Eye of the Typhoon (2)
The Mage Tower affiliated with the Iris Kingdom was a gathering place not just for mages from around the world, but for countless scholars as well. Physics, alchemy, mathematics, engineering, medicine, and more. Fields related to the sciences were directly or indirectly tied to magic, so they saw frequent visitors. The Iris Kingdom made excellent use of this to forge close diplomatic ties with numerous nations. Thanks to that, even the Empire couldn't afford to ignore the kingdom. These days, the Mage Tower's influence grew stronger by the day, to the point where even the king had to watch his step around Mage King Cardir. If something went wrong at the Mage Tower, it was as good as a national emergency for the entire Iris Kingdom.
"Hey, mage. Do you know how old I am?"
"You're a demon. With those wrinkles, you must be at least 200."
"Right. I've watched 231 New Year's dawns. From the days of endless strife to now, when ball games are all the rage. Know what that means?"
"Sounds like you've seen all kinds of weird shit in your time."
The mage's words drew a nod from the blue-skinned demon scholar. Demons were a race that rivaled elves in longevity, with lifespans averaging around 300 years. But most demons didn't make it past 200, thanks to constant brawls and even full-scale wars between nations before ball games took off. Even those who died before their time had lived twice as long as humans, so their experience was nothing to scoff at.
"Exactly. In all my years, I've never seen anything like that."
"You're not alone. Everyone staring at it right now is thinking the same."
"Fair enough. Then let me ask one thing." The demon scholar tilted his head toward something in the distance. There floated the Mage Tower, rising into the sky—not just the tower itself, but the earth beneath it uprooted like a farmer yanking a radish with a clod of dirt still attached.
"What the hell do you think that is?"
The Iris Kingdom's symbol, its true heart, bobbed along in the sky. In the sudden crisis, most mages and scholars inside had fled. The silver lining was that it had halted midway instead of shooting to the heavens' edge. Still, it was high enough to crane your neck. Imagining it crashing down was nightmare fuel.
"No one can explain how this happened?"
Meanwhile, the mages who remained in the tower were its key figures, bearing heavy responsibilities. They'd gathered for a meeting on the sky whales, but priorities had shifted. This freak event demanded decisions.
"If anyone's done unauthorized experiments in the tower, speak up."
"You think this is from some rogue experiment?"
"Then what? You seriously believe this is a natural 'disaster'?"
No one argued with the elder's point. It made sense. Even in a world of mana and magic, common sense held sway. Earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, lightning—these were natural disasters. Ancient ones once blamed on divine wrath had been revealed as natural phenomena through science. But the tower floating skyward? That was far from natural.
"Even if it's man-made, we need to figure out why."
"Agreed. If we grasp even a little, a path forward will open."
"Any suspicions, no matter how slim—speak them."
The meeting to resolve the crisis began. But no solutions or causes emerged. The world's brightest minds convened here, yet this defied all convention.
And amid it all, one man watched in unusual silence.
"Hmm..."
It was Cardir, seated not at the head but squarely in the middle. He stroked his beard, deep in thought. Though he'd stepped back from leadership, his voice carried the most weight. His silence meant he was pondering something big. The head of the table addressed him.
"What do you think, Cardir?"
"Fascinating. And terrifying at the same time."
Fascinating. Terrifying. As questions rippled, Cardir continued.
"Looking at the tower now... it resembles a floating fortress."
"Floating fortress?"
"Aragon's favorite, if I recall."
"But that's legend. Even ruins thought to be such fortresses never actually floated..."
"With the tower soaring right now, legends look pretty real."
Cardir had a point. Sky whales alone were a mountain of discussion; now proof of floating fortresses existed too. Research fodder galore—but only after this crisis.
"So, what's causing it?"
"Hmm..."
Cardir stroked his beard, lost in thought. Everyone waited for his wisdom, the world's greatest mage sure to know.
...What excuse do I spin?
And as expected, Cardir knew the cause all too well. He'd raced to his lab upon realizing the tower's ascent and seen it clearly: the golden stone, the sky whale's dragon musk, glowing brilliantly inside its translucent barrier. He'd somehow contained it, preventing endless ascent. Or had he? Could modern human mages control a mythic relic?
