Remember, Don't Use Spells

The City of a Thousand Spells, Tula Xiaye.

The Tower of All-Seeing, standing in the center of the city, is the headquarters of the Arcane Council. It is a magnificent building with a total height of over 400 meters, a combination of palace and tower. It is not only the most magnificent palace of the Arcane Council, but also the most powerful and magnificent mage tower in the world.

The 75-meter-tall Star-Bearing Titan statue atop the tower is a symbol of the power and wisdom of the Mage Kingdom, serving as both an awe-inspiring landmark and a legendary strategic magical artifact.

The mighty Titan have stood silently for countless years, guarding and watching over the precise and magnificent operation of the Tower of All-Seeing, together with the temples of the Six Elemental Sisters scattered throughout the city.

The world's most talented spellcasters and wisest sages work here.

Together they ensure that the Arcane Council walks the arduous and mysterious path of arcane magic with prudent wisdom and resolute courage, alongside all aspiring spellcasters.

To this day.

The holy pendulum swayed, the moon wheel turned, the elemental pool spewed forth shimmering water, rainbow Arcane refracted, and the melodious chimes silenced the passing staff, for this signified the reopening of the council, where senators would hear the issues and conclusions of the Starry Sky Council and resolve differences and difficulties in the traditional manner.

The busy staff stood silently for a moment to show respect before throwing themselves back into their tedious work. This was the administrative center of the Council, and naturally, the busiest place.

In the closed rooms, the hidden basements, the unoccupied offices, the massive ventilation ducts... figures moved about, using star gauges to confirm the time, their mission calling.

They looked at each other and understood the fervor and determination in each other's eyes.

The Tower of All-Seeing possesses the world's most comprehensive and sophisticated security system, utilizing numerous alchemical instruments imbued with cutting-edge arcane knowledge. However, its comprehensiveness and sophistication are only relevant to this world, and it still has limitations imposed by its time... Such a machine can defend against external enemies, but it cannot defend against internal traitors.

In particular, the mole held a supreme position and obtained many permissions from the core members of the council.

After nearly a month of patient preparation, all the Element of the stage play have finally been gathered, all the actors are in their proper places, and the script has been polished to perfection.

The fanatical fearless warriors nodded to each other, needing no further explanation. They offered their loyalty and sacrifice to the great god, fighting to the death for the great world. Even if they died here, they would surely be resurrected by the celestial beings high in the Star Palace in an eternal and indestructible new body, to serve the great god forever.

This matter has been recorded, prophesied, and circulated in legends for a long time.

All the expectations and fervor culminated in a final admonition.

"Remember, do not use magic."

The Senate, a mysterious sanctuary, where hundreds of senators are seated.

The presiding judge called for silence three times and struck the gavel with a thunderous sound. In the ensuing silence, all eyes were focused on Grand Speaker Griffin, and the dispute in the Starry Sky Council was brought to the Senate for adjudication.

Griffin, expressionless, looked at each of the core members of Congress, one by one.

Some people instinctively avoided eye contact, while others returned the gaze with cold smiles, their eyes filled with defiance and pleasure.

The core members of the Starry Sky Council couldn't stand Kang De's endless propaganda war and smear campaigns, and they felt that they had no chance of winning a war, so they wanted to force the Grand Speaker to make peace.

This leads to a political deal—the Grand Speaker felt that conceding defeat to Kang De would be tantamount to the end of his political life, and he wanted to avoid this situation. Therefore, he wanted to project a strong stance before the negotiations and obtain political commitments from the core members of parliament.

The councilors agreed to several of the Grand Speaker's conditions and temporarily ceded some of their power. Once the Grand Speaker had made the arrangements, they would go to negotiate with Kang De to end the current awkward confrontation.

This matter was originally a happy one for everyone, but who knew that the speaker lacked martial ethics and, after receiving the benefits, remained inactive. When questioned, he kept making excuses and shirking responsibility.

