"… As expected of the Mage Country. It's even more ridiculous than before."
This was a sea of books. Countless ancient books filled countless bookshelves, and every single one of them was a priceless magical book. The secrets and knowledge sealed within were enough to make anyone go crazy.
After obtaining the status of a lecturer in the Mage Country, I also obtained the right to enter this library. In this world, books were the most precious wealth. Reading books was also a luxurious enjoyment. Back in the day, we had spent a lot of effort just to obtain a library reading permit from the Tassel Kingdom.
However, the Mage Country was much more generous in this aspect. Even with Kaid's recommendation, I was able to read these precious ancient books. This also proved that the Mage Country's foundational goal was to record and spread all magical knowledge. They needed all the mysteries and truths in the world.
The title of "Truth Overseer", which represented the highest authority in the Mage Country, explained everything. A mage's goal would forever be to obtain more knowledge and truth. The highest rank only meant that they occupied a higher position in the endless sea of knowledge.
Of course, this was only the ideal mage. In reality, there were plenty of mages who were tempted by all sorts of things. After all, it was far too easy to use power that they had already obtained in exchange for authority and money in the mortal world. Some mages had even come for authority from the very start. They would naturally leave once they reached a certain level of cultivation.
But right now, I didn't have the time to sigh about this. I was already spending most of my time studying these magical books.
However, there were far more books than I had expected, and many of them were covered in a thick layer of dust. It would seem that no one had opened them for a very long time. It was evident that these books lacked proper management, and it was quite difficult to find them. It was likely that I wouldn't be able to successfully finish them.
At this moment, the uninvited "guests" further slowed down my work.
"What a pity. Aston, Fimier, and Aibott could have been even more powerful."
When old classmates met, it was inevitable that they would talk about their former classmates' whereabouts. However, they would always end with such a sentence, lamenting the death of an old classmate. It was inevitable that they would sigh and feel pity.
For high-level mages, extending their lifespan wasn't a problem. It was possible to transform into an artificial life form, a half-elemental creature, a God Envoy, and so on. Even if they were unlucky, transforming into an undead like a lich was also an option.
Of course, the prerequisite was that one had to be strong enough. Those who were destined to be unable to reach the Undying level weren't even considered in the first place.
What made me sigh and feel pity was that those existences that should have reached the Undying Realm always died due to mysterious reasons.
"Some time ago, there was an investigative academic magazine that did a survey and statistics on the causes of death of high-level mages. It was shocking. Among them, the leading cause of death was death in battle, accounting for at least 71%. The second leading cause was death from natural causes such as old age and illness, accounting for only 11%. The third leading cause was accidental (experimental) deaths. Most of the talented mages were dragged into conflicts due to interests, wars, or personal grudges. In the end, they lost their lives, and their dreams and pursuits turned into bubbles. "
Kaid felt some regret, as well as rejoiced for the geniuses who had perished. Kaid's talent was clearly below average among his peers, but because he didn't like competition, he always shut himself away to research his own research. Yet, he had unknowingly reached the peak.
The geniuses who fought would end up with nothing, while the mediocre who didn't fight would know their own limits and live their own lives. But as time passed, they would end up with everything. From a certain standpoint, this was doubtlessly a wonderful irony.
For the great majority of mages who gave up on the path to power, what stopped them from climbing to the peak wasn't their own weaknesses, but rather the temptations and troubles of the outside world.
"By the way, are you really not mocking me?"
Why did I feel like the meaning behind his words was becoming more and more familiar? I seemed to have died several times already, and I was constantly involved in the mortal world for certain reasons. But Kaid laughed when he heard this.
"What kind of genius are you? Apart from getting full marks in an elective class like mage self-defense, you're a genius that's hovering around the passing mark in everything else? You even had to retake a foundational class like Elemental Concepts four times. If it wasn't for the fact that you hooked up with a few female teachers back then, you probably would have been expelled long ago. "
Hearing this, I was immediately annoyed. As expected, childhood friends in real life weren't cute at all, especially those of the same gender who knew their dark histories. They should all be tied to goblin rockets and sent to the moon.
