Chapter 310 – 310: Mage’s Association Deliberation

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In a grand assembly hall, eighty meters long and fifty meters wide, capable of holding ten thousand people, stood a few figures—

—They numbered less than fifty and were concentrated in the center of the hall, making the entire space seem extremely empty.

However, it was these less than fifty people who had plunged the entire assembly hall into an alternate Demonic realm—an eerie, inexplicable light emanated from all members—the glow of Mystic Codes infused with magical power.

The hall was clearly divided into three factions—

One consisted of over forty people, while the other two were individuals standing alone on either side.

“The nobles of the Clock Tower are really friendly,” one of the lone-standing old men stated calmly, but his words sounded exceptionally jarring to the Clock Tower nobles present.

Just then, a man with green attire and a lemon-yellow hairstyle stepped out from the noble group.

“Director Kayneth, be careful. The other party has been continuously releasing hostility,” a certain noble from the group behind quietly reminded.

Kayneth waved his hand, signaling there was no need to worry. He then adjusted his collar and addressed the old man, “Since you two are also participants in this meeting, why bother exuding such killing intent? This could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“Hmm? You are? Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald!” The other lone-standing, gaunt middle-aged man stated with certainty.

“Oh? Since you know my humble name, there’s no need for me to introduce myself. Then, may I trouble you two to introduce yourselves?” Kayneth narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the old man and the middle-aged man, chuckling softly.

“That’s right. I am the Grand Alchemist of the [Atlas Institute], Peter May Zaha,” the middle-aged man adjusted the white robe, a specialty of desert regions, that he wore, and stated solemnly.

“I am Gravera of the [Wandering Sea],” the old man, dressed like a 19th-century English gentleman, removed his hat, performed a bow, and stated calmly.

The faces of the nobles behind Kayneth immediately turned grave.

The [Atlas Institute] and the [Wandering Sea]—organizations as famous as the [Clock Tower]. The overall strength of the three was comparable. And to resist the Holy Church, they jointly formed the massive organization that controlled the magical world—the Mage’s Association.

However, secretly, the Clock Tower controlled most of the Mage’s Association’s power. After all, the other two organizations adhered to a policy of seclusion, focusing on magical research, completely different from the Clock Tower’s active recruitment and training of magical talents from all over the world.

And most importantly, the three major powers of the Mage’s Association currently had no contact with each other, even maintaining a dangerously hostile relationship.

And for this sudden meeting, even representatives from these two factions were invited, showing the importance of the conference.

‘A major event!’ These three words continuously surfaced in the minds of the numerous nobles.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The sound of riding boots stepping on tiles slowly echoed.

Everyone’s gaze focused on the main door of the hall. There, Lorelei, clad in a white suit, her face cold, slowly walked towards the center of the hall. With her extremely rhythmic footsteps, the ponytail at the back of her head also bounced in coordination.

“Lady Barthomeloi!”

The noble Magi belonging to the Clock Tower bowed solemnly.

Upon reaching the center of the hall, Lorelei stood still. Her sharp brown eyes, like knives, swept across the faces of everyone in the hall, pausing slightly when they reached Peter and Gravera. She then spoke coldly.

“Alright, since the representatives of the Wandering Sea and the Atlas Institute have also arrived, let’s begin the agenda directly.”

“…” The faces of the nobles present immediately turned serious.

Lorelei, her face cold, lightly snapped her fingers. A virtual screen filled with text and images appeared before everyone present. She said icily, “This is the main reason for initiating this council.”

[January 17th, 6 PM: The True Magic User ‘Haru,’ walking the world, was sighted in Tours. Attendants: Eclipse Princess of Black Blood, White Princess of True Ancestors.]

[January 18th, 6 AM: The complete account of the Divine Spirit Descent incident in Tours. After the incident, Dead Apostle Sixteenth Ancestor, Lord of the Black Wing Gransurg Blackmore, missing. Twentieth Ancestor, Merem Solomon, missing. The True Magic User is suspected to be ‘God’.]

The hall fell into a dead silence, then instantly exploded into an uproar.

“A True Magic

user involved with the True Ancestor princesses? Hey, that’s ‘big news’! The magical world’s gossip columns can have headlines for another year.”

“Are your brains full of women? Look below! That True Magic user is actually suspected to be a Divine Spirit, and moreover, the God of our sworn enemy, the Church!!!”

