Star Forge Titan

“…” Gustav raised his brows, his stern face didn’t change much, but he was obviously more relaxed than before.

"Tell me in detail." His Majesty the Demon King continued to ask without any expression.

"Although the reformists in Elrond have only emerged in recent years, and their leaders are young people like Frey." As he said this, Alvin looked at Afrediya, who gave him an encouraging smile.

"But the real reform began as early as the establishment of the academy by the previous Demon King or even earlier, and Your Majesty's top-down reform of the administrative system is a further social change." Alvin said in a steady tone.

Although he was not an Elrond player, he was able to make judgments based on his own knowledge based on the various phenomena that Afrediya discussed during the journey.

Despite the existence of something beyond common sense like magic, much of the knowledge in social sciences can also be applied to the countries in the world of Palladia, as long as magic is viewed as a complex of multiple elements such as productivity and military power.

"But this step has not been fully taken." Alvin changed the subject.

"I know too little information, so I'm not sure of the specific reason, but Elrond is currently in an awkward position."

"Further and thorough reforms will quickly untie the shackles and restore vitality to society. Even if we take a step back and return to the old system, we can at least ensure the stability of state rule."

"So, Elrond's high-speed carriage is stuck right now." Alvin spread his hands and made his final evaluation.

"However, our neighbors are making great strides forward." Gustav sighed and agreed with Ivan.

"Ahem, let's stop with the serious topic for now." Afrediya tapped the goblet in front of her with a spoon.

"Let's eat first. Can't you see that Otto is hungry?" The eldest princess looked at everyone with a smile.

"Uh, actually, I..." Ostolfo raised his hand slightly to express his objection.

"You're hungry." Afrediya looked at her brother calmly.

"..." Ostolfo shuddered involuntarily from head to toe and whispered:

"I'm hungry."

Chapter 36: Reaching Perfection

"Kayang! Kayang! Come here quickly!!!"

Lucius Sura's hoarse, shrill voice echoed back and forth within the towering Mage Tower.

This towering wizard tower belongs to Lucius. The pitch-black tower body is made entirely of large blocks of stone, and the overall structure is conical, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.

The magic power flowing out of the public mana pool circulates continuously along the active magic-friendly metal pipes with excellent magic conductivity buried in the tower, causing a flash of light to flash between the stone joints from time to time. It can be activated by the built-in magic device at any time to form a large magic shield covering the entire magic tower.

There are three similar wizard towers, distributed in a triangular shape in different directions on the same low hill. Thick chains made of corroded iron connect the upper wizard tower to each other, blocking the low hill in the middle within the range of the chain.

Hearing that cry, which sounded like a night owl, Khayon didn't even have time to wait for the hovercraft to rise to his floor. He ran quickly along the spiral staircase in the center of the tower to the archmage's residence at the top of the tower.

The two large undead guarding the gate lowered their bodies, with a strong smell of preservatives on their bodies. A beam of red light was emitted from their empty eye sockets, sweeping across the person who came over. Then the red light turned green, indicating that he did not have any dangerous items on him.

Before he even entered, Khayon had already adjusted the calm expression on his face to one of nervousness and panic.

When the large undead opened the heavy stone door, the young black-robed wizard rushed into the study, gasping for breath and looking embarrassed.

"Teacher, you, you called me?" Ka Yang asked hurriedly while holding the bookshelf next to him.

"...Be more respectable. You are a noble spellcaster." Lucius Sura glanced at the apprentice unhappily.

During the initial learning stage, the students ahead of Khayon framed each other and performed the traditional art of the School of Undead. In the end, it was this xenophobic and mediocre guy who managed to become the chief apprentice by chance.

Perhaps it was because he became the chief by luck that he always performed better than the worst after becoming their apprentice.

To be honest, Lucius was indeed a little disappointed.

However, at least this apprentice has made great achievements in handling miscellaneous tasks, allowing me to devote more energy to research and not waste too much time on tedious matters.

