Black Iron's Glory Chapter 23

It seems that the world of magi also had differences between n.o.bles and common people in the form of white silver bloodlines and black iron magi . . . It's completely different from the fantasy webnovels I read so often where the magi are only folks who seek truth and aim to unveil the secrets of the world's deepest laws . It's all nonsense here . . .

Claude continued to bathe in the moonlight on the room . The copying and decoding of the 11th entry of the diary had fatigued him considerably . Just in case, he decided to take a short rest first .

Even so, the contents of the diary's 11th entry was far too shocking for him . It had completely overturned his expectations about magi that he had built up from reading webnovels . He had thought that the magi represented arcane and omnipotent existences that could solve all sorts of problems with only a few spells and a wave of the hand . They symbolized supernatural power .

He didn't think that low-ranked magi would have to work for high-ranked magi and even serve as cannon fodder or low-level laborers . They also couldn't advance in rank because they weren't allowed access to magical resources . These almost seemed like the social capital module he took in philosophy cla.s.s back when he was in university, specifically on the topic on materialism .

When a higher cla.s.s gained control of the right to distribute resources, the lower cla.s.ses would always be in a position of being oppressed . They would lose the ability and opportunity to step out of their social cla.s.s into a higher one . Even with the support of interest groups that aimed to limit the harm to their benefits and social status, it wouldn't stop the march of the socially Darwinistic world they lived in where the strong devoured the weak and occupied their own territory like wild beasts .

Well, that's the gist of it, inaccurate as my representation may have been . It has been more than ten years since I graduated, after all . It also didn't help that the philosophy cla.s.ses back then were so boring and I often skipped out on them . But in retrospect, the theories taught in cla.s.s did make quite a lot of sense and can even be applied in a parallel world like this where magic existed .

Then again, he thought back of the nation he belonged in his past life which had spent only three decades in a time of peace to become one of the largest economic ent.i.ties on the blue planet, catching up to the footsteps of the so-called world's number one superpower . That feat was even achieved despite the fact that the international community's misleading actions . As they were initially unfamiliar with international conventions, they had suffered quite a number of needless losses ever since the economic reform . Despite that, his country had forged on ahead to the point that the self-proclaimed fair and just international bodies had to change the regulations to deal with them .

At the same time, the price of becoming one of the largest economic powers on the blue planet was the great increase in demand for resources . Before Claude had transmigrated, half of the blue planet's mineable resources came from his country and ended up in the hands of those international bodies . At the same time his country was growing by leaps and bounds, those international mining bodies gained the most benefit . Like leeches, they were sucking the blood out of his country nonstop without pause .

The three decades of economic development allowed the world's largest exporter to become the world's largest importer . It was no surprise that the three millennia of the magic era had caused most of Faslan's magical resources to be used up . That was especially the case given that the magi of times past didn't have concepts such as renewable resources and had never strived to develop in that area . As a result, the white silver n.o.ble magi that controlled most of the distribution of magical resources would suppress the development of the black iron magi .

That was why Senior Tawari mentioned in the diary that the magic era was devolving .

Just like modern civil society, finding replacement sources of energy was a huge problem when what everyone had been relying on so far was running out . However, the diary did mention that the magi had found another planar world that was rich with magical resources, but surviving on that plane sounded like a hurdle for the magi .

This sounds just like an animation I watched before where a small robot flew a toilet-bowl-shaped s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p to search the universe for an unlimited source of energy . . .

After daydreaming for a while, Claude snapped out of it and went back to copy and decode the twelfth entry of the diary, which was on the 13th page of the cookbook .

Date: 22nd day of the 8th month, Year 3341 of the Nomadin magic calendar . Weather: Sunny .

The messenger had finally come today . He brought the newest orders from the magic council that asked us to reach Symposium by the end of the month .

The five-ring magi of the temporary enforcement unit represented the magi in Golddew in receiving that messenger . Senior Tawari also partic.i.p.ated in the banquet .

After he returned, he gathered the eight of us and told us about some confirmed information .

After we arrive at Symposium, we would run a complete maintenance routine on the sky-piercing tower which will last for half a month . After that, we will send the first batch of people to the Kenpus plane with the aim of building a magical headquarters there . All the construction material would be sent there from Symposium's sky-piercing tower .

Now, I finally knew why that Baron Regius Au Syr formed such a huge magic stone transportation unit .

'Why didn't they choose to mine the stone required for building on the spot?' asked Krimondo .

