The temporal miracle [Future Sight] sounded quite extraordinary, but for a First-Ring, it was too dangerous; the reward was disproportionate to the risk.
"I would like to hear about the remaining two."
Shad was cautious.
"The second miracle is [Echoes of the Past]. You can randomly hear sounds that occurred within a certain area in the last 24 hours. The duration you can extend and the clarity of the sound still depend on your rank and your understanding of runes, while the specific point in time you hear is entirely down to luck."
"Randomly hear?"
"Yes, but the miracle itself has been improved. There is a high probability of hearing human voices when using it. In other words, if human voices appeared only once in a certain area within 24 hours, there is a high possibility that you will hear that specific sound directly."
Professor Garcia explained, then added
"Because looking into the past is easier than looking into the future, this miracle will have a very good effect even if you are only a First-Ring. This is far more useful than divination; the results obtained from divination are never this clear and explicit."
Professor Garcia seemed to have some grievances regarding the Academy of Astronomy, which reminded Shad of the prophecy related to "blood" brought by Professor Sanchez during their last meeting. Looking back, whether it was the Road cards or the Blood-far, prophecies were incredibly precise.
"Is this miracle harmful to hearing?" Shad asked.
"You can check the catalog in your hand; there is a detailed introduction. The answer is that it is harmless, as long as it is not kept active for a prolonged period. Therefore, even if you are unlucky the first time, you can try multiple times."
Shad nodded again. This miracle was quite excellent. It would be useful for both his detective work and his adventures as a Ring-wielder. It was only a pity that it wasn't a damage-dealing ability and relied too heavily on luck.
*But what would I do with so many damage abilities? Silver Moon Slash is already completely sufficient, and there is also a miracle as a reward for the [Father of the Infinite Tree] quest,* he said silently to himself.
"And the last one, [Lagley's Leap]. The effect is simple: spatial leaping."
Professor Garcia spoke nonchalantly, but Shad immediately perked up. This was truly a good one.
However, the professor shook his head, telling him not to get excited just yet
"The material world is relatively safe, but in the crevices between space and time, danger is almost everywhere. The reason space and time abilities are more dangerous than other miracles is because of this. [Lagley's Leap] can only be used by holders of [Space] runes or runes with extended concepts. Furthermore, regardless of who uses it, they can only move within a range of 10 feet (approximately 3.04 meters), and they must be able to see the target location directly."
"That's still not bad." A smile appeared on Shad's face.
"The consumption of using miracles is high, and to avoid attracting strange things, the user must strictly adhere to the rule of using it no more than once per hour. This ability was originally not open to correspondence Ring-wielders. This time, because two rewards were stacked, I fought for you to have it appear in your catalog."
Despite repeatedly explaining the dangers, Professor Garcia clearly recommended this spell, as his attitude toward [Future Sight] was almost undisguised.
Thus, Shad didn't actually need to choose; the answer was right in front of him.
Still, he pretended to think for a moment before putting on an expression of having made a major decision
"Professor Garcia, I believe [Echoes of the Past] and [Lagley's Leap] are more suitable for me."
Professor Garcia nodded with a smile.
"Exactly what I thought. Additionally, the learning materials for your [Time Perception] miracle are ready."
He pointed to the page of poetic manuscript belonging to the doctor on the tabletop. After a flash of light, a large number of glass bottles containing various potions and materials appeared.
The learning materials for [Time Perception] consisted of a century-old pocket watch and a specimen of a rare plant called the "Four-Leaf Clock Flower." The latter only existed in the New Continent, and its stamen changed strictly according to time.
Shad learned the miracle on the spot, pressing the clock flower specimen to his left chest and the pocket watch to his right. After closing his eyes and listening to the ticking of the hands for a moment, the antique pocket watch rapidly corroded, and the specimen turned into a pinch of black ash.
From then on, the pocket watch became a decorative item for Shad; upon waking, he no longer needed to reach for the watch on his bedside table first thing.
The learning materials required for [Echoes of the Past] were two live insects called "Stone-Bell Worms." One was entirely pitch-black, and the other was snow-white. Shad needed to stuff these two live worms into his ears...
"Are you sure you really want to do this?"
Shad held the small glass jar containing the worms, watching them squirm continuously, their short auxiliary legs twitching densely. He looked at the professor in disbelief; he didn't even want to touch them.
"Very sure." The professor nodded, signaling that Shad could proceed.
Shad did not want to recall the events and sensations of the next few seconds, but he still learned the miracle.
This miracle also required no casting materials, so it could be used immediately.
The essential elements guided the spirit, flowing through the Life Ring. As the [Space-Time] rune flashed with spiritual light, a humming sensation appeared in Shad's ears, followed by the clear voice of Doctor Schneider. He sounded very agitated
"I will spend my entire life guarding you."
"Hmm?" Listening to the voice of the past, Shad raised an eyebrow.
He did not stop the use of the miracle, so the voice continued to transmit. The next sentence was still spoken by the doctor, but it was surprisingly not in the Common Tongue. The language sounded like a knife scraping against bone, or maggots writhing on a corpse, or more like the gurgling of magma in the lowest depths of the abyss.
Shad believed that if he weren't protected by the "Divine Afterglow" state, he would absolutely have been unable to remain calm in front of Professor Garcia
"Schneider, the world is destined for destruction! Your soul is destined to belong to me!"
A sharp headache caused Shad to instinctively shut down the miracle. His breathing quickened slightly; he actually smelled sulfur in his nostrils.
Just by using a miracle to cross time and listen to that strange and terrifying language, he felt such discomfort. That language itself was likely a power within the mystical system.
[From the current perspective, you cannot help him.]
"Yes, I cannot help now," he responded in his heart. The woman seemed to see his determination and merely chuckled. That laughter smoothed over the trauma in his heart caused by listening to the unknown, terrifying language. Shad liked her laughter very much.
Professor Garcia did not know what Shad had just heard; he was talking about the miracle [Lagley's Leap]. This miracle was created by a Ring-wielder from the Seksus Higher Medical College at the end of the Fifth Epoch. It was a rare ability that allowed a Ring-wielder to perform a low-risk spatial leap.
Its strength lay not in the short movement distance, but in the "low risk." The name of the miracle's inventor was recorded directly into the history of the three great miracle academies.
There were three core materials required to learn [Lagley's Leap]. Among them, the "Obsidian from the Spatial Rift Zone" and the "Ground Powder of Hass Hound Leg Bone" were available at the academy and had been sent along. However, the final one—three stalks of "Wind-Vane Blue Grass"—was temporarily unavailable.
PS: There is one sentence in this chapter that is very important, very important.
(End of Chapter)