At the same time, it began to sanction Goth, launched a trade war with Distant Harbor, mobilized resources, expanded its military and increased production, and engaged in full-scale confrontation with Distant Harbor in international diplomacy, provoking conflict at every turn.

The lawmakers grew increasingly uneasy, fearing that if things continued this way, Kang De would strike first.

They gradually lost patience and discovered that the speaker was getting closer and closer to the military. In desperation, they took out the written agreement the speaker had made earlier and launched a general assembly of the Senate, hoping to force the speaker to bow down and fulfill his promise through the great tradition and the power of democracy, and end this increasingly dangerous farce as soon as possible.

After months of turmoil, everyone suffered considerable losses. In addition to their reputations continuing to be tarnished, the market vacated after the sanctions against Goth was swallowed up by West Goth Company, which also made a fortune for Dragon Island and the Dusk Moon Dynasty. The family businesses of the various councilors suffered losses.

Furthermore, with the Grand Speaker's all-out expansion of the military, a large amount of wealth has benefited the soldiers and military industry. As a result, the balance of power is once again showing signs of imbalance, which is becoming increasingly difficult for everyone to tolerate.

Let's just do what we always do and put the Speaker on the high platform of democracy, and solve the problem in this way.

After all, the core members of the Congress and the Senators each have huge businesses in their families, and most of them are thorough pacifists. Even the members of the Congress related to the military industry only hope to expand military equipment and defend peace, rather than set up a war with Kang De.

Because Kang De truly possessed weapons of mass destruction, fundamentally different from the states of the southern islands.

This guy's methods are just too wild. He kills without hesitation, is ruthless, and doesn't care about the consequences at all. Who knows if he'll smash Forbidden Spell everywhere when he goes berserk?

Peace is good, peace is good.

Whoever dares to disrupt peace, we will make peace with them.

They exchanged glances, then all looked at the Speaker.

The group had already discussed it privately—this old madman was stirring up war and was extremely hostile to Kang De. He had almost gotten out of control these past few months and was in grave danger. After this negotiation, they would find a pretext to force him to resign and retire. The method was simple: they would emulate Kang De's propaganda.

The fact that the Speaker apologized to Kang De and sought peace was a humiliating act that showed he was no longer fit to guide the Council.

Let's do it that way.

The executive officer presiding over this grand council proclaimed. "Grand Speaker Griffin Williams, our great mentor, the sacred guide of arcane magic, following the ancient and great tradition, we..."

Griffin interrupted, "Your Excellency, we are well aware of the agenda for today's Senate. In this ancient and prestigious sanctuary, hundreds of morally upright and esteemed gentlemen and wise men are attempting to force their supreme leader to grovel before a shameful aggressor and schemer in exchange for a chance at wealth and a moment of peace, while remaining blind to the risks and threats that lie ahead!"

This statement caused an uproar, with one councilor shouting, "This is a serious slander!"

"Slander?"

The Grand Speaker declared sternly, "Kang De confiscated all the arable land around the Distant Harbor and replaced the labor of hundreds of thousands of farmers with alchemical machines and a small number of personnel!"

"He gave these people, who should have spent their lives toiling in the fields, some basic training, then sent them to work in workshops and mines, and then put them in the army."

"His bizarre spinning machines, alchemy machines, and other strange contraptions—each one could do the work of hundreds of people! And he had everyone operate those machines! In other words, the production efficiency of Distant Harbor is leaping forward at a terrifying rate that we cannot comprehend! Do you know what that means?"

"Is it reasonable that we still tirelessly recruit and accommodate people when we have agricultural and manufacturing machines that can greatly improve efficiency and save labor? If I had such agricultural machines, I would have fired the farmers who cultivate the land for me long ago! They cheat, hide grain, and are difficult to manage!"

"But Kang De didn't do that. Do you think it's because he was kind? No, it's because he needed people! He needed people to go to the workshops and mines to collect ores, smelt metals, and deliver them to the workshops to produce goods—even, to build more machines! Machines! Machines!"

