Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 384: Aesthetic

Chapter 384: Aesthetic

"Beautiful." Xander opened his eyes and applauded. "Beautiful."

So did the other watchers. So did his fellow musicians. Dasha was a master at his art. That night, he did not receive information. He did not need to.

Men of power were arrogant. Tasos was no different. If he misunderstood what was in the box, if there was any confusion, he would not ask. He should understand because he was who he was. Xander was of the same lane. He did not ask him who or what Dasha really was. He asked for his name and discussed his talent and nothing else.

Dasha exited the Symposium while in-line with the other musicians. The two that held qins, popular among the Chinese patrons, and asked for his name.

"Myth," Dasha repeated over and over again.

And so, the name spread.

The black opera mask male split apart from the line-up when he could and headed back to his hideout in the Sukhothai. The lights of the marketplace were unusually brighter, signifying the time of night. Many stores and areas were open but some had closed. That included the fish Italian restaurant that he hid out at. The fish were swept from the front. Inside, the store was shut. The owner was sleeping on the chair, arms crossed.

Dasha opened the door and slipped inside with his invisibility activated. The owner didn’t notice his sponsor walk past him, open the hatch, go down the stairs, and enter the secret room.

His Qi Sense flared up. ’Somebody is already there—’

"Good morning!" Grace chirped, books to her side and on the table. She smiled happily. "I brought the new textbooks you wanted. They’re the latest editions too. The House of Wisdom isn’t cheap. you know!"

...

What a chirpy woman.

Dasha’s gaze briefly flicked over her before returning to the books on the table. "Leave all of them on the table."

Grace pouted slightly but complied, setting the books down with a gentle thud. "You know, Dasha, you could at least pretend to be excited. Do you know how long it took me to get here? Especially with that scary butcher at the front."

"Good work," Dasha said simply and sat down. In this secret room, there was a table, two lamps, a map of the Underground on the wall, and nothing else. His hands opened the first book.

Grace took a seat across from him, folding her hands on the table, watching him intently. "You’re reeeally going to become an expert in all this without ever stepping foot inside the university, huh?" She smiled, shaking her head in disbelief. "It’s almost scary how dedicated you are. But that’s why I’m here! I’ll keep bringing you everything you need to know."

Dasha’s eyes never left the text. "Thank you."

***

Halfway through the night, Dasha was nearly done. Grace went out to grab a drink. Dasha flipped through the books as if skimming through them. His mind was processing the information.

Processing, processing, processing...

The door creaked open slightly, and the light footsteps of Grace returned. She slipped inside, her summer dress fluttering lightly around her knees. The fabric, a bright yellow with white daisies, seemed out of place against the dark, aged wood of the restaurant’s hidden chamber.

"Hi!" In her arms, Grace carried several bottles of water. Along the way, two of them dropped. "Oops." She kicked the bottle back up into her arms and vomited them onto the table. She let out a sigh and put her arms on her hips. "You know, this is an amazingly nice place! Are all the new bases like this? Everyone is gonna love it!"

Thud. Dasha closed the twelfth and last book. "I read your books. Tell me the notes and advice of your professors."

After all, Dasha himself had been a professor. Books were one aspect of learning, incomplete without the lecture of an expert.

Her face brightened. "Oh! Right. Uhh, give me a second." From her sleeve, a notepad emerged. She flipped through it, licking her lips. "Okay, so, I’ll talk about my favourite class, Aesthetic of Structures. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. You’re familiar with most of the Magical Disciples by now, I hope. This course falls under the Transmutation Discipline."

Dasha listened quietly. The Major Magic Disciplines were the fundamental methods of wielding magic and a key difference between being regarded as a Mage, Wizard, and Sorcerer. Power was not all that designated the differences. No, there lay a vast difference in what they could do. A department was dedicated to the Major Magic Disciplines at the university, alongside the departments of Magical Tools, Mythology Studies, Mineralogy, Botany, Zoology, etc. According to Grace, to become a Sorcerer and receive the Sorcery Degree, a student required ten credits from the Major Magic Disciplines.

"Transmutation is all about changing the properties of objects and matter, duh. Heh, this is sort-of a joke but technically speaking, telekinetically bending a steel rod is technically transmutation."

"It follows the law of conservation and is permanent: the two basic criteria for a transmutation," Dasha stated.

"Exactly, exactly! But that’s the basic stuff. There are these core principles that are super important in the later stages. Aesthetic is super, super advanced in the school of Transmutation, so Professor Uffr’s main focus so far has been on Alteration, Shape Control, and, of course, Aesthetic itself. Obviously, the bulk of the course is on Aesthetic and we’re building up to that." Grace licked her fingers and turned the pages of her notebook. "Let’s see, let’s see...alright. Alteration is about the change and manipulation in an object’s shape. The steel rod is a classic example of Alteration. Shape Control is, I know it’s confusing, but-"

"The ability to shape’s one’s own mana. Shaping it into a cube or a sphere or any shape for that matter. I know already."

