What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 287. The Mage's Foundation, the Scattered Locusts

Norland, the capital city, the Mage Association.

Chairman Estner was stunned when he saw the message from Han Reef Island.

"The king must go see him..."

The poor president suddenly felt a splitting headache.

But the next second he saw the "Ring of Knowledge" emblem representing Startown beneath the paper.

Okay, then it's fine.

The Wizarding Guild of Startown is comparable to top-tier powers such as the Church of the Seven Gods, the Wisdom Palace of the Elven Court, and the Mountain Barrier of the Dwarves.

This is equivalent to the Star Council being the sole representative of the world.

Let alone getting a king of a kingdom to meet them, even if the king were to serve them tea and water, he would have no choice but to accept it and would have to smile obsequiously.

However, such authorization is not easy to obtain, let alone a blank authorization, which means that whatever is written on it must be fully cooperated with.

"How exactly did Chloe get it?"

Estner was puzzled, but he didn't waste too much time and went to the palace himself.

He had a keen sense that something was about to happen, and his heart was racing.

The royal palace of the Kingdom of Norland could only be described as magnificent, but the White Palace, which was used to entertain foreign guests, was extremely luxurious, with every corner exuding the unique style and refinement of the nobility.

The entire White Palace is constructed from fish-patterned stone from the dwarves, which is worth one magic crystal per meter. This stone emits a gentle and invigorating glow.

The walls were adorned with paintings by numerous famous elven artists, and the tables and chairs were arranged in a magnificent and opulent manner.

Even the cups are luxurious ones adorned with silver roses—products exported by the elves.

The price of each cup is enough for an ordinary family to live a happy life with fish and meat for three years.

Every time Estner comes here, he can't help but marvel at how sophisticated the nobles can be. If he were to get his hands on these fish-patterned stones, he would definitely use them as research material.

He sat here and waited for a while.

King Norland, who had just reached middle age, strode over quickly, wearing a bearskin cloak and standing at least 2.3 meters tall.

Although his height makes him look like a humanoid monster, the king is actually quite handsome and rugged, with well-proportioned muscles and an energy that rivals that of young people. He is the kind of person who can attract a group of noblewomen and young ladies just by looking at his face.

He saw Estner sitting over there and laughed heartily:

"President of the Magic Association, you can't be here with good news. Did the lord of the North, Duke of Han Reef, send you?"

Estner returned the smile: "Mage Kroya is the lord of our Mage Association, and the Duke did not ask for the noble gold from the Heraldry Academy."

King Norland shook his head: "But this appointment was, after all, issued by the royal family. He is the Duke of the North, the Grand Duke of the Kingdom of Norland!"

The two are currently arguing about who is closer to Kroya.

To be honest, based on the level six mage strength that Kroya has shown on the surface, he is still a bit lacking.

But he does have many friends. Not only is Prince Miphiin willing to serve under him, but he also has friendships with elves and mermaids.

Moreover, he opened so many shops and carried out infrastructure work, all of which were part of a woven network of relationships.

If we take all that into account, then we can't just consider Kroya a "level six mage." He's already independent enough, even surpassing the power of that chosen one of the gods in the Gray Desert.

The title of Duke indicates that Kroya is still a citizen of the Kingdom of Norland, or at least that is the level of relationship.

Even a shallow connection is important.

The atmosphere seemed to freeze for a moment.

However, Estner still had a way and confidence, so he waited for a while.

Then, with a confident expression, he took out a piece of paper, stood up, and announced, "King Norland."

"According to the regulations of the Startown Mage Association, you must immediately proceed to the Northern Reef Island. Mage Kroya is waiting for you."

After reading it aloud, he placed the paper in front of the stunned king.

"..."

Orders from Startown.

The king looked at the paper with disbelief, then said dejectedly, "Mr. Chairman, you're forcing me to make a choice!"

In fact, the royal families of various countries are more or less related to the church.

Some countries have even invited churches to reside there, both to gain access to mystical knowledge and to enhance the prestige of their rule.

After all, faith is a great comfort to the common people and can effectively prevent some heinous incidents from happening. It is also very useful to the rulers.

So, in reality, the various kingdoms are all within the sphere of influence of the Church of the Seven Gods.

However, Estner now presented him with an order from the Startown Mage Guild, ordering him to meet a mage—meaning he was being forced to make a choice.

Should we choose the church or the monks' association?

This was perhaps the most difficult decision he made since ascending the throne, bar none.

"Of course, it's to force you to make a choice."

"Can the church provide you with food? Can the church help you quell unrest in various places? Can the church allow you... to sit securely on the throne?"

At this moment, Estner's expression sharpened: "Your Majesty, you must now make a choice: trust the Church, or accept the good intentions of our mage!"

The king sat there in silence for a long time.

In fact, Mi Feiyin had met him once in the capital before leaving. His proudest eldest son, once a holy boy like a divine messenger, was now surrounded by death and loneliness.

