Chapter 39: Forbidden Arrays

Chapter 39: Forbidden Arrays

In the library, the Head Array Master led William to a row of books. "These are all the forbidden Arrays we have records of. Some of the information is incomplete, but it may still be of use to you."

William felt now would be a good time to ask, "What makes an Array forbidden?"

"The Royal Family of Azures declared certain topics as forbidden based on their qualities. They've placed a ban on anything which is intended to kill humans, enslave people, or anything powerful enough to destroy the world. The Techniques are forbidden for use, but there is no law against learning about Forbidden Arrays like this one." the Head Array Master placed his hand on a specific book with an orange cover.

He pulled it off the shelf and handed it to William. "The basics of Forbidden Arrays are here. All who delve into the secrets of Forbidden Arrays are recommended to read this first."

William took the book and opened it to the first page. Unlike in Thin Creek Village, this book had a table of contents. He flipped to the section titled "Detecting Forbidden Arrays" and began reading.

"Most Forbidden Arrays that target humans are placed in regions close to natural treasures or lawless lands where evil Cultivators roam free. To detect a Forbidden Array, an Array Master can form an Intermediate Malign Detection Array on their clothes, which will activate if one steps within 25 meters of anything that can damage the Array.

This can be amplified further by using Filter Runes to focus only on threatening Arrays. This is also a common method to defend against enemy Array Masters during an ambush."Điscover new chapters at novelhall.com learned a lot from this book. It taught about many different methods to keep him safe from forbidden Arrays, and even ways to counter them. He flipped to another portion of the book that was entirely focused on disabling Arrays.

The System didn't teach William anything about disabling Arrays with his upgrades, only basic knowledge on how Arrays were formed and operated. He had gained power, but didn't know how to use it yet.

"To disable an Array, the Array Master must first identify which Runes make up its component parts. Once the Array Master has deduced one Rune, they have two options. They can destroy the Rune, which may force the Array to cease functioning properly if the Rune is critical, or they can add a new Rune that changes the functions of the Array.

William thanked the Head Array Master for his time, then asked for Fowley, who should have his Space Ring ready by now. The Head Array Master called for Fowley and congratulated William for his successful tests. He waved farewell before leaving the Array Hall with his bodyguard and the other old man from before.

William didn't have to wait long for Fowley to reach the front counter. The Space Ring was transferred to William, who thanked Fowley for his time.

"Young man, you are more talented in Arrays than I am. If you had an Affinity for Space Magic, perhaps you wouldn't even need someone like myself." he looked content, but there was some uncertainty in Fowley's eyes.

"You were a great help to me, I hope you can keep my secrets and help me again in the future." William responded. He worried that if he wasn't sincere enough Fowley's intentions could change.

Fowley was about to leave, but stopped after thinking of something. "You're not too familiar with how we do things in the Array Hall, so feel free to join me in my room whenever you have an order to complete." he pointed to the room where he met William in the morning.

"Thanks, I will take you up on that offer sometime." William felt Fowley was more easygoing than he looked. Although the man was quite serious, he seemed to truly care about William's well-being.

As an Array Master second only to the Head, William had gained many benefits. A separate room was prepared for William on the balcony, right next to the Array Head's room. It seemed to be covered in Advanced Arrays of disguise, concealment, and the walls were sound-proofed to prevent eavesdropping.

Since he was in the Array Hall, William decided to change into his robes. He used Water and Wind Magic to clean himself, then checked his new look in a simple spell that mirrored his image.

"Oh yeah, I look handsome as usual." William couldn't deny that he no longer looked like a handsome peasant, but a dashing scholar in red and white.

William felt this would be a great time to check the Space Ring for its contents. He placed the ring on his finger and willed it to open, creating a miniature portal that William could use to manipulate the items inside. The process was quite fluid, and there was no longer an Array to block William's gaze.

He leaned his head forward in interest to inspect the inside, but his facial expression changed when he noticed a pale yellow glow from the back corner.