Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 62 The Value of Literacy

"So, after finishing this book, did you feel a headache?"

Dr. Schneider asked again.

"Did you? Probably..."

He observed the expressions of the two:

"Probably yes, I fell into a deep sleep after I finished it."

Shard hesitated, actually he had spent some time playing with Mia in the evening which delayed him, and he read the book late into the night until he could no longer stay awake. He indeed felt a headache, but it was likely because he had slept too late and was woken up too early by a hungry cat.

"That's normal. Books that contain frenzied knowledge will affect the reader. Even Circle Sorcerers have another self to block the direct power of knowledge, but Circle Sorcerers themselves will still be affected. Shard, actually, you don't need to rush, acquiring the Spirit Rune requires a process."

The doctor kindly consoled, and Shard nodded with his mouth closed, wondering in his mind:

"Is my spirit strong, or are you the one shielding me from those effects?"

[You are me, and I am you, there's no difference.]

During the learning session, Dr. Schneider and Miss Luisa mentioned difficulties encountered in Circle Sorcerer studies, Shard could only understand half of it.

Dr. Schneider recently participated in an elective course called "Aether Mechanics," which was only open to magicians of Five Rings or above but did not teach power, focusing only on theory. The formal name of the course should be "Spirit Mechanics," which is the study of the spirit, existing as idealism, and its interaction with matter.

However, the professor teaching this course, Professor Rutherford, preferred the spirit's old nickname from past eras, which is "aether," hence the course was named Aether Mechanics.

This course was very difficult to comprehend and belonged to the forefront of theoretical courses for Circle Sorcerers. Of course, the doctor was not intent on pursuing theoretical research; he was not even interested in the course itself but wanted to use it to get closer to Professor Rutherford.

This professor from the History Academy was quite formidable, having considerable skills in the arcane techniques of time and space, and Shard would also contact him in his senior years.

Dr. Schneider could hardly understand the course content, doubting his own intelligence, while hoping to discuss topics like "the completely different theories of spirit," "Hilbert Aether Space," and "transformation of appearances" with Miss Luisa, who was a grade below him, in search of new ideas.

Shard believed, the bewildered expression shown by Miss Luisa at that time, looked very much like him when he first dipped into the theory of Mysticism.

Compared to the doctor who had ambitiously chosen "Aether Mechanics" and thus fallen into deep distress, Miss Luisa's problems were much simpler.

Shard replied, then looked at the doctor, who then looked at the writer:

"Is the translation correct? I'm just at passing level, I don't understand these."

"It should be... right."

Miss Luisa, who was not even at passing level, said:

"But how do you understand this?"

"I'm not sure either. Just now, the 'Space-Time' Spirit Rune suddenly flashed on the Ring of Fate... and then 'another me' hinted to me, and I understood the language."

The doctor and the writer both showed a look of sudden realization:

"At the moment of your contact with the ancient language, the power of 'Space-Time' guided you to gain knowledge from the past, that's how it is."

They made an explanation for Shard.

This was not just a random talk, because indeed, sometimes Spirit Runes do function without being touched at all.

"So, Mr. Hamilton, can you help me translate this book?"

Miss Luisa once again handed the pen and paper to Shard:

"Two weeks' time, by mid-July, a simple translation will do, it doesn't need to be very precise. On one hand, for your mental health, I wouldn't want a Circle Sorcerer on my team to lose control due to my exam; on the other hand, if I score exceptionally well, I wouldn't be able to answer the professor's questions."

Her considerations were very meticulous.

"I think two weeks should be fine."

Shard nodded, and Miss Writer finally showed a relieved smile:

"I wouldn't let you work for free, I can give you a rare sorcery, 'Frog's Leap.' This can give you enhanced jumping ability for a short period, apart from needing disgusting frog legs as spellcasting materials, there are almost no drawbacks. This is quite a rare sorcery; when I contributed it to the school library, I instantly received two practical credits."

Of course, Shard didn't refuse.