9: Construction of the Mage Tower

The moment Brian's fingertip touched the spatial ring, a warm magic power slowly flowed along the ring's patterns, like a stream over bluestone.

He tightened his grip on the ring, looked up at Klein, his gratitude almost overflowing: "Thank you, Third Uncle."

With the ring securely on his index finger, the two walked side-by-side back to the castle.

The fireplace's firelight danced, casting a warm golden glow on Klein's beard.

"Besides the main Mage Tower's teleportation Magic Formation, an intermediate mage tower can have two additional sub-arrays," he traced two lines of light on the oak table with his fingertip, "This is crucial for the territory's circulation—where do you plan to set them up?"

"I suggest one in the town center, for the convenience of residents and merchant caravans; the other..." Klein paused, pointing his finger towards the castle,

"...should be in the castle's front hall, specifically building a teleportation room. This ensures both safety and ease of family deployment."

A flash of inspiration struck Brian, as if he saw merchant caravans unloading goods via the teleportation Magic Formation, and residents smiling as they passed through the glowing portal to visit relatives.

"Excellent!" He leaned forward, "The Magic Formation in the town center can revitalize commerce, while the one in the castle can strengthen the family's defenses. It's hitting two birds with one stone."

Klein clapped his hands and laughed heartily: "Good boy, you catch on quickly. Now let's finalize the Magic Formation layout—each floor has a different function, so the Magic Formation must be 'tailored to the symptoms'."

After a long discussion between the two.

Klein finally made the decision: "It's settled! First, draw up the Magic Formation blueprints, list the material List, and we'll start work tomorrow morning."

The sky outside the window had unknowingly turned an inky blue, yet the two were oblivious until the crackling of the fireplace's firewood made them realize how late it was.

The next morning, before the thin mist had fully dispersed, Brian was already heading towards the Mage Tower with his spatial ring.

Klein was already standing on the open ground in front of the tower, a faint magical glow surrounding him.

"You're just in time," he raised his chin, "First, clear out the things inside the tower—today I'll teach you how to expand it. No one will build an intermediate mage tower for you a second time."

"Understood!" Brian responded and entered the tower.

He carefully placed the liquid magic power in crystal bottles, the faintly glowing enchanted materials, and stacks of thick magic tomes, one by one, into his spatial ring.

With each item, he used his Spirit Fire to scan it meticulously, fearing he might miss even half a parchment.

Only when he confirmed that the tower was completely empty, even the dust in the corners swept clean with a cleansing spell, did he confidently walk out of the tower door.

Klein looked at his meticulous manner, a look of approval in his eyes: "Let's begin."

Before he finished speaking, his palms slowly rose, and Spirit Fire surged from within him.

In an instant, a pale blue magic power followed, gushing out like a tide, enveloping the entire Mage Tower.

Klein lightly tapped his fingertip, and the space around the tower's foundation twisted like water ripples. The originally three-story tower began to 'grow', bricks and stones wiggling and stacking like living things.

"Watch closely," Klein's voice came mixed with magic fluctuations, "The first step is 'space anchoring,' using magic chains to lock the surrounding space. Otherwise, during expansion, magic power will leak, and the entire tower will collapse."

His fingertip traced complex trajectories, "Then comes shaping: first, use 'Petrify to Mud' to soften the bricks and stones, 'Mage's Hand' to adjust the structure, then 'Mud to Stone' to solidify the form, and finally 'Stone to Gold' to reinforce the tower body."

"After initial shaping, you'll take out the magical materials needed to build the Mage Tower, and use a Spirit Fire of level three or higher to envelop both the materials and the shaped tower body, performing fusion."

As he moved, the tower body rose and widened at a visible speed. The ancient stone walls gradually became covered with a layer of intricate golden patterns.

"Brian, you can join in and try. With me protecting you, there's nothing to fear."

Brian's heart pounded, and he couldn't help but try to guide a wisp of magic power to converge.

Initially, his magic power was like an unbridled wild horse, crashing left and right within Klein's magic flow. But under his Third Uncle's patient guidance, he gradually found his rhythm and began to assist in stabilizing the structure of the newly formed tower layers.

"Yes, just like that... control the magic output, injecting it evenly into every brick and stone..." Klein's voice was encouraging.

When the final spire condensed into shape, the sunlight perfectly pierced through the clouds, casting its rays upon the brand new six-story Mage Tower, its golden body reflecting a dazzling light.

Brian was panting, his palms completely sweaty, yet he couldn't hide his excitement—this was his first time participating in the expansion of a Mage Tower.

Klein withdrew his magic power, wiped the sweat from his forehead, but a hint of pride was on his face:

"The next step is the main event—engraving the Magic Formation. Listen carefully: the entire tower body needs to be carved with a 'Level Four Protection Magic Formation,' a 'Level Four Stability Magic Formation,' a 'Level Four Surveillance Magic Formation,' and also embed a 'Tower Spirit Core' and a 'Space Expansion Magic Formation,' so the internal space can be expanded threefold."

He paused, counting on his fingers:

"The elemental pool is the core of the core. 'Level Four Energy Gathering Rune Array,' 'Other-dimensional Elemental Attraction Array,' 'Elemental Conversion Array'... miss one, and the magic power supply will be cut off. The 'Magic Guiding Magic Formation' and 'Soundproofing Array' for the meditation room also need to be precise; a millimeter difference in rune spacing will reduce the spirit-gathering effect by thirty percent."

"As for the laboratory and the combat room..." Klein glanced at Brian,

"The former's 'Sealing Magic Formation' and 'Elemental Containment Array,' and the latter's 'Magic Net Connection Array,' 'Attack Amplification Array,' and 'Defense Reinforcement Array' are all Level Four Magic Formations. Carving one stroke incorrectly could lead to a magic power riot. Only your Third Uncle, I, am a late-stage Level Three Mage. If it were an early-stage Level Three? Heh heh!"

Brian's heart tightened as he listened, looking once more at the magnificent Mage Tower—in the sunlight, the golden patterns on the tower body seemed to come alive, flowing with mysterious magic power.

He deeply agreed; this was not just a tower, but the crystallization of his Third Uncle's lifelong magical knowledge.

"Third Uncle, I've noted it down," he said solemnly, his eyes revealing unprecedented determination.

Klein looked at him and smiled with satisfaction: "Good boy, this tower will be yours from now on."

""