Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 60: "Fireball and Ice Arrow Magic Power Studies (Part 2)

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: "Fireball and Ice Arrow Magic Power Studies (Part 2)

Before dawn, Ethan returned home.

As usual, he pushed open a crack in Miss Keroy’s door and saw a cozy scene: the little hen curled up on the bed, with her head buried under her wing, sleeping soundly, while an open alchemy parchment book lay next to the pillow, calming his anxious heart.

However, when he returned to the master bedroom, the sight inside once again made his heart leap to his throat.

Zhaocai was still awake, sitting at the bedside, staring straight at him.

For some reason, Ethan immediately felt as if he’d been caught fooling around.

The cat stared at him for a while, said nothing, turned around, walked to the pillow, and patted the soft fabric with her paw.

Zhaocai was becoming increasingly clingy, to the point that she couldn’t sleep without being cuddled and soothed; this was not a good trend. Yet, despite this, Ethan felt wide awake.

Rattail’s remarks made him realize that he needed to change his future plans. Initially, he intended to work as a public servant until retirement, then buy a house in a slower-paced city and enjoy a leisurely retired life. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

He had finally come to know the daughter of a great aristocratic family in the Imperial Capital, and even received a promise for a recommendation letter from the bureau, but now, someone was telling him the Empire was about to go to war.

What does the future hold for Old Sen?

After freshening up and lying in bed with the blankets pulled over him, he couldn’t help but worry about his future. Before crossing into this world, he lived in a peaceful era and his understanding of war came mainly from film and historical excerpts; nevertheless, he was well aware of the brutality of war.

A fluffy white bundle snuggled into his arms, looking up at him, seemingly prepared to listen.

Reflecting on it, when he first arrived in this world, whenever he encountered something troubling, he would vent to Zhaocai. She was a good listener and there was no need to worry that she would gossip about guild affairs.

Indeed, people often lower their guard in front of harmless little animals.

That night, Ethan spoke a lot.

He started with his self-made plans for a career as a public servant and retirement, then moved onto the news he gathered tonight from Fireplace Bay. With the King’s health deteriorating, the power struggle in the imperial capital was far more severe than he imagined, and the Church had already chosen sides. Even if it risked plunging the entire country into war, they insisted on seizing power.

Meanwhile, the Lofic Consortium was banking on the chaos to make a fortune from the war.

Given the circumstances, the outbreak of war had become inevitable.

"Perhaps the seventh will be the last King of the Empire."

Ethan said, based on his understanding, the Pope ultimately in charge would prop up a puppet king. The knights of Neseriel Sanctuary would face further marginalization until entirely fading from public view. The new regime would persist for a few years only to collapse under internal and external pressures.

Countless dynasties in history have traveled this same road to their end.

He knew this was somewhat incomprehensible for a little kitty, but that was also why he could speak about it freely. In the face of the wheels of history, all he could do was quickly enhance his skills to avoid being crushed.

The cat, as usual, remained silent, simply watching him.

This time, however, the distance was closer than two years ago.

So the cat merely had to lift her paw to easily touch Ethan’s cheek, with the soft pad resting against his face—a uniquely feline way of comforting.

"Sigh, I really don’t want to go to war."

Ethan felt the cool touch on his cheek and yawned, "But there’s nothing I can do about it. Zhaocai, if one day war truly breaks out, find a way to sneak onto a steamship and head to the Western Continent, I’ve heard it’s prosperous there."

"Meow~"

...

Ethan slept until afternoon. He calmed himself and looked around, but Zhaocai was nowhere in sight.

In the living room, Miss Keroy was curled up in front of the couch, flipping through the parchment book. Seeing him come out, she squinted her eyes and greeted him with a few "clucks".

He felt the urgency of time and decided to devote all of it to studying since, once war breaks out, he would have little time to sit comfortably in the apartment reading.

After preparing dinner for Miss Keroy and setting Zhaocai’s portion aside, Ethan locked himself in the study, spreading "Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Power Studies" across the desk. He was grateful for having bought the guide to Magic scroll making. Elemental cartography allowed him a deeper understanding of elemental magic itself.

Recently, he suddenly realized that the proficiency of elemental magic could be likened to a favorability system.

Max proficiency in Fireball Skill served as the best reference.

The novice stage represented the first acquaintance with the Elemental Elf; before becoming friends, an Elemental Shaper could only interact in the simplest forms—the foundation of elemental spells.

At the beginner stage, his relationship with the Elemental Elf advanced to friendship, allowing him, beyond spells, to transform elemental states—such as the conversion of ice and water.

Intermediate proficiency unlocked casting distance. Ethan was unsure of the limit, but Elemental Elves were quite informed. According to his observation, they could transcend spatial concepts in an extremely short time, engaging in near-lossless communication.

Knowing the location or coordinates, he could initiate a hailstorm in Ximu Town while being in Gear City or even further.

At this point in organizing, Ethan’s thoughts were interrupted.

If proficiency is viewed as a favorability system, then at the intermediate stage, his favorability with the Elemental Elf was already nearing full value. He and the ice element became close, intimate friends, and he couldn’t think of ways to further increase favorability.

In fact, once proficiency reached the intermediate level, growth speed dramatically declined. Those over ten thousand Fireball Skill casts were mostly consumed here.

He stared thoughtfully at the flame in his palm; he initially thought fifth-level proficiency unlocked elemental magic’s area of effect, but third-level Ice Arrow overthrew his assumption—in fact, this was achievable by second level already. However, the destructive power of fire elements was strong, and he had never dared to release fire elements fully near the town.

Yet "Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Power Studies" didn’t touch on the deeper aspects; he had read these simpler explanations hundreds of times and could recite the punctuation marks fluently.

Even with max-level Fireball Skill, he still had only a superficial understanding, which left Ethan quite troubled.

At this moment, how he wished Mr. Anonymous were beside him to resolve his doubts.

"Meow~"

The meow coming from behind made him reflexively extinguish the flame in his palm. Following the sound, he was surprised to find Zhaocai clawing at the glass; under the moonlight, she lowered her head, picking up a pitch-black parchment book.

The scene felt familiar, and Ethan almost immediately got up excitedly to open the window for Zhaocai.

The cat agilely jumped into the study, landing on the window sill.

She opened her mouth, placing the parchment book by her side. Under the glow of the gas lamp, Ethan could read the text on the title page, his heart skipped a beat.

——"Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Power Studies (Volume 2)".