Chapter 17 – Lord Duke

Master Sirius truly lived up to his legendary reputation as an alchemist, and the two dragons of Old Ansel on Siren Island were indeed worthy of their purebred Giant Dragon lineage—the effects of those few drops of miraculous invisibility potion lasted an entire day!

This meant that the four poor mages spent the entire day surrounded by the scent of the potion.

When they got off the carriage on Hall Street in the west of the Imperial Capital and entered the inn, the three mages, who reeked of “specialties from the sea,” were completely transparent, leaving Lin Wei to bear all the strange looks alone.

Fortunately, Lin Wei was unwilling to embarrass himself further, so he covered himself entirely with a large cloak and hood and booked four rooms.

Though proud of his teacher, even Daniel couldn’t stand the smell, especially as an alchemist with a nose far more sensitive than the average person’s.

Unfortunately, no matter what method he tried, even submerging himself in water, nothing worked.

“I must tell my teacher that adding dragon dung to magic-enhancing potions is a great idea—it’s almost as effective as a magic attack!”

By evening, the strange odor finally began to dissipate, and the three of them gradually became visible again.

Haitie, who had been sneezing countless times throughout the day, finally had the energy to admire the night view of the Imperial Capital from the window.

From the inn they were staying in, to the entire street, and then to the vast city stretching out before her.

She instinctively cast an Eagle Eye spell, and the city’s dazzling lights outshone the stars in the night sky.

“Wow…”

Haitie exclaimed, “Your city is so beautiful!”

Lin Wei walked over and stood by her side at the windowsill, gazing at the familiar night scene of the Imperial Capital. “What’s your place like?”

“Hmm… it’s also very beautiful,” Haitie tilted her head, thinking for a moment before answering. “Our Astrology Tower is on a snowy mountain. At night, except for the tower, there’s no light anywhere else—you can only see the snowy mountain and the stars in the sky. When you stand at the top of the tower, it feels like you’re enveloped by the sky and the stars!”

“Does it snow there?”

When talking about her hometown, Haitie grew excited, her cheeks slightly flushed. “It snows for half the year, and that’s when it’s the most beautiful.”

Lin Wei imagined the distant Astrology Tower, standing silently amidst the endless snowy mountains, shrouded in falling snowflakes. The seers living within the tower, hidden from the world, must hold countless secrets.

He thought of the enigmatic Teacher Adele on Siren Island and the news from his past life that the Astrology Tower was “empty.” He couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you find it lonely?”

“It’s not lonely. The people in the tower are very kind, though I don’t know what they’re all researching,” Haitie shook her head. “My mother was like that too. When I was little and slept next to her, if I woke up in the middle of the night and she wasn’t there, I’d always find her at the top of the tower, gazing at the stars.”

“I don’t get to see many people either. Most of them stay in their rooms for years at a time. It’s completely different from your place,” Haitie watched the bustling street below, filled with people and carriages, and let out a sincere, heartfelt sigh. “There are so many people here!”

Lin Wei: “…”

The Astrology Tower had few inhabitants, and the Magic Academy had at most a hundred or so mages. As for how many people lived in the Floating Sky Capital, he wasn’t sure, but it was undoubtedly nothing compared to the scale of the Imperial Capital.

In that war, it was the Empire’s million-strong army against the small number of mages from the Floating Sky Capital, who, though few in number, possessed terrifying combat power.

“You mages,” Lin Wei looked into Haitie’s clear, blue eyes, “each of you could easily kill many ordinary people. Have you ever thought of defeating the Empire and becoming the rulers yourselves?”

“You’re a mage too,” Haitie stuck out her tongue. “There are so few of us mages—how could we manage so many people? We have the Floating Sky Capital, and plenty of uninhabited places to live. We don’t need to fight for territory.”

“Is that what the people in the Astrology Tower think too?”

“Let me think… I think my mother once said something about the Empire!”

Haitie seemed to be recalling something, though her memory of it was a bit hazy. She mumbled, “I can’t quite remember… but it was something about mages being isolated from the continent for too long.”

Isolated for too long?

From the records, Lin Wei knew that if the Magic Academy was a gathering place for mages passionately devoted to exploring magic, then the Astrology Tower was the final haven for the wise.

