Chapter 224: Make Your Name Famous Throughout the World (5k)
“A miracle, a genuine miracle!”
Beside the majestic and magnificent city, someone gazed up at the splendid metropolis, their voice filled with disbelieving praise.
This city had materialized out of nowhere in the barren mountains overnight. No matter how one looked at it, it was an undeniable miracle. Even the Mythical Creatures that walked the land on the Western Continent nowadays had never accomplished anything similar. After all, expecting those half-mad Mythical Creatures to undertake such detailed work would be asking too much of them.
Though this city, which seemed to have descended overnight, had appeared in what the surrounding residents had previously considered a forbidden zone, a place where no one ventured—the Hill of the Watcher—the emergence of a city would eventually be noticed.
Subsequently, news related to it spread across the Western Continent like an explosion.
“City of Divine Bestowal,” “Territory of Revelation,” “Land of Miracles”… Countless praises and accolades were bestowed upon this city, which resembled a divine revelation, by those who delighted in such things. Some, due to the city’s genesis on the Hill of the Watcher, speculated that it was the work of the former lord of the Giant King’s Royal Court. The Giant King had not perished during the Great Calamity but had instead revived after a long period, rebuilding the Giant King’s Royal Court. Others claimed it was the power of a Holy Relic left behind by the Creator of the Glorious Era in the Giant King’s Royal Court. Many pilgrims even traveled great distances solely to admire such a miraculous feat.
…
“City of Miracles?”
“I don’t particularly like that name.”
“I personally have no enmity with the Mythical Creatures of the Western Continent, or rather, I’ve never even interacted with them before…”
“However, he seems to have quite a few divine enemies.”
“Since they are his enemies… they are naturally my enemies as well.”
In the center of the city hailed as the City of Miracles, within the grand and magnificent pitch-black tower that pierced the clouds, a Golden Elf sat upon a clear and cold chair, looking down at the crowd below.
Threads of light-golden magic swirled around her, causing the very space to ripple with layer upon layer of undulations. Though she was in the Tower of Absolute Darkness with the people below, the spatial ripples, like waves on water, made it seem as though they were separated by two worlds.
“But this city you created still needs a name,” an elder among the crowd below said after some deliberation.
The people gathered in the Black Tower at this moment were all experts of at least the Sixth Ring, with many legendary figures among them. They held considerable status in human society, some being monarchs, others renowned Sword Saints or Grandmasters. However, at this very moment, within this extremely dark tower, gazing up at the cool and mysterious Golden Elf seated on the light-golden chair, these powerful individuals’ eyes were filled with profound reverence. They were here not so much for a visit as for an audience.
Ordinary citizens only knew that a city had appeared overnight on the barren Hill of the Watcher. As for them, the strong and high-ranking individuals among humanity, they knew much more… For instance, the proclamation that had previously spread throughout the Astral Realm had originated from the person before them, the creator of the City of Miracles. Both the proclamation that had swept the Astral Realm and the feat of creating a city overnight undoubtedly declared that the status of this High Elf had long surpassed the legendary realm. The term “demigod” couldn’t even encompass her. She was an existence beyond the legendary, beyond the Mythical Creatures and demigods that people understood—a higher level of being.
There might still be such deities on the Western Continent today… but even to Legendary Experts, these gods, standing at the apex of Mythical Creatures, were beings rarely seen, like dragons showing only their heads but not their tails. They were supreme beings that truly required worship and audience.
“A name…” The Golden Elf on the crimson-gold chair nodded. After a long silence, she smiled slightly, a hint of remembrance flashing in her eyes. “He always said—‘Knowledge is power’.”
“Since that’s the case, let this city be called the City of Knowledge…”
“City of Knowledge.”
Below, the elder who had spoken earlier softly repeated the name. Among all those attending the audience in the Black Tower, he possessed the most potent aura. Unlike ordinary Legendary Experts, he had approached the very end of the legendary path. He seemed to be the chosen representative for communication among the assembled audience.
“According to your Excellency’s wishes… we will widely announce the name ‘City of Knowledge’ to all of human society,” the elder said respectfully.
“Additionally, please allow me to confirm something with you.” After speaking, he hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Please tell me—”
“The matter you broadcasted in the Astral Realm.”
“This new path that doesn’t require plundering divinity and authority but can instead touch upon the divine realm through one’s own power—”
“Are those things called ‘Magic’ and ‘Arcana’ real?”
