Chapter 358: Perfect Protection, Vast Ocean Sea Route

After the same magic circuit was connected in series and activated eighteen times, the spell took effect, instantly erupting into a blinding glare before Wang Yu and Elvia. A deafening boom followed in perfect synchronization. With almost no surprise, this brand-new, untested spell spiraled out of control, exploding into a turbulent vortex of mana right in front of them.

"Sorry, I forgot that the reason no one has ever used this casting structure is that it inevitably leads to a mana collapse, regardless of any metamagic. But Wang Yu, you are..."

Elvia dispersed the mana shield she had instinctively triggered to protect herself, sticking out her tongue in apology.

She had clearly been too excited. Connecting eighteen identical cornerstone magic circuits in a row was indeed a novel structure, but according to the theories she had studied, these eighteen circuits would never produce a unique magical effect; instead, they were destined to cause mana instability and a total detonation.

"Hmm, no problem at all. Anyone who sees this new Book of Weavers would be thrilled. Its significance is truly immense. If we can continue to expand upon it, this book will indeed become a miraculous artifact capable of weaving magic."

"However, it seems I have also figured out where the changes I sensed in my body came from after finishing my training with Astartes."

Wang Yu naturally wouldn't hold the girl's minor blunder against her. It was rare to see her make a mistake, and it didn't matter at all, especially after creating something so profoundly worth remembering.

The explosion had not been allowed to fully release its energy. The reason was simple: Wang Yu’s reaction speed was far superior to the girl’s. Even before the mana shield had manifested, he had already moved to ensure her safety.

He reached out, his hand clenching into a fist, and the erupting mana turbulence was forced into a sphere, suspended right before the girl. Inside, the mana remained chaotic and disordered; aside from the initial sound and flash, the subsequent destructive power was never released. Indeed, this mana had been seized and held fast by Wang Yu’s Chariot Force.

"Just as I thought. When my physical strength crosses a certain threshold, I can begin to influence mana—a substance that is hardly tangible—by using the Chariot Force."

"Then that sensation from before was undoubtedly the signal of breaking through the limit. It is truly fortunate to have discovered what exactly has changed so quickly."

With a faint curve to his lips, Wang Yu waved his hand. The Chariot Force bound the mana and tore its structure apart, causing the light, heat, and shockwaves born from the instability to dissipate without a trace, stripped of all resistance.

"So, Wang Yu, you can now forcibly command mana with your Chariot Force? Can you use it to piece together spells, like a simple Arcane Missile?"

Seeing Wang Yu snatch that runaway mana turbulence, Elvia had already guessed the changes occurring within him. After Wang Yu gave an affirmative answer, the girl felt both jubilant and curious.

"Er, it seems not. I can forcibly assemble mana into the structure of a magic circuit, but I cannot activate it."

Wang Yu tried to follow Elvia's instructions, piecing together the mana into the structure of a low-level spell. But while the structure took shape, it produced no effect; it merely sat in a static state, devoid of any practical utility.

"Sigh, it’s just as I vaguely feared. Even if you can influence mana, you cannot change its nature."

"Only by transitioning from an inert state to an active one can mana produce various effects. You can force inert mana into the corresponding structure, but you lack the trigger to make it move."

The girl sighed softly, walked over to Wang Yu, who had sat back down at the table, and patted his head in consolation. There had been so much good news today—the enhancement of Wang Yu’s Chariot Force and the successful creation of the Arcane Weaver—yet there remained a small regret.

"Indeed, but that is normal. Nothing to lament. This is part of a mage's innate talent, utilizing mental power and mana vortices to mobilize energy. We still haven't grasped the principles behind that. I can use the Chariot Force for other things, though."

With a finger to his chin, Wang Yu pondered. He didn't take the inability to cast spells to heart; the way his Chariot Force manipulated mana was entirely different from a mage’s method. It was perfectly normal that he couldn't cast spells, but he already had preliminary ideas for practical applications.

"Whew..."