"I was actually quite happy to have you back then. At the very least, our class's average scores were much lower, and I didn't have to worry about getting last …"
Alright then, the second-to-last and first-to-last students were sighing about how time passed and how heartless fate was. Those geniuses had already died, which made the irony even stronger.
"Don't say that. You're making it sound like I'm living off a woman. Hey, hey, hey, why are you looking at me with such a shocked expression? Be careful that I don't turn on you. "
"You actually don't have any self-awareness? 'Roland Who Only Has His Face' and 'Holy Knight Who Chose the Wrong Path' were quite famous back in the day. You have no idea how many people bought your portrait and made you into a scarecrow after you hooked up with Teacher Heloise and then Teacher Amelia. "
"You seem to know quite a bit …"
I clenched my fists. This was a clear warning, but Kaid still didn't seem to notice at all.
"Of course, back then, this was my main source of living expenses. There were quite a few tricks involved. Just drawing a likeness wasn't enough. Not only did it have to be similar, it also had to make people angry. I had to draw a sinister smile on the pretty boy's face. Only then would the customers be satisfied. Especially after the news of you abandoning Amelia spread, my business was explosively good. On the very same day, I received a month's worth of orders and earned enough money for a year's worth of tuition fees. So, even if you blackmail me for a few gold coins, it wouldn't be a problem at all … "
Looking at this old man in front of me who usually acted serious, but would talk endlessly the moment he started a topic, I couldn't restrain myself anymore and viciously punched him.
* Clang! *
This time, it was my hand that hurt. Kaid's skin actually shone with a metallic luster.
"Stone Skin? No, Iron Skin? "
Even though I didn't sense any magical waves, his skin had already transformed into a steel-like hard skin. I had never seen such a magic before.
"Heh heh, this is a magic I created myself. However, the idea was based on the legendary story 'The Great Forest Nunnery and the Eighteen Diamond Old Women' that you told me in the past. I also used the name 'Golden Bell' from that story! It's able to turn my bones into metal, making me as indestructible as the invincible old women and the wolverine old women in that story. Amazing, right? "
Alright then, I didn't even know where to start commenting on the magical spell 'Golden Bell'. Should I start with the wolverine old women, the nunnery, or even the wolverine old women?
But now, I finally understood that although the current Kaid was still a playboy, he was at least a true archmage.
Just like how water magic was separated from ice magic, earth magic's closest relative was doubtlessly metal magic, which was famous for its outstanding defensive abilities. But unlike ice magic, which could only focus on the main topic, the metal element was inextricably linked to the earth element. If one didn't cultivate earth magic to a certain degree, they wouldn't even have the right to learn metal magic. Being able to maintain the metal element in its original state was definitely a unique skill.
This doubtlessly allowed me to understand Kaid's current power level, but it also gave me a new idea.
"Kaid, come over and help me out. You should be quite familiar with earth magic, right? "
Since Karo City was dominated by earth element mages, the records here naturally focused on earth magic, earth element creatures, and magic equipment. Of course, I wouldn't be here to study earth magic.
Although there was no harm in studying more, with my current talent in magic, it would take me at least several dozen years to learn a new type of elemental magic from scratch. I didn't have that kind of free time.
"Ömdiroken is at the peak of the earth element, and earth magic is inextricably linked to him. I don't believe that he only has the power of the mortal plane. What history does he have, what weaknesses does he have, what elemental magic he's skilled in, and what hidden aces he has — we absolutely must find out before the battle begins!"
Hearing this, Kaid revealed a smile that seemed to say, "I knew you would have this trick up your sleeve."
"… If someone else starts a fight, you might seem like you don't care at all, but in reality, you'll spend the entire night investigating the other party's eighteen generations of ancestors. You're still exactly the same as before. "
Kaid clapped his hands as he continued to spout about his dark history that made people want to beat him up.
* Clap clap clap! *
All the magical lamps in the hall were lit up, and all the doors were opened wide. Large numbers of young mages poured in and began busying themselves. The archmage had already sent a message to everyone, giving them the task of searching.
