novelGlobal Chapter 661: After This Farewell, Will We Ever Meet Again?
Chapter 661: After This Farewell, Will We Ever Meet Again?
In the Star Domain Sea, within the editorial office of the First Circle History journal, several Second Circle wizards were murmuring among themselves."Have you heard? Mystic Heaven is deeply concerned about the Star Domain Sea's Demon Elevation Plan, believing it could disrupt the distribution of all wizard lands across the wizard world, causing serious problems with void orbital paths and affecting the various large-scale magical devices operating in near-void low orbit."
"Mystic Heaven believes this could result in losses on the order of trillions in assets. As a result, they've already begun ordering us here in the Star Domain Sea to recalculate the impact on near-void low orbit before proceeding with the Demon Elevation Plan."
"If I recall correctly, the main body of the Eye of Truth also operates in near-void low orbit. That is certainly a concern, but as long as the higher-circle wizards of the Star Domain Sea plan carefully, it should be solvable. If we're talking about real problems, though, I'd say the Demon Network Plan over in Southern Ridge Demon City is the thing that truly qualifies as one. Apparently they've even produced a prototype of that Demon Network Plan recently."
"Heh... the Demon Network Plan? What a joke. I'd just worry about someone launching a magical virus at their Demon Network Plan, and then that whole system of theirs would... truly become one enormous joke. Ha ha ha ha... I'm kidding, of course. The Southern Ridge Demon City side should have firewalls in place."
"Beyond that, the Jungle Hand from Green Steel City has issued us a stern warning. They're demanding we purchase their green environmental services, or they'll move to block our Demon Elevation Plan. On a related note, the Southern Ridge Demon City in the southern border region is apparently unable to stand against the comprehensive green civilization plan put forward by their leading wizard land, Green Steel City, and has reportedly already purchased the Jungle Hand's environmental service package."
"The Jungle Hand? Those people are a bunch of lunatics..." one ordinary Second Circle wizard muttered under his breath, "The Demon Elevation Plan is absolutely necessary. The difficulty of advancing to Second Circle and even First Circle has simply become too great these days. The number of formal wizards isn't sufficient to sustain the Star Domain Sea's Magic Heavy Industry 5.0 New Concept, which is precisely why the Demon Elevation is needed."
"Once the Demon Elevation is complete, those first-class wizard apprentices who could never have become formal wizards will be able to do so. And those First Circle wizards who could never have become Second Circle wizards will have a real chance of getting there."
"This is the future of our civilization, which is why I believe the higher-circle wizards of the Star Domain Sea will not abandon this plan. That said, we'll just have to wait and see, since this sort of thing has to be measured on a timescale of many long years..."
The several Second Circle wizard editors in the First Circle History office broke into a round of laughter.
"Quite right. For wizards at our level, this is really nothing more than idle talk over a meal. The higher-circle wizards are clashing over it now, but nothing is settled yet. The moment when we Second Circle wizards are actually called upon to make a choice, that will be the moment when things could truly change the world."
One of the Second Circle wizards glanced at the submissions piled on their desk. "Anything decent come in lately?"
Another Second Circle wizard colleague replied casually, "The number of submissions has spiked recently, but the quality hasn't risen as much as we'd hoped. There are a few decent pieces, but they're all fairly middle-of-the-road. That said, it's to be expected. Archaeological discoveries depend enormously on the unearthing of significant ruins, so major finds can't possibly turn up every single month."
"On the whole, both the number and quality of submissions from within our Star Domain Sea are gradually improving, which is a good thing for the journal. The quality of articles sent over by wizards from the outer wizard lands is somewhat lower, though."
"It isn't that they lack talent, only that they don't have access to the best education and the best resources."
The wizards in the office all nodded at that.
The Star Domain Sea drew in outstanding talent from the surrounding fifty-three wizard lands, a convergence of the finest minds. In other places, hard work might still earn a wizard a foothold, but in the Star Domain Sea, hard work was merely the most basic and cheapest of requirements.
How many of the Star Domain Sea's lower-ranking wizards worked themselves to the bone.
