Chapter 7 – You Read, I Listen

Old Anuo tossed out a casual “Ask me if there’s anything you don’t understand” before leisurely disappearing into the seemingly endless sea of books.

The three of them approached the nearest golden bookshelf, which appeared to be filled entirely with books related to the history of magic.

Lin Wei, naturally, had never heard of anything in these books. He shrugged and said to Duan Yu, “I come from an ordinary background and don’t understand any of this. You choose.”

Thus, in the quiet hall, Lin Wei softly read out the titles: “The Two Declines of Magic,” “The Age of Knights,” “The War of Dawn and the Thornflower Dynasty,” “A Thousand Years of the Magic Association,” “The Dark Age of Magic”…

He read out many titles in a row, but Duan Yu remained silent. Lin Wei was also a bit puzzled. Although the names of these books suggested they were about history, they all seemed to focus on specific periods rather than providing a comprehensive narrative of magical history.

At one point, he looked up and suddenly noticed a row of black book spines at the top of the shelf. The letters on the spines were a faint silver-gray, indicating different volumes of the same book. Each volume was terrifyingly thick, with spines as wide as Lin Wei’s palm.

Lin Wei murmured the name of the book: “The Chronicles of Time…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Yu said, “Choose this one.”

However, when Lin Wei reached for the book, an awkward situation arose.

Even on tiptoe, Lin Wei couldn’t reach the book.

And even if he jumped, the book was too heavy to pull down in one go.

Lin Wei had to admit, “It’s placed a bit too high…”

Duan Yu, who was considerably taller than Lin Wei, walked over and asked, “Where’s the first volume?”

Lin Wei stretched out his hand again, barely touching the shelf beneath the first volume.

Then, Duan Yu’s hand reached over.

His cool palm lightly brushed against the back of Lin Wei’s hand as he effortlessly took down the first volume of “The Chronicles of Time.”

Lin Wei withdrew his hand, feeling slightly uneasy about the inadvertent touch.

Having grown up in the strict and formal environment of the Duke’s Residence and later becoming a Mage who rarely interacted with others, he wasn’t accustomed to physical contact.

Especially when that person was Duan Yu.

In his past life, Duan Yu had always represented one thing to him from beginning to end, from head to toe.

—Danger!

This sense of danger hadn’t completely faded even now, so in that moment, Lin Wei, caught off guard, even trembled slightly.

He remembered how, on the battlefield, Duan Yu had casually wiped out swathes of his summoned creatures.

These summoned creatures were all bound to him by soul contracts, meaning that every time Duan Yu struck, it was as if he was slicing directly into Lin Wei’s soul.

But at the same time, Lin Wei felt a certain guilt toward Duan Yu.

Lin Wei had joined the Empire’s Mage Corps since his youth. He was loyal to the Empire, but he also knew that the war had been unilaterally provoked by the Empire. Only after the Floating Sky Capital was destroyed did the magical world belatedly begin to counterattack. At that time, Duan Yu, who had just donned the white robes, only took over the position of the Magic Association President because the previous president had died.

In the end, Duan Yu had also perished in the forbidden scroll “Molten Gold,” which Lin Wei had used in a mutual destruction pact.

Therefore, even after years of being enemies, Lin Wei harbored no hatred toward Duan Yu, only a lingering fear. Now, having been reborn, he always felt a bit guilty whenever he looked at Duan Yu.

Lin Wei could only sigh. It seemed that the little bit of conscience he had accumulated over the years had all been reserved for this guy.

The black-covered “Chronicles of Time” was handed to Lin Wei, snapping him out of his thoughts. Curious, he opened the heavy cover to find the following lines on the title page:

“In the Dark Age, many spells and texts were lost. From the origins of magic to the Dark Age, thousands of years of magical achievements were wiped out.

Although the War of Dawn was victorious, the continuation of magical heritage remained difficult.

Trapped in the Star Tower, all I could do was record what I knew in these pages, so that the lineage of magic would not forget its past.

—Aisa Yivis”

After a long while, Old Anuo, who had disappeared somewhere, slowly meandered back through the rows of bookshelves and saw this scene:

A red-haired girl was leaning against a bookshelf, flipping through a copy of “The Age of Knights,” while two boys sat side by side on the floor, leaning against the bookshelf. The black-haired one was holding a thick book and reading aloud to the person next to him, his youthful voice clear and soft:

“In the earliest magical system, there were only three branches: Light, Dark, and Nature… Humans had weak magical talent and were limited to the eastern shores of the continent. Meanwhile, magical beasts roamed the continent, the elves resided in the Central Forest, the Dragon Clan occupied islands overseas, and the dwarves hid in the mountains…”

The familiar lines stirred Old Anuo’s memories. What was being read was undoubtedly the first volume of “The Chronicles of Time,” the only precious text that described the history and landscape of the continent before the Dark Age. The later volumes of the chronicle were records of how magic barely survived after that—he had heard that the Astrology Tower was currently working on the eighth volume?

