Chapter 354: Thirty Years After the Cataclysm
“Halt, outsider.” The Guard Captain, hand gripping the hilt of his sword, stared vigilantly at Owen. The two guards behind him stepped forward in unison, subtly forming a semi-circle, clearly experienced in real combat.
“Is something the matter?” Owen slowly raised his head, revealing a smooth chin and pink lips. A strand of playful hair slipped from his hood, causing the Guard Captain to stare momentarily, a question arising in his mind: was this person male or female?
“Stone Wheel Town does not welcome spellcasters. If you have no business here, leave as soon as possible.” Influenced by Owen’s charm, the Guard Captain’s tone softened, but his principle remained unchanged as he issued his warning.
“Thank you for the reminder. I will leave tomorrow morning.” Owen was not angered by this. Firstly, the guard was merely enforcing the local lord’s orders. Secondly, this was likely due to the impact of the undead village.
Warriors could not turn people into undead; only spellcasters possessed such abilities. It was understandable for the locals to dislike spellcasters.
To be honest, the lord here had a good temper, considering he hadn’t hanged or expelled every spellcaster he saw.
Of course, it was also possible that he was simply afraid of being outmatched. After all, spellcasters were not to be trifled with. Leaving a way out was the key to a long life.
Owen entered Stone Wheel Town. He didn’t go to the tavern but first went to buy some books.
Fortunately, although there was no dedicated library, there were places that sold books, albeit at a higher price.
Due to the inefficient methods of dissemination, expensive prices, and the pitifully low literacy rate, books here could be categorized as luxury goods. Ordinary people would not buy them.
Skimming through them, Owen found many familiar books, clearly ones he had read before being swept into the dimensional current. Fortunately, the appearance of a few diaries saved him from returning empty-handed.
These diaries were left behind by an old wizard who died in the undead village. As the person who found them couldn’t read, they were brought back as books and unfortunately, only exchanged for two glasses of ale.
Owen bought them because this old wizard had died in the undead village last month. By tracing back in time, he might be able to determine how many years had passed in this world.
Arriving at the tavern, Owen ordered the best wine, sat down at a small round table in a corner, and began to flip through the diaries.
The diaries were not cheap either. As they also served as study notes, the few diaries were packed with valuable information, providing Owen with a significant gain.
The old wizard’s name was unimportant. What mattered was that he had lived long enough, and since the great upheaval of heaven and earth had such a significant impact, it was naturally recorded. Therefore, Owen could confirm that he had spent about thirty years in the dimensional current.
The old wizard used a considerable amount of space to record the event due to its shocking nature. Even after many years, he would repeatedly mention what happened that year and had also pursued the secrets of the upheaval.
According to the old wizard’s records, the disappearance of Academy City was too sudden, and the emergence of countless demons was too abrupt, leaving the Imperial Capital unable to react in time. Coupled with the destruction plan jointly promoted by evil organizations such as the Demon’s Head, the Flesh and Blood Church, and the Church of Calamity, the Imperial Capital fell.
Considering the Imperial Capital’s defenses were sufficient to withstand a siege by an army of millions, one could imagine the shock this event caused when it spread.
The great upheaval had already caused widespread chaos, and the fall of the Imperial Capital was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The entire empire fragmented within a few short years. Dukes and Princes with strong control over their territories and ample strength immediately declared themselves kings and established their own kingdoms, engaging in large-scale wars with each other.
The war lasted for a full ten years, during which countless people died. In the end, only five kingdoms remained. Besides the secluded Elf Kingdom and Dwarf Kingdom, the other three kingdoms were established by two Grand Dukes and one Prince.
Counts and