Days of the Empire

July, Yulan Calendar 9999.

Life at the manor had completely settled into a rhythm.

As the morning sun pierced through the window, Akes opened his eyes right on time. It wasn't a biological clock, but a change brought about by the Nuwa Diagram—every day at the hour of the rabbit, that scroll would automatically manifest in his mind, more punctual than any alarm.

He sat up and began his visualization.

The Nuwa Diagram slowly unfurled in his mind, the woman's back still standing quietly. But compared to a month ago, the edges of that silhouette had gained some faint lines—a change resulting from the integration of the Qi-refining method. Those lines resembled some sort of pathway, running from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, with light faintly circulating through them.

Akes immersed himself in the process, his spiritual power growing slowly as those lines flowed.

An hour later, he opened his eyes.

"Stronger by a sliver again," he muttered to himself.

This feeling was subtle. It wasn't the qualitative leap of a breakthrough, but the steady sense of progress made every single day. It was like pouring water into a bucket, drop by drop, watching the water level rise bit by bit.

He went downstairs for breakfast. Old Cal had already arranged everything perfectly—the dining table was wiped clean, and breakfast was laid out neatly. This old butler didn't talk much, but he handled matters with extreme propriety, and Akes was very satisfied.

"Young Master, what are your plans for today?" Cal asked.

"The usual," Akes said. "I'll head to the Royal Magic Academy to audit classes in the afternoon; the rest of the time I'll be at the manor."

"Understood."

After finishing breakfast, Akes went to the study.

The collection of books in the study was richer than he had imagined. The previous owner must have been a magic enthusiast as well, leaving behind many precious classics. Added to what Akes had brought himself, the bookshelves were already packed full.

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

This book was compiled by the Royal Magic Academy of the Yulan Empire and was much deeper than the textbooks at the Ernst Institute. It provided a detailed explanation of the essence of magic above the seventh rank, as well as how to use spiritual power to guide magic into more complex structures.

Akes read very slowly, thinking as he went.

The flames of the Fallen Heart Flame were different from ordinary fire; some magic structures required adjustments to unleash their maximum power. Over the past month, he had been exploring a casting method that suited him.

The morning passed just like that.

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

The academy was located in the eastern part of the Imperial Capital and occupied a vast area. The main entrance was a tall stone archway, carved with complex magic patterns. After the guards checked his identification badge, they respectfully let him pass.

This was a privilege granted by the King—he was free to enter and leave the academy and audit any course he wished.

Akes walked along the main path, passing several teaching buildings. He occasionally encountered students wearing uniform robes, walking by in groups of three or five. Some cast curious glances his way, but no one came forward to strike up a conversation.

He walked into the library.

The library of the Royal Magic Academy was a five-story building, said to be one of the tallest structures in the Imperial Capital. The first floor was a general reading area, the second floor and above housed various professional classics, and only those with permission could enter the top two floors.

Akes wandered around the first floor before heading upstairs.

He had already been to the second, third, and fourth floors, so today he wanted to check out the fifth—that was the specialized zone for fire magic.

The collection on the fifth floor was smaller than he had imagined, but every book was quite thick. He pulled out a copy of The Essence of Flame and sat by the window to flip through it.

He read until dusk.

When he closed the book, the sky outside the window was already stained with the colors of the sunset. Akes stood up and stretched his slightly stiff neck.

Quite a harvest, he thought.

This book discussed the microscopic structure of flames—the levels that could not be directly perceived by spiritual power alone. Although there were many parts he didn't understand, the parts he did grasp had deepened his understanding of fire by another layer.

While heading downstairs, he ran into an old man.

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

Akes nodded in return, not asking any questions.

In the Imperial Capital, keeping a low profile was never a mistake.

It was already dark by the time he returned to the manor.

Old Cal lit the candles and served dinner. Akes ate alone, his mind still occupied by the contents of the book.

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

The magic array on the bluestone had already been repaired by him. Although it couldn't compare to the natural gathering points in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, it was much better than ordinary places. He sat cross-legged and began to cultivate his magic power.

