Mother of Learning [Web Novel]

[Namorax]

True... but having to pay one Gatemagician would be still a lot cheaper than paying two. ^^;

Also, I assumed they would do that like once a month or something since it would be more efficient to move all the goods at once and not open a new gate everyday just to move one crate back and forth.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Darius Drake

Being a "witch" is a VERY specific thing. It's kind of like being a Homemade Moonshine Maker. If you have the licences, you're allowed to. If you don't have the licences, then you're a criminal.

The author never really expand on it but i think being a witch is a lot more then about licenses and stuff.

The Aope is still consider a witch family even through they are a prt of Eldemar's ruling elite.

Originally Posted by Darius Drake

The problem with Gate isn't distance, but the requirement to have two skilled mages who know the spell casting it at once.

it is not just about paying gate mages, it is also about security laws. Governments in Koth and Eldemar isn't going to look kindly on Teleport gates they don't control opening on a regular basis.

[fantasmal escapist]

I noticed that is one arc has about 26 chapters, and the second arc ended at 54, this story is coming to an end very soon! How do you guys think it'll end in say, 10 more chapters? Just them escaping the loop and catching red robe straightaway? Doesn't sound right though, as I'm hoping for an invasion in real time proper

[GodTurtleOm]

I feel like this arc needs to be considerably longer than arcs 1 and 2. There just seems to be too much left to cover for it to be wrapped up in just 10 more chapters.

I suppose he could end the story with them simply leaving the loop, but it seems like a shame to pass up a storyline in which there are multiple new factors present and death is a very real risk. As long as he thinks that things wouldn't be interesting outside of it since they solved all the problems they could while inside the Gate, or have other overwhelming advantages, I could see him potentially disregarding the post-time loop story because it would be too one-sided in Zach and Zorian's favor.

The thing is, as long as Red Robe, demon summoning, and permanent death are added factors to the opposing side in the real world, then even if Zorian gets doubled mana reserves and mindmage powers (from merging his loop soul with his real world soul, a pet theory of mine) and the aid of the Cyoria Web, their advantage shouldn't be overwhelming.

Here's something I asked him a year ago:

Q: And it's a bit far off, but do you intend to write more stories set in this world after you finish Mother of Learning?

A: Not really. I have ideas for other stories, but they're set in different worlds. I did think about writing another (much shorter) story about the events immediately following MoL - a sort of arc 4 to the story, if you will. But that is not even in planning stages, as I don't want to get ahead of myself. Resolution to MoL must come first before I seriously consider something like that.

"about events immediately following MoL" is a vague descriptor and could be Zorian and Zach's rise to fame in the coming years and the consequences of their actions, or the actual month leading to the Ibasan attack.

[Darius Drake]

That all depends on how this story finishes. If the story finishes with Zach & Zorian just escaping the timeloop, then ten chapters could be enough wrap up most things. If we get a "Outside The Timeloop" part, then about ten chapters might be a bit too short. It also, however, depends on the length of each individual chapter and numerous other things, so I won't make a prediction.

[bludvein]

There's no way this will be wrapped up in 10 chapters or less with all the loose ends hanging around. They've barely even started with acquiring the keys other than the orb and the final month should take at least 5~ chapters on it's own. Just ending as they leave without putting anything into practice would be very anticlimactic.

[dmaxzero]

Yeah. The epilogue for this story needs to be epic.

[ices]

I remember reading the author response that this last arc will be longer or something... but maybe it's just me remembering things.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Namorax

It is easy to forget that Zorian's family descends from a witchy background... there might be something to it: maybe the mother wants to avoid Kirielle becoming a witch or something? If Kirielle learns magic the chances of that happening would increase, but then why forbid the drawing?

To be honest, I can't think of any reason why they would possibly do that. Maybe there is some kind of witch-mafia that will leave them alone as long as they don't awaken their witch heritage?


On a sidenote: Did Zorian and Zach actually finish the quest for that one witch? The one where they hunt that gray hunter? I think they failed or something. I wonder when they have to get back to that... maybe one of the key is involved (or inside) her hidden cottage.

Gives Namorax a cookie

[sasuke706]

I'm somewhat surprised Zorian didn't reveal that Damien and himself had actually inherited traits from her witch heritage just to gauge her reaction, but like his mother was going on about, there's a chance she wouldn't care regardless since it seems the issue itself is with "witches," or girls having the traits I suppose. Even though Kirielle seems to possess no such traits. The two being men might just make it irrelevant to her.
Of course the issue not being of magic origin but of social origins.

All-in-all, Zorian's talk with his parents didn't really solve anything.
All it did was introduce Zorian to his mother's anti-witch trauma and his father's seemingly complete lack of involvement with it.
That said, his parents didn't exactly win any points aside from admitting they might somewhat be prepared to compromise (eventually), albeit unwilling.