“Damn it! I finally understand why the Church has had so many miracles in recent years! A Divine Spirit has actually returned!!!”

“This is a bit bad. When God wasn’t around, they already fought us openly and secretly. Now that God has returned, those fanatics will definitely go to war with us.”

Except for Kayneth, who had already pledged allegiance to Haru, everyone else’s face turned grim. For Magi pursuing the Root, going to war with the Church was truly not in their interest. But the current situation seemed to be beyond their control.

Listening to the discussions, Lorelei, who had maintained a cold face, opened her mouth several times but then forcefully closed it, looking as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.

“Lady Barthomeloi seems to have something to say,” Kayneth, having been isolated by the nobles present since it was known he had pledged allegiance to Haru, was the first to notice Lorelei’s subtle actions.

“My father’s intention is… to invite the ‘True Magic user’ to London for talks,” Lorelei’s pretty face turned as black as the bottom of a pot as she gritted her teeth.

Lorelei, having been treated like a prostitute by Haru, hated him to the bone. She wished for the Mage’s Association and the Holy Church to go to war—

—But she was ultimately a woman who prioritized family interests.

Since her father believed peace talks were beneficial to the Barthomeloi family, no matter how much she hated it, she could only endure.

The scene immediately quieted down.

Everyone naturally knew who Lorelei’s ‘father’ was.

For that old Magus who had commanded the Clock Tower for nearly a hundred years to propose this suggestion—no one dared to refute it. But at this sensitive time, inviting that suspected ‘God’ True Magic user to the Clock Tower?

The words ‘assassination’ and ‘decapitation strike’ continuously surfaced in the minds of the Clock Tower Magi.

“Oh, does the previous Lord Barthomeloi think the same as I do?” Gravera shifted slightly, the brim of his gentleman’s hat, speaking calmly.

“Oh? Does the old gentleman from the Wandering Sea have some peculiar ideas?” Kayneth raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised at Gravera, speaking softly.

The sudden sound of discussion in the silent hall naturally focused everyone’s attention. Inquiring gazes continuously projected towards Gravera’s face.

“Haven’t you noticed yet? The previous Lord Barthomeloi’s meaning is to invite the True Magic

user for a gathering!” Gravera sighed, speaking slowly.

“Even if you repeat it, apologies, due to the shocking intelligence, our heads are still a mess. Old sir, please clarify. After all, most of the representatives present are newly appointed heads,” Kayneth frowned slightly, speaking puzzledly.

A large number of young nobles behind, at most no older than thirty-five, all nodded. Compared to those old foxes proficient in schemes and intrigues, these young ones still couldn’t understand the old foxes’ thinking.

As for why the heads of the various noble families were all young, it was because the generational change in Magus succession was relatively fast, basically every 30 years. And the Clock Tower had just recently experienced a rotation period.

As for why the rotation—the reason was simple. All orthodox Magi basically aimed for the Root, continuously researching magecraft.

And researching magecraft naturally required a large amount of time and energy. If one also served as family head and held a position in the Clock Tower, how could one research magecraft, how could one reach the Root?

It could serve as a nuclear deterrent, ensuring family safety, and also add to the family’s magical heritage, providing tempering for the next generation who had not yet tasted the flavor of power or clashed with the demonic path.

Why not do it?

“If the intelligence is correct, the Wandering Sea’s research theme is Age of Gods magecraft, right? It seems you have unique insights regarding that suspected Divine Spirit True Magic user?” Peter, maintaining a serious, stern face, spoke without a trace of emotion.

“Ah, the leadership of the Clock Tower is still young… Alright, I won’t keep you in suspense anymore. According to my Wandering Sea’s records, among the known Age of Gods magecraft, 23 types can directly enslave Divine Spirits, and even 6 types can annihilate divine consciousness, thereby manipulating the divine body.”

Gravera pulled his hat brim down again, his wrinkled face full of gravity.

“Hiss! Meaning, that True Magic user might have eliminated God and directly taken his place?”

“How? That’s the Divine Spirit called the One True God!!”

“Why impossible? Isn’t True Magic synonymous with miracles!!!”

Arguments immediately arose.

The young heads argued until their faces were red, some even starting intense physical brawls on the spot.

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