Chapter 191: Even If I Die, I Must Die in Weilan (23)

Weilan's capital, Thus: Bai Tian E Bao.

In the castle's lakeside district, there is a massive waterborne observation platform, originally used by the Earl of Mont County to admire the beautiful lake scenery, and now it has been converted into a venue for the Arcane Exchange Conference.

On this day, the opening ceremony of the Arcane Exchange Conference takes place, and the entire lakeside district is in a semi‑open state.

Anyone with a clean background, as long as they spend a little money to buy a ticket, is allowed to enter the lakeside district for a visit.

Tickets aren't cheap; they require 100 g of Lei, which blocks some people, yet even more pour in, crowding the lakeside district into a sea of humanity.

Of course, not every part of the lakeside district is open; only invited mages may enter the conference venue and its surrounding area.

That group isn't small either, close to ten thousand.

The opening ceremony is about to begin, and the invited mages rush toward the venue.

About half of these mages come from Kao, two tenths from Levinde, another two tenths from various duchies, and the final tenth hail from Aaron across the strait.

In fact, a large number of Aaron mages were invited, but due to the king's edict, many could not make it over.

After all, mages have families and must consider worldly affairs.

Nevertheless, a group of Aaron mages ultimately placed the pursuit of the Arcane above personal gain.

That group numbers a little over two hundred, all declaring they will never return to Aaron and risking their futures to come to Weilan.

Since they are all renowned mages of the Alliance, despite hailing from different Alliance nations, many are friends who regularly correspond and exchange Arcane insights.

Various greetings ripple through the crowd.

Having served a few days as Minister of State, the Arcane Master Rui Fa, who was dismissed by the Lion King, also attends the conference, walking with his two apprentices, when a voice suddenly comes from behind.

"Rui Fa, why are you here too?"

The speaker is an old master from Kao, none other than the former Master Luowakado who built the floodcrossbow for Luosen.

Master Luowakado naturally has no remarkable Arcane achievements, but in Kao he scouted talent for Duke Weilan, and to date has supplied Weilan with over 800 Arcane specialists across various fields.

Many people, thanks to his recommendation, achieved great progress in Weilan and naturally feel grateful for Luowakado's referral.

For this Arcane Exchange Conference, he naturally became one of the invited mages.

It so happens that Luowakado knows Rui Fa, having known each other for many years, and their relationship is quite good.

Rui Fa walks over and gives Luowakado a light hug: "Oh~ my old friend, I thought you were too old to walk, but you're still so spry."

The two are about twenty years apart; when young, Rui Fa studied at Kao's Mist Sea Arcane Academy, where Luowakado was a lecturer and gave him much assistance.

Luowakado chuckles, walking side by side with Rui Fa toward the venue: "That's thanks to the Duke's healing elixir, which cured my long‑standing ailment."

Such healing elixirs are not rare in the Arcane world, so he says little and instead asks, "I heard you served as Minister of State for Dange; how do you find time to attend?"

At the mention, Rui Fa's face flushes with anger, spitting at the ground: "Ugh~ don't bring that brute up with me!"

"The recruitment sounded so nice, saying they would humbly accept voices from the people, letting every talented person fully unleash their abilities."

"I actually believed that nonsense, rushed to answer the call, and smoothly got the position."

Luowakado shrugs: "Isn't that fine?"

Rui Fa snorts coldly: "Guess what happened?"

"I turned out to be the third Minister of State, meaning that in less than two months, three people have held the post."

"At first I didn't notice, just thought it was due to unsuitability, and I wanted to assist as best I could, but—ugh!"

He, still angry, spits another mouthful at the ground: "I came to the conference, already committing treason, but it doesn't matter; I never want to see that damned brute again in this life!"

Luowakado sighs lightly, patting his older friend's shoulder: "Then coming to Weilan is right; Duke Weilan is generous and merciful, and especially keeps his word. With your talent, he'll surely employ you heavily."

Rui Fa is naturally tempted, yet he dares not hold great expectations, for every mage who came to Weilan this time is exceptionally talented.

Many of the mages are young and gifted, and in comparison he has no advantage at all.

"Hopefully."

As they speak, the two walk into the hall.

Inside the hall are rows of semi‑circular back chairs, each fronted by a ring of small tables for writing, bearing nameplates, and at the front a podium seemingly set upon the lake's surface.

After they enter, an attendant immediately approaches, guiding each of them to their respective seats.

Rui Fa and his two apprentices are ushered to the front section of the venue.

Once seated, the attendant places a bottle of strange, transparent, pliable material filled with clear water on each person's table and briefly demonstrates how to open it.

Rui Fa examines the water bottle, noting he has never seen such material, takes a sip; the water is crisp, with no off‑taste.

"That's actually quite nice."

He looks around and muses: "Even though the conference is massive, this hall is truly plain."

Although he is a commoner, he achieved many Arcane results in his youth and has lectured at numerous high‑level Arcane academies of the Alliance.

Many academy lecture halls are far more grand and splendid; compared, an academy hall is like a palace, while this is like a simple stage cobbled together in a village.

Nonetheless, despite its simplicity, for a mage truly devoted to the Arcane, it's merely an insignificant flaw.

At that moment, a figure shifts nearby, follows, and Luowakado walks over again, sitting to his left.

"Old friend, why did you come over?"

Luowakado chuckles: "I had someone change my seat for me, haha."

Although he resides in Kao, he knows many in Weilan, so swapping seats—a trivial matter—is effortless.

