Imperial Magic Academy

It's gotten so quiet lately.

Kalin shook the wine jug, leaned against the balcony, and watched Nia working at her desk with a bored expression.

"Anna's not here, and neither is the little brat. What have they all gone off to do?"

They're all busy.

Nia continued reviewing the documents without looking up, and answered at the same time.

"Perhaps you should find something to do. Of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, you're probably the most idle one right now."

My motto is: Eat well, sleep well, and enjoy life.

Faced with Nia's impassive accusation, Kalin puffed out her chest triumphantly, as if it were something to be proud of.

"Life is short, so I believe in enjoying it while I can. Nia, you guys are taking this way far too seriously."

"Yes, that refers to 'life'."

Nia remained unmoved by Kalin's complaints; in terms of composure, she was almost identical to Li Lin.

"But we are weapons, not humans, Kalin. Perhaps I should have Li Lin withdraw your Magic Power supply and let you spend a few decades reflecting on your actions as a weapon in some armory?"

Don't worry, I can sleep for hundreds of years.

"... I do wish you would pay more attention to your personal guard."

"You mean those elves? I sent them to farm. You know, that's not something just anyone can do."

"Not everyone can be lazy."

Just then, Li Lin pushed open the door and walked into the room.

"Kalin, I need you to lead the Royal Guard to patrol the entire Ringwraith City to ensure that nothing unusual happens."

"The entire one?"

Kalin's hand, which had been holding the bottle high, froze in place. She stared blankly at Li Lin, as if she couldn't believe the order she'd heard. What a joke! Ringwraith City itself was a metropolis large enough to house a million people, not to mention the six floating cities surrounding the main city. Li Lin wanted her to inspect the entire Ringwraith City —that would take a considerable amount of time!

"Wait, Your Excellency, why do you want me to go?"

Because you're the most free right now.

Faced with Kalin's question, Li Lin calmly replied.

"Don't worry, at your speed, you'll definitely be back within five weeks... Also, don't try to slack off. You should know very well that I can monitor the entire Ringwraith City and the Library."

If monitoring is sufficient, why do I need to patrol?

Kalin opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed her words in frustration. She had already realized that Li Lin and Nia were working together against her, and in the current situation, nothing she said would make a difference. Well, she was just unlucky. If she hadn't been unable to find Anna and the little brat to play with, and if Yi Aier hadn't been busy with other things, Kalin wouldn't have bothered coming to Nia to complain. She only brought this trouble upon herself, and had no one else to blame.

"Understood, Your Excellency."

In the end, Kalin just shrugged, gave Nia a helpless look, and then turned and left.

"That way, she won't be able to stay idle."

Watching Kalin's figure disappear, Li Lin smiled slightly, then turned to Nia.

"How's the situation?"

"According to Miss Angela's report, it is proceeding very smoothly."

Nia answered quite quickly.

"The king of the Sea-Encircled Country has agreed to our demands. According to Miss Angela's report, the agreement was made very readily and sincerely."

"That's really a good thing."

Although he said this, a hint of worry, barely perceptible, appeared in Li Lin's eyes.

"Can the little guy handle him?"

"'If Master wishes, I can turn him into a castrated dog that only wags its tail and barks tomorrow'—these are Miss Angela's exact words." Even as she relayed such vile words, Nia's expression remained unchanged, as if she didn't care at all what she had just said.

That's good.

Li Lin answered casually, then picked up the report that Nia had pushed in front of him while she was giving her report. The report, with its beautiful and fluent handwriting, could absolutely not have been the little one's work. With her limited understanding of otherworldly culture—she could only read and hear but not write—she wouldn't be able to produce such a report. However, Li Lin didn't need to waste time and energy guessing who had ghostwritten for the little one. Among the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, only one could write such beautiful characters.

During her four days in the Sea-Encircled Country, Angela received an incredibly warm welcome from the king. Clearly, they regarded Angela as an honored guest from the Magic Empire, even going so far as to lower themselves to be treated with great courtesy by everyone from ministers to the king. Angela, however, followed Li Lin's instructions to deal with them in a lukewarm manner while secretly observing them.

Based on Angela's observations, she was certain that Li Lin's first impression of the king of the Sea-Encircled Country was quite accurate; at first glance, he seemed like a muddle-headed fellow. However, this king was using this disguise to gradually infiltrate the heart of the kingdom. Although he readily agreed to all the demands of the Magic Empire, he had no intention of carrying them out. While his excuses were indeed reasonable, and his sweet words were quite touching, they still appeared rather naive in the eyes of Angela, who had lived for thousands of years and was already a ruler of all intrigue and scheming. After all, the gap between time and experience was absolutely unavoidable.