The Second Circle wizard who had spoken first gave a slight nod. "For submissions from wizards in the outer wizard lands, we'll just have to be a little more patient. That's simply the level they're at..."
"All right. Enough chatting. Let's get to work. The director is about to come back."
He picked up a submission that had been forwarded from the White Wizard Association's Dispatch Department. "Four obscure little wizards? Jade Splendor Enclave, Cinder Esoteric Order... never heard of it. Do they even have an archaeology program there?"
He was about to toss the article directly into the rubbish bin beside him, but paused when he noticed that two of the wizards listed had a Golden Crown Mountain affiliation. "Golden Crown Mountain... Golden Crown Mountain is quite well known for its research into high-efficiency agriculture, and it's also one of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands' long-established schools with a thousand-year history."
"Its track record in the various Demon Realm Wars has been rather impressive, and just the other day at an academic conference, I heard some colleagues mention that Golden Crown Mountain holds many unique bloodline-studies inheritances, particularly in relation to the dragon lineage... though I've never heard of Golden Crown Mountain being known for archaeology."
The Second Circle wizard editor thought it over and decided that, if nothing else, out of respect for the names of Golden Crown Mountain and the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, he ought to at least give it a look.
The Three Marsh Lands had long been an important ally of the Star Domain Sea in its control over the fifty-three wizard lands of the eastern quadrant, and was also one of the wizard lands of the eastern quadrant closest to the Star Domain Sea.
Beyond that, the southern wizard city, the Twilight Border, the Four-Bright Waters, and the Dragon Fall Lands were in the same tier as the Three Marsh Lands within the eastern quadrant.
But the southern wizard city was the black wizard stronghold of the eastern quadrant.
The Twilight Border was the former leading wizard land of the eastern quadrant.
And the Four-Bright Waters and the Dragon Fall Lands had formed a small alliance, standing in opposition to the Star Domain Sea's tide of talent and resource absorption within the eastern quadrant, fiercely independent and situated at a considerable distance from the Star Domain Sea.
They were more than capable of holding their own ground, and could even draw in the resources of that small pocket of the eastern quadrant for themselves.
Come to think of it, among the wealthiest wizard lands of the eastern quadrant, the Star Domain Sea's true ally was the Three Marsh Lands.
Of course, everyone understood that if the Three Marsh Lands ever had the opportunity to compete with the Star Domain Sea for enterprises, resources, or elite wizard academy names, they would absolutely seize that opportunity without hesitation.
The Second Circle wizard casually flipped open the article, and the title caught his eye on the first glance. "An Excavation Report on the Tomb of an Unnamed King's Wife?"
He read on to the introduction, "Archaeological findings from the Era of Stars are, without question, the most beloved territory of First Circle History, a darling of the field, one could say. But this portion dealing with the Expungement Curse placed upon the Nameless King, this is genuinely a blank area in current archaeological research."
"Can archaeological wizards from the outer wizard lands really operate at this level!" The Second Circle wizard sat up straight in his chair.
He read through the entire article, his expression growing more and more grave. "A team has actually cracked the true identity of the Nameless King."
"I need to flag this for priority review. Actually, forget that, I'll go straight to finding reviewers right now."
He quickly tracked down three colleagues in the same field and sent the article information over to them in a bundle.
Then, after a moment's hesitation, he quickly reached out to a Second Circle wizard friend of his who sat on the Istoria Archaeology Award committee to get a feel for the situation, and confirmed that the committee had received the submission as well.
The Second Circle wizard sat back in his chair and fell into thought. "It seems the winner of this year's Istoria Archaeology Award has already emerged."
"This article fills a gap in the research on the Nameless King. It is genuinely hard to believe that such a result was not produced by the archaeological wizards of our Star Domain Sea, but by four First Circle wizards from an outer wizard land."
"Golden Crown Mountain..."
Meanwhile, in the offices of the Istoria Archaeology Award committee, an article was also placed before the Third Circle Wizard Istoria.
