Lord Tharn Zon

Chapter 7 – Learning about the World

By reading the books, Tharn got a sense of how that World was and how the people lived. Not only that, but also the types of Magic and countries with more Mages of each type.

In the book about the countries, he learned the World was made of a single enormous landmass, with the ocean covering almost seventy-five percent of the surface of the planet. There were seven countries and a few small islands that belonged to three countries because those islands were near them.

That book also had something about Magic, because it mentioned that each country, despite having all the other Schools, focused mostly on one type of School, and a sizeable chunk of the Mages of each country specialized in one Class of Magic.

The Summoning School where he was belonged to the ‘Babilndan Theocracy’, and was ruled by ten Priests that were chosen by all the Priests in the country, followers of the God Babilndan, the creator of that World, Varges Mondar.

The other countries were governed by a King, a Duke, a Prince, or in the case of the ‘Manurian Khaganate’, a tribal leader who was chosen by a council made up of the leaders of all the nomad tribes. That tribal leader would rule for five years, and then a meeting would be called to decide if he continued for another five years, or was replaced.

From that book, Tharn moved to the Magical Explanations book. According to what was in there, all countries had Schools of Magic, and they used Attributes, Rank and Level for the Mages. Outside of the Mage path, Attributes were also used for Warriors and a few other minor classes.

What he couldn’t find was anything related to Benefits, like the Sword System granted him.

He searched in History books, Theories of Magic books, and even in the School’s textbook. He found nothing. That could only mean that Benefits were not a thing that influenced the Magic in that World, and that granted him a tremendous advantage.

In that World, the Level a Mage got for killing Elementals or Undeads, made him advance in Rank. The higher the Rank, the more powerful Spells could be used, but the cost in Magic would also increase. A Master Rank Mage would spend 10 Magic to make a Novice Spell, but he would need 50 Magic to make a Master Spell.

A Mage with a higher Rank would have more Magic to spend, and each Level up came with five Magic and one point in Stamina and Health. But it was here that the Benefits granted Tharn an advantage.

After checking if there was no one around and if the librarian woman was at her desk and a safe distance from eavesdropping, he whispered, “System Sword, what are the Benefits I can use?”

“Right now, none, Master, because your Benefits have zero points. But with five Levels increase in your Novice Rank, you will get five points that will be automatically put on Benefits. At Novice Rank, the Benefits you may unlock are as follows.”

[Novice Destruction: Cast Novice level Destruction spells for half Magic.]

Tharn reached for another book and muttered, “Can’t the Mages in this World use Benefits? Because I can’t find anything about it in all these books.”

“I believe that is correct, Master, according to previous analysis of this World’s Magic. The Benefits belong to the System I grant you.”

In the next book, Tharn frowned and mumbled, “This can’t be right…”

In there, it said that Elementals were linked to the World’s Magic, and they appeared randomly in the wild. Some types were peaceful enough to the point where they would run away at the mere sight of someone near them, while others were territorial and violent, with fire and electrical types being the worse.

Undeads were a different matter. No one was sure why they appeared. One book about Theories of Magic blamed loose Magic from Summoners that got their Spells wrong, but there was a theory that it was also the World’s Magic that made the dead rise occasionally from a sudden spike in the liberation of Magic from the soil.

What was common knowledge was that some Mage Summoners became obsessed by power, the so-called ‘Dark Path’, and they would raise the dead on purpose to have a group or an army to do their bidding and follow their orders, be it protecting their house, or using them for robberies and attacks on caravans.

Tharn thought about something and went to the librarian’s desk.

She raised her gaze when she felt his approach, and he asked, “Excuse me, but is there a book somewhere about jobs that a Mage can do after graduating from this School?”

“There is. Do you also want that one? Not that it would do you or Istar any good…”

“I am sorry. I don’t understand. I just want to know what jobs exist for Mages.”

As she was getting up from her chair and going to a bookshelf, she said, “If Istar continues to mess up her Magic during the training and the practical tests, she will not graduate with a good Rank. Well, she won’t even graduate, because this School only graduates Masters. Students that never reach that Rank are invited to leave. Istar will probably end up working as a waitress in some Inn or a Guild, or doing minor errands for Mages.”