"Great! Nice! Sorry, swordsmen amd players go by instinct for this kind of thing. They can do Shape Control even though they don’t know what it means. Then again, I guess Shape Control is self-explanatory..." Pause, a beat, and a bigger smile. "Anyway! Aesthetic is about manipulating the appearance of something, making it look completely different even though the structure or composition doesn’t change. It’s super advanced stuff. Let’s say, for example...ooh, like a water dragon. The actual design of the dragon doesn’t really matter does it? Imagine your spell can blow up and island. Whether it has a badass design has no bearing on the result."

"Yet Sorcerers do it anyway." Dasha thought about why. "Culture."

"Culture? Oh, yes, culture! Magic-users have a superiority complex, haha. Kinda of a stereotype buuut also kinda not. It’s like the Holy Knights being noble. Kind of a stereotype but also kinda true."

"Any vital functions for Aesthetic?"

"Mhm! Let’s see you want to put symbols on your dragon. You put a banch of Ogham lettering to place an effect of mana absorption. Aesthetic does that!"

"You can cause additional, reactive effects with your spell."

"Exactly! Let’s say...two spells are cast at the same time. But oh no, you made a mistake! You used a water spell and your opponent used an earth spell. You’ll lose! Or maybe nooot. Your water spell makes contact with earth and in that spell, you had a contingency. On the water spell, you added symbols to your spells which decreed that contact with earth turns the water into acid then. Voila! Earth is melted! You win."

"You cannot do them."

"No way, that’s Sorcerery. Magecraft and Wizardry doesn’t come close to actual Sorcerer. Players can have the Sorcerer Class but does not make you a real Sorcerer. It’s a matter of understanding."

Sounded like Grace and the the rest of the University were passionate about that. The Sorcerer Class and the actual rank of Sorcerer were totally seperate in their eyes. Again, a cultural blip. The same way engineers in academia thought themselves smarter and better than, say, those in business.

"Did the professor mention which is more difficult?"

Grace gave him a puzzled look. Dasha tapped at the textbook.

"Aesthetic is about manipulating the appearance while maintaining structure. This applies both to physical objects and spells. The Merlinus Ambrosius is an annual event for students with various categories to show off their spells. Aesthetic plays a huge part in it."

"Oh, so which is more difficult, changing the Aesthetic of a spell or an object? Hm..." Grace got up from her seat and paced around, arms crossed. "I would say...it’s up to the person, really. For me, spells by far. I’m so bad at them. Physical objects though..."

From her sleeve, a small flowery wand slipled into her hand. She flicked her wrist and the colour of the water within the bottles changed. Red, bright blue, black, and then yellow.

"I think I’m pretty good at it," Grace said, smiling. "These past weeks, colour was our biggest focus. The professor talked about primary colours and the millions of potential shades. It’s very delicate and can get overwhelming."

Dasha picked up the yellow water bottle. It looked like piss. "And so, you experimented on water."

"Yep! It was one of our first exercises. The professor advised me to visualize the elements when I’m doing it. Honestly, it’s easier said than done but it’s a good tip."

"I can see that. Good work. Anything else the professor had to say?"

"Just blah, blah, blah. You know how it is, they talk forever and ever."

He extended an arm. Grace blinked, then gasped. A small pouch of gold coins was set on the table. "Is that...for me?"

"Your reward. Take it. Go to a bank and exchange it for points if you want to use it at the Nebulous Bazaar."

Grace hopped over and snatched the pouch. "I will, thank you!" She smiled and giggled and hooked the pouch to her belt. "Ah, what will you do, Dasha?"

"You seem to have your own suggestion."

"I do! I was thinking... you could hire a sorcerer who specializes in Transmutation. You know, to go around and help repair the damage from the Black Wolf Disaster. The community would love you for it!"

Dasha’s gaze drifted to the map on the table, where various neighborhoods of the Underground were marked with notes and circles. Many of the shops were still in disrepair, their owners desperate for aid but wary of asking for help from the wrong people.

Hiring a Sorcerer was a natural next step. Not only would it ingratiate him with the community, but it would also give him leverage over key figures in the neighborhood without needing to be there. A favor here, a debt there—he could consolidate control without ever lifting a weapon.

"No, not yet," Dasha said finally. "I’ve been observing the fallout from the Black Wolf Disaster closely. Now is not the time. If a Sorcerer appears, then words and eyes will move."

Grace blinked in surprise, then smiled widely. "Oh! I should have known. You’re always ahead of the game, Dasha. I guess I don’t need to tell you anything."