Looking back at the past, if I were to list everything I had done and what I was about to do, perhaps I could easily see a clear main goal — to increase the power of the entire world's mortals.
Did this world lack powerful individuals? I didn't think so. Not to mention how many top-level mages in the Cloud Tower were rotting away in their research labs, there were countless Dragons, giants, and hidden powerful individuals. Even Emperor Yongye back in the day was only ranked in the thirties among those who often caused trouble. This world was huge, and there were many powerful individuals. But could they become the power to change the world?
The answer was obviously no. There were far too many coincidences that couldn't be repeated, and a large amount of time and resources would be required. The number of such individuals would forever be limited. And with the changes of the entire generation, it was impossible to count on a small number of individuals or small groups to change the overall situation. This was something I had learned from my past failures.
The most annoying part was that these hidden individuals had incredibly high opinions of themselves. Just like the archmages of the Cloud Tower, they viewed the Holy War as nothing more than a passing cloud. By the time they realized that the situation was special and that they couldn't escape, it would be far too late.
"Powerful individuals are rare? Chosen ones? It was just that most people didn't even have a way to become stronger. Do you want to become a top-level powerful individual favored by the heavens? Heh heh, as long as I increase the number of foundational warriors, miracles and whatnot will naturally come. Geniuses and whatnot will be easier to deal with. Aren't they also geniuses who surpass 99% of their peers? Perhaps I can't increase the 1% that has too many coincidences, but as long as I increase the 99%, that means that the number of foundational warriors will increase by ten times, and geniuses and whatnot will naturally increase exponentially. "
If this world that was destined to face countless fatal trials was a lone boat before a storm, then, before the raging waves of the future arrived, the most fundamental ballast stone was to desperately strengthen the weight of the boat. That was the foundation to withstand the storm.
I would increase the power level of the majority of ordinary people in this world, and then use my authority behind the scenes (Law and Justice Points) to guide them. This would reduce internal conflicts as much as possible, and increase the world's ability to resist the storm. This was my choice.
The appearance of the power of Law and the Four Elemental Swordcasters and magic archers brought about by Olivia's Magic Box gave ordinary people the possibility of reaching the peak. However, this was only the beginning. Beneath the half-joking name of the "Great Industrial Party" was a tremendous ambition to change the entire world.
I took a deep breath. What I was about to say next was the most important point of my speech.
"The small energy pool 'Olivia's Magic Box' has far more uses than that. Its greatest beneficiary is definitely not spellcasters. Perhaps some of you have already tried Iron Horse, haven't you? What do you think? How about the warhorses? "
Ignoring the commotion below the stage, the conclusion had probably appeared long ago.
"Warhorses are very expensive. Their breed and bloodline are both big problems. Furthermore, the nurturing period is very long, and they also need a complete set of equipment. It could be said that a fully armored warhorse was equivalent to half a Knight's life. Not to mention, warhorses required the highest quality of food and fodder, which was why the Lords of various regions were willing to risk their lives in order to maintain a sufficient number of Knights. And these iron horses … "
Some of the nobles in the audience had already guessed what I was going to say.
"It's cheap, really cheap. Compared to warhorses, the cost was not high. It only required some engineering materials and did not require any special magic materials. It could be easily mass-produced. In terms of performance, even with the current technology, before the energy was used up, it was still better than a warhorse with a full body armor. The body of the iron horse can also be stacked with armor. Its defensive capabilities are even stronger than a physical body. "
I closed my eyes, but I felt as if I had already traveled through the river of time. On the battlefield of the future, these iron Knight wielded lances and dwarven muskets as they attacked the invaders at lightning speed. And, they were only a part of this iron army!
"This is only the beginning. I can tell you that self-propelled super small mechanical armor has already been successfully developed. It can greatly increase an individual's combat strength and survivability. Also, heavy tanks that can rival the mammoth war elephants are currently being researched. Large Titan Armor and war machines that can be steadily mass-produced are also being produced. Very soon, the engineering that you all ignored will go from being a laughable little toy to a path of truth that can rival magic. "
"And, the people who control them will be mere mortals that you all look down on. Perhaps the mortals of the future will be even more powerful than you all expect. "
In other words, "the flow of history is unstoppable." Heroes would be born in response to the times, and revolutions would occur in response to the tides. Even without me, the "magical engineering" revolution was destined to occur.
In that "history," when the Armageddon arrived, the Ottoman Empire had already suffered several serious blows and was in dire straits. They finally gave up the technology for small batteries that were destined to change the world. What followed was a revolution in magical engineering.
