I've Got A Mana Processor In A Magic World-Chapter 77: Acquaintances?

Zephyr watched the display in slight amusement. For someone with such a grand name, Sage Maximus couldn’t be more different from what his name suggested. For one, he was small, nothing like the figure Zephyr had in mind when Guide Rita had mentioned his name. Aside from that, he also looked like he was still in his prime. Zephyr had created a mental image of an old man nearly about to cross to the next life... like Master Gregory.

Guide Rita had described Sage Maximus as ’the oldest and most knowledgeable person in Freehold,’ but Sage Maximus looked at most fifty. His hair was dyed a bright red color, or at least Zephyr thought it was a dye, it all added up to give him that young look. Zephyr was sure there was most likely some grand spell or technique in play that made him look younger than he was.

The Sage walked out with the bald butler in tow while the other two old librarians bowed their heads respectfully.

After he left and they raised their heads, the old lady stared at Zephyr like she wanted to say something, but she decided against it, nodding and going back to her post. Master Gregory though, wasn’t as calm as she was. He started rattling every thought and theory that had crossed his mind since he saw how quickly Zephyr comprehended the word Quanta—only Zephyr knew he had comprehended the word as Bit.

Zephyr had to admit the man was humorous. His wild theories made Zephyr laugh a few times. He tried reading at a point to give off the impression of being busy, so Master Gregory could leave him be, but the mental exhaustion Sage Maximus mentioned, and Master Gregory’s utter disregard of his subtle cue prevented him from reading past two lines. He left the rest up to Aegis, simply glancing over the words as he opened each page slowly like he was skimming through so Aegis could capture the whole thing. After going through the whole book, he decided to retire for the day.

The mental fatigue made him think back to how it would be for Exalted and Half-Exalted that were not enhanced like he was. The thought made him ask Master Gregory how long it took to recover after comprehending a word, and the old man explained that it depended on the level of comprehension, the usual thing being, the greater the level of comprehension, the more time it took to recover.

He estimated Zephyr’s recovery time to be around four days before he could attempt comprehending another word.

Zephyr filed the information away, factoring his enhanced body into the estimation and reducing the time by at least half. But he at least knew what was considered normal, so he knew how to proceed.

As he left the Grand Library, he felt a sense of fulfillment that he hadn’t in a long time. He had finally achieved something significant. A major step in the right direction. He now had a clear path of progression that could even bypass his single mana node deficiency.

Things were looking up...

.

.

"What do you think of the boy, Maximus?" A voice asked not far from Zephyr who walked right past them, totally unaware.

Sage Maximus stood, watching Zephyr slowly walk further away, "Promising. Very promising..." he praised, making the other speaker turn to face him in surprise.

"But not enough," he shook his head. "Not yet," he sighed along with the other person.

"Even with his comprehension grade, he’s way behind his competition. His mana node count and low tier still means whatever he does would not be sufficient," Sage Maximus said.

The second speaker kept silent, staring at the moving crowd around them, totally oblivious to their presence right there in the public, they all subconsciously evaded where the two persons stood. Even people with a direct trajectory towards them ended up doing something that made them miss the two standing individuals, almost like there was a redirecting shield around them that affected the subconscious. It was a spell made to mimic some aspects of a law bearer’s render, albeit crudely. It blended the individual within the confines of the spell radius into the surroundings perfectly without any ripple or distortion.

"You’re right," the person nodded at the Sage’s words. "Those monsters are not going to wait for him to catch up. The lead they have on him is wide, and yet they still have the talent to keep the gap that wide," the person said. "Unless he shows us something never seen before, I only see him getting strong enough to barely hold his own. He’d be lucky to reach the top hundred."

Sage Maximus did not refute those words, silently confirming their truth. "What is the latest on the convergence? Any change?" He asked.

"Yes. The Oracle’s prediction changed again this morning. The convergence is now estimated to occur within two years," the person said, drawing a slight frown on Sage Maximus’ face.

"Wasn’t it more than two years just the day before?" he asked.

"Yes. It’s a disturbing trend," the person shook their head. "We hope no further recalibrations occur again, else we might have to call a state of emergency. That would be very dire," the person said solemnly.

"It won’t come to that," Sage Maximus looked up, raising a hand to block the sun that shined right above, looking at the light that passed through his fingers before he dropped the hand.

"I’ve not felt any disturbance in origin close to what is described in the records, so we’re still some ways away. Even people with slightly above average talent would be able to tell when the time is nigh," Sage Maximus said. "What about Goldsworth?" He asked.

"He said the same."

"Good."

They both kept silent for a while, taking a walk along with the bustling crowd. They crossed various bridges, going wherever their attention was drawn to, watching the normal people live their lives. People who had in one way or the other come into contact with Freehold, passed through the rigorous tests, checks, and trials required over years before they were able to join this organization, joining the fight for their cause, dedicating their whole lives to the Freehold Sanctuary.

These people were their responsibility.

Away from the prestige, away from the honor and respect their power and position brought, away from the petty politics at play, this was where they got to see what they were fighting for.

Some little kids, who had lived their whole lives inside this sanctuary, skipped past the two figures, laughing and playing without any care. Their carefree attitude brought a smile to Sage Maximus’ face before the smile slowly disappeared.

"The kids our spies on Kryllos reported about..." he asked the unfinished question with a tilt of his head.

The person’s gaze hardened, "The information has been confirmed. They are Exalted."