Although we and the wood spirits' envoys had already arrived in this city two days ago, the negotiations with the Mage Country's nominally highest authority, the Truth Symposium, had yet to begin. This wasn't because they were putting on airs or simply avoiding us. It was simply because we had arrived at the wrong time. The Truth Symposium was still nothing more than an empty shell.
"Request for an emergency hearing? However, there are currently twenty-eight Truth Overseers, and six of them are currently at the Bardi Empire's frontlines. With less than half of the twenty-eight Truth Overseers present, there's no way for us to have a banquet. "
"The other Truth Overseers? Well, generally speaking, it would be quite good if more than half of the Truth Overseers' whereabouts were known. Right now, there were only six Truth Overseers in the Cloud Tower, so there was no way for them to hold a meeting. At the very least, he had to wait until he had ten people. Why don't we just wait for the regular meeting next month? "
The Mystical Blade's Aloso was one of the most famous ice mages of the current generation. Aloso, who was half a step into SemiGod rank, had once been a member of the Truth Overseer. When we first arrived, he was the one who received me and explained my suggestion.
Judging from his undisguised passion and the hug he gave me to thank me when we met, the information on the mages of "Ice Aeon" that I directly gave him seemed to be to his liking, and he benefited greatly from it.
"Roland, I really didn't expect that we would meet again one day. The King of Truancy had actually become so mature one day. As the dean, I am very gratified. "
This elderly mage had a voluptuous figure that was rarely seen among mages. He was famous for being a nice person in the Cloud Tower. Right now, he was smiling like a Maitreya Buddha. As he spoke, he even laughed and patted his large belly, causing his fat to jiggle.
We really did have a teacher-student relationship. The elementary school that Kaid and I had studied at was also a subordinate school of the "Mystical Blade". Back then, the head of academic affairs was Aloso himself. Now, he was also the principal of this school, which was why my graduation certificate even had Aloso's stamp and signature.
Although we were teacher and student, our relationship wasn't that of Heloise and Amelia's.
In order to explain things clearly, I would first have to introduce the Mage Country's special political structure.
This country was not so much an independent country, a place where a certain class ruled over others, but more like a collection of extremely large research institutes.
Arlo, in the ancient language, meant "those who seek knowledge". This was also the name of this city. Arlodante, on the other hand, meant "the gathering place of those who seek knowledge". This name probably explained a lot.
The foundation of this country's governance wasn't the nobles. The so-called nobles were nothing more than local officials who managed the country's administration. Although this was the Mage Country, the true rulers wouldn't be pure lone mages.
The entire Mage Country was made up of countless large, medium, and small mage organizations. Mages would often choose the mage organization that was most suitable for them. The ones who spoke the loudest would always be the mage organization.
Among the larger organizations, there were various factions and small organizations. The key difference was that the mages had different paths of understanding and pursuit of the truth.
"I want to prove the Astral Magic's revelation to Fate."
Archmage Rodriguez had this idea, which resulted in the famous "Star Revelation" mage organization. Their spells, prophecies, and constellation magic were all top-level in the world. However, most of their members were otakus and lacked practical combat experience. It would be quite impressive if they could even use half of their combat power in actual combat.
"I want to reach the pinnacle of magical combat."
Archmage Levester had this idea, which resulted in the "Mystical Blade" mage organization. Their members were usually the rare type of mages who specialized in practical combat. They excelled in all sorts of combat spells and magical combat techniques. Half of their classes were practical combat lessons, and their growth was often a history of combat. Being able to fight against two mages at the same level was already quite rare. They had plenty of practical combat techniques and minor incantations. However, it would be quite difficult for them to produce any top-level theoretical results.
Alright then, although these two mage organizations were both the strongest mage organizations in Arlodante, they had quite a bad relationship with each other. It could be seen as the difference between a theoretical faction and a practical faction. Or perhaps it could be said that it was a battle between a liberal arts faction and a science faction.
However, this difference wasn't absolute. Great Saint Marguerite was a member of a small faction in the "Star Revelation" mage organization. However, she had traveled all over the world and would definitely be quite skilled in combat.
From a certain standpoint, I counted as a member of the Mystical Blade as well. Even if I ignored their annoying elemental magic, at the very least, I had quite a deep understanding of undead magic.
On the other hand, a creator's ideals would often change as time passed. For example, the founder of the "Sword of Order" mage organization was a fervent believer of the Holy Light. Their research topics were related to Order Divine Arts, the power of faith, and the application of Holy Light to magic. However, in recent times, the changes were so great that it could infuriate the founder to death.
