Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 701 Four Different Ways of Conquest

The Silent Dimension.

Inside the white ducal mansion of the Duke of Brissennott, the young and pale-faced Duke of Brissennott carefully instructed his butler to present factory ownership certificates to Wizard Smith and the young priestess.

The Duke of Brissennott coughed weakly, his eyes gleaming. “These are the properties I can donate to you. They house approximately one hundred thousand displaced workers.”

"Their farmland has been requisitioned, so they can only work in factories, where they can be of service to you. But my esteemed master, can my illness truly be cured?"

The frail duke removed his exquisite handkerchief from his face, revealing that he had coughed up blood on it.

The Duke was clearly suffering from a terminal illness, an incurable disease in this world.

No matter how much power or money one has, it all becomes useless under these circumstances.

Wizard Smith didn't look at the property deeds, but casually tossed them to the young priestess, and said, "One hundred thousand isn't enough, I need more. I need one million five hundred thousand! And that's just the minimum."

Duke Brissonnot looked longingly at Wizard Smith: "I can find a way to meet your request, but you must allow me to live."

Wizard Smith's eyes were filled with disdain. "Of course, it's very simple. You just need to have your body captured by my meteoric power and become my servant race."

"This is very simple."

……

A week later, Locke, along with his young priestess, the gunslinger, and the cultists, appeared in the capital.

Locke sat leisurely on a stool in the villa, reading a newspaper in the bright sunshine.

The newspapers of this world are merely the mouthpiece of the emperor.

The newspaper carried two pieces of information: first, a province had rebelled, and the empire was going to do everything in its power to suppress the rebellious province.

The province where the rebellion occurred was the same province where the wizard Edgar lived.

Edgar appears to have gone directly to the governor's palace in that province, taken control of the province, and confronted the empire head-on, directly seizing the world by force.

Secondly, the emperor announced an additional supervisory examination this year and increased the powers of the supervisory system, adding at least seventeen crucial powers.

Locke looked at the seventeen rights in the newspaper. One right, hidden among the others, was the right to rearm.

What is the right to rearm?
The information provided is unclear and ambiguous.

But Locke surmised that this so-called right to rearm was probably just the Emperor granting them the right to learn about the true power system of this world.

“This oversight system is quite interesting,” Locke said. “The oversight exam collects talented and lucky people from this plane. Because those who can get high scores in the exam are either talented or lucky.”

"An exam to gather the talents of this world. These people are all the total magical pressure flowing within the Emperor's mental network," Locke said. "I never expected that there would be such a power system among the natives."

"Did the emperor come up with this himself?"

"The system is a good system, but it lacks a solid foundation. If I were to modify it, it could be made even better, especially in terms of spell models."

“This system is like a tree without roots. Secondly, too many personal opinions have been added to it. However, I can learn from the parts that I think are good.” Locke pondered, “Perhaps it wasn’t the Emperor’s original creation, but just something he took and used.”

As Locke looked at the contents of the newspaper, he could also feel the chaotic magical pressure of this world.

Because Edgar played his cards openly, he incurred the emperor's utmost suppression and targeted him.

It started as a rebellion in one province, but after the emperor forcefully suppressed it, Edgar traveled to other provinces, instigating rebellions that were also suppressed by the emperor.

Now, he has come full circle back to the same rebellious province where he started, and has launched another rebellion.

Locke's eyes were strange. "Edgar, what are you thinking? Your total magic pressure is constantly decreasing, which means you're walking a tightrope. Why put yourself in this predicament at the very beginning of the game?"

"At the very beginning of the game, the emperor had the highest total magic pressure. But as long as time goes on, the emperor's magic pressure will decrease."

"Why did you start by declaring war on the emperor?"

That's right. For some reason, Locke clearly sensed that the magical pressure of the Emperor's mental network system was steadily decreasing.

It was only because another supervisory examination was held to recruit talented individuals from across the land to join the mental network system as supervisors that the total magical pressure of the emperor's mental network system barely increased.

This may be related to the end of the world.

However, Locke and the other contestants have just entered this world, and their main goal at present is to build up their great magic as soon as possible and to prevent themselves from being eliminated at the beginning. Therefore, everyone's main focus for the time being is on fighting the emperor.

Undoubtedly, so far, the Emperor's native mental network has become a common obstacle for the four contestants.

No matter who it is or what they want to do, they are constantly hampered by the existence of the emperor.

If it weren't for the existence of the Emperor's mental network, Locke wouldn't have needed to hide his immense magic; he could have made his moon appear directly in the sky above this world.

