Hailuot asked, "How important is it? I still have things to do."
Frank replied, "Only a personally written spellbook can unleash its full Divine Might. See the adventurers in the reading hall downstairs? They're all studying the most basic Magic Theory with great dedication, hoping to use spellbooks written by their own hands."
This process will be long, but it's absolutely worth it, because what they ultimately gain isn't just a spellbook of their own—it's far more an absorption of Thaumaturgy itself.
I can tell that Master Laem values you greatly. Don't miss this opportunity."
Hailuot agreed, "What should I do?"
"First, sort through Master Laem's Manuscript. I'll prepare the materials for making the spellbook. Let's begin..."
Frank's body shook violently. One became two, two became four, and four became eight. In moments, the Ghosts he had split off filled the space around the long table.
The Ghosts worked in remarkable coordination. They used Magic to haul the needed materials from the surrounding cabinets to the center of the table, then divided the labor among themselves to process the paper, ink, glue, and every other material they would use.
The preparations for making the spellbook proceeded in an orderly manner.
Hailuot found a corner of the table that wouldn't get in the Ghosts' way and sat down. One of the Ghosts brought him ink and a Quill Pen.
"Writing records knowledge, knowledge unlocks wisdom, and the power of wisdom is boundless."
Frank's voice echoed in Hailuot's ear.
Hailuot used Mana to gather his Mental Power. His Spiritual Consciousness entered a state of selfless absorption as he picked up Master Laem's Manuscript and began to read. At once, he saw an entirely new world unfold. The words rose from the page and floated around him as he drifted through a vast, dark cosmos.
Master Laem's recitation echoed in his ears. The words linked into sentences, and the sentences formed one magic circle after another around him.
The illusion shifted. Hailuot found himself sitting in a classroom at the Imperial Royal Academy, with his Magic Mentor at the podium and the blackboard covered in Magical Knowledge.
The magical knowledge he'd learned before came surging forth like a spring welling up.
Inspiration flooded his mind. He felt an urge to write that would not subside until he released it onto the page. Hailuot seized the Quill Pen, dipped it in ink, and began writing furiously in the blank spaces of Master Laem's Manuscript.
Hailuot did not notice the black circular hole opening above his head. Stars lit up one after another inside the Black Hole. Though sparse, the deep, boundless space seemed to hold countless more stars waiting for someone to light them.
The Ghosts glanced at the Black Hole above Hailuot's head, then lowered their heads and quickened their work.
No one knew how long had passed before Hailuot set down the final stroke on the last page of the manuscript.
He let out a long breath. Instead of exhausting his mind and body, the intense thinking had left him feeling clear and joyful.
He looked again at Master Laem's manuscript—it was now unrecognizable.
At first, Laem's Manuscript was neat, its elegant script displaying a master's refinement and bearing.
Now, annotations crowded every line. Dense words and symbols filled the once-artful Manuscript, turning it into something like scribbled graffiti. Anyone unaware of its worth might crumple it up and toss it into a wastebasket in disgust.
Frank's voice sounded behind Hailuot: "It seems I completely underestimated your ability. Your annotations extend Master Laem's wisdom through an entirely different Magical System, opening new avenues for it.
Master Laem has brought the Azure Society a treasure!
Ready to make the spellbook?"
Hailuot looked up. Every Ghost in the room had vanished, and Frank had returned to his usual form. After praising Hailuot's annotations, Frank placed the spellbook in his hands on the table before him.
The cover consisted of beast hide processed through drying, hardening, Enchantment, and other steps, giving it a rustic, sturdy texture. Inside lay blank pages. Each glowed faintly, with a soft haze of ink drifting across its surface.
The book was ten centimeters thick, like a brick.
Hailuot replied to Frank, "I'm ready. What do I do?"
"Turn to the last page."
Hailuot flipped the blank spellbook over and opened the back cover.
Frank continued, "Write the author's name at the end. Master Laem's full name is Saidu Ice Mist Tree Laem, and then your name."
Hailuot picked up the pen and asked, "Do you need my full name?"
"No need. A name is a vessel for wisdom."
Hailuot wrote "Saidu Ice Mist Tree Laem" on the last page, then beneath it wrote "Old Dominator."
"Done! What's next?"
"Look above you."
Hailuot looked up and saw the Black Hole above his head, its darkness dotted with flickering points of Starlight.
"What is this?"
"This is the Mysterious Domain. It opens in response to wisdom. Now, what you need to do is... inscribe that wisdom into the spellbook.
Open the title page and write your dedication, and let the Starlight of wisdom descend."
Hailuot flipped the spellbook back to the front and opened the title page.
He picked up the pen and wrote, "Death is never the end of life—it is life's continuation through another form.
Saidu Ice Mist Tree Laem"
As Hailuot set down the final stroke, Starlight began descending from the Black Hole above, one point after another. Sparkling dust trailed behind each point as they spiraled down in coiling paths. If one listened closely, faint whispers emerged from them, like the voices of mischievous little sprites.
When the last of the Starlight broke free, the Black Hole contracted and closed.
All the Starlight landed on the Manuscript Laem and Hailuot had created together, its glimmering dust soaking into the pages. The words began to glow, then peeled away from the surface layer by layer and drifted off.
Spinning, spinning...
The blank spellbook on the table flipped open to the next page. The drifting words settled into orderly rows, and the haze of ink swept across them, completing their Inscription. As the words filled the page, its glow slowly dimmed. Gray-black mist rose, withered bones appeared on the paper, and the faint chanting of Ghosts echoed between the words.
When the final word entered the spellbook, the open book flipped through its pages and snapped shut.
The spellbook righted itself before Hailuot.
Frank, who had stood behind Hailuot throughout, spoke up: "One last step. Name this spellbook, which belongs to you and Master Laem. Say the name aloud."
Hailuot thought for a moment, then said, "Codex of the Old Ones."
The patterns on the book's cover began to shift, and magical text spelling out "Codex of the Old Ones" appeared.
Frank said happily, "It worked! Feel its power. This is only its unfinished power; once you and Mage Laem work together to complete it, I can't imagine what it will become."