Chapter 106: This… Is Quite Convenient

Chapter 106: This… Is Quite Convenient

“That’s right, they must all be clergy from the Holy Icon Tree. I couldn’t be mistaken.” Ron said with great certainty. “Several of my friends have dealt with mysterious incidents alongside those priests from the Holy Icon Tree. So I can be sure these new members of the association are priests from the Holy Icon Tree.”

Bach added, “They’ve been coming often these past two months! They’ve been here almost every day recently, they’re definitely here today too—Fermi, Cardi knows them well, right?”

“Right, right, those priests can use magic.”

The three mages discussed. As Louis listened, he felt increasingly strange inside.

The people Ron mentioned were most likely agents from the Ministry of Magic.

Logically speaking, it made sense for agents to join the Magic Enthusiasts Association. It would make working outside much more convenient.

But in reality, this was something absolutely forbidden by the Ministry of Magic. They were afraid wizards would see the outside world, afraid lower-class wizards would study new magic like the Wild Wizards, innovate, and threaten the noble families’ monopoly on magic.

They were also afraid the Wild Wizards would witness real magic.

It could be said that in the current environment, anyone who joined the Magic Enthusiasts Association was going against the wizards.

And recently, the Ministry of Magic hadn’t passed any new bills allowing agents to join the Muggles’ Magic Enthusiasts Association.

However, this matter gave Louis an idea—if such a bill really did come out, it would be convenient.

This would be a small breakthrough to make this world magical.

Louis thought these agents definitely weren’t truly joining the association; their sudden arrival at the association must have other reasons.

But whatever the reason, Louis intended to blow things up, to get more and more agents to come in. Then make that bill ‘allowing agents to enter the Magic Enthusiasts Association’ a reality.

Pol (Director of the Magic Prison Division. Thousand-Faced Lantern Reaper. Plum Blossom K) was now a re-elected member of the Magic Council. And he was even a team leader, with a whole team under him. He was a faction of his own within the council.

Plus, now that this guy had shattered the lie that ‘Pol is actually weak,’ many people were recently competing to suck up to him.

So this old guy currently had a lot of influence.

Therefore, as long as he started this off well on his end, Pol would definitely be able to push things along behind the scenes.

Although this bill might initially only allow agents to enter the Mage Association, this would become the first breakthrough to make the world magical again.

But Louis fell into deep thought once more.

He wanted this world to have magic.

But should this world have magic?

The Forbidden Sanctum had vanished for who knows how many years, buried in the dust of cosmic history, becoming a sacred land of knowledge that only existed in dreams.

But the world where this Sanctum existed was once a high-level magical civilization—dragons, magic, wizards all existed in that world.

In that world, people without mana could also study magic. They could even earn the title of Forbidden Archmage. They could become great scholars revered by thousands.

Louis knew these things not because he had stayed in that world, but because some books mentioned them.

And many famous books were also written by these scholars without mana—”The Great Astral Asymmetry Theory,” “The Great Mana Field Theory,” “How to Turn Higher-Dimensional Beings into Dot Matrix Diagrams,” “A Brief Discussion on the River Styx Divine Scrolls”… all written by scholars without mana.

Clearly, in that fantasy world, magic was widespread. Precisely because everyone understood magic, there was no distinction between Muggles and wizards, no reason for them to hate each other, nor was there a situation where society couldn’t develop once magic existed in the world.

Not only did it develop well, it even gave birth to Divine Colossi like the Star-Devouring Divine Colossus, the Luminous Ones, the Seraphim, the Executors… and other magical civilization Divine Colossi (starships) that could fight against those cosmic evil gods that endangered civilization.

And these ‘Divine Colossi’ also protected the people, stepping into the starry sky of this fantasy universe. They killed wave after wave of invading sub-plane demons who came in starships.

Just like the blueprint for the treasure ship burned by the Great Ming, if you don’t research this technology, someone else will. And then use it to kill you.

So, this world could have magic. And it should have magic. As Frankischko said, it was originally a fantasy world.

But the way to make the world magical again wasn’t simply to eliminate all obstacles—Anthony had tried that.

So, maybe what was needed wasn’t an invincible Anthony or Frankischko, but many people like Bach and his friends.

The Mage Association was a breakthrough.

In this first breakthrough, this first step to make the world magical again, Louis wanted the Magic Enthusiasts Association, this place opposed by the upper-class wizards, to become a branch that the Ministry of Magic had no choice but to acknowledge!

To become a department needed by both the Kingdom of Sorrento and the wizards. To become a place where both Bach and his friends and the Reformist wizards could find a foothold.

He needed to build influence and increase his impact within the Ministry of Magic and the Muggle World. He needed to travel more, to learn more about this world’s secrets and mysteries, and also to bring more people like Earl Crowley, a father-in-law, to his side to help him accomplish great things.

So that passionate people like Bach wouldn’t be disappointed, wouldn’t despair, and could see hope.

Deep in thought, the vehicle gradually arrived at Englen City.

The Mage Association, once the core association of all adventurer guilds, a place that could solve problems people couldn’t handle, revered by nobles and commoners alike.

Louis was very curious and very excited about this place.

Helen and the others were too, discussing happily.

…

Englen City was divided into many districts, each very large.

And the Mage Association was built in a special district within Englen City—it was called the ‘Muddy District.’

The Muddy District wasn’t poor or dirty. Instead, it was full of bright lights, with many taverns and all sorts of strange markets. It could be described as extremely lively.

Of course, compared to the city center, the buildings here were shorter. And the people who hung around this district were mostly mercenaries, sailors, or ‘merchants’ with ‘Private Sea Raiding Licenses’ and their many ‘crew members.’

The reason there were so many of these people was because this place was close to the harbor.

The Muddy District was the first place sailors liked to go after docking. Because of all sorts of goods, there were many ‘mud-legged’ people here. The ground was often covered in various kinds of mud. So although it was lively, it was also very chaotic.

And this place was full of mud and beggars everywhere. But it was also brightly lit and very bustling.

On the roads, people wearing those Victorian-style double-breasted long coats were everywhere. They carried short knives and guns; when many lifted their coats, you could see flintlock pistols or those old-fashioned revolvers at their waists.

Some people even brazenly carried double-barreled shotguns on their horses, smoking cigars and riding through the streets.

Police were almost nowhere to be seen.

Louis looked at this mixed-up place before him and suddenly felt a bit disoriented—this was a red-light district, right?

This was a lawless place, right?

Look at those prostitutes not wearing underwear, lifting their skirts towards the vintage car, laughing playfully! And those naked drunks rolling in the muddy road.

It made Helen and Kate blush furiously.

“The Mage Association… is here?”

“Ah.”

The three mages nodded. “It’s pretty good, it’s convenient to go anywhere from here.”

“And convenient for doing all sorts of things,” Fermi added seriously.

“Mhm.” Louis looked at those prostitutes and fell into thought. “It is quite convenient.”