140: Chapter 138 Magic Acquired

Zhang Mu moved very quickly, and in a short while, he had rummaged through three wooden boxes, pulling out all twenty-odd magic books to inspect them one by one.

He tossed aside the useless Apprentice Level books, as well as the magic with average power and no special effects.

Finally, only four magic books remained in his hands.

Earth attribute Primary Magic—Rock Fall Technique.

Earth attribute Master-level Magic—Atlas Fallen Spirit.

Fire attribute Master-level Magic—Solar Storm. According to Solon, this was also the signature magic of the Lord of Gur City.

Wind and Earth dual-attribute Soldier-level Magic—Sandstorm Spell.

The magical script in the four books had faded to varying degrees; the Solar Storm book was the most severe, with the text being almost illegible.

He learned them on the spot.

After absorbing the stream of information that flooded into his mind, Zhang Mu's eyes flickered.

"It seems... I don't have a mana attribute?"

When his magic level on the panel reached Apprentice Level, he had wondered why he hadn't awakened a mana attribute.

At first, he thought it was just a case of individual differences, but even when he emerged from the "World" with a Elementary on the panel—actually a Intermediate Mage rank—there was still no movement.

He pondered that he might simply not have such a thing as a mana attribute, though he wasn't certain in his heart.

He had just learned Solar Storm; although he couldn't use it for the time being, its specific power was already described.

Recalling the terrifying scene Solon described of the Lord of Gur City releasing Solar Storm, it seemed no different from the information in his head.

In fact, it was slightly inferior to his own.

That shouldn't be the case.

He had no mana attribute, while the Lord of Gur City had a Fire mana attribute. Since the Lord received a boost when casting fire magic, logically, he should be stronger than Zhang Mu.

Even though his own magic could level up and mutate, he hadn't practiced it yet; they were both using the original versions.

Therefore, Zhang Mu guessed that he might not have a mana attribute at all.

Or rather, having practiced the Meditation Method all this time, he possessed all mana attributes.

The problem likely lay there.

"The Church."

Considering the only difference between himself and the native mages of the Saul Continent was their "internal cultivation,"

He naturally thought that the Church, which distributed the "internal cultivation," was likely up to no good.

"What role exactly does the Church play on the Saul Continent?

Are they willing to be the lackeys of the gods, enslaving the living beings of the continent for them?

To maintain their own power, are they intentionally suppressing the continent's mages?"

After thinking for a long time without reaching a conclusion, Zhang Mu shook his head and set it aside for now. He took photos of every page of the magic books with his phone and returned to the study.

Sitting behind the desk, he recalled what Palina had mentioned to him and contemplated the power structure of Gur City.

It wasn't complicated.

Mainly one City Lord and two Vice City Lords.

The magic families within the city each took sides among the three, with most following the strongest, the City Lord.

In this tripartite relationship, the two Vice City Lords banded together to counter the City Lord.

Normally, the three should have united to suppress the magic families, but the reason Gur City was different was related to the City Lord's own behavior.

That fellow was something of a talent.

Gifted in his youth, he rejected the olive branches of the major magic families and entered various labyrinths and dangerous areas alone. In just eighty years, he relied entirely on himself to become a Magister who dominated his own territory.

Through his own efforts, he successfully ascended to the position of Lord of Gur City.

Always on the path of struggle, he perhaps felt that since he had fought his whole life, why shouldn't he enjoy himself?

From then on, he spent his days obsessed with women and the flattery of the magic families, unable to extricate himself.

For thirty years, his magic level had not advanced an inch.

He was also unwilling to explore labyrinths opened in more distant regions.

According to Solon's deduction, the City Lord had grown accustomed to his word being law in Gur City.

After being the 'grandfather' for so long, he naturally didn't want to be the 'grandson' anymore.

Elsewhere, especially in prosperous cities, a Magister might not be weak, but they were certainly not invincible.

The City Lord had gone once, returned with a dark expression, and never strayed far from Gur City again.

The Vice City Lords and others secretly mocked him for being a commoner brat who had never received an aristocratic education.

When the City Lord accidentally found out, he went to their doors and gave them a furious scolding. From then on, both sides completely fell out.

Because they didn't dare use force within the city, they were at loggerheads over city governance policies.

This was also why the Priest Professionals belonging to Gur City completely ignored the City Lord's face and refused Palina's order to treat Leah.

In any case, with the Vice City Lords backing them and their belief that as long as they didn't leave Gur City, the City Lord wouldn't have the guts to touch them.

"Speaking of which, Solon did warn me that regarding the engineering project, those people would definitely try to make things difficult for me."

"Heh." Zhang Mu smiled. "They better not think I was joking when I said I'd hang their heads from the top of the flagpoles. Someone, come here."

He waited for a while with no response, only then remembering that Solon and Domit had gone out of the city to handle the settlement of the Resistance Army.

As for the Guards and servants on duty, he had ordered them all to stay away from the study.

Forget it, I'll go myself.

Zhang Mu got up and walked to the backyard, finding Palina who was taking care of Leah, and instructed her to make sure his order was delivered to the Priests today.

Then he returned to the study, summoned the portal, and went back to Blue Star.

Stretching his back, he wandered around the workshop to check the machinery and equipment. Zhang Mu pondered that he needed to add more things.

The buildings and scenery of the Cultivation Sect and Magic Academy could be built by hiring labor in the Other World, but the teachers, students, and staff would have to be his own doing.

He was the only one who knew Puppet Art.

Fortunately, he wasn't alone now; he could leave the collection of materials to Solon.

However, some rare materials couldn't be bought with gold coins. Zhang Mu had to prepare more high-level potions to use for bartering.

Too lazy to make a special trip back to his home country to purchase them, Zhang Mu directly used a fake identity to place orders online.

After ordering all the necessary herbs, he leaned against a machine and thought about the academy's recruitment and the sect's disciple intake.

When he gave the blueprints to the Gur City construction team, he had asked for an approximate completion time.

The captain stated that if given enough manpower and without considering cost-saving, the first phase of the project could be completed in at most one month.

Zhang Mu had divided the entire academy and sect into ten phases.

Phase one for the academy included the tracks, scenery along the way, and the main academy buildings. For the sect, it was the main peak and immortal scenery.

Since he didn't have to worry about the overall assembly of the parts—a step he planned to solve within the "World" using its built-in functions—

He was somewhat dissatisfied with a one-month construction period.

"Tsk, let's take it slow." After thinking for a while without finding an effective solution, Zhang Mu muttered, "I can use this time to build up momentum for the school opening and the opening of the Mountain Gate.

Also, the refining of puppets needs to be sped up. There's so much to do.

Well... first, I'll buy the machines I need urgently."

His mind whirled, and he realized that although there were many things to do, the only thing he could do right now was to get the equipment settled.

Rare puppet materials would have to wait until the herbs arrived and he brewed the potions to trade for them.

Thinking of this, he stopped dawdling, pulled out his phone to contact an exceptionally enthusiastic agent, specified the machines he needed, and paid the deposit.

Then he summoned the portal and stepped inside.