Act VI: Reality, Illusion, and Illusion (2)
Like being drunk, there is an inexplicable trance, and Frick is not surprised to find that the so-called "everyday landscape" is being eroded little by little. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info
For the first few days, it was only to the extent of what was seen, and the images projected directly into the consciousness always showed a different scenery than what the eyes saw. It is not known how the observation angle of these "eyes" is determined, but it subtly fills in the original blind spot.
Just as he accepted this new ability, which had become somewhat convenient, he found that the range of his perception continued to expand over time. They can hear subtle sounds that they couldn't hear before, and their sense of smell has become more sensitive than in the past, and they can even sense the flow of air through their sense of touch.
On the bright side, Flick's five senses are gradually becoming stronger under the catalyst of "new abilities", and his sensibilities seem to be much stronger than in the past. On the other hand, he didn't know if he should call it a side effect, and the heightened perception made him see more and more strange things.
He was now shoving a book covered in moss or slime back onto the shelf, and the books of the same color around him immediately made a strange noise. Then, a slimy tentacle reached out to him as if to thank him, twisting into some kind of strange gesture that seemed to thank him.
They are new things that Frick has seen a lot lately, and different books seem to change their appearance due to changes in their contents, such as a book that records the knowledge of magic will have a wonderful shimmer, and the cover of the animal and plant book will have a corresponding texture.
Looking at the thousands of strange books on the shelves, Frick couldn't help but guess that these were actually the visual changes caused by the enhancement of his sensibility. Because he noticed that if it was a book that he didn't know the contents of what appeared in front of him, then it wouldn't change anything.
This change is not confined to the scrolls of books placed in the shelves, because even the furniture and even the surface of the building have phantoms of different materials. Luckily, the food hasn't changed too much so far, otherwise he might not know how to eat it.
At least the apparitions he saw now hadn't shown any ill will...... Rather, they are quite friendly and will even take the initiative to greet Flick. So he really couldn't figure out whether these illusions were just staying in his consciousness or whether they were real things.
William Coulter claims that it was only the slow growth of his abilities that he was supposed to possess under the influence of outside magic, which caused him to enter dreams and see visions more often. In other words, even if you leave it alone and let it grow, it will eventually develop in a good direction.
But compared to the new abilities he preached, such as "new vision" or "active dreaming", Frick felt that the condition that appeared in his body was closer to illness or curse. It's not that Dr. Coulter can't believe him, but the optimist magician seems to have a way of thinking about everything as a good thing.
I don't know what the withering curse Eric Hoska has been suffering will feel like, but I'm afraid it's even more unbearable than what he's been going through. Allowing the body to decay and decay until it shrinks into a charred mass, this severe pain can only be called torture after years of accumulation, no matter how you look at it.
Compared to what he did to let the curse settle in his blood, and finally was completely manipulated by the sludge and became a monster, Frick's physical changes are now quite affluent. At least for now, he didn't need to rush to find a way to heal his body, and could concentrate on controlling this new ability.
"Sierra Leone seniors!"
As he slowly put back on the shelves a copy of the Monster Illustrated Book with the texture of animal leather, Suval's voice suddenly rang out from the stairs below. Flick didn't have to look back to see that the young man was running towards him down the stairs in the side hall of the Great Library.
Frick hadn't seen Suval in days, but had heard that he seemed to be finishing the final part of his ascension from apprentice to full scrivener. After completing all the teaching courses, he had to complete several exams before he could become an official scrivener at the year-end promotion ceremony.
He still remembers that he had taken a magical reading and writing course, and although he studied hard, he didn't get very good grades. To paraphrase the instructor at the time, the image was clear and correct, but it was too slow.
In the final analysis, it is a matter of magical power, and his skills may be better than most of his colleagues, but the magic power that can be stored in his body is still insufficient. And from what other people heard, Suvar was definitely the kind of person who could be called an honor student, because he was better than ordinary people in whatever he did.
