Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 471 - 470: Mary and Daniel

There are many contents on the notice board, but not all are new; some older papers are covered by newer postings, while others have faded due to the wind and sun, making the text difficult to discern.

The literacy education promoted by Emperor Rosetta and the town notice system are indeed excellent ideas, but issues abound as well. Since there is only this one channel for announcements, both high-level new policies and town affairs are posted here, with no one considering the timeliness issue. It is common to see imperial decrees followed immediately by notices about clearing silt, and new grain purchase announcements mixed with contents from months ago about seed distribution, making them hard to decipher.

In fact, finding useful information amidst this chaos is indeed a skill, and according to Mary, the promotion of literacy hasn’t been all that successful. Most civilians don’t have the extra resources to learn to read, and even those who attend classes learn little under teachers who only teach for a few copper coins. Thus, there aren’t many in town who can read the notices.

The chaotic contents of the notice board, coupled with still-low literacy rates among civilians, have even given rise to a profession known as "announcer."

If someone wishes to find useful information from this confusing mess—for instance, a farmer wanting to know the latest crop purchase price and time—they would have to pay a soldier a copper coin, and the soldier would pick out and read the useful information to them.

Of course, some information loses its value once spread, and literate farmers might find and share useful information on their own. Therefore, on one hand, soldiers see this "reading income" as a side job, while on the other, they intentionally wet or smear content likely to prompt numerous inquiries when posting notices, forcing civilians seeking product prices or employment information to pay a copper coin for assistance...

But none of this affects Mary. As a mage, she has the ability to easily read and discern everything on the notice board, and she doesn’t much care about the timeliness of the information—everything on there is interesting to her.

There isn’t anything like a notice board in the village at the foot of the mountain.

"Recruiting mages, huh..." The young apprentice perused all the posted announcements with great interest, but her attention ultimately settled on one recruiting mages. She could see it seemed to be gathering personnel for some research project, but such information was unusual.

The mage recruitment announcement was posted in town... Emperor Rosetta seems to be selecting talents from mages across the Empire, and his recruitment range is really large; in such a rural town, mages who see the notice could at most be two or three-tier wild mages?

But then Mary thought of her mentor... that formidable old mage might be an exception, living in such a remote and poor area with unfathomable power... It’s said her mentor also lived in the royal capital back in the day; she wonders if he might be interested in the emperor’s recruitment.

With such thoughts swirling in the young apprentice’s mind, she left the notice board and continued wandering in the bustling town square.

The bards’ verses were stirring.

The performances of the circus clowns were impressively memorable.

Even the mediocre artisans who made small straw-weaved and wood-carved trinkets on the spot in the square captivated Mary.

So when she finally awakened from these activities, the golden-red sunset glow was already spilling over the farthest row of rooftops along the square.

Gazing at the golden-red sunset, watching the town’s residents and performers dispersing, the poor young woman finally panicked: she completely forgot about the task her mentor had assigned her!

Mary sprinted towards the shops beside the square, relieved that she was still holding tightly to the package in her arms. If she had gotten too engrossed in the square’s entertainment and lost the magic potion ingredients her mentor specifically instructed her to procure... her mentor would surely pull out one of her tendons and feed it to the bloodthirsty monsters within the mage tower!

Finally, fortune rarely favored this girl; she bought the last batch of casting materials before the shop closed. And by the time she exited the shop, the sky had almost completely turned dark.

With only a last glimmer of twilight remaining, Mary tightened the old black robe around her. Traveling after dark wasn’t wise, especially since there was still a mountain path taking two hours to traverse between the town and her mentor’s mage tower. Even though she was a formally ranked mage, the mountain path in the darkness was fraught with danger.

Yet the fury of the old mage was more terrifying than the slippery paths or monsters lurking in the dark.

Mary regretted her negligence today, while checking her package again, she eventually started her way outside the town.

In her mind, the messages from the notice board still circled, but once she set foot on the mountain path, she pushed all idle thoughts aside.

Summoning a flash orb for illumination, preparing protective spells, and gripping her defensive dagger in her free right hand, the young apprentice stumbled through the pitch-black mountain path. Cold winds continuously blew from the mountains at night, but Mary dared not spare focus for another layer of wind protection: in outdoor survival, conserving mana is common sense for mages. Unless the external conditions become too severe to affect one’s thinking and judgment, comfort cannot be overly pursued.

