At Augus’s shocked expression, Gesgail’s smile deepened. He knew how lucky he was, always managing to reap rewards that made Augus envious, and this time was beyond his wildest dreams—even falling from the sky while riding a dragon could bring him good fortune. How could this not make him gloat?
“Hurry up and tell me, what is it this time? Did you find another treasure?” Augus urged.
“No!” Gesgail adopted an air of profound mystery, showing no haste whatsoever.
But Augus was nowhere near as composed. His heart was itching with impatience; he seriously considered giving Gesgail a thorough frisking right then and there.
“Spit it out, don't play games, or I swear I’ll make things difficult for your granddaughter!” Augus pressed.
Augus held an important position: the Headmaster of the ‘Dream Star Magic Martial Academy.’ His strength was on par with Gesgail’s. Gesgail’s young granddaughter, Lisa, happened to be a student there, which was why Augus made that threat! It seemed Feng Haotian was also studying at the ‘Dream Star Magic Martial Academy,’ too! Sigh!
“Would you really do that?” Gesgail remained utterly unfazed by the threat, knowing full well that his old friend doted on Lisa even more than he did!
Augus didn't argue; he truly couldn't bring himself to harm her. He adored her daily, so making things difficult was out of the question. But then, he thought of another tactic. He chuckled and said, “Your beard looks thicker again. How about I have Lisa trim it up for you later?”
Indeed, this threat worked far better than the last. After a round of pleading, Gesgail finally relented, “You guessed right. I’ve had another unexpected windfall on this trip!” “What is it?”
“I met a master!”
“A master? You mean from the Giant Clan?” Augus looked at Gesgail suspiciously, finding the claim utterly unbelievable. The Giant Clan resided thousands of miles away; how could Gesgail have possibly traveled there?
“Not the Giant Clan you’re thinking of!” Gesgail was nearly speechless. Fearing more wild guesses, he quickly added, “I met an individual. Someone incredibly powerful. And this person seems to know everything!”
Silence. A silence lasting tens of seconds!
Then, an unrestrained roar of laughter burst from Augus, almost bringing tears to his eyes.
“Gesgail, tell me, didn’t that little dragon pointed out by Manlange kick you on the head when you were returning? You actually say something so ridiculous! Omniscient, hah! Such a person simply cannot exist in this world!” Augus finally managed to choke down his laughter after a long while.
Gesgail merely rolled his eyes at him a few times, not taking offense. Only after Augus had laughed himself out did he speak again, “You don’t believe me?”
“Forget me, ask Lisa if she’d believe it, hah.”
“Do you remember that problem we were trying to solve together two years ago?” Gesgail asked out of the blue.
Augus froze, not understanding why Gesgail brought that up, but he answered anyway, “Are you referring to that issue concerning the proof of ‘Reverse Magic Application’?”
Gesgail nodded, his expression turning serious: “Exactly that issue!”
“Why bring that up now? Didn’t we fail countless times trying to prove it?” Augus was even more astonished.
He certainly hadn't forgotten that matter. Back then, he and Gesgail had experimented day and night trying to prove the possibility of the conclusion that “Magic could be applied in reverse.”
As everyone knew, magic was merely a specific arrangement of magical elements; different patterns formed different states, thus creating different spells! The concept of this ‘Reverse Magic Application’ was to break down a formed spell back into its constituent magical elements!
The two, initially brimming with conviction, had thrown themselves into the research, but after innumerable failed attempts, they had to abandon the project. The underlying principles were far too esoteric. Even with their vast knowledge of magic, they were hopelessly out of their depth!
This failure remained a significant regret for both men, and Augus couldn't grasp why Gesgail would suddenly mention it!
Gesgail took a deep breath, as if calming his surging excitement, before answering after a long pause: “I have reached a conclusion on that matter!”
“What?” Augus jolted, the previous mirth instantly replaced by stark horror.
This was no small thing. The problem they had been unable to solve even working together now, and Gesgail claimed to have a conclusion—how could that not shock someone?
“What is your conclusion?” Augus also took a deep breath before asking.
“Reverse Magic Application truly exists!” Though Gesgail stated it calmly, the slight tremor in his hand betrayed that his heart was far from tranquil.
That simple sentence struck Augus like a bolt of lightning, leaving him speechless for a long moment, staring blankly at Gesgail!
