Chapter 660: Sowing Discord
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 660: Sowing Discord
Elcia was a mage from the Lower World, but she had once ascended to the Floating Castle. Like the Blue Tower Master, she too was a powerful mage. Had it not been for her duty to protect her domain, she would have been treated as an equal to the tower lords of the Floating Castle. She had the right to request teachings from the Mage King.
This was an Exchange. Mages from the Lower World would display magic that was like child's play to the Mage King, and he, with a benevolent smile, would bestow magic upon them like a grandfather giving his grandchildren an allowance. Despite the vast difference in their levels, it was called an Exchange because there was a give-and-take.
It was just that the magic Elcia requested was completely unexpected.
“Space Magic? Here in the Celsius domain, not even in Babel?”
“That’s a magic few can handle even in the Floating Castle.”
“And she wants to wield it in the Lower World?”
The mages participating in the Exchange began to murmur. The looks they gave Elcia, who dared to ask for the secret arts of the Floating Castle, were not favorable.
Just then, the Mage King raised his fist and clenched it in mid-air.
With that simple gesture, every mage fell silent, forced to watch the scene unfold.
Amidst the mages who had frozen as if on cue, the common folk, unable to perceive what was happening, tapped at their suddenly unresponsive magical devices.
“…Huh? Hold on. My device isn't working.”
“What? That can't be right. It should be working.”
“Just a moment. The Celsius family must be adjusting the rules. The mana should be back in about ten minutes!”
They say you only see what you know. And so, the common folk, seeing nothing, continued to enjoy the Exchange with nonchalant remarks.
But those who knew could only swallow their anxiety and gaze up at the Mage King in awe.
The mana that had filled the Exchange was now held captive in the hand of a single man, unable to move. The mages capable of sensing mana trembled before that bottomless power.
The Mage King, having created a magical silence, spoke.
“Handling Ice Crystals is a risky business! If you could use spatial separation, it would certainly be easier to manage them, wouldn't it? A commendable approach!”
“It is magic beyond our station, but it would be a great leap forward for Celsius. With it, Celsius could contribute even more to the Floating Castle. Please, Your Majesty, do not see our plea as impertinence.”
“Of course. How could it be impertinent! How could coveting new knowledge ever be rude! I am merely curious. To think that Celsius, who sent away the Blue Tower Master out of fear of the Ice Crystals, would now so boldly seek to use them!”
Elcia’s expression froze, as if the Mage King had seized not only the space around them but her face as well. He seemed to have pierced right through to her innermost thoughts, yet at the same time, he seemed to know nothing at all.
“Elisha, who handled the Ice Crystals, was too great a talent for you all to contain. The crystals themselves are not such a difficult power, but the rules of Celsius affect them, making it difficult to control the variables. I understand. You can't blame the vessel when the water overflows.”
“…My apologies.”
“And yet, now the vessel says it wishes to take in more water. Should I be pleased? Or should I think that the vessel has cracked and is leaking?”
Is he testing me, knowing the truth? Or is he asking because he's genuinely curious and doesn't know?
The Mage King was over a hundred years old. He had been the Mage King from the moment he appeared in the world, so his actual age was likely much greater. I didn't know how he maintained his power and youth, but one thing was certain: he was using methods that even I could not see through.
And he wasn't just skilled at magic. He was the one who had established the system of the Mage Federation in this frozen land, uniting it and reigning from the Floating Castle with the respect of all.
Even the shallow, fickle, and worthless hearts of humans were likely just another field of knowledge for him to learn and master.
“In any case!”
Elcia trembled in fear, bowing her head in the hopes of hiding it. The Mage King left her to it.
“You're mistaken about something. I have never hidden Space Magic! Even now, you can learn it. Perhaps you already have! The reason you cannot use it is that you have not yet reached it!”
“…We are too foolish to have realized the teachings bestowed upon us by the almighty Mage King.”
“If I were truly almighty, I should be able to teach even foolish students. Hah! But even I cannot do that! No matter how identical the lesson, each person's realization is different!”
…However.
What if the Mage King is as meticulous and cunning as he seems, and can see through all things with Space Magic? That would mean he knows of the Shrine of the Divine's movements and is tacitly allowing them. In that case, challenging him would be following his will, which is fine.
What if the Mage King is merely a benevolent fool, sloppy but merciful, who leaves a trail of knowledge and clues? That would mean the Shrine of the Divine has a much greater chance of success. In that case, challenging him would be a no-loss situation, which is also fine.
