A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 649 You've Been Chosen, Young Man

Tower of Arts - Water Elemental Plane, Room 231022.

Alek held the pen in his right hand and pressed down on the letter with his left. His pen hovered in the air, and he seemed somewhat dazed. It wasn't until the salty sea breeze from outside the window hit his face that he regained some clarity.

The remnants of the empire and the palace-like starships were still vivid in his mind. Similarly, the images of the Alliance and the Magic Tower sweeping away resistance with overwhelming force were also lingering in his mind.

In retrospect, Count Richard's question about whether he was an "imperialist" had a hidden meaning—or rather, a deeper purpose.

Alec was very grateful that the Tower of Magic had taken him in, and very grateful that he had stood firmly on the side of the Tower of Magic. When the dust settled, Alec was almost unaffected, and neither he nor Jonas were exposed. They were secretly sent back to the tower to continue their peaceful and leisurely student life.

As for his parents and the truth behind the family's demise, he was unaware. Alek considered himself a realist, and he was influenced by the idea that almost all scavengers lived in the present.

Therefore, Alek simply recognized and accepted the reality: the Empire's nominally most powerful force, with the lords of the border lordates firmly on the side of the Magic Guild, was insignificant.

Even the existence of the Earldom depends on the patronage and support of the Astral Plane.

Recently, he heard news that the prime material plane was on the verge of collapse and had to be abandoned. He wanted to write to Vog, urging him to leave as soon as possible.

Jonas was also greatly shocked. He stopped reading books and just lay on his bed, repeatedly opening and closing the "Spell Drive Table" in his hand.

Alek understood this perfectly; who would have thought that Master Richard would be willing to use his own child as bait?

"The Alliance believes that the Imperial faction's target is Jonas," this is what the Imperial faction believes, and it is also what the Alliance hopes the Imperial faction will believe.

The Imperial faction believed they could conceal their true target: Alexei, the seemingly insignificant henchman of Jonas, who was actually the Crown Prince and the Empire's only direct descendant of the royal family.

Unfortunately, their scheme was anticipated from the beginning. Alec even speculated that he himself was living under the surveillance and control of the Alliance and the Magic Guild, and that he was bait for these old guards, until recently when he was finally put to use.

The only person who could give Alek any peace of mind was Vog, because he was a carefree dwarf. However, he still wanted to ask Vog if he knew anything about his origins.

Richard's explanation was that the pollution caused by the Mother Goddess that destroyed the capital originated from the capital itself, and might even have originated from Wilhelm II himself. His parents also perished as a result.

What is the truth? Can the Earl still be trusted?

A myriad of thoughts swirled in his mind, preventing him from putting pen to paper.

In the end, Alek wrote, urging Vogel to come see him as soon as possible via the Star Realm so they could talk in person.

As for Jonas, Richard's compensation was a large sum of money: 10 Alliance Vouchers. While writing a tearful letter to his mother, Jonas spent a week browsing the racing airship product list, still agonizing over whether to add lining to the color scheme, steering wheel, and seats.

Perhaps feeling bored, Jonas jumped out of bed and glanced at Alec's letter: "Why are you still writing such a long letter? Didn't I say I'd charge by the word?"

"Alright, after going through something this messy, I do need to say a few more words. How about this, I'll sponsor the news fee!"

Alek shook his head: "No need, thank you, I can afford it."

"Oh right, you guessed where that beast was raised. That mental institution was a trap!" Jonas recalled through gritted teeth.

"I'm going for a ride once the racing boat arrives! Alek, you'd better hurry if you want me to take you. The racing boat only has two seats, and sooner or later I'll find a girl to sit in the passenger seat, so you'd better seize the opportunity."

Alek calmly declined, which disappointed Jonas. Then he discovered what Alek had hidden under the letter.

"What's this?" Jonas pulled out two slips of paper, and Alec didn't stop him, letting his roommate see them clearly: "A one-way ticket for a luxury interstellar passenger cabin?"

"This is for Vogel."

"And another one... a racing boat order? Fully equipped? Your bonuses probably weren't that high!"