As the chair of this award, Istoria finished reading the article and all the associated archaeological evidence. After verifying that no falsification had occurred, he looked up and gave a slight nod to those assembled.
"The arguments are well substantiated. This is indeed an article that fills a gap in the Era of Stars. These four young archaeological wizards are all very fine."
"I am grateful to them."
Wizard Istoria removed the pair of spectacles he wore and set them on the desk, then used his gloved hands to put away the submitted article, before gracefully removing the gloves from his hands.
"I have studied the Era of Stars for more years than I can count. At my age, to still witness a group of young wizards from an outer wizard land working with such dedication and filling a gap in the Era of Stars research, it is truly moving."
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, let this team be the recipients of this year's Istoria Award for the First Circle category."
The several Second Circle wizards in the Istoria Award committee office exchanged glances, clearly unable to believe that the winner of the renowned Istoria Award this year would turn out to be someone from an outer wizard land.
Wizard Istoria was a Third Circle wizard drawing very close to the Fourth Circle, and the award he had established had, through the accumulation of various historical reasons, grown into a name of extraordinary prestige within the field of archaeology.
Though the Third Circle award category carried insufficient weight, and the Second Circle category had diminished somewhat in value and was not considered particularly significant in the Star Domain Sea, amounting to little more than a minor prize.
But the First Circle award category carried very high prestige indeed.
In years past, it was always the archaeological wizards of the Star Domain Sea who claimed this honor, but this year, everyone had to watch as that distinction was handed over to an unknown team from an outer wizard land.
Wizard Istoria turned his palm upward, and in that instant a copy of the Chronicles of the Era of Stars appeared within the office, its potent Crown Magic causing the expressions of every wizard present to shift.
Within the office, every wizard felt that they were nearly incapable of using any archaeological magic whatsoever.
The Chronicles of the Era of Stars.
With the exception of the sun ring wizard at the Second Circle level, who could still barely maintain their own composure and ensure their power held under the weight of the Crown Magic, Chronicles of the Era of Stars, every other wizard in the room felt the pressure of the ages pressing down upon their shoulders.
Wizard Istoria lifted a magical quill and wrote the missing section concerning the Nameless King into this formidable Crown Magic tome, the Chronicles of the Era of Stars. "What future can a civilization have, if it has no past?"
"The future is important, the crucial thing, without doubt. But only by grasping the present can one grasp the future. And I believe that only by mastering the past can one grasp the present. This is my, Wizard Istoria's, definition of archaeology and history."
"Archaeology is the discipline of mastering the past in order to seize the future."
Behind the Chronicles of the Era of Stars, countless galaxies appeared, accompanied by the sound of bells tolling without cease.
Wizard Istoria said with satisfaction, "I must thank those four young ones. They have helped me fill this gap in the historical record. My Chronicles grows ever more complete, and I have a premonition that the moment my chronicle of history is finished will be the moment I become a Fourth Circle wizard. I shall become the master of all historical knowledge of the Era of Stars!"
In the office, a number of Second Circle wizards bowed to Wizard Istoria, both out of respect for their superior and out of reverence for this pioneer of archaeology.
Wizard Istoria gave a slight shake of his head. The magical quill in his hand paused, and he mused to himself, "Something is not quite right. Ah, after all, they are only four young First Circle wizards. It seems they did not notice the true secret hidden behind the ruins they investigated."
"No, wait."
Wizard Istoria looked toward the portion of the article written by Locke, and reading between the lines, discerned that Locke had left something unsaid. "Even when two people investigate the same ruin and work within the same team, an individual's own intellect can still lead them to see things that the others in the team do not. Has this young one noticed?"
"Barry James. Could you help me gather all the articles this young one has published before? I would like to read through them, it won't take long. And from now on, every article he publishes in any journal, I want you to bring to me as well."
A look of surprise crossed the faces of a number of Second Circle wizards in the office.
Barry James, as a moon ring wizard and secretary to this Third Circle wizard, immediately bowed in response. "Of course. Boss."
For archaeological wizards, reading through a colleague's published work and then drawing out new findings through comparison, textual analysis, and cross-examination, applying new methods to old questions, was a perfectly ordinary way of producing research results.