Finally, before midnight descended, that ominous dark tower loomed into her view.

Mary was cold and hungry, but she finally reached the mage tower before the collar around her neck turned into a ring of burning iron.

The doors of the Mage tower opened automatically, and the silent gatekeeper inside allowed the female apprentice in. As the heavy doors closed with a thud, the mountain wind and starlight were shut out.

The Mage tower remained eerily silent, like a suffocating cage, but Mary let out a long breath of relief after entering. She tiptoed toward the stairs leading to the upper floors, intending to stash the purchased items in the storage before her mentor noticed and then hide in her own room. But she had barely taken two steps when she froze entirely.

The sinister, reclusive old mage stood on the stairs, silently merging into the darkness like a statue. The artificial nerve cords wriggled within the fabric, and the rustling sound as they scraped the floor was as chilling as the slithering of countless venomous snakes.

Mary seemed to forget how to speak all at once, stammering, "Mentor...I..."

A bright flash of lightning struck her shoulder before her voice fell. Along with the searing pain came the old mage’s grim words: "Why are you so late?"

The lightning pierced through the poorly protective, shabby magic robe, charring a patch of flesh. But Mary, long accustomed to such punishments, immediately stifled the tremor in her body and voice, bowing her head, "I got delayed in town..."

She didn’t use an excuse like "The mountain road was hard to travel." In this, too, she was experienced: her mentor’s expertise in neurology and brainwave manipulation was profound, and those writhing nerve cords could not only connect to some mysterious network of thought but also detect lies. The last apprentice who lied in front of her mentor nearly died on the experiment table, and she didn’t want to test the old mage’s mood with her life.

The old mage, Daniel, eyed Mary with a sinister gaze. With a wave of his hand, the package in Mary’s arms floated before him. After inspecting its contents, he raised his eyelids again, "Remember, if you delay the master’s experiments, I’ll use you as experiment material!"

Mary bowed her head, assuming a compliant posture, "Y-Yes!"

The old mage had a mysterious master; Mary knew this, and she also knew that the mysterious and powerful master had given the old mage a series of orders, part of which involved researching new techniques in neural connections and brainwave amplification. It was because of these tasks that the old mage recently sent his apprentices out to gather materials frequently.

Mary dared not inquire about the secrets behind these researches, nor the name of that mysterious "master." She was well aware in this regard: a being who could command her terrifying mentor’s reverence was not someone she could easily approach, and even acquiring a tiny piece of information might lead to her own peril.

Seeing the cowering apprentice, Daniel frowned, wondering what he was thinking, then suddenly spoke, "What did you see in town?"

Mary didn’t dare disclose her idle wandering details but instead mentioned something that might not anger her mentor, "...I was looking at the town’s bulletins... I wanted to see if there was any useful news..."

Daniel snorted, "Hm, and what useful news did you see?"

"The emperor is expanding the school... recruiting volunteer soldiers..." Mary immediately reported everything she saw, placing what she thought was the most crucial information at the end, "And, the emperor is recruiting mages, possibly to expand the Royal Mages Institute, Mentor, you..."

She didn’t dare continue, noting that her mentor’s expression suddenly turned more sullen than ever, overflowing with unreserved resentment. However, her mentor spoke once she paused, "Continue — what does the emperor want mages for?"

"Maybe... maybe for research projects..." Mary stammered, "The details weren’t written, but they require... require knowledge of calculus and magic circle knowledge, and a special understanding of self-charging... self-charging magic circles..."

The expression on the old mage’s face suddenly changed.

He frowned, seemingly deep in thought, and, as Mary anxiously waited, he murmured to himself, "...Could the Empire be researching... perhaps the master will be interested in this... news..."

Mary, not daring to breathe heavily, listened with her head bowed, utterly uninterested in the old mage’s master. She was now both hungry and exhausted and only wanted to return to her room quickly.

The old mage finally snapped out of his muttering and pondering, glancing at the apprentice waiting below the steps, a flicker of confusion passing through his gaze before clearing.

He waved his hand, "Go back to your room."

Mary, as if receiving a pardon, quickly bowed deeply, and just as she was about to leave, she heard her mentor’s voice come from the stairs again, "...there’s a plate of pancakes on your table—it’s for you."

Mary looked up in shock, as if doubting what she had heard.

However, the old mage merely waved a hand, his artificial nerve cords having quieted down at some point, his tone filled with impatience, "Today is your birthday."