"The transmission route is actually through the mouth?" Roxy looked at the description of the transmission method in the book and said in shock.
That meant the meal Mayibeia had eaten before had been tampered with by a creature carrying Demon Stone Disease—and that creature had surely been placed there by one of the Human God's apostles.
They still didn't know whether the Human God's apostle in Millishion had left or not. They would need to find an opportunity later to track him down.
"Mm. We'll have to be more careful with food from now on. Even though it can be cured, it's still better to be cautious." Dan Feng said after thinking it over. After all, eating food that something dirty had crawled over was pretty disgusting.
Afterward, they flipped through the entire book and saw descriptions of many other rare mana-based illnesses.
The probability of contracting those others was much higher than Demon Stone Disease.
The two then left the library of Ranoa Magic University together.
...
In the time after Dan Feng and Roxy left, Nephelira carefully read through the paper on Chantless Magic Skills.
She was deeply drawn into its contents, as if she had discovered an entirely new world. The descriptions of sensing the flow of mana within one's own body felt like an unprecedented experience to her.
From childhood to now, she had never thought about exploring the mana inside her body. This made her feel both novel and excited.
So she decided without hesitation to try it immediately.
She closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and slowly began chanting the incantation for a beginner-level wind magic spell.
As she chanted, she gradually focused her attention on her own body, trying to catch even the slightest trace of mana's flow.
Unfortunately, when the wind magic was successfully released, she felt no mana movement inside her body at all.
Even so, she did not become discouraged. Instead, it strengthened her determination to master this technique.
In the following period of time, she kept repeating the attempt.
Each time she released wind magic, she focused even more intently on sensing any changes in her body, refusing to miss even the tiniest possible sign.
In this way, she released wind magic again and again, constantly adjusting her state and method.
After dozens of attempts, finally—during one particular release of wind magic—she sensed a faint trace of mana flowing.
It was an indescribable sensation, like a thin stream slowly coursing through her body. Though extremely weak, it was undeniably real.
This small discovery filled her with wild joy and also led her to an important conclusion: learning Chantless Magic Skills required extremely high talent, just like learning ordinary magic.
Just as becoming an outstanding mage first required abundant mana as a foundation, mastering Chantless Magic Skills demanded even more exceptional talent on top of having mana.
This showed that Chantless Magic Skills were not something anyone could learn. In this era when incantations were universally used, few people paid attention to the flow of mana inside their own bodies.
They simply assumed it was the spirits helping them, so they never thought much about it.
"No, I have to learn it first and see how difficult it is before releasing it." Thinking this, Nephelira began attempting intermediate-level magic.
She considered her own talent not particularly high. It had already taken her so long just to achieve chantless beginner wind magic, so ordinary mages with average aptitude probably wouldn't be able to learn it at all.
She wanted to try finding a way to make it more accessible. If she really couldn't find any other method, she would just release it as-is and let those fated to learn it do so.
...
Not long after, Dan Feng and Roxy returned to Millishion. Since the house renovations would be finished in a few days, they would definitely hold a housewarming party then.
They would need to invite Mayibeia, Galdaruf, and the landlady over.
Since Mayibeia and Galdaruf weren't well-off financially right now, and Mayibeia had only just recovered from a serious illness, they decided not to hold a separate party for the new house.
Today's Mayibeia had fully regained her former energy. Pregnancy had not curbed her true nature at all.
Taking this opportunity, Roxy decisively handed over the items that Mayibeia's clansmen had entrusted to her, and she also relayed everything they had said.
When Mayibeia received the clothes, warmth filled her heart. It showed that she still held a very important place in her clansmen's hearts—these were all their most outstanding works.
"Mm... I'll have to find some time to go back and visit them later. It's been so many years—I wonder if they'll be shocked when they see how much I've changed?" Mayibeia said slowly, then thanked Dan Feng and Roxy once again.
That night, after dinner, everyone returned to their own rooms.
Dan Feng and Roxy couldn't help but feel—whether it was an illusion or not—that after the Demon Stone Disease incident, the bond between Mayibeia and Galdaruf had grown even deeper.
Whether in their words and actions or in their interactions with each other, everything seemed enveloped in a layer of sweet affection. It made one marvel at how wondrous the power of love truly was.
Back in his room, Dan Feng felt full of anticipation for the new Permansor Terrae template.
He decisively opened the system and prepared to claim this brand-new power without hesitation.
Although he didn't feel he needed additional strength, human curiosity toward the unknown was always hard to suppress.
He couldn't help wondering just how powerful this new force would be and what kind of surprise it would bring him.
The moment Dan Feng clicked the claim button, his consciousness felt as though it had been violently sucked in by a powerful force, rapidly sinking downward.
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding environment underwent a dramatic upheaval. The originally bright room was suddenly swallowed by endless darkness.
All sensations left him in that instant, leaving only the lonely beating of his own heart echoing in the silent void.
Yet at the far end of this darkness, a faint golden glimmer flickered in and out of view.
Dan Feng focused his gaze and realized it was a golden afterimage slowly emerging from the darkness.
He stared at the golden light, a surge of indescribable longing rising in his heart—as though the golden light were calling to him.
Without a doubt, this golden afterimage must be the new template he had obtained today.
Dan Feng steadied himself, then slowly took steps toward the golden light.
Each step felt exceptionally heavy. That golden afterimage was both his goal and his guide.
He didn't know how long he walked, but finally Dan Feng arrived before the golden light.
From the outside, the golden droplet-shaped object had a pattern in its center. Dan Feng didn't understand what the pattern represented.
The moment he touched the golden droplet, its name appeared in his mind.
Earthly Ember.