A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 406 The Road Ahead is Dead

"Sit down, this is going to be a long story."

Roland waved his hand, and exquisite tables and chairs appeared on the spot, with a pot of steaming tea on the table.

Jiang Shuzhou didn't stand on ceremony and poured himself a glass.

"Would you like to hear something simple or complex?"

Roland said.

"As long as you can answer my question, the length of the story doesn't matter. I'm not an old man nearing the end of my life, nor am I an impatient person."

Since the senior was being so respectful, Jiang Shuzhou felt embarrassed to show any displeasure and decided to give him the respect he deserved.

"Sigh, young people..."

Roland sighed, looking quite melancholy.

Jiang Shuzhou was somewhat puzzled. Roland was at most a few thousand years old. According to the legendary lifespan of tens of thousands, he might not even be halfway through. Logically, he should have a youthful mindset, so why did he look like an old man now?

Could it be that they feel inferior because I'm too young, and are simply admitting they're old?

Despite thinking this, Jiang Shuzhou didn't intend to speak; all he needed to do now was listen.

"The beginning of a story is always so ordinary, but the ending is always so grand."

Roland said.

He was lost in memories.

"In the not-so-distant past..."

Then, Roland began to tell his own story.

Every legend has a legendary experience, and that is why they deserve the title of legend.

Roland was no exception.

Like Jiang Shuzhou, he was not a native of the main plane; his arrival was more like an accident.

When a young child turns their head, the world changes.

From boundless fields, it has become cold bricks and stones.

When he first arrived in the Prime Material Plane, he had nothing and Roland relied on illegal means to survive.

Theft, robbery, fraud.

And so, he spent twenty years.

When he was thirty-five, his fate began to turn.

Everything changed after he killed a fellow bandit with a blade and found the magic book.

No one expected that this executioner, covered in blood, would possess unparalleled magical talent.

From then on, the bandit Roland disappeared, and was replaced by the mage Roland.

The existence of magic rekindled his hope; he wanted to go home.

Some people spend their whole lives healing from their childhood, while others use their childhood to heal their entire lives.

At first, Roland thought he had been teleported to an unfamiliar place, and that his home was still in the Prime Material Plane.

So he embarked on his adventure.

Compared to Jiang Shuzhou, he took many more risks, after all, it was an era where order no longer existed.

A brutal holy war is being waged between the various gods, who demand that believers fight to the death for it.

The mages relied on the mage tower to occupy a region and become city lords to exercise their own rule.

Elves and dwarves, goblins and halflings, countless races and countless nations, fought each other for various reasons.

For a time, adventurer guilds flourished.

And so, Roland began his adventure.

Like everyone else, they make friends, go on adventures together, and encounter trouble.

Gradually, many years passed.

At this point, Roland was already a high-level mage.

But he has been trapped in this class for many years.

"Zaze, has the Magic Church not yet approved my promotion?"

Roland inquired.

"No, damn it! These bastards, I'm going to..."

Roland didn't listen to what was said after that; it was pointless.

Zaze was his partner, and they went on many adventures together.

Finally, after Roland completed the construction of the Mage Tower and gained control of a city, he chose to settle here.

Roland encountered a problem that all mages face: advancing to the Saintly Realm.

The more gifted someone is, the more difficult it is to get promoted.

Mystra will not allow any mage to be qualified to challenge Him.

"I've made up my mind. I'll activate the Astral Gate and seek hope for advancement in other worlds!"

"But, this will..."

"This is my decision."

Roland's voice was incredibly firm.

At that time, exploring the astral plane was still a taboo subject for mages.

Because they cannot cast spells offline, they cannot go to any new dimensions.

Furthermore, exploring other dimensions without authorization is a violation of church law.

But Roland didn't care. The search for his homeland had become an obsession, and he didn't want to stop; he didn't want to cease his pursuit of truth.

Thus, during an exploration of another dimension, Roland discovered the knowledge left behind by mages from countless years ago.

When he learned that mages could cast spells without relying on the magic network, his first reaction was disbelief, followed by immense anger.

Mystra deceived them; He deceived all the wizards.

From then on, Roland no longer relied on the magic network, but instead cast spells solely using his own power.

It started as a faint flame, then a bright fireball, and finally an incredibly scorching sun.

Once freed from constraints, Roland experienced a joy he had never felt before.

His research is developing rapidly, and his progress is astonishing.

But sometimes, accidents happen suddenly.

Mystra learned of Roland's ability to cast spells offline.

Thus began the endless pursuit.

In the endless pursuit, Roland lost everything.

His territory, his companions, his loved ones.

Fate once told him that he would die twice: once in his heart, and once willingly for what his heart desired.

In the end, Roland escaped capture, went into hiding, and like the mage whose tower had collapsed, wore robes that concealed his form and devoted himself to research.

The rest of the story is rather uninteresting; in short, Roland ascended to legend.

"You should know the rest of the story; it's nothing more than me inventing the Silver Flame Meditation Method and the Floating City. That's not very important."

Roland said.

Immediately afterwards, he stared at Jiang Shuzhou.

"Do you think you're determined enough? Do you think you can become the second Goddess of the Magic Network? Or even the God of the Magic Network?"

"No need to answer. What you do is none of my business. It's just another battle against the God of Magic Network."

Before Jiang Shuzhou could answer, Roland spoke directly.

"First of all, congratulations on your advancement to the Saint Realm. With your talent, advancing to the Legendary Realm is only a matter of time; it's already a done deal."

"Secondly, I have some bad news for you."

Roland paused for a moment, then continued.

"That's why I chose to become a demigod."

"I want to tell you that the road ahead for legends is blocked."

"What?!"

Jiang Shuzhou stood up in surprise.

With a splash, the tea spilled all over the floor.

"Young people just lack self-control."

Jiang Shuzhou stared intently at Roland, trying to discern the truth in his words.

There's no other reason than that the news was simply too shocking.

It's no less shocking than being raised as a man from childhood, only to discover you're a woman when you get a girlfriend as an adult.

What evidence do you have?