"It's a power of the mind, a power that follows the objective rules of this world, and also a power that obeys your inner thoughts… Some say magic comes from the spirit and the body, but this world has no shortage of people with strong bodies but little magic, nor is it lacking in people with weak bodies but vast magic.
Of course, there's no shortage of people who are strong in both body and spirit, and thus powerful. However, I've also seen individuals whose bodies and spirits are weak, yet still possess great magic. And to some extent, life force and magic can indeed be transformed into each other…
So you can think of magic primarily as coming from your spirit, and secondarily from your body. As long as you master the method, then magic is life, and life can also be magic; it all depends on how you use it.
But what exactly is the source of magic, what kind of existence is it? Undoubtedly, this is something you need to explore yourself."
Sharan's voice was very gentle, carrying a sense of longing, as if she wanted to focus all her energy on researching magic.
But Li Ke had already seen through her meaning.
"So, every mage should have their own understanding?"
"That's right. Magic, magical power, is a very general term, like so-called 'Qi'. In a way, isn't that also a kind of magic?"
Sharan smiled at Li Ke.
"So, however you understand it, that's your business. I'm just a guide here, ordered to lead all those interested in magic into the magic hall. How you think about it, how you understand magic, that's your business. I will only give my advice based on my knowledge and make public the spellbooks I can."
Sharan shrugged.
Learning magic doesn't cost much; Queen Skardi has a special fund for it. But spellbooks and magician experiments are different; they have a considerable cost. Even if Queen Skardi is wealthy, she can't afford to supply them, so students must figure it out themselves.
"This is a spellbook containing some simple spells. If you want to learn, the Mage's Guild has people who can teach you, but the prerequisite is that you must be able to use magic to construct a standard magic circle, and..."
Sharan looked at Li Ke with a strange gaze.
"Reading."
"Tsk."
Li Ke clicked his tongue in displeasure.
He is increasingly aware of the importance of foreign languages, but the problem is that when he was in school, no school taught Arabic.
"But you still have time, don't you? Since you've already mastered magic, you can charge that brooch every day. As long as you're careful, it should last for three months. But even if you cherish it, the brooch will be damaged by the magic after three months, so you'd better learn the language here quickly. After all, if you come back to me after three months, I can't do it for free anymore; that's the rule."
Sharan spoke in a businesslike manner, and Li Ke wasn't that shameless.
"Yes, I understand. But do you have anyone here who needs money? I'm afraid I'll need some help learning the local language."
Li Ke sighed. Because of his pride as a man, he didn't want to rely on Kiri, so he had to find someone else.
"Well…"
Sharan didn't refuse. She quite liked this polite human, so she thought for a moment and then nodded to Li Ke.
"There's a child named Lottie who's really short of money. I'll ask her for you. After all, with her strength, I don't need to worry about her safety."
Lottie? A cosmo demon?
A question mark appeared on Li Ke's forehead.
But before he could ask anything more, suddenly, a petite figure with red hair burst in and pounced into Sharan's arms.
"Yo! Sharan... Sister! I brought back the Fire Element Crystal!"
As she spoke, the red-haired figure pulled a red, crystal-like object from her skirt and displayed it to Sharan.
However, due to her height, despite her best efforts to stand on tiptoe, the crystal only reached Sharan's neck. A look of grievance appeared on her fair face, now covered in grime, and her cute little lips pouted.
Li Ke then got a clear look at the girl's appearance: blood-red hair tied in playful pigtails, a black and red shirt and a frayed dress, bare feet and leather boots.
What was striking was a yellow, round ornament on her body, and a face-like pattern on the scythe-like head of her staff.
The instant Li Ke saw this, he knew he had encountered the protagonist of the DNF story.
This outfit, this look—it's the kind of look that instantly identifies her as the original protagonist.
Sharan affectionately ruffled the child's long, blood-red hair, then took the crystal from her hand.
"Hmm, this time it's correct, but you're all dirty, leaning against me like that. Washing these clothes is quite a hassle, so I'm taking a cut from your allowance this week."
Sharan said half-jokingly, and the little girl's face immediately turned to one of terror, and she couldn't help but exclaim.
"Ah?! Aunt Sharan is mean!"
Then, Li Ke clearly saw Sharan's expression instantly become kind, and not only that, but she also smashed the crystal in her hand onto the red-haired girl's head, causing the girl to scream and collapse at her feet.
"Hmm, call me sister. Oh, right, I almost forgot."
After saying that, Sharan remembered that Li Ke was present, so she easily grabbed the little girl she had knocked down by the collar and showed her to Li Ke.
"Mr. Li Ke, this child is the one who can teach you the language. Don't let her being a demon fool you, she speaks Common language very well!"
"Ugh... Aunt Sharan, sister's mean..."
Lottie muttered, clutching her head. Li Ke looked at Lottie, then at Sharan, whose gaze had gradually softened. Although he wanted to complain about why Sharan had sent a demon to teach him Arad, since Sharan had recommended her, and she was the main character, then...
"Since you recommended her, then I can only express my gratitude. How about the salary?"
Sharan simply smiled slightly.
"It's not much. You only need to pay for the child's room and board, plus five gold coins."
"That's right! Food is the most important!"
Lottie, who was being held, stopped struggling and simply raised her hands high.
Li Ke looked at her petite figure and thought it wouldn't be a problem.
So he assured her.
"Don't worry, although it might not be particularly good, she'll definitely be full!"
Then, he saw Lottie's eyes—
Light up.