Chapter Sixteen: Arcana (Please Bookmark! Please Recommend!)

The turn of events was so abrupt that Lando was left momentarily bewildered. He had thought that even if his aptitude was detected, he would spend some time studying at the Royal Capital’s magic academy. Who could have expected that he would have to leave this world so soon? The beginner’s quest was changing far too quickly.

Seeing Lando dazed, Mesut continued, “Three days from now, I will activate the world teleportation array. The two of you, along with Alice—three in total—will be sent to the headquarters of the Silver Tower. There, the Academy of our school awaits, where you will study for a long period.”

“Is Alice here for a mission as well?” Lando asked.

“No, she has reached the end of the first stage, just a step away from igniting her own Arcane Furnace. She’s come here for that reason,” Mesut replied.

Lando’s curiosity was piqued. “I’ve often heard of the first stage and the second stage. Can you explain them in detail?”

Mesut smiled gently, guiding the two to a lounge. Once seated on a plush sofa, a mechanical golem brought over several drinks.

“Thanks, Little One,” Carter greeted the golem, clearly familiar with it. The golem bowed respectfully and departed.

“That’s Little One, the intelligent core of my laboratory,” Mesut said with a smile.

“The strength of arcane mages is acknowledged throughout the universe, but as a profession, it also has its own universality.

“There are three stages for arcane mages. The first stage is the Arcane Furnace, which involves learning enough knowledge and constructing your own Arcane Furnace within your body. The construction method has evolved over tens of thousands of years in the Empire to reach an optimal standard. It mainly consists of three steps: nodes, framework, and furnace. Once you have built it, you ignite it and officially enter the second stage. Alice is at the stage where her furnace is constructed but not yet ignited; she’s here to use the power of the world as a catalyst to ignite her furnace, although a catalyst isn’t strictly necessary.

“The second stage is forging the Elemental Body. Once the Arcane Furnace is ignited, it never extinguishes, constantly drawing elements into itself. In theory, an arcane mage in this stage will never lack energy, though efficiency varies—after all, a stream and an ocean are incomparable. At this stage, the frequent convergence of elements continually strengthens the body, but blind strengthening is inadvisable. Thus, each school, and indeed each mage, adjusts their elemental frequencies differently, tailoring their Elemental Body according to their needs and knowledge. Other than managing these frequencies, there’s little else to do, leaving ample time for travel and learning—hence, it’s also called the Journeyman Stage. Mages travel to different worlds, expand their knowledge, or undertake lengthy tasks. Carter and I are currently in this stage.

“The third stage is the Mental Construct. I don’t know much about it, only that it involves building and sublimating one’s inner world. What matters is accumulation. Most academy teachers are at this stage.”

“Above that are the Legendary Arcane Mages,” Mesut concluded, taking a sip from his drink.

“I’ve heard Carter mention our school has two Grand Arcane Mages and over a dozen Legendary Arcane Mages. What level is a Grand Arcane Mage? Is it above Legendary?” Lando asked.

“No, Grand Arcane Mage is a special promotion among Legendary Arcane Mages. I don’t know the exact criteria. You can think of every Grand Arcane Mage as a Legendary Arcane Mage, but not every Legendary Arcane Mage is a Grand Arcane Mage.

“Grand Arcane Mage is far more than a title—their power and influence in the Empire far surpasses that of the Legendary Arcane Mages.

“The Arcane Emperor holds immense power, reputation, and status in the Empire, but seldom involves themselves in governance. The Empire is managed by an institution called the Arcane Council. Every Grand Arcane Mage automatically becomes a senator, and in any matter of great importance to the Empire, they have voting rights. Legendary Arcane Mages are merely council members, obliged to follow the final resolutions and execute them.”

“Execution rights...” Lando’s lips twitched. The term was apt—it meant orders came from above, and all you could do was obey.

“Moreover, if a Grand Arcane Mage wishes, they can apply to serve as the rotating Speaker. The Speaker serves a ten-year term, not elected but appointed by queue—meaning as long as they apply, their turn will come eventually.”

Lando listened in astonishment. A queue-based appointment system? Could such a childlike form of governance truly originate from a powerful Empire?

Seeing Lando’s shock, Carter shrugged and said, “Though there are many Grand Arcane Mages in the Empire, rarely do several apply at once, so waiting to become Speaker doesn’t usually take long. Sometimes, no one applies, and the Council must designate a Speaker.

“So now there are two rules: first, a newly promoted Grand Arcane Mage is automatically put in the queue for the next Speaker term. Unless there’s a special reason, they may only delay, not withdraw, so they can quickly familiarize themselves with the Empire’s structure. Second, when no one applies, the school with at least two Grand Arcane Mages must provide someone to serve as Speaker by rotation.”

Lando now understood the crux of it. In a world where power resides in the individual, the Speaker may have boundless prestige, but above them stand twelve Arcane Emperors. Attempting to use the Speaker’s position to dominate the Council is impossible; instead, it only entangles them in endless trivialities, wasting precious time.

Of course, there were benefits—favoring one’s own school, resource applications, and so on—but there were certainly restrictions as well.

As for whether a Speaker might make a mess of things and throw the Empire into chaos? One must remember that every Grand Arcane Mage is an unrivaled genius, emerging from countless talented and powerful individuals. Their intelligence, wisdom, and resourcefulness are all top-tier. If faced with something beyond their expertise, the entire Arcane Council stands behind them.

“The Royal Capital is far from the Northern Realm. Carter, lend Lando your ship so he can bid his friends farewell,” Mesut said.

Hearing his precious ship would be lent, Carter’s smile froze, but he quickly replied, “I suddenly remembered I have unfinished business in the Northern Realm. I’ll escort him myself, and we’ll return together.”

Mesut shot Carter an amused glance.

Lando soon experienced the ship—more properly, the flying craft—whose intelligent core was named Veil. Its speed was astonishing.

He bid farewell to acquaintances and friends one by one, and finally told Viscount Moria that he would be traveling for a long time. Lando felt no lingering attachment, returning to the magic academy to await the world teleportation.

During that time, he saw Alice after her furnace was ignited. She seemed like a vast furnace herself, endless elements swirling around her, constantly radiating energy.

Carter explained this was a phenomenon born from igniting the furnace, which would vanish once the Elemental Body was forged.