Rui Fa, having left Aaron, is unfamiliar with Weilan, feeling lost, but with an old friend present, his heart steadies considerably.

"Luowakado, have you seen the Duke in person, truly just as the rumors say?"

Luowakado thinks for a moment and says, "Exactly the same is an exaggeration; no one is perfect. He gives me the impression of being extremely energetic, highly agile‑minded, empathetic, yet also very proud."

"Moreover, regarding keeping promises, it matches the rumors."

"Any promise the Duke utters, public or private, can be trusted completely; there's no need to worry about breach."

Rui Fa listens attentively, and upon hearing this, can't help but sigh: "Being able to keep promises already proves the Duke is extraordinary."

He has seen many great worlds and knows hearts are fickle; he has never encountered anyone whose words and deeds match.

Especially the noble lords, most of them say one thing aloud and do another in secret, hypocritical and deceitful, with no credibility at all.

Even the illustrious Lion King is the same sort of fellow.

As the two spoke, the seats in the hall gradually filled, with over ten thousand people arriving, crowding the venue to the brim.

Ruifa sensed carefully and found that among the over ten thousand, there were more than three thousand Light Arcane Masters.

Only a tiny fraction of them were original Arcane Masters; the majority had been promoted from High-tier Peak in the past six months.

There was also a small group of mages, about fifteen, who possessed a level of magical cultivation that even Ruifa could not discern.

Ruifa is already a Four-ring Peak Master, yet he cannot see through them; it is evident that the others are at least at the level of a Five-ring Sage.

So many Sages and Arcane Masters would have been unimaginable in the former Natural Alliance.

From this, one can see that the Duke's published "Luosen Cultivation Record" is unquestionably genuine; otherwise its effects would not be so astonishing.

He sighed again in his heart: "Just this point, the Duke's contribution to the Alliance's arcane world is unmatched."

Many mages hoard valuable knowledge, fearing others will learn it and leave them with nothing, but the Duke shares directly, even treating Aaron equally; this magnanimity makes people deeply admire him.

After everyone was seated, a group of black‑clad guards entered through the side passage, escorting a young man dressed in a black formal suit.

Luowakado immediately said, "That is Duke Weilan."

Ruifa squinted and his first impression was that he was a very ordinary young noble.

For nobles, a tall and strong build is common, his looks are decent, but among nobles he is only slightly above average.

His attire is not exquisite, merely conventional, maintaining basic decency.

If he appeared at a certain academy or on a big city's street, Ruifa wouldn't even glance a second time.

"He looks somewhat ordinary."

In terms of personal charisma, he feels far less impressive than the Lion King.

Luowakado shrugged, "Ruifa, when observing a mage, you must first look at their magical power."

"I was just about to."

Ruifa closed his eyes and focused his perception.

Closing his eyes eliminated visual interference; observing purely from the angle of magical aura, he instantly witnessed an astonishing sight.

Because the venue required it, none of the mages present deliberately hid their magical aura; thus Three-ring Advanced Mages were like torches in the night, Four-ring Mages like small bonfires, and Five-ring Sages like blazing bonfire piles.

In the direction of the Duke, Ruifa saw a sun‑like flame—blazing at a glance, profound upon closer inspection—so dazzling that one could not stare at it for long.

When he opened his eyes again, everything returned to normal; it was still a young man with a gentle demeanor.

Luowakado smiled and asked, "How is it? Is it not terrifying?"

Ruifa nodded, raised his hand to lightly wipe his forehead, where a thin layer of white sweat had formed despite the deep winter, and said, "Truly worthy of a Seven-ring Miracle Mage."

Occasionally, low murmurs rose from the hall.

Clearly, Ruifa was not the only one probing magical auras; many mages present performed similar perception actions and also sensed Duke Weilan's massive, sun‑like power.

At this moment, as the host of this arcane exchange conference, Duke Weilan was the first to step onto the main podium.

He used a resonant high heavens tone, and his gentle yet solemn voice rang throughout the hall.

It reached each person's ears in a balanced and clear manner, displaying a level of arcane control beyond anyone's reach.

The Duke said thus.

"Seekers of arcane mysteries from across the Natural Alliance, thank you all for accepting the invitation to Weilan's new capital city."

"I am deeply honored by this, and feel the weight of responsibility."

"To ensure the conference's safety, we have conducted various security checks these days, which inevitably caused many inconveniences. For that, I sincerely apologize and bow to you all."

Then, Duke Weilan, the Seven-ring Peak Miracle Mage, truly bowed and apologized.

Ruifa felt a shock in his heart: "Tsk, this…"

This is the iron‑blooded Duke who conquered Weilan within a year and made the Lion King bow his head months later, holding what could be called the greatest power in the entire Natural Alliance.

He is also a miracle mage who, at such a young age, already wields Seven‑ring power. Even for him, not to mention Seven‑ring, a twenty‑year‑old who ascended to Four‑ring would have to raise his tail to the heavens.

Yet he remains so modest; this… this… Ruifa involuntarily stood up, removed his hat, and returned the salute.

"Wah~~"

Not only he did so; the mages below almost all stood up together, instantly removing their hats and returning the salute.

Originally, Ruifa kept wondering whether his decision this time was too impulsive, but now he has no doubt at all.

After sitting down again, Ruifa's resolve became completely firm.

"Possessing great power yet remaining humble—that is the lord I wish to follow."

"Aaron, I will never return. Even if I die, I must die in Weilan!"

(End of chapter.)