Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
“Let’s not rush this matter,” Xi Wei said with a smile. “There are still so many things in the Kalunka Empire that I need to handle. You all can wait for a while.”
The bald-headed mage showed a troubled expression.
“Your Majesty, it’s not that we are unwilling to wait, but our time is very precious. After helping you build the teleportation gate, we need to return to the empire to continue our research on spell arrays.”
Xi Wei looked them up and down, unable to understand what they were thinking.
“Can’t you just think of it as a vacation? Working every day isn’t easy, is it? Don’t worry, even if you don’t go back for a year, I won’t report you to Fario. You can even buy houses and settle down in the Wintery Empire. I’m telling you, my Wintery Empire has Succubus Taverns, casinos, and even theatrical performances. Your Saint Rodia doesn’t have these, does it? Have you ever played Gwent?”
The mages shook their heads repeatedly. They had never heard of anything Xi Wei was talking about.
“The value of our lives is to create more magical technology for the empire and leave more spell array experience for future generations. We don’t need vacations. For us, magical academic research is a very happy thing.” The bald-headed mage clasped his hands together and placed them on his chest, his tone earnest. “Therefore, Your Majesty Winter, please send us to the Wintery Empire as soon as possible so we can finish building the teleportation gate and go back!”
Xi Wei looked around at the other mages next to the bald-headed one and raised an eyebrow. “Do you all think the same way?”
The mages nodded, their expressions serious.
“Do you have wives and children?” Xi Wei asked again.
The mages replied in unison, “No.”
“With no wives or children, have you considered the issue of passing down your magical experience, as well as your name and family legacy!”
The bald-headed mage stepped forward a couple of paces, his gaze clear as he looked at Xi Wei. “Your Majesty, procreation is the behavior of animals, but we pursue spiritual transcendence! We do not need offspring to inherit our wisdom, because our wisdom is for all mages on the South Continent. We also do not need anyone to remember our names, nor do we need a family. We only serve the great Emperor Fario!”
“Emperor Fario is eternal!”
“Magic is eternal!”
The mages around them echoed in agreement.
Xi Wei finally realized that these were a group of fools whose brains had become numb from researching spell arrays. Although these fools had unpleasant personalities and were impervious to reason, one thing was undeniable: it was precisely because of their existence that the magical technology of the South Continent had developed to such a high level. Their contributions were incomparable.
To Xi Wei, these mages were even more precious treasures. Of course, he wouldn’t just take a small advantage from Fario. What were a few teleportation gates? It didn’t fit his style as the King of Winter at all! These scientific personnel were his true objective!
Looking at these stubborn old men, Xi Wei did not get angry. Instead, a helpless smile appeared on his face.
“I’m very sorry to tell you all something. When we came to the South Continent, our legion marched on foot. We had no means of teleportation. This means that if you want to go to the Wintery Empire now, you will have to cross the Death Desert, and you might even run into the Orc Royal Court’s army, which could be a matter of life and death.”
“H-how is that possible?” The leading bald-headed mage’s eyes widened. “You actually entered the South Continent without using any teleportation methods? Your Majesty Winter, are you joking with us? You must have some kind of transportation, right?”
“That’s right.” Xi Wei ordered a soldier to bring out a ground bird. He pointed at it and introduced, “See, esteemed masters, this is our mode of transportation – the ground bird. These monsters are very common in the Death Desert. They are more durable than camels and run extremely fast. Most importantly, they eat little and are easy to care for. Even if we encounter a sandstorm, there’s no need to be afraid, they will absolutely not die!”
The mages stared at the ground bird, dumbfounded. The ground bird also stretched its neck, tilting its head to look at the bald-headed mage. They were naturally cross-eyed, and when they made eye contact with people, it always gave the illusion of great intelligence.
“Your Majesty Winter, are you, are you sure you crossed the North and South Continents riding ground birds?” The bald-headed mage’s speech began to stutter.
“Of course!” Xi Wei said with a serious expression, raising his three fingers to the sky. “I swear to the great Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Time that my army crossed the North and South Continents riding ground birds. If there is a single lie, then may the Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Time strip my soul and let my soul be eternally damned!”
“This…” The mages looked at each other. It seemed that the King of Winter was telling the truth. He wasn’t deliberately delaying them; it was genuinely due to limited conditions. Swearing to a god on the Cain Continent was a very serious matter, especially to two famous goddesses like the Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Time. Although these two goddesses had disappeared from the continent, as long as the rules were still functioning normally and there were no anomalies, then the oath the King of Winter had just made could be accepted by the two goddesses.
“Alright, Your Majesty Winter, we understand.” After a brief discussion among the mages, the bald-headed one stepped forward again. “Although the conditions are harsh, the original intention of magic was to solve difficult conditions. In the past, humans had to rely on nature to obtain fire. Magic gave humans the ability to produce fire themselves, allowing humans to quickly escape the era of barbarism… Of course, I’m not saying that those who don’t have magic are barbarians, cough cough… In short, if there are no conditions, we must create them. We will immediately begin building magic energy shuttles!”
“Oh? You’re going to build magic energy shuttles?!” Xi Wei’s eyes lit up. He rolled his eyes and asked with a smile, “Are you providing the materials yourselves?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” The bald-headed mage bowed slightly. “We are here to help you solve problems, and we can afford the materials for magic energy shuttles!”
“Then…” Xi Wei paused, pretending to look a little embarrassed.
“Please speak your mind directly if Your Majesty has any questions.”
“Alright, then I won’t be polite.” Xi Wei sighed, lowered his eyebrows, and showed a fatigued expression. “It’s like this, cough cough… My army is exhausted after attacking the Kalunka Empire. I can’t bear to make these soldiers ride ground birds back immediately. I don’t know how many would die on the way if they did. So, could I trouble you to make a few more magic energy shuttles?”
The bald-headed mage was dumbfounded. He looked seriously at the king of the North Continent before him. At this moment, in this handsome man’s deep blue eyes, there was only moving sincerity and earnestness. But his face was truly thick! Facing Xi Wei’s gaze, the bald-headed mage finally caved.
“Your Majesty, a magic energy shuttle can carry at most five thousand people. May I ask how many magic energy shuttles your army needs?”
Xi Wei calculated. More magic energy shuttles would definitely be better; perhaps they could be used in the future. After a while, he looked up and asked tentatively, “How about… ten to start with?”