Based on her observations over the past few days, Angela concluded that the king of the Sea-Encircled Country was an ambitious and lucky man, but lacking in ability.

There are many factors that contribute to a person's success, among which ambition, luck, and ability are indispensable. Ambition is the driving force behind success, luck is the guarantee of success, and ability is the foundation of success. All three are essential. Looking at historical figures, no ruler has lacked these three elements; otherwise, failure would have been their only outcome.

The situation of the king of the Sea-Encircled Country is among the least optimistic. He possesses a clear mind and keen diplomatic skills, as well as sufficient courage and ambition. However... compared to others, his abilities are significantly lacking. It's like someone with keen eyesight but who is weak and incompetent; even if they can see through a master's moves, their own body cannot react in time.

According to Angela, he was "a useless piece of trash who was too soft to penetrate, even if he pounced on a naked woman on the bed."

Although the King of the Sea-Encircled Country knew exactly what to do, the specifics of how was clearly not his forte, and he also seemed to lack capable advisors. The Second Princess might have been a valuable asset. However, Li Lin Sea-Encircled Country, determined to prevent the other side's negotiating power from growing stronger, had long ago prepared an excuse to keep Princess Shirley here. Otherwise, if Princess Shirley returned to assist her father in the negotiations, while it wouldn't escalate the situation out of control, it would still be quite troublesome. Envoys are selective. If it were an ordinary envoy, Li Lin wouldn't hesitate to brainwash them and send them back to increase their bargaining power. But envoys like Princess Shirley are not easy to deal with; they are keenly aware of their political stance and know what choices they must make. Don't be fooled by her obedient demeanor here. Once back in the Sea-Encircled Country, Princess Shirley will undoubtedly use all the intelligence she obtained from the Magic Empire to help her country gain an advantage in the negotiations.

While brainwashing the princess would be a perfectly good option, as Arcane Mage, Li Lin naturally had his principles. The Five-Nation Alliance was the enemy of the Magic Empire, so brainwashing, subjugation, and slaughter were all justifiable. However, these small nations had never posed a threat to the Magic Empire, and there was no need to manipulate them in this way. To a certain extent, Li Lin preferred to achieve his goals through normal rather than abnormal means—he would only consider the latter if the goal was unattainable.

In fact, after meeting the king of the Sea-Encircled Country, Angela had clearly lost most of her enthusiasm. Although the king's flaws weren't particularly obvious, manipulating such a hopeless person was, to Angela, a pointless and boring game. She had even begun to secretly complain about why Li Lin didn't give her more interesting tasks.

"I'd really like to emulate that vixen Daji; the feeling of causing thousands upon thousands of people to lose their homes and families in a different way wouldn't be bad."

Looking at that last sentence, Li Lin couldn't help but laugh out loud. This was definitely the little guy's style.

Just then, Nia slammed the book shut in her hands.

"Li Lin, time's up."

"I know."

Li Lin answered Nia's question, then straightened his clothes. He hadn't come to Nia's room today without a purpose; in fact, Nia had informed Li Lin several days earlier. As an Arcane Mage, it was necessary for him to personally appear at the academy, speak with the students, and boost their morale and enthusiasm. After all, since the decision had been made to transform Ringwraith City into a city centered on mage training, cultivating the supreme authority of Arcane Mage among the students was essential, and this would also be a driving force for their progress. Only after they personally experienced the power of Arcane Mage would they understand what their goals truly were.

This is also a form of encouragement.

The Imperial Magic Academy, located beneath the tower in the central city, is a massive complex comprised of three libraries. It has long since been renovated. In fact, most of the students now wear the new school uniforms designed by Li Lin, looking refreshed and lacking the old-fashioned air of the previous mages. Just like in the Magic Empire era, all students, regardless of their talent, must first receive basic magical education before being separated into different schools of thought based on their individual strengths. Although Li Lin had initially considered a more focused approach, similar to that on Earth—for example, not everyone could understand gravity, but that wouldn't prevent them from using that knowledge— Li Lin ultimately abandoned this idea.

After all, gravity is not as destructive as magical theories; if handled carelessly, it can cause considerable harm and problems.

The news of the Arcane Mage's arrival at the academy was not widely known. Most students were still busy with their studies and daily lives. Li Lin did not immediately announce his arrival. Instead, he and Nia conducted some secret inspections first.

For example, some people with Arcane Mage talent.

"To be honest, it surprised me."

Standing outside the window, watching the little sprite with its eyes closed, diligently writing crooked characters on the blackboard, Li Lin made no attempt to hide his astonishment.

"I never imagined she would possess the aptitude of Arcane Mage."

"Me too, but I wonder what kind of expression Miss Angela would have if she knew that the girl she almost made dinner possessed such potential."