"No matter what, we must first eliminate the threat posed by the emperor," Locke pondered.

At this moment, in the room where Locke was, there were many people from the capital who had just been recruited into the cult founded by Locke, and they were studying the classics.

The priestess and the other original followers were instructing them, while the gunslinger leaned against the wall, lost in thought.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on the door.

"Open the door, the inspectors are here to investigate."

Soon, an inspector wearing a scarlet wool double-breasted coat kicked open the door. He clearly possessed a power similar to that of the psychic magic school, and a flash of azure energy occasionally appeared in his eyes.

The inspector swept his gaze across the room menacingly. "Who's in charge here? How dare you proselytize in the capital? Are you all insane?"

"You have reportedly won over thousands of people in the capital within a week."

"Who gave you permission to do this?"

The inspector looked at the priestess, whose limbs were clearly stiff.

The believers looked at the inspector with fear. The inspector was the one who acted first and reported later.

Inspectors wield all power in this world.

Locke stood up, put down his newspaper, and then looked calmly at the inspector. "Missionary work? We didn't?"

The inspector glared at Locke. "No? Then what are you doing here with so many people?"

Locke nodded. "These are all leaders. They learn here, then go elsewhere and tell other people."

Anger flashed in the inspector's eyes, and he slammed his fist on the table. "What did you say?!"

"Arrogant! I'll bring you to justice today. How dare you preach in front of me, the Inspector!"

The inspector raised a flintlock pistol tucked into his waistband.

Locke looked at him calmly. "I've said it before, I'm not proselytizing."

The inspector angrily pointed at the books in the hands of the believers and said, "You still dare to argue? Then what are those books?"

Locke had a believer open a book and read the first page. The man, looking frantic and extremely excited, said, "The book says that it was His Majesty the Emperor who invented the steam engine, liberating our productive forces, which is why we can enjoy so many industrial products today."

"The book says that His Majesty the Emperor invented the electric light, so we can have light at night. The book says that His Majesty the Emperor invented the bicycle..."

The believers worshipped each other more than the last, and the world already had a serious tendency towards emperor worship.

Moreover, the emperor deliberately allowed the people to worship him, and even actively and secretly cultivated some groups that worshipped him as a person.

Therefore, people in this world generally worship emperors.

At that moment, the believers' eyes were all shining brightly. "His Majesty the Emperor invented everything in this world. We are all loyal to His Majesty the Emperor."

The believers stood up from their stools and shouted in unison, "Loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor!"

"loyalty!"

The believers held up the scriptures. "His Majesty the Emperor has done so many good deeds that we had no idea before. We used to blame His Majesty for leaving us hungry, cold, and forced to sleep on the streets, but now we realize how foolish we were."

"His Majesty the Emperor is building a future where everyone can live well and see green mountains and clear waters."

The believers shouted in unison, "Faithful!"

Locke calmly looked at the inspector, whose face flushed red. Under the suspicious gazes of the crowd, the inspector quickly raised his right hand and shouted, "Loyalty!"

The inspectors, seemingly distrustful, examined their books and confirmed that they were filled with personality cults about the emperor, though many absurd things were attributed to him.

The inspector was relieved and looked at Locke and the others with a hint of respect, saying in a gentle tone, "So that's how it is. You're not preaching, you're spreading the truth."

"Society is always tolerant of truth and justice. You just need to be more rational. Although His Majesty the Emperor is certainly great, you should not disrupt traffic."

“Yesterday, your march in the streets disrupted traffic, so someone reported you.”

The priestess quickly replied, "Yes, Your Excellency."

The inspector thought for a moment and then said, "Let me join this great cause. I also feel that society's current veneration for His Majesty the Emperor is far too insufficient. I would also like to introduce some of my friends to join..."

……

After the inspector left, the gunslinger looked at Locke with suspicion and asked, "What exactly do you want to do? Did you enter this world just to help the emperor and consolidate his rule?"

Locke sat in his chair, flipping through the book about this world in his hands. "Although it seems that way, our spread is quite rapid. In just one week, at least hundreds of thousands of people have read our book, and the inspectors, without the emperor's instructions, dare not make things difficult for us. Instead, they can only help us openly and secretly."

"The emperor was fighting on the front lines and had no energy to devote to the rear."

Locke laughed and said, "No, he probably doesn't dare to interfere with me now, and might even think he's lucky."

Gunslinger looked puzzled.

...At this moment, in the rebellious provinces of the Silent Plane, wherever the emperor goes, that place becomes the imperial palace.

