Days in the Empire

Yulan Calendar, 9999, July.

Life at the manor had settled into a steady routine.

The morning sunlight filtered through the window, and Akes opened his eyes right on time. It wasn't his body clock. The Nuwa Diagram had brought about this change—every day at the hour of the Rabbit, the scroll would appear in his mind on its own, more punctual than any alarm clock.

He sat up and began to meditate.

The Nuwa Diagram slowly unfurled in his mind, the woman's back still standing quietly before him. But compared to a month ago, faint lines had appeared along its edges. They were the result of the qi cultivation method being incorporated into the image. The lines looked like some kind of pathway, running from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, with a faint light flowing through them.

Akes immersed himself in the image, his spiritual power slowly growing along with the flow of those lines.

An hour later, he opened his eyes.

"I've grown a little stronger again," he murmured to himself.

It was a subtle feeling. Not a qualitative leap like a breakthrough, but the reassuring sense of making progress every day. It was like pouring water into a bucket, one drop at a time, watching the level gradually rise.

He went downstairs for breakfast. Old Carl had already taken care of everything—the dining table was spotless, and breakfast was laid out neatly. The old butler didn't talk much, but he was meticulous in everything he did, and Akes was very pleased with him.

"Master, what do you have planned for today?" Carl asked.

"The usual," Akes said. "I'll sit in on classes at the Royal Magic Academy this afternoon. I'll spend the rest of the time at the manor."

"Yes, sir."

After breakfast, Akes went to the study.

The study held more books than he had expected. The previous owner must have been a magic enthusiast as well, judging by the many precious volumes he had left behind. Combined with the books Akes had brought himself, the shelves were already packed.

He pulled out a copy of Principles of Advanced Fire Magic and turned to the page where he had left off.

The book had been compiled by the Royal Magic Academy of the Yulan Empire, and it went into far greater depth than the textbooks at the Ernst Institute. It explained in detail the principles behind magic of the seventh rank and above, as well as how to guide magic with spiritual power to form more complex structures.

Akes read slowly, pausing to think as he went.

The flames of the Fallen Heart Flame were different from ordinary fire. Some spell structures needed to be adjusted to bring out their full power. For the past month, he had been working to find a way of casting spells that suited him.

The morning passed just like that.

In the afternoon, Akes rode to the Royal Magic Academy.

The academy stood in the eastern part of the Imperial Capital and covered a vast area. Its main entrance was a tall stone arch, carved with intricate magical patterns. After the guards checked his identification, they respectfully let him through.

It was a privilege granted by the king: Akes could enter and leave the academy freely and sit in on any class.

He followed the main road inward, passing several lecture buildings. From time to time, he encountered students in uniform academy robes, walking in groups of three or five. Some cast curious glances his way, but no one came over to speak with him.

He entered the library.

The Royal Magic Academy's library was a five-story building, said to be among the tallest in the Imperial Capital. The first floor was a general reading area, while the floors above held all kinds of specialized texts. Only those with permission could enter the top two floors.

Akes looked around the first floor, then went upstairs.

He had already visited the second, third, and fourth floors. Today, he wanted to see the fifth, which housed the fire magic section.

There were fewer books on the fifth floor than he had expected, but each one was thick. He pulled out a copy of The Essence of Flame, sat by the window, and began to read.

He kept at it until dusk.

By the time he closed the book, the sky beyond the window was already painted with sunset colors. Akes stood and stretched his stiff neck.

I learned quite a bit.

The book discussed the microscopic structure of fire—the aspects that couldn't be directly sensed with spiritual power. Though there was plenty he didn't understand, even the parts he did grasp had deepened his understanding of flames.

On his way downstairs, he encountered an old man.

The old man wore a gray robe with no patterns on the cuffs, yet his aura was unfathomable. He glanced at Akes, let his gaze linger on him for a moment, then nodded and continued upstairs.

Akes nodded back in greeting and asked no questions.

In the Imperial Capital, it was always best to keep a low profile.

It was already dark when he returned to the manor.

Old Carl lit the candles and served dinner. Akes ate alone, his mind still turning over the contents of the book.

After dinner, he went to the small grove in the backyard.

He had repaired the magic array on the bluestone. It couldn't compare to a natural convergence point like the Magical Beast Mountain Range, but it was far better than an ordinary place. He sat cross-legged and began cultivating magic power.