Nia smiled and responded calmly.

"What school of magic does she possess?"

"Summoning system, I remember giving you a report before. Last month, some accidents occurred in the testing grounds of the magic summoning area. Someone summoned Magic Creature that was not up to the required level."

Is that her?

"Yes, according to the records, she summoned both Dire Badger and Celestial Hound at the same time... I think she must have possessed the abilities of both a druid and a mage."

"This is a figure who has never appeared even during the era of the Magic Empire."

Li Lin frowned slightly, then smiled.

"Perhaps I should let all the trainees be tortured by Angela for a while, and then throw them into the icy sea. Maybe that will unleash their hidden potential."

"And they also have to endure the pain of losing their sight and being unable to speak."

Nia looked away.

"Li Lin, you once said, 'Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility...'"

"One must first endure hardship and toil... Although Angela disliked this saying, it was indeed true."

Li Lin shrugged self-deprecatingly as he finished speaking.

"Now, we can begin our work, Nia."

The resounding bell rang.

Almost all the students put down their books and activities, exchanging curious and uneasy glances, wondering what was happening. Although they had learned the meaning of the bells from the mages when they enrolled, the significance of this particular bell was extraordinary. The three long and one short intervals signified the arrival of an important figure at the magic academy, and everyone had to go out to greet them. In this Ringwraith City, those who held this status were few and far between.

Without any hesitation, the students almost immediately put down their work, left their classrooms, and headed to the central square. In their minds, only a few people were qualified to receive such treatment. If not the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, then... someone above them.

As expected, in the center of the square, the crowd soon spotted two figures standing there. One of them was already well-known to many students; after all, Nia was the de facto administrator of the academy, and her frequent appearances had already garnered her a considerable following among the students. At this moment, the one admired by the students, the leader of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, stood behind a young man, holding a staff and smiling.

Who is that man?

The students didn't need to think about this question at all, because upon seeing the man, the mages who were responsible for teaching them in the academy had already stepped out of the crowd one by one. They humbly bowed their heads to the man, placed their right hands on their left chests, and performed the most solemn salute for mages.

The vast square quickly filled with people. Yet, no one dared utter a sound. All the students stared at the young man with incredulous eyes. He appeared to be only a few years older than them, but his strange yet solemn mage robes and the way the mages looked at him suggested that this man was clearly not as simple as he appeared. Moreover, who could possibly command the submission of even the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys?

Only Arcane Mage.

"I think you probably all know who I am."

Looking at everyone, Li Lin spoke with a friendly smile. His voice wasn't loud, but thanks to the magic, it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Even so, I think I still need to introduce myself... My Li Lin, I am an Arcane Mage, and also the current manager here."

Boom!

Although they were mentally prepared, Li Lin's words still caused a sensation among the crowd. Especially the students, who had almost never seen this Arcane Mage. They only knew about the glorious past of Arcane Mage from the books of the Imperial Academy and the stories told by their teachers. They possessed the most powerful abilities and the greatest status. They were the goal of mages and the path they would spend their entire lives pursuing.

"I think you all understand that magic is not simply a matter of knowledge and art."

Despite the commotion in the crowd, Li Lin continued speaking.

"You should also be aware of the heavy responsibility you bear. For a thousand years, magic has been distorted, and legends have become the Root of evil. You may have heard those rumors and believed them. But that doesn't matter. I'm not standing here today to clarify the facts for you. I think that after so much study, you should already understand what the true meaning of magic is."

The commotion gradually subsided, and the students looked at Li Lin again.

"You have a long way to go, and I didn't come here to waste time talking nonsense."

As he spoke, Li Lin took a step back and looked at Nia. Just then, Nia stepped forward.

"Now, we will hold a test... All students present, if you are confident enough in your abilities, you may challenge the Arcane Mage. Once you gain the Arcane Mage's approval, you will become my direct students—the 'Eternal Library' —and I will provide you with more advanced magical education."

Upon hearing this, the entire plaza erupted in cheers once more. The students, their faces filled with excitement, chatted amongst themselves, staring at Li Lin in disbelief. They had never imagined they would have such an opportunity—not only could they challenge Arcane Mage, but they might even become disciples of Seven Ring Spirit Envoys!

This is something they never even dreamed of!

However, things are not that simple.

Just as the crowd began to make a fuss, Nia suddenly raised her hand, and then a barrier that shimmered with a faint light suddenly appeared, separating the crowd from Li Lin and creating a small open space.

"Only those capable of breaking through this barrier are qualified to challenge Arcane Mage."

Nia put down her staff, glanced at Li Lin who was smiling silently, and offered an explanation.

"Well then, you may begin now."