"The assembly of Southern Wizard geniuses had long since begun."
Kosti calmly said, "Orian left the Magic Ring a year ago and headed to the Ancient Fairy City Ruins...
The battle for the Heramus Genius Seat will officially commence in about four months."
Ronan repeated the number silently, without a word.
After a moment’s thought, Kosti turned her Space Ring and handed three items to Ronan.
Ronan examined the three items before him.
The first was a bottle of black, murky Potion; the second was a small, withered, and twisted item resembling tree roots, which upon closer inspection, seemed like some kind of sun-dried animal intestines.
The last item was a strangely shaped metallic magic box, its surface covered with intricately meshing brass gears, and inside the box was a small Rune Stone.
Ronan picked up the Rune Stone from the box to examine it and discovered, to his surprise, that it was a map.
A very big map, encompassing almost the entire Southern region.
It specifically marked two points. One was the location of the aforementioned "Heramus Genius Seat"—the Ancient Fairy City Ruins.
The other point showed the location of the Mechanical Heart Ruins.
Ronan blinked and looked up, quietly waiting for Kosti’s explanation.
"These are additional rewards and compensation from the Magic Ring for you.
The first two items are Magic Potions that can boost soul power. You can take them directly, and they will bring you one step closer to Level 3.
The third item, is the key to enter the Mechanical Heart Ruins..."
"The key to enter the Mechanical Heart Ruins..."
Obviously, the key wasn’t the rune map; Ronan’s gaze turned to the peculiar metallic box that contained the map.
"The Mechanical Heart is a legacy of Dwarf civilization and has been explored many times by Southern Wizards. Many of the Metal Magic Puppets used by the wizards in the South are derived from the traditions of the Mechanical Heart..."
Ronan frowned slightly, but before he could ask further questions, Kosti continued, "However, the most valuable thing inside the Mechanical Heart Ruins is not what was left by the Dwarf craftsmen.
It’s the legacy of Schiper."
A glimmer of fascination flashed in Ronan’s eyes; Schiper was the name of one of the first Legendary Wizards he had learned about.
The name held a greater allure for him than "Heramus."
Because he had used the Wanxiang Treasure Pearl countless times, and every time he activated it, the voice belonging to Schiper—a young, bright voice full of eternal passion and an insatiable desire for exploration—would echo in his ears: "Bearer of the All Phenomena Pearl, welcome to—Schiper’s Illusion Realm Space!..."
"Schiper should be the very first explorer of the Mechanical Heart, and there’s even a claim that the Mechanical Heart was built under his guidance...
Before Schiper left the Mechanical Heart, he left behind many similar metallic boxes..."
"These boxes, some contain Magic Tools, some are cherished magical spellcraft legacies, some have Rare runes, while others might be empty, and some could even contain unpleasant things...
Later wizards called these boxes—Schiper’s Surprise Magic Boxes.
Before opening the box, you’ll never know whether inside holds a surprise or a fright..."
This fit well with Ronan’s imagination of Schiper—a mysterious and mischievous youth.
Ronan suddenly remembered the full name of the Silverization Seal and couldn’t help but glance at Kosti in amazement.
Kosti understood what he meant and nodded, "As you thought, the Silverization Seal and its associated Metal Magic legacy come from one of Schiper’s Surprise Magic Boxes.
The Magic Boxes have a special induction with each other; you can try your luck at the Mechanical Heart Ruins."
Kosti’s advice wasn’t bad. During his last times in the Ascetic Room, he had spent almost all of his energy on the combination of Metal and Space-related, as well as Mirror Magic, but hit a bottleneck.
If he couldn’t make progress in Space and Mirror Magic, maybe he could find a breakthrough on the Metal Magic side.
Ronan expressed gratitude to Kosti; he could guess that what the Magic Ring called compensation for him might only be the last item, the metallic magic box.
The first two gifts were likely Kosti’s personal offerings.
Some things do not need to be spoken out loud, Ronan kept them all in mind.
"Even if you can’t directly participate in the contest for the seat, witnessing an event that brings together all the Southern Wizard geniuses would be greatly beneficial to your future path...
Set out as soon as you can, Ronan, whether you’re heading to the Mechanical Heart or taking a detour to the Ancient Fairy City, it will take a considerable amount of time to get there from here."
Kosti’s gaze was serene as she looked at Ronan, her eyes held a hint of encouragement but not much.
She merely believed that Ronan should go because it would be beneficial for his cultivation, without harboring any expectations for him or putting any pressure on him.
"Kosti really suits the role of... a mother."
Ronan silently evaluated Kosti in his heart.
Kosti meticulously tended to all the small matters of his cultivation. Once Ronan showed a resolute belief in undertaking a certain task or goal, she would verbally throw cold water on him and ring alarm bells to cool his head; yet in action, she would go all out to help him prepare.