Chapter 114

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Chapter 114: White Tower

Night Curtain finally fell, making Nightfall Line history. After the most important and difficult negotiations succeeded, it was like removing grit stuck in gears, making cooperation talks smoother between the two sides. Soon, many major projects were also approved.

Such as the "White Tower Ruins Development" project.

Now, White Tower is already the most famous Wizard Association of the Aryans’ past. After most dragons left due to the Dragon’s Prophecy and the Anti-magic Movement branded all spellcasters as evil, the neutral academic Wizard Academy promoted the establishment of the human Wizard Alliance in the Aryan Empire. They used many magical creatures and the remains of past wizards to create the Source of Magic for Aryan Empire, as the final energy source for magical technology, allowing Aryan’s Magic Civilization to survive for another century.

The Source of Magic running under the capital city of Aryan was the work of the White Tower Wizards, but the underground space destroyed by Tasha’s hand was not the White Tower Ruins. The last group of Legendary Wizards delivered a large amount of magical treasures, materials, and remains to the grand magical array, but the White Tower itself was not in the capital city.

It stands in the heartland of the Aryan Empire, preserved to this day.

"Perhaps the investigation results will disappoint you." said the Empire’s representative after signing the agreement, "It does indeed hold sentimental value, but there might not be much truly useful there, just symbolic."

The treasure of White Tower had long been divided up. The rebellious ones who were rejected from joining the Dragon Slaying Craze took some away. Most of the power used to create the Source of Magic was taken away, and what was left behind either disappeared in the decline of magic over the past two or three hundred years or was scavenged in the Anti-magic Movement. What was said was not wrong at all. This development project was indeed quite mediocre: the White Tower site attracted attention from the higher-ups because of its reputation, but what could be excavated did not match the negotiation difficulty.

Tasha said it’s okay.

The representative of Tasmanian said many fine words, such as the significant meaning of the original White Tower site, the wizards’ thirst for knowledge, and so on. But the real reason Tasha wanted to go there was not for outsiders to know.

Because of Victor.

The Hall of True Knowledge answers questions and also requests "information". Since the materials for forging seem to be disposable, each question asked needs to be handled with caution. With the current threat of the Abyss looming, among the many questions that could be asked, Tasha believed that there was nothing more cost-effective than seeking the answer to "how to awaken Victor".

He and Tasha were like grasshoppers tied together, their soul contract lasting long, making him stand by Tasha’s side un betrayable and without concealment, he was a former Demon Lord who knew many secrets of the Abyss, the information he could provide was incomparable to an Abyss Researcher; he is currently evolving, if successfully hatched, he is very likely to rise to a higher level and provide considerable help in strength and intelligence… in conclusion, this was a carefully considered decision, made for world peace.

The Hall of True Knowledge showed Tasha the way, with the endpoint of the journey being the location of the White Tower site.

Tasha had already asked this question and got the answer, but encountered some trouble in implementation. Although the White Tower site was nearly empty, its reputation remained, not many people paid attention to it usually, and it was not easily accessible. Tasha could not sneak in, this time the Hall of True Knowledge gave the key word as wizard, indicating that a group of wizards needed to be taken along.

Most wizards were not physically strong, and, as other hardworking professionals would say, wizards were particular – they needed to bring spellbooks, notebooks, spellcasting materials, and apprentices to assist them so that they had enough time to rest their minds…without these, they couldn’t cast spells, and a wizard who couldn’t cast spells had a combat power below five, bringing them was as good as not bringing them. Bringing one wizard would be fine, but a group of wizards would definitely be a magnificent and outstanding group, like a group of intellectuals or a group of mental patients, impossible to pass off as a normal tourist group.

So, the negotiations took some time, but thankfully the outcome was good.

The members of the White Tower excavation team include: the leader Tasha, White Robed Wizard Bruno, Dark Robed Wizard Miranda, Grey Robed Undead Sorcerer Dolores, Alchemist Gloria, Wild Wizard Rudolf, and all the apprentices of the wizards. The team caught the opening of the railway and traveled on the Peaceful Magic Train with a large group of people, reaching the city where the White Tower is located after just a few days of travel. However, to reach the White Tower site, they needed to take a journey that only carriages could pass.

The White Tower site is a day’s journey away from the main town.

"It used to be farther," the guide said. "The old White Tower was built in a remote area, but with the city’s expansion in recent years, it is now just a day’s journey away."

The guide was truly a simple guide. The Empire sent a guard to accompany them openly this time, as the White Tower was considered a place of strategic/military importance, even if it was now just an empty shell.

They passed through a checkpoint on their way here. Since the Anti-Magic Movement, this unit had been guarding this place for over a century, with soldiers coming and going, their numbers dwindling, but their designation remaining unchanged. The few remaining soldiers still bore the title of the Fourteenth Army, a sight that was either respectable or laughable.