The Fallen Heart Flame pulsed slowly, the Fire Spirit Bead glowed faintly, and the Five Spirit Wheel operated at full capacity. The surrounding fire elements continuously surged into his body, entering his middle dantian, where they were refined into pure magic power.

An hour later, he finished his practice and stood up.

He returned to his room to continue visualizing the Nuwa Diagram.

The scroll appeared even clearer in the night, the woman's back seeming to possess life. Those lines flowed slowly, carrying a certain mysterious rhythm. Akes immersed himself in it, and the growth of his spiritual power seemed to accelerate by another half-step.

The night deepened.

He lay down and soon fell asleep.

Days like these passed, one after another.

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

The letter was sent from the Ernst Institute, saying that they were all doing well; Linley had stabilized at the seventh rank, Yale was about to graduate, and Reynolds was still struggling in his fourth year. The end of the letter asked how he was doing in Magnolia.

Akes wrote a reply, briefly describing the situation at the manor and mentioning the library at the Royal Magic Academy.

"The collection is truly vast; you should take a look when you come next time," he wrote.

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

[Ding--Detected that the host's monthly sign-in opportunity has refreshed. Do you wish to sign in?]

He recited silently in his heart: Sign in.

[Sign-in successful.]

[Reward obtained: Azeroth Teleportation Enhanced Version--Can mark five locations for instant teleportation, with a cooldown of three days. Currently automatically marked: Magnolia Manor.]

A pale blue rune stone appeared in his palm out of thin air, feeling warm and smooth to the touch, with a faint light circulating within it. Akes toyed with it for a while, then, following the information in his mind, probed it with his spiritual power.

Three marked points--the main building of the manor, the training spot in the small woods, and the entrance to the Royal Magic Academy library.

He gave it a try. With a mere thought, his entire person vanished from the study and appeared on the bluestone in the small woods.

"Interesting." He tried it a few more times, confirming there were no errors.

With this, going anywhere in the future would be convenient.

August, the hottest time of the year.

Akes reduced the number of times he went out, spending most of his time in the manor cultivating. He read books in the morning, practiced magic in the afternoon, and meditated on the Nuwa Diagram morning and night. He occasionally went to the Royal Magic Academy to look around, but the frequency had decreased.

He discovered that the effects of settling his heart and cultivating alone were actually better than running around everywhere.

One day in mid-August, while meditating on the Nuwa Diagram, he suddenly had a strange feeling.

The woman in the scroll seemed to have moved.

It was only for an instant, but he perceived it clearly--that rhythm of creating all things, that process of bringing something into existence from nothing, had something in common with the moment flames were born when he cast magic.

He was stunned for a long time, then attempted to integrate that feeling into his cultivation.

His spiritual power circulated slowly, smoother than usual. The magic power flowing through his body seemed to carry a trace of that rhythm as well.

From then on, his cultivation speed increased by another fraction.

In late August, Akes received a second letter.

This one was written by Yale. The letter said that Reynolds was shouting every day about wanting to come to Magnolia to find him, but had been stopped by his family; Linley was still the same, quiet, but he was doing fine.

"Take care of yourself while you're over there alone," Yale wrote.

Akes looked at that line and smiled.

Alone? Not exactly alone.

There was old Cal, the servants, these books, the Nuwa Diagram, and the Fallen Heart Flame. The days were quiet, but very fulfilling.

He replied: "All is well. Do not worry."

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

The sunset dyed half the sky red, a few clouds edged in gold drifting slowly toward the west. He remembered those evenings in Fenlai City--five youths sitting in the dormitory courtyard, watching the same sunset, chatting about all sorts of aimless things.

Now, there was only him.

But he did not feel lonely.

The path was one he had chosen himself, so he had to walk it. His brothers each had their own paths, and they would meet again sooner or later.

"Young Master," Cal's voice came from behind him, "dinner is ready."

He turned and walked into the house.

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

Halfway through the meal, he suddenly paused and looked at the empty chair opposite him.

Then he smiled and continued eating.

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

The scroll unfolded in his mind, the woman's back standing quietly. The chaos surrounding her swirled slowly, as if gestating something.

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