Senior Tawari responded in a low voice, 'There isn't enough manpower . '

But it was as if the rest knew what was going on . They no longer said anything else and we quickly adjourned .

Golddew soon turned into chaos . Many magi were crying out loud on the streets like madmen and stuffing alcohol into their mouths nonstop . Some of them even flung fireb.a.l.l.s around and burned down a few houses . What I found weird was that the enforcement unit didn't do anything about it and allowed them to continue as they pleased .

Aliya said that they were venting . But we all knew that going to the Kenpus plane was a one-way ticket to death . However, n.o.body dared to go against the magic council's order .

Is Kenpus really that terrifying?

Terrifying probably didn't even begin to describe it . It was certain death, Aliya said . The seven nine-ring grand magi of the council of the ninth ring and more than 40 seven-ring archmagi, basically most of the high-tiered magical forces on Faslan, have already gone to Kenpus . But they haven't been able to subjugate local gnome and kobold tribes . They were even unable to mine the most basic stone building material there, hence why they required us to send them manpower and materials . What could low-ranked magi do there? We would be reduced to nothing but laborers and cannon fodder and everyone was aware of that .

I wanted to seek Senior Tawari out, but I wasn't able to find him . I wonder if he is with the transport unit .

Claude took an hour of rest by moonbathing before resuming his copying and decoding .

Date: 23rd day of the 8th month, Year 3341 of the Nomadin magic calendar . Weather: Sunny .

During the afternoon, Baron Regius Au Syr came to the inn to look for Senior Tawari .

Senior Tawari also dragged me into his room .

The baron had come once more to ask me to hand him the formula for the magic-crystal-enhanced gunpowder .

I refused him once more and told him that the formula wasn't going to be useful to him because magic power would need to be infused through the runes to trigger the explosion . He wasn't a magus and didn't have any magic power at all .

It was then when Senior Tawari said that he could do it . I was completely taken aback .

He told me to give him the formula since he could use it . He hoped that I would help him on account of the many years of our relations.h.i.+p .

I asked him with shock what he wanted to do .

I asked him with shock what he wanted to do .

'I want to destroy the sky-piercing tower,' replied he .

'Are you crazy?!' I cried . Had it not been for the sound-m.u.f.fling spell, the whole town would've heard my cry of shock .

'I don't know how to go to Kenpus . Destroying the tower means that we'll never know how to go there again . But I'm just a five-ring magus and the power of my spells is completely harmless to the tower . Your formula on the other hand can simulate a nine-ring magus's forbidden spell: Annihilating Explosion . The sky-piercing tower definitely won't hold,' said Tawari calmly .

But I said that we'll be captured . Those from the magic council will be at Symposium and they definitely won't let Tawari go . I was worried about his safety . It was he who had brought me, the child of a fisherman, into the world of magic . Without him, I would've had to endure all sorts of bullying in the magic tower . . . And my parents and siblings are still living in the fis.h.i.+ng village so I didn't want to leave for Kenpus either .

But the baron said that I shouldn't even try stopping Senior Tawari . 'Do you think that the 50 thousand men here really are here to transport the magic stone?' It turned out that Senior Tawari wasn't just going to destroy the sky-piercing tower, he was also trying to destroy Symposium's magic barrier . As long as the barrier was taken down, the 50 thousand laborers would turn into gunmen right away and attack the city . After they conquered the castle, they would have more than enough time to destroy the tower .

I was taken aback so badly that I almost fainted . He wanted to conquer Symposium, the holy land of us magi .

I asked him why he wanted to do something like that . I shook my head and tried my best to calm down . I must be patient while talking to a madman . I couldn't afford to aggravate him .

The baron didn't say anything . He only showed me a written order .

It was a formal order dispatched by the magic council that requested the baron to train another 30 thousand gunmen as well as gather ten thousand young men and women to be sent to Symposium .

'They are going to sent all those youths to Kenpus to the headquarters you guys are going to build there! They want to expand the range of the transference array to transfer all those youths there,' said the baron .

'Are they insane?' I said as I thought about how I heard that even a wild rabbit could take on a five-ring magus in combat there . Sending those common youths there was nothing but sending them to their deaths . Even gunmen could only take on rabbits over there .

