Chapter 405: Chapter Fourteen

In the preface of Donilafa the Mage's own travelogue, he wrote about much of the work he did within the Society to prepare for his travels on the Farah Peninsula, and he even specifically listed the helpers he gained and some of the books and documents he consulted during the preparation process.

This elven mage, whose bloodline was primarily Forest Spirit with Human and Flower Spirit as secondary, even thoughtfully marked out at the end of the preface exactly where in the Society's library the books he consulted were located and the cost of accessing them.

General Gulatenie flipped past the preface and saw the table of contents, which recorded a series of experiences from Donilafa the Mage's trip to the Farah Peninsula in a standard book format.

Just by scanning the table of contents, the old general could tell from the chapter titles that this foreign mage had arrived in this ancient land during a time of intense conflict, when rebellions were being suppressed.

Just from the chapter about disguising himself as a merchant for the sake of convenience, he felt as if he were re-acquainting himself with the "old friend" sitting across from him at this moment.

He glanced at his old friend, then, following the page numbers recorded in the table of contents, quickly flipped to the section on merchant activities.

After just flipping through a few pages, he saw many old names buried in his memory.

Some of these people had died early on during the process of resisting the Empire, and being able to see their vivid names now, outside of his own memory, felt somewhat strange.

Others had died during the battles against the old nobles on the Farah Peninsula; although the situation was chaotic at the time, at least they had made contributions that he now considered worthy of affirmation.

And still others had died in battles against the original army of the church that later renamed itself from the Desert Tribes to the Sun Ring Church.

These were some of the names he least wanted to see; he felt somewhat sorry for those partners who had fought alongside him.

What made him feel awkward was that he also saw some names—former close friends, some of whom had died by his own blade. That was the last large-scale war on the Farah Peninsula many years ago, and everything happened after he had defected to the syncretic and changed Sun Ring Church.

Bang.

He closed the travelogue, let out a breath, and closed his eyes for a moment to settle his mood. Then, he nodded to Vice Dean Tianguang, who had been watching him from the side.

"Vice Dean, it seems that my friend here was indeed here to travel the Farah Peninsula. In this way, the assassination incident at the auditorium concert a few days ago was indeed a small misunderstanding originating from many years ago."

The old general finished speaking slowly, and as the Vice Dean nodded to show he understood, he raised the book in his hand: "Then Doni, may I borrow this travelogue for a while? I need to go home and take a look; I am very curious about how you described me in the book."

Donilafa the Mage awkwardly covered his face with his hand, shielding most of it: "You may, if you wish to know more. I will give it to you; I still have some copies of this travelogue about the Farah Peninsula."

The old general sheepishly tucked the book into the storage pouch on his Armor Belt. He suddenly didn't want to see the contents inside anymore; Doni definitely hadn't said many good things about him. After all, when he was young, although he had always been a formidable fighter, his ignorance and recklessness were also famous.

The old mage smiled and took a deep puff from his pipe: "It seems this little misunderstanding has been resolved. I hope the Sun Ring Church can inform everyone of this news as soon as possible, so that the people of Tatulongs can relax from the mood of the recent major searches."

He tapped his pipe on the tabletop, adjusting the otherworldly tobacco inside: "After all, in a few days, the famous Great Sea Storm will arrive. I am looking forward to it; although I have traveled extensively, I have never seen the Great Sea Storm that appears on the north and east sides of the Farah Peninsula with my own eyes."

Koni the Mage, who had been sitting to the side and hadn't said much, also added excitedly: "I am also very curious about the specific situation of this Great Sea Storm. I have only heard about it in stories before, and the descriptions by bards have always been very exaggerated, but all descriptions of the Great Sea Storm are especially exaggerated."

The other three in the room exchanged a look with a tacit understanding.

"The Great Sea Storm of our Farah Peninsula will surely surprise the honorable President of the Northern Magic Society and the mages visiting this time. Although I am a local, no matter how many times I experience it, the Great Sea Storm always fills us with awe. Every time this moment arrives, my reverence for my Lord becomes even more devout," said Vice Dean Tianguang with his hands pressed together.

Donilafa the Mage nodded: "The Great Sea Storm is truly magnificent. President, I once spent some time trying to understand the principles of its annual formation, but I never succeeded. I hope you can enlighten me."

The old mage chuckled: "I am not omniscient or omnipotent; I will have to see the specific situation before I can say."

General Gulatenie muttered: "During the Great Sea Storm, there are surely many remnants of the Empire and the old nobles stirring up trouble. I hope that during this year's Great Sea Storm, those mages won't do anything too strange."

"Rest assured, although they act a bit uniquely, I have given instructions that they will not cause any harm while traveling."

General Gulatenie did end up 'enjoying' the Shrinking Magic he had requested that day. However, he did not reveal a single bit about this matter afterward. The few mages present at the time naturally wouldn't go around talking about it, and Vice Dean Tianguang, who was accompanying him, was also a high-ranking church priest who kept his mouth shut.

