Above the mage

Chapter 187 A Scroll of Waiting (Part 1)

The continent of Nolan is very, very large.

On this vast continent, stories unfold every moment.

Most of these stories are like a drop of water in the ocean, causing no ripples whatsoever.

But there are also some stories that, at first, are just like the most ordinary raindrop entering the sea, falling silent and quite dull and ordinary, but many years later, they set off a tsunami that sweeps everything away.

Nolan's year 9366.

The southeast corner of the Nolan continent map boundary.

A coastal area adjacent to the Strait of Nova Scotia.

This is the Nolan Continent's premier port and trading city, as well as the most important shipping hub between the Nolan and Terra Continents—the location of Linhai City.

It is the most prosperous city in the entire Mage Plane, without exception.

On the massive, magnificent, and majestic Sun Gate.

The four badges representing the four major merchant families of Linhai City shone brightly, symbolizing the enduring glory of the four major merchant families.

And that seems to be the case.

Linhai City, though no longer a young city, still exudes the vibrant energy of an eighteen-year-old girl.

As long as Linhai City exists, the four major merchant families that control the city will never decline, or rather, they will grow stronger with the support of Linhai City.

That should be the case.

History has repeatedly proven that human civilization, regardless of the system, time, or space, will inevitably fall into the atmosphere of "bureaucracy" once social classes emerge and structures are established.

Anna stood silently in front of the small building that belonged to the family.

As one of the four wealthiest families in this city, or rather, on this continent.

The small house belonging to the O'Kenley family was not made of gold as rumored; in fact, it did not have any golden luster on its surface.

But everyone in the family knows that everything in the family originated from this small building.

It originated from the original owner of the small building, a man named Eddie Oakenley.

Many years ago, before the Oakenley family was what it is today, he developed the first Oakenley alchemy weapon in a small building.

From then on, the Oakenley family began to be known as the Oakenley family.

This small building was later converted into the "Lingsi Building".

Within the family, any invention or creation that they deem valuable can be reported to the Lingsi Tower for evaluation and approval by the family.

The most outstanding among them can even rise to prominence overnight with just one invention.

Everyone has worries, even children who have been sitting in private magic airships since they were young, let alone ordinary people.

Anna is very troubled right now.

She had no idea that the family's Ling Si Lou (Spiritual Thinking Tower) now required money to report spiritual thoughts.

If I remember correctly, "respect for technology" has always been the family's motto, right?

The obese Grand Oakenley leaned against the entrance of the Spiritual Thought Building, looking at the silent and unsophisticated Anna, and asked expressionlessly, "Have you made up your mind?"

Anna gripped the neat but plain hem of her long dress with both hands and twisted it forcefully.

Upon seeing this, Grand turned around and made as if to leave.

"Wait, Lord Grand!" Seeing that Grand was about to leave, Anna couldn't help but call out to him.

Under his impatient gaze, amidst a rustling sound, she took out an exquisite crystal card that didn't match her attire.

"This is my husband's pension from the family. He has been testing alchemical weapons for the family for a full 131 years. This crystal card is all that's left for 131 years. Take it," Anna said with difficulty, her lips moving slightly.

Ge Lang took the crystal card and said, "Give it to me."

Anna then carefully took out a scroll that she kept close to her body and handed it to Grand.

"Lord Grand, this is Hosie's research. He has always been a gifted child, and this research is remarkable. You must help report it to the family," she couldn't help but add in a low voice.

The thought of the incomprehensible text and derivation process inside the scroll reminded her of the bewilderment she felt when she first encountered rune literature, filling her with awe and pride.

Because these things were written by her son.

Grand took the scroll, glanced at it, and walked into the Lingsi Building without even bothering to give Anna a perfunctory answer.

Anna watched longingly as Grand took the scroll and went inside, her hands still twisting the hem of her skirt, muttering to herself, "You absolutely must help report this to the family."

She knew how much open and covert ridicule and disdain her child had endured over the years, and how much suffering he had suffered.

As a mother, all she wanted was to prove that her child was great.

She firmly believed this.

She didn't understand anything about what was on the scroll.

Even though the contents of that scroll were always considered useless by others, a madman's delusional fantasy.

The rustic wooden door slowly closed.

As Grand Oakenley entered the Spiritual Insight Building, he suddenly sneered and muttered to himself, "Truly valuable inventions don't come easily."

"Reaching the top in one step—is it really that simple?"

As one of the directors of the Lingsi Building's review department, he was naturally not a useless person who only cared about money.

He had already examined the scroll Anna submitted and confirmed that it was worthless.

It was precisely because he determined that the money was worthless that he dared to extort money so brazenly.

"Basic rules of runes? Deducing magic circles through logic and calculation?"

"The magic circle wasn't constructed through rune modulation, but rather calculated on paper first?"

"Are the kids playing house?"

"A load of rubbish."

"What a ridiculous idea! It's laughable."

"What would it mean if these theories were to work?"

"This means that the core technology of the Rune family will be caught up by the Oakenli family, and the Oakenli family will become the only family among the four major merchant families in Linhai City to simultaneously master the two core technologies of 'alchemy weapons' and 'rune construction'."

Is that possible?

The O'Kenley family, along with the Igor family, the Ian family, and the Rune family, are the four major merchant families in Linhai City, jointly controlling the city.

Their business spanned two continents, amassing boundless wealth.

Each family possesses a core technology, which serves as the pillar industry of their respective family.

The core technology of the Igor family is the "magic airship." They possess the most advanced airship propulsion and weapon technology, and thus monopolize "transportation."

The core technology of the Ion family is the "Auric Crystal," which boasts high magic density, safety, longevity, and reliability.

They can compress the magic power from tons of magic crystals into a small crystal and keep it stable.

Whether it's an airship, a large alchemical weapon, or a super-large magic circle, their operation is inseparable from Auric Crystals.

Oric crystal represents "energy".

The O'Kenley family, on the other hand, possesses the most advanced magical alchemy skills, inherits ancient alchemical secrets, and is at the forefront of alchemical weaponry, creating countless amazing alchemical weapons.

In their magnificent workshop "Sea Furnace" in the coastal city, new crafts are born and circulated every day.

O'Kenley's alchemy products are in high demand worldwide.

Alchemy weapons represent "arms".

The last of the Rune families mastered the "Rune Construction" technology, which represents the power of the strongest individuals.

They have the largest number of rune constructors in the world.

Of course, because "rune constructs" cannot be mass-produced, the Rune family's wealth is not as great as that of the other three major families.

However, the set of eighth-tier rune constructs in Linhai City, which is also the only set in the world called "Hail of the Sea," was made by the Rune family and is now firmly in their hands.

This set of "Hymn of the Sea" alone is enough to make the Rune family's position as solid as a rock.

There has only been one Tier 8 Rune Constructor to date, so there is only this one set of Tier 8 Rune Constructs.

Now, some people say that it is possible to bypass rune tuning through calculation and draw magic arrays beyond one's level.

This person was merely a second-tier runemaster.

In Grand’s view, this was nothing more than the absurd and ridiculous naive fantasy of a low-level runemaster.

It's like the poor guessing that the nobles must have two bowls of soy milk with every meal, drinking one and throwing the other away.

What is this if not ridiculous?

(End of this chapter)