At least they don't know it's the dragon musk.
Only Cardir knew. Mentions of it had been dismissed. Citing the Gallery in this crisis? Absurd. A mythic item—whale shit—causing this? Unbelievable.
Above all, I can't reveal I'm Olfather, not even on my deathbed.
His high-nick could leak. Fine in the Gallery—no one believed him anyway. Reality was different. Exposure meant headaches forever.
Embarrassed by his private life? Hardly.
I can't lose my solo research shot.
Rare data from YasaengGrill. Sharing it? Unthinkable. His late-life thirst for knowledge sealed his lips. The dragon musk alone promised decades of study. After much deliberation, Cardir decided to resolve the crisis first.
"I've lived long, but I don't know the cause either. Still, it's no natural event, as the head says."
"Even you see it as unauthorized experiments?"
"Something like that."
"Lifting the whole tower would take insane mana..."
"Does our tower have that kind of energy source?"
"If we count the tower itself... it's massive."
Someone's rogue experiment. Energy for levitating the tower existed. Brains together yielded slow progress. But Cardir's throat dried with dread. Worst case, not just the musk—the fridge's Immortality King could be exposed too.
I have to get off the suspect list.
The first meeting ended. Cardir returned to his lab. The glowing dragon musk hit him first. Why had it activated? How did it float the tower? Being mythic made it untouchable. One wrong move, and crash.
Hold on. Let's calculate. How high is it now?
Cardir scribbled on the blackboard: altitude, crash impact. The tower brimmed with experiments and energy.
If it falls like this...
Meteor strike damage. And in the Iris capital. Crash meant capital annihilation, kingdom's end. Better than Meteor Storm—at least that could be defended.
...Oh. Aragon preserve us.
Olfather froze like a petrified statue at his equations. Variations aside, the answer was grim: capital destroyed minimum.
Flash! Flash! Oblivious, the musk shone on. Cardir turned from the board. Fist-sized relic. How long would it last? Anxiety hit—and it crumbled slightly.
Fsssh—Just a bit, but real. Nothing eternal, not even mythics. Cardir was stunned.
...We're fucked.
But he couldn't sit idle. He pulled every book on myths and sky whales—piling the floor. Normally too broad, but stakes were existential.
I have to figure it out. Whatever it takes.
Best? More from YasaengGrill. But overkill, just delaying the bomb. Understand the principle to avert disaster.
Closer to divine knowledge.
Already superhuman mage, now survival demanded godly secrets.
Wait. What about the Four Seasons Forest? He has a bigger one.
YasaengGrill popped to mind. Larger musk in a subspace pouch—changes surely. He'd boxed his own.
Cardir rushed to the Gallery. Chaos: Flying Tower, Sky Tower, etc. He hunted YasaengGrill's post.
[Tried Burying the Dragon Musk.]
Ominous title. Buried it? Mind-blowing. Desperate, he dove in.
Title: Tried Burying the Dragon Musk.
YasaengGrill (Photo of dragon musk buried)
Saw what happens if buried. Nothing. This thing's just for play, right? Totally fine.
Infuriating for Cardir. One's tower flies, another's nada. Forest neuters it? Or opposite? No clue.
Right, SunForever. He got some too.
Not alone.
Title: A. Fucking Hilarious
SunForever (Messy bed photo)
First time for me and the wives, we all had a blast lol Next time too. Still plenty left.
ㄴOlfather: Did you turn it all into perfume?
ㄴSunForever: Why?
ㄴOlfather: Nothing happened?
ㄴSunForever: Nothing? Oh, the fun with wives?
Gut-punch. Cardir ditched the Gallery for reality.
I have to figure it out...!
Thus began the human mage's saga challenging divine knowledge.
*****
Around the same time. Four Seasons Forest.
"C'mon, close your eyes just once and eat it. Wonder if you can still fly after."
"Begone."
"Eat it, get something tasty."
"Bad man. Truly bad."
YasaengGrill experimented on Kkobong. The gorilla resisted with uncanny profanity prowess amid the absurdity. One devoured knowledge desperately; another grasped it one-dimensionally.
"Just once. Ppareumbo ate it too, right?"
"You bad. Serpent tongue."
"Where'd you pick that up?"
Without remorse, even.