In the newly moved imperial hall in this rebellious province, the emperor sat on the iron throne, his entire body shrouded in steel armor, and crimson light emanated from the eye sockets of his helmet.

In an angry voice, he questioned the senior inspector general before him, "Why isn't the rebellion over yet?"

The senior inspector general bowed to the emperor. "Your Majesty, the rebellion was quickly suppressed; it was just a mob. But the source of the rebellion has slipped away to various provinces, gathering another mob. After we suppressed them, they actually returned to this province."

"We have already killed many treacherous officials. Your Majesty, please give us some more time to oversee the investigation..."

“Those traitors are nothing but chickens and dogs, they are no match for our inspectors. Especially after you granted those inspectors the power to learn.”

The senior inspector general said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, our strength remains overwhelmingly powerful. I have already laid a tight net throughout the province, in addition to the third-tier gene-lock inspectors you have nurtured with your mental network."

"This time, we will definitely suppress the rebellion completely."

At this moment, the sky over the entire Silent Plane suddenly turned black, as if a dark world had descended, and everyone could not see their own hand in front of their face.

Then, in the next moment, a meteor came from the sky and fell to the earth.

'Boom~'

The meteor hurtled directly toward the capital and crashed into the palace. In an instant, the palace was razed to the ground, and the earth trembled.

Then came the second meteor, and then the third meteor...

As the number of those who pray to the stars increased and the prayer spells were completed, the skies of this world finally welcomed a comet plane from the astral realm.

However, as the three comet-shaped micro-planes descended into this world, the overall magical pressure of this world actually increased, which in turn reduced the emperor's control and suppression over this world.

The world's will, long suppressed by the emperor, is showing signs of stirring, reviving, and awakening anew.

The emperor, encased in his armor, raised his right hand. "Power from beyond the heavens? I need it."

"Another traitorous official."

At this moment, a mental network centered on the capital city unfolded, forming a vast net in the heavens, temporarily preventing the falling stars from the sky.

Not only that, the emperor also found a handle on those who prayed to the stars, and directly used a mental shockwave in that direction.

With a deafening roar, a factory belonging to the Star Prayer collapsed under the mental blast, killing many ordinary workers inside.

Meanwhile, in a restaurant not far away, Wizard Smith and the nobles and business tycoons he had won over were enjoying a sumptuous dinner.

Wizard Smith opened a plate of baked lobster tail, which was the main course, picked up his knife and fork, and said, "Thank you all for your cooperation. But I need many, many more people..."

"This number of people is still not enough."

The nobles and business tycoons he had won over all nodded in a fawning manner.

Wizard Smith was extremely pleased with himself as he enjoyed his meal. "I didn't expect this competition to go so smoothly. Now, among the four contestants, the total magical pressure of my ultimate spell is increasing dramatically every day. The total magical pressure of Edgar and Georgina's ultimate spells is decreasing every day. And Locke's progress hasn't changed at all."

“Locke, I told you long ago that you would regret lending me the Apocalypse Stone to help me perfect and upgrade my ultimate magic one last time. Now, all I need to do is use these natives to complete the construction of my ultimate magic.”

"I won this match. That emperor was really a hindrance; without him, everything I did would have been much smoother."

While Wizard Smith was enjoying his meal, he heard the natives of this world suddenly run over to report that an inspector was about to storm into the meeting room to investigate them.

The nobles present, especially the most powerful Duke Brissonnot, immediately darkened their expressions. "Inspectors, didn't you notice I was dining with you gentlemen?"

"Tell the inspectors not to bother us."

"Too late." An inspector kicked the door open and glared coldly at the group of nobles and business tycoons. "Without His Majesty the Emperor's order, how dare you gather here so openly? What are you trying to do?"

The inspector raised his musket and fired a shot at the dining table. The porcelain plate, struck by the bullet, shattered instantly.

Broken to the ground.

Screaming people were everywhere around.

Wizard Smith wiped his mouth with a napkin, a flash of displeasure in his eyes. "Kill him. He was just a dog of the native emperor. I think you should have been able to keep the news of his death a secret."

The inspector, with an arrogant gaze, immediately pointed his musket at Wizard Smith, demanding, "What did you say?"

The next moment, a nobleman's henchman suddenly crept up and plunged a knife into his throat, causing blood to gush out.

Wizard Smith smiled and said, "Now you're all in the same boat."

……

Meanwhile, Georgina Witch's charity work is also thriving.

