Defying the Fate of Beheading

"You don't think I'd be foolish enough to give up our mages' greatest advantage, do you?"

The little swan snorted and coquettishly said:

"Do you know why the damage caused by higher-level mages is greater compared to other professions of the same level?"

"It's all thanks to the magic network. Without it as an energy supply, we wouldn't be much better than other professions."

"At most, we just have more methods."

"As for whether the magic network would backfire... do you think we'd let such things happen?"

"Don't forget what the magic network really is!"

At first, Louis didn't quite understand the little swan's words.

But after the last sentence, he suddenly realized.

Generally speaking, people believe that the magic network is the embodiment of the Goddess of Magic.

And the magic network itself is a synthesis of natural energy and movement.

If simply compared to concepts from Louis's previous life, he felt the magic network was more like the combination of Earth's veins and Spiritual Qi in wuxia novels.

As for the Goddess of Magic, she might more appropriately be called the Goddess of Earth's veins and Spiritual Qi.

Though she is indeed powerful, she is more like a consciousness nurtured by this world's energy system.

Because she herself was nurtured from Earth's veins and Spiritual Qi, compared to ordinary people, she naturally has higher-level management privileges over these.

It's just that on Star Continent, Earth's veins and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi are collectively referred to as the magic network.

So the concern over the magic network losing control is very distant for mages.

Would practitioners in wuxia give up cultivation just because Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi might be controlled by some powerful innate god or demon?

As for the Goddess of Magic, all that she is arises from the magic network.

But that doesn't mean she is completely equated with the magic network.

The concept of the magic network is too large and broad.

It's simply not something the Goddess of Magic can fully encompass.

"It looks like you've figured it out."

The little swan snickered, waving the magic staff in hand, and said:

"For many professionals, incorporating extraordinary power into their body's circulation and then using it is a normal state."

"But for mages, they can have the best of both worlds."

"As long as the magic model is slightly adjusted, by instituting a dual-thread mode, they can freely choose between magic network supplying energy and personal supplying energy synchronously."

"If there's no issue with the magic network, perform magic with maximum efficiency."

"If things get bad to the point where pure bodily magic power is needed, then there's another way for us to opt for."

"Of course, if the magic network really blows up, surely quite a few mages will have issues directly."

"But if it really renders them useless... that just means they became mages solely relying on the magic network."

"Profiting off the magic network without any chance of breaking free, isn't it only natural to bear the cost when the magic network has problems?"

Louis nodded, then suddenly sighed.

The little swan looked at him puzzled:

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I just suddenly feel that our little swan has grown up."

The little swan was speechless, then kicked Louis on the knee.

"You're mocking me again!"

Louis grinned without rebutting.

Unfortunately, this magic that could make the magic network primarily supply energy hasn't really changed at all.

The magic used by the little swan could only transform soil into rock, unable to change rock shapes like the magic that transforms rocks.

Nor can it have the effect of turning fossils into mud.

This method can only be used in certain special environments, like marshlands where large-scale foothold creation is needed.

Away from this environment, its effectiveness isn't very strong.

But borrowing the sustained energy supply of magic from the great source, directly performing strong environmental adaptability in specific environments.

That's enough.

A magical light illuminating converted rocks paved a path, allowing Louis and his party to swiftly shuttle through the swamp.

As they proceeded, they realized something was amiss.

"Mountains? There were no peaks here before."

Louis looked into the distance where a vague mist lingered, faintly seeing a bare hill extending endlessly into the distance.

Something could be seen slowly wriggling on those hills.

"Check it out?"

Alice asked.

Louis shook his head.

"Never enter the forest, especially when magical beasts are abundant in the mountains and forests."

The stretch of peaks was far from them; even at full speed, Louis estimated it'd take twenty to thirty minutes of flying.

From such a distance, even trees would look like a fuzzy stretch of lush greenery.

Yet on that hill, even those unknown creatures' movements could be seen clearly.

This speed... wasn't much slower than Louis's full-speed flight.

The Adventurer Guild had sent them to gather useful information.

Louis understood through the little swan that this investigative act was essentially a means aligning with ritual magic.

The little swan's exact words were, "Even heroes weren't born strong; they too had cautious explorative pasts."

So it's known that even for recreating the hero's power through ritual magic, Louis and the others aren't required to battle many monsters during exploration.

Contrarily, cautiously advancing and exploring is the key to comply with the ritual's essence.

As for breaking out of the titled preliminary by achieving victory, the real competitive content is the number of special pieces of intelligence each team obtains.