The elder knew full well that with his strength, questioning the veracity of this great being who could create a city overnight was an extremely risky endeavor. In those Holy Sees occupied by Mythical Creatures and where faith was sown, there were countless bloody examples of this. Before those half-mad and tyrannical Mythical Creatures, even a monarch could be utterly annihilated for the slightest disrespect. However, the elder still asked the question. He couldn’t help it; the information conveyed in the Astral Realm broadcast was simply too important to him. A new path, independent of divinity and authority, that allowed one to advance beyond legendary status without contamination or madness—for someone like him, who had been stuck at the limit of the legendary realm for over a hundred years and whose lifespan was nearing its end, this was a lifeline.
However, the elder’s inquiry did not provoke the disgust or even rage from the mysterious Golden Elf that he had anticipated. She merely looked down at the crowd before her.
“To say such things…”
“Does that mean that before this, you humans had never heard of matters like ‘Arcana’ and ‘Magic’?”
“We have not heard of them.”
The elder shook his head in confusion. In terms of the desire to break through the legendary realm, no one on the entire Western Continent was more fervent than he. Otherwise, he would not have visited here despite knowing the risks of being tempted or even ambushed by an Evil God. If there had been any rumors of “Magic” and “Arcana” on the Western Continent before, he would undoubtedly have heard of them.
“Is that so…” The Golden Elf maiden’s eyes lowered slightly on her seat.
“Then—”
“Have you heard of…”
“The name ‘Shaya Egut’?”
The elder turned back somewhat bewilderedly, exchanging glances with the other human Legendary Experts behind him. Undoubtedly, they found only pure bewilderment in each other’s eyes. With the memory of Legendary Experts, they would not forget even a casually overheard name, let alone a name mentioned by this High Elf, who could be described as a deity, and who must have been a figure of immense fame and legend on the Western Continent. However, no matter how hard any of them racked their brains, they found nothing in the ocean of their memories.
“As expected…” The Golden Elf maiden sighed softly on the crimson-gold chair. Without the need for further verification, she could clearly discern from the mental fluctuations of the crowd below… that the elder’s confused expression was not a feigned lie but genuine ignorance. They lacked the ability to lie before the Golden Elf maiden, given their status.
“Teacher Shaya…” Her voice was somewhat ethereal and distant.
“How many more secrets are you hiding…” Shaya was so powerful. Even when they first met, he had already broken through the legendary boundary. To this day, even after five hundred years, Heiser had yet to see a human more powerful than him on the Western Continent. This was a world where extraordinary powers existed, where might returned to the individual. Logically speaking, someone as supreme as Shaya within the human race would undoubtedly be a universally known figure among all humans. This included the Magic and Arcana that he had taught her. Based on the vast collection in the Grand Library, which was as profound as an ocean, it was evident that these were skills and knowledge studied and refined by countless people and generations of wizards, as vast as the sea. They were worthy of a Legendary Expert dedicating their entire life to exploring and pursuing.
She had assumed that both Shaya and the disciplines of Magic and Arcana were undeniably famous existences on the Western Continent. However, upon her return from the Astral Realm and truly setting foot on the land where Teacher Shaya had grown up, Heiser discovered with astonishment—that even after searching every corner of the Western Continent, the youth, along with the Magic he had taught, had vanished as if they had left no trace on the Western Continent. It was as if all impressions and memories of the youth in the eyes of the world had been forgotten by the world along with his fall into the abyss.
“However…”
“Even if the whole world has forgotten you.”
“Still—”
“Only I will always remember you firmly in my heart.”
For some reason, a hint of joy flashed through the Golden Elf maiden’s heart at this moment. This joy surprised Heiser herself… She carefully examined her true feelings and, from the depths of her Spiritual World, discovered the source of that joy. Heiser had originally thought that Shaya was already a renowned expert on the Western Continent. Perhaps… perhaps he already had a wife and children, and a family. After all, on the Lost Island, it was common for high-ranking Legendary Experts and clan elders to have numerous wives and concubines and countless children.
Now, upon learning that Shaya was unknown on the Western Continent and had no family, a sense of secret delight welled up in Heiser’s heart. The thought that only one person in this world knew about that youth, that only she knew his secrets, and that she could have him to herself brought a sense of smug satisfaction. As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Heiser felt an irrepressible sense of guilt.
“You truly are an incorrigibly selfish elf… Heiser.” She spoke a silent self-mockery. His creation, these things called Arcana and Magic, were magnificent achievements capable of rewriting the entire course of an era and civilization. Yet, she was gloating over being able to keep his secrets to herself. How selfish, truly no different from a petty person. She curled her lips into a mocking smile. Then, she looked back at the crowd below, who appeared somewhat intimidated.
“Were you asking if what I declared in the Astral Realm broadcast earlier was true?”
“I can answer you now.”
“It is true.”
