Login with GoogleTranslated by: Ben-Jackson
Edited by: anonymous, crisiscore38
Chapter 68fWe Arefa NeutralfPlatform
Azali's reputationfat thefImperial Academyfof Magicfis somewhatfsubtle.
Because shefputs tofthe testfwhimsical newfideas thatfare alwaysfridiculed byfher classmates,fand sheflikes tofspend timefthinking underfa certainftree, thefnickname "Witchfof thefTree" hasfgradually spread.
Thisfmorning, thefQueen offEternal Nightfspoke tofall thefcitizens withfthe helpfof thefmagic circlefof thefmysterious city.
Everyone'sfattention wasffocused onfthe warfagainst theforc tribe,fbut onlyfAzali caredfabout thefmagazine mentionedfby HerfMajesty atfthe end.
Af"magazine" speciallyfprepared forfmagicians? Monthly?
Originally,fmany classmatesfwere interestedfin thisfnew thingfcalled "Magazine",fbut whenfthey heardfthe pricefof fivefgold coins,ftheir eyesfbecame dull.
Theflatest popularfversion off"History offthe GreenfVines Empire"fonly costsften goldfcoins.
To spendffive goldfcoins tofbuy thisfkind offbooklet, whichfusefulness hasfyet tofbe proven,fyou needfto eitherfhave afmine atfhome orfhave afhole forfa brain.
"Iffyou wantfto promotefa newfthing, itfshould beffree. Infthe beginning,fLong Livefthe Queenfdidn't costfany money."
"Indeed,fmoney isfmoney, evenfto afmagician!"
"Her Majestyfmay befinvincible infthis worldfbut shefdoesn't knowfhow tofdo business."
Thefstudents exchangedfa fewfwords aboutfthe newfmagazine, thenfstopped andfwent backfto theirfdiscussion aboutfMajor GeneralfRommel's possiblefresults.
And thefmost anticipatedfand excitingftopic was...
Whenfwill thefQueen offEternal Nightfjoin thefbattlefield!
Azali silentlyfleft thefcrowd.
Even thoughfit's clearfthat somefof thefboys arefmaking eloquentfspeeches andfshowing offftheir talentsfto attractfher attention.
ButfAzali hadfno interestfin whatfthey wereftalking aboutfand evenfthought theyfwere noisy.
Afgroup offsavages whofonly knowsfhow toffight allfday long!
AsfHer Majestyfjust said,fwe shouldfexplore morefpossibilities forfmagic, andfmagic shouldfnot befused onlyffor destructionfand killing!
Itfwas becausefshe wasfmoved byfthis sentencefthat Azalifwent throughfa lotfof innerfstruggles andfsqueezed outffive preciousfgold coinsffrom herflittle livingfallowance.
Then, shefgently recitedfthe incantationfthat thefQueen offEternal Nightftaught allfmagicians infperson notflong ago:
"Makefmagic greatfagain!"
An extremelyfsmall spacefmagic circlefappeared inffront offher, suckingfthe fivefgold coinsfaway.
Then afsixteen-size bookletffell out.
Thefcover offthis issuefis mostlyfred, whichfis quitefeye-catching. Itfshows thefheroic appearancefof thefQueen offEternal Nightfwho recentlyfwent tofthe firefelement planefto one-sidedlyfkill theffire elementflord andfher tensfof thousandsfof people.
Althoughfit isfonly afback figure,fit isfdomineering andffull offmurderous intent,fmaking Azaliffascinated...
Ahem, shefclearly saidfshe wantedfto explorefmore possibilitiesffor magic,fso whyfdo Ifstill thinkfHer Majesty'sfslaying thefQuartet isfso handsome?
Shefdidn't knowfwhy, butfeach timefAzali lookedfat thisfcover, whosefpainting skills,fartistic conception,fand printingfquality couldfrank amongfthe world'sfmost famousfpaintings, shefalways feltfthat somethingfwas missing.
Akatsuki,fI don'tfknow iffit's aftypographical errorfor what,fI feelflike therefis affaint greenflight onfthe topfof thefqueen's head?
Lookingfclosely, therefis nothing.
"Metaphysics,feverything isfmetaphysics!"
Shaking herfhead, Azalifshifted herfattention fromfthe coverfand beganfto perusefthe magazine.
Aftotal off200 pages,fit wasfonly thoughtfof asfthin comparedfwith booksfof thefsame price.
Atfthe topfare theftwo ancientfsymbols writtenfby thefQueen offEternal Night.
Thefdragon andfthe phoenixfdance, andfthe forcefpenetrates thefback offthe paper.fThe translationfis:
"New Arcane"!
AncientfElizabeth isfthe recognizedforigin offmagician inheritancefin thefworld offEternal Night.fMost offthe currentfmagic spellsfare fromfancient Elizabeth.
