Chapter 337: Chapter 334: A Reply from the Tower of Forest

Rorschach put his limited oratorical talents to use, successfully roping the skeptical Bart into his scheme.

However, when the time came to talk real gold and silver with the old King and Prince Otto, empty promises wouldn’t be enough. They weren’t naive young men like Bart, who was still young enough for his tear ducts to well up with passion.

It would take time for Bart to contact the Royal Family and arrange a meeting, and Rorschach also needed to bring in the professional merchant, Hasse, to be his lead negotiator.

So, after Rorschach finished writing a letter and troubling Andre to make another trip, he had time to head to the Magic Guild’s branch in Wertzburg.

As expected, the reply from the Tower of Forest had arrived. It had originally been sent to Munich, which was closer to the point of origin, but it hadn’t been forwarded yet. So, all Rorschach had to do was ask a staff member, and it was immediately sent over to Wertzburg. The small package was heavy, and the rolled-up letter was stuffed tightly into the Message Tube.

Although he had written to Master Humboldt, the reply came from Kou Bo:

"Young friend Rorschach, the sample you sent us is very valuable. Its miraculous properties have broadened our horizons. Our preliminary analysis identifies it as a species of bacteria that draws energy from other living beings. However, due to its overly active form, some believe it should be classified as a protozoan... If you agree, we would like to name it after its discoverer. If we do not receive a reply from you within three days of this letter being sent, we will take your silence as consent..."

’Rorschach Bacteria? Rorschach Protozoa? Wait, no way! Absolutely not!’ Because of this, Rorschach was forced to write a reply to the reply, sternly refusing the Tower of Forest’s "kind offer."

Rorschach read on. Regarding the issue of his "friend," the letter replied as follows:

"Regarding your friend’s problem, the Tower of Forest has no recorded cases and thus no ready-made solution.

"Master Humboldt and I discussed it, and our conclusion is that your friend could try using the Tower of Forest’s [Descent Summoning Technique]. In fact, you have already witnessed it—I used this very spell to construct a clone to explore the Black Forest with you. Although it is difficult, I believe that with your talent, young friend Rorschach, you can learn it and resolve your soul-related issues.

"The advantage of this plan is its stability; even if the spell fails, it won’t cause any serious consequences. The real concern is that if the spell succeeds and the soul impurities you separate are abnormal, it might give birth to a rather unfriendly clone.

"As a reward for the valuable sample, a detailed explanation of the spell and two Learning Scrolls have been included."

Rorschach was a little surprised. The Tower of Forest was so generous and decisive. He had merely sent a biological sample and received a precious spell in return.

The spell’s instructions, like the letter, were handwritten, but the script was bolder. Rorschach glanced at the signature and saw that it was, indeed, Master Humboldt. He explained the principles of the Sixth Ring spell to Rorschach:

The spell required the construction of two Magic Arrays. The first array used moist soil or plants rich in xylem to form the clone’s body. The original body would then stand in the second array, guiding their "Divine Soul" through the array and into the clone’s body.

The clone that received the "Divine Soul" could move independently and would inherit the original’s spells below the Seventh Ring. The Caster could choose to maintain a connection with the clone to share its senses, or sever the connection and let it act on its own.

But regardless of whether the connection was maintained, if the clone was destroyed, the original body would suffer severe damage. Their "Divine Soul" would be traumatized and would take a long time to heal.

Because this spell was inherited from the Ancient Elves, it retained their customary terminology. Master Humboldt explained that "Divine Soul" was likely the same concept as the soul in Necromancy.

Casting this spell was much more cumbersome than a typical Clone Technique. However, by having Master Humboldt help construct the second Magic Array, Kou Bo was able to sit comfortably in the Tower of Forest while deploying his clone from a great distance into the Black Forest.

Compared to a clone completely controlled by the original, this spell required separating a part of one’s soul to grant the clone autonomy. This was very risky, but it happened to be perfect for Rorschach’s situation. Master Humboldt wrote:

"If your mastery of this spell reaches a proficient level, you will be able to consciously control the separated portion of your soul. In our experience, the separated soul can be subtly different, making the clone more adept at a certain school of magic or giving it minor personality quirks.

"Given that the impurity was acquired later in life, it’s highly likely it will be prioritized for transfer into the clone. At that point, you can choose to sever the connection between your main body and the clone, and then destroy it.

"Please proceed with caution. If anything unexpected happens, contact us immediately."

’How am I supposed to contact you if I accidentally die?’ Rorschach grumbled to himself, but he was still very grateful.

There were two Learning Scrolls, one for each Magic Array. The style of their circuits still retained some traces of the Elves.

’I can master the second Magic Array first, get good at it, and then learn the first one to separate the impurities from my soul. If I succeed, it means I can finally get a good night’s sleep. No more wasting Bart’s stock of Alchemy Potions or hogging his rarely used bathtub.’

The first Magic Array was very simple. He first copied and visually analyzed the scroll, then directly replicated it on parchment with Alchemy Ink. This way, he wouldn’t use up the original.

Of course, this wasn’t something just anyone could imitate. Alchemy Ink itself contained a trace amount of Magic Power. Once the circuits formed a closed loop, they would naturally release this power, creating unexpected disturbances and magical effects that would ruin the scroll. Replication required understanding both the spell and the method for making Learning Scrolls to prevent crucial circuits from activating prematurely.

For Rorschach, his experience and rudimentary knowledge of Elf Runes were enough to decipher the secrets of the first Magic Array.

"Let’s try casting one." Rorschach activated his homemade scroll in the courtyard. Magic Power rippled out. He could feel the activation process beginning with the soil, which then seemed to want to take shape.

’This spell uses earth or plants to form a rough draft of the clone... Besides mimicking the shape, it also needs to use the water and inorganic salts in the soil, or the transport systems in plants, twisting them to construct a basic network that mimics the human body, allowing the Caster’s Magic Power to circulate within...’

Once he had a grasp of it, Rorschach tried a few more times and came to understand the mechanism of the first Magic Array. His status panel displayed [Natural Substitute Technique].

’So it includes a prerequisite spell? The skills of the Ancient Elves really are different from human Magic. Now that I’ve analyzed it, it’s been broken down into a lesser spell. It’s very likely the first spell can also be learned separately and then linked together.’

Most forms of Elven magic evolved from rituals, which was why the [Natural Substitute Technique] had to be performed within a Magic Array. When laying out the array, a symbolic Rune pointing to the main body was needed in place of a placeholder. This made the resulting earth or wood Stand-In more easily possessed by the "Divine Soul."

Unconvinced, Rorschach tried casting the spell directly without drawing the Magic Array. He lost control, and the soil suddenly exploded upward like a burst latrine. From then on, Rorschach never skipped a step, dutifully laying out the circuits first.

"Easy peasy!" Rorschach successfully erected several Stand-Ins below the Town Mage Tower, some made of plants, others of earth. These earthen and wooden Stand-Ins had no hair, only dark surfaces and resolute forms. They each looked like a saint born for a life of hard labor.

However, his masterpieces frightened the passersby, subtly tarnishing Bart’s reputation in the process.

"Alright, let’s see what this business of separating the ’Divine Soul’ is all about." The extremely smooth first step gave Rorschach a surge of confidence. He felt there was a good chance he could solve his problem before the night was over.