I liked how Zorian basically called Damien a mama's boy by saying his fiancee is just like their mother.
I actually like his fiancee though; she seems to be the scheming type to an extent but chooses her targets for that kind of stuff at least.
Seems like she wants to try to win over their parents instead of using some sort of severe political method or something is a plus, too.

[Namorax]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

Gives Namorax a cookie

Yay, a cookie!

...but now I'm sad because I used up all my luck.

[Blankdom]

New one is up, and I have no real comments for it, so you'll have to read it yourself.

[Darius Drake]

Yeah, this chapter was significantly more "set up" than "action". Zach and Zorian are probably going to be able to break into the castle soon, and the key part in a distant land can now be seen to be reached with some effort, so... one of the only ones with a major reconciliation problem is probably the crown.

...or is there more than 4 pieces? I don't remember how many pieces the Key had.

[Breimn]

5 pieces .
Dagger", a "Crown", a "Staff", an "Orb" and a "Ring"
About 3 years of loop left and if MC's thinking is right crown should let them make minor time loop marks while dagger can remove people from loop.
They have to find soon a way to let more than a looper out tough so i guess the last pieces are going to be the most important for that.
Plus they have been thinking of modifying the orb and turn it into a bigger black room. And making more things like the orb since Zack wants one too .
I guess we have found out what MC is going to work on after the time loop and the invasion are over.
And Zorian has been building a magic cannon to kill that damn spider .

[Namorax]

After the last chapter I started wondering: Pretty much everyone in Zorian's family had a part of the story focus on them. Everyone except Fortov.

Compared to everyone else, Fortov had the least amount of time in the spotlight. Damien featured pretty heavily in the latest arc, Kirielle is "present" more often than not and the parents are mentioned regularely.

If Fortov also has to play a big role in the story... will he get his own mini-arc? Or will the twist be that he was already involved the whole time... for example as Red Robe?

What does everyone else think?

[Blankdom]

Originally Posted by Namorax

After the last chapter I started wondering: Pretty much everyone in Zorian's family had a part of the story focus on them. Everyone except Fortov.

Compared to everyone else, Fortov had the least amount of time in the spotlight. Damien featured pretty heavily in the latest arc, Kirielle is "present" more often than not and the parents are mentioned regularely.

If Fortov also has to play a big role in the story... will he get his own mini-arc? Or will the twist be that he was already involved the whole time... for example as Red Robe?

What does everyone else think?

*Sigh* I seriously don't get why people keep doing this; there are many reasons why Fortov couldn't possibly be RR:

Spoiler:

1. Lives with Zorian, so could easily put 2 and 2 together;
A. Zorian taking Kiri w/ him to school -- Though this could be explained, as variance in the loop, it happens at/near the start, when there hasn't been enough time to cause any yet.
B. Zorian being 'missing' from school when he went exploring, etc -- Z usually gets on the train before leaving trekking it out, so he'd know something is up, especially with his encounter + death against RR.
2. He's pretty 'static'; Eg. Always approaching Z for that cure every loop.

There might be others, but these are the ones I remember.

It's kinda starting to get annoying, really, just wait till it's revealed, as there just isn't enough current information to accurately guess who. There's some foreshadowing, like with that classmate, but that's about it, and it could just be set-up for some twist by the author.


Anyways, maybe? I think it's possible, since the rest of his family has gotten some spotlight, and he's been 'put forth' in the earlier chapters (Eg. Purple Creeper, Music, etc)

[Namorax]

This wasn't so much about Fortov being RR (maybe shouldn't have ended the post with that), this was about Fortov not having played any (big) part in the story so far.^^

Damien has been mentioned since c1, and by now he isn't the big bad douché Zorian always made him out to be. Kirielle has shown us her other sides apart from being able to deal almost lethally painful attack to her sleeping brother at the beginning of every restart. We even learned a bit about the parents... but Forto was always "just Fortov".

I kinda expect him to have a yet unknown part to play. Not necessarily as RR, but in SOME role.

[Breimn]

New ch is out.

[ices]

Someone said on reddit that Silverlake could become an ancient loli using that potion, lol.

[Dart-Sama]

newest chapter out!! and...

In regards to what had happened while he was unconscious, Zorian had only the fuzziest of recollections. He had periodically regained awareness throughout the process, but it was like trying to remember a dream. He remembered a series of senseless, disjoined images: a sea of suns connected by glowing threads, a massive volcano in the middle of an eruption, a carpet of smoke crawling across desolate lands…
Just like his usual dreams, in other words. He put it out of his mind, and focused on the important stuff…

foreboding ppl?