In fact, Frick had heard some news that Suval had not yet heard, and even if he was not able to complete the task assigned to him during the promotion test, he would definitely become an official scrivener. After all, as long as you take into account the actual contribution he made in Lemongrass some time ago, his name is already on the promotion list...... Anyway, the results are only given by the big guys above, aren't they?
Of course, whether this overly serious honor student will admit this kind of preferential treatment of "opening up the net" is another matter. If Frick had told him about this possibility, he would have probably done it with one hundred and twenty percent - or more - of his strength to complete the upgrade test with the best possible result.
"Thanks, I just heard this morning that your group of trainees who participated in the course are returning to the big library from their classes at the Aeon Forest Training Ground, and they are still thinking about when to talk to you. He put the last book back in his hand, then turned his head to look in the direction the voice had come from.
Frick and Suval had probably not seen each other for more than ten days, but the young man who appeared in front of him at this moment seemed to have changed a lot. In particular, those dark black eyes, in addition to the unique vitality of the young man in the past, exuded a certain sharp brilliance.
Of course, this can only be regarded as a small matter after all, but there seems to be some strange change in his body, and the West Lake flows with an air flow that is unrecognizable to the naked eye. In particular, there seemed to be a thin white mist coiling around his head, and they were like a thin curtain covering the top of his head.
Could this be a hallucination, too? Frick swallowed the doubts that had risen in his mind, and tried to parse the composition of the "white mist" behind his back while looking at Ferswal. But he couldn't do it too blatantly, so he couldn't figure out what they were.
Perhaps due to the different relationships of the magic system, he couldn't feel anything like the flow of magic from the "white mist", so he couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. Suval didn't seem to be aware of them, or maybe he was used to them.
However, apart from this thin layer of "white mist", there was no obvious change in Suval's body, that is, the air flow around him was slightly noticeable. According to Flick's observations, it is likely that they are just outward manifestations of mana, which is exaggerated in his eyes.
At least he didn't have any obvious physical anomalies, much better than a few people who had grown strange phantom limbs in Frick's field of vision - he couldn't forget the discomfort he felt when he entered the briefing and saw a few "aliens" sitting across from him.
There is no one to communicate with, after all, if he tells others what he sees, the most likely result is to be cast a suspicious look at him. There was still a lot to do, and he really didn't want to be sent to an isolated institution as research material in the name of recuperation.
So, after a brief chat with Suvar, he chose to pretend that he didn't see anything, and said to him in the same manner as usual, "So, what did you choose for this course? Since you went to the training ground in the Forest of Aeon, the main course is usually herbology or monsterology - you better not tell me that you took combat or field trips or anything like that. ”
Generally speaking, most of the work of a scrivener is to review newly published books or maintain and organize them in the office, and the most difficult job is to identify the relics found by adventurers. Only the most experienced veterans will be exposed to difficult tasks such as the harmless treatment of the Demon Dao Book.
As a result, most of the clerks' apprentices are familiar with the day-to-day business process, and some of the talented young people are assigned to work with the senior scribes on a slightly more difficult job. Often, it is unlikely that they will have access to work that requires combat.
By the time of the last lesson, the young scrivener trainees were finally able to choose a subject as a "special study" according to their preference. Since the results of this class have always been in the library, which may be related to the direction of future work arrangements, many midshipmen who aspire to become armed scribes or members of field expeditions consider these subjects...... And the results are basically not very good.
In fact, as long as they ask their seniors a little, they know that it is impossible for newcomers to be assigned to the armed forces - before they need to pass the examination and get a license. And only after obtaining an armed permit to become an armed scrivener can one be eligible to enter the field expedition team.
At least in terms of results, it was self-defeating to take such troublesome courses because of the desire for the image of a "scrivener with a weapon." And there is not the slightest evidence that a good grade in this subject can make an exception to become a member of the armed scrivener.
"It's just something of the level of deciphering ancient documents, and there's really nothing to talk about......" Suval just smiled awkwardly at Frick's question, "Compared to these things, I heard that you are involved in some troublesome situation in Sierra Leone." ”
I don't know if Suval wants to use Frick's recent experience to divert the subject, but the direction he chooses makes Frick the embarrassed side.