinary scholars. A magician must have talent. Not many people are lucky enough to possess such talent, so the number of magicians is so scarce. You're one of those with talent.

"Just now, I asked you to come up by yourself to test whether you have such talent. Only those whose mental power is stronger than that of ordinary people and who can quickly let magical energy flow through their bodies can fly to the top of the tower.

"Magicians are not as powerful as ordinary people imagine. Each magician is quite powerful in the field he or she specializes in. For example, a magician who is good at manipulating fire elements can easily turn a tiny spark into an inextinguishable fire and can also burn down a forest in a very short time. Using special carbon powder or feathers as a medium, he can even make it rain fire within a radius of dozens of li. These fire rains falling down can ignite cloth, blankets, trees, and houses. Such a magician can destroy everything that people have painstakingly built over centuries.

"A magician who is good at manipulating wind can fly in the sky on a light flying ship with two wings. A magician who is good at manipulating water is even more powerful. A drop of poison can take the lives of thousands of people. They can manipulate clouds and fog, bring about bad weather, or cut off water veins and make a piece of land not see a single drop of rain for months. They are more terrifying than any army.

"A magician who is good at manipulating earth elements can also set off sandstorms, which are even more terrifying than clouds and fog. They can also make a piece of land only grow weeds and unable to produce grain. Creating quicksand and swamps is their specialty.

"Among all magicians, the most dangerous ones are those who are proficient in mental magic. They can control people's consciousness through magic. Although they can't control people's actions yet, they can see the secrets hidden deep in your heart through magic. They can also make you unknowingly become their informants. Everything you see and hear will be known to them.

"Within their control range, no one's actions can be free from surveillance. As long as they are willing, they can easily find a mouse hidden deep underground.

"Besides, there is another kind of magician whose abilities should also be counted among these mental magicians. However, what they manipulate is not people but low-level animals or even demonic creatures. They are called 'Summoners'.

"These magicians are also quite terrifying. Nobody knows how powerful they are. Maybe there's a legion of wolves behind them, or a magical beast from the depths of the Nine Hells. No action can escape their notice, because a sharp - eyed eagle or a silent bat flying in the night sky can bring all the information to their masters.

"But summoners are not the most terrifying among magicians. There are also some oddballs among magicians who deal with the dead all day long. They are called 'Necromancers'. They use special secret medicines to restore the activity functions of dead bodies and then use artificially made magical devices to replace the dead brains. Zombies that have no thinking ability, are absolutely not afraid of death, and will absolutely obey orders are thus made.

"The evil fog refined from the ashes of reptiles and rotten brains looks no different from ordinary fog, but it is composed of countless bugs that are hard to see with the naked eye. They can suck blood and can also report everything they see to their masters. What necromancers can manipulate is not limited to zombies.

The corpses of all kinds of animals can be transformed. Before the appearance of stone giants, the creations of necromancers had always been the most terrifying battle tools.

"As for the most powerful magicians, they are undoubtedly us alchemists. Because among alchemists, there once appeared Grand Magus Aubrey Di, who is recognized as the most powerful magician in the world. Alchemists can change the original appearance of materials and create items with miraculous functions. They can skillfully use any kind of magic element to synthesize the effects we need.

"Every magician has a magic wand in hand, and all those wands are made by us. We bestow power upon other magicians. Another advantage that alchemists have over other magicians is that the things we make can be used by ordinary people as well, like the ring I gave you. The Paladin Order of Franc and the Raging Wind Knight Order and the Bloodthirsty Legion of Rurik are all the crystallization of alchemy."

"Is it impossible to learn all kinds of magic?" Ivan asked.

"As far as I know, it's impossible, and there's no need for it at all. The field of magic research is almost boundless. Just researching one's own field is already endless. Besides, generally speaking, magicians don't have specific needs. You should know that magicians are richer than any king. Any precious gemstone is just a relatively suitable mineral in our eyes.

"For us, digging up a priceless gemstone is just a bit more difficult than digging up coal, because coal is everywhere, but gemstone mines are usually in remote areas. Therefore, most of us focus on our own research. For me, I don't think being able to cast 'fire rain all over the sky' or being able to fly in the sky is so remarkable.

I can use the flying birds I made to spread fire seeds everywhere. Although it's not very convenient, you've seen that I can also fly. What's more, as everyone knows, the most perfect flying vehicle was the flying ship invented by Aubrey Di." The old magician paused for a moment and then continued, "However, although we don't pursue knowing everything, learning from others is quite common. Sometimes we magicians will gather together and talk about our respective discoveries. Maybe these discoveries are quite important for other magicians."

"Respected teacher, approximately how long does it take to practice before I can possess powerful magic power?" Ivan asked.

"Powerful? No, no, no, child, you've got it wrong. For a magician, what's more important is to manipulate magic power flexibly and use it effectively. Being powerful isn't the goal we pursue.

Moreover, magic power doesn't represent all the power of a magician. What's more important is your application of magic.

