Chapter 348: Innate Levels
The smiles on the Elders’ faces grew as Dominic spoke, and the old woman nodded in satisfaction.
"I knew that we had come to the right place. Now, I do hope that you don’t mind a personal question."
Dominic chuckled at the hesitant look on her face. "As long as it’s suitable for public consumption, I will likely answer."
"Your eyes glow a little when you are curious. Do you transform when you get excited? I don’t mean a full shift, but perhaps some scales on your body, or fully glowing eyes." She asked.
Dominic nodded, then contemplated how much to tell these new arrivals. His claws weren’t exactly a secret, that should be fine to inform them.
"When I need them, I can grow out my claws. It’s retracting them that become the issue. Growing them is easy, but half the time I end up having to file them down into fingernails again."
The old woman gripped her spoon so hard her knuckles were turning white.
"Really? That is wonderful. So much dragon blood left in your lineage. Does your wife know?"
Dominic tried not to laugh. "Oh yes, she is well aware. But the eyes glow as well, and that’s not something that anyone can hide from their spouse."
"How is your magic? We can help you train once the tower is up." She asked slowly, the excitement having drained much of her energy.
"My spell selection is limited, but I am at level thirteen now with my core skills."
The old woman nodded. "What is your base level?"
Dominic shrugged. "I have no idea. I have been focusing on improving my magic, and I haven’t tested it. It’s more efficient to funnel mana directly to the spells instead of making mana gems and then transferring them."
"Oh, you must be friends with the Second Prince of Cygnia then? He’s one of the few High Mages who can use that technique." Elder Manif asked.
"Well, I did marry his sister. But yes, you could call us friends."
The Elder smirked, and patted Dominic on the shoulder. "Fear not. Any harsh feelings about taking away his sister will fade with time. My father-in-law was the previous Sect Master, and it took him nearly a decade to accept that his little girl was all grown up."
Dominic laughed. "It’s not the Second Prince I am most concerned with. It’s the Crown Prince who is unlikely to accept that his most precious sister is a married woman. Even Prince Russel was abrupt when we first met.
Princess Alexis remains a favoured daughter among the militant members of the Cygnia Royalty, and the thoughts of anyone spending husbandly time with her puts her brothers into full protective mode."
Dominic caught the sound of the maid’s laugh before she stifled it. Indeed, most of the reason that Russel had been harsh with Dominic when they first met was because he had viewed him as the usurper who had the audacity to steal his sister.
According to Alexis, the soft and feminine sisters were more ornamental to the Princes, always intended to be married off into good families to ensure their future. But the twin Princesses were different.
More like one of the brothers, as well as battle comrades, who had seen dozens of fights at the Princes’ sides.
Now, they were both to be married women and moved away from the Palace.
Princess Elanor had better not be getting notions of marriage any time soon. She was the last of their little sisters to dote upon.
Having listened to the conversations between the Princess and her brother since he arrived, the maid knew that the nostalgia for childhood good times was strong with Prince Russel. He was not ready for the change of generations yet, where all his childhood friends became right proper Noble adults, taking over from their parents.
"Why don’t we test your innate level? It will help develop a plan to assist your development as Duke. Or were you not planning to become a Master Mage?" Elder Manif asked.
"Indeed, I am intending to be a Master Mage at some point. A Master Blacksmith as well, but that’s becoming more of a hobby than a trade, as I focus more on Magitech Engineering and magic." Dominic agreed.
The mage shrugged. "Even a Mage Tower needs a Master Smith if they can get one. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, though your growth rate might be slower with a blacksmith’s trade skill orb than an Archmage’s gift."
"Alright, what do we need to do?" Dominic asked.
"Put your hands against mine, and push as much mana as you can toward me. It’s unlikely that you will be able to overpower me in a mana wrestling match, I’m a level thirty mage." Elder Manif explained.
And his mother was half Siren. His magical affinity was extremely high, though he hadn’t inherited any of her nonhuman appearance.
Dominic put his hands against the Elder’s and then pushed.
He could always move a large amount of mana, but this was a test of pressure, not volume.
The Elder braced himself as Dominic did his best, arms trembling with effort as their mana collided. Then, Elder Manif nodded, and Dominic stopped the effort.
"That is truly impressive. I would put you at level four on an innate level. That is far beyond what most can claim at your age, and more than ninety percent of human Archmages.
Even the Second Prince should only be a little stronger than you on an innate level.
However, his trade skill core, and his practical level are far beyond either of us. When it comes to mages, I have an advantage due to bloodline, in that my innate level and practical level are the same.
But I am also an old man.
By the time that you or the Second Prince are my age, you will be the same. Well, assuming that the Royal Cygnia bloodline is strong enough in the Second Prince. If not, his innate level will stop far short of his trade skill peak.
The common name for it is ’reaching your potential’. But really, it’s closer to being a sign that you’re reaching the end of your lifespan. Your body is giving all that it can give, and you’ve accomplished everything it had the potential to.
So, the only way forward is down." The Elder elaborated with a sigh.