Chapter 76 – Mahya is Rich Now (Patreon)

When we landed in Zurich and checked into the hotel, I said to Lis, "Something strange happened. The system offered me the Bard Class."

"Congratulations. Why is it strange?"

"Because I bought all my instrument playing skills from the system, I didn't learn them 'the hard way.'"

"Why did you buy them instead of learning?"

"Because music lessons are a long process, and I had other things to do."

"What is the criterion to get the class?"

"How should I know? It always surprises me."

"You didn't understand me. When the Guidance offers a class, the first sentence explains what criteria you fulfilled to get the class. So, what was the criterion you fulfilled?"

"Oh, got you."

I channeled mana and popped the class's screen so he could see it.

"You didn't get the class because of your musical skills; I don't see any problem with that."

"Yeah, you're right. I like this class, but I learned my lesson with the fighting class; I won't take it for cost. Any ideas what I can do to get it for free?"

"First, learn to play."

"But I already bought from the system."

"Did you buy all the instruments in the world?"

"No..."

"Then learn to play something you didn't buy."

"Thank you, Sensei. I'm dreading the day you won't be available to answer my millions of questions anymore."

"I trust you’ll find a solution. You were doing well even before you met me."

We found Mahya a lawyer who specializes in business contracts, and after meeting with him, she informed us that it would take a few weeks.

Lis started working with the E-foil. Mahya had an idea to create permanent mosaic spell circles and borrowed books from Lis. I watched many YouTube videos and chose cello and clarinet. I found three different cello teachers and filled my day with lessons from nine in the morning to eight in the evening. In total, I had nine cello lessons a day. I also told all the teachers I was studying with other teachers to coordinate the lessons and not learn the same thing repeatedly. It took two weeks of intensive lessons to get the ability, but I got it. I continued with the lessons and reached level 3.

Mahya's deal was delayed, so Lis asked that we find a place to put my house because he needed to try some things in a place that wouldn't take damage. He also reminded me that I still needed to build a ranged spell.

We found a farm for sale in the village of Mettmenstetten, Switzerland, rented it for a month, placed my house, Lis went back to playing with the E-foil, Mahya started laying spell mosaics, and I went back to studying the book Action Aspects for Spell Creation.

The whole action part was built on intention, and the intention had to be very precise and sharp, without any additions, or the spell would behave strangely. There were no exercises in this book either, so I had to find solutions on my own.

After I finished studying it, which took less than a day because it was tiny, I started trying to build exercises to train my intention, but I didn't have any ideas. I thought of consulting Lis but reminded myself that I had to learn to manage on my own.

Ultimately, I decided to start working with the fire spell I built and practice with it.

I knew the spell practice room was protected, but I didn’t want to take any chances; the house was made of wood, after all. So, I filled a bucket with water, built the outer shell, filled the spell half with the aspect of fire, and began to put the intention of flying into it. I tried to put in as pure an intention as possible, just "fly." After it was packed and I closed the shell, the spell flew out of my hand and started whizzing all over the room from end to end; I was afraid it would hit the wall and ignite it, so I chased after it with the bucket in one hand and a fly swatter in the other, hoping to slam it into the bucket.

The spell was too fast, and I couldn't hit it, but luckily, it ran out of flying mana and just fell; at the last second, I managed to place the bucket under it, so it flopped into the bucket, and after a second, steam rose out of the bucket.

Mahya was lying on the floor roaring with laughter and kicking her legs in the air, and Lis was holding his belly, tears streaming down his face from laughter. At first, I got annoyed at them for laughing, but after a second, I started laughing, too. For a few minutes, we just laughed nonstop. I needed that.

I tried to think about what I had done wrong and decided that firstly, I filled too much mana with the flying aspect, and secondly, probably one aspect was insufficient. I decided to add a little aspect of flying and a little aspect of staying put, so the spell wouldn’t escape me again.

It was more complicated than I thought. If I added more intent to stay, the spell didn't go anywhere, no matter what I tried. If I added more intent to fly, the spell flew and crashed somewhere. I stopped with the bucket because Lis told me my little dart couldn’t damage the room.

After my mana was almost zero, I went outside to regenerate. I didn't want to take mana from my baby core. At least my core ate eight thousand mana; I could almost imagine it burping after the meal.

I had no idea how to proceed, so I decided to cook. My mind works better when my hands are busy and the best ideas come to me. I started cooking and decided to incorporate telekinesis to get to know this spell better and see why it listens to me, and my dart doesn't.

I cut all the ingredients manually; I didn't want to take a chance with flying knives, but I brought all the other things to me with telekinesis, filled water from the tap, placed pots on the burners, and lit the burners. The spell listened to me and did exactly what I wanted. I felt there was some other aspect there, but I couldn't identify it - its "flavor" was unlike anything I'd ever encountered.

I decided I was probably missing data and should keep looking in the books. The next day, when my mana was full, I started spending a thousand mana book after book, but I found nothing. I sat down at the computer and signed up for some workshops; my mana took 15 hours to fill up; it was a shame to waste that time. I asked Lis and Mahya if they wanted to join, but they were too busy with their projects and refused.

·         Scuba & Snorkelling Lesson

Eight books, still no answer.

·         Turicum Gin Lab

I had to call a cab home; I was too wasted to drive. The following day, eight books, still no answer.

·         Havana Dance

Eight books, still no answer.

·         Amplifying Impact with AI: Non-Profit Workshop

Eight books, still no answer.

·         Create your Sustainable Home

Eight books, still no answer.

·         How to solder

For this workshop, Lis and Mahya decided to join me, and Lis decided to build a soldering device that works on mana. But after another eight books, I still didn’t find an answer. I already knew like fifty languages or something.

·         Swiss Ski Experience in the Jungfrau Region

Well, I always wanted to learn to ski. But still didn’t find an answer.

·         Zurichberg Watch Journey - Explore Real Watchmaking

Still no answer.

·         Basic course: making your own glass beads

I ran out of workshops, so I convinced Lis and Mahya to join me for a visit to the Lindt Home of Chocolate Museum, and when they heard the word chocolate, I didn’t have to work very hard.

I still didn’t find an answer.

I did a Mount Titlis Day Tour only with Rue; at least he was always game if I wanted him to come. He loved the Rotair revolving cable car and wanted to ride it repeatedly.

Finally, I found a promising book, The Higher Echelon of Aspects – The Mark of a True Wizard. And earned another nine points.

I was planning to start studying it when Mahya burst into the house and informed us that the deal closed for two million euros and that we were going to celebrate. I hugged and congratulated her, and we went for dinner and drinks to celebrate.

We got home, somehow, none of us was sure how, and we hoped we didn’t do anything magical in the city.