I didn't start any series of experiments. I knew what I needed to do initially — an energy-to-magic converter. The most difficult thing imaginable at the moment. Not only do I need to engrave this pile of runes on my CWG (Cluster Wormhole Generator) in the center of the domain, but I also have to make these runes work by pouring magic into them. What's the catch? The intensity of the energy could simply "wash away" my magic, leaving me with nothing.
That was only one of the problems. And I haven't even mentioned the collapse that would blow apart everything I've been doing all these long years if I make even a single mistake. It's just ridiculous! But I simply have no other choice. And creating a new CWG? Not even worth considering — I'm too weak for that right now.
What I have long become accustomed to is long sessions of trial and error. Drawing runes and integrating them into my system will take no less time than creating a quantum chip back when I lived in the Research Institute. Only with the adjustment that I am many multi-digit numbers times faster in terms of information processing than ever before.
But still, before something so monumental, I need to do something more mundane. Clean up the domain, for example, divide it into several parts. In one part there will be items, in the second — the computer with the CWG, in the third something else, a house, for example. And so on. The domain is a universal space; fate ordered me to do all this.
Which is what I did.
The Void Walker's memory suggested to me how to assemble another domain using only a small amount of energy. I didn't even take much interest in the process, I just did everything according to the instructions provided to me by my own memory.
And literally three minutes later, I had a second domain, into which I threw all the items I didn't need at the moment.
This was only the beginning of my strange expansion. Next, I decided to add magical sight to myself. It exists in this world, only as a parser that takes magic and combines it with normal vision, resulting in... whatever it is. That is what I decided to use. Usually, magic sight is put on glasses, monocles, and so on; there is even a corresponding potion, but I decided to do something a little different.
Stick magic sight right into my eye.
Having quickly formed a small transparent film resembling a retina, I displayed runes on it. Ansuz, which will receive this strange magical flow as light radiation. Kenaz — will turn magic into this very light radiation for Ansuz. Isa as a stabilizer, so as not to catch sensory shock, which is extremely unlikely with my body. And the last rune, Dagaz, will allow me to link the incoming information with my processors.
I spent even less than ten minutes on this structure, and after a short time, I was walking around my room and examining some magical structures that remained after my little... rearrangement.
Not counting the huge number of runes for auto-repair and all that, there were quite a few other runes. Near the bedside table, on the wall, hung an invisible sound rune, which allowed, strangely enough, to turn off the lights in the room with claps.
I laughed at this for a very long time. Mages do understand convenience, although even Tom himself probably doesn't know about this cool feature.
As a check, I clapped my hands twice, and the light on the diamond chandelier... turned on! The room immediately began to shimmer with different colors, reflecting off the diamond crystals.
Clapping two more times, I forced the light to turn off. I can make some cool automation and loops with this.
Shaking my head, I was about to turn off the magic sight when something unnoticeable, yet bright, caught my eye. Freezing in place, I looked closely, at first glance, into nowhere. But in reality, I saw... small particles flying around the room. Where there was an increased amount of magic, these particles shook and turned red. They were also parts of some magical schemes in my room... Although, probably, they were everywhere...
I saw this only in one magical theory...
Aether magic...
Wouldn't say this changes everything. But it's not bad. Aether magic is quite simple in its use (which local mages didn't guess), its theory is obvious, and most foreign runes work. Meaning runes from other magical theories, such as Rudazov's or natural ones.
You know, like a standard starter build in some game that is given for logging in. Very simple magic, which is as easy as pie to learn.
I am generally a complete copy of Radonov right now, only with the correction for the fact that I haven't contacted the mystical side of the world before. And also haven't received a shard of chaos. And didn't become a demigod from the machine. Well, this will all come true soon, as soon as I understand the local magic.
It is divided into two types of aether — cold and hot. Mages collect cold aether from the background and heat it in their body, turning it into hot aether, which can then be used for spells.
The hotter the aether initially, the easier it is to absorb. In my room, for example, aether particles already have some movement and color.
If you convert aether from cold to hot for a long time, your brain and body will simply get tired, and you will most likely faint... Or die, depending on the amount of aether you passed through yourself... Aether mages cannot generate magic on their own.
But I am not an aether mage.
I am a hell-knows-what mage. I have magic generation, albeit small. I can use aether... And generally, some bullshit is happening here. There is aether magic — does that mean I can use the theory of aether magic? Na-a-ah, insufficient evidence. The very fact that I have my own reserve, without any intermediaries in the form of magic batteries or "Enclaves," suggests at least that the matter does not end with just aether.
Reading books and writing various mods for games required specific knowledge... That's why I know so much magical theory.