So none of them found it strange that he wished to read a peer's articles.
But Wizard James immediately perceived what Wizard Istoria was truly thinking, 'The boss wants to read this young outer-wizard-land wizard's articles and work through his unspoken thoughts, and believes this wizard's articles are worth subjecting to close textual analysis.'
'But he's only a First Circle wizard.'
'Is the boss really that interested in this wizard? What on earth did he notice in this wizard's article?'
...
Half a day later, aboard the void warship, the vessel docked at its berth.
Locke stepped off the wizard void ship together with the still-shaken passengers.
At that moment, the area around Golden Crown Mountain appeared entirely unchanged, as though nothing had happened. There was no trace of the Demon Realm storm that was now affecting the entire Cloud Marsh Wetlands. Not a single sign of it could be seen here.
Even with the Twin Demon Realm on the verge of launching a Demon Realm War against the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, Golden Crown Mountain's home ground remained serene, the divine radiance connecting heaven and earth still as sacred as ever.
The sun seemed to hang like a great wheel of brilliant light behind the one large and three small peaks of Golden Crown Mountain.
Locke turned to Witch Shirley and asked with a puzzled expression, "Senior Sister, I've actually been meaning to ask you this for a while. You've always despised black wizards. So why was it that aboard the void warship, you just kept reading your book the whole time and never once looked up to watch the atrocities those black wizards were committing outside?"
Witch Shirley looked at Locke in mild surprise and said, "Junior Brother. I have no reason to concern myself with the thoughts and actions of a group of dead people."
"Actually, no. Black wizards aren't even people. A person without integrity cannot be called a person."
"Those people who couldn't repay their debts, so they threw in their lot with the Twin Demon Realm and sold everything they had, soul and body alike, turning themselves into puppets of the Demon Realm, those humanoid creatures have no right to call themselves people!"
"The mere sight of that lot of debt-defaulters makes my eyes ache."
Witch Shirley let out a cold snort.
Locke pressed his lips together and thought about how to respond. Well, Divine Masters probably all had a deep aversion to those who failed to honor their debts.
After all, faithfulness was the very foundation of the Eight Virtues of Wizardkind.
In the eyes of a Divine Master, a person with poor integrity was probably about on par with a wicked criminal.
Witch Shirley said to Locke, "Junior Brother, I need to go and digest what I've gained from this expedition."
"I intend to attempt constructing a Grand Magic before long, in order to become a Second Circle wizard. So during this period, we'll have a hard time seeing each other. Though I would like to go and support you in the Silent Plane Conquest Competition, I'm afraid the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
Locke said in surprise, "Senior Sister, you're going to advance to Second Circle?"
Witch Shirley nodded as though it were only natural. "I'm not like you, with such grand and lofty ambitions. All I want is to become a Second Circle wizard. As for the Third Circle, I don't even dare to think about it."
"Since I've already accumulated enough from this expedition, why should I keep polishing my Grand Magic construction blueprint any further? I can attempt the construction directly. And besides, once a Grand Magic is constructed, there are still four opportunities to reforge it."
"If there are any flaws, I can always work on improving them later," Witch Shirley reflected. "And if I do become a Second Circle wizard, it will be of great benefit to Throne Lord's faction as well. The resources a Second Circle Divine Master can leverage are enormous."
"Throne Lord's position of influence at the Divine Master Court will only grow more stable."
"That said, don't follow my example." Shirley and Locke walked together out of the docking area, and she was somewhat worried that Locke might hear this and feel an urge to rush into constructing his own Grand Magic. "It's true that a Grand Magic can be patched up through the four subsequent reforgings. But once the initial foundation is laid, no matter how much patching is done afterward, it can only be improved upon the existing base, and it's very difficult to raise its fundamental nature by much."
"You have the Plane Conquest Competition ahead of you. That competition... well... I've been with Throne Lord for a long time now, so I know a few things from the inside. I expect His Lordship will tell you about this himself before long. Participating in that competition is itself a kind of privilege."