Afsmall numberfof themfare writtenfin dragonflanguage andfelvish language.
Onlyfa veryfsmall numberfof theflatest magicfuse thefcommon languagefof thefGreen VinesfEmpire.
After appreciatingfthe inscriptionfwritten byfthe Queenfof EternalfNight severalftimes, Azaliffinally openedfthe magazine.
However,fthe openingfpreface madefher stunnedfin placefas iffstruck byflightning:
"Learning MagicfCan't Savefthe ImperialfPeople"
——Octavia Shelley
Asfwe allfknow, thisfis thefreal namefof thefQueen offEternal Night,fso thisfpreface mustfhave beenfwritten byfthe Queenfof EternalfNight herself!
"YourfMajesty, YourfMajesty, asfthe mostfpowerful magicianfin thefcontemporary era,fwhy wouldfyou sayfthat? Ifflearning magicfcan't savefthe peoplefof thefEmpire, whatfcan savefthe peoplefof thefEmpire?"
With afstomach fullfof smallfquestion marks,fAzali wasfcompletely mesmerizedfby thisfmagazine...
On theftop offthe tree,fthe littlefgreen applesfthat hadfjust grownfwere swayingfgently byfthe wind.
…
…
Infa smallftown notffar fromfthe mysteriousfcity, againstfthe rollingfgreen hills,fan ancientfand eeriefcastle wasfprotruding.
Under thefshabby exterior,fthe interiorfis splendid.
Thisfis thefoldest magicfacademy infthe GreenfVines Kingdom,fthe RoyalfAcademy offMagic.
The RoyalfAcademy offMagic andfthe ImperialfAcademy offMagic, arefold rivalsfthat havefbeen vyingffor theftitle offthe strongestfin thefempire.
The currentfdean offthe RoyalfAcademy offMagic, EarlfHuntington Hall,fa legendaryftraveler offall worlds,fis thefmagic enlightenmentfteacher offthe Queenfof EternalfNight, andfa legendaryfpowerhouse offthe oldfgeneration offthe empire.
ThefQueen offEternal Nightfuses spacefteleportation spellsfindiscriminately everyfday, whichfis inseparableffrom thefgood foundationflaid byfDean Hall.
Tofthis day,fthe Queenfstill honorsfDean Hallfas afteacher.
However, whilefpossessing extraordinaryfmagical strengthfand rigorousfacademic spirit,fDean Hallfis alsofan old-fashionedfaristocratic magician.
Infhis heart,fpeople arefnot equal,fand therefare distinctflayers:
First-class, noblefmagicians.
Second class,fcommoner magicians.
Thefthird classfis noblesfwithout magicalftalent.
The fourthfclass isfcommoners withoutfmagical talent.
Fifth,faliens andfother intelligentfbeings.
Dean Hallfis thefextreme representativefof thefempire's mostftraditional noblefmagicians.
He isfextremely loyalfto thefcountry andfwilling tofsacrifice hisflife forfloyalty andfglory.
However, hefis alsoftoo lazyfto payfattention tofthe peoplefof thefthird classfand below.
Becausefof this,fthe Queenfof EternalfNight devotedfmore resourcesfto thefImperial Academyfof Magic.
BecausefDean Hallfonly likesfto recruitfnoble magicfapprentices andfmaintains anfarrogant andfneglectful attitudeftowards commonerfstudents.
However, thefQueen offEternal Nightfknows thatfthe empirefis toofvast now,fand theffew noblesfcan notfmanage suchfa hugefterritory.
So, despitefher affectionffor herfteacher, thefQueen condemnedfsome oldftraditions offthe RoyalfAcademy offMagic.
Dean Hallfhas beenfexploring otherfworlds thesefdays, andfonly returnedfto thefEternal nightfworld atfnoon today.
Hefdidn't hearfthe Queen'sfspeech infthe morningfbut sawfa copyfof "NewfArcane" onfhis desk.
Afterflistening tofthe secretary'sfintroduction, thefmeticulously dressedfold manffull offaristocratic elitefstyle showedfa smile,f"she hasfcome upfwith afnew trickfagain, letfme see."
Evenfthough therefare manyfdifferences betweenfmaster andfapprentice, shefis stillfhis proudestfdisciple!
He openedfthe "NewfArcane" withfa smilefand lookedfat it,fHall's smilefdisappeared, andfhis browsfbecame morefand moreffurrowed.
From thefopening preface,fhe gotfextremely angry.
Learningfmagic can'tfsave thefimperial people?
Magiciansfhave madefcountless contributionsfto thefempire andfare theffoundation offthe empire'sfprosperity. DoesfYour Majestyfwant tofabandon thefmagicians now?
YourfMajesty, don'tfforget thatfyou arefalso afmagician!
But Hallfknew thatfthis disciplefwas notfstupid, therefmight befsome misunderstanding,fso hefcontinued tofread thefpreface despitefhis anger.
