Targeted by public opinion

"Senior Froya, have you read today's Arcana Communications Journal?"

After a moment's thought, Roland connected to the Tower Spirit and sent Senior Froya a message.

"I just happened to see it."

Senior Froya was online and replied quickly.

"People like him are usually invited by the Arcana Communications Journal to comment on hot topics in the arcane community. Guest Commentators-they're fairly well-known figures."

"I keep feeling like he's taking sly digs at me, but I have no proof." Roland thought that the man was probably what people called an opinion leader, a major influencer, or something along those lines.

"Forget it. Fame brings controversy. You haven't even run into anyone truly vicious yet."

Froya spoke with the air of a seasoned veteran.

"Over the years, there have always been people discussing hot topics in the arcane community.

Where there's praise, there's naturally criticism too.

As long as it doesn't go too far, even the Arcane Committee won't object."

Roland thought it over and agreed that she had a point, so he stopped paying much attention to it.

With the publication of "Oracle-Bone Character Studies," more and more mages in Atrelin finally began to learn about the subject.

Not everyone had the time or energy to study these papers in depth. When they had heard about it earlier, their reactions had amounted to little more than marveling at how impressive Apprentice Mages were these days before returning to their own business.

That meant the direction of public opinion had considerable influence.

In the study on the ninth floor of the Mage Tower, Archmage Ovesto put down his newspaper and sank into thought.

Unlike newcomers to the arcane community such as Roland and Froya, he knew the origins and grudges of its various schools inside out. He was also certain that the article's appearance was no coincidence.

Someone was testing the waters, ready to unleash a storm of public opinion at any moment.

Sometimes the arcane community was very pure, but at other times, it was an arena for fame and fortune.

Ovesto snapped his fingers. The Quill before him floated into the air and began writing rapidly across a sheet of paper on the large desk.

At the same time, he said, "Tower Spirit, place a call to Nevis for me. Connect me to the editorial offices of Runes, Characters, Letters..."

The day after Oksaya published his commentary, October 7, the Arcana Communications Journal ran another lead article, this one by another Guest Commentator.

"Hello, everyone. I am Boisitus, a Guest Commentator for the Arcana Communications Journal.

Since the latest issue of Arcana was published the day before yesterday, several friends have written to ask my opinion on the matter. Meanwhile, I have also acquainted myself with Mage Oksaya's lofty pronouncements. Forgive my bluntness, but Mage Oksaya has not understood Mage Roland's paper, 'Oracle-Bone Character Studies,' at all!

As a distinctive form of writing, Oracle undoubtedly possesses unique artistic value. The beauty of its square characters stands in sharp contrast to the alphabetic scripts familiar to us.

Leaving magic aside for the moment, its unusual shapes and rugged strokes possess a distinctive charm and style.

Through private inquiries, I have learned that Oracle has a symmetrical, stable composition and possesses the three elements of calligraphy: brushwork, character structure, and overall arrangement.

Judging by the number of character forms and the ways they are structured, it has already developed into a fairly systematic script, and the Six Principles of Chinese Character Formation are all reflected within it..."

As soon as the article appeared, people voiced their agreement, leaving comments and likes.

Articles by Guest Commentators like this drew many readers and had considerable influence on public opinion.

"This man understands me. A kindred spirit."

Roland asked Froya for the man's email address and sent him a letter of thanks.

However, the matter was far from easy to settle. In the eyes of the Autodoc School's members, Oracle was nothing more than the misguided nonsense of fictionalism, unworthy of serious consideration.

Gallo and Oksaya were determined to steer public opinion, and naturally spared no effort in searching for its flaws.

No language or script could be flawless. Once it was put out in public, flaws were bound to be found.

Sure enough, certain supposed flaws inherent in Chinese characters were uncovered one after another: confusion in how meaning was conveyed and how characters were read, the large number of strokes, and the greater difficulty of writing them compared with letters. Oracle itself was once again subjected to harsh criticism for its primitive, crude nature and its lingering pictorial features.

This prompted widespread agreement.

Roland still had prominent figures such as Boisitus helping fend off some of the attacks, but clearly, even Boisitus was struggling against the sheer momentum of the opposition.

It was not that too few people were helping. Rather, even those helping had been influenced by public opinion to some degree.

If they themselves were not firm in their convictions, how could they persuade anyone else?

Things seemed to be taking a troubling turn.

Even Lunifis began to take an interest in the matter. She asked Roland about it and offered reassurance in an email, then helped him analyze the reasons.

In the end, they both agreed that this actually had little to do with the supposed flaws identified in Oracle itself. Instead, it was closely tied to cultural differences.

Atrelin and the surrounding civilizations primarily used phonetic scripts, spelling words with letters.

Such phonetic scripts had arisen for trade and communication, whereas character-based writing had arisen after society stabilized, for keeping records and passing knowledge down.

Large populations, vast quantities of grain.

All manner of divination and sacrificial rites...

Various affairs and archives...

Some precocious civilizations had developed writing at a very early stage.

These two different paths of development had created the distinction between agrarian and trading civilizations.

And when the underlying character of their civilizations differed, all their customs, habits, religions, philosophies...

Naturally differed as well.

The tendency to favor one's own kind and attack outsiders was rooted in human instinct. Even mages, renowned for their intelligence, were no exception.

For many people, their first impression of these square characters was one of unfamiliarity. That unfamiliarity brought either curiosity and appreciation or dislike and rejection.

This wave of public opinion was subtly diminishing curiosity and appreciation while fostering dislike and rejection.

More voices criticizing and opposing Oracle emerged on the Magic Network.

Being different for its own sake, playing to the gallery, an Apprentice Mage's delusions...

Roland frowned as he read and wanted to say a few words on the Magic Network.

Lunifis said, "If you want to speak up and refute them, I can help arrange for your response to appear in the paper.

Also, I've already contacted some well-known friends..."

"Forget it. There's no need."

After considering it for a while, Roland declined.

"Nisi, thank you for your kindness, but those people aren't entirely wrong.

After all, I'm still only an Apprentice Mage. I need to improve myself and produce results before I'll have the confidence to refute them."

His words carried little weight. Whatever he said would be useless.

Pointless arguments would only waste time and energy.

Under the circumstances, he would be better off pushing his experiments forward as quickly as possible and producing a version of Light "fully converted to Oracle." That was the proper, straightforward path!