In the end, if you want to change something, you have no choice but to challenge it.
“However, there are no absolutes in this world. The idea of not giving you something until you've realized it on your own is far too old-fashioned. If you demand it, then I shall answer!”
The Mage King laughed heartily and pulled back his clenched fist.
And a great change came over the Floating Castle. A hole opened in the castle, which had been precariously maintaining its altitude on five legs, and a central leg sprouted forth. A tower, far larger and thicker than the other legs, emerged from the Floating Castle and descended as if to violate the land below.
If one were to compare that to the human body, the description would be either vulgar or obscene. Fortunately, it seemed I was the only one with such an impudent imagination.
“A new tower!”
“It's much bigger than the other five!”
I could hear people shouting. They weren't screams of terror; if anything, they were closer to cheers. The mystical change displayed by the Floating Castle was an entertaining spectacle for the citizens, mages included, and it also meant that the castle was now more closely connected to the land.
However, for the few who knew the meaning of Babel, the sixth and central tower of the Floating Castle, it was no laughing matter.
“As it happens, the Celsius family has not held a Gateway to Ascension! Since we're doing this, let's take care of all the tedious business at once!”
Ruuuuuumble.
The Tower of Babel sprouted downwards from the Floating Castle and embedded itself in the earth.
A normal tower is built from the bottom up, stacked layer by layer, but the Mage King's tower was lowered from above like a rope. It was built upside down, but in any case, isn't its purpose more important than the method?
A massive tower now stood in the Celsius domain.
The Mage King's voice boomed across the entire area.
“Hear me, all you common folk of the Celsius domain! I have opened the Gateway to Ascension! Those who wish to escape the Lower World and become dragons, climb the Gateway!”
The Gateway to Ascension is a trial for beings of the Lower World to climb to the Floating Castle. True to the Mage Federation's custom of likening accumulated knowledge to a tower, the Gateway usually took the form of a tower to be climbed.
The problem was that this tower was the Mage King's Tower of Babel.
“The magic to be tested in this Gateway is… Space Magic!”
This meant he would test their qualifications to enter the Floating Castle with a subject no one had yet mastered.
A shocked Elcia asked.
“Does that mean you will only bestow Space Magic upon those who climb the tower? Not to Celsius?”
“I mean that I will only bestow it upon those who have proven themselves worthy to learn. Of course, I hope that will be someone from Celsius!”
However, the Gateway was a challenge that talents from all over the world hoped to conquer. Because they competed for a limited number of spots, conflicts were common, and deaths were frequent.
Until now, Elcia had never paid much mind to the Gateway. After all, the exceptional talents raised by the Celsius family ascended to the Floating Castle by recommendation. The Gateway was just a place for the small fry they hadn't bothered to catch. It was not something the Celsius family needed to concern themselves with.
The Gateway to Ascension sounded grand, but in reality, it was a chaotic and murky free-for-all.
Wandering mages, mercenaries looking to make a quick buck, and ignorant fools who practiced Qi Arts yet coveted magic would participate, disrupting order and resorting to cowardly tricks. They would ambush and eliminate rival mages just to climb the tower. Talented mages who should have been destined for glory would die.
Therefore, the scions of noble houses did not climb the Gateway. Only the mayflies from the outer districts or the borderlands would come to participate.
But now that the Mage King had offered Space Magic as the prize, Celsius had no choice but to participate.
The same went for me.
Shei looked at the towering Babel and said.
“The Gateway to Ascension? Well, that makes things a lot easier.”
“Easier?”
“Yeah. Our original plan was to tail the Mage King, find clues, and steal Rene's Pocket that he's hidden, right? But if he's offering it as a reward for the Gateway, he's basically giving us time to search for clues while we climb. Isn't he?”
That plan was, of course, illegal. We might have had to fight not only the Mage King but the entire Floating Castle. But because the Celsius family had demanded the knowledge itself, the Mage King had brought out Space Magic instead of Rene's Pocket.
This way was not only legal, but it would also be easy to find other collaborators. He had essentially set the stage for us. Shei's thinking was correct.
However.
“I don't know. Is setting the stage really a kindness?”
“Huh? Isn't it more convenient?”
“Not necessarily. We, who were originally planning to rob the Mage King's house, have now been suddenly thrown into competition with other people because he set the stage.”
“Other people? Who?”
“Well…”
I glanced over at our new potential competitors.