He is also diligent enough and will take the initiative to do whatever he is asked to do, but he really has no talent in magic research.

Forget it, it's just a second-level mortal servant anyway, there's no need to think too much about it. If it's really unusable, just replace it with a more suitable one.

Even as he pondered this thought, Lucius remained expressionless, his wrinkled, pale face as stiff and rigid as a dead person.

"Did you know that the eldest princess has returned to the capital?" the great wizard asked. In his hand, he held a cup of sticky potion with black-green bubbles, from which a light green mist resembling a vengeful skeleton slowly emanated. His eyes were staring at a dry potted plant on the desk.

Khayon took one glance and quickly lowered his head. He knew that it was a rejuvenation potion made from the desire for life in the human soul.

On the small plate on the desk in front of Lucius were pieces of whitish raw meat, on which tiny white objects could be vaguely seen wriggling. The great wizard would occasionally poke up a piece with a fork and swallow it directly into his stomach without doing anything.

"I heard that person has returned to Schönbrunn Palace, and the notification from the insider came too late, so we didn't have time to react." The black-robed wizard said quickly with his head down.

"Well, so we've probably been exposed. It's all because of that useless waste, Kelu Wejes." Lucius said calmly, as if he didn't have any negative emotions at all.

But Khayon knew that if Kelu's soul had not been taken away by him halfway and then forced to ascend to heaven by pouring two bottles of holy water, it would most likely have been recalled by the seemingly calm wizard in front of him and made into a soul prism.

They are then tortured with hellfire for many years, and eventually consumed as materials in experiments, or simply traded with demons in the Outer Abyss or Deep Hell.

No matter what, there is not much difference between the apprentices and servants under Lucius. If they fail even once, they may end up in a situation worse than death.

Even he himself, if he had not had some relationship with Gaius Marius, another high-ranking figure in the School of Necromancer, might have been used as material when he failed to delay the mission last time.

"But it doesn't matter. The production of the Apocalypse-class Soul Colossus - The Death Rejecter is progressing smoothly. All we need to do next is to delay for enough time. Even the Gusmith royal family will have no choice but to compromise in the end." Lucius showed a confident look.

"But His Majesty Gusmith is a..." Khayon hesitated to speak.

"That was when he was young. Now, he's just an old lion. Even if we don't take care of him, he will die of injuries in a few years." Lucius interrupted the apprentice.

“When I complete the creation of the Death Rejects, I will use them as a medium to connect to the power of my God. By then, a fifth-order perfect being who is too seriously injured to use his power will not be able to change the future of this land and this country.” At this point, Lucius changed his previous indifferent expression.

After drinking the potion in the cup in one gulp, he stood up excitedly and paced back and forth in the study.

"This will be their fate! It's also my fate! A fate that refuses death!" As white resentful smoke emerged from his facial features, the wrinkles on Lucius's face quickly faded, and he returned from his old and decrepit appearance to that of a robust middle-aged man.

Khayon lowered his head, knowing that this seemingly simple change also meant that dozens of souls were consumed.

Although he really wanted to ask how he was sure that the other party could not use his power, considering the arrogant character of the guy in front of him, he did not want to lose his life for the sake of momentary pleasure.

"Teacher, is there anything I can do?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Lucius frowned unhappily.

"I need more time, but the royal family can't remain indifferent to the assassination, so..."

"So..." Khayon repeated in a low voice.

"I need someone to do something to distract them."

"But don't take it too seriously. Even if the royal family issues an arrest warrant, due to the complex political situation in Elrond and the existence of the Master, without solid evidence, they will at most meet us in court." Lucius looked at the low hills surrounded by three magic towers and smiled coldly.

"No matter which country, no fourth-level crown mage has ever been sentenced by a court."

"If you can convince Gaius to stand on our side, our chances will be even better. Unfortunately, that guy has always refused to accept the gift of our God and is only willing to cooperate with us in a limited way." Lucius shook his head, looking as if he couldn't understand the other party.