I took out my pipe and lit up. I could think for a long time, try to guess what else is here besides aether, but I'm too lazy to do that. Better to finish assembling the converter and go have fun with new reserves of magic. Which is what I intended to do.
Leaving the pipe in my teeth (I will improve it someday after all), my lazy body moved to the domain. Inside, I was met by a dreary picture of frozen puddles of molten metal, a quietly humming quantum computer, which I can now calmly reassemble, and the CWG hanging in the air right under the computer.
How did I hear the hum of the computer in a vacuum? Nothing is impossible for the owner of the domain in his own domain.
What lay ahead for me now was to divide this piece of space into three parts: "Test," "Main," and "Reactor." The names, in principle, are speaking; I didn't think much about them. Three domains: in the first, I will test weapons, attacks, spells, and so on. In the second will be my permanent place of residence, and in the third... will be the CWG with the computer.
This is a transparent plan for now, which can still be executed. And considering the fact that I know how to create domains...
I snapped my fingers. Space warped and cracked, reflecting variants of future domain versions. Turning my head, I nodded a couple of times, seeing what I needed, and snapped my fingers again.
The first domain became the "Reactor" one. I just cut out a piece of space with the quantum computer and moved it to a completely different space, separate from this one, but connected through my soul. The energy supply didn't stop for a second, which made me fabulously happy.
The second piece became the "Test" domain. I tore off another piece from the domain I was currently in and redirected it into empty space. A moment later, another cube appeared there, which began to expand rapidly, repeating the earthly terrain and the bright, endless light of the sun. The testing ground is ready.
The rest of the space of the initial domain was occupied by the "Main" one. The vacuum disappeared, the space ruptures vanished as if they had never been there. Hills, grass, mountains grew here too... A sun also appeared; it's a pity it's not real. If I didn't know that this is just a figment of my imagination and power, I would definitely believe in the "reality" of everything that exists here.
But, unfortunately... that won't happen. At least until some moment, but for now, we are content with what we have.
Inhaling the fresh air of the brand new, just unpacked domain, I rolled my eyes and moved to the reactor domain. Which I immediately regretted.
Vacuum has no smell...
Saddened, I walked closer to my core. What interested me, and how can it be improved at all? There aren't that many options here, and not that few either. I can become a moron for a second and bind the runes directly to the wormholes of the CWG, which will most likely end in my painful death.
Or I can wrap the entire sphere in a rune construct that will process energy, rather than shoving this rune construct inside. Maybe it will work. Maybe not.
In any case, the output of normal energy will be cut exactly in half, as part of it will go to the formation of Mana, or aether Mana, I don't know what to call it yet.
The second method sounds safer and more workable than the first. I'm not saying the second has more pluses, just that it is more useful right now than the others.
If I were assembling another CWG, I would use the first method and apply the construct directly to the wormholes.
It is what it is. Extending my hands, I spread them slightly to the sides so that the sphere of the cluster wormhole generator could fit between my palms. Closing my eyes, I imagined a small rune construct with precision down to every microparticle. Sowilo-Nauthiz-Laguz-Gebo. Four key runes that grant me a limitless source of magic, as the CWG once did with ordinary energy. The mind simulated how these four runes intertwined with each other, also turning into a sphere. The more shoots came from them, the less they resembled anything making sense. Every new second turned the construct into a web that kept it from falling apart.
I opened my eyes. Reality knocked in my mind, and several light cords burst from my fingers, which quickly formed into a dense rune sphere. It wrapped around the generator and seemed to freeze in space, trembling slightly only when I ran my hand over it for a test.
Immediately, relief was felt in my entire soul, as if my internal reserve was instantly replenished. I would have continued to think so if I hadn't realized that this was actually the case. Part of my magic had been going somewhere wrong since my very appearance, not just in this world, and not even in the past one... But from the moment of my birth! My mind cleared; I now saw what I couldn't see even if I wanted to. And this isn't just about magic. All the hypocrisy I experienced, all the fake emotions... All this now became so... obvious?
Stretching to my full height, I waved my hand with full confidence, deleting the quantum computer along with the quantum chip. They are morally obsolete; need to create something new and more practical.
Snapping my fingers, I summoned the Solver along with the Cube. A moment later, several small orbital rings formed around the CWG, which began their rapid spin. So that all this wouldn't hang in the middle of the domain just like that, I extended several chains and attached them to the corners of the domain. I connected the other ends of the chains to a magnetic round base, into which I later placed the orbital cluster wormhole generator.
These rings were not just decoration, but a remake of the quantum chip. More precisely, not one, but several thousand combined into one inside each of the rings. In case of any malfunction, they will send a signal. Nice.