But Senior Tawari said this . 'They are not . They were inspired by the gnomes over there . The gnomes were said to be one of the weakest living beings there . But their strong reproductive ability and large tribal population allowed them to be able to effectively defend against enemies . The magic council wants to learn from the gnome tribes and bring over youths there so that they could procreate . That batch of 40 thousand would be only the first of many to come . . . '

'Let me tell you one more thing . The owner of our magic tower, Seven-ring Magus Roenk, is already dead . He was killed by a kobold witch . '

'Let me tell you one more thing . The owner of our magic tower, Seven-ring Magus Roenk, is already dead . He was killed by a kobold witch . '

This world was truly insane . Senior Tawari wants to destroy the sky-piercing tower, the baron wants to attack Symposium, and the magic council was actually going to send 40 thousand men and women to Kenpus without providing them with any protection . Were they trying to feed the gnomes? Even the aloof owner of our tower who looked down on us from above, a seven-ring magus, had died from a petty kobold witch . I . . . I must be dreaming .

I told the baron that if he attacks Symposium the nine-ring grand magi and magi above seven rings would instantly transfer back . I believed that it would be bad news for him .

But the baron merely laughed . Was he mocking me?

'They definitely won't come back . '

'Why?'

'Haha, you might not know it, but sending someone to the plane of Kenpus from the sky-piercing tower costs ten units of magic stones . But on Kenpus, sending back a letter alone would cost ten times that amount . They would require an astronomical amount of magic stones to send people back from Kenpus . Given how they are doing, they definitely won't be able to achieve that feat . That is part of the limitations of the planar laws . So far, we can only send magical resources there for them to use . '

Ah, the planar laws . I have forgotten about them . It's no wonder that I only heard about archmagi being sent to Kenpus, but have never heard of any returning from there .

'But Symposium still has the magic council and magic crystal cannons,' I muttered .

'The magic council only have two seven-ring archmagi right now . The rest have been sent to Kenpus as reinforcements . The 16 magic crystal cannons that were installed on the city walls and magic tower have been sent there as well . I heard it was the nine-ring magi that requested it . Without magic crystal cannons, even they couldn't catch a good night's sleep there . . . .

'So Symposium is currently at its weakest . Even seven-ring archmagi are afraid of our concentrated gunfire . Apart from the 50 thousand men I've gathered, I have another two units totaling up to 30 thousand men stationed elsewhere . As long as the magic barrier of Symposium explodes, we will be able to begin our attack . '

The baron has convinced me . I don't wish to go to Kenpus either . It was a one-way trip with no return . I still want to see my parents and siblings . I . . . I handed the formula for the magic-crystal-enhanced gunpowder to the baron .

.  .

It seems that the world of magi also had differences between n.o.bles and common people in the form of white silver bloodlines and black iron magi . It's completely different from the fantasy webnovels I read so often where the magi are only folks who seek truth and aim to unveil the secrets of the world's deepest laws . It's all nonsense here

Claude continued to bathe in the moonlight on the room . The copying and decoding of the 11th entry of the diary had fatigued him considerably . Just in case, he decided to take a short rest first

Even so, the contents of the diary's 11th entry was far too shocking for him . It had completely overturned his expectations about magi that he had built up from reading webnovels . He had thought that the magi represented arcane and omnipotent existences that could solve all sorts of problems with only a few spells and a wave of the hand . They symbolized supernatural power

He didn't think that low-ranked magi would have to work for high-ranked magi and even serve as cannon fodder or low-level laborers . They also couldn't advance in rank because they weren't allowed access to magical resources . These almost seemed like the social capital module he took in philosophy cla.s.s back when he was in university, specifically on the topic on materialism

When a higher cla.s.s gained control of the right to distribute resources, the lower cla.s.ses would always be in a position of being oppressed . They would lose the ability and opportunity to step out of their social cla.s.s into a higher one . Even with the support of interest groups that aimed to limit the harm to their benefits and social status, it wouldn't stop the march of the socially Darwinistic world they lived in where the strong devoured the weak and occupied their own territory like wild beasts

Well, that's the gist of it, inaccurate as my representation may have been . It has been more than ten years since I graduated, after all . It also didn't help that the philosophy cla.s.ses back then were so boring and I often skipped out on them . But in retrospect, the theories taught in cla.s.s did make quite a lot of sense and can even be applied in a parallel world like this where magic existed

Then again, he thought back of the nation he belonged in his past life which had spent only three decades in a time of peace to become one of the largest economic ent.i.ties on the blue planet, catching up to the footsteps of the so-called world's number one superpower . That feat was even achieved despite the fact that the international community's misleading actions . As they were initially unfamiliar with international conventions, they had suffered quite a number of needless losses ever since the economic reform . Despite that, his country had forged on ahead to the point that the self-proclaimed fair and just international bodies had to change the regulations to deal with them