Perhaps it was because the Sword of Order's understanding of magic's natural laws and Concepts had gone too far, or perhaps it was because things would always move in the opposite direction when pushed to the extreme. The Sword of Order had long since abandoned Holy Light magic and focused on the most bizarre things … For example, undead magic, demon summoning, and Eastern talismans. The Sword of Order was definitely the home of a small group of researchers. Their research on all sorts of forbidden spells was one of the best in the entire world.
The relationships between the various mage organizations were also quite messy. Some small mage organizations would be attached to several large mage organizations at the same time because their core members were all from those large mage organizations. However, those large mage organizations had terrible relationships with each other, so the mage organizations didn't know who to support during every academic conference … Don't underestimate the academic conference. This was the most important conference in the Mage Country. Every time there was a contradictory argument, the conference room would instantly become an arena.
That's right, the most important conference in the Mage Country was the academic conference, not some serious political conference.
Since every mage organization's goal was to pursue the truth, their disputes could only be considered academic discussions. And in the Mage Country, the highest-level academic conference was the "Truth Symposium." Yep, the Truth Symposium was also the highest authority in the Mage Country.
The number of participants in the Truth Symposium wasn't fixed. Archmages with excellent research results and reputation would be invited, and they would receive the unofficial title of "Truth Overseer." But actually, many undying individuals were completely uninterested in such a symposium where no conclusion could be reached. They would reluctantly participate in a few symposiums before feeling that it wasn't worth it to suffer for the sake of a false reputation, so they would think of ways to retire early.
The reason? The Truth Symposium was divided into regular meetings and emergency meetings. Any mage who reached a certain power level could apply to attend the symposium (to cheer for their boss). When I was still an acolyte, I had attended two symposiums. Thirty percent of the symposium was spent bragging about their own research results, fifty percent of the symposium was spent attacking each other for plagiarism or for being completely worthless, and the remaining twenty percent of the symposium was spent fighting over budget and resources, as well as fighting over the next generation of outstanding mages …
As for administrative matters? Once the symposium's saliva dried up and they couldn't fight anymore, the last five minutes of the symposium were used to quickly pass all sorts of government decrees. That was incredibly efficient. Before the symposium's title was even read out, everyone raised their hands, and before the documents were even signed, they all teleported away. With such a boss, it was truly a pity that the officials in charge of administrative matters had such a boss.
"It's just a farce. Everyone's so stubborn, and they're all top-level experts in their own fields. Who's going to be able to convince anyone with just words? There's also a strict rule that we can't fight. By the end of the debate, it's no longer about who's more reasonable. It's about who's louder, who's more spirited, and who can last longer! "
This was also why the Mage Country hadn't started invading other countries for thousands of years. It wasn't that ambitious mages were useless, but it would be as difficult as a hen trying to climb a tree to convince the other archmages in a symposium to pass a resolution of war. It would be better to use one's personal strength to conquer an entire country.
This was also why it was said that the Mage Country wasn't even a country at all. For truly pure mages, their entire world consisted of research labs and libraries. They were far too lacking in ambition for territory and glory, which was the exact opposite of the rulers of this world.
With such a political system, it was impossible for the "Truth Symposium" to discuss the truth. However, it was quite easy for enemies to form. There were far too many instances of different viewpoints, arguments, and even "meet me at Nakayama Park after the symposium".
Every time I passed by Nakayama Park, I would see all sorts of hand-to-hand combat scenes (forbidden magic duels). Many of the participants were old, white-haired professors. Not only were there cultured hoodlums (mages), there were even quite a few mages who knew martial arts.
Participating in a long and meaningless symposium once or twice was already unbearable. If it was a small organization or a lone mage, their research results would be questioned, which would be even more displeasing. That was why the symposium would always be delayed due to too many absentees … Since there was no difference between having a symposium and not having a symposium, it would actually make people happy to postpone the symposium.
However, only the leaders of the eighteen strongest mage organizations were required to attend this symposium that would be held regularly. They were far too important, and it would be impossible for them to ignore this symposium. From a certain standpoint, this also caused the leaders of these major mage organizations to be replaced at an incredibly fast pace. It was as if being a leader was some sort of life-threatening chore.
Of course, there were always exceptions to everything. For instance, a certain witch had once taken the initiative to become the leader of this symposium. Although her main goal was to extort research funds and cover up her criminal record, she used her outstanding appearance and external disguise skills, as well as her communication ability that allowed her to sense other people's emotions. This allowed her to lead several large-scale events and even win many debates. She was highly popular and respected in both the Cloud Tower and the Mystical Blade.
Yep, the witch Amelia was once a member of the Mystical Blade as well. In fact, she had even given a lecture to me and my cohort.
What gave me a headache was the fact that I had to participate in this Truth Symposium.
Not long ago, after I met with the Truth Overseer Oslowen, I received an Epic-ranked Quest for what I needed to do next.