Locke looked at her with curiosity. "Senior Sister, what do you mean?"
Witch Shirley said, "The Silent Chalice Competition's other name is the Grand Magic Modeling Competition. The Silent Witch has already negotiated with the world consciousness of that world. The instant you four competitors step inside, you will receive the recognition of the world consciousness, and without expending much effort at all, you can imprint your own soul mark onto a World Stone."
"Of course, since the Silent Chalice is present, this is only a simulation."
"The entire world will be reset after the competition ends," Witch Shirley said, "but for you competitors, this is the equivalent of receiving one free modeling experience!"
"What's more, the experience gained afterward, along with everything else obtained from it, can all be retained. The Silent Chalice Competition was always intended as a means to help wizards advance to the Second Circle. The Grand Magic construction progress gained during the competition can be taken directly away and applied to a medium-scale plane."
"So after the competition ends, there is a very good chance that the four main competitors will advance to Second Circle wizard directly upon the conclusion of the event."
Witch Shirley slowly revealed the inside story. "This is a privilege the Silent Witch has arranged for you researchers of the Origin Academy."
"Otherwise, why do you think the Spell Combat Tournament would attract wizards from so many different factions? It's because the Silent Plane Conquest Competition is of tremendous importance, both to the individual and to the wizard organizations behind them."
"For the wizard organizations, it comes down to enrollment. The rankings from this competition determine the allocation of enrollment quotas in certain contested recruitment territories among the four major academies."
Witch Shirley said, "So, Junior Brother, you are different from me. You have a brilliant future ahead of you, and you must not attempt to become a Second Circle wizard before the Silent Chalice. If you do, you will forfeit your right to compete, and lose the chance at a free modeling opportunity."
Locke laughed and said, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. When I cast the Grand Magic prototype at the Historical Milestone Curse, I had to borrow the kingdom domain of that era to simulate a Grand Magic."
"But right now, I don't have a World Stone in my hands."
Witch Shirley nodded to Locke. "Junior Brother, the next time we meet, perhaps we will both be Second Circle wizards. Then again, it's hard to say. If my luck runs poorly, you may never see me again."
Locke's expression shifted slightly.
Witch Shirley explained, "Constructing a Grand Magic carries different levels of danger for different people. But the method I intend to attempt this time is an aggressive one. If it succeeds, my combat power will be far beyond my peers, and those black wizards in front of me will be like stray dogs without a home."
"If I fail, there will be no possibility of us meeting again."
Locke said, "Senior Sister, aren't we wizards meant to seek out the truths of the world? Isn't preserving our own lives the most important thing?"
Witch Shirley said, "For wizards like you, that is indeed true. But for us Divine Masters, the path of seeking truth is akin to dying for a righteous cause."
"For us Divine Masters to successfully advance to the Second Circle, we cannot abandon our convictions. So it is best to succeed on the first attempt. Otherwise, the second time, the third time, unlike wizards of other schools, success becomes increasingly unlikely."
Locke watched Witch Shirley's retreating figure as she walked away, and let out a quiet sigh.
After this farewell, he did not know whether there would ever be a chance to meet again.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed some unfamiliar wizards paying attention to him, and immediately quickened his pace, leaving the spot, and as he did so he ran into Mason and the other two witches who had come to welcome him back.
Witch Mason said with delight, "Boss, we're over here."
Witch Freya and Wizard Barrett were waving to Locke.
Locke noticed that when the group of unfamiliar wizards saw this, they immediately halted their advance.
Locke looked at the three of them and asked with a puzzled expression, "What's this? Why do the three of you look so dispirited?"
Witch Mason said, "It's nothing, just been busy with work lately. Boss, don't worry about it."
Wizard Barrett said with a smile, "It's great that you're back, Boss."
Freya glanced at the two of them, then turned to Locke with a half-pouting tone and said, "Locke, you've been gone these three months and you don't know what's been happening. After you left, a Second Circle wizard researcher arrived at Group 2 with his nose pointed at the sky..."
"Life hasn't been easy for us without you..."