"The Immortal Army? Oh, without the power of our god, their plan is nothing but pure madness, an act of madness driven solely by fear of Lind."

"Teacher, why are people of Lord Gaius' generation so wary of Lind's changes?" Khayon couldn't help but ask softly.

"You are still too young. You haven't experienced the great war between humans and demons a hundred years ago." Lucius' voice changed a little, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

"That is the real hell. Human lives are being cut down like grass, while the wild dogs roaming the battlefield are as fat as wild boars. Their eyes are glowing red and they are not afraid of humans at all, because these beasts have a freshly severed hand for breakfast, a ripped open stomach for lunch, and a firm and chewy thigh for dinner." A wrinkle suddenly appeared on the face of the great wizard who had just regained his middle-aged appearance.

He quickly stopped talking, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, mobilizing the magic power in his body to promote the effectiveness of the potion and make the wrinkle fade away again.

"Gaius was also a low-level mage who stepped onto the battlefield back then. It seems that even after a hundred years, he has not been able to escape from that bloodstain." Lucius shook his head.

What about you? Lucius Sura, a fourth-tier crown mage and a devout believer in the evil god, did you manage to escape that bloodstained battlefield?

Khayang buried this fatal question deep in his heart.

Through years of observation, he knew how much his mentor feared death and how much he rejected aging, but he still couldn't figure out why he was so afraid of death and rejected aging.

Perhaps, the words spoken just now during that emotional turmoil can provide some explanation for this.

"Let's get back to the topic. I need you to continue to provoke conflicts between conservatives and reformists." Lucius mentioned a few names and how to deal with them, then signaled Khayon to leave.

Before the black-robed wizard left, the great wizard suddenly said something that stunned him.

"Kayon, if Gaius stood before me, what would you choose? He has helped you in the past and was once your closest protector."

"Of course I will stand on the side of my mentor. After all, you are my current mentor." The young black-robed wizard said without hesitation, and deliberately emphasized the word "now".

But his hands hidden in his wide sleeves were clenched tightly, and he almost used up all his willpower to stop the trembling of his voice, as if he was saying the most true words.

"Well, that would be great." Lucius waved his hand to signal him to leave.

So, Ka Yang hurriedly bowed and left the study room that made him sweat profusely.

"Is this young wizard the disciple you chose? He doesn't seem to be very good." A voice came from the dry potted plant on the table.

The originally dried-up plants actually revived little by little, but they looked sick and distorted as a whole, revealing an unnatural vitality, while also carrying strong signals of aggression, like a brutal predator occupying a high position in the ecological chain.

"Of course not. I'm not yet at the point where I need a successor. Even if I do, I won't choose such a mediocre person." Lucius said coldly.

Then, he used the Mage's Hand to summon a map of the Avonmore sewers out of thin air.

Due to several expansions, Avonmore's underground sewer network has become a man-made underground maze. Even with a map, it is difficult to ensure that all areas can be explored smoothly.

"Continuing from what I was saying, I want you to enter the city sewers and leave spell marks in these places."

"Wow, that's a big deal. It seems like you're ready to go against the entire civilized world." Looking at the huge sacrificial array that was connected to each other and covered the entire Evanmore, the unidentified assistant let out a series of strange laughs.

"As long as I can obtain the blessing of my God, these are all acceptable prices." Lucius looked indifferently at the prosperous and huge capital city not far away from the window.

"Haha, to exchange the distortion and corruption of all lives in a thousand-year-old city for one's own eternal life, you are worthy of being a true believer in the Sore of Eternal Life - Nurse. This plan really makes my heart beat fast." The unidentified collaborator said in amazement.

"Then don't let me down, Mr. Collaborator from other sects." Lucius glanced coldly at the twisted potted plant.

"Don't worry, I don't want to ruin such an interesting show so easily." After saying that, the twisted potted plant quickly dehydrated and dried up, returning to its previous dead appearance.

"Hmph, a conspirator who can only hide in the dark and whisper." Lucius cursed inwardly with disdain.