They used the trajectories of the stars to predict the course of fate, created the mysterious Great Prophecy, and compiled the achievements of magic into the later volumes of the Chronicles of Time…

A group of people completely different from the mages in the academy, who saw nothing but magic—could they have also pondered the precarious relationship between the Magic World and the continent?

Lin Wei gazed out the window, lost in thought.

Anything related to the Astrology Tower carried an air of mystery, making it impossible to fully understand.

He thought that one day, he would have to visit this enigmatic tower.

Seeing that Lin Wei had fallen silent, Haitie didn’t bring up any more topics. Instead, she rested her chin on her hands, watching the scene below with great interest.

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar figure walked out of the inn and entered Haitie’s line of sight.

“Huh… Mr. Lyle? What’s he doing out so late?”

Lin Wei followed Haitie’s gaze and saw their coachman, Mr. Lyle, walking down the brightly lit street with his usual slightly hunched posture. He turned east at the corner and disappeared into the vast city.

“Maybe he’s taking care of some personal business,” Lin Wei said. “It’s late. You should get some rest.”

“Maybe he’s buying something from the Imperial Capital for his family?” Haitie’s eyes sparkled. “I also want to buy some things from the continent for my mother—you’d never see these things where we’re from!”

“Go during the day. You can buy whatever you like,” Lin Wei told her.

“Young Duke, you’re so kind!”

Having seen the Imperial Capital’s splendid night view and looking forward to bringing back a pile of novel items the next day, the Fire Mage happily returned to her room to sleep. Duan Yu and Daniel had already been in their rooms from the start, so only Lin Wei remained by the window, gazing in the direction where the coachman had disappeared.

Turning from this street and heading east, past the grand and majestic Imperial Plaza where ceremonies and celebrations were often held, one would reach the East District of the Imperial Capital.

What was in the East District?

A scene that was neither busy nor noisy, with carefully cultivated layers of flowers and trees shielding the mansions and estates of the nobility.

As the main residence of the Tidis family, the foremost noble house of the Imperial Capital, it was undoubtedly located in the quiet, elegant, and distinctly “noble” East District.

After a long while, Lin Wei let the deep red curtains fall, their heavy fabric blocking out the shimmering nightscape of the Imperial Capital, leaving only darkness.

As for where the coachman, Mr. Lyle, had gone, he thought he could probably guess.

Rather than dwell on that, it was better to think about why the Imperial Capital had suddenly tightened its scrutiny of entry and exit.

In his past life… was there anything particularly significant happening around this time?

—

Late at night, deep within the Tidis family estate in the East District of the Imperial Capital, in the study of the family head.

Though the Tidis family was a military household, they were not lacking in the refinement expected of nobility. The study was filled with an impressive collection of books, but the family head seemed to have no interest in reading at the moment.

The middle-aged Grand Duke Tidis, with his thick black hair and sharply defined features, was tall and robust from years of martial training. Compared to the pale and frail dukes and counts of the Imperial Capital, he lacked some of the “elegance” the nobility prided themselves on but exuded a stern and commanding presence.

He sat behind a massive black desk, listening to the report of the middle-aged man standing before him, his brow slightly furrowed.

Once the man finished his report, the Duke didn’t ask any further questions and simply said, “You may leave.”

“Yes, Lord Duke.”

The middle-aged man bowed and turned to leave, his back slightly hunched, as if he always maintained a posture of humility.

Grand Duke Tidis let out a cold snort. “At least that damned brat has some sense and didn’t come straight home.”

His voice echoed in the empty study, where only his loyal Chief Guard stood expressionless to his right.

“Sir, should I go to the West District to protect the Young Master?” the Chief Guard asked.

“What do you know?” The Duke glared at the Chief Guard. “Right now, the less the Tidis family is associated with that little rascal, the better.”

After a long pause, the stern expression on the Duke’s face gradually softened as he looked at the messy scratches on the desk, as if left by a child’s mischief, and a trace of what could be called affection appeared in his eyes.

Unfortunately, the Duke closed his eyes, and the trace of affection didn’t last long. He said, “For the next few days, keep a close watch here. If that brat sneaks in, let him in—just make sure no one sees him. But if he comes knocking at the door openly, chase him away!”

Though the loyal Chief Guard didn’t understand the Duke’s intentions, he still answered firmly, “Yes, sir.”

The Duke reached out and gently traced the messy scratches on the desk, his tone almost a sigh. “It’s difficult…”