Chapter 311: Selecting

Time spent with someone you love always feels effortless.

After strolling leisurely through the garden, Blanchette led Ronning to her study.

“Wait here for a moment.”

She smiled mysteriously and stepped into the inner chamber.

Ronning glanced inside—it appeared to be a library, lined with countless bookshelves.

He couldn’t help but sigh: “Your collection far surpasses mine.”

“I flip through them when I’m bored,” Blanchette replied. “Many of these books I’ve never even read.”

As she spoke, she opened the bookcase on her left and pulled out several volumes, placing them on the outer desk.

“What’s this?” Ronning curiously stepped closer.

Blanchette explained: “When we rowed on Lake Wushan, you mentioned wanting to learn about history before the Empire’s founding. During my time back, I gathered what I could—only these.”

Ronning remembered the conversation.

Though he’d spoken partly to fill the silence, he had genuinely been intrigued by the era before the Empire.

Books in this world were expensive—a forty-page parchment volume cost four silver coins, and even then, the content was sparse.

Historical texts were dull and unpopular, lacking market value, so few bothered to record them.

The fragmentation of history, then, was only natural.

Ronning picked up one volume and flipped through it idly. “Thank you. May I take these back to read?”

“Of course!”

Blanchette smiled. “I’ve read all seven. Their accounts are neither detailed nor complete. But three of them mention words like ‘Demon God’ and ‘Cataclysm.’”

“Demon God… Cataclysm…”

Ronning silently turned the phrases over in his mind, recalling his encounter in the eerie valley—the monstrous figures pierced through by swords yet still alive—and he felt certain: before the Empire, there must have been a far more glorious, arcane history.

Had a cataclysm reset this world?

Blanchette opened one of the books, found the relevant passage, and handed it to him.

“Though these terms appear, the descriptions remain vague. To me, they read more like romanticized knightly fantasies.”

“Let me see.”

Ronning took the book and began to read.

People commonly held the illusion that time flew swiftly when one was with someone they loved.

Ronning and Blanchette were living proof—what felt like merely a few circuits around the garden and a few quiet exchanges in the study had already brought them to noon.

The planned morning visit to the library would now have to wait until afternoon.

After lunch, Blanchette took on the role of hostess, using the opportunity to stroll through the vast Golden Feather Palace with Ronning as her guest.

Occasionally, they encountered other nobles wandering the grounds and paused to exchange pleasantries.

Ronning noticed, however, that when Blanchette introduced him as a friend, several ladies’ eyes seemed to flicker with pity.

Blanchette, too, seemed to notice—her expression grew uneasy, her mood subtly dimmed.

Ronning, ever considerate, offered gentle reassurance.

Soon, they arrived before the library.

Contrary to Ronning’s expectation of a grand, towering edifice, the so-called library was merely a single-story building, barely a hundred square paces in size.

Unlike ordinary wooden or stone structures, its outer walls were coated in some peculiar substance, etched with countless magical runes.

According to Blanchette, the library had been fortified by the Archmage Berola; ordinary attacks could scarcely damage it.

If the inner magical array were activated, its defenses would grow even stronger.

Ronning surveyed the surroundings: beyond its own formidable protections, no fewer than ten knights stood guard nearby—no thief would dare approach.

At the entrance, a towering knight—evidently instructed by the King himself—spotted Blanchette and Ronning and stepped forward with courteous greetings before allowing them entry.

He did, however, issue a warning: Ronning could select only two books. No more could be taken out.

The massive doors groaned open, releasing a scent—part parchment, part beast-hide—unpleasant to the nose.

“Here’s the inventory,” Blanchette said, clearly familiar with the place. She walked to a side table and picked up a bound volume, handing it to Ronning.

He took it and could not help but marvel at Brunno’s astonishing collection.

From beginner-level to seventh- and eighth-tier spells and combat techniques, every discipline was represented. There were also secret manuals on aura cultivation, and the very techniques mentioned yesterday.

“No wonder he’s the King. This library’s worth probably exceeds the entirety of my Northern U lands.”

Blanchette smiled faintly. “You’d better choose wisely.”

“Naturally.”

Brunno had only set a limit of two books—no restrictions on type or tier.

Seeking maximum benefit, Ronning bypassed the sixth-tier techniques and spells suited to his current level, aiming instead for seventh-tier and above.

In the Magic Energy Guild, sixth-tier spells were nearly impossible to acquire—let alone anything higher.

“Seventh-tier spell: ‘Wings of Wind’—freeing the mage from the earth’s grasp, allowing flight like a bird.”

“Seventh-tier spell: ‘Heartfire of the Earth’—generating heat hot enough to melt iron into water!”

“Seventh-tier spell: ‘Earth Bear’—summoning a colossal rock bear to crush all before it!”

“Eighth-tier spell: ‘Weight of the World’—altering gravity in a region, rendering even the mightiest knight immobile…”

The descriptions carried a faint air of disdain toward martial knights.

As Ronning scanned the list, he could almost feel the raw power humming behind each name.

Though he possessed only Wind and Fire affinities, perhaps other elements might prove useful later.

Water. Earth. Lightning.

The gifted adepts in his domain might one day need them.

Alas, he had only two slots.

Ronning blinked at Blanchette. “What if I want all of them?”

“Ah—”

Blanchette paused, then blinked back, hesitating. “Shall I ask Father for a few more?”

Suddenly, her cheeks flushed. “Or… when you marry me, I’ll have him give them as wedding gifts.”

“Hahaha, perfect!”

Ronning laughed and turned his gaze back to the list, beginning his selection.

First, he prioritized secret techniques—rare and potent.

But there was only one on the list: *Scorching Ray*.

This technique required fusing and compressing Wind and Fire aura into a concentrated beam of light.

The ray produced by this secret technique possessed both an extraordinarily high temperature and an unparalleled piercing power—so it was said, it could melt and pierce through even heavy armor.

“Then I’ll take this one first.”

Blanche leaned in. “Only Meteor Knights are permitted to master this secret technique. By choosing it now, you may not be able to use it for many years.”

According to Bruno’s rules, any book containing combat techniques or magic taken from here was strictly forbidden from being passed on to others.

Should anyone be caught disseminating such knowledge, they would face a fine thirty times the standard amount, and the royal family would also crush their reputation, lands, and every other aspect of their standing—consequences of the gravest kind.

Thus, in Blanche’s view, though Ronin’s chosen technique was priceless, it would lie unused for years—or even decades—making it a waste.

“It’s fine. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”

Seeing Ronin’s resolve, Blanche said no more. “Then I’ll go find it for you. Think about your second choice.”

With that, she set off, following the locations listed on the scroll.

What should his second choice be?

Ronin frowned in thought.

He had already selected two Meteor-level techniques; what remained were the spells required for becoming a Grand Mage.

Wings of Wind, Heart-Piercing Wave, Terrain Fire, Summon Fire Elemental.

His gaze drifted back and forth across these four spells.

After a long while, he made his decision.

“You it is—Wings of Wind!” (End of Chapter)