Because the clothes were given away for free, and wearing them could protect against the cold and dampness, residents of all the provinces of the empire were vying to join the charity and receive the clothes for free.

In a short period of time, various charitable organizations spread to all provinces.

The inspectors' attempt to investigate the charity sparked a conflict, during which one inspector died within the charity, quickly escalating into a conflict between the inspectors and the civilians within the charity.

Suddenly, the zombie society, which was originally under the oppressive rule of the emperor, became a place of universal rebellion.

The problems that had been forcibly suppressed are now all being revealed under the impact of external forces.

At this moment, in the rebellious province, the emperor looked back at the mental network behind him. At this moment, due to the empire's instability, the total amount of magical pressure in his mental network began to decrease.

He had to go back to quell the rebellion; he had to deal with the charity, the force that summoned the stars, and the force that was openly rebelling right now.

But at this moment, he discovered that a force was helping him stabilize his mental network, which was continuously reducing the total amount of magical pressure.

what is that?
The emperor sent people to inquire, and it was then confirmed that several quasi-religious groups promoting his personality cult had appeared in the capital.

Clearly, it was the emergence of these groups that stabilized the total amount of magical pressure in his mental network, causing it to continue to decline.

Beneath the cold armor, the emperor let out a chilling laugh. "Those traitors always think I'm all alone, but they don't understand how this world, this country, works."

"Order an inspection, declare a state of war, and treat any suspicious individuals as traitors."

"Kill without mercy."

"I will destroy the charity, I will destroy those who summon the stars, and of course, I will kill the traitors. But those who are loyal to me will be rewarded. Propagate my orders to reward the groups that spread my faith in the capital and provide them with funds to consolidate their worship of me and spread it to all the major cities in the country."

"Hurry," the emperor said.

The senior inspector general replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

After he left, the emperor, beneath his cold armor, uttered a chilling statement: "I am the world, I am civilization, I am the nation."

"I will not allow anyone who betrays me to exist."

He raised his right hand, and a mental lightning storm swept across the rebellious province, instantly killing a large number of mortals within.

Since ordinary people cannot understand the mental lightning storm, in the eyes of others, these people seem to have died suddenly.

The emperor no longer cared about implicating ordinary people, so in an instant, he killed everyone in that area.

Meanwhile, inspectors stormed into the area and began searching for any survivors still alive, intending to wipe them out completely.

This plan was then known as the Area Annihilation Plan.

The emperor's answer to the rebellion was to ensure that not a single living thing remained in the area.
Three days later, the rebellious province was littered with corpses.

The senior inspector returned to the Emperor's Chamber and reported the situation to him.

The emperor then said, "Well done. The rebellion is finally over, and we can go back. At the same time, immediately cut off the grain supply to the three provinces where the charitable organizations are most active, and disguise all the grain in those provinces as commodities and send it out of those three provinces."

"As for those who summon the stars..."

A senior inspector spoke up: "My men have discovered that those people may have connections with some of our country's powerful figures. Does Your Majesty intend to pardon them simply because they are powerful?"

The emperor spoke up: "In this world, I am the only one with real power and wealth. The others are just parasites that I haven't found a reason to get rid of yet."

"Order them to be arrested as traitors and their property confiscated."

The row of inspectors in front of him immediately began to march in step, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty."

In a short time, the emperor's inspectors seized the opportunity to suppress the rebellion in various places.

Whether it was Wizard Smith, Witch Georgina, or Wizard Edgar, they all felt that the Emperor was an obstacle.

Only Locke, who was enjoying the meticulous hospitality of the high-ranking inspectors in the capital, thought the emperor was a really nice person.

Not only did he help him recruit at least a third of the empire into his cult in a short period of time, but he also arranged for high-ranking officials to entertain him and even offered him an official position, making him a senior inspector.

A senior inspector general said respectfully to Locke, "The Emperor says you have done well recently. Now, you are to be appointed as the chief inspector of the Inspectorate."

Locke asked curiously, "Is this a high-ranking official?"

The senior inspector general shook his head slightly and said, "Very important. It would normally require multiple rounds of examinations and a rigorous selection process to obtain this position. But His Majesty the Emperor, to reward your contributions, directly granted you this position, sir."

"The chief inspector is one of the highest-ranking officials in the inspection system. There are only two officials of the same rank in the entire inspection system."

Locke nodded slightly. It was probably an honorary position, a very high rank, but without real power.

It's a common type of thing that involves empty promises without any real substance.

It's just that I happen to need this thing.

(End of this chapter)