SWNOVELXO Chapter 24
Chapter 24: The Ecology of a Wizard
The next day, early morning.
Watching the magical pendulum swing continuously inside the Magic Tower, Janna pressed the button beside the mechanical elevator right at 8:30 a.m. sharp.
After waiting for about five seconds, the tightly shut elevator doors made of silvery metal swiftly opened in front of her.
“Mr. Tower Spirit, I would like to request access to the fourth floor.”
Looking at the elevator cabin devoid of floor buttons, Janna calmly lifted her head and addressed the diamond-shaped crystal pendant hanging above the elevator door.
“Apprentice, whom are you visiting?”
As Janna made her request, a deep male voice echoed from the crystal pendant.
“Professor Grace Eva.”
“Purpose of the visit?”
“I would like to redeem my right to ask a question as the victor of the Wizard Duel.”
After a moment of silence, just as Janna thought the visit might not be approved, the Tower Spirit responded again.
“Professor Eva has agreed to your request. Come on up.”
“Alright.”
Ding—
With a breath’s pause, accompanied by the chime of arrival, the elevator doors opened once again.
“Remain quiet, apprentice.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Lord Tower Spirit.”
Stepping lightly out of the elevator, Janna looked up and was immediately greeted by a circular bookshelf approximately three meters tall.
Beneath the bookshelf stood a square experiment table, about the same size as the one in Janna’s dorm room, but filled with various laboratory instruments.
Bizarre magical plants, beast specimens radiating violent energy—originally spacious, the office now felt cramped due to the overwhelming amount of experimental materials.
“As expected, no matter how spacious a room is, it’s never enough for a wizard obsessed with conducting experiments…”
“Hissss—”
Just as Janna was silently complaining to herself, a chilling hiss suddenly sounded behind her.
Gulp—
She felt a slick, serpentine texture on her shoulder.
As she turned her head with difficulty, her throat involuntarily swallowed.
“You looking for me?”
Turning around, she saw a giant snake-like magical beast, as thick as a water tank, with blood-red scales and a triangular head, standing half a head taller than her, nearly touching her face, speaking in human tongue.
“Y-You are… Professor Eva?”
Suppressing the urge for her teeth to chatter, Janna stared at the blood-red serpent barely ten centimeters away, and suddenly realized something.
“What do you think?”
Hisss—
As the snake flicked its tongue, Janna saw a hint of amusement in the pair of large round yellow vertical pupils the size of fists, and her fear gradually subsided.
“Professor, your Transfiguration is truly masterful.”
Hiss—
The serpentine body twisted, and in an instant, what had been a crimson serpent just a second ago reverted back into human form—Grace Eva.
“Go ahead, what is it you wanted to ask me?”
Ignoring Janna’s compliment, Grace Eva remained cold and imposing in demeanor.
“Professor Eva, my question is about Transfiguration…”
“Oh? Transfiguration?”
Before Janna could finish, Grace Eva interrupted, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
“Show me.”
“Yes, Professor.”
Janna complied immediately with the request.
Chanting incantations, she accurately recited a long string of occult spells.
Grace, watching her intently, raised an eyebrow.
“Infinite Transfiguration!”
The spell finished, Janna stretched out her arms.
White feathers imbued with a sacred aura covered her arms, and the last bit of doubt in Grace’s eyes finally faded.
“You’re mimicking the Celestial Finch?”
“Yes, Professor.”
Whoosh—
Within just a few breaths, the white feathers vanished.
Due to the heavy drain on her magic power, Janna couldn’t maintain the transformation for even a minute.
“Now, ask your question.”
Watching her revert from partial transformation, Grace Eva’s gaze now held a rare glimmer of interest.
“Professor, my question is: how can I prevent my magic power from draining so rapidly while using Transfiguration?”
“When did you first master Transfiguration?”
“Just yesterday.”
Hearing her response, Grace Eva raised her eyebrows again.
“I mean, when did you first come into contact with Transfiguration formally?”
“Also yesterday… during Professor Mage’s class.”
The atmosphere turned slightly quiet. Seeing that Grace Eva remained silent, Janna also kept respectfully quiet.
“Your issue is simple.”
“The problem lies in your wizard ecology.”
After a moment of thought, Grace Eva quickly reached a conclusion upon discerning the crux of Janna’s problem.
“What do you mean…? I don’t quite understand.”
As the top student in the written exam, Janna naturally understood the concept of a wizard’s ecology.
In the process of advancing to become a full wizard, an apprentice must not only meditate to improve their Spirit Power but also construct a soul circuit between the Wizard Tree and the ecological system of the wizard’s inner world.
If the soul circuit is unstable, then even with high Spirit Power, the independent ecosystem of the Wizard Tree cannot support the subsequent soul metamorphosis.
In the end, without a robust wizard ecology as foundation, forcing an upgrade would only result in soul collapse…
However, given that Transfiguration falls under the field of occult magic, Janna didn’t understand why Grace Eva would associate it with wizard ecology.
“When Lilith was lecturing you, she must have mentioned the Five Major Transfiguration Laws of Gump, and the second law clearly states: when performing Transfiguration, a wizard may only transform into something within her own understanding. And that understanding requires not only powerful mental suggestion but also a soul conversion.”
Hearing that, a sense of clarity dawned upon Janna.
“Then, Professor, how should I resolve this problem?”
“It’s quite simple. For your initial transformation, choose a creature whose attributes are similar to yours. Doing so won’t entirely eliminate the excessive magic drain, but it will help ease it…”
“Of course, as your wizard rank increases, the issue of high magic consumption will naturally become manageable.”
“But if you truly want to solve the problem completely, then you must undergo soul conversion. You can discuss this topic more deeply with Lilith…”
Listening to Grace Eva’s response, filled with valuable insights, Janna carefully noted down every word.
At the same time, she suddenly realized something.
“If a creature with similar attributes is better suited for beginners to mimic, then the Thornflower Sprite, a plant-type spirit, might be more appropriate for me as a Transfiguration target…”