Although there were many detours later on, the final product of magical engineering still changed the world, changing people's lifestyles and fighting styles. It even changed the entire civilization of the Aichy Continent.
But since I was here, how could I possibly delay the most precious time to prepare for war? Thanks to the butterfly effect I caused, Olivia's invention of this core technology was already more than ten years ahead of history. Timlad also didn't need to waste so much time to "grow." And, with my "experience" as a guide, he was able to avoid many wrong research directions and take fewer detours.
No, just the memories of modern warfare in my mind were enough to bring forward the evolution of engineering by thousands of years. Sometimes, even a small improvement would require countless years of hard work and battle experience.
The most obvious example was how tanks had been modified from agricultural tractors back in the day. Did World War I's popular barbed wire entanglements, trenches, and machine gun bunkers no longer work in this world? Perhaps a small trench and some defensive facilities, along with a few mortals stationed there, would be enough for an entire army of Knight knights to sacrifice countless lives to defend it.
"In the next generation, it'll be hundreds of times easier to obtain power than it is now. Even ordinary people will be able to kill powerful individuals. Revolution! This is no longer a simple invention. This is a new industrial revolution! This is the goal of our Great Industrial Party! "
That's right, heroes would be born in troubled times. It was as if this world instinctively refused to accept the fact that it was about to perish. Soon, new technology, new magic, and new powerful individuals would appear like mushrooms after the rain. As the enemies of the world became stronger and stronger, the native residents of this world would also become insanely powerful. And what I needed to do now was to start an industrial revolution in this magical fantasy world, providing sufficient soil and foundation for this revolution.
"Perhaps some people might wonder if such a revolution is necessary, or if it's necessary to stop it … What I'm about to show everyone is some real information. There are prophecies as well as current events. I can vouch for the veracity of this information with my own name. "
I took a deep breath. There were some things that needed to be revealed.
"… You all still want to be cowards? Let's see how you're going to cower when others are already at your doorstep! "
And so, the information that had been broadcasted on the Borealis back in the day was once again shown to the world.
It was almost like a prophecy. Hordes of demons walked the streets, burning cities groaned in pain under the Black Knight's iron hooves, the undead invaded the living's territory, the elves' holy lands became nothing more than abandoned craters, and lava covered the land of ice and snow.
The most shocking part was still the ancient ruins. There was a damaged tower that shone with the light of an arcane spell, which doubtlessly indicated that this was the current prosperous Cloud Tower.
At the same time, my memory crystal also displayed the scenes of recent battles.
The Underground's demon armies invaded, the Northlands' ferocious beastmen attacked cities, the Undead Calamity invaded Aichy, the clash of forbidden spells that died midway, the Ottoman Empire's Rain City, the Earth Elemental Plane's Earth Elemental Lords and Divine Sins. Every single battle was difficult to deal with, and every single battle was fought to the very last moment.
While the entire world was quietly changing, and epic battles were constantly happening in the outside world, the mages in the clouds were still living in their own world. The information about these battles would at most become a topic of idle chatter before and after meals. No matter how intense "someone else's war" was, it would only cause some exclamations. Perhaps they might feel something at the time, but they would soon forget about it.
However, seeing things directly was different from reading words on paper. Scenes after scenes of the Armageddon from the future intersected with scenes of war in reality. Reality and fables were placed together, and the Gods' declaration from not too long ago seemed to echo in everyone's ears. Even the most confident person would have to carefully consider just how far this Holy War would develop, and whether or not they would be able to safely stay out of it as they expected.
Facts spoke louder than words, so I didn't waste any more words. Now, it was time for me to answer my questions.
"… How did these scenes in the prophecy come about? Prophecy magic can't possibly produce such results. Not only that, prophecy magic can no longer produce results. Also, when did you learn about these prophecies? "
As the highest-ranked member of the Mystical Blade, Oslowen had to ask this question.
As for me, I had long since expected such a question. In fact, I had even prepared an answer for it.
"Origin? You could say that it was a coincidence, but I can guarantee in the name of the Holy Light that this is definitely the truest 'history' and 'future' of this world. This is the truth that will definitely happen if I don't interfere. "
From a certain standpoint, my identity as a user of Holy Light was quite helpful to me. At the very least, it was quite convincing when I said such a "truest lie" oath.