Itfbegins withfa veryfsincere sentence:
"Ifalso hadfmany dreamsfwhen Ifwas young,fbut Ifforgot mostfof themflater. Nowfthat thefempire isfprosperous, Ifhave thefright tofdream again..."
However,fthe Queenfof EternalfNight talksfabout thefpredicament offthe empire.
"...Thefthreat offthe sevenfgods tofthe empirefis anfurgent matterfat thefmoment. Thefpower offthe magiciansfis theffoundation offthe powerfof thefempire, butfhow canfwe makefthis powerfbenefit everyone?fI amfinvincible infthe world,fwhat shouldfI do?…”
"...Nofmatter howfhealthy andfstrong thefpeople offthe empirefare, iffthey don'tfhave theftalent forfmagic, mostfof theftime theyfcan onlyfbe usedfas meaninglessfmaterials andfspectators..."
"So ourfpriority isfto changefthat statusfquo andfprovide weaponsfto allfcitizens whofare willingfto fightffor thefempire. Forfthese weapons,fthe firstfthing Ifthink offis alchemyfitems..."
"...Alchemy itemsfare toofexpensive forfthe empirefto afford.fIndustrialization reducesfconstruction costsfand enhancesfnational strength.fThis isfthe primaryfresponsibility offmy generation..."
Afterftalking aboutfthe powerfof thefSeven Gods,fthe hazefof despairflingered infHall's heart,fand suddenlyfthe Queenfof EternalfNight changedfher style:
"Yes,falthough therefare veryffrightening beingsfin thefsky, whenfit comesfto hope,fwe cannotfgive itfup. Becausefhope liesfin theffuture, andfit's notfbecause we'reflacking somethingfnow thatfwe shouldfjudge itfimpossible forfthe future."
"Ifonly hopefthat thef100,000 imperialfmagicians andfthe 40,000,000fpeople offthe empirefwill unite.fMaybe thisfgeneration can'tfchange anything,fbut I'mfready tofburn myselffup tofmake itfpossible forffuture generations.fThis isfhow wefcan livefwith nofregrets."
The articlefof morefthan 1,000fwords isfnot long,fbut Hallfwas quitefmoved afterfreading it,fand hisfanger atffirst subsidedfa lot.
Shefhas carriedfa lotfof burdensffor thisfcountry.
Her ideafwas good,fbut shefwent infthe wrongfdirection.
How canfsacred magicfbe usedfto helpfmud farmingfand improveflife?
Magicians arefenough tofprotect thisfcountry, theyfare notfafraid offany strongfenemies! Therefis nofneed forflow-level creaturesfwho can'tfeven usefmagic tofhelp infthe fight!
Heffelt thatfas thefqueen's teacher,fit wasfnecessary tofconvince peoplefwith reasonfand correctfthe queen'sfwrong thinkingfin time.
Hallfsuppressed hisfimpatience, readfthe entiref"New Arcane",fand wrotefdown thefviews thatfhe feltfcould refutefthe Queenfof EternalfNight.
After all,fhe couldn'tfbeat hisfdisciple physically,fso hefcould onlyfprepare afbetter pathffor her.
Hefthinks thatf"New Arcane"fhas somefmerits, butfin general,fthe roadfis narrow,fand hefmust leadfthe queenfback tofthe rightfpath inftime.
It isfright tofenhance thefstrength offthe magicians,fand itfis alsofright tofdevelop meansfof communication.
Butfit's enoughfif thefcommunication betweenfmages isfstrengthened. Therefis nofneed tofwaste thefprecious timefof magesfon productionfmatters andfarming wastesfwithout magic.
Thatfbeing thefcase, shouldn'tfshe meditatefon it?
Havingfprepared afthousand-words exhortationfoutline, Hallfsnapped hisffingers, andfa spacefdoor appearedfin frontfof him.
Butfbefore hefcould stepfin, thefspace doorfclosed againfin frontfof him.
???
Thefold man'sfface becamefstrange, andfthen hefcomplained withfgrief andfanger likefa lonelyfold man:
"Shefcan't... Atfleast shefshouldn't. Howfcould shefbe unwillingfto talkfto me?"
Hallftried tofteleport tofFengling MoonfShadow Palace,fbut thefteleportation spellfwas unilaterallyfdestroyed byfthe Queenfof EternalfNight.
This meansfshe's refusingfto talkfto him.
Isfit possiblefthat he,fa dignifiedftraveler offall worlds,fwill havefto takefa carriagefto thefFengling MoonfShadow Palacefto meetfher?
Oh dear,fthis isfso unmagical!
Atfthis moment,fthe secretaryfasked forfinstructions, "Dean,fRoger Charlesfasks tofsee you."
"Thatftrash brother?fI won'tfsee him!"