Old Anuo looked at the three young ones, listened to Lin Wei’s reading, and shook his head, now full of snow-white hair, as if recalling his own youth when he had read books here. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Youth is truly wonderful…

Meanwhile, Lin Wei, who was reading, also sighed inwardly. From this volume, he caught a glimpse of the grand and tumultuous history of the magical world, its twists and turns far more fascinating than the sycophantic “Patis the First” or “The Founding History of the Aslan Empire” found in the Empire’s library.

After finishing a section, Lin Wei glanced at Duan Yu beside him and noticed that he had closed his dark golden eyes, which served no practical purpose. Lin Wei then quietly used his spiritual senses to check around and found that Duan Yu had even withdrawn his spiritual energy.

“Hey,” Lin Wei nudged Duan Yu with his elbow, “are you still listening?”

Duan Yu turned his head toward him, a strand of hair inadvertently slipping over his shoulder: “I am.”

Lin Wei, while trying to pull his gaze back from where it had almost stuck to Duan Yu, pursed his lips and said, “I thought you’d fallen asleep.”

Duan Yu seemed to chuckle lightly. “No.”

At this moment, in the world of perception where Duan Yu had withdrawn his spiritual energy, there was only a thick, impenetrable darkness and that clear, soft voice, which, after a pause, began to read again:

“In those days, the fertile and prosperous continent had only one place devoid of life: the Death Swamp in the west. Legend has it that deep within the swamp, there is a statue of the Dark Goddess Katanaphia, and only dark mages and undead creatures can enter…”

Suddenly, he felt that although he was in darkness, he could see a glimmer of light.

However, while time passed slowly and peacefully in the Magic Academy, far from the continent, the Imperial Capital and the Imperial Palace at the heart of the continent were filled with a tense atmosphere.

In the council chamber, seated at the head was the gray-haired, slightly portly Emperor of the Empire. Although he still managed to handle the day’s affairs, his sagging cheeks and slightly unsteady gait betrayed his age.

“The eldest son of the Tidis family has been chosen by the Magic Academy?”

The old Emperor frowned slightly as he read the newly presented report.

To his right was his eldest son, with deep red hair. In recent years, he had gradually taken over many of the Empire’s affairs. Known for his cold and ruthless style, he wasn’t popular among the nobles but held considerable sway among the ministers.

He snorted coldly, “It seems the Tidis family is no longer willing to serve the Empire.”

His words were harsh, and for a moment, no one in the council chamber responded.

After a long pause, the old Emperor waved his hand, “The Tidis family has long been loyal to the Empire. The Grand Duke is still stationed at the Empire’s borders and has not returned. The matter with his eldest son is likely just a coincidence.”

The Crown Prince narrowed his long, narrow eyes but made no further comment on the topic.

The conversation in the council chamber gradually shifted to matters like widening rivers and expanding the Imperial Capital to enhance the Empire’s prestige.

As evening approached, a cool breeze carried a hint of chill. The old Emperor, stepping out of the council chamber, suddenly coughed upon feeling the cold wind.

Attendants hurriedly draped a coat over him, and after a while, his complexion returned to normal.

Upon returning to his daily residence, the Empress immediately presented him with exquisite, steaming dishes. However, the old Emperor had little appetite.

His gaze rested on the Empress’s face, which was beginning to show signs of age, and he let out a long sigh.

“Isis, we’ve grown old…”

The Empress, carefully arranging dishes for him, replied, “Your Majesty, it’s still too early for you to think that way.”

The old Emperor slowly shook his head, “I can already feel that I no longer have the energy to handle so many of the Empire’s affairs.”

The Empress smiled, “Didn’t you say that our eldest son is already capable of standing on his own?”

“Him…” The old Emperor closed his eyes, which were now sagging and swollen underneath. After a long pause, he continued, “He is indeed a successor with ambition and vision…”

He left the rest unsaid, but a long shadow of doubt lingered in his heart.

However, the Empire was currently in a prosperous era, with all surrounding enemies subdued. With the Crown Prince’s temperament, how could he endure a lifetime with no achievements to his name?

Aside from the magical city looming high above the Imperial Capital, what other forces on the continent posed a threat?

But could the city’s intentions be so easily guessed?

With countless thoughts swirling in his mind, the old Emperor could only let out a helpless sigh, “Isis, I’m not at ease…”