"As for when I learned about this? Would you believe me if I told you that I learned about this three hundred years ago? Yes, I swear in the name of the Holy Light that 370 years ago, when I was still a seven or eight-year-old child, I already knew that all of this was destined to happen. "
The glorious Holy Light on my finger proved the veracity of my oath. The entire auditorium was in utter chaos.
As for me, it was already time for me to retreat … Fine then, there wasn't much to say. It was likely that I would expose myself if I said any more.
…
"There's another truth behind the Yongye Calamity!? The history textbooks should have been rewritten long ago! "
"A slandered hero of darkness? A sole survivor of the Armageddon? A madman driven insane by despair? A true prince of the Northlands. "
"Using the latest research data to prove the veracity of the Armageddon prophecies — Interview with Archmage Finthoran from another dimension!"
I was truly impressed by the professionalism of a journalist from another dimension as I looked at the stacks of extra editions and additional editions on my desk. I didn't even know that I had done so many things in secret. I had become a tragic hero who had to save the world despite being slandered by the Holy Light.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. This article even talks about your past love history. You actually had two lovers and a concubine. It's so believable! Roland, did you take revenge on the Holy Church because your lover died? "
The black cat skillfully flipped through the pages of the newspaper with its paws as it searched for new jokes. After it finished laughing, it even licked some milk to quench its thirst. It was becoming more and more like a real cat.
"Hmph, I was only 14 years old when I died. Do you think anyone would believe such a thing?"
Making a public declaration was quite valuable. That afternoon, all the mage organizations learned about the contents of my declaration. Meanwhile, although it was almost an open secret that Roland was the Emperor of Yongye, there was still no mention of Yongye in the newspapers and magazines sold to the public. However, all the mage organizations' internal publications were already filled with all sorts of guesses and rumors.
What was slightly worth rejoicing about was the fact that the various organizations didn't want to touch our sensitive nerves. At the very least, the current trend of news reports was rather acceptable. Although it felt rather strange to mysteriously become a hero of the dark side, it was still much better than mysteriously becoming a scapegoat in the past.
After I revealed the truth, if the mage organizations wanted to cooperate with me and obtain even more benefits, they would naturally have to help me advertise my existence.
As for killing this new technology that was still in its infancy? Forcefully stealing it? Not to mention the fact that it was basically impossible to accomplish, sometimes I even felt proud of my notoriety. It was such an incredible reputation.
The only side effect was that today's business reached a new low.
"Is it still the same outside?"
"Yep, there are many people outside your shop, but very few of them come in to shop. They're all old friends who are at the level of a teacher. It seems that all the new customers today are here for you. Aren't you going to greet them? "
"Forget it. When I went out for some exercise this morning, I scared away several dozen customers and even fainted a few. I feel like I've become a Medusa. Everyone I see is petrified, and everyone collapses when I stare at them. There's even the sound effect of ghosts wailing and wolves howling. "
"Why don't you talk about those girls who were enchanted by the story of a tragic hero? The first love letter in your life feels pretty good, doesn't it? "
"Hmph! It's not the first … Fine, don't look at me like that. I admit that in my memory, it's the first love letter, alright? Still, I've received many dueling letters, curse letters, and Dear John letters in the past. Perhaps someone accidentally mailed the letter to the wrong person, or wrote the wrong name on the cover, or a girl was too embarrassed to write the wrong name and didn't send it to me … "
Why was it that the more I talked about it, the sadder I felt. Let's talk about something more interesting.
"That person outside is still squatting there?"
"Yep, she said that as an honorable law enforcer, she absolutely has to keep an eye on you. She told her, 'Don't even think about doing anything evil in this city.' "
Heloise even imitated that damned girl's tone of speech. It felt quite similar. At the very least, it was quite obvious that she was gnashing her teeth and not letting me have an easy time.
I glanced outside the window at the female mage Cher and her security team under a tree. I could only helplessly shake my head. At any rate, I didn't intend on doing anything illegal for the time being. If she wanted to squat here, then let her.
"Hmph, if she wants to be a vigilante, then let her be. She still has enough money left to hire a security guard."
Yep, that was indeed what I was thinking. From a certain standpoint, the existence of a vigilante department would make customers feel more at ease.
"I think that you should think of a way to ask her to leave as soon as possible."
"Why? It's not like I intend on doing anything illegal. "
"It's only been one morning, and she's already raided three times …"
"What's there to be afraid of!? It's not like I have a guilty conscience. Just let her do whatever she wants! "
"She's using the excuse of searching for taxes. She'll seriously look through the accounts every time. Are you certain that your fake accounts …"
"I'll immediately think of a way to make her leave!"
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