Advent of the Archmage

The best way to make someone grateful was to give them what they wanted. However, one must not be too generous else they would be taken as a fool.

Gretel had done an in-depth investigation into Link before she arrived. After thinking for a moment, an idea formed in her mind.

She said, "Link, I heard that you are doing research into Spatial Magic. If I am not mistaken, you are writing a thesis on the principle of space. Is that so?"

Link looked at Gretel with a perplexed expression. He did not understand her intentions, though this was not a thing he wanted to conceal. He then nodded and said, "Indeed."

"May I take a look at the draft?"

Link was elated upon hearing those words.

He remembered that Gretel was a Master Spatial Magician herself in game. In fact, the dragon race was known to be particularly talented at Spatial Magic. This was evident from the mist maze covering the Dragon Valley.

Her intention was to guide him along in his thesis!

"That would be my honor," Link said.

Following which, Link took out his thesis. This thesis was slightly thicker than the one he showed Milda. He had obviously made progress.

Link did not give up on the research of space. He would still delve into it in his free time. There were now 20 new pages to this thesis.

Gretel studied the thesis carefully. At the start, she read with ease, commenting on a few areas casually. Her analysis was specific and valuable, each of them providing Link with new inspiration.

Her reading speed started decreasing after she reached the middle portion. It took her around two minutes per page. However, her analysis also became more in-depth and exquisite. Link could only understand some of them. He then took note of the points that he was confused on for future research.

There were a total of 150 pages in this thesis. At the last 20 pages, Gretel’s reading speed slowed significantly. It would take her half an hour to read a page. After the second page of the final portion, she exclaimed, "To think that you have already reached this level. This is an extremely delicate portion of the thesis. I need some time to think before I can offer any suggestions. How about this, you get busy while I read your thesis. I will come back tomorrow with more advice."

"That would be great."

Gretel then walked away with his thesis. On the other hand, Link continued reading the Talisman Magic book. When he was struck by an epiphany, he would then turn to his thesis and continue developing it.

Gretel arrived early the next morning. She was accompanied by Felina. Felina was already completely healed. She would leave the Dragon Valley together with Link and Nana to search for the exiled God after the Red Dragon Queen discussed the relevant issues with Link.

Felina was a beautiful and attractive lady. She was undoubtedly eye-catching. However, when she stood beside the Red Dragon Queen, her brilliance immediately dulled in comparison.

Gretel was simply like a magnet, drawing all the attention to herself.

Naturally, this attraction was merely an instinct. Link’s gaze only hovered around Gretel for a moment before he recollected himself. After greeting Gretel, he then looked at Felina with a concerned gaze and asked, "You still look pale. Do you want a few more days of rest?"

Felina then smiled gratefully and said, "There is no need to. The queen has offered to treat my wounds herself. I feel better than ever."

"That’s great," Link muttered, though, in his mind, he had also decided to rest more frequently along the way to ease Felina’s burden.

Gretel merely smiled as she waited for their conversation to end. Following which, she handed the thesis back to Link and commended, "I have to say that your thoughts are extremely intricate and ground-breaking. Many of the theories you have put forward are original and exquisite nonetheless. I have tried my best to complement them. Hope they are of some help."

At that moment, all her contempt for this human had dissipated. She had already viewed Link as a being that was able to communicate with her on an equal footing.

Link took over the thesis and flipped through it briefly. He realized that the thesis had five full pages added to it. He then glanced through the added content and was shocked to find that he could only understand a portion of what was written. This piqued his curiosity and propelled him to read it carefully on the spot. As he read, his eyes widened and glimmered with excitement. Eventually, he could not help but slam the table in euphoria.

Link the realized that he had lost his cool. He then said, "I’m sorry. your Majesty, these magic equations are simply too exquisite. They shine as brightly as the stars on the horizon!"

Gretel then smiled and seemed to glow even more radiantly.

She felt nothing when people complimented her looks. She had long grown numb to these superficial compliments after living for 2000 years. If someone were to stare at her face permanently, she would be disgusted and annoyed. However, she felt accomplished and valued when Link commended her intellect and wisdom.

Furthermore, this human knew his boundaries as well. He merely stared at her for a moment before averting his gaze. He had also treated Felina with the utmost respect.

Gretel then replied, "I am honored that you appreciate them."

Felina was startled at this scene. She looked between Link and Gretel with a curious gaze. She wondered what Link did to make the queen so happy.