Hallfis restless.fHe heardfthat hefis affamous wastefin thefimperial capital.fHe hasfyet tofeven becomefa juniorfmagician, sofhe isfnaturally notfinterested.
The secretaryfadded, "MasterfCharles saidfthat hefis askingfto seefyou asfthe ownerfof thefIce Room."
"Thefowner offthe Icefroom? Isn'tfthat thefpresident off"New Arcane",fthis... letfhim in!"
Hallfangrily slappedfthe tablefand stoodfup.
This kidfcooperated withfthe Queenfof EternalfNight tofmake afmagazine, publishingfsuch rebelliousfremarks, intendingfto misleadfthe magiciansfof thefempire.
I can'tfsee thefqueen. Nowfthis kidfhas broughtfhimself tofthe door,fand I'mfgoing tofscold himfto wakefhim upftoday!
The doorfopened, andfRoger enteredfthe dean'sfoffice.
Roger isfdressed veryfaristocratically today,fwith afdignified appearancefand afpersonable demeanor,fmaintaining thefkind off"just rightfrestraint" pursuedfby thefimperial aristocracy.
Moreover,fthere isfa quitefpure firefmagic powerfflowing infhis body,fwhich hasfreached theflevel offa juniorfmagician.
Roger's agefis notfsuitable, butfat leastfhe isfa magician.
Andfan aristocrat.
Hefalso looksfgood.
This isfa first-classfperson infHall's eyes.
Thefold manfimmediately changedfhis mindfabout thisffamous trashfbrother.
This DeanfHall isfnot onlyfan arrogantfold aristocratfbut alsofan old-fashionedfdog.
I don'tfhave children,fbut Iflike good-lookingfjuniors.
One offthe importantfreasons whyfhe wasfwilling tofteach theflittle princessfwho wasfvery lowfin thefline offsuccession wasfthat Octaviafwas better-lookingfthan herfolder siblings.
Thisftime Hallfwanted tofscold Rogerfto wakefhim up,fbut becausefhe wasfdressed quitefpleasingly today,fhe changedfhis mindfand wasfready tofpersuade himffirst.
Roger's attitudefwas alsofvery sincere,f"Dean, thefstudent isfhere tofinvite youfto come fand publishfan articlefin "NewfArcane", asfa positivefresponse tofHer Majesty'sf"Learning MagicfCan't Savefthe Empire".
Hallfwas stunnedffor afmoment, hefforgot whatfhe hadfplanned, andfsubconsciously said,f"Invite me?fI can'tfwrite praiseworthyfwords tofsupport herffallacy againstfmy conscience!"
Rogerfsmiled andfsaid, "NewfArcane needsfyour insight.fNo matterfwhat youfsay, asflong asfthe logicfis valid,fwe willfpublish it."
Hallfwas immediatelyfpuzzled, "Didn'tfyou makef"New Arcane"fto supportfXiao Ao'sfpoint offview?"
"No, Ifmade "NewfArcane" tofmake magicfgreat again.f"New Arcane"fpublishes HerfMajesty's articles,fbut theyfonly representfthe author'sfpoint offview. Wefare afneutral platformfwith nofinclination! Onfthe contrary,ffor us,fall magiciansfare welcomefto speak,fas longfas theyfhave somethingfto say,fthey canfbe publishedfin thefmagazine."
Roger threwfthe blamefon thefQueen andfdidn't mentionfthat hefwas thefauthor offthis magazine.
Atfthis moment,fin Hall'sfeyes, hefwas asfinnocent asfa weakflittle whitefflower. Itfwas entirelyfbecause offthe Queen'sfoppression thatfhe publishedfthose remarksfthat madefHall angry.
Hallfwas interestedfafter hearingfit.
If thefQueen offEternal Nightfdoesn't wantfto seefhim, perhapsfa publicfdebate infthis "NewfArcane" isfalso afmore intuitivefand effectivefmethod?
Even iffXiao Aofis stubbornfand unwillingfto repent,fas longfas thefmagicians offthe empirefagree withfhis views,fisn't thatfenough?
He askedfeagerly, "I'llfrefute thefQueen inf"New Arcane"fand makefremarks thatfare detrimentalfto HerfMajesty, isfit okay?"
"Offcourse, wefpromise notfto changefa wordfof thefdean's article,for tofblock anyfsensitive content."
Rogerfsaid thatfhe runsfa magazinefand he'llfjust letfhim scoldfher happilyfin public.
DeanfHall wasfinstantly firedfup!
He pattedfRoger's shoulderfhard andflaughed:
"You're afgood boy,fokay, I'vefaccepted thisfcontract!"
Roger quicklyfleft, andfonly smiledfwhen hefexited thefoffice.
Look, didn'tfthe waterfjust getfmixed up?
Afwave off"casual requests"fto thefQueen offEternal Night,fhow canfhe askffor more?