Under the cold moonlight, he stretched out his five fingers toward the City of Tears outside the window, as if he wanted to hold the entire city in his palm.

At the same time, dinner at Schönbrunn Palace was over.

Ivan noticed that the Demon Lord Gustav held almost nothing, and he only occasionally drank some mulled wine with honey and spices from the cup in front of him.

This warming drink, made by heating white wine with cardamom, cinnamon, and pepper, has some health benefits, but it is no substitute for a full meal.

Because of the journey, Ostolfo soon began to feel sleepy, perhaps this was also related to the half cup of eggnog.

It is a hot drink made by beating egg yolks into wine or ale, stirring gently, adding sugar and spices, then placing the container filled with wine on heated charcoal and roasting it at a constant speed until thick foam appears. It is very suitable for drinking in cold winter.

In Elrond, even underage children can drink a little of this drink, which is more like a dessert than wine.

Seeing Ostolfo's little head start to nod like a woodpecker, Afrediya stood up with an expression that said 'I really can't do anything with this kid', picked up her petite younger brother, gave Ivan an encouraging look, and left the restaurant first.

The maids came forward to clear away the leftovers, and then only the Demon Lord Gustav and the young barbarian from the northern glaciers were left in the room.

"Since little Frey is not here, let's continue with the previous topic." Gustav coughed lightly a few times, then looked at Ivan with a slightly approving look.

Although he didn't know much information, the young man was able to clearly point out the biggest dilemma facing Elrond.

This made him slightly satisfied, but he was still a long way from being truly qualified.

"How do you think Elrond can get out of his current predicament?" His Majesty the Demon King leaned back in his chair, supporting his head with one hand and asked calmly.

"It's hard to say the specific details, but generally speaking, it's probably about easing conflicts and continuing to promote social reform." Alvin also leaned back in his chair. The delicious food made him feel much more relaxed than during the journey.

This kind of problem might be too difficult for ordinary young people in Palladio. Even the children of nobles at this age have probably not completed their studies yet.

But he has a vision that transcends the times by thousands of years, and even if he only refers to the content in history books, he can still give some key suggestions.

After traveling through time, Alvin's thinking ability has become better and better, allowing him to clearly recall all the books he has read in the past.

"Tell me in detail." A trace of solemnity slowly appeared on Gustav's face. The other party's casual words were surprisingly very close to the conclusion he came to after careful consideration.

"From the perspective of stability, the conflict between the reformists and the traditionalists is not impossible to ease. We can just set up a parliament and put them in." Alvin said lightly.

"Something like the Senate in ancient countries?" Gustav was a little surprised.

"Almost, but the number of parliamentarians must be large enough to make them focus on quarreling rather than discussing matters." Alvin shrugged and casually made a suggestion that was enough to make the traditional aristocratic forces vomit blood.

"That's a very creative idea." Gustav nodded.

“What happens after de-escalation?”

"Of course, we should continue the reform. The outbreak of conflict will result in a waste of national strength. If not, this part of the strength can naturally be invested in continuing the reform. After all, what you need is just time for young people to grow up." Alvin was so excited that he didn't notice the change in the attitude of His Majesty the Demon King.

"Royal Academy." A term suddenly came out of Gustav's mouth.

"Yes, a new batch of transcendents needs to grow. When they grow up, it means the complete liberation of productivity. The number of transcendents who reach the threshold of technological explosion will reduce the price of various originally expensive transformation rituals to an unprecedented level. And the large number of transformed creatures transformed by manipulating the lifeline can completely replace the low-level demon transformations that lack potential and waste human resources."

Ivan shrugged and described the Industrial Revolution that took place in history in another way that suited the local conditions of Elonde.

"The most fundamental purpose of this matter is to liberate productivity."

"By then, both agriculture and handicrafts will be replaced by completely new models. The production speed of food and other products will be greatly increased, and more people will have time to do things other than just satisfying their own food and clothing."