Exhaling, Wang Yu took the Book of Weavers from the girl. Regarding the book's name, Wang Yu felt it was best not to let Elvia choose.

After all, he already had too many "something-ers" in his possession; he had a "Conqueror" alchemy revolver holstered at his waist. "Book of Weavers" sounded comfortable enough, even if the "weaver" was at the front. But that wasn't the point, was it!

Turning to the second page, Wang Yu released his mental power, using it to tap the page instead of his fingers. Twelve magic circuits were combined according to the magical knowledge he had learned: a second-tier defensive spell, Airflow Shield.

Choosing not to use the internal power-supply structure of the Book of Weavers, Wang Yu released his Chariot Force in all directions, then pulled it back like a siphon.

Within its range of influence, the mana in the space was rapidly dragged in, then forcibly controlled by the Chariot Force and stuffed into the Book of Weavers, providing power to the defensive spell composed of the twelve magic circuits.

The airflow rotated at high speed, solidified by the influence of the mana. A solid barrier of air appeared on the surface of Wang Yu’s body. Its inherent strength was not particularly high, but compared to a mana shield, it possessed greater physical resistance and specialized defensive effects against projectiles.

The girl, in tacit understanding, cast a spell rapidly, launching an offensive spell of the same tier at the airflow shield surrounding Wang Yu. A series of rock daggers shot out, striking the surface of the barrier: a second-tier offensive spell, Basalt Torrent.

The rock daggers struck the barrier—which looked distinctly different from a normal Airflow Shield—and were instantly torn to pieces. The shattered stone fragments ricocheted into the surroundings, clattering against the walls. Clearly, a normal Airflow Shield did not have the effect of directly crushing and shredding an offensive spell of the same tier.

Compared to the colorless and intangible Airflow Shield made purely of air, the barrier on Wang Yu’s body manifested as a translucent white, appearing more substantial and providing stronger defense.

"Although I cannot activate spells, I can extract mana from the surrounding environment to charge the Book of Weavers. In this way, the demand for power supply will be greatly reduced, and this is one of the effects of metamagic, correct?"

The Chariot Force covered his arm, plunging into the spherical airflow shield on his body and tearing it to shreds. In the future, if he encountered someone using a mana shield to block him, he could simply use the Chariot Force to rip those spells apart.

"That is exactly it. The amount of mana you briefly extracted from the surroundings far exceeds what is needed for normal casting. The excess mana is used directly to enhance the spell's intensity. This is indeed one of the effects of metamagic."

Elvia nodded in agreement. Wang Yu was right; overcharged mana could be used to enhance a spell's effect. Even if the second page of the Book of Weavers could only piece together second-tier spells, as long as there was enough mana, the casting intensity could not be underestimated.

His mental power tapped continuously on the magic chips within the Book of Weavers. Following the spell structures in his memory, Wang Yu quickly completed the construction of a spell. At the same moment, the Chariot Force expanded outward, dragging back mana to fill the book. The excessive mana significantly bolstered the spell's effect.

Thunder flashed and lightning roared. In Wang Yu’s hand, a thunder spear flickering with blinding electric light gradually took form. The second-tier spell structure could hardly withstand the injection of so much mana, causing it to overflow in the form of electric light. Arcs danced and coiled around Wang Yu’s arm, but the slight tingling sensation could not produce any substantial effect on his resilient body.

"The intensity of this spell should be at the fourth tier. The reason it is difficult to increase the intensity further is that the degree of metamagic is not yet complete. If we can push the metamagic further, stacking up an eighth-tier Arcane Missile is not impossible."

Elvia commented jokingly on the blinding, powerful thunder spear in Wang Yu’s hand, which was already leaking electricity onto him. As for stacking an eighth-tier Arcane Missile with mana, that was just talk; to actually achieve it, that Arcane Missile would have to be at least as large as a mountain.

"Truly wonderful. The lost ability to cast spells has returned, and I can even combine different spells according to my needs—buffs, defense, attacks—whatever I want, and without the previous limitations. This is absolutely exhilarating!"