The death and betrayal of the three dukes and the destruction of the Balanced Scale should have made her extremely depressed. However, Gretel was acting as if none of that ever happened.

On the other hand, Link knew that they were about to leave and this was his last few chances at getting valuable advice from Gretel. He then took advantage of the opportunity to consult this Master Spatial Magician.

As Gretel was in an exceptionally good mood, she answered him patiently.

There were some areas that were more controversial, and Link would question Gretel’s conclusion. He would do this based purely on logic and precise analysis. As usual, his thoughts are extremely sharp and impactful, resulting in acute questions. Gretel had to ponder for a long time before she could answer him.

Most of the time, Link was the one who was wrong. However, there were two areas where Gretel was indeed mistaken.

"How could I be wrong?" Gretel was shocked. She had studied magic for 2000 years and had developed a strong logical mind. To think that this treasured set of wisdom she had trained over the years had made a mistake! Furthermore, she was corrected by a mere mortal! She had really met her match.

The two of them quickly became immersed in their discussion and lost track of time. At times, they would fall silent thinking about the magic equations. When the discussion gets heated, they would then shout at the top of their lungs to prove their point. Felina stared at the peculiar scene in confusion.

One day passed quickly. This was the day Link was supposed to set off.

Gretel only recollected herself at midnight. However, she was still craving for more intellectual discourse. After some thought, she said, "Felina, why not you rest for a few more days?"

"My Queen... alright then," Felina was about to say they were running out of time when she saw Gretel’s glimmering eyes. It was rare that Gretel could find something she was interested in to take her mind off the depressing thoughts. Felina could not bear to rob her of this happiness and nodded begrudgingly.

Following which, Gretel then cast her glance back onto Link and said, "Although your hypothesis on this Folded Spatial Extension theory is intricate, it is definitely flawed. I still cannot point out where exactly the problem lies, but it is definitely wrong. Let’s rest for the night. I will definitely prove it to you tomorrow morning!"

Link was a madman when it came to magic. Having immersed himself too deep into the discussion, he had long forgotten that Gretel was the revered Queen of the Red Dragons and rebutted, "I don’t think there is a problem! I will prove it to you as well!"

"Hmph, there is no point in being stubborn. We’ll see!" Gretel shot him a glance before she left.

Link then took advantage of the time to rest. The Red Dragon Queen was a Legendary individual and required little to no rest. However, he was still a mortal and was already feeling the fatigue from a full day of mind-boggling discussion. He still pressed on as chances to discuss magic with such powerful figures would not come often.

The next morning, Gretel came knocking on his door extremely early. She shouted, "Link, wake up. My instincts were right! Your equation was wrong!"

Knock! The knocking sound echoed through the room, rudely waking Link up from his sleep.

"Nana, please open the door."

After giving a long yawn, Link sat up with his eyes still half-closed. He then looked at his watch and realized that it was only four o’clock in the morning. He had only slept for four hours.

He then placed his hands on his head as he sat motionless on his bed. He could feel a throbbing sensation in his head and also the fatigue from yesterday’s discussion.

Gretel then arrived in front of him excitedly. She then said, "Link, Link... alright, a mortal’s body is still too fragile."

Link’s appearance had doused all her passion and excitement. She did not rest even after she left Link’s room nor did she need any. She worked through the night and finally found a flaw in the equation. She could not hold in her excitement and rushed down to inform Link immediately. It had never crossed her mind that Link would be resting. This was a downer.

Even if she had won this intellectual discourse, she did not feel accomplished.

It would only be fulfilling if both of them were performing at their best, their minds whirling at high speed, sparking intelligent arguments and discussions. Only those engaging discourse would take her mind off the depressing things that happened recently.

However, there was no one in the dragon race who could offer her such fulfillment. Most dragons were talented Warriors with strong battle capabilities. Alas, they were not well-versed in the complicated theories of Spatial Magic. Dabbling in Spatial Magic theories would be suicidal to them.

It was such a waste that a rare prodigy like Link had such a weak physical body.

At that moment, Gretel had completely forgotten about her original intention of getting on Link’s good side. She only wished to immerse herself in the research of Spatial Magic so as to distance herself from the pain in her heart.

"I can find someone else... probably not, a Spatial Magician is not easy to find! Furthermore, a prodigy like Link is not such easily obtainable. He is probably the only person in the World of Firuman with such intellect."

After a moment of thought, an idea sprung into Gretel’s mind. She then blurted out, "Link, why don’t you undergo the dragonification process?"