Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1154: Chapter 1153: Extended Trajectory

In Daniel’s eyes, this young aristocrat from Aldernon has undergone too many changes—

The once high-spirited and proud Viscount Hemir, after grasping the first hints of the magical industry with his sharp insight and flexible thinking, quickly rose to become a prominent figure in the imperial capital. His factories and investment entities spread throughout Aldernon and even extended to several cities in the centre of the mainland. At that time, he was akin to a charged arcane crystal, constantly emitting a strong radiance, with inexhaustible energy within and no fear or retreat from the outside world.

However, now, all the brilliance of this Viscount seems to have been restrained. He has hidden all his edges, like an invisible hunter lurking in the night. He curls up in this "fortress" of his, which has grown much colder, observing this world that is no longer safe for him with caution—not yet decadent, but not far from it.

And all these changes were merely the result of one winter last year.

Daniel sighed inwardly; of course, he knew the reasons for these changes and understood that Viscount Hemir’s current demeanor was entirely logical, but this outcome was not what he wished to see—this has nothing to do with "personal ties," the most important reason being that he had already poured too much effort into this Viscount. To guide and enlighten a small aristocrat, who was once ubiquitous in Aldernon and known for nothing besides socializing and feasting, into a giant of investment was no easy feat. The trust established from the very beginning was an unparalleled asset. If this Viscount were to fall now... such a loss would be truly regrettable.

"Viscount, perhaps what I’m about to say may seem like ’an outsider speaking of warmth or cold’ to you," the elder Mage looked at Hemir, speaking after a brief pause, "but I think what you should do most now is to get out there, return to the field you are skilled at and vibrant in, expand factory production capacity, extend your influence, invest in those things urgently needed post-war, and revitalize the economy alongside the royal family... let’s be optimistic. You’ll find that now is instead a golden opportunity, Viscount."

Hemir looked at this elderly man who seemed always to brim with wisdom, and after a long while, he spoke softly as if talking to himself, "Be optimistic... but for me, being optimistic isn’t easy..."

He turned around, overlooking the slightly deserted street outside the balcony. The wine glass in his hand tilted forward, pointing towards those residences that have now changed hands or are about to: "Master Daniel, do you see that house... a once illustrious family, centuries of heritage, but they chose the wrong side, picking the wrong time to contend against the royal family and sticking to their foolish ’principles’. The Obsidian Imperial Guard took them away.

"And just a wall away, another mansion, an equally illustrious family, loyal knights and generals. They chose the right side but went to the frontlines of Bitter Winter Castle – the mad gods took away most of their family members, leaving only a lonely old woman with a ten-year-old girl. I went to visit that child. She doesn’t even understand why her family met such a fate.

"Master, let me admit I’m a coward—of course, I understand your kindness, and I comprehend what you mean by ’a golden opportunity,’ but I was truly frightened this time. Perhaps we shouldn’t live too ostentatiously in this world, especially when I still carry a title inherited from my ancestors that will be passed down.

"Of course, I will still manage my current enterprises in the imperial capital well, my textile factory, rune forge factory, printing house, and the plantation outside the city... They are now the foundation for me and my family’s survival. But as for the rest, I plan to transfer them. I’ve already identified buyers interested in those factories located in the center of the mainland, and after handing over these industries, perhaps I could sleep more peacefully."

Daniel calmly watched Hemir’s eyes, and after a long time, he sighed softly and raised his wine glass to indicate to the Viscount: "Well, this is your decision, Viscount—everyone has their own aspirations. But I must remind you that under the current situation, where the economy urgently needs revitalization, the King urgently needs the aristocrats to show their stance, and the Empire needs more investors and emerging industries, is it truly a good thing for someone of your standing in the burgeoning magical industry to suddenly decide to sell off your enterprises and retreat to the sidelines?"

Viscount Hemir was stunned, his expression subtly changing: "...What do you mean by that?"

"When it comes to investing in factories, I am no match for you, but in terms of life experience, I have some confidence," Daniel said calmly, "In my view, the royal family now needs noblemen like you, who are ’wise’, to show their stance, Viscount—don’t think the ’test’ is over. It’s still ongoing, and it always will be."

The young Viscount stood there, his expression gradually becoming more complex, with a trace of bitterness in his voice: "So, am I guilty even if I wish to be a coward?"

"You’re not a coward; you’re just giving up on yourself, and the unfortunate reality is, those in high positions do not have the luxury of giving up," Daniel shook his head, "Moreover, from the King’s perspective, what he detests isn’t the exceptionally capable and dazzling individuals, for there’s no one more dazzling in this kingdom than he, nor is it mediocrity and incompetence, as he doesn’t need to waste time on fools. What a ruler detests are things that spin out of control.

"People who overstep due to their achievements are obviously out of control—but those who flee from battle are just as out of control."

Viscount Hemir’s face turned exceptionally unpleasant: "I..."

"I’m just offering a reminder," Daniel placed down the wine glass and stood up from the sofa, "Please reconsider your decision, Viscount."

...

The mentor’s figure appeared outside the car door, and the young female Mage Mary hurriedly reached out to open one side of the car door, letting the elder Mage slip inside. She noticed the severe expression on her mentor’s face and couldn’t help but ask casually: "Did something happen?"

"Nothing much, just a young person who will start maturing from today," the elder Mage shook his head and instructed the other apprentice driving the vehicle from the front, "To the Royal Mage Association."

Mary was baffled, but her mentor occasionally said things that sounded inexplicable and never explained to the apprentices. She had long been used to it, so after nodding, she focused her attention back on what she had been immersed in before—a notebook lay open on her lap, its snow-white pages filled with various markings, looking like neither mathematical formulas nor magic rituals.