"I’ve heard of the Fourteenth Legion stationed at the White Tower," the Alchemist in the rainbow-colored robe said. "Initially, they were here to prevent any hidden individuals or non-humans from escaping the tower. Later, the army was stationed here to prevent unrelated people from wandering in and dying in some wizard mechanism. But what can this small number of people really stop now? Perhaps they themselves are unsure of what they are guarding."

In the eyes of people today, it is just an abandoned tower.

The white tower was surrounded by cliffs and blended with the pale stone walls, only discernible within a hundred meters. When they finally arrived outside the tower, everyone instinctively stopped and looked up.

"It’s shorter than I imagined," said Wild Wizard Rudolf, "I’ve read some descriptions of the White Tower, if they are not exaggerated, it must be a grand building complex."

"Because this is not the White Tower," said Bruno, a descendant of a wandering wizard from the White Tower, "The main tower of the White Tower exists in a subspace, the entrance disappeared long ago when the magic environment deteriorated. What remains now is just a part of the White Tower, where the apprentices used to live."

The tall white tower in front of them is just the remnants of the Wizard Academy from before. The legacy remains, that’s all.

The entire tower is carved from a single piece of rock, the magical craftsmanship makes it look like there are no traces of human carving, as if it grew naturally like this. The clean white tower gives off a cold sense of cleanliness, unlike the sacredness of the Saro God’s temple, but a kind of calm indifference, not for worship, not devout, just observing and discovering objectively. Simply put, it looks very wizard-like.

Walking into the part of the tower, the light did not diminish at all. Cleverly placed windows on the walls allowed light to slant into the corridor, making it extremely bright.

A hollow area in the center of the tower connects the entire high tower, standing at the bottom and looking up is like standing at the bottom of a vertical well looking upwards. The light entering from the intermediate corridor intersects at the central point, like a kaleidoscope, if you look at it for a long time, it gives a reversed feeling of looking into an abyss. The floor tiles and the tiles on the walls seemed to be made of an unknown material, after so many years, as long as the dust was wiped away, the colors still remained bright as new. The faint patterns on the tiles give the illusion of something that can move around, as if what’s inside the frame has really disappeared. They saw many intact frames along the way, with a blank space on the canvas, the things in the picture were no longer there.

"Those frames contain ‘specimens’," said White Robed Wizard Bruno, "wizards would take photos of various materials they obtained, they would shrink and imprison things that looked alive in the frames, and they would move like they were alive. These silver frames are guides, some spells, servants, and departed wizards’ images are kept here to guide apprentices and answer questions."

There was a lot of emotion in his tone, this wizard who inherited the White Tower’s legacy saw the White Tower for the first time today, it was like returning home in a dream, he talked about everything as if they were treasures.

"I’ve heard that the wizards’ images wander around the tower," he said longingly, "the Tower Spirit is housed in the constructs, appearing in various forms…"

One room is inside another, and corridors twist together in the White Tower, making the whole tower like a maze. The main tower of the White Tower is even more complex, but guests don’t need to worry about getting lost. This is because the Mage Tower is "alive."

The Tower Spirit warmly welcomes all guests and appears in any corner of the tower when called upon, guiding you in the direction you want to go. Even on the suddenly broken pathways, you can see traces of teleportation circles. Short-range teleportation links every corner inside the tall tower, making it hard to find dead ends. The circular space that runs through the tall tower looks frightening, but when magic is still working, floating steps float in the hollow space. If you are a wizard and the magic door is open to you, you can easily figure out how to make these small floating islands go to the right floor.

"Is that a golem?" an apprentice pointed to something that looked like a broken statue at the end of the corridor, speaking excitedly like a real tourist. Bruno was not surprised at all, and his reply was like an enthusiastic tour guide. "Yes!" he said, "Golems are rare in the Tower of Apprentices, but in the Mage Tower, they are plentiful."

Teleportation circles and floating steps take care of wizards’ bodies that lack exercise. Simple golem servants deliver food and other essentials to wizards who stay in the laboratory all year round, allowing wizards to stay indoors. Some expensive advanced golems can also assist in casting spells, which may sound amazing. During the peak of magic, they were essential companions for wealthy wizards. This achievement was invented by dark-robed wizards. Although the creation process was as evil as dark-robed wizards, these advanced golems were too convenient for spellcasters and eventually became popular among all high-ranking wizards.

The largest space in the tower is the library, where the door is open, letting in lots of dust.

Many chairs are haphazardly arranged, as if their owners were only temporarily away and would soon return. A very heavy long table is placed next to the bookshelves, made of some durable redwood that has never decayed or rotted, not even a speck of insect damage. The rows of bookshelves here are not as grand and tall as those in dungeon libraries, but they are convenient to use. The metallic plaques still bear elegant calligraphy, showing not only book categories but also some slogans like "Maintain silence in the reading room" and "Good wizards cherish their books."