Miffy simply described the situation to him in a basic way.

As a king, and having conquered a country to establish a kingdom, he had extensive experience in governing and far more than Cloa had considered.

The crops that the Church of Mother Earth spread all withered and died... What a heavy blow this is to a country.

If he hadn't bought crops from the North from the Mage Association, the capital city would probably be in chaos by now.

Choosing the Mage Association seems like a better decision, but...

He sighed deeply and said:

"Suffering can give rise to faith."

"Being entangled by thorns makes one's faith purer."

"Chaos is determined by the contract, and order is thus brought to the world."

"President Estner, do you know where I saw those two sentences?"

Although he had a question, he didn't wait for Estner to speak at all, and muttered to himself, "These are the words inscribed on the wall of the Temple of Order in the Kingdom of Sethen."

"Isn't it ridiculous that a god would try to restrict more gods through a contract and bring some order to an already chaotic continent?"

Therefore He died, and I destroyed His kingdom.”

King Norland revealed an extremely subtle expression, somewhat sarcastic and somewhat self-deprecating.

"..."

Now it was President Estner who felt a little uncomfortable.

Is this something he should listen to?

Although he was indeed very curious as to why the Kingdom of Norland was able to overthrow the Kingdom of Sethen, which was protected by the Temple of the God of Order, in just a few years.

However, he really didn't want to know about these obviously problematic histories. He wasn't strong enough yet, and knowing them might bring him bad luck.

However, the king was determined to drag Estner into this mess, and continued, "Cardinal Eonar of the Church of Mother Earth Goddess came to my aid personally."

The Church of the Earth Mother Goddess played a role in every stage of the establishment of the Kingdom of Norland; it can be said that they helped me build the kingdom.

"So, my esteemed president, do you still want me to make a decision now: choose the Mage Association or the Church of the Earth Mother?"

His earnest question caused Estner to fall into deep thought.

Cardinal Iona, a powerful figure who commands the Thorn Tribunal, a legendary saint.

Will Startown confront this small country head-on?

If he couldn't give a definite answer, the king would definitely refuse him, and things would become even more complicated.

"certainly."

—Just as the two of them were thinking and waiting.

Swaying gently, beautiful blue daffodils suddenly bloomed here, their magic quickly blocking out any possible prying eyes.

The figure of the sixth-level archmage Celeste appeared beside her apprentice and patted the latter on the head.

He smiled reassuringly.

"The treasure left behind by Lady Ilster is what we use now. She foresaw everything long ago, which is why she deliberately chose to break with the Mage Guild and leave."

"The Church of the Earth Mother will not allow a legendary mage to stay here; it would affect their rule."

"Now, it's time to use it."

The beautiful archmage opened her palm, holding a small sphere in her fair hand. The surface of the sphere was covered with incredibly complex, cold, and profound magical patterns.

Blue and silvery-white light intertwined and shimmered.

Its mere presence was enough to make the surrounding air extremely cold.

King Norland and Estner stared in shock at the sphere held in the Archmage's palm.

The former knew that the Mage Association had a particularly powerful trump card; the latter knew a little more, but had never actually seen it.

"This is the culmination of Water Magic and Illusion Magic."

"It is also the ultimate destructive power in the magic of the Water element, known as the magic of the Annihilation of the Underworld."

After Celeste finished speaking, she looked at King Norland: "So now, Your Majesty, have you made your decision?"

"..."

Now that we've come this far, what's there to hesitate about?

Legendary magic!

This tiny magic ball can destroy an army and turn a vast area into a wasteland.

When it is truly compressed and concentrated to be used on a person, even a legendary cardinal would have no way to resist it.

The king took a deep breath:

"I will head to the North immediately."

He wasn't stupid; this was a rare opportunity to break free from the church's control, and he absolutely had to seize it.

……

The western border of the Kingdom of Norland.

Compared to the kingdom's northern border, the western border is slightly better. The terrain mainly consists of mountains of varying sizes, but there is also fertile soil and fields suitable for cultivation.

However, locusts treat all places equally, whether high mountains or low valleys. As long as there is food, they will come and devour it.

When Samir and Count Camoyer arrived, they were met with swarms of locusts, which blocked out the light of day like dark clouds.

Samir glanced at Count Kmoyer, who nodded.

"Pea Squad One!" Samir roared.

Immediately behind him, a line of pea shooters covered in resin appeared, raising their cannons high and firing pea seeds wildly.

"Bang bang bang!"

Each pea that hits a grasshopper the size of a rabbit explodes violently, with flames engulfing the grasshoppers that haven't had a chance to escape, as if the flames were alive.

The pea dust and the resin's allure ensured that the flames would never go out until they had completely burned the locusts to ashes, even as the locusts screamed in agony and scurried about.

Even when locusts collide with each other, the flames spread like a plague, instantly igniting a large swarm of locusts.

