Chapter 73 — So Is This Going to Be a Trope?

In this world where all things were driven by magic, every extraordinary profession understood the basic application of magic. Knights used magic too—only their usage differed from a mage's.

But at the most fundamental levels—perception, channeling, and the like—there was not much difference between a knight's and a mage's use of magic.

Gao Yang came to the stone sphere and pressed his hand to its rough surface. The three soldiers pinned against it immediately turned their heads to look, somewhat nervously: they did not know what method their lord meant to use in dealing with this "stone sphere," still less whether their lives would become sacrifices in the process. True, in this age the lives of nearly all commoners were held in the hands of the nobility, but now that the moment had come, they could not help but grow tense.

Gao Yang noticed the soldiers' looks and said with a smile: "Relax. I'm steady."

Then he paid the three no more mind and focused on sensing the flow of magic.

Another kind of "vision" surfaced in his mind.

It was the distribution of magic within a certain range around him. Not as clear as what mages "saw" in meditation, but still enough to indicate the flow of magic. He saw the tent as though veiled in an exceedingly thin mist, and within that mist faint, subtle currents moved. Several more distinct "gathering points" stood out in the mist: two slightly stronger ones were Amber and Pi Yun, standing nearby, while another three very faint motes of magic clustered together—clearly the three ordinary soldiers.

And that "stone sphere," suspected to be a dragon egg?

It was a pitch-black hole.

Within the "vision" of magic perception, the center of the tent appeared as absolute black, as though a piece of space had been scooped out of thin air—a darkness with no reflection, no detail whatsoever. There were only two possibilities: either the stone sphere was a substance that should not exist in this world at all, one with no magic in it whatsoever—or the stone sphere was actively shielding itself from every magical effect directed at it.

The first possibility could be ruled out, because Hedy had once sensed a magical reaction from within the stone sphere. Strange as that reaction was, unlike any known form of magic, it had undeniably been there.

So the sphere must now have entered some kind of "self-protective" state?

Gao Cen guessed as much while cautiously guiding his own spirit toward that patch of pitch-blackness.

Amber had already proven the strength of this "self-protection" by using her face to test for land mines; too violent a stimulus would very likely bounce him away just as it had her, so he had to be careful beyond all caution.

And so, after making contact with the utmost delicacy, he found that he had not triggered the sphere's "counterattack."

Having no idea whether a "dragon egg" was even capable of communication, Gao Yang could only cling to a try-it-and-see attitude, repeatedly reinforcing the thought of communication and exchange in his mind.

At first, there was no response whatsoever.

But after a few seconds, he heard a buzzing sound echoing in his mind—and it was no auditory hallucination.

The stone sphere was whispering to itself.

Gao Song's spirits instantly soared, and he nearly lost the link in the surge of emotion, but he quickly steadied that fragile connection once more and sent out his first greeting: "Hello. I mean no harm. You can call me Gao Yang."

The psychic fluctuations coming from the sphere grew clearer and clearer, until at last the muttered whispering became words he could make out—a metallic voice, impossible to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman: "Is it safe out there now?"

Gao Yang suppressed his inner excitement and strove to convey his sincerity: "It's very safe here. You can rest easy."

"Don't believe you. Get lost."

Gao Yang: "......"