The Magus is Poor

"Mr. Li Mo, correct? Welcome to the Clock Tower."

In an office of the Department of Law and Politics, a neatly dressed young woman held an envelope and curiously looked Li Mo up and down.

"Mr. Li Mo, your outfit is quite distinctive!"

Li Mo covered his face, not wanting to speak. What kind of human suffering was this?

Couldn't she tell he was injured? What normal person would be sitting in a wheelchair?

"Please keep your proof of enrollment safe. It also contains a Clock Tower badge. Be sure to carry it when undertaking missions outside, lest friend and foe be mistaken and you suffer accidental injury.

Also, please make a trip to the logistics department, where you may collect a set of Clock Tower uniforms."

"The Clock Tower even has school uniforms?" Li Mo muttered, unable to resist asking.

"Please mind your wording, sir. They are uniforms, not school uniforms.

Upon enrolling at the Clock Tower, everyone receives a standard uniform. They are not ordinary clothes, but low-grade Mage's Garb. It is considered a benefit for new students."

Li Mo clicked his tongue. As expected of the largest organization of Magi—even Mage's Garb was handed out wholesale.

"Um, may I ask whether there is any introduction to the Clock Tower, or rules for after enrollment?"

"Mr. Li Mo, all of that is written in your proof of enrollment. If you have no further questions, I believe you should first go to the public dormitory and read it carefully."

"Uh, all right." Li Mo awkwardly rubbed his nose. Lorelei had been the same before. Were they all this indifferent...?

But what exactly was a public dormitory?

Forget it. Li Mo picked up the envelope from the table. "Intres, let's go."

He could ask Brishisan later.

"Public dormitory?"

Brishisan leaned against the wall, lazily looking at Li Mo. "Why go to a place like that? You're with the Department of Lore now. Just come back with me."

Emmm, Li Mo froze for a moment before asking with an awkward smile, "The Department of Lore isn't here?"

"Pfft..." Brishisan nearly laughed himself breathless. He gave Li Mo a disdainful glance and said with a laugh, "Do you think the Clock Tower is only this big?

There are twelve departments in the Clock Tower now. With the lecturers and enrolled students, there are nearly several hundred people. How could a place this small be enough?"

Li Mo's words caught in his throat. Sure enough, poverty had limited his imagination...

Such a huge place, and yet it was insufficient for only a few hundred people?

"So this is only the headquarters, and there are twelve more places like it elsewhere?"

Brishisan raised a hand and swept aside his long golden hair, smiling. "Of course. It's actually like the colleges within a university, except each college isn't gathered in the same place."

Uh, impressive. Truly impressive!

As expected of the Clock Tower!

Brishisan rolled up his sleeves. "Intres, let's go."

"Yes, Master." Intres turned the wheelchair around and followed behind Brishisan.

As they walked, Brishisan explained to Li Mo, "Here at headquarters, the Lord of each department has a separate classroom of their own.

And don't think they are ordinary classrooms. Each Lord's classroom is individually connected to a leyline. It is equivalent to each of them possessing a leyline and building their classroom atop it."

Impressive!!!

Li Mo could no longer find words to describe it!

As far as he knew, all of Fuyuki seemed to have only four leylines: Ryuudou Temple, the location of the Greater Grail, and the Matou Family and Tohsaka Family among the Three Great Families.

Was it because London was so large that it had more leylines, or was the Clock Tower simply absurdly wealthy?

Seeing the shock on Li Mo's face, Brishisan laughed and continued, "Besides that, there are other smaller classrooms at headquarters, prepared for the remaining lecturers of the Twelve Departments.

Of course, those classrooms have no leylines."

Li Mo understood. Right, leylines were not cabbages. It was one thing for there to be just enough for the Lords—where would extras come from for mere lecturers?

Brishisan looked ahead, then changed the subject. "I brought you back, so regardless of which department you choose as your major, I hope you will take my Department of Lore as a minor.

As for Magic Circuits, try tonight and see how many you have. If you do not have any, I'll get you some artificial Magic Circuits."

Li Mo was deeply moved. After saying all that, how could he possibly refuse?

"Of course, you'll have to pay me back. Once you're capable, remember to repay me."

"Uh..." Li Mo stared at him dumbfounded. Give his gratitude back!

He was already a Lord, yet he was this stingy!

"Hehe." Seeing Li Mo's changing expression, Brishisan could not help but laugh. "The Clock Tower is wealthy, and the annual funds allocated to us are considerable, but think about it—what department am I the Lord of?"

Li Mo hesitated. "The Department of Lore?"

"That's right, the Department of Lore!" Brishisan sighed. "Do you know what the Department of Lore does?

We contain taboos from all over the world, and preserve mysteries that are gradually disappearing. Which of those does not require money?"

Brishisan sneered. "Although the outside world knows that the Department of Lore is a discipline passed down by one of Solomon's disciples, that we oversee the most forbidden of taboos, and that we're a heretical branch directly under the Dean, have they ever stopped to think about why the Department of Lore has the fewest people?"

Li Yuan looked baffled and asked tentatively, "Could it be because of money?"

"Of course!" Brishisan looked pleased, as though he had found a teachable student. "This isn't the old age anymore. Even Mystery is slowly fading, and Magi can only barely keep it going. What, are we supposed to go out and rob people?"

"Uh..." Li Mo was even more confused. "Does being a Magus cost that much?"

Brishisan nodded. "It does. You know Jewel Magecraft, right?

That was passed down by the Second Magician. Can ordinary people afford to play with that?"

!!!

Li Mo understood!

Why did Rin Tohsaka always look like she was smiling through poverty whenever she cast magecraft?

Because gems were expensive!

Every gemstone thrown out was a huge pile of little darlings glittering with gold!

No wonder Rin had developed such a Tsundere personality. She had been traumatized by "squandering a fortune"!

Li Mo clicked his tongue, then suddenly realized something and asked, "The Department of Lore doesn't teach Jewel Magecraft, does it? Why is it still so expensive?"

Brishisan's face reddened, but he instantly composed himself and shouted, "Who told you that not studying Jewel Magecraft means it doesn't cost money?

Don't magecraft materials cost money? Don't casting materials cost money? Doesn't excavating ruins cost money?

With so many things needing money, how could we possibly have any left over to take in more people?"

Li Mo scratched his head. What the hell was excavating ruins? That sounded like the real point Brishisan had accidentally let slip...

"Ha... I'll tell you the truth," Brishisan sighed heavily. After craning his neck to look around, he finally explained to Li Mo:

"The Department of Lore is a school left behind by one of Solomon's disciples. I told you that, right?"

Li Mo nodded obediently. .jpg

Brishisan continued, "Then by that logic, wouldn't Solomon be our grandmaster?

But after Solomon passed away, no one knew where his body was. Only one of his ten rings was left on the throne.

Since he's our grandmaster, shouldn't we descendants find his body and bring it back to lay him to rest properly?"

Li Mo nodded. That made sense...

Made sense my ass!

Legend said Solomon's rings were gifts bestowed by God. You clearly had your sights set on the other nine rings on his hand!

And that ring supposedly left on the throne... could it be that the Department of Lore was keeping it now?

"Um..."

Li Mo really wanted to say that they would never find the body. The Seventy-Two Demon Pillars had entered it and become Goetia, who was planning to destroy the world...

Come to think of it, Lev, the major villain among the Demon Pillars, seemed to have come from the Clock Tower, didn't he?

Li Mo fell into thought. The more he looked at it, the more complicated the Clock Tower seemed...