Chapter 61: Learning Is Simple Enough

A Flicker of Ideas

Wenger returned to the treehouse with scattered thoughts. It wasn’t quite noon, and cooking wasn’t appealing, but she could tinker with her earlier idea. If she opened a shop, she’d need a good recipe. Surely, she wouldn’t stand in the store all day. While pondering, she floated to the platform, intending to check on Viyi.

Just as she stepped forward, a faint noise came from the kitchen, then silence. Raising an eyebrow, Wenger walked in slowly, tapping the glowfruit lamp. Warm light flooded the room. Viyi’s cheeks bulged, a large pancake still in her mouth. She stared at Wenger, eyes pitiful. “Why sneak around to eat?” Wenger felt both relieved and exasperated.

Viyi took a moment to clear her mouth. “Teacher, I wasn’t sneaking… It’s just too full to talk…” Fair enough. Wenger let it go. “Any discomfort?” Viyi shook her head. She’d never felt too bad, just bloated. Why did mushrooms make her so full?

A Visit to the Workshop

Relieved, Wenger decided to visit the workshop. It’d been a while, and she needed to check in. Although Rhine managed the village, she’d invited Fenrod herself—ignoring him for so long felt improper. Besides, she had other matters. Enchanting was rushed before, and she’d dragged them to the magic-sealing forest. Fenrod, a blacksmith, might share insights on enchanting.

Viyi, seeing her leave, mumbled, “Teacher—!” Wenger paused midair, turning back. “I want to learn magic…” Viyi’s voice softened. “Alright.” But later—Wenger told her to rest. On the way to the workshop, she was distracted. The clanging of metal cut through the smoke, snapping her back.

Fenrod was guiding an apprentice. She listened quietly, signaling a child not to make noise. When he turned and saw her, he jumped. “Madam, inspecting the work?” “Here to ask questions.” Both chuckled, heading to their usual spots.

Exploring Enchanting

Wenger pulled out a colorless crystal. She’d focused on promotion and extensions, forgetting to consider if the crystal’s essence could aid forging. “Weapons aren’t used much…” Fenrod stroked his beard, thoughtful yet slightly confused. He explained that colorless crystals activated a material’s inherent properties. “Amplification?” Wenger asked, likening it to enhancement. Like a reinforcement stone? Fenrod nodded.

“Do you know about enchanting?” She never hesitated to ask about the unknown. He paused, then shook his head—not unfamiliar, but not expert. “I’m not great at it, but I’ve studied it. My wife excels at it…” Oh? Wenger wanted to smack her forehead. Of course, a man his age would have a family. Had her invitation caused discord? In another era, she’d be canceled online.

Fenrod mentioned it casually, diving into basics without concern. Enchanting resembled amplification but differed in practice. It was an entirely separate forging art. Amplification enhanced a material’s strength, including added specials. Enchanting also used “materials,” but not physically. If amplification lit coal, enchanting made marble burn naturally—a far higher difficulty.

The Art of Enchanting

This was just the threshold; the path’s true challenge came later. For a novice like Wenger, both forging and enchanting were tough. But with enough “diligence,” she’d manage. After all, [Forging] would shine eventually. Would enchanting count as a skill? Fenrod continued, mentioning concepts from scrapped plans: material spirituality caps, affinity, compatibility… Wenger summed it up: adding attributes.

A rogue-like dungeon had planned this for gear, shelved due to difficulty and story issues. Balancing overpowered gear—was it allowed out, or locked by a soft plot? The team hadn’t revisited it, yet this world ran it. Her heart skipped, calming slowly. The world likely self-corrected; bugs wouldn’t fling her away. Still, it felt uneasy. If others succeeded, why couldn’t her versatile template?

Understanding the Elements

Enchanting wasn’t conjured from nothing—it needed a “fire” to make marble burn. Over three thousand years, The Four Elements Theory remained a cornerstone text. Trace any notable paper’s references, and you’d find this brief, stone-carved work. The four elements formed the world’s matter and energy flow. Elements were both energy and matter. Most felt mana within a limited frequency, building a simple world. A few walked further, perceiving a different reality.

Making “fire” grow on earth elements required extraordinary means. Understanding “fire” deepened its use. Dry, hot—these were fire’s traits. Perception, innate to mages and ordinary people, was key to “understanding” elements. Perceiving an element was understanding it. A shallow grasp of fire was enough. Next, make two elements grow together naturally.

The world’s structures were natural elemental combinations, free of discord. Grasp the “existence” to impart and the soul of the vessel, and enchanting’s foundation was set. Wenger tried to comprehend. Magic was the mind’s expression and control of elemental rhythms. Enchanting seemed a similar method, differently expressed. Yet, slightly distinct. She needed time to find the “door” to unlock [Enchanting].