Chapter 161 - Altena 01.
[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
Orario.
...
...
Altena, as its reputation suggested, was known as the greatest human city of magic. Its massive towers surrounded the city, which housed at least 200,000 inhabitants, much like what they had seen in the floating world, only larger and not a dead city. Here, the brilliance surpassed anything Lucius had ever seen before.
The entire city shone in its splendor, powered by the energy of magical stones from the dungeon, continuously purchased from Orario to sustain its energy.
Lucius and Riveria arrived in Altena at the end of the day, with the night falling as they could already see the horizon glowing due to the city's tall towers. They were now standing, admiring the splendor the city represented during the night.
"Beautiful..." Riveria commented, looking at the city's glow with admiration. She had never been here at night; after all, she wasn't permitted to enter the city and had only heard stories about it.
"So, this is the greatest repository of magical stones in the world," Lucius murmured, with an ambitious smile.
"What do you mean by that?" Riveria looked at him suspiciously.
"Nothing much." Lucius tried to dodge the subject. After all, no one knew about the system he had, and no one could imagine how many points he could obtain if he found himself in that vault or repository of magical stones. He could unlock every available spell, but of course, he wouldn't attempt something like that. After all, it would cost the city millions, or even billions, and Lucius didn't want his image tarnished with the mark of a thief.
"Well, anyway, what shall we do?" Riveria asked.
"You said the city doesn't like you, right?" Lucius asked.
"Yes, Altena holds hostility towards me and Lefiya, perhaps because we possess magic that surpasses theirs," Riveria commented.
"They can't be that petty, can they?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They are," she simply replied, sighing.
"Alright then. Let's explore the city first, and later we'll deal with the goddess Altena," he said, and Riveria nodded. In the next moment, both of them disappeared with a teleport from Lucius, heading into the city.
Meanwhile, in the tallest tower of the city, a figure rushed to the window of the top floor, hastily stepping out onto the balcony, her eyes wide. Not because she had seen Lucius, but while inspecting some artifacts her disciples had created, she used her magical eye to detect magic in them and assess their quality.
Everything was going normally until a light caught her attention from the space above the city. Looking out the window, she saw a beacon in the middle of the dark sky, as if illuminating the entire city. Although no one else seemed to notice, she saw it as though the sun itself was shining directly over Altena. Then, the light suddenly vanished, leaving the goddess paralyzed for several minutes.
"What was that? To whom did all that magical power belong...?" she murmured, but no answers came beyond the silence of the night. All she heard was the gentle sound of the bustling city, devoid of any sign of that energy, something she had never witnessed before.
The city remained lively at night, with lights illuminating every corner. People walked back and forth, and many mages dedicated to research filled the streets. It was even more active than Orario, which thrummed with adventurers returning from the dungeon and drinking in open taverns. Here, in the city of Altena, the focus seemed different: groups of scholars engrossed in their studies roamed the streets with books in hand.
Lucius and Riveria emerged from one of the alleys, observing the bustling activity.
"And they still say Orario is the center of the world?" Lucius scoffed, glancing at the streets, while Riveria didn't even bother to respond.
"Looks like they all study in the same school or something," Lucius muttered, noticing people dressed in uniforms and wizard hats, almost as if this place had its own version of Hogwarts.
"The Altena Magical Academy is an impressive institution. The goddess Altena has her own familia with strong and very powerful members in terms of magic, but she can't manage an entire city with just her children alone. So, she created an academy where her most promising children teach normal humans about magic. Of course, they don't have magical talents as strong as the elves, but they still study and try to master their own three spells. However, the academy's strongest point is the creation of artifacts and the maintenance of the city using the magic of the crystals," Riveria explained.
"Got it. So, how about we blend in with them?" Lucius said, holding up some clothes. Riveria narrowed her eyes at him.
"How did you get those?" She couldn't hide her surprise. After all, Lucius had pulled them out of nowhere, and they were identical to the clothes worn by the passersby.
"I grabbed them while you were talking," he shrugged, and she sighed.
"Why am I still surprised?" she remarked, resigned.
They returned to the alley and quickly changed, now wearing robes and academy hats. Riveria took special care with her ears, knowing she wouldn't be well-received in this city and hadn't wanted to come here in the first place. However, Lucius had convinced her that everything would be fine and that, in case of an emergency, he could protect her and get her out of there.
"It's nighttime, but these people don't seem to rest," Lucius murmured as they walked with the crowd. He noticed that everyone seemed to be students, as if they were already near the academy.
