Chapter 11: Chapter 3: First Steps into Magic (Part 2)_1
"It's moving, it's moving, teacher, the boat is moving."
Goris pulled Ah Dai in front of him, glared at him, and said, "Do you remember what I taught you yesterday?"
Ah Dai blinked, embarrassed, "I, I forgot." Over these past few days, Goris had been teaching him about alchemy, but unfortunately, Ah Dai's mind was extremely slow and he couldn't remember even the simplest terms.
"Humph. I knew you would forget. Just sit cross-legged on the bed for now, since it seems you can't remember anything."
"Okay." Ah Dai responded and sat down as instructed by Goris. Goris stood beside him and said in a deep voice, "I'll have you continue studying the terminology when we get back to my place. For now, on this boat, I'll first let you experience what magic is. Magic is the communication of various elements contained in the world through one's own mental power, using this power to urge them to do what you want. I don't expect you to understand it now, but in a moment, I will infuse my magic power into you. Close your eyes, feel what you see, and then tell me."
Ah Dai nodded, closed his eyes, and said, "Yes, teacher."
Goris said, "I demand that within three months you at least master the Fireball Technique and Flame Spell - the two simplest magics - otherwise, I will not feed you. Now, gather your mind, feel the power I'm going to transmit to you." He stretched out his right hand and murmured a few spells as he pressed it on Ah Dai's shoulder.
Ah Dai felt a sudden heat on his shoulder and thought of the torment he had in the inn that day, causing him to shudder.
"Eliminate distracting thoughts." Goris said in a deep voice.
The heat flowed into his body through his shoulder. It didn't seem to be getting hotter, just constantly circulating within him. Ah Dai couldn't help but relax a bit. His mind was empty of distractions. After a while, he fell asleep in the warmth emitted by Goris.
At first, Goris thought that Ah Dai was immersed in the sea of magic elements, but he never responded. Transferring magic power can only introduce one's own inherent magic power into another's body, it cannot summon the magic elements in the air. So, even Goris, with his magic level, started to feel strained. He slowly withdrew his right hand and said, "Tell me, what did you see? Ah Dai, Ah Dai. Hey, you, you actually fell asleep. Wasting my energy like this, it's infuriating."
A small water ball exploded on Ah Dai's face. Ah Dai, who was enjoying a good dream, woke up with a start, "Ah! It's snowing, it's snowing."
Goris angrily knocked on Ah Dai's head, saying, "Huh, 'snowing'. What did I just ask you to do and what did you actually do?"
Only then did Ah Dai realize his situation and recall some of the previous events. He lowered his head and said, "Teacher, I'm sorry, just now, it was too comfortable, so I fell asleep."
Goris barely suppressed his inner rage and said curtly, "Tell me, what did you just see? Don't say that you don't remember, because if you don't, there will be no dinner for you today."
Upon hearing about the lack of food, Ah Dai immediately became more alert. Scratching his head, he thought, 'I didn't see anything just now! What can I say?' But the temptation of food was too great. Ah Dai thought about it, decided to share his dream, and see if he could bluff his way through it. With this in mind, he looked at the stern-faced Goris and said, "I, I felt heat all over my body, and then I got dizzy. Later, I saw many, many children playing with me, each holding a small red steamed bun in their hand, as if they wanted to give it to me. I received so many, but it was never enough. I wanted to give them something back, but I didn't have anything, so I had to refrain. After that, you 'called' me awake."
Goris was quietly astonished by what he heard. He understood that Ah Dai was talking about his dream. Though Ah Dai had fallen asleep, what he described was related to the fire element. Those children playing with him were purely his dream, but the red balls, they were the fire elements in the world! Why would the fire element be drawn to him? Unless he has a pure fire physique, but he had already checked; Ah Dai wasn't so! Back when he learned fire magic, he could only feel the presence of fire elements around him.
Ah Dai anxiously looked at Goris, not knowing whether his white lie about the dream as his feeling could help him get his meal.
Goris stretched out his right hand and said, "Recite after me. Oh fire elements that fill the sky and earth, please grant me your warm power, condense into a ball, and appear in my hand." With a soft 'puff' sound, a fireball with a diameter of several inches appeared in Goris's hand, making the surrounding air instantly hot.
Although Ah Dai didn't understand what Goris meant, he knew this was another kind of spell. He followed Goris's example and said, "Follow...ah, this phrase isn't necessary. Oh fire elements that fill the sky and earth, please grant me your warm power, condense into a ball, and appear in my hand." As soon as he finished reciting the spell, Ah Dai suddenly felt something rushing towards his palm. With a 'puff' sound, his hand glowed, and a small fireball – one with only a one-centimeter diameter – appeared in his palm. Ah Dai was so scared that he would be burned. The moment he moved his intention, the fireball immediately went out.