Clapping my hands a couple of times, I smiled and left the domain, finding myself again in my fancy room, on the furnishing of which I didn't spend a single knut. Beauty, and that's it. It remains to learn spells and wait for Hogwarts.
To learn spells not quite usually, but conceptually, so that I could cast magic in my sleep. As if I need sleep... But still, at least a wandless-nonverbal method, and then I'll see. And the very use of CWG magic... It can turn me into ash, so I'll need to do something with my soul too, if I even have one. The magical channels might simply not withstand it... As if I give a fuck?
There is still a heap of work, and this is in the long term. Now I can start with the simplest — studying spells and their full optimization. Hardly likely I'll use them, for there is... The Solver, the Cube, the Void, in the end. Runes too... Heh-heh-heh, but knowledge elevates, it must be valued.
Moving the smoking pipe to the other corner of my mouth, I disappeared from my room and appeared right in Borgin's shop. I had to buy a couple... hundred books with spells from him, and generally books of all directions.
Running my gaze over the shop, my eyes caught... a white head of hair of a man and a no less white head of hair of a boy my age next to him. I even jumped back a little.
Being surprised for a bit, I put the pipe far away into the domain, ridding myself of this unpleasant smell of tobacco, and turned on the aristocrat mode. I am somewhat of a well-born person myself, hee-hee-hee.
Lucius and Draco Malfoy. People far from the last plan in this world, certainly not in money or influence. Many see them as arrogant, haughty, and simply evil wizards, which is not that far from the truth. But I... I see profit. Political influence? Lucius! Control over minors? Draco! Although I don't know why I need the latter.
Ignoring the two wizards, as if nothing had happened, I walked up to Borgin's counter and smiled my "attractive" smile. The seller instantly shifted his attention to me; after all, I was a client of a higher order. Not letting Borgin say a word, I immediately issued my demands:
"All textbooks on all magical specialties, plus combat magic. Do you have them?" I asked, looking into the old man's face. He thought for a couple of seconds and, without saying a word, disappeared into the back room, starting to rustle something. I glanced at the other two stunned customers, who clearly didn't expect the seller to drop them and go fulfill my request so quickly.
If Lucius's head at that moment had thoughts about why this child could be so important to Borgin, then in Draco's head... I looked like the ultimate freak.
Malfoy Senior flashed his silver eyes and closed a rather thick tome on potions, turning his head towards another small fry. That is, me.
I felt his gaze run over all my clothes, assessing my appearance. I felt his gaze linger on the sword behind my back. He looked at it for a long time; a spark of greed quickly appeared in his eyes, which he immediately hid.
He was in no hurry to act; he was evaluating. And, apparently, he evaluated to the level that I might be worth his attention.
"Curious," he said quietly, not taking his eyes off me. His voice was filled with velvet, but with snake-like notes. Not for nothing did Tom call him "My slippery friend."
"A child who makes Borgin run like... a house elf." Draco snorted from below, but receiving a harsh look from his father, he instantly shut up and pretended to study the shelf. An empty shelf.
In response, I turned to Lucius with my whole body and smiled. Normally, without tears, cracks, and gore. I was too calm.
"Curiosity is a useful trait, Mr. Malfoy." I spoke evenly, not raising my voice even by a tone.
"Especially when it concerns someone who can... buy this shop along with all the artifacts. Can buy its dealers and make them his slaves. Or... burn everything here to the ground with one snap of fingers." These words made the corner of his lip twitch. It was a mixture of a smile and contempt, not even clear which exactly.
"Extremely bold words for... whoever you are." Lucius took a step forward, his cane clicking loudly on the floor. His cold eyes dug into mine.
"Adults are not used to... children talking to them in such a tone." His voice acquired notes of reproach and irritation.
"And I am not used to adults confusing someone else's boldness with a threat," I parried elegantly, not taking my eyes off the man's evilly glowing eyes.
"I am simply stating a fact. You, after all, also came here not for children's books at all, am I right?" I said. Lucius fell silent, then chuckled, briefly, without warmth. A sign of understanding.
"You have a taste for rare things." He nodded at the stack of books that Borgin had already started slowly pulling out of the back room. The seller's mood ran from fearful to incredibly joyful. I could feel it.
"And, apparently, the means too. Whence... such interest in combat magic at your age?" Malfoy asked, to finally build the picture.
"Age is just a number. Knowledge is a currency that simply cannot lose its price." I tilted my head slightly and tapped my temple a couple of times with my index finger.
"And gold is a surplus. Some knowledge is worth more than gold and, possibly, connections," I answered, folding my arms across my chest. Lucius nodded. This is not a bow, this is recognition of an equal, at least that's how I understood it.