[Congratulations to the host for triggering an Epic-ranked storyline quest: "Return home in glory or a fallen phoenix." Host, please participate in a Truth Symposium. Depending on how the symposium goes and the status of the participant, the next step of the quest will be triggered. System Notification: You know the rules between mages. If you want to talk, show me something real.]
Judging from how this chain of quests had been triggered, the final goal of this Epic-ranked Quest was quite obvious. It was nothing more than to directly or indirectly affect matters related to the war between the three empires. That was why this Quest was obviously a chain. First, I had to choose which side the three empires were on and obtain a certain amount of Reputation. After I made my choice, I naturally had to expand my influence. Only by having a voice would I be able to influence the entire war.
For me and the newly born Mist Alliance, allies were necessary. I also had to obtain the support of the mega empires that had a say in human society.
Since the other mega empires were all facing problems, the Mage Country would probably be the most trustworthy ally of all. It would obviously be necessary to obtain the Mage Country's support.
Based on my System's usual habit of making things difficult for me, I could guarantee that if I didn't have the status to speak at the Truth Symposium and didn't have enough influence on the Truth Symposium, things would only become more and more difficult for me. Perhaps I would even end up becoming cannon fodder for the vanguard.
The delay of the Truth Symposium was both a good and a bad thing for me. The bad part was that I wouldn't be able to continue with my Quest for a while. The good part was that I now had more time to prepare.
Since the next Truth Symposium would be an important topic of war, I had already sent out invitations. It was also stated that I wasn't allowed to be absent, so it probably wouldn't be delayed. My current goal was to establish a sufficient amount of Reputation within a short month so that I could influence the Truth Symposium's progress if necessary.
"So many things have happened recently. The Truth Symposium will definitely be held. At most, it'll be delayed for one or two months. Roland, wait here for a while and familiarize yourself with the environment. The situation seems to have calmed down already. Two of them should be returning soon. At that time, we can start the Truth Symposium. Right, why don't you come to my Mage Academy and teach a few classes to pass some time? The students should be quite happy to have a senior coming back to teach classes. "
Only now did I recall that Aloso had previously helped me obtain the position of a special lecturer. Back then, I knew that he was trying to help me gain some status in the Mage Country. I never expected that he would actually want me to teach classes.
After all, from a certain point of view, we can be considered as students who came out of his academy. Of course, students who came out of this academy are completely different from those direct disciples.
Many middle-sized mage organizations would have their own magic academies. They would be the cradle for newcomers as well as the arena for talent and hard work.
Of course, the mage organizations wouldn't be doing this for free. Due to the existence of their magic academies, it would be quite easy for newcomers to become the new blood of their respective mage organizations. In order to become an official member of their mage organization, one would either have to perform exceedingly well or become a candidate to become an archmage's personal disciple.
Mage organizations' general knowledge was limited and shallow. However, this knowledge was the essence of many years of training and training. It was also a foundational step for one to take to the next level. A truly good seedling would be able to sprout with just a bit of nutrition. Many archmages would find students suitable for themselves while teaching classes, such as Heloise and Amelia from back in the day.
By the way, since Amelia and Amelia were both former teachers of the Mystical Blade's subordinate magic academies, they were naturally members of the Mystical Blade as well. According to what I knew, Heloise was also a core member of the Sword of Order. She had recruited many vicious individuals to join the Sword of Order while teaching. Quite a few of them had even ended up on the Calamity Rankings. There were even more anti-social lunatics. She truly lived up to her nickname of "Demon Professor".
In fact, since the threshold to becoming a mage was too high, the tradition of children inheriting their father's legacy could no longer be maintained in spellcasters' society. Since inheritance was more about certain research results and the pursuit of the truth, the most important thing in the mages' society was the relationship between a teacher and a student who passed on their knowledge.
"I absolutely can't let my teacher's inheritance end in my generation." Every mage would have the same thought. After reaching a certain level, it would be a dream to have a disciple who would be able to pass on all that they had learned and pursued. Of course, the most important inheritance would always be the pursuit of a certain goal.
Unlike the rather cold relationship between teacher and disciple in other job classes, mages would have dozens or even hundreds of years of interaction. The relationship between a teacher and a personal disciple would be no different from that of a father and son or a mother and daughter. In fact, according to the Mage Country's laws, a teacher would have the right to arrange their personal disciple's lifestyle, while a disciple would have the duty to take care of an elderly teacher. They would also have all sorts of inheritance rights, just like children.
What? Me and Heloise? There was absolutely no mage organization like ours that was constantly cursed by our mages!
Right now, I was having a headache over how to improve my reputation and obtain greater authority. But soon, I began to worry about whether my reputation was too great or not.
"As expected, bringing those bastards along with me was definitely a mistake!"
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