At the same time, the price of becoming one of the largest economic powers on the blue planet was the great increase in demand for resources . Before Claude had transmigrated, half of the blue planet's mineable resources came from his country and ended up in the hands of those international bodies . At the same time his country was growing by leaps and bounds, those international mining bodies gained the most benefit . Like leeches, they were sucking the blood out of his country nonstop without pause

The three decades of economic development allowed the world's largest exporter to become the world's largest importer . It was no surprise that the three millennia of the magic era had caused most of Faslan's magical resources to be used up . That was especially the case given that the magi of times past didn't have concepts such as renewable resources and had never strived to develop in that area . As a result, the white silver n.o.ble magi that controlled most of the distribution of magical resources would suppress the development of the black iron magi

That was why Senior Tawari mentioned in the diary that the magic era was devolving

Just like modern civil society, finding replacement sources of energy was a huge problem when what everyone had been relying on so far was running out . However, the diary did mention that the magi had found another planar world that was rich with magical resources, but surviving on that plane sounded like a hurdle for the magi

This sounds just like an animation I watched before where a small robot flew a toilet-bowl-shaped s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p to search the universe for an unlimited source of energy

After daydreaming for a while, Claude snapped out of it and went back to copy and decode the twelfth entry of the diary, which was on the 13th page of the cookbook

Date: 22nd day of the 8th month, Year 3341 of the Nomadin magic calendar . Weather: Sunny

The messenger had finally come today . He brought the newest orders from the magic council that asked us to reach Symposium by the end of the month

The five-ring magi of the temporary enforcement unit represented the magi in Golddew in receiving that messenger . Senior Tawari also partic.i.p.ated in the banquet

After he returned, he gathered the eight of us and told us about some confirmed information

After we arrive at Symposium, we would run a complete maintenance routine on the sky-piercing tower which will last for half a month . After that, we will send the first batch of people to the Kenpus plane with the aim of building a magical headquarters there . All the construction material would be sent there from Symposium's sky-piercing tower

Now, I finally knew why that Baron Regius Au Syr formed such a huge magic stone transportation unit

'Why didn't they choose to mine the stone required for building on the spot?' asked Krimondo

Senior Tawari responded in a low voice, 'There isn't enough manpower . '.

But it was as if the rest knew what was going on . They no longer said anything else and we quickly adjourned

Golddew soon turned into chaos . Many magi were crying out loud on the streets like madmen and stuffing alcohol into their mouths nonstop . Some of them even flung fireb.a.l.l.s around and burned down a few houses . What I found weird was that the enforcement unit didn't do anything about it and allowed them to continue as they pleased

Aliya said that they were venting . But we all knew that going to the Kenpus plane was a one-way ticket to death . However, n.o.body dared to go against the magic council's order

Is Kenpus really that terrifying?.

Terrifying probably didn't even begin to describe it . It was certain death, Aliya said . The seven nine-ring grand magi of the council of the ninth ring and more than 40 seven-ring archmagi, basically most of the high-tiered magical forces on Faslan, have already gone to Kenpus . But they haven't been able to subjugate local gnome and kobold tribes . They were even unable to mine the most basic stone building material there, hence why they required us to send them manpower and materials . What could low-ranked magi do there? We would be reduced to nothing but laborers and cannon fodder and everyone was aware of that

I wanted to seek Senior Tawari out, but I wasn't able to find him . I wonder if he is with the transport unit

Claude took an hour of rest by moonbathing before resuming his copying and decoding

Date: 23rd day of the 8th month, Year 3341 of the Nomadin magic calendar . Weather: Sunny

During the afternoon, Baron Regius Au Syr came to the inn to look for Senior Tawari

Senior Tawari also dragged me into his room

The baron had come once more to ask me to hand him the formula for the magic-crystal-enhanced gunpowder

I refused him once more and told him that the formula wasn't going to be useful to him because magic power would need to be infused through the runes to trigger the explosion . He wasn't a magus and didn't have any magic power at all

It was then when Senior Tawari said that he could do it . I was completely taken aback

He told me to give him the formula since he could use it . He hoped that I would help him on account of the many years of our relations.h.i.+p

I asked him with shock what he wanted to do

'I want to destroy the sky-piercing tower,' replied he

'Are you crazy?!' I cried . Had it not been for the sound-m.u.f.fling spell, the whole town would've heard my cry of shock