The members of parliament were stunned; they had never seen the elegant and powerful Speaker so out of control and roaring.

"This is a cycle."

Griffin's voice was incredibly calm, yet it contained a tremor.

His wisdom was insufficient to see the essence and full picture of this phenomenon, yet he vaguely sensed that it was the most destructive enemy facing the world.

It is even worse than natural disasters.

"Like a powerful, terrifying beast, devouring everything and multiplying," he said coldly, "Growing stronger and stronger with time, without end."

"Distant Harbor only has a few hundred thousand people."

"But the Azure Waves Province has over a million people."

"Goth had nearly 20 million followers."

"When Kang De's agricultural machinery penetrated every field on the Goth Great Plain, leaving the more than ten million Goth People bound to the Tanaka, do you know what that meant?"

"That means at least two million able-bodied men! If these men go to the army, that's two million soldiers! Two million soldiers equipped with Kang De alchemical weapons! If these men go to the workshops, that's two million workers operating alchemical machines! Do you know what that means?!"

"That means that on that day, Goth, a small country with a population of less than 20 million, will be able to easily crush the Holy Empire! That means that on that day, the endless stream of goods from Goth will be so expensive that your family workshop's products will be unable to sell!"

His gaze was calm yet frenzied, as if reason was desperately restraining a bloodthirsty beast.

It's like courage desperately suppressing fear to make the right judgment.

"Besides."

The Grand Speaker softened his tone.

"Do you think Kang De would be satisfied after swallowing Goth? Goth is just a small country, less than one-twelfth the size of the empire, and its population is incomparable. But this continent is far more than an empire; the people of these countries are so precious and fertile. Kang De's monster has grown to this point, possessing ferocious claws and invincible power—what do you think he will do then!?"

At this point, his voice became sharp again, revealing a murderous intent.

Over the past three months, intelligence and news from Distant Harbor, spies' desperate attempts to gather information, and even the reverse engineering of many of Kang De's weapons... all have failed to dispel the Grand Speaker's hostility.

This only strengthened their resolve to wage war.

This is the last chance.

He said coldly, "If you want to exterminate the strange beasts and prevent them from becoming a future threat, the best way is to resolutely kill them when they are young. This is the last chance."

"Kang De is already very difficult to deal with, but if we fight with all our might and join forces with other countries, we still have a chance. But once he annexes Goth and controls the entire duchy, once that beast begins to devour flesh and grow stronger... then it will be too late, and we can only desperately pray for his mercy."

"This is not the outcome the Council should have; our honor cannot be tarnished in this way."

The Speaker stepped forward and bowed deeply to the hundreds of senators in attendance.

"This is my stance and plan."

"Appeasement is a dead end; negotiating with Kang De is meaningless and will only embolden the Cathayan to expand even further... I hope that you will uphold the rationality of the wise and the responsibility of the courageous, adhere to the sacred duty and great mission of the Senate, and make decisions that are in the best interests of this country and its future."

"By using war, we can limit Kang De's expansion, suppress Kang De ambitions, isolate Kang De position, and ultimately force him to share technology and make a pledge... Before achieving these goals, we need a courageous battle."

He maintained his bowed posture and said in a deep voice, "I hereby make a request to you all."

In the boundless silence, he slowly straightened up and raised his head.

The faces of hundreds of senators were clearly visible.

Those faces were filled with contemplation or confusion.

As a wise man of long life and experience, the Grand Speaker understood their feelings and expressions.

The question on my mind is—what are the Grand Speaker's intentions? What are his plans? Has he sided with the military?

What's confusing is that even if you say that, I don't really feel it.

The executive officer's hoarse voice slowly rose. "Now that the Grand Speaker has finished speaking, let's simplify the process and begin the vote. Before that, do the core members have anything to say...?"

Griffin closed his eyes.

--No need.

He thought to himself.

These words were not meant for the senators, because he already knew the outcome.

He was just saying it to himself.

This was his explanation, his defense of himself.

