A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 109 Silver Moon City

"good."

Jiang Shuzhou's gaze fell on Pierre, scrutinizing him.

"Now, let me tell you about your future job."

"My lord, you said that no matter which department you are in, I can share your burdens."

Pierre had clearly misunderstood something; he thought Jiang Shuzhou was an ordinary mage.

Why don't you take a closer look?

Pierre was startled and subconsciously moved closer. When his gaze focused on the tilted scale badge on Jiang Shuzhou's chest, his breath almost stopped for a moment.

"My lord, you...you are an alchemist?"

Pierre's mind went blank, as if a pot of boiling steel had been poured into it, and all his previous ideas about the future were swallowed up by ecstasy.

"Yes, I need you as the administrator of my territory to assist me in governing it."

Jiang Shuzhou continued talking to himself, completely ignoring Pierre's changing expression.

"My lord, I will certainly not let you down."

Pierre's voice trembled as he abruptly knelt on one knee, his forehead almost touching the ground.

It would have been better if he hadn't knelt; the moment he did, Hayes and Devalin exchanged a glance and decided to kneel as well.

That shows you're loyal, kid!

"There's no need for that. Loyalty resides in the heart, not in kneeling on the ground."

Jiang Shuzhou was quite respectful to his subordinates. He quickly helped Pierre up and used his magic hand to stop Hayes and Devalin from kneeling.

"My lord, what you say makes sense. I will remember it and never forget it."

Pierre's eyes welled up with tears, and his voice trembled with emotion.

"Your words are very insightful."

Hayes followed immediately, his expression solemn.

Me too.

After struggling for a long time, Dwarin could only come out with this one sentence.

Just remember that.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Shuzhou changed the subject.

"By the way, Pierre, are you familiar with the various parts of Silvermoon City?"

"My lord, I am very familiar with Silvermoon City. I will show you the way."

Clearly, Pierre had been in Silvermoon City for some time and was naturally very familiar with some of the sights.

"My lord, this way please."

And so, amidst the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes of those around them, Pierre, in a very obsequious manner, led Jiang Shuzhou away.

From then on, when the monks came here again, they were surprised to find that everyone was holding up their own signs, quietly and respectfully waiting for their own opportunity.

The crowds that used to gather together to promote themselves seem to have disappeared.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"My lord, this is the temple of Mystra, the goddess of magic."

Pierre's voice carried an undisguised disgust.

This is their first stop, the most famous attraction in Silvermoon City.

The walls are crumbling, the fallen statues are smashed to pieces, the former glory is long gone, and the honor of the past has long been trampled.

In front of the statue, five broken wands and four spellbooks with only their covers torn off are displayed in a showcase.

Their owners' fate is self-evident.

"There really is a legendary mage standing on the side of the Goddess of Magic?"

Jiang Shuzhou couldn't imagine that if it were him, he would rebel against the Goddess of the Magic Network no matter what, even if it meant death, he would still want to take her down first.

The enmity of being blocked from the road is irreconcilable; the only solution is a fight to the death.

After looking at the biographies of these "major traitors" with great interest, Jiang Shuzhou discovered something.

They were all of average talent, and in order to advance their careers, they were ultimately forced to submit to the Goddess of the Magic Network.

Then the dragon slayers become dragons themselves, and once they become legendary mages, their first instinct is to suppress other mages.

Any mage who wants to be promoted will be suppressed by them.

"A bunch of useless trash."

This is Jiang Shuzhou's evaluation of them.

There's no such thing as a dragon slayer becoming a dragon; they weren't good people to begin with.

"Let's go, next stop."

The second attraction is the library.

Beneath the enormous dome stood bookshelves that resembled a forest, and footsteps echoed in the spacious hall.

Most of the bookshelves were empty, with only a few shelves containing books that had long since decayed.

Most of the books here have been taken by the Mage Alliance; the remaining books are only poems praising the Goddess of the Magic Network.

These poems lay there unnoticed and unmaintained, and have long since decayed.

This in itself is the ultimate form of contempt.

"I thought those poems would fill the entire library."

Jiang Shuzhou was surprised that the Goddess of Magic Network hadn't filled the entire library with her poems.

Next, the last stop is the monument.

It stands in the central square of Silvermoon City, a huge black stone monument that requires people to look up at it.

There were no guards or decorations in front of the stone tablet, only monks who came spontaneously to offer white flowers.

Not all mages will live to see the moment the Mage Alliance is founded.

Too many mages fell in the last moments before dawn.

They could have retreated, they could have stood by and watched, they could have reaped the benefits without lifting a finger.

However, for the sake of their ideals and to defend the freedom of all mages to pursue the truth, these mages participated without hesitation and ultimately fell.

They wrote their final chapter with their lives.

That chapter was titled "Freedom".

"Here alone, we commemorate those souls who bravely sacrificed themselves for the truth. They burned out the last glimmer of their lives to illuminate the path for those who followed, so that the flame of the pursuit of truth and freedom may never be extinguished in the heart of every monk."

"They are"

Giordano Bruno

Tseko Daskori

Hypatia

Andrei Vesalius

Mikael Servet

... "

Hundreds of thousands of names are engraved on it, from clear to blurry, from complete names to only cold numbers in the end.

「高阶法师122、中阶法师105、低阶法师121、低阶法师111、低阶法师117。」

Behind each of those numbers was a vibrant soul pursuing the truth.

This huge stone tablet stands there, seemingly telling a story.

"I hope that one day I won't be the one etched on it."

Jiang Shuzhou was deeply moved; even the carefree mages had people they needed to protect.

Every monk should remember this history.

Although Jiang Shuzhou was not a native of the Mage Alliance, their yearning for freedom and their dedication to the truth were shared.

"It's time to leave."

Hayes and the others followed silently, not daring to make a sound.

The lord's mood was clearly very heavy at the moment; anyone who disturbed him would be out of their mind.

The group left the square in silence.

Before boarding the train, Jiang Shuzhou stopped and looked back at Silvermoon City.

"I wonder where my final destination is?"

"My lord? What's wrong?"

Hayes noticed a hint of confusion in Jiang Shuzhou's tone and cautiously spoke up.

"It's nothing, just a feeling of nostalgia."

Home is where my heart finds peace.