“But, Sage Lutherch, don’t you think it’s still a bit strange?”
Qiansitelin blinked, then slowly sat down beside Muxuan.
“He is only a Great Mage. As for what one must endure to travel from the Far West to the East… I shouldn’t need to say more, right?”
Qiansitelin’s words caused Lutherch to fall silent.
Muxuan took the opportunity to take a sip of the still-warm goat milk.
It was no easy feat to travel from the Far West to the eastern part of the continent.
The original Holy City of the Church, Finisar, was located in the heart of the continent, where Moho Layer Strange were countless.
Even if one took a detour, the journey would be much longer, and the Strange encountered along the way would not be any fewer.
Magic power was not infinite; he could not have survived.
A Great Mage was only considered to be at the Deep Sea Layer.
Once they encountered a Moho Layer or several Deep Sea Layer Strange, they would fall into an extremely dangerous situation, not to mention the Corruption that constantly tried to cause mutation…
“Perhaps… I can try~”
Qiansitelin spoke at the right moment, her hands behind her back as she leaned forward slightly.
She looked at Muxuan and Lutherch with great interest, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness.
Muxuan gave her a sharp glare.
“Qiansitelin, be serious.”
He knew Qiansitelin was referring to a certain method of probing memories, but given how fragile the other person’s mental state was, this was by no means the first choice.
Lutherch turned a deaf ear to Qiansitelin’s joke, as if he had long since grown accustomed to it.
He simply continued to speak to Muxuan.
“The priority is to let him rest and recover, and to stabilize his mind and body. Once he is in a better state, perhaps he can recall more valuable Fragments. Or, at the very least, he can more clearly describe the details of the mutation he witnessed in Xizhu and… how he came to be here.”
Muxuan nodded in agreement and then asked, “Is there any more information you can provide regarding the Research Society and Sage Xizhu?”
Lutherch pondered for a moment before shaking his head with some regret.
“Though Xizhu and I both belong to the Central Mage Tower, there was basically no interaction between us. Furthermore, Xizhu has an eccentric personality, and the Research Society is extremely closed off, so there is very little information. I only know that she was obsessed with the study of energy essence and spatial theory. Her Research Society was heavily guarded and operated independently…”
After a pause, Lutherch continued with a heavy voice.
“As I said, it is by no means easy for a Moho Layer Strange to erode someone like her, unless… she took the initiative to contact that forbidden existence…”
Mages were different from the Church.
After the light was completely swallowed, the Church was left with nothing but the continuous depletion of its power, eventually ending in being consumed by the Black Mist.
However, Mages could still draw power from those thin magic elements to replenish themselves.
Lutherch’s aged voice echoed in the silent meeting room, carrying a heavy sense of foreboding.
His rough fingers unconsciously rubbed the smooth top of his Shepherd’s Staff.
His gaze fell upon the blueprints of the Mage Tower spread out on the table, yet it seemed as if he were looking through them, resting on some distant and dangerous unknown realm.
Muxuan picked up the lukewarm cup of goat milk, but even its rich aroma could not completely dispel the gloom in his heart.
Sage Xizhu proactively contacted a forbidden existence in the sky?
‘Proactively contacted…’
Muxuan repeated inwardly.
The faint light at the tip of the Crosier flickered in sync with his thoughts.
In such an atmosphere, Qiansitelin finally could not help but break the silence.
She stood up gracefully and walked behind Muxuan.
Her hands naturally rested on his shoulders, her fingertips carrying a trace of coolness as she applied just the right amount of pressure to massage his tense neck and shoulder muscles.
“Alright, you two — “
Her voice carried its usual lazy tone, yet it skillfully dispelled a bit of the tension.
“If you keep dwelling on this, the goat milk will get stone cold. What a waste. As for Xizhu’s matter, let’s wait until Nisanke remembers more. As for now — “
She leaned down slightly, her warm breath brushing against Muxuan’s ear.
Her voice lowered, carrying an indisputable intimacy.
“His Holiness, you need to rest. You’ve wound yourself too tight.”
“It’s quite lively over at the Blacksmith Shop. You should go see the two craftsmen sent by the Dwarf Tribe. At least it’s better than staring blankly at blueprints and a pile of heavy guesses here.”
Muxuan’s body stiffened slightly.
He wanted to avoid this overly intimate contact, but Qiansitelin’s strength “pinned” him to the chair just right.
He looked up at Lutherch and found that the old Sage had very tactfully picked up his cup of goat milk again.
He was focusing intently on the patterns on the cup as if they were some peerless secret manual.
“Qiansitelin, I — “
Muxuan tried to speak but was interrupted by the warning pressure from the hands on his shoulders.
“There are no ‘buts,’ Your Highness.”
Qiansitelin’s voice carried a hint of subtle firmness, though the smile on her face remained bright.
“Sage Lutherch can surely handle things here, right, respected Sage?”
Lutherch, holding his cup, didn’t even look up as he gave a hum of agreement.
He wished Qiansitelin would leave quickly so he could have some peace to think about Xizhu’s situation.
As for His Holiness…
Lutherch took a silent sip of goat milk, feeling a hint of apology in his heart.
‘She is clearly here for you; there is nothing this old man can do.’
“Fine.”
Muxuan finally compromised.
He set down the cup of goat milk, which he had barely touched, and stood up.
Qiansitelin immediately withdrew her hands, but she still followed closely by his side with a triumphant smile on her face.
Muxuan gave a slight nod to Lutherch.
The old Sage finally looked up, returning an understanding but slightly weary gaze.
“Rest assured, Your Holiness. Leave this place to me. I will arrange for someone to bring that Great Mage to the Mage Tower. If any problems arise, I will contact Qiansitelin immediately.”
Under Qiansitelin’s prompting, Muxuan left the meeting room and pushed open the heavy gates of the Mage Tower’s courtyard wall.
“Where is the Blacksmith Shop planned to be built…”
This was not something Muxuan had arranged, and there was no sign of a Blacksmith Shop being built on either side of the courtyard wall.
“Your Highness, the Blacksmith Shop is on the road leading to the city district behind the Mage Tower — “
The demand for a Blacksmith Shop could not be limited to just the Mage Tower.
Not only did they need to take on apprentices, but it also needed to be convenient for transportation.
Muxuan nodded with certainty and then followed Qiansitelin toward the back of the Mage Tower.
The surrounding area was very open, as Lutherch had reserved plenty of space.
A district would surely form behind the Mage Tower in the future, and the Mage Tower would inevitably need to sell and purchase items externally.
Lutherch’s idea was indeed good, but… currently, the Church had no clear trading currency, and the currency of the Old Era was clearly no longer recognized.
‘Currency… requires public trust…’
He still needed to discuss this matter with Beikeze.
Furthermore, with a Blacksmith Shop, he could indeed put the task of setting up and forging currency onto the agenda.
Temporarily setting these thoughts aside, Muxuan looked ahead.
They had already reached the back.
Not far behind the Mage Tower’s courtyard wall, on a piece of temporarily leveled open ground, a stone-and-wood structure had already begun to take shape.