"Perhaps we will speak again. When you... grow up."
"Perhaps." I answered, not blinking for several minutes already.
"When you realize that some no longer require growth." The conversation ended. Draco wanted to yelp something else, but Lucius gently placed his hand on his shoulder. The little one's mouth closed almost automatically.
Nodding to me one last time, Lucius put the potion tome on the shelf and elegantly left the shop. A pleasant person.
Borgin returned with another stack of books and with a sad sigh looked at Lucius Malfoy's retreating back.
"You scared off one of the most influential visitors of Knockturn..." he muttered, putting the stack of books on the table. I turned around and smiled, in a childish way.
"But you have a visitor who pays a hundred times more and doesn't ask unnecessary questions." Borgin exhaled, but already with notes of fear, and retreated for another batch of books.
After another three minutes of running back and forth, Borgin cluttered the entire table with a huge number of books. There were small magazines, booklets with descriptions of various spells, and huge tomes that looked a couple of hundred pages thick from the outside, but only after opening them did you realize that these were not hundreds of pages, but thousands.
Without further words, I threw three more gold Cubes on the floor and moved all the books to the domain. While the man tried to pry the not-so-light cubes from the wooden floor, which they shamelessly pierced, I already managed to move to the "Reactor" domain, into which I threw all the books.
Need to somehow extract all the information from this mountain... Well, there really was a lot of information here; these several stacks of books rose almost three meters in height. Borgin was saved only by the presence of high ceilings, otherwise, he would have had to clutter the floor.
Not wanting to think much about ways to extract information from books, I came to the banal — a scanner. And not a simple one, but a golden one.
But seriously, a scanner that can accept all the books at once and instantly move all their data into my empty head.
I didn't even bother with the design. With one wave of my hand, I forced a bunch of nanites to assemble into some semblance of a large black Cube with a glass door. Opening this door slightly, I quickly moved all the books inside with the help of the Solver and tightly sealed the scanner.
Touching a random part of the scanner, I gave another order to the nanorobots, and a couple of seconds later I already had a cable in my hand, which I plugged into my forehead.
This was literally everything I needed. Except for energy, this under-scanner required nothing, so as soon as the external device connection interface became available in my head, the scanner activated automatically.
To an observer, it looked like... Like nothing. Just a couple of seconds later, I removed the cable from my head and sealed the connector, turning it back into some semblance of skin.
If this seemed somewhat... boring, in reality, everything was much more fun.
The books in the scanner were literally reassembled atom by atom, destroyed and restored. All their information came to me, went through several stages of conversion, went through a couple of dozen AI modules that turned analog information about the percentage of ink on some part of the sheet into qubit text information, which I then turned into real knowledge.
With expanded books, everything was more complicated. They weren't reassembled. The nanorobots simply went over every page of every book simultaneously and transmitted all the information to me without disrupting the extension charms. Modern problems require modern solutions. And now I hardly need this scanner anymore.
Waving my hand, I reversed the creation of the scanner, turning it back into that cloud of nanorobots, which was quickly absorbed by me and left inside for later use. The books went along with the scanner... Well, that's unpleasant, but it could have been worse. And still, all the knowledge is now in my head.
And now it would be a sin not to check the newly acquired spells that I have never seen in my life. As soon as I delved a little into their work, those hundreds of idea generators immediately began to throw up actually... ideas on how these spells can be improved, made more effective not only from the side of magic consumption but also from the side of use. But that's beside the point.
Turning on one foot, I raised my right hand and snapped my fingers, immediately finding myself in my other domain, which I christened "Test"; I think there is no need to explain what for.
As soon as I appeared in it, I immediately gave the order for a complete restructuring. Moments later, the marked white floor began to change; hills and irregularities appeared on it. Grass and trees began to grow on these hills, slowly turning the soulless space with an endless sun into a convenient place for training and, concurrently, a beautiful forest that towered tens of meters in height and added coolness.
I stood in a lit clearing and looked up at the ribbed clouds that practically didn't move, as if they were frozen like a picture in the sky. But even so, it added a certain atmosphere to this insufficiently real world.
I decided to start small — "Lumos," the simplest spell that even the worst first-year of the worst wizarding school in the world (Hogwarts) can master. It spends so little magical energy that with such an amount it is impossible to even... I don't know... power a city telephone. I know that the telephone won't work at all, but the electrical equivalent is so small that even by rubbing a balloon on your head, you can generate more.