"If you can remember the characteristics of hundreds of potions and the same number of various formulas without any mistakes, that will be far more useful than having the magic power to summon one or two medium-sized magics. You should remember that a suitable magic is definitely more capable of getting you out of trouble than a powerful one.

"For example, if you're standing on the edge of a cliff and pursuers are closing in tightly behind you, what's your best choice at this time? Is it to use a powerful magic to wipe out all the enemies in front of you? No, that's not easy, and it's not something you can do. You just need to escape down the cliff and avoid getting hurt when you land. This is not difficult for you.

With a little practice, you can also do it with your current ability..."

"Can I learn such miraculous magic?" Ivan asked excitedly. "Can you teach me?"

Seeing his student open his eyes wide and look at him with full devotion, how could the old magician refuse?

He walked to the west wall, took out several handfuls of peculiarly shaped herbs from those cupboards, and then took out a clean copper pot from under the table.

The old magician was busy over there, and Ivan carefully helped out by the side. He put the herbs into a mortar, ground them up and mixed them evenly, and then added the fat boiled from some unknown animal.

All these things were thrown into the copper pot and boiled. The blue flames licked the grayish-black bottom of the copper pot, and the gooey stuff in the pot was bubbling and churning.

The old magician held a magic wand in his hand and stood beside the pot, occasionally pointing the wand at the potion in the pot.

"What are you doing?" Ivan asked. Although he knew that asking the teacher questions at this time might interrupt his spellcasting, curiosity got the better of him and he finally asked.

The old magician clearly didn't mind. He explained, "I'm changing the properties of the medicine. Alchemists can change the original appearance of medicine through mental power and reveal its special abilities. This is exactly where alchemists are different from pharmacists. The copper pot can gather this mental power, and the magic wand allows us to better control the release of mental power."

While the old magician was speaking, the stuff boiling in the pot gradually turned into a sky-blue, sticky ointment.

The ointment was scooped out of the copper pot spoon by spoon. The old magician brought a box carved from a whole piece of emerald and asked Ivan to put the ointment inside.

Ivan looked at the dark green emerald box.

The whole piece of emerald was carved into a cylindrical shape. The thickness of the inner wall was about one centimeter, and the bottom was a bit thicker. A circle of threads was delicately carved on the top of the box, and the lid was also carved from this piece of emerald.

The box didn't need to be locked at all. As long as the lid was screwed on, the ointment inside would definitely not leak out.

Such a whole piece of emerald must be priceless.

Ivan could hardly imagine that someone would carve such a large piece of emerald into a box. It seemed that what the teacher said was completely right. Magicians were even richer than any king.

"Every night, you should smear this ointment on your body. It's best to do this before going to bed. Also, be careful not to use too much. A thin layer can be absorbed by the skin. Using too much is a waste. When the ointment is all applied, your skin will be able to gather wind elements easily.

"I'll teach you how to meditate and the incantation you need to remember. When you recite the incantation, the wind spirits will gently lift you up. The faster you move, the greater the lifting force will be. If you jump from a cliff, before you fall three meters, the upward lifting force will be equal to your weight. When you land, at most, you'll feel your feet a bit numb from the shock, but you definitely won't get hurt."

After saying this, the old magician explained in great detail the method of meditation and the incantation.

Since Ivan had never been exposed to magic before, the old magician explained it extremely thoroughly.

It was not until the sun was about to set that Ivan completely memorized this magic in his mind.

"Actually, this magic isn't of much use. When you're standing still, you can't gather wind spirits at all. Since you're so eager to learn, I'll teach it to you. Moreover, that ointment is very beneficial to you. It can enhance your ability and speed to gather wind-attribute elements. Wind magic is, in my opinion, the most useful in daily life.

"By the way, it's almost time now. It's time for you to help me with that matter. Your horse is outside, right? The golden butterfly will help you clean up your horse." With that, the old magician casually made a gesture, and the metal butterfly just now flew out of the room again, floating gently.

"By the way, I almost forgot just now. There's another important thing for you to take." With that, the old magician rummaged through the drawers under the table.

After some effort, he finally found a cloth strip that was three inches long and one inch wide, woven with gold threads and painted with all kinds of strange characters and symbols on it.

"This thing was made by me a long time ago. It can be used to seal most golems and puppets. Of course, stone giants are not included. I'm worried that there might be golems guarding Aubrey Di's treasure. He was the most powerful alchemist, and the golems he made must be extraordinary. Take this just in case. Remember, once you find strange statues beside the treasure, don't touch the treasure easily. Come back and tell me, and I'll think of other ways." The old magician said.

"How do I use this thing?" Ivan asked.

"Just stick it on directly. It's for emergencies, and of course, the simpler it is to use, the better."

After asking about everything clearly and seeing that the old magician had nothing else to tell him, Ivan then took his leave and left.

Walking out of the house, the purebred horse was still tied beside the tree, but it looked brand new from head to toe.

Ivan untied the reins tied to the tree, mounted the horse and rode towards Baron Lipper's manor in the distance. Now he felt extremely calm in his heart because he had already become an apprentice of a magician.