Heiser’s words were indifferent. At this moment, behind her, illusory light appeared. In this instant, countless pages rustled with a ‘swish’ sound. Within that illusory light, books bearing profoundly mysterious and ancient texts quietly materialized. Then, one after another, they settled onto the towering bookshelves lined in solemn rows. In the blink of an eye, behind Heiser, imagination transformed into reality. A vast and boundless Grand Library, seemingly containing all the stars, quietly appeared.
“Arcana… Magic.”
“From the first-ring cantrips… to the primordial texts of Forbidden Spells.”
“Everything called Magic is contained within this Grand Library.”
“As long as you join here, join the Tower of Absolute Darkness, and become a member of the Black Tower… you can freely enter and exit the Black Tower Grand Library to study according to your status.”
Heiser’s voice was exceptionally clear and cold, yet it carried a mysterious majesty. The sound, like wind chimes at midnight, transformed into ancient Word of Power. In the void above the Black Tower Grand Library, lines of crimson-gold text coalesced.
“Within the Black Tower, gods are forbidden.”
“Everything within the Black Tower governs itself, with no distinction of race. Whether Dragon, Human, Elf, Dwarf, Drow… anyone who pursues Arcana and truth as their primary goal is a member of the wizards.”
“Area of effect magic and large-scale illusions are forbidden from being used on ordinary people.”
…
These were lines of crimson-gold rules. The moment the text appeared, it felt as if countless illusory golden chains stretched across the entire Black Tower. This was the manifestation of rules in this area. They were not mere dogmas confined to paper but actual new rules imposed upon this magnificent tower, binding all members of the Black Tower within it.
Suddenly, a few illusory chains of rules stirred—In the next moment, several figures in the crowd disappeared, and with the closing of spatial cracks, they vanished from the Black Tower, appearing outside the Hill of the Watcher. The elder’s eyes shifted slightly. He recognized those who had been pierced by the chains of rules and disappeared. They were all believers attached to a certain god, imbued with divine nature bestowed upon them. Perhaps they had come to probe the situation on their deity’s behalf… yet they were now forcibly teleported away. The rule, “Within the Black Tower, gods are forbidden,” was not merely a superficial display but a manifest law.
However, the elder paid no attention to the believers who were teleported away by the chains of rules. He silently gazed at the lines of light-golden Black Tower regulations suspended in mid-air. After a long period, the elder softly spoke, “Is this all that is required?” He knew full well that there was no such thing as a free lunch. He, as a party involved, was acutely aware of what a new path that did not rely on divinity to break through the legendary realm meant to those who had been stuck at the legendary stage for so long. He had expected the other party to make stringent demands, even bracing himself for the possibility that this mysterious Golden Elf might, like Mythical Creatures recruiting believers, subjugate them as slaves and vassals. He had not expected that the rules she proposed would be so simple. Aside from restricting the interference of Black Tower members with ordinary people, there were almost no mandatory clauses; they hadn’t even lost their freedom.
“Don’t misunderstand… I’m not that generous.”
“If it were me, I would definitely put a price on this kind of earth-shattering Arcana knowledge. How could I possibly reveal it so easily…”
Heiser looked down at the murmuring crowd and whispered softly.
“But, this is his creation…”
“And also his dream.”
She stood up and looked towards the silent Black Tower Grand Library.
“The ‘him’ that Your Excellency repeatedly mentioned.”
“Who is he?” The elder hesitated for a moment, finally asking the question. It was a question that had puzzled all the attendees from the beginning. No one didn’t want to know what kind of person existed that this Golden Elf, who was akin to a deity, mentioned in such a tone. Someone who could command such respect from a powerful individual at the pinnacle of the post-Great Calamity era, someone who could be described with the term True God… Could it be—had the Creator of the Glorious Era truly revived once more?
Heiser’s gaze merely flickered with a hint of recollection.
“Him…”
“Just a great deceiver who told very good stories.”
A slight smile played on the exquisite and flawless lips of the Golden Elf.
“But, although he likes to talk to himself and fool people in daily life.”
“He is the true master of this Tower of Absolute Darkness, this City of Knowledge.”
“And also the one you should be grateful to.”
“His name is Shaya… Shaya Egut.”
“And I—”
“Am merely Teacher Shaya’s eldest disciple…”
“And, an admirer of his.”
The Golden Elf maiden’s casual words caused an uproar among the crowd below. However, Heiser paid no mind to the commotion of the people below. She quietly turned her gaze towards the window of the Black Tower. Towards the boundless ocean, and the great vortex above the boundless ocean that connected to the abyssal barrier.
“Since you said, Teacher Shaya… that you wanted to create a tower without racial distinctions, where Humans, Dragons, Elves, and others could freely and without worry study Arcana and explore Magic, a tower belonging only to wizards.”
“Then—”
“Allow me to fulfill your dream.”
“And then—”
“Let your name, along with the Black Tower, be famous throughout the world.”