"I admire the willpower they have to study magic. It's even greater than that of the elves. If my race were this dedicated, I'm sure we'd be excellent mages. But due to our longevity, we lack urgency in our goals. We can leave something to resolve in a month, a year, or even a decade," Riveria commented.
"To me, that's a curse," Lucius replied.
"Why do you think that?" Riveria asked, curious.
"Simple. Life becomes less exciting when you lose the sense of urgency—the thrill of being late, of wanting to resolve things. Not that you don't do that, but the intensity is much lower. It's similar to the dungeon experience—the thrill that it could be your last moment makes us feel alive..." Lucius said, not looking at her, keeping his eyes fixed on the students passing by.
Riveria seemed to reflect on his words. After a moment of silence, he continued.
"Do you know the gods envy us, Riveria?" he asked, this time looking at her.
"Why do you say that?" she asked, intrigued.
"They envy us precisely for the thrill of being mortal. The last breath is truly the last. I don't know how it works with souls, but gods are eternal. For them, life doesn't hold as much charm. That's why they came to the lower world—to feel something. In the end, they wanted to be like us, to feel our emotions, whether it's hating or loving so intensely..." Lucius said.
Riveria remained silent, once again pondering his words. She had to admit, Lucius had many perspectives she had never considered in her nearly 100 years. It was intriguing.
Eventually, they arrived at Altena's Magical Academy, an impressive structure. The university was within massive walls, housing a rounded building with numerous windows, all glowing with light. Students moved about, while the gardens within the walls featured blooming lawns, fountains, and floating magical stones.
These stones not only illuminated the area but also cared for the plants, watering them and keeping them healthy.
"Interesting," Lucius commented, surprised and curious about the scene. "It would be fascinating to explore the university and study the equipment created here. It could greatly simplify my work at the magic tower," he murmured.
"What should we do now?" Riveria asked, knowing they wouldn't meet the goddess just yet.
"Well, we've visited an elven library before. Why not visit what might be the greatest human magical library on the continent?" Lucius suggested.
And so, they entered the academy, blending in with the students. Pupils came and went from the classrooms, some chatting in small groups.
As they walked, something curious happened: for the first time, Lucius crossed paths with a student who, upon seeing him, quickly lowered his head but did nothing more and continued on his way. Lucius stopped, looking at the young man with curiosity.
"That was strange," he remarked, looking at Riveria, who seemed just as confused as he was. "Does he know me or something?" he wondered aloud.
Despite his nickname "Magic King," Lucius knew it was just a title from Orario and shouldn't have been recognized in this part of the world, especially since he had only arrived a few months ago. There was no reason for anyone to recognize him here.
"Maybe you look like someone," Riveria suggested.
Lucius shrugged and kept walking. As they passed more students, he heard again: "Good evening, Professor." But this time, it wasn't just the words. A student addressed him as "Professor" with gestures and even showed expressions of admiration toward him. He glanced around, now even more confused.
"Professor?!" he murmured, stopping in his tracks and looking at Riveria. "I think you're right. I must look like someone else." He concluded.
When the next student passed him and lowered their head, Lucius decided to call out to them to get some answers. "Hey, you!" Lucius called to the young man, who promptly turned around, looking eager.
"Yes, Professor?" the student responded. "I'm Silver, from the noble Slovak family. I am available to assist you with anything you need," he added, bowing slightly in a respectful gesture.
Lucius raised an eyebrow, surprised by such formality. "Could you tell me where the library is?" he asked, trying not to seem too perplexed.
"Of course, Professor. Just continue straight to the great hall and turn right. You'll find the main library after the entrance hall," the student replied promptly.
"Thanks, I suppose..." Lucius responded, feeling a bit uncomfortable, as the student gave another bow before departing. He then turned to Riveria and commented, "Tell me, is your race always this formal?"
"I have to disappoint you this time, Lucius. They're even worse than this. Remember that noble in the first city we stopped at after Orario? They trample over people from other races and are still excessively formal," Riveria replied with a slightly ironic tone.
"That guy wasn't exactly formal with me, but fine. Let's move on," he murmured.
They entered the great hall, passing numerous students before finally arriving at the library. It was an enormous space with at least half a million books in sight. Gigantic shelves filled the area, and the silence was nearly absolute.
"We didn't sneak in like we did in the elven forest, but I hope I won't regret it," Lucius remarked as more students greeted him along the way.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 166 - Altena 06. | Patreon
Chapter 171 - Altena 10. | Patreon
Chapter 178 - Elf King.
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