Of course, it’s empty now.

"They have all been moved to the Grand Library," the guide said opportunistically, perhaps trying to impress the wizards present. "All the books are fully preserved there, just like the remains left in this place…"

"Is that so?" Dark Robed Wizard Miranda said bluntly. "Is the trace at the end of the first-floor corridor also the result of lightning?"

The guide looked embarrassed.

"There’s nothing left," Miranda chuckled coldly.

No matter how glorious the past was, even if you can imagine its glory from the wreckage, the White Tower is definitely not what it used to be.

The top of the White Tower bears black scorch marks, a consequence of a lightning strike. In the past, the high tower was protected by spells and need not fear storms. However, when the magic faded, natural lightning could break the top of the tower. The black scorch marks at the end of the corridor were not the result of forces of nature but signs of deliberate burning.

The Anti-magic Movement was not a polite movement.

The spellcasters were executed in cages one after another, their possessions looted, and anything useless was destroyed. The reputation of the wizards plummeted quickly. Soldiers from different towers filled with contempt and anger, carrying swords, spears, and torches.

At that time, perhaps there were no more apprentices left here. They only needed to defeat a few stubborn guards to break into this masterless tower.

Going back three to two hundred years, the White Tower flourished briefly before rapidly declining like a shooting star. In the twilight of the wizard era, this neutral academic institution completely leaned towards humanism – this was both the reason for their prosperity and the swift downfall thereafter. Extreme noble slogans are always more attractive than gentle ones, but the harm they bring may only be evident after it’s too late. The slaughter of dragons, naga, dark-robed wizards, and dissenters provided a huge advantage for the later Anti-magic Movement of humans. When most high-ranking wizards vanished, their descendants, who had hoped to be protected, fled in panic during the Anti-magic Movement.

All books had already been moved to the Grand Library in the capital city, just like all magic items were sent to the Source of Magic. The remaining White Tower had been ransacked, golems and statues shattered. This place was a shell, nothing left.

However.

"It will happen," Tasha said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Are you going to move things back?" Miranda said mockingly.

"The Mage Tower will come back," Tasha said, "we are already building it."

The black-robed wizard was not complaining about the White Tower, her anger was directed at the foolish actions of all spellcasters. She said that the past knowledge and legacy had completely disappeared, the Mage Tower was no more, but Tasha reassured her that "it will happen."

The method to create the Mage Tower had been lost, but now the Archmage Tower of the entire Aryan wizard community was built and would continue to improve. They no longer had floating steps that moved at will, but magical technology would one day create convenient elevators. Tasha’s spirit was serving as the Tower Spirit, the staff of the Mage Tower took care of the dedicated researchers, ensuring they were healthy and not starving, more caring than thoughtless golems. The dark basement space transformed into spacious and bright laboratories, the mysteries of ancient magic were openly analyzed and passed down, may have lost some poetic mystery, but made wizardry more accessible. Assistants and apprentices followed a clearer employment system, mentors no longer held the lives of apprentices, schools would provide batches of students with basic knowledge.

"I don’t think the current apprentice system is good," Miranda muttered.

"The times are progressing," Wild Wizard Rudolf laughed, he didn’t take apprentices, but served as a lecturer at the new wizard school, "you have to look forward."

"I think things are good now," the quietly spoken Undead Sorcerer said, "enough bodies."

Donating bodies is quite common nowadays, with various bodies being handled in a regulated industry chain. They first go through the medical system, and then into the hands of the Undead Sorcerer. The Undead Sorcerer needs to register and apply to receive body supplies. Legal body sources help the Undead Sorcerer escape from the reputation of grave robbers or body makers to avoid becoming a Great Devil. Perhaps starting with the first Undead Sorcerer, Dolores from Tasmania, all the necromancers have become quiet and prefer to stay home writing applications rather than creating or digging up bodies themselves.

And there will also be treasures in the White Tower Ruins.

The Hall of True Knowledge points out a specific location where there is a key to waking Victor up. It could be something with a lot of magic power or a part of a big demon, but probably they do not exist alone. They have reached the southernmost point of the tower, but even leaning against the wall of the hallway where Tasha is located, it is still slightly north of the coordinates in her mind.

In other words, a few meters south, there may be an undiscovered treasure trove.

Tasha tapped her head, realizing she had jumped to conclusions.

The Wizard Academy known as the White Tower is not just a tall tower; it is a large complex of buildings. Even though the main part disappeared into a closed subspace, what remains on the Primary Material Plane includes areas beyond this central tower.

The place she is looking for may not even be in this tall tower.

Half an hour later, they found a stone slab among the weeds at the south of the tower.