Raising my right hand, I focused. My entire being tried to direct the limitless flow of magical energy into the hand, forming the necessary words and waves right on the edge of my consciousness. But I ignored all this; I don't need these wooden... "sticks" that make a person degrade. I don't want to become a wizard or a sorcerer. I want to become a Mage. Yes, specifically with a capital letter — a Mage!
Skipping all the hints in my consciousness, I began to do as my soul feels. Sensibly, with feeling, with arrangement. The necessary runes immediately appeared in my head: Kenaz, Sowilo, Dagaz. The first for the embodiment of light itself — pure energy. The second to give the light itself the solar spectrum and add the possibility of infinite nourishment. The third for stabilization and conceptual transformation of "darkness" into "light."
As soon as all the runes activated, a bright ball appeared above my palm... It wasn't a ball of light; it was a white fireball. Not even a small spark — a full-fledged fireball. All shadows within a radius of eight meters were simply burned out. The grass began to grow like it was on steroids, receiving such an unthinkable stream of photons.
I could control this... ball. Could force it to create X-ray radiation. Could force it to emit soft ultraviolet. It wasn't just "Lumos," it was a tool. A tool on which I could freely change the electromagnetic spectrum.
"Like... mods in some game. Vanilla definitely doesn't have this, but once you touch mods — you won't get off them," I whispered to myself, looking spellbound at the white fireball hovering over my palm, which didn't even generate heat. Just... existed.
"Just as I won't get off runes... It's like writing in machine code right away. It will simply work without asking unnecessary questions," I said and extinguished the spell. It was an interesting experiment. But still, I wonder what an ordinary "Lumos" looks like. Not complicated by a small rune construct.
Without changing the position of the hand, I focused again. Here I didn't need to apply special magical constructions, didn't need to conduct energy. I just needed to... wish and think a little. Sounds incredibly simple and stupid, with which I agree.
The necessary movements and words appeared on the edge of my consciousness again. Only this time I didn't ignore them. Or rather, no. Ignored, but still decided to use the only thing that didn't seem useless to me — the incantation. The word itself in Latin.
I imagined the very structure that mages use to cast this simplest spell. Structures so dirty, clumsy, as if someone tried to polish a processor crystal with sandpaper. It was also covered with unnecessary bindings, dependencies on emotions, and so on, as if they tried to create... not even clear what.
The energy tried to break out like excessive gas pressure while I imagined the spell in my head. Heh, now let's see what capable is...
"Lumos..." I pointed my index finger into the deepest side of the forest, allowing the energy boiling inside me like water in a nuclear reactor to break out, turning one of the most harmless spells... into a weapon of mass destruction.
Instead of a dim light on the tip of my finger, almost a real sun flared up. I even had to close my eyes because it was so bright. With my eyes closed, I heard only strong hissing and humming, as if someone forgot to turn off the microwave and the sausages in it literally began to evaporate. True, I have a slightly different case.
Stopping the supply of magic, I opened my eyes slightly and was immediately taken aback. I wasn't in a clearing in the forest.
Turning my head around, I looked at the ground... And instead of the named ground, I found scorched grass and molten magma, which was slowly solidifying. Everything within a radius of several tens, maybe even hundreds of meters, was turned to ash. Maybe I shouldn't have given free rein to magic, but I had no other choice! If I hadn't given free rein — I wouldn't have been able to use the spell. I need to train my control so as not to accidentally repeat a similar experience not just with Lumos, but, God forbid, with Bombarda.
I didn't even feel this heat; everything just burned in a moment, and I just stood in the epicenter, not understanding what was happening.
From this small experiment, I understood one thing — I need to learn to control not only myself but also the energy I use. It will be unpleasant when I use some "Reducto" and instead of a push, I get a huge crater in the ground and magnitude twelve earthquakes all over the planet.
Control is needed. No exceptions. Only absolute control over energy.
AIs in my head immediately began to offer options for developing control. Forcibly slow down the flow of magic and energy with runes and then also forcibly, only with the help of pure will, return the speed to the energy. I will also have an incentive — I won't be able to remove the runes until I start controlling magic.
Or generally, take a piece of graphite, can even be from a pencil, and start slowly turning it into a diamond using transmutation (not to be confused with transfiguration). Not in one sitting, but one atom at a time. It definitely won't work the first time. But after enough time for training — something decent might come out.
So far in the plans for the future: expanding my influence, training control, as well as tracking the course of the plot and extracting every insignificant piece of information. As potentially the richest person on this planet, it is impossible for me not to get the information I need. Someone will ask for more money, someone less. Someone will have to be tortured, but the outcome is always the same — I will get what is needed.
Smiling, I left the domain and appeared again in this small rented room. Well, our first task will be buying a normal house. I can't sit in this funny little room forever, right?
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I hate 1st person POV bruh