"In fact, the Earl managed an asset for my family. Although most of the real estate was destroyed in the disaster, my grandfather invested in many businesses when the territory was first established."

"The fund is currently operating well. Count Dalberg handed it back to me when I came of age, but he said I still need to learn a lot about investing, so I can only control the annual returns."

He had no other desires but was interested in rowing, which was said to be incredibly fast and exciting.

Jonas wasn't naive; he knew without a doubt that the royal inheritance was astronomical and that his father was an honest man who would never embezzle the money.

After thinking it over, Jonas's expression turned serious, and he immediately grabbed Alek's hand: "Big brother, I'm following you from now on! When your racing boat arrives, please make sure I sit in the passenger seat!"

The first thing Jonas did after positioning himself as the "little brother" was to insist on packing lunch for Alek, and no one could stop him. Alek only thought that he would pack lunch for Jonas a few times in the future to even things out.

Now, there is only one person left in the dormitory.

"How did it feel to almost become the last emperor?"

"It's not real. The empire doesn't even exist anymore. What's the point of fantasizing about the past?" Alek replied calmly. He quickly realized that the person asking him wasn't Jonas or Richard.

A strange voice.

He felt a chill run down his spine and jumped up from his chair. Alec held the control panel in his hand; he had actually mastered a little trick, but he didn't announce it out of consideration for his roommate.

"Don't be nervous, I'm Rorschach."

Alek realized that the speaker was not human; he was like a ghost, without a physical form, but his face belonged to a spirited young man. He had heard the name "Rorschach" too many times, and finally seeing him in person, his initial shock turned into a slight excitement.

"Don't worry about my state; you can think of it as a long-distance communication."

"I'd like to know, what do you plan to do with that enormous fortune? According to the data I got from the banking system, congratulations, Alek, you're at the top of the rich list."

"I want all the residents of the Frontier Territories to come to the Astral Plane. They're suffering too much on the ground, and isn't it said that the Prime Material Plane is about to collapse?"

Rorschach nodded and then shook his head: "That would make your allies suspect you of having restoration ambitions."

Alek quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. I can just provide the money without showing up! I'm not their leader, I'm just one of them."

"Good, very good." Rorschach said with some appreciation, "This is a huge project; it might cost you almost all your money."

"I'm willing, but I still want to own my own racing boat. Well, there's nothing else I'm holding back." For Alek, that number was too big. He felt that he only needed to take a small portion to live a very happy and comfortable life in the tower.

In contrast, sponsoring the migration of the last remnants of the Empire to the Astral Plane was, in Alec's view, the proper use of the family legacy, a way of fulfilling the final responsibility of royalty to its people.

"Having hobbies is fine, just be careful. Also, you can exchange rowing tips with an old man named Alexander Humboldt. He's too old to drive now, but he can talk endlessly about vehicles."

Rorschach fell into a muttering, almost soliloquy, thought: "Even the most tenacious steadfast can be good pioneers; these people are suited to be forerunners."

"Alek?"

"Eh."

"Besides sponsoring your people's journey to the astral plane, would you be willing to lead them to explore the unknown world?"

Alek thought carefully before answering: "If I can find a habitable place that doesn't belong to the Alliance, Valois, or any other country, then of course I'd be willing."

"Alright," Rorschach made up his mind. He told Alek to reach out his hand, and a ball of light merged into the boy's palm. Then came a small twig-like object, also enveloped in light, making it impossible for him to see its original appearance.

Alec blinked and found that after the two things merged, an illusory page appeared, on which was recorded the little trick he had mastered: [Stun] (Zero Ring) (White), followed by two words: "Enchantment" and "Oscillation".

Looking closer, there's another line of small print that seems to be commenting on the magic:

"The most basic enchanting tricks seem like they can be resisted by everyone through willpower and mental strength, but if combined with other spells and the casting frequency is increased, even high-level spellcasters will be disgusted to the point of nausea, 'you'll vomit until you die!'"

Before Alek disappeared, Rorschach left him with his last words: "Remember what you said today, and never forget it."

(End of this chapter)