The Secrets of Severosa

Dalaran.

Violet Academy.

Public classroom.

Abel, an instructional mage, had been in a very good mood lately.

Because the latest issue of the Kirin Tor Monthly had been published, and the name of that man who had once humiliated him was nowhere to be found!

That name had shone in Dalaran for nearly an entire year. Every month, countless mages had awaited his latest views and his newest research findings.

He had become the Kirin Tor's brightest rising star, with mages discussing him everywhere.

Now, it seemed that wave was gradually dying down.

His name was absent from the latest issue of the Kirin Tor Monthly.

Rumors had gradually begun circulating among the Violet Academy's instructors that those above did not like him—otherwise, why had he still not received any funding from the Kirin Tor?

Even Abel received a thousand Dalaran gold coins in research funding from the Kirin Tor Council every year, yet he had not received a single copper!

And for over a month now, he had not appeared in public again!

If this continued for another half year, Dalaran would gradually forget him. New mage prodigies would emerge, seize the spotlight, and replace his former position.

That was why Abel had been in a good mood these past few days.

Although Abel himself had never once been published in the Kirin Tor Monthly, that did not stop him from taking pleasure in the other man's misfortune.

As an instructional mage, Abel's life was dull and monotonous. Every day, he went to teach a public class as usual, returned at noon to assist his own mentor, and only had free time around evening—during that free time, he sometimes stayed in the laboratory to study arcane magic.

But Abel spent most of his free time cultivating connections with some of Dalaran's important figures.

Abel knew his own limitations. He knew that he was unlikely to go far on the path of magic. He came from a minor noble family, had little money, and possessed only mediocre talent. At most, he could become a high-ranking mage in his lifetime.

There was no point hoping to become an archmage.

Abel believed his best path was to become a court mage in another kingdom. Failing that, he could become the private mage of some great noble. Only as a last resort would he remain in Dalaran.

Thus, when teaching public classes, he usually muddled through whenever he could. Only when dealing with great nobles did he truly put in his full effort.

The Violet Academy's public classes were as boring and dry as ever. Only beginners who knew nothing at all about magic, or barely knew the slightest bit, would find them interesting.

"Flames are difficult to control due to their volatile nature, but proper control can make evocation fire spells more powerful, so..."

Abel recited mechanically from the textbook. That was how public classes were taught: recite from the book, insert a few spell incantations here and there, then demonstrate a cantrip or a first-circle spell.

As usual, after mechanically reading through the textbook's contents and explaining the meaning of several incantations, Abel began preparing the casting prelude for the evocation spell Fireball before hundreds of apprentices.

Before Abel could begin chanting, a young apprentice below suddenly raised his hand and shouted, "Mage Abel! Are you about to cast Fireball?!"

The interruption broke Abel's teaching rhythm. He looked over in displeasure, but when he saw that the speaker was the child of a great noble from Lordaeron, he suppressed the anger on his face and adopted a kindly expression.

"Yes. Fireball. The simplest and most useful spell in the school of evocation. Its power can range from small to great. At its smallest, it can light a candle; at its greatest, it can be used against dragons!"

"I know." The apprentice mage from a great noble family smiled politely.

"I can cast Fireball too. I only wanted to ask whether you know Severosa's Grand Fireball!"

Hearing the surname he hated most, Mage Abel froze. Severosa's Grand Fireball? What was that?

Dalaran, Violet Citadel.

Antonidas held a thin booklet while his mentor, Master Andrew, stood before him.

"Master, this is what he published in Dalaran himself after bypassing the Kirin Tor Monthly—The Secrets of Severosa."

Chairman Andrew took the booklet and flipped through it. Very quickly, he was drawn to the contents of its final page.

"Severosa's Grand Fireball? He actually published the spell model and energy arrangement just like that?" Chairman Andrew stared in astonishment at the highly detailed incantation tutorial on the final page.

Antonidas nodded and said to his mentor, "You can look at the first page. In his opening statement, he said that every future issue would publish a new spell at the end, or an incantation he had improved."

"How bold. What a genius." The chairman praised him. "A new spell every month, or an improved incantation—few mages can accomplish that."

"Indeed." Antonidas's tone also carried admiration.

"It isn't just the new incantation on the final page. The papers and writings inside are also highly original and bold, in keeping with his usual style."

Andrew carefully flipped through it upon hearing that. After reading for several minutes, his expression fell silent.

"How many copies of the last issue of the Kirin Tor Monthly were left unsold?" the chairman suddenly asked.

Antonidas answered quickly, "Less than ten thousand copies."

"What about the issue before that?"

"More than fourteen thousand copies."

"Whew..." Andrew sighed and looked at Antonidas. "The next issue of the Kirin Tor Monthly may see its sales fall back to what they were before."

Antonidas nodded.

There were no fools in Dalaran, and even if there were, they would not be mages. Of course they knew why the Kirin Tor Monthly's sales had skyrocketed over the past half year.

They also knew why sales had begun falling with the previous issue, and could infer that the next issue's sales prospects were grim.

The mages all knew these reasons.

"Can't we consider his request? Giving him a forty-percent royalty share would still leave Dalaran with considerable profits." Antonidas cautiously asked his mentor.

"It isn't about that little bit of money." Chairman Andrew shook his head as he looked at his disciple, whose future was so promising. "If it had only been a matter of money and resources, we would have given them to him long ago. The one thing he should not have done was get involved with that person."

Antonidas fell silent.

Dalaran, Violet Academy.

Sunstrider Tower.

No matter which Sun King sat on the throne, there would always be a member of the Quel'Thalas royal family residing in Dalaran as the elves' representative of interests in the Kirin Tor.

And as long as that member was not truly too weak, they would also remain one of the members of the Dalaran Council.

Kael'thas Sunstrider was Quel'Thalas's latest representative and the natural leader of Dalaran's elves.

Inside the mage tower.

The prince was reading a small booklet with great interest, several advisors standing beside him.

"You have all read it, haven't you?" Halfway through, Kael'thas raised the booklet in his hand toward his subordinates.

The prince's advisors, led by Magister Rommath, all nodded. Rommath added quietly, "You have only just returned from Quel'Thalas, so you do not yet know how popular it has been in Dalaran lately. Now, nearly every mage has a copy of The Secrets of Severosa."

Kael'thas nodded and said in an almost lyrical tone, "Of course. Naturally, mages would want it. It contains a fire spell that even I wish to learn... Severosa's Grand Fireball, an exquisite concept, an idea worthy of a supreme genius!"

"Hmm... Let me try it!"

The prince snapped the booklet shut, then suddenly closed his eyes and stood quietly for a moment.

Then he abruptly opened those blue-glowing eyes, puffing out his cheeks.

The advisors tacitly moved aside, clearing the way to reveal the spell target behind them.

Immediately afterward, Kael'thas opened his mouth toward the spell target and exhaled. A stream of fire burst from his mouth, swelling in the wind and instantly transforming into a massive fireball that roared toward the spell target and engulfed it.

"Using the simplest Fireball spell model as its foundation, incorporating the principles and energy arrangement of the high-level fire spell Dragon's Breath, an entirely new evocation spell—Severosa's Grand Fireball!"

Amid the roaring flames, Magister Rommath muttered to himself, while the advisors and the prince alike stared with admiration in their eyes.