Because today, he will commit a grave crime against the Council.

Fate is unpredictable, and the future is uncertain, but he has his own considerations, and he always has to do something.

Of a million people, perhaps only a thousand are wise enough to see the future.

Of these thousand people, nine hundred and ninety-nine are smart enough to keep quiet about what happens next, so as not to affect themselves... After all, it's really hard to change anything.

Only one person, knowing full well what's going on, will still bravely move forward.

In any case, Griffin Williams' future fate will not be one of regret in the face of an irreversible trend, nor will it be one of a sovereign bowing down to Kang De, whose cause has already been decided.

He was unwilling to be confined to his family business, to sit idly by and watch Kang De grow stronger, and then face the strangulation and crushing of that terrifying monster without any setbacks or doubts, without even a ripple. Then, in the shame of submitting to Kang De and following him, he silently regretted not taking decisive action and going all out.

So.

Kang De.

No matter who you are, no matter what your purpose is.

Let's take a big gamble.

Let's see if I'm good enough for you.

Let's see if you're good enough.

Before the executive officer could finish speaking, a loud bang came from outside the sanctuary.

The senators were horrified. "What's going on?"

High in the sky, a roaring iron bird swooped down.

Hearing strange noises, the people in the streets looked up and saw runic obelisks everywhere gathering primordial light. A Wyvern dragon roared into the air and took flight. The Eagle Eye Officer's message quickly spread. "An unidentified flying object has entered the airspace of Tula Xiaye. It has steel wings with two wheels on each wing and is rapidly descending!"

"Received! Forwarding Army- Distant Harbor Air Force Entry!"

The officer with the eagle eye who was reporting paused for a moment upon hearing his superior's words, then hesitated and said, "This doesn't seem to be Kang De's aircraft. I've seen it before..."

Communication has been cut off.

The Tower of All-Seeing roared incessantly, rivers of blood flowed, and people screamed and fled. Terrifying warriors, clad in heavy armor and wielding firearms, roared and shouted wildly, "--For Kang De!"

They skillfully loaded massive, almost cannonball-sized munitions into the chambers, fired, ejected the spent cartridges with their mental energy, reloaded, and detonated them with their mental energy, rampaging through the enemy ranks. Under the cover of several assault troops, a heavily armored gunner pushed an organ-like cart to the front of the Legal Department's guards' defensive line.

"The Tower of All-Seeing is under attack!"

A blood-soaked and disheveled spellcaster burst into the arena. "The enemy appeared out of thin air, clad in heavy armor, wielding incredibly powerful alchemical weapons!"

The members of parliament were filled with shock and anger, exclaiming in unison, " --Kang De!?"

The Tower of All-Seeing is the power center of the Council and a sacred place in the hearts of spellcasters worldwide. Since its construction, it has never been attacked, nor has there been any related drills or preparations. Upon hearing this shocking news, the senators were greatly shaken and extremely flustered, overwhelmed with a thousand thoughts.

Only a small minority quickly calmed down and wondered why Kang De would do such a thing, but what does the wisdom of a few matter in the midst of chaos?

"Protect the councilors' safety—find a way to contact the Elemental Temple and summon the Starry Firmament First Division and the Azure Sky Rangers!" the executive officer shouted to the Grand Speaker. "Your Excellency, issue the order immediately!"

Then he paused, taken aback.

Because the speaker looked at him and gave him an apologetic smile.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the cloaked figure in the corner. The figure stepped forward, removed his hood, revealing eyes shimmering with blue light, and a cold, bloodthirsty smile.

"Danger!"

The thought flashed through his mind, and he felt fierce light and heat surging out from the mysterious human body, like a volcano or a meteor, exploding and bursting!

In an instant, a terrifying impact raged and roared!

Above the sky, the enormous flying machine accelerated continuously, dodging the interception of the Wyvern, and, under the astonished gazes of countless ordinary citizens, it crashed down towards the Tower of All-Seeing like a shooting star!