The Fallen Heart Flame flickered gently, the Fire Spirit Bead glimmered faintly, and the Five Spirit Wheel turned at full power. Fire elements surged into him from the surrounding area, entered his middle dantian, and were refined into pure magic power.

An hour later, he ended his cultivation and stood up.

Back in his room, he continued to meditate on the Nuwa Diagram.

The scroll seemed clearer in the darkness, and the woman's back almost appeared to be alive. The lines slowly flowed with a mysterious rhythm. Akes immersed himself in it, and his spiritual power seemed to grow half a step faster.

Night fell.

He lay down and soon drifted off to sleep.

Days like this passed one after another.

In mid-July, Akes received a letter from George.

It had been sent from the Ernst Institute. George wrote that they were all doing well: Linley had stabilized at the seventh rank, Yale was close to graduating, and Reynolds was still struggling through his fourth year. At the end of the letter, he asked how Akes was getting along in Yulan.

Akes wrote back, briefly describing the manor and mentioning the library at the Royal Magic Academy.

"The collection really is extensive. You can take a look next time you visit," he wrote.

At the end of the month, the Sign-in System activated again.

[Ding—The host's sign-in opportunity for this month has refreshed. Sign in?]

[Sign-in successful.]

[Reward obtained: Azeroth Teleportation Enhanced Version—mark up to five locations and teleport to them at any time. Cooldown: three days. Currently marked automatically: Magnolia Manor.]

A pale blue rune stone appeared out of thin air in his palm. It felt smooth and warm, with a faint light flowing through it. Akes turned it over in his hand for a while, then followed the instructions in his mind and probed it with his spiritual power.

Three locations were marked: the manor's main building, the cultivation spot in the small grove, and the entrance to the Royal Magic Academy's library.

He tried it out. With a single thought, he vanished from the study and appeared on the bluestone in the small grove.

"Interesting." He tried a few more times to make sure it worked.

With this, getting around would be much easier from now on.

August was the hottest time of the year.

Akes went out less often and spent most of his time cultivating at the manor. He read in the morning, cultivated magic power in the afternoon, and meditated on the Nuwa Diagram at dawn and dusk. He occasionally visited the Royal Magic Academy, but not as often as before.

He found that quietly cultivating on his own was actually more effective than running around everywhere.

One day in mid-August, as he meditated on the Nuwa Diagram, he suddenly felt something strange.

The woman in the scroll seemed to move.

It lasted only an instant, but he clearly sensed it—the rhythm of creating all things, the process of bringing something into being from nothing. It had something in common with the instant a flame sprang to life when he cast a spell.

He sat stunned for a long time, then tried to incorporate that feeling into his cultivation.

His spiritual power flowed more smoothly than usual. Even the magic power coursing through his body seemed to carry a trace of that rhythm.

From then on, his cultivation sped up once more.

In late August, Akes received a second letter.

This one was from Yale. He wrote that Reynolds kept saying he wanted to come to Yulan to visit Akes, but his family wouldn't let him. Linley was still the same as ever, quiet, but doing fine.

"You're on your own over there, so take good care of yourself," Yale wrote.

Akes looked at those words and smiled.

On his own? Not exactly.

There was old Carl, the servants, all these books, the Nuwa Diagram, and the Fallen Heart Flame. Life was quiet, but fulfilling.

He wrote back, "Everything's fine. Don't worry."

On the evening of the last day of August, Akes stood in the courtyard, watching the sunset on the horizon.

The sunset reddened half the sky. A few clouds were edged in gold as they drifted slowly westward. He thought of the evenings in Fenlai City—the five boys sitting in the dormitory courtyard, watching the same sunset and chatting about all kinds of pointless things.

Now he was alone.

But he didn't feel lonely.

He had chosen this path, so he had to walk it himself. His brothers each had their own paths, and they would meet again someday.

"Master," Carl called from behind him. "Dinner is ready."

Akes turned and went inside.

Candles burned in the dining room, and a few simple dishes were laid out on the table. He sat down alone and ate slowly.

Halfway through the meal, he suddenly stopped and looked at the empty chair across from him.

Then he smiled and continued eating.

After dinner, he went upstairs to meditate on the Nuwa Diagram.

The scroll unfurled in his mind, the woman's back standing quietly before him. The chaos around her flowed slowly, as if it were nurturing something.

He immersed himself in that mysterious rhythm, forgetting the passage of time.