A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 205 Seth Hamlet

Jiang Shuzhou was stunned when he saw the enormous painting.

It's not that I find it strange, but rather that there's something wrong with the painting.

The reason is simple: the person in the portrait doesn't seem to have a face; the shadow of the hood covers the face, and all you can see is the hood.

"That hood is nice."

After holding it in for a long time, Jiang Shuzhou could only say this.

Let's take a look at what's in the study.

Despite the chaos outside, the study, protected by an extra layer of magic array, looked remarkably new.

Classic calming wood chairs and bookshelves. This wood emits a special fragrance that can make people feel calm, making it the top choice for many high-level sorcerers when decorating.

Furthermore, the longer it is stored, the better its calming effect becomes. Many long-established families possess this item and use it whenever important guests visit, to showcase the family's heritage.

However, what caught Jiang Shuzhou's attention the most was the letter on the desk and its contents.

"You who come after me, I am Seth Hamlet, an alchemist. By the time you read this letter, I will already be dead."

"I knew this day would come after the legendary alchemist Roland developed off-net casting and generously shared his findings with all mages."

"War broke out, and the mages began to split. The magic network faction and the off-network faction fought each other. In order to avoid the war and conduct my research in peace, I had to hide here, in the orc territory, even underground."

"But as one by one the mages I once knew died in battle, and as the Magic Network faction increasingly oppressed and slaughtered the innocent."

"I have to wonder, do I really want to continue like this?"

"I had no chance of advancing to a higher level, but it was Master Roland's selfless act that allowed me to continue on the path of truth."

"Now that the war in Silvermoon City has begun, I think I can no longer stand idly by. This war must have a result, no matter what."

"I have decided to join the war. I will never again entrust my fate to others, just as I have entrusted my magic to the magic network."

"If our resistance succeeds, the path to truth will continue; if we fail, then let me die before darkness descends."

"I could have enjoyed the darkness if I had never seen the light."

"Seth Hamletliu the Forerunner".

There was another line of text on the back of the letter.

"Did we ultimately win?"

It was clear that the mage had participated in the war in Silvermoon City, but he did not return.

Many monks are like this; perhaps this is the price of freedom.

Below the letter was a catalog, and the bookshelf was neatly arranged with a large number of books.

The vast majority of them are very ordinary books, at most depicting the preservation magic array.

But there's one that's different.

It was a living book, or more accurately, a book of flesh and blood, which was now motionless and seemed to have rotted.

The fact that books are alive is quite normal in the Mage Alliance, since they are made by the alchemists themselves, so they can do whatever they want, entirely according to their preferences.

The reason why it is usually made of paper is because the cost of special customization is too high, but there are always some knowledge that are worth special customization.

For example, books that contain legendary and sacred knowledge are usually specially crafted, just like this Book of Flesh and Blood.

The book containing knowledge of fire elemental magic is written on eternally burning paper, and those with low strength are simply not qualified to view it.

The book that records mechanical knowledge would be a sophisticated mechanical book, the contents of which are changing every moment, and only those who are well-versed in the ways of mechanics can understand the meaning of the changes.

However, this book is clearly not a book that records knowledge of the Sanctuary; it is simply an ordinary living book.

Perhaps it has other uses.

Thump thump.

The moment it saw Jiang Shuzhou, the book seemed to come alive and immediately began to flutter.

As an alchemist who studies the Way of Flesh and Blood, Jiang Shuzhou knew at a glance that this book was only experiencing a brief resurgence and would truly die if it wasn't salvaged soon.

Fortunately, Jiang Shuzhou was capable of performing the rescue.

Of course, he also wanted to add his own personal touches, since it was someone else's work, it was better to change it to his own.

So after Jiang Shuzhou dissected the book to make sure there was nothing detrimental to him, he put it back together and added some of his own ideas.

Take, for example, the self-destruct button.

Now Jiang Shuzhou has complete control over it.

This is partly due to the fact that Seth didn't leave any backup plans, making the book particularly easy to modify.

"Wake up, it's time to say something!"

The Book of Flesh and Blood awoke; it had slept for hundreds of years.

"Who am I again?"

This was the first idea behind the Book of Flesh and Blood.

"I'm alive!"

This is its second idea.

"Shouldn't you say something?"

"Of course, esteemed master. What would you like to ask me?"

The Book of Flesh and Blood is quite clever, perhaps because of the personal message Jiang Shuzhou gave it.

"Tell me about your role."

"I am very useful! I am the tool used by the high alchemist Seth Hamlet to observe and record flesh and blood creations. At the same time, I also have extremely powerful computing abilities and can help you calculate all kinds of data."

"I can also help you manage information and handle trivial matters, and I can even cast spells. Moreover, I have growth potential; in just a few hundred years, I have already reached the intermediate level, and as time goes on, I will become stronger and stronger!"

The Book of Flesh and Blood began to boast and brag.

"Then why didn't Seth take you with him?"

"this……"

"Strong growth potential always comes with some drawbacks."

"Ahem, I've used up a lot of energy, and to grow quickly, I'll need a lot of time or a massive amount of energy."

As Jiang Shuzhou listened, he was calculating in his mind. He didn't care about the energy; if the Book of Flesh and Blood could directly absorb the abyssal pus, he could supply it in unlimited quantities.

Even if that doesn't work, you can use the flesh and blood mother tree to convert it into nutrient solution.

"So how much exactly do you need?"

"That entire lake outside was prepared for me."

Jiang Shuzhou was stunned. So this was what they called "a little bit"?

"Master, please don't misunderstand. That lake outside is for me to use to activate the function. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't need that many."

Seemingly sensing Jiang Shuzhou's dissatisfaction, the Book of Flesh and Blood quickly offered an explanation.

Even with its specially enhanced survival abilities, it almost didn't make it through. It's likely that in another 50 years at most, it will truly die in its sleep.

In order to conserve energy as much as possible, the Book of Flesh and Blood has shut down almost all of its abilities, and restarting it requires a large amount of energy.

However, Seth clearly took this into account, which is why he created the Blood Lake and did not put any creatures in it.

Fortunately, the magic lock protects this place; otherwise, the nutrient solution would probably have been gone long ago.

The Book of Flesh and Blood, from bottom to top, reveals Jiang Shuzhou's face.

Seeing that Jiang Shuzhou's expression had improved considerably, the Book of Flesh and Blood dared to continue.

"Once these functions are activated, I can maintain normal activities with just ten magic stones a day."