'I don't know how to go to Kenpus . Destroying the tower means that we'll never know how to go there again . But I'm just a five-ring magus and the power of my spells is completely harmless to the tower . Your formula on the other hand can simulate a nine-ring magus's forbidden spell: Annihilating Explosion . The sky-piercing tower definitely won't hold,' said Tawari calmly

But I said that we'll be captured . Those from the magic council will be at Symposium and they definitely won't let Tawari go . I was worried about his safety . It was he who had brought me, the child of a fisherman, into the world of magic . Without him, I would've had to endure all sorts of bullying in the magic tower . And my parents and siblings are still living in the fis.h.i.+ng village so I didn't want to leave for Kenpus either

But the baron said that I shouldn't even try stopping Senior Tawari . 'Do you think that the 50 thousand men here really are here to transport the magic stone?' It turned out that Senior Tawari wasn't just going to destroy the sky-piercing tower, he was also trying to destroy Symposium's magic barrier . As long as the barrier was taken down, the 50 thousand laborers would turn into gunmen right away and attack the city . After they conquered the castle, they would have more than enough time to destroy the tower

I was taken aback so badly that I almost fainted . He wanted to conquer Symposium, the holy land of us magi

I asked him why he wanted to do something like that . I shook my head and tried my best to calm down . I must be patient while talking to a madman . I couldn't afford to aggravate him

The baron didn't say anything . He only showed me a written order

It was a formal order dispatched by the magic council that requested the baron to train another 30 thousand gunmen as well as gather ten thousand young men and women to be sent to Symposium

'They are going to sent all those youths to Kenpus to the headquarters you guys are going to build there! They want to expand the range of the transference array to transfer all those youths there,' said the baron

'Are they insane?' I said as I thought about how I heard that even a wild rabbit could take on a five-ring magus in combat there . Sending those common youths there was nothing but sending them to their deaths . Even gunmen could only take on rabbits over there

But Senior Tawari said this . 'They are not . They were inspired by the gnomes over there . The gnomes were said to be one of the weakest living beings there . But their strong reproductive ability and large tribal population allowed them to be able to effectively defend against enemies . The magic council wants to learn from the gnome tribes and bring over youths there so that they could procreate . That batch of 40 thousand would be only the first of many to come . '.

'Let me tell you one more thing . The owner of our magic tower, Seven-ring Magus Roenk, is already dead . He was killed by a kobold witch . '.

This world was truly insane . Senior Tawari wants to destroy the sky-piercing tower, the baron wants to attack Symposium, and the magic council was actually going to send 40 thousand men and women to Kenpus without providing them with any protection . Were they trying to feed the gnomes? Even the aloof owner of our tower who looked down on us from above, a seven-ring magus, had died from a petty kobold witch . I . I must be dreaming

I told the baron that if he attacks Symposium the nine-ring grand magi and magi above seven rings would instantly transfer back . I believed that it would be bad news for him

But the baron merely laughed . Was he mocking me?.

'They definitely won't come back . '.

'Why?'.

'Haha, you might not know it, but sending someone to the plane of Kenpus from the sky-piercing tower costs ten units of magic stones . But on Kenpus, sending back a letter alone would cost ten times that amount . They would require an astronomical amount of magic stones to send people back from Kenpus . Given how they are doing, they definitely won't be able to achieve that feat . That is part of the limitations of the planar laws . So far, we can only send magical resources there for them to use . '.

Ah, the planar laws . I have forgotten about them . It's no wonder that I only heard about archmagi being sent to Kenpus, but have never heard of any returning from there

'But Symposium still has the magic council and magic crystal cannons,' I muttered

'The magic council only have two seven-ring archmagi right now . The rest have been sent to Kenpus as reinforcements . The 16 magic crystal cannons that were installed on the city walls and magic tower have been sent there as well . I heard it was the nine-ring magi that requested it . Without magic crystal cannons, even they couldn't catch a good night's sleep there .

'So Symposium is currently at its weakest . Even seven-ring archmagi are afraid of our concentrated gunfire . Apart from the 50 thousand men I've gathered, I have another two units totaling up to 30 thousand men stationed elsewhere . As long as the magic barrier of Symposium explodes, we will be able to begin our attack . '.

The baron has convinced me . I don't wish to go to Kenpus either . It was a one-way trip with no return . I still want to see my parents and siblings . I . I handed the formula for the magic-crystal-enhanced gunpowder to the baron