The day after the meeting, a batch of identification badges produced by the church overnight was sent to Koni the Mage, and subsequently, the old mage used Magic to ensure all the mages accompanying them received the identification certification produced by the actual controllers of the Farah Peninsula—the Sun Ring Church.

Having this thing meant that these mages from outside the territory had received the recognition of the local controllers, which would greatly avoid the occurrence of some misunderstandings.

Mages are all very strange, especially those around the old mage; because they focus more on the exploration and construction of the mysteries of Magic compared to other things, their thinking is particularly different in many matters.

After resolving these matters, the old mage and Koni would also wander around Tatulongs Seaport City in their spare time while waiting for the approaching Great Sea Storm.

At this moment, they were strolling through a market in Tatulongs Seaport City.

The military searches of the past few days had still brought a lot of inconvenience to the residents, especially by delaying the days the residents had to repair and reinforce their own roofs and the water storage tanks at the bottom of their houses before the arrival of the Great Sea Storm.

The market where the two of them were strolling sold everything and had distinct characteristics. Since the time was nearing the Great Sea Storm, tools and materials for repairing houses were selling particularly hotly.

Residents wearing headscarves to block the sun were scrambling to buy these things, while cursing the troublemaker who had caused them to have to scramble to buy them at this moment.

The Sun Ring Church had already vaguely glossed over the so-called assassination incident from before. Although the Imperial officials who nominally managed this place scoffed at this and expressed strong concern about the assassination incident in public, the new local power-holders who had received instructions from the church knew that although they still didn't know the reasons behind the specific assassination incident, since the church no longer valued the assassination incident, they naturally had to cooperate with the church to downplay the matter.

"Donilafa the Mage won't like hearing these things," Koni said with a chuckle, rubbing his nose.

The old mage observed the repair tools and materials for a while, then looked at the local residential buildings outside the market not far away, nodded knowingly, and picked up where his student Koni left off: "That might not be certain; our 'good friend' Donilafa, he is everyone's good friend, after all."

Koni understood the old mage's words and smiled.

Because Koni the Mage was wearing the attire of a high-ranking Noble and had a Noble Emblem hanging on his chest, people around them kept their distance as they walked through the market.

A vacant space spontaneously opened up in the crowded market.

The two mages naturally knew that this was just a way for ordinary residents to avoid trouble. In the eyes of the residents, these gorgeously dressed Nobles, especially young Nobles, seemed to bring trouble just by being seen on the road, let alone bumping into them.

"Look, Koni, these tools, and the moisture-proof and water-insulating materials. I can imagine how the people of the Farah Peninsula lived during the Great Sea Storm. And the scene of the Great Sea Storm." The old mage pointed at the things around him, shaking his head slightly and singing softly:

"The God of the Ocean roars at the sky, what is craved becomes a disaster."

"Ancient ancestors struggled to survive, the annual cycle melts into mud."

"Oases are submerged, surrounding life, the parched land becomes a vast ocean."

"Heaven and earth overturn, the sea is the sea, the sky is the sea, and the land is also the sea."

Shaking his head, the old mage strolled with Koni: "The early people in the northern part of the Farah Peninsula would have their hard-earned results of the year turned into nothing by the Great Sea Storm. Although it wasn't fatal, you have to know that the vast majority of their buildings were made from the soil of the ventilation outer pipes of Weaving Ant nests in the Gobi Desert."

"A friend of mine came here a long time ago; the houses at that time were fine usually, but once they encountered the Great Sea Storm, they would be melted by the excessive rainfall."

He shook his head.

"Actually, the Empire didn't do nothing; at least in the early days of the Empire, they did solve this big problem that plagued the residents of the northern Farah Peninsula."

"The Empire? How did they solve it? Teacher," Koni asked curiously. He knew that as the human who had lived the longest in this world, he certainly knew the stories of the past, even though he hadn't been to the Farah Peninsula.

"The upgrade of architectural technology!"

"Architectural technology? Just this?" Koni felt the reason was that simple? If so, why wouldn't the people of the Farah Peninsula have invented it themselves?

He shook his finger: "Naturally, it wouldn't be that simple. The traditional ventilation giant pipes built by Weaving Ants on the desert are not waterproof. That kind of thing is everywhere in the deserts and Gobi of Farah and can be very conveniently made into building materials. But once they encounter rainfall, the whole house turns into mud."

Gradually, they walked out of the crowded market and came to a main road that was not very wide.

"If it were in other desert regions, this wouldn't be a problem. After all, you know, desert rainfall is scarce, and compared to simple houses, the rainfall that can be drunk is more important."

Koni looked at the old mage: "The Great Sea Storm?"

"Yes, yes. The north and east sides of the Farah Peninsula have a Great Sea Storm once a year. The violent rainfall will melt everything that the people on this land have worked hard to build. Except for the stone buildings where the powerful and wealthy live."

The old mage pointed far off toward the bay on the north side of Tatullons Seaport City and said, "Actually, the resources of the Farah Peninsula are quite good; just heading out to sea puts you in vast fishing grounds, and in the desert, there are minerals transported from underground by shifting dunes, as well as spices from rare animals."

"However, all of this must be built upon the premise that the Humans living here can have stable dwellings. Otherwise, those precious things are just sitting there."