Tharn didn’t answer because it was not in his plans to have Istar in that School for long. Considering she wasn’t learning anything to improve as a Mage, if he got her to calm down, maybe she would be worth taking with him when he decided to leave that School.

The librarian returned to her desk and her book. Tharn sat at his desk and read the index of the book. A few sheets ahead, the list of jobs.

Mages could work for a King or a Nobel as advisors or join their army. Working in a Guild and joining a Party of warriors, archers, and Mages to go on Quests that were requested by clients was also a possibility, and those Quests could be escort services, gathering rare herbs or minerals, hunting, killing Elementals or getting rid of Undeads in a certain area.

Tracking down and killing Necromancers was well paid, be it in a Quest or a bounty hunting job for the King or the Guild of Mages.

The book also mentioned that most Necromancers had a cavern or a system of underground tunnels and rooms that were guarded by their army of Undead where they would keep the things the Undead robbed until the Necromancer could sell them. Food, money, armour, or weapons were the usual stash.

Tharn made a slight grin and mumbled, “This could be handy… Coins from the bet with Rihat and coins from the side bet that Osman Halabi wants to make would be a nice start, but a steady income would be even better. If I could find one of these hideouts, it would give me a good amount to set my plan in motion.”

Then, he remembered something as he glanced over the book about the Magic in that Wold. A quick search and he found it. Mages usually whispered or mumbled their Spells in a very low voice, so that the people around them or their opponent didn’t know what they were going to do, but during the practical test in the morning, Tharn noticed the students shouted their Spells.

The School’s textbook mentioned it was easier for a student to shout the Spell as he was casting it, but nowhere did it say that it had the same effect if it was whispered. That technique was left to the Master Rank, because they would have more experience with casting their Spells and wouldn’t need to shout anything to help their concentration.

Another piece of information that was only mentioned in a minor note at the end of a page was that a Mage from a Summoning School could learn from Spell Books from other Magic Schools, but those books were extremely expensive. But he noticed one thing. There were in the Library textbooks from other Schools, and he was looking at one from one small School of Evocation in that country. There were plenty of Spells in there, and some information and techniques about how to use those Spells. It was lacking some crucial information, but nothing he didn’t already know from his previous journeys to other Worlds.

Tharn got up and went to the librarian with the textbooks, and when she raised her eyes to stare at him, he asked with a smile, “Hello again. I have one question. Is it possible to take these books for a few days? I think my Master could learn a thing or two from these.”

“She already took those books some months ago. Why do you think the Teachers and the Principal forbade her to train outside the Training Room? She caused a fire in her room that almost burned down half the School. Istar is a nice girl, but she is also a major fool. She is always nervous and afraid of causing havoc, and that makes her cause havoc. Maybe in a couple of years, she will calm down, because right now, she is a danger to herself and others, so no, you can’t take those books to her.”

“And if I request them for me?”

The librarian stared at him and then sighed, “I was about to ask why a Familiar would want to read those, but considering you have been reading all this time… I suppose you can take them, and I will make a note in my records with Istar’s name.”

“That should work, thanks. Is there any other book about Magic or society that you would recommend? Something about the lives of people or what is the state of the World related to wars or tension among countries?”

“We have some books about that. Follow me.”

Tharn went after the woman and got two books from two different bookcases. She then pointed at the desk, where he had several books, and said, “When you finish, put them in the right place. There is the number of the bookcase and the shelf on the book’s spine.”

As they were going to Tharn’s desk, he noticed a bookcase with the tag ‘Dark Subjects’ on it, and he asked, “What are those books in there? Something forbidden?”

“More like dangerous stuff. There are books about former Summoners that went to the ‘Dark Path’ and became Necromancers, and they contain some descriptions of the horrors they caused. There are one or two books with Spells and the consequences of those. Those books are only to be requested by third-year students when they reach Expert or Master Rank, and they are not for first-year students. “

“Well, I am not exactly a student, so that means I can read them?”