Between the bookshelves, there were already people busying themselves.
"Group A, start with history and see if there's any record of Ömdiroken fighting."
"Group B would like to investigate the Earth Elemental Lords and Elemental Gods. Their abilities should be useful as a reference."
"Group C, start with high-level earth elemental magic. Perhaps there's an ability similar to Ömdiroken's. The most important thing is the forbidden spells that humans can't use. Right, there's also the forbidden spells of the Kingdom of the Elves. "
The students began to actively search, and Kaid spoke in a rare serious tone.
"At this time, let's not face him alone like we did in the past. Besides, this is our battle, so let's trust our companions a little more. "
This was the most serious expression Kaid had had on his face since we met.
"Yeah."
I felt inexplicably moved as I casually took out a book and began reading.
"… What's this!?"
Underneath the cover of the hardcover book, which had the words "Steel Elemental Construction Model," was actually a book of drawings, all of which were pictures of naked young girls …
"…" The archmage who silently took the book and hid it under his robe explained everything.
"Using books that no one has borrowed in the library for several years as a cover, and hiding your own personal techniques inside — this hasn't changed at all."
As far as the eye could see, many students were surreptitiously heading for certain bookshelves. It seemed that there were quite a few who were doing this.
"Ah, how strange, I actually found a H —"
Before that newbie could even shout, someone else covered his mouth and dragged him away. Some things were already common knowledge, but there were still teachers here, so it wouldn't be a good thing if it spread.
As for the "treasure" he found, it instantly disappeared without a trace. It seemed that someone had already taken it for themselves.
Judging from the students' actions and scale, in this city where there were obviously more women than men, some industries were still underdeveloped, but some industries were obviously profitable. For example, the goblin publishing company's emblem on the drawing book doubtlessly explained the source of these books.
The students' teleportation was organized by the Mage Country's officials, so there were restrictions on how much luggage they could bring. The goblins' dimensional tearing devices were much more flexible. Even if only one out of ten books could be teleported over, as long as that one book sold for the price of ten copies, they naturally wouldn't make a loss. And with my understanding of the goblins, they would most likely ask for a price of one thousand books.
"Heh heh, you really are the same as before. What, you're still collecting such books? "
This time, it was my turn to tease this old bastard.
"The goblins gave it to me, the goblins gave it to me. I don't know what they wanted with me, so I just left it here …"
It was quite rare for this old bastard to even blush. But if what he said was true, then I would probably have to reevaluate the goblins' abilities. At the very least, their ability to bribe was ridiculous.
"… At least let the goblins bleed before we leave. They've earned too much recently, so it's about time for them to bleed something. "
Alright then, let's ignore that mysterious voice in the corner of the room.
"Um, you won't laugh at me, will you?"
"I won't, I won't, I can completely understand."
"How can you understand? You're so popular back then, and you're so young now. Just how many girlfriends do you have now? How many beautiful women have you been intimate with … Ahhh, don't tell me that you're a winner in life!"
I moved my lips, but didn't say my final answer.
"Actually, I'm the same as you. I've also been single for more than three hundred years. Intimate contact with beautiful women … does having my body cut open and my heart dug out count? "
…
"You can't be too Ömdiroken."
When the innumerable forces of the crusade gathered together, my casual words spread everywhere. In a way, I wasn't wrong in saying that.
When all the opposing forces gathered together, even their own side was astonished at how strong the opposing forces were. Another problem was that the command system was in chaos. Different weapons, equipment, and supplies were all different. Many organizations even had grudges against each other, which was impossible to sort out.
"It's impossible to command everyone? It doesn't matter. All we have to do is attack them all. You don't understand? Fine then, everyone can fight for themselves and do whatever they want. "
This was already a temporary team, and the leaders of all the opposing forces were basically unwilling to submit to their comrades. Asking for some sort of command wouldn't end well.
On the contrary, if everyone fought for themselves and only cared about themselves, it would be easier for them to obtain excellent results.
And right now, I was busy punching a certain person's head with my fists.
"Renée, you really are daring!"
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