"What is this?" Daniel noticed the item on the apprentice’s lap and couldn’t help but frown and ask, "Some graffiti you copied from somewhere?"

"This is a recently popular puzzle from the Constructers’ Guild—it actually circulated for a while, but we’ve been too busy to pay attention to these trends," Mary immediately pushed the notebook toward her mentor, speaking earnestly, "You are aware of Cecil’s ’Listening Plan’? Their antennas received a mysterious signal, and these things are the unknown symbols transmitted in the signal. The scholars over there believe that these symbols are a type of script, and now the Cecil Empire has announced them, hoping the Alliance Member States can decipher the secrets behind these symbols. The Obsidian Palace has also issued corresponding bounties..."

"Looking for someone who can decipher these writings..."

Daniel nodded knowingly—he certainly knew about this matter. As one of the de facto Cecil technicians, he had received the news from the internal network shortly after the mysterious signal was received at the Sorin Hub. It was just that Mary had low-level access in the neural network, so she was unaware of this matter. What surprised the old Mage was that the master decided to release these mysterious "symbols" so decisively... In such a short time, had the relevant information already been shared officially between Typhon and the Cecil?

But this was a good thing—since the data had been officially transmitted, it meant that he could study these seemingly graffiti-like "mysterious glyphs" openly from now on. To be honest, these mysterious symbols of unknown origin were still very attractive to a scholar, even though Daniel didn’t usually know much about cryptography and linguistics.

Quick thoughts flickered through his mind as the old Mage’s gaze fell again on Mary’s notebook. Upon seeing the dense marks left by the apprentice, he couldn’t help but frown: "You’ve written so many marks... have you discovered something?"

Mary scratched her already messy black hair, making it even more disheveled: "I’m sorry, Mentor, I don’t know much about language and ciphers. The so-called research was just scribbling in a moment of inspiration, and I haven’t made any progress yet."

"That’s normal. If an amateur like you could find any results after a morning of research, the funded experts and scholars might as well collectively jump off the city walls." Daniel remarked casually, his gaze happened to sweep over the apprentice’s current appearance—wearing a magic robe that hadn’t been changed for quite some time, an old-style robe that wasn’t particularly presentable, her hair tied plainly with a simple ribbon; more strands seemed to be loose than tied. She wore no makeup and seemed completely clueless about it. Plus, she had the faint bloodshot appearance from frequent late-night reading.

This was his most talented apprentice, the one who had been with him the longest... yet it seemed only at this moment did he truly notice what this young girl looked like in her daily life.

"Mentor?" Mary noticed the old Mage’s gaze and instantly became a bit nervous, "Is there something wrong with me?"

"Instead of spending so much effort on areas you’re not good at, you ought to pay attention to your appearance like a normal woman," Daniel said offhandedly, although he doubted whether such words were appropriately coming from him. The phrase often spoken by the master to others naturally came to his mind, "You’re not getting any younger..."

Mary was startled: "Men... Mentor?"

"It’s nothing, just a casual remark," Daniel waved his hand immediately, but couldn’t help adding another line, "I just thought of Windsor... don’t be like her."

The head of the Royal Mage Association, Lady Windsor Maple?

Mary blanked for a moment, suddenly recalling that significant figure who was actually one of the mentor’s apprentices as well. Moreover, as such a young legendary Transcendent, her talent evidently far exceeded her own. Although the mentor no longer openly acknowledged the apprenticeship, in the eyes of outsiders, this teacher-student relationship was undeniable.

An outstanding individual like that... why would the mentor suddenly say she shouldn’t be like her?

The young Mage was bewildered again, and vaguely, she seemed to hear the mentor muttering to himself: "Already forty, and still unmarried..."

...

In the clean, bright, and extremely spacious magic experiment field, Windsor Maple, who was directing the scene, suddenly sneezed robustly.

Waving a hand to let the assistant nearby continue working, she casually cast on herself a dozen instant spells for curing illness, strengthening the body, blessing, dispelling curses, and resistance. Upon confirming her body had no issues, her attention returned to the central platform of the indoor test site.

In the focused lighting, the surface of the round platform inscribed with arcane symbols emitted a faint glow. Within the strong protective power of the energy shield, irregular iron-gray metal fragments floated in mid-air. These iron-gray fragments were clearly part of a larger metallic structure, with edges showing signs of violent tearing and fragmentation. On several main breakpoints, dim glows perpetually leaked from inside the fragments, circulating around, near the breakpoints, appearing to be alive, flickering.

This conspicuous characteristic signified one thing: these seemingly ordinary metal fragments were anything but ordinary.

Indeed, it was not ordinary—these items were fragments of the armor scattered across the land after the fall of the War God, and considering the true form of the War God was just a hollow armor, this fragment could even be considered a "corporeal remnant" of a god.

At present, over a dozen royal Mages dressed in robes were bustling around the fragment. Complicated magic arrays floated around the platform in the air, while various altar-like devices embedded with crystals, magic stones, and precious Magi-metal surrounded the platform, each monitoring and suppressing the multiple forces emanating from the fragment.

"Chairwoman Windsor," a Mage wearing a deep blue robe with gold patterns flew over from the side of the platform, landing before Windsor Maple. "It’s already confirmed, this fragment should come from the War God’s helmet area, and the energy fluctuations released from the fragment are stable enough to potentially serve as some kind of guiding medium."

Windsor Maple nodded solemnly: "Guidance... how is its directional resonance situation?"

"Directional resonance has indeed been observed—when placed in a highly pure arcane circulation, the fragment attempts to constrain and transmit energy to a dimension that we cannot yet observe. Theoretically, if the intensity of this arcane circulation is high enough, we can utilize this process to open a rift... or even a stable door."