The air in the room seemed to freeze at that moment, the atmosphere intensely oppressive!
After a long while, Augus finally managed to ask in a stuttering voice, “H-how did you arrive at that conclusion?” He desperately needed to know how Gesgail had managed to prove it.
However, Gesgail’s reply nearly sent him over the edge!
“That master told me!” His tone remained utterly placid!
Crack!
Several imaginary ‘earthworms’ seemed to pop out on Augus’s forehead, and the corners of his mouth twitched violently!
He actually believed it based merely on the word of a ‘master,’ and made such a solemn announcement? Damn it, had Manlange really kicked him in the head?
At this moment, Augus felt like strangling Gesgail. He’d been led into such a tense state, only to find out it might be a hoax. The feeling of being hoisted high into the air only to be dropped violently was awful!
If this was just a joke, Gesgail had taken it too far. Augus was genuinely starting to get angry!
Just then, Gesgail finally broke the silence, asking Augus, “You don’t think I believed it just based on one sentence, do you?”
Augus blinked. Wasn't that the case?
Gesgail took another deep breath, then stated firmly, “The reason I believe it is because I saw proof with my own eyes!”
In this world, the best proof was always the tangible fact!
“Proof?” Augus was utterly bewildered, staring blankly at Gesgail again. He was being jerked around by Gesgail’s erratic behavior!
“I personally witnessed that master execute ‘Reverse Magic Application’!” Gesgail stated again.
“What??” Augus sprang to his feet. This statement was equivalent to the blast radius of an atomic bomb to him.
His eyes nearly popped out from shock, and his entire body stood frozen like a wooden statue, as if his soul had abandoned his body, captured by some celestial being.
‘Reverse Magic Application.’ The mere theoretical proof of it had been notoriously difficult. To think someone had turned this unproven theory into reality. Anyone hearing this news would wear the same expression as Augus.
Gesgail didn't disturb Augus. He understood Augus’s current state of shock, recalling how long it had taken him to recover from the initial awe—even now, mentioning it made his blood boil with excitement!
After an unmeasured period, Augus finally came back to life. The first thing to move was his mouth, which asked in an unbelievably shocked tone, “You truly saw it with your own eyes?”
Gesgail nodded. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed it so completely!
“Are you certain you weren’t just seeing things?” Old Augus asked again. (It was understandable; people of advanced age were prone to visual artifacts, sigh!)
“I am certain I was not!” Gesgail replied with the most definitive certainty possible.
Augus sank back into his seat but kept muttering under his breath, “How is this possible? How is this possible?? How is this…”
The room fell silent once more.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Augus suddenly shot up as if sprung by a coiled wire, launching himself toward Gesgail. His speed was so startling that his excess weight seemed to cease to exist!
Gesgail jumped in surprise, looking up at Augus, unsure what he was planning.
“What does the master look like? Where did you meet him? Is he still there?” Augus blurted out a string of questions like rapid-fire beads.
Gesgail let out a long breath, answering all of Augus’s questions with a single sentence: “No need to be so agitated. That master is staying with me right now!”
Huh?
Augus’s agitated expression instantly melted into one of utter idiocy!
“Y-you mean that master is currently staying at your place?” Augus’s emotions had swung wildly today; one wondered if he might suffer lasting side effects.
“That’s why I told you not to get so excited!” Gesgail had calmed down considerably now. After all, he had mentally prepared himself, and his recovery was much faster than Augus’s!
But that statement had little effect on Augus. He once again became very agitated: “Then—then quickly take me to see this ‘master’!” He was burning with desire to witness a demonstration of ‘Reverse Magic Application’ himself!
“No need to be so worked up, it’s not time to meet him yet!” Gesgail advised again.
He himself longed to see Zhong Shenxiu again; the numerous questions piling up demanded answers. However, Zhong Shenxiu remained locked in his room all day and had strictly forbidden any uninvited disturbance. Gesgail was powerless. He dared not offend this master; if the man decided to leave because of interference, Gesgail would have no choice but to bang his head against a wall!
Augus was about to ask why, when a servant dashed in, looking utterly frantic. He hadn't even bothered to knock.
“Master, that Young Master Xianbu you commanded has just left his room!” the servant gasped, catching his breath.
“What?” Gesgail reacted instantly, leaping to his feet with a sharp whoosh. How ironic—he had just told Augus not to get excited!