The fragrant resin masked the unbearable stench of burning locusts, and golden flames flickered among the swarms of locusts dancing in the air.

So magnificent, yet so terrifying.

"..."

The barely surviving villagers stared blankly at the sky.

They might not know what it was, but they knew very well that these things had saved them and burned all those damned locusts.

But before they could even show their joy at surviving the ordeal...

The locusts in the air suddenly gathered together, and as they gathered, they vibrated their wings, seemingly resonating with each other.

The wind appeared on their wings and, gathered by the locusts' resonance, formed a wind wall in mid-air, blocking all the peas that were launched.

magic!

These locusts really do know magic!

Seeing this, Samir's expression remained unchanged, and he calmly waved his hand: "Sonic Flower!"

Behind him, the ranks of Peashooters included some seemingly inconspicuous magical plants that looked like morning glories, raising their flowers towards the sky.

Invisible ripples emanated from the magical patterns on the petals of these trumpet flowers, penetrating into the swarm of locusts.

They were imprinted with tuning magic by Kroya—a magic that not only has the ability to correct but also to destroy.

The moment the sound waves forcefully penetrated, they completely disrupted the magic that the locust swarm was casting based on resonance. The locusts were like drunkards, dizzy and staggering.

Naturally, they have no way to stop the Peashooter.

More fire peas immediately rose into the sky.

"Bang bang bang!"

The attack was even more ferocious than before.

The magnificent golden light gradually devoured the black swarm of locusts, as if burning the dark sky and revealing the light of dawn.

Seeing this, the villagers felt genuinely grateful.

They emerged from their hiding places, trembling, and approached the Northern army, bowing respectfully in salute.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

This was actually a very bold move, because they didn't know who these nobles and magicians were, or whether they would take the opportunity to kidnap them.

But they really didn't dare to hide any longer and had no choice but to come out.

Looking at the trembling villagers, Samir said gently, "We are an army from the North, sent here by the benevolent Duke of Han Reef."

As he spoke, he waved his hand.

Immediately, several monks with bags hanging from their bodies came over and took out a pile of grain from their bags.

That little bag seemed endless, filled with corn, soybeans, rice, flour...

As mages, they could calculate roughly how much food was needed with just a glance. The amount of food they provided was not much, but the carefully prepared food was definitely enough for these villagers to get through this disaster.

The mercy and grace from Kroa can save lives, but it will never allow them to indulge in food and drink and descend into depravity.

The villagers were completely stunned and dared not move—they were terrified that this was their money to save their lives. This was how nobles usually conscripted soldiers: they would give them some food and take away all the able-bodied men.

While food is important, it's still a big difference compared to able-bodied young adults who can work and are the pillars of the family.

They were filled with unease.

However, something unexpected happened again—

After setting down the grain, Samir waved for the procession to continue, and the orderly procession passed by the villagers.

Only after they had completely gone did the villagers stare blankly at the grain on the ground and the blue sky, which had been cleaned up and seemed even clearer.

"Do they really not want anything?"

Someone asked the question that everyone had in common.

No one answered.

Perhaps they didn't know how to answer either, since none of them had ever encountered such a thing, but they all remembered the name "Duke of the Reef".

At this moment, and for many years to come, the Duke's kindness will be like a ray of light piercing through the dark clouds, something they will never forget.

By this time, the army, which had left the village and continued its advance, cleared away all the locusts along the way and left behind some food and seeds.

Their movements were incredibly swift; locusts, which would be difficult for ordinary people to deal with, were like ants that could be crushed with a wave of their hand in front of them.

And so, half a day passed.

They finally encountered their first nobleman—a count.

The count hid in his stone castle, initially not intending to come out, and coldly watched the powerful knights and mages advance.

He even ignored the invitation presented by Count Camoyer.

It was as if they were deliberately playing dead to deal with the situation.

Faced with such an incorrigible person, Count Camoyer personally took action, using the Sunfire Cannon to blast open the castle gates, and within half an hour, he captured the fat count and all his men.

They then bluntly declared that this cleared earldom was now part of the Northern Territory and belonged to the Duke of Han Reef.

Such domineering behavior naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of a duke.

But before he could condemn Kroya's domineering actions in the manner befitting a nobleman, Samir led the Seven-Colored Sunflower Battle Group to breach his castle.

All those who resisted were killed, not even the Duke was spared; it was extremely ruthless.

This is actually the complete opposite of the North's traditionally mild approach.

But it is precisely these ruthless methods that allow people to quickly recognize reality. Now, Cloa no longer wants to feign compliance with these foolish nobles.

Since you're unwilling to submit, you might as well just die.

Anyway, if you die, someone will always be able to fill the gap. With so many people, there will always be some capable people who can be found.

When the news spread, the remaining dukes finally learned what their neighbor, who rarely ventured out of the North, was planning to do.

He came to conquer!

How dare he?

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(End of this chapter)