Flipping through the yellowed pages, Lord Rhine, who had mastered magic for three years, gained a clear understanding of the world's magical structure for the first time.
The magicians in this world are closer to the classical magician image found in myths, fairy tales, and folk legends, quite different from modern games and anime.
Nowadays, when most people mention magic, the first thing that comes to mind is a turret-like figure using fireballs and lightning.
However, the image of these turret-like magicians, who throw fireballs and lightning and protect themselves with shields, only became widely accepted much later.
At least, it had to wait until the later rise of the tabletop game "Dungeons & Dragons," coupled with the popularization and widespread appeal of Japan's "Dragon Quest" series.
In contrast, most of the magic used by more classical magicians lacked direct offensive capabilities.
The functions of magic often involved transformation, summoning, charm, curses, potion brewing, prophecy, divination, and so on.
And the "Book of Transformation and Summoning," as its name suggests, primarily covers the two major categories of transformation and summoning, but it also includes some miscellaneous magic and a wealth of comprehensive magical knowledge.
After a quick browse, Lord Rhine began to meticulously study and memorize the key principles, attempting to practice the spells within.
...
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
It was another bright and clear afternoon.
The soaring cry of an eagle pierced the clouds, startling the sky.
A magnificent eagle with beautiful feathers flew out of the palace window and circled in the azure sky.
The eagle swooped down, flying over the heads of guards, attendants, and royal officials, eliciting gasps of admiration.
The court jester, who was performing, looked up and missed the ball he had tossed into the air;
The royal officials followed the eagle's flight path in the sky with their gazes, their astonishment and excitement evident on their faces.
The eagle skillfully made a few turns in the air and landed by the fountain in the garden.
The eagle shook its body, and with a ripple, transformed into a human form.
It was, surprisingly, a handsome boy.
He wore a hooded cloak, his figure slender and petite, and his robe almost trailed to the ground.
Amidst the astonished gasps and praises behind him, Lord Rhine walked straight through the shady path without looking back, returning to his bedroom.
"Is that King's advisor, the Kingdom's Sage, Court Magician Lord Rhine? What miraculous power!"
"To witness a genuine magician cast magic at such a close distance, it was unimaginable before!"
"Wow, even after seeing it several times, I still couldn't remember the process of Lord Rhine's transformation!"
"..."
In the garden, people discussed the miraculous scene they had just witnessed.
Similar scenes had occurred many times in the palace's backyard recently.
When Lord Rhine first became the Kingdom's Sage, many royal officials didn't believe that such a powerful magician would be willing to serve as a long-term court advisor.
And this court advisor was even granted power second only to the King!
Because of this, he attracted no small amount of doubt and gossip.
Some ill-intentioned individuals even secretly spread rumors that the King had encountered a charlatan, and that the hired magician had no magic at all, being merely a circus clown.
Even the King had to face pressure from all sides and could only privately find Lord Rhine, asking him to prove himself before the officials.
That afternoon, in the palace's backyard, Lord Rhine performed his first "magic show."
When the eagle transformed into human form before everyone's eyes, all doubts turned into jokes.
Since then, Lord Rhine's "performances" during his magic practice became the most anticipated event of the afternoon for the royal officials.
What Lord Rhine didn't know was that today was different from other days; his performance had also been witnessed by a special audience.
His face was slightly round, his build a bit plump, and he was Honest and amiable, none other than Oz, the kingdom's most famous magician.
Oz had originally been invited to the palace today to perform for the officials.
But clearly, Lord Rhine's magic attracted far more attention than his own tricks.
Oz watched the hooded boy disappear at the end of the green path.
In his heart, an unstoppable shock reverberated.
Half a minute later, Oz only remembered to blink because his eyes were too dry.
"This is a magician!"
"This is magic, real magic, not the sleight-of-hand tricks I perform on stage. A power I will never be able to touch in my lifetime."
"A magician like Lord Rhine, possessing extraordinary power, probably wouldn't even spare a glance at my magic tricks."
"Speaking of which, Lord Rhine looks so young. Such a young child, and he's already become a court advisor?"
"No, no, I heard that magicians have potions that keep them eternally youthful. His age might be older than my grandmother's grandmother!"
Oz closed his eyes, the miracle he had just witnessed lingering in his mind.
The scene of the magnificent eagle transforming into human form in an instant was deeply etched in his heart for a long time.
Even many years later, in Emerald City of Oz, Oz, who was mistaken for the King of Magicians due to others' misunderstanding, would still recall the scene he witnessed today, again and again, in his deep sleep.
Then he would suddenly awaken from his long dream, drenched in sweat.
...
Lord Rhine returned to his bedroom and assessed the results of his shapeshifting training.
"I can now completely control the transformed body. In fact, with the help of magic, I can fly even better than a real eagle..."
The young man picked up the "Book of Transformation and Summoning" from the table again and began to take notes in it.
"According to this book, for novice magicians, it takes at least one or two years to get started and barely be able to transform into an animal."
"And to learn the entire contents of the book, it would take more than thirty years."
"But I got started after only a few days of learning. Now, after less than a month of practice, I'm already quite proficient!"
This made Lord Rhine both excited and surprised:
"Could it be that I am a one-in-a-million magical prodigy?"
Lord Rhine estimated that at his current pace, by the time Princess Aurora was born, he might have already mastered the entire magic book!
Even if something unexpected happened, he would be able to handle it!
"The King has already followed my advice and invited all 13 Witches to attend Princess Aurora's baptism ceremony. I wonder how fate will unfold..."
...
Time flew like an arrow, days and months like a shuttle.
Time passed.
More than half a year later, Aurora was born.
As Sage Rhine had prophesied, the child was a lovely little Princess.
The King held a grand banquet, inviting all 13 Witches in the kingdom to attend the little Princess's baptism ceremony.
At that time, the 13 Witches, together with Sage Rhine, would bestow blessings upon Aurora!