"Like entering a treasure vault but not taking anything," Koni interjected.

"Similar, but not identical. Fortunately, the nascent Empire represented by that friend of mine still solved this problem." The old mage stroked his beard as he said this, seeing Koni at his side with eyes wide open, looking as if the story was about to be told.

He smiled.

"The solution was not difficult, but the problem was how to popularize it. During the very distant Magic Empire period, the people living here used glass made by scorching with Magic Fire as a commonly used building material."

Koni stared, his eyes wide. For him, the ancient Magic Empire was only ever briefly introduced when the Magic Society trained mage apprentices; it was never explained in detail. Let alone news of how the people of the Magic Empire who lived here at the time built their houses.

However, he knew his teacher must know. The reason was simple: the old mage, who had lived for a very long time, was himself a person from when the Magic Empire had not yet been destroyed.

"And in the period after the Magic Empire was destroyed and the current new Empire had not yet been established, the people here could only use ordinary Weaving Ant ventilation pipe soil to build houses. Of course, the powerful and wealthy used rocks transported from very far away in the west to build houses that would not be melted by the Great Sea Storm."

"That friend of mine knew that the production capacity here at the time was limited, and it was impossible for the nascent Empire to invest heavy capital here to develop it, so he and his companions established a set of methods to ensure the building materials used by the residents here would no longer fear encountering water."

"It is actually very simple: it is just baking with fire. I know what you mean, Koni; it is not the glass baked with high-temperature Magic Fire from the Magic Empire period. Where would ordinary people have large amounts of Magic Fire to use?"

"So my friend took a fancy to some natural black oil minerals in the Gobi here, Gaia's Pus. These things are inexhaustible; once ignited at high temperatures, they can burn. Although they emit toxins, at least it is much more convenient, is it not? And it is easy to popularize."

Speaking to this point, the old mage stomped his feet and said, "Nowadays, all the big cities on the north and east sides where the Farah Peninsula's economy is good are built on the foundation of having a natural black oil mineral nearby. This is what he told me."

"The Weaving Ant nest ventilation pipe soil, after being baked, becomes a building material that is not easily penetrated by water. With these, the cities we see now could be established."

Koni said in a low voice, "But the nest soil baked after being ignited by black oil minerals must be black in the end, right? Yet from what I see, the buildings here are mostly earth-yellow or white in color?"

The old mage laughed heartily and pointed at the sun overhead: "My student, do not doubt the wisdom of Humans who have lived in one place for generations. Although they might not know Magic, they are at least not lacking in wisdom."

Koni's face flushed; he probably realized something.

After laughing, the old mage led Koni in a turn from the main road into a side street. It was even narrower here. Because the residential buildings were built very high and the distance between them was very close, one could only see a small strip of sky overhead at this moment.

Taking advantage of the fact that there were no pedestrians entering or leaving this small street, the old mage walked to the side of a nearby building.

"Come, use some Magic to scrape off some of the surface of this wall." The old mage gestured to Koni.

Koni scratched his nose and lightly wiped his hand across the wall; an earth-yellow glow of Magic Power flashed by. Because it was not formal Magic, there was no need for similar Magic structures or incantations.

The bright, earth-yellow rough wall was wiped by Koni's hand, revealing the black brick wall underneath.

Koni suddenly realized: "Is it because of the temperature of the sun's rays?"

The old mage nodded and pointed at the local residents walking on the main road: "Look at their clothing; they are all light-colored garments. These are all cooling methods to avoid the light shining on the body. If human attire is like this, the buildings people live in are naturally the same. Otherwise, the house would be too hot to stay in during the day."

The two seemed to sense something and walked away quickly.

Subsequently, the Fish Bone Window on this wall was opened by someone, and a middle-aged man poked his head out to check: "Who is talking at the base of my wall? Hmm, no one?"

However, when this person looked down, he was furious: "Which family's brat is causing trouble again! Get out here!"

But the two mages had already walked far away.

After turning a corner, the two mages slowed their pace.

The old mage said solemnly, "Similar wisdom exists in the Northern United Kingdom. In the far northern countries and some tribes, their houses are painted on the outer walls with charcoal ash as much as possible, making them pitch black. On one hand, it is because they culturally feel that black is more serious and solemn; on the other, more practical aspect, buildings painted with black charcoal ash are slightly warmer than buildings of other colors on cold days with less sunshine. Especially in ordinary residents' homes; they do not have the complex heat-insulating layers built into the walls of the tall manors of the powerful and wealthy. Nor do they have the well-laid-out Magic Heater in a mage tower."

Koni suddenly realized; he had never paid attention to these things before. After all, when he was at home, as a child with Magic potential, he had lived in luxury since he was young. In places he could see and could not see, there was luxury and investment everywhere that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

And after arriving at the Northern Magic Society, he naturally stayed in a society that was truly astonishing.

The interior of the society's buildings was temperature-controlled. In places that he and many mages or mage apprentices did not realize, various precise Magic Instruments and apparatuses were silently maintaining the temperature in every place.

Although mages are not afraid of the cold.