Richard nodded, realizing that things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
Coincidences could happen once, but twice? Who wouldn’t be suspicious.
Of course, exploring the river upstream wouldn’t be easy. The deeper into the forest, the larger and denser the trees became.
Richard jumped into the river first, pulling the old woman ashore. Her body was as light as a feather, as though she no longer had any flesh, only bones wrapped in skin that seemed ready to turn into dust.
It was difficult for Richard to believe someone could grow this old in appearance.
"As I thought, she really is the Spirit Fire Queen. What a pity she has lost all of her vitality," Aldric muttered as he observed her closely.
"Who is the Spirit Fire Queen, Grandpa?" Richard asked.
"One of my rivals. She was just as strong as I was. Back then, she was also the second most beautiful woman," Aldric replied.
"Second most beautiful?" Richard’s expression twisted with disbelief.
To him, this old woman looked like a poorly crafted mud puppet. No matter how much he tried to imagine, he simply could not picture her as a beauty.
"Fortunately, my condition never reached this stage," Aldric said again.
"But is she really alive?" Richard asked.
He wasn’t entirely sure—she showed no signs of breathing, and her body was cold to the touch, though not stiff.
"She’s still alive..." Aldric nodded.
He lifted the woman and set her down against a tree, binding her with roots.
"Leave her here for now. Even if she were to die in this state, her body would never decay," Aldric explained.
Richard was half-convinced, half-skeptical, but it wasn’t something he could comment on.
"I haven’t finished writing yet, so you’ll still need to wait," Aldric added.
"I’ll keep fishing then," Richard replied.
He returned to the river, though his gaze often drifted toward the upstream waters, wondering if more bodies would float down.
After what felt like hours, Aldric called out to him.
"Richard, come. I’m finished."
Richard immediately dropped his rod and hurried back to the hut’s terrace.
By then, Aldric had arranged the three books neatly in front of him.
"I’ve recorded one Codex and two of my finest Arcane Arts. I believe they’ll suit you well, since you’re my descendant and our Elemental Affinities should be similar. In magic, the more arts you master, the stronger you become—provided they are of different types. But balance is key, which is why I’m only giving you these three. The others are of lesser quality. If you train these to their peak, they’ll be enough to establish yourself firmly in this world. What matters is that, if you acquire new Codices or Arcane Arts later on, you must ensure they’re of equal or greater quality," Aldric explained.
Richard nodded repeatedly, taking the three books, each already titled.
"Will I remember every word I read?" he asked.
"Of course. All Codices and Arcane Arts are written in a mysterious language that forces you to understand them. Once you’ve read them, you’ll never forget," Aldric answered.
’So that’s why...’ Richard finally understood why he remembered every word of the Codex of the Dragon Emperor.
His eyes fell on the titles of the three books.
(Codex of Moonshadow!)
(100 Shadow Monster Arcane Art!)
(Lightning of Darkness Arcane Art!)
’If I add these, the System should give me even more enhancements,’ he thought.
He had noticed this pattern ever since obtaining the Codex of the Dragon Emperor. The System had granted him increases more frequently—on average two points per day. Before then, there were often days when no increase occurred at all.
Clearly, the System wasn’t trying to slow his progress. If the growth rate remained the same while the number of things to master increased, his development would have inevitably become slower.
Richard opened the Codex of Moonshadow. The first page contained a description.
(Codex of Moonshadow; a Codex that allows you to absorb Tier 3 Aether. It possesses one Innate Arcane Art, Moonshadow Armor, which becomes usable once you master 50% of this Codex. The more you master it, the higher your Affinity with Shadow will grow, potentially exceeding 90%!)
Richard blinked in surprise, then turned to Aldric.
"Grandpa, what happens if someone’s Elemental Affinity exceeds 90%?"
Ninety percent meant an element had reached extreme purity, but beyond that? Even the System had stopped increasing his Elemental Affinity once it reached 90%.
"It would be truly extraordinary," Aldric said with a faint smile. "But it’s exceedingly rare. Those who achieve it are already far too powerful to flaunt the hidden strength they’ve gained. Unfortunately, I never reached that level myself, so I don’t know."
"Did you never master this Codex of Moonshadow to 100%?" he asked.
"How could it be that easy with a Codex capable of absorbing Tier 3 Aether? If I had reached that stage, I doubt I would have failed," Aldric admitted.
Richard chuckled at that.
Still, instead of diving into the main contents, he first skimmed the descriptions of the other two books.
(100 Shadow Monster Arcane Art; for every 1% mastery, you gain the ability to summon one independent shadow monster!)
(Lightning of Darkness Arcane Art; an Arcane Art that fuses lightning and darkness, producing devastating destructive power. It can perfectly combine with your shadow powers, granting them the destructive force of both lightning and darkness. For every 10% mastery, your lightning and darkness will gain one additional explosion. At 100% mastery, your attacks will explode eleven times!)
Reading those, Richard could only marvel.
Afterward, he began reading through all three books in detail. Though he read quickly, it still took quite some time.
(You have obtained Codex of Moonshadow!)
(You have obtained 100 Shadow Monster Arcane Art!)
(You have obtained Lightning of Darkness Arcane Art!)
(Your mastery of Codex of Moonshadow has increased from 0% to 3%!)
(Your mastery of 100 Shadow Monster has increased from 0% to 3%!)
(Your mastery of Lightning of Darkness has increased from 0% to 3%!)
Codex of Dragon Emperor (24%)
Codex of Moonshadow (3%)]
[Innate Arcane Art from Codex of Dragon Emperor:
Dragon’s Roar (Locked)
Dragon’s Wings (Locked)
Dragon Transformation (Locked)]
[Innate Arcane Art from Codex of Moonshadow:
Moonshadow Armor (Locked)]
100 Shadow Monster (3%)
Lightning of Darkness (3%)]