Using the Chariot Force to crush the slightly out-of-control thunder spear in his hand, Wang Yu made no effort to hide his joy. He continued to use the Book of Weavers, piecing together various spells without the slightest fear of breaking the book.

Times were different now; this Book of Weavers wasn't something the girl had cobbled together in a small workshop, but a product made with top-tier materials under the powerful logistical support of the Sky Mechanical City. It wouldn't break so easily.

"The help this Book of Weavers can provide me is simply too great. It seems that how to protect this item in battle has become quite clear."

Satisfied, Wang Yu placed the Book of Weavers back on the table. He had a clear understanding of the help this book could provide; the benefits were immense, and even now, as his true strength approached that of a high-tier Great Knight, it could not be underestimated.

The sturdiness of the new Book of Weavers, supported by better materials, was much better than before, but in the high-intensity, life-or-death close-quarters combat Wang Yu engaged in, destruction could happen in an instant. Fortunately, Wang Yu had already thought of a way to protect it.

"Are you planning to use the Casting Hammer?"

The girl had already understood what Wang Yu wanted to do.

"Exactly."

He drew the Broken Meteorite Blade, placed it on the table next to the Book of Weavers, and nodded in response.

The Casting Hammer could fuse two inanimate objects together. As long as he wished, he could switch between the two items in an instant.

Wang Yu had originally intended to fuse the Conqueror alchemy revolver with the Broken Meteorite Blade, allowing him to switch flexibly in battle and catch his opponent off guard with a surprise attack.

After thinking it over carefully, he realized that the Casting Hammer, as a wonder-item, didn't actually have such an astonishing effect in terms of offense. After all, he could only use one of the two items at a time, which, in a way, actually reduced his destructive power.

But thinking from another perspective, when one item was in use, the other could never be harmed. Therefore, in terms of protection, this item's role in battle was shockingly powerful.

The Broken Meteorite Blade was the sturdiest material Wang Yu currently possessed. Aside from the Chariot Force, no attack could damage it. Its raw material had fallen from the stars, meaning even a dissociation layer could not harm this weapon.

If he used the Casting Hammer to fuse the Broken Meteorite Blade and the Book of Weavers, whenever Wang Yu didn't want the book to be damaged in battle, he could simply switch the blade out. The indestructible blade would then bear all the damage in place of the book. It was a nearly perfect combination.

Although the Casting Hammer had a five-year cooldown and Wang Yu might find a more perfect match later, for now, he had decided to fuse these two items—both to firmly grasp his strength and as a recognition of the Book of Weavers' extremely high potential.

"Then wait for me to refine the Book of Weavers a bit more. In half a month, I should be able to further improve the metamagic degree, and all the cornerstone magic circuits for third-tier spells can also be crafted and embedded within it."

The girl took the Book of Weavers from the table. Since it was for Wang Yu to use, Elvia was prepared to give him the best. Once it was fused with the Broken Meteorite Blade, making improvements would become much more troublesome.

"Many thanks."

Wang Yu pressed his palms together and bowed to the girl—a unique way of expressing gratitude between the two.

The laboratory door was knocked at this moment. Wang Yu had already sensed them when they entered a certain range, so he opened the door immediately. It was Zig and Noelle, who was carrying a crate on her head.

"Knowing you were here, Wang Yu, I brought the things. Elvia’s Book of Weavers was a success, wasn't it?"

Zieg told his sister to set the crate upon the table, within which lay a thick, resilient roll of fabric.

"It is a success, the results far exceeding our expectations; is this... a chart of the Endless Sea?"

Wang Yu replied, his gaze shifting toward the bundle, sensing that Zieg’s arrival held a singular purpose.

"Indeed. I cross-referenced every nautical chart from the Sky Machine City and the Midnight Library, both ancient and recent, to triangulate a viable passage."

Zieg unfurled the fabric, revealing a map of immense scale and meticulous detail spread across the table—a chart of the Endless Sea, upon which a long, winding route was traced, leading toward the lost kingdom of dragons, that fabled island adrift in the vast, boundless deep.