“As I said, they are only for Expert or Master Rank Mages. Are you one of those?”

Tharn shrugged. “Not now, but I will be soon enough. I am curious about what Necromancers did because I already know the Spells. Summon No Soul Lord, Dread Zombie, or Dead Force Spells aren’t difficult; the difficulty lies in not letting your soul be dragged in the process, making you join them.”

The librarian covered her mouth and asked in a muffled voice, “You… how do you know the Spells? And their consequences? You…”

“Not your average Familiar here, remember? What about one of those books with consequences and horrors? I don’t need a book about the Spells, considering I know all of them. But I am rather curious about what the Necromancers did and what the countries did to get rid of them.”

The librarian hesitated for a moment, but she then pulled a string that she had around her neck that was tied to a key she kept hidden underneath her clothes. She opened the doors of the closed bookcase and took two books from there.

She handed them to Tharn and said, “These you can’t take out of the library. Read them, and then call me so that I can put them in their place. And please don’t tell anyone that I let you read them. The rules are very strict regarding these books, and I am breaking a few just by letting you read them.”

“Of course.”

As he was going to his desk, the librarian closed the bookcase again as she mumbled, “That is the strangest Familiar I ever saw…”

Tharn searched the new books and read about the peace that reigned among the countries, even with a few skirmishes over the years, because of religion or because a Necromancer influenced them, by using the dead of one country to attack the army of another country in a clear attempt to cause a war that would grant him more dead bodies to rise and control.

Most of the time, the Necromancer became a target for both countries, and despite how many were caught, there were still some very old and powerful Necromancers that kept on escaping, and no one was quite sure of their whereabouts.

One book even had a list of the most wanted Necromancers and the bounty on their heads. Some of them caused the deaths of hundreds of people over the years, and their capture was worth a fortune.

A quick search of the book about society, and Tharn was able to figure out what he needed to know about the economy.

According to that book, there were three types of coins in use, with different drawings depending on the country, but with equal value because of the material the coins were made of. One gold coin was worth one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin was worth one hundred copper coins.

A working couple would get an average of three gold coins a month, enough to pay for all the food and water for weekly baths for an entire month, and if they lived a simple life with no excesses, they could save twenty silver coins per month.

Those savings after two years would let them have enough money for the first four years of a new baby, or if they saved for ten years, would let them buy a small hut outside any major City, or in a small village with a small garden for them to grow vegetables and raise a few birds similar to chickens from Tharn’s homeworld, but with three legs and a long curvilinear beak to crush seeds.

He made a simple mental note when he saw the price of one night in an Inn with one meal. Three copper coins.

All that showed him that the amount Rihat and her friends put on the table for the bet meant he would gain enough money to buy a house in a small village and live a very peaceful life.

With the money from the side bet that Osman Halabi wanted to organize, he would have money to buy some livestock and a field to grow crops.

That simple thought of a peaceful life made him smile for a moment until he remembered he wouldn’t be able to live peacefully while the hated Hooded Mage was alive and doing his bidding. Before Tharn could settle down, that enemy would have to die.

If Tharn were alive in the end and enjoying a peaceful life, it was a mere dream that seemed to fade away with each World he failed to save from the Hooded Mage’s claws.

When he was curving his upper lip in a grimace caused by that sad thought, Istar’s voice made him look up. “Are you done? My classes finished.”

Tharn looked at her and noticed that she was wearing the same uniform as all the other students. It wasn’t sexy like her dress, but it made her look more professional and serious, even if she was making an awkward smile.

He got up and gave her the books he had requested from the librarian, and while she was looking at them, puzzled by why he wanted her to read them, he went to put all the other books on the bookshelves.

When he returned to the desk, he saw Istar, completely pale, looking at the pages of one forbidden book.

He closed the book and shrugged. “I needed to find out a few things. Don’t say anything about these books to anyone, because you could cause a lot of trouble for the librarian.”

Istar slowly nodded and followed him to the librarian’s desk. He gave her the books and thanked her for all the help. Istar gave an awkward smile as a greeting and followed Tharn, who was holding the door for her.