Chapter 905
Chapter 905
There were no more stops for the Melinda. The ship was on the final leg of its journey, though it would still take around four months to reach Izmorta.
In two months, Anton would turn twenty years old in this world. Before his death on Earth, when he was still Anthony Saunders, he had been twenty-three. Counting the years from both lives, his mental age should have been twenty-six.
He knew that didn't really mean anything. In Anton's opinion, men in their early to mid-twenties were mentally much the same.
He laughed at himself for trying to justify spending so much time with his friends aboard the ship. Most of them were in their late teens or early twenties, and, deep down, he wanted everyone—including himself—to think he was around the same age.
His thoughts drifted to another question.
How long would he live?
He had never researched or asked anyone about the lifespan of wizards.
The best person to ask was probably Supreme Baturin. The old wizard was experienced and knowledgeable enough to teach Anton a thing or two about wizardry.
Anton felt the ship shift beneath his feet and knew it had finally departed from the island. Since he didn't want to bother anyone just yet, he decided to continue leveling his next Diablo II ladder character—the Amazon.
He thought about the loophole Anna had discovered. Once the Diablo II ladder season ended, every ladder character would be deleted. Perhaps it would be better to do what both his father and sister were doing: delete the character immediately after reaching the maximum level and start over with a new one.
The reasoning was simple. They wanted to repeatedly level the fastest character available. In Anton's case, that was the Sorceress.
Many Diablo II players would argue that other classes could level faster, but Anton's situation was different. He wasn't sitting in front of a computer controlling a character with a keyboard and mouse. He was physically entering the world of Diablo II and fighting with his own body.
Because of that, he could employ countless tactics that a player controlling an avatar simply couldn't replicate.
After giving it more thought, however, Anton realized he couldn't focus exclusively on the Sorceress. The attribute bonuses transferred to the real world after maximizing a ladder character needed to remain balanced. He couldn't afford to invest only in the Sorceress's primary attribute, which, in his Diablo II system, was Energy.
Unlike the original game, his damage in the real world increased according to his Energy stat. Even so, he still needed Vitality, Dexterity, and his other attributes to remain well-balanced.
Another reason for leveling every Diablo II class was the skills themselves. Since he had access to every class's abilities in the real world, he wanted to master all of them. The only way to truly accomplish that was through firsthand combat experience.
After several hours of playing, Anton exited the game. He wanted to speak with Supreme Baturin about the many questions he had accumulated regarding wizardry.
Before closing his Diablo II system panel, he noticed that both his father and his sister were online. Anna was playing in the ladder section, while his father was playing a non-ladder character. Anton knew that Anders was helping Sonya level a non-ladder multiplayer character.
Anna's game was password-protected, preventing him from joining. She was most likely playing with her online friends.
He could have entered his father's game, but he had no intention of interrupting Anders's time alone with his new wife.
Anton suddenly wondered whether people could be affectionate inside the world of Diablo II.
Based on everything he had seen and experienced while playing, they probably could. After all, his father and Sonya had entered the game with their actual bodies. At the very least, if they rented one of the rooms at Atma's Tavern, they would have complete privacy and could enjoy their honeymoon while overlooking the beautiful desert surrounding Lut Gholein.
Before seeking out Supreme Baturin, Anton decided to visit the ship's library.
When he arrived, he was pleasantly surprised by its size and organization. The library was spacious, well-maintained, and staffed by two librarians. Both were women. One appeared to be in her early twenties, while the other looked middle-aged.
"Hello. My name is Anton, and I need help finding some general information about the wizards of Ormunda," Anton said to the younger woman working at the front desk.
The older librarian continued arranging books on one of the shelves.
"I can help you," the younger woman replied. "My name is Orlene. What kind of information are you looking for? Could you be more specific?"
"I'm looking for information about the lifespan of wizards and similar topics."
"I'm afraid that information is restricted."
"I believe I have the necessary clearance. My name is Anton Sunder, and I'm a Supreme Wizard of Ormunda."
Orlene looked puzzled, and Anton understood why. He had just claimed to be a Supreme Wizard while asking for basic information about wizardry.
Although he had received lessons from several experienced wizards—including the elderly instructors who had begun teaching him and Anna during their journey across Rendindura after the defeat of the Undead Coalition—their education had focused primarily on wizard etiquette and politics rather than general magical knowledge.
Orlene checked a crystal globe, the world's equivalent of a computer network. After a few seconds, she led him to a private room at the back of the library.
"Are you planning to borrow any of the books?" Orlene asked.
Anton could tell from her expression that she disliked the thought of anyone walking away with the library's collection.
"No. I'll read them here," Anton replied, hoping to reassure her that he intended to treat the books with proper care.
Orlene left him alone in the room.
It was hot and stuffy. There were no windows, most likely to keep moisture from damaging the books.
Anton retrieved one of the Frozen Orb air conditioners he had designed. Powered by mana stones, it quickly cooled the room to a comfortable temperature—slightly chilly, just the way he preferred it.
Afterward, he gathered several books that appeared capable of answering his questions and spent the next several hours reading.
Anton couldn't help but regret not discovering the library sooner. Had he known about it at the beginning of the voyage, he could have spent a few hours each day studying instead of watching movies and television shows.
Fortunately, the journey still had several months remaining, giving him plenty of time to catch up on his studies.
Since he planned to continue his education in Izmorta, he prioritized books covering general wizardry and magical theory instead of texts focused on the customs or practices of specific regions. He also found several books about Izmorta itself and decided to add them to his reading list.
While he was absorbed in his studies, Orlene entered the room, apparently checking on him. She paused when she noticed the cooler temperature and frowned slightly before quietly leaving.
Anton wondered what had prompted her reaction, but he decided not to dwell on it and returned to his reading.
After an hour more of reading, Anton stopped, returned the books to their shelves, retrieved his magic item, and left the room.
He saw that Orlene was still the one manning the front desk.
“I hope the magic item that you use to lower the temperature won’t damage the books,” Orlene said sternly.
“It shouldn’t. My item was supposed to just lower the temperature in the room and shouldn’t pull a large amount of moisture from the air,” Anton replied.