While Starlight was slowly slicing his meat, Po Kong asked another strange question. “By the way... I’ve been wanting to ask since I met you. What exactly is that thing you’re carrying on your back? Is it some kind of performance art? ...Ah! You don’t have to tell me if you’d rather not!”
“Huh? It’s just a backpack. You’re wearing one too! Does that really strike you as odd?” Starlight was once again confused by Po Kong’s line of questioning.
“No! I mean, how do you usually store your things? Or... is your storage space so small that you have to rely on a backpack? But even then, surely it wouldn't be so small that it couldn't even fit a single backpack...”
“Storage space? What’s that?” Starlight blinked, clearly having no concept of the term.
“...No way!? You’re a mage and you don’t know what storage space is!? Didn't your teacher ever teach you!? What planet are you from, anyway?!”
Po Kong was stunned into silence for several seconds after hearing Starlight’s reply. Then, he let out a loud, unshielded cry of shock, as if he had just heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.
Starlight thought about it carefully and then shook his head firmly. “I’ve truly never heard the term 'storage space' before. Master never mentioned it.”
Looking at Starlight, Po Kong’s handsome face couldn't help but twitch, and he looked utterly exasperated. He thought to himself, 'How can this guy be so different in every single way? He’s such an unexpected oddball.'
Despite his thoughts, Po Kong decided to explain what he considered to be “basic common sense” to Starlight.
Although he couldn't use magic himself, he still knew a thing or two about the basic knowledge of the magical world.
After a detailed explanation from Po Kong, Starlight finally gained a preliminary understanding of this so-called “storage space.”
In short, it was a basic application of space magic, and an extremely common one at that.
Since any object existing in space must have a certain frequency, it must also have a fundamental perception of the space it occupies.
The spatial frequency and perception that followed each person basically represented a mage’s spatial affinity. The direct manifestation of this spatial affinity was the size of their storage space.
Some people were born with the ability to open a massive storage space, while other mages who excelled in different elemental categories might have a storage space no larger than a backpack.
Space and time magic, as spells completely detached from traditional elemental systems like water, fire, earth, and wind, were extremely demanding in terms of cultivation difficulty. Consequently, there were very few people on the entire continent who could truly utilize them flexibly.
Most people with high spatial affinity would also choose to cultivate one or two other types of magic as supplements.
After all, since ancient times, many people had reached the peak using ordinary elemental magic, but those who could truly use space magic with divine mastery were almost non-existent.
Nevertheless, storage space and the short-range Displacement Spell remained the most fundamental parts of a mage’s education today. They were almost household terms across the continent.
Yet, despite it being such a basic thing, Starlight had never encountered it in over a decade.
“So such a convenient thing exists? I really had no idea!” Starlight leaned his head on his hand and sighed after hearing Po Kong’s explanation.
He didn't know if Carlos had forgotten about it or if the books simply didn't mention something that had become such common knowledge, but he was only finding out today.
However, Starlight didn't feel unhappy about it. He didn't have anything that absolutely had to be stored away right now, so carrying it in a backpack was fine by him.
“I say... is that master of yours actually reliable? How could he not even teach you the basics? I’m starting to feel like tomorrow’s operation is a bit shaky!” Po Kong said with some concern.
“It’s fine. I don’t have anything valuable in my backpack, so it doesn't matter if it gets lost. As for other magic, I’m still confident,” Starlight replied casually, seeing his worried expression.
“So you’ve always carried things on your back just like us? Could that be why you’re in such good physical shape?” Po Kong asked curiously.
“Probably... right? Although I can’t compare to people like you who cultivate battle qi, I think carrying a hundred or two hundred pounds shouldn't be much of a problem,” Starlight said after a moment’s thought.
“How much?? A hundred or two hundred pounds? You haven't even had specialized training, that’s already amazing! Even an average soldier in the kingdom can’t do that!” Po Kong shouted in surprise.
“Well, I meant without it affecting my movement. If it exceeds that weight, I probably wouldn't be as agile as I am now,” Starlight explained.
“...Are you a monster? What kind of mage runs around carrying hundreds of pounds of stuff?!” Po Kong was speechless.
“But now that you mention it, you’re probably right. For instance, my master couldn't carry that kind of weight without using magic.”
“It seems you’re the only abnormal one! Since we’re on the subject, why don't you tell me about your past?” Po Kong suggested with a teasing smile.
Starlight shook his head and gave a small smile. “I don’t think you’d be interested. My life before was actually quite boring.”
“Well, we have nothing else to do right now anyway, so let's just consider it a chat~” Po Kong proposed.
“Alright...”
...
The two youths sat by the campfire, talking back and forth like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. Time slipped away unnoticed as the night grew deeper.
For Starlight, this was the first time since he was born that he had talked with someone for so long, especially with a peer of a similar age.
Through their conversation, he learned that Po Kong, who came from the Royal Capital, was actually only a year or so older than him and was also still a minor. He had begun traveling the continent at the age of sixteen for certain personal reasons.
Po Kong’s broad knowledge and optimistic personality benefited Starlight greatly, leaving him feeling exceptionally happy and satisfied.
The two continued talking until the moon hung high above the treetops before gradually stopping.
In the end, it was Po Kong who laughingly cut the topic short, as they still had to head deep into the marshland early tomorrow morning. Otherwise, with Starlight’s current excitement, they probably would have talked until dawn.
“You get some rest first. I’ll take the first half of the night watch,” Po Kong said as he prepared to stand up from the campfire.
Starlight shook his head and said, “Let me go first. I’m not sleepy at all, and I can take the opportunity to meditate for a while.”
Seeing this, Po Kong smiled and said, “Alright then. Wake me up if you get tired. Goodnight, Starlight.”
His personality had always been straightforward and informal; since they were traveling companions, they had to trust each other.
After saying goodnight, he leaned against the rock wall and fell into a deep sleep.
Although Starlight said he would meditate to recover, he had basically done nothing all day except run behind Po Kong, so the mana in his body was still very full.
A short while later, after confirming that Po Kong was fast asleep, he stood up quietly and tiptoed to the side. He unfastened Noah from his side and whispered, “Hey, Noah! Are you awake?”
Ever since he heard about storage space from Po Kong, Starlight had developed a strong interest in this unfamiliar magic.
While he didn't have anything he needed to store at the moment, he was very curious why Carlos, a Saint Archmage, hadn't taught him such a basic thing.
By all logic, this shouldn't have happened. Perhaps his master had his own reasons.
The simplest way to answer this question was to ask Carlos’s soul clone, Noah. Even if Noah didn't know the answer, he could help analyze the situation.
“Ugh... what time is it? Don't you kids ever sleep?” The book in his hand lazily flipped open its cover upon hearing his call and answered in a very reluctant voice.
“I’m on watch! Besides, you’re clearly just a book, so why do you always need to sleep? Is it really necessary?” Starlight asked in a low voice when he saw him wake up.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I don’t have a physical body? So I get tired more easily? Hmm... I never thought about that until you mentioned it. Since you’ve raised such a meaningful question, I won’t hold it against you for waking me up! Speak, what do you want to ask?”
A rare expression of contemplation appeared on Noah’s face, which was formed from paper, but he quickly snapped out of it and spoke to him.
Rate on N.U.
