"The origin of this Sun Sculpture traces back to a malevolent deity..."
Malevolent deities, or 'evil gods,' are known for their brutal nature, treating life with disdain and thriving on harvesting souls and devouring lives. To any sentient being, evil gods represent an extreme threat.
Records on the continent of Noor confirm the existence of such evil gods.
There are even religious cults dedicated to these malevolent beings, capable of horrors such as live human sacrifices, soul trading, and city-wide slaughters to appease their dark patrons.
Naturally, these cults operate in the shadows, as their emergence typically prompts a unified crackdown from various powers.
However, despite scouring the dragon heritage for information on evil gods, Garon found nothing related to the Sun Sculpture.
Compared to known evil gods, an enigmatic sculpture of this nature warranted even greater caution.
Of course, while vigilant, Garon wasn't overly fearful.
Deities mostly reside in outer planes, and penetrating the prime material plane is no trivial feat. They might incarnate or exert minimal divine power through conduits, mainly influencing the material plane through their followers.
After several minutes of contemplation, Garon temporarily withdrew his gaze from the ice-encased Sun Sculpture.
Something else within the dual-headed ogre's stone house caught his attention.
He moved to a large gray wooden table, the only one in the house.
Atop the gray table lay an assortment of odd vials and containers, including glass vessels filled with green liquid and the remnants of unidentified creatures. Alongside these items were five yellowed books, apparently old but not ancient artifacts which did not pique Garon's interest as relics would.
Garon picked up the first book, and his face lit up as he read the title in the common tongue of Noor, which he could understand.
**The Apprentice's Guide to Simple Spells**
"Could it be..."
His gaze then shifted eagerly to the other books:
**Principles of Spellcasting**
**The Amorous Paladin**
**Summary of Enchantment and Transmutation Spells**
**Bestiary of Magical Creatures**
Garon realized a rather peculiar book had been mixed in.
With a curious expression, he picked up *The Amorous Paladin*, had Uga Skulbreaker step aside, and began to carefully leaf through it with his claws, quickly becoming engrossed.
Thanks to his ability to quickly absorb and recall information, Garon read swiftly.
The book, spanning fifty-six pages with many vivid illustrations, totaled about a hundred thousand words, which he completed in no time.
Initially, Garon approached it with the mindset of indulging in forbidden knowledge, but surprisingly, he found quite a bit of useful information in this erotic narrative.
The main content described a paladin's travels across Noor, engaging in colorful encounters with princesses, noblewomen, aloof elves, even taming a female red dragon as his mount, and conversing with his goddess in dreams—a typical power fantasy harem novel.
Yet, the descriptions of Noor's varied customs and hidden cultures were not recorded in the dragon heritage.
From what he knew, Garon judged much of the book's content, though exaggerated, to be credible.
Setting aside *The Amorous Paladin*, Garon's demeanor turned serious as he picked up another book with a black cover:
**Principles of Spellcasting**
Reading through it, his eyes sparkled with fascination, immersed in the text and softly reading aloud.
"A spell is a standalone magical effect, a process of reshaping the pervasive magical energy in the multiverse and manifesting it in a specific manner within a specific area."
"When casting a spell, the caster stirs the invisible but omnipresent primal magic, weaving it into a fixed form that reverberates back in a specific pattern, releasing it to achieve the desired effect."
"Spells can serve as convenient tools, weapons, or protective wards. They can inflict or heal wounds, create or remove specific conditions, and also draw or bestow life force."
"..."
"The tier of a spell roughly indicates its power; cantrips are activated by mere thought, while higher-tier spells require the caster's full attention. Some particularly powerful spells even consume vast amounts of materials or the caster's own life force."
"Before a caster can use a spell, they must first inscribe it into their consciousness or store its power within a magical object."
"There are countless runes and incantations that have evolved over time to become the most efficient means of channeling elemental energy, with common runes and incantations including ψωξαщжюδя."
"An effective magic circle must have a core (magic ring, basic spell, pentagram), a guide (small circles on the pentagram, runes), and a force (sun, moon, stars patterns)."
"..."
Unlike his rapid reading earlier, Garon was meticulously committing every detail to memory, treating this new field of knowledge with profound respect.
Through the book *Principles of Spellcasting*, he gradually gained a clear understanding and conception of what spells are. While the book did not detail specific spell models, it clarified the nature of spells and listed common incantations and effects, along with some basic magic circle designs, primarily simple pentagrams.
After finishing the book, Garon felt greatly enlightened.
Acquiring new knowledge always brought joy to Garon, a sense of unparalleled satisfaction.
This was a delight of the spirit, an exultation of the soul, filling Garon with an exhilarating thrill.
The claws holding the book trembled slightly.
"With endless time and an infallible memory, as an immortal dragon, one day, all knowledge across the many planes will be known and understood by me."
Garon's gaze cleared, his platinum dragon eyes shining brightly.
For a long time, Garon had been somewhat aimless, unsure of what he truly sought.
Merely surviving and gaining sufficient strength?
That was just going with the flow, not a true heartfelt desire.
Coming to this unknown world and being reborn as a dragon, he had lived with a mentality of simple survival, but now, he had defined his ideal, his path.
This idea had initially surfaced when he first learned the giants' tongue and felt the excitement of acquiring new knowledge. Now, Garon recognized and embraced it, though the ideal might seem impractical.
Even gods are not omniscient.
Even the supreme gods of legend are not omnipotent.
But what of it?
If it could be achieved easily, would it still be called an ideal?
With this newfound clarity, Garon felt as if clouds had parted to reveal the clear sky above.
"The origin of this Sun Sculpture traces back to a malevolent deity..."
Malevolent deities, or 'evil gods,' are known for their brutal nature, treating life with disdain and thriving on harvesting souls and devouring lives. To any sentient being, evil gods represent an extreme threat.
Records on the continent of Noor confirm the existence of such evil gods.
There are even religious cults dedicated to these malevolent beings, capable of horrors such as live human sacrifices, soul trading, and city-wide slaughters to appease their dark patrons.
Naturally, these cults operate in the shadows, as their emergence typically prompts a unified crackdown from various powers.
However, despite scouring the dragon heritage for information on evil gods, Garon found nothing related to the Sun Sculpture.
Compared to known evil gods, an enigmatic sculpture of this nature warranted even greater caution.
Of course, while vigilant, Garon wasn't overly fearful.
Deities mostly reside in outer planes, and penetrating the prime material plane is no trivial feat. They might incarnate or exert minimal divine power through conduits, mainly influencing the material plane through their followers.
After several minutes of contemplation, Garon temporarily withdrew his gaze from the ice-encased Sun Sculpture.
Something else within the dual-headed ogre's stone house caught his attention.
He moved to a large gray wooden table, the only one in the house.
Atop the gray table lay an assortment of odd vials and containers, including glass vessels filled with green liquid and the remnants of unidentified creatures. Alongside these items were five yellowed books, apparently old but not ancient artifacts which did not pique Garon's interest as relics would.
Garon picked up the first book, and his face lit up as he read the title in the common tongue of Noor, which he could understand.
**The Apprentice's Guide to Simple Spells**
"Could it be..."
His gaze then shifted eagerly to the other books:
**Principles of Spellcasting**
**The Amorous Paladin**
**Summary of Enchantment and Transmutation Spells**
**Bestiary of Magical Creatures**
Garon realized a rather peculiar book had been mixed in.
With a curious expression, he picked up *The Amorous Paladin*, had Uga Skulbreaker step aside, and began to carefully leaf through it with his claws, quickly becoming engrossed.
Thanks to his ability to quickly absorb and recall information, Garon read swiftly.
The book, spanning fifty-six pages with many vivid illustrations, totaled about a hundred thousand words, which he completed in no time.
Initially, Garon approached it with the mindset of indulging in forbidden knowledge, but surprisingly, he found quite a bit of useful information in this erotic narrative.
The main content described a paladin's travels across Noor, engaging in colorful encounters with princesses, noblewomen, aloof elves, even taming a female red dragon as his mount, and conversing with his goddess in dreams—a typical power fantasy harem novel.
Yet, the descriptions of Noor's varied customs and hidden cultures were not recorded in the dragon heritage.
From what he knew, Garon judged much of the book's content, though exaggerated, to be credible.
Setting aside *The Amorous Paladin*, Garon's demeanor turned serious as he picked up another book with a black cover:
**Principles of Spellcasting**
Reading through it, his eyes sparkled with fascination, immersed in the text and softly reading aloud.
"A spell is a standalone magical effect, a process of reshaping the pervasive magical energy in the multiverse and manifesting it in a specific manner within a specific area."
"When casting a spell, the caster stirs the invisible but omnipresent primal magic, weaving it into a fixed form that reverberates back in a specific pattern, releasing it to achieve the desired effect."
"Spells can serve as convenient tools, weapons, or protective wards. They can inflict or heal wounds, create or remove specific conditions, and also draw or bestow life force."
"..."
"The tier of a spell roughly indicates its power; cantrips are activated by mere thought, while higher-tier spells require the caster's full attention. Some particularly powerful spells even consume vast amounts of materials or the caster's own life force."
"Before a caster can use a spell, they must first inscribe it into their consciousness or store its power within a magical object."
"There are countless runes and incantations that have evolved over time to become the most efficient means of channeling elemental energy, with common runes and incantations including ψωξαщжюδя."
"An effective magic circle must have a core (magic ring, basic spell, pentagram), a guide (small circles on the pentagram, runes), and a force (sun, moon, stars patterns)."
"..."
Unlike his rapid reading earlier, Garon was meticulously committing every detail to memory, treating this new field of knowledge with profound respect.
Through the book *Principles of Spellcasting*, he gradually gained a clear understanding and conception of what spells are. While the book did not detail specific spell models, it clarified the nature of spells and listed common incantations and effects, along with some basic magic circle designs, primarily simple pentagrams.
After finishing the book, Garon felt greatly enlightened.
Acquiring new knowledge always brought joy to Garon, a sense of unparalleled satisfaction.
This was a delight of the spirit, an exultation of the soul, filling Garon with an exhilarating thrill.
The claws holding the book trembled slightly.
"With endless time and an infallible memory, as an immortal dragon, one day, all knowledge across the many planes will be known and understood by me."
Garon's gaze cleared, his platinum dragon eyes shining brightly.
For a long time, Garon had been somewhat aimless, unsure of what he truly sought.
Merely surviving and gaining sufficient strength?
That was just going with the flow, not a true heartfelt desire.
Coming to this unknown world and being reborn as a dragon, he had lived with a mentality of simple survival, but now, he had defined his ideal, his path.
This idea had initially surfaced when he first learned the giants' tongue and felt the excitement of acquiring new knowledge. Now, Garon recognized and embraced it, though the ideal might seem impractical.
Even gods are not omniscient.
Even the supreme gods of legend are not omnipotent.
But what of it?
If it could be achieved easily, would it still be called an ideal?
With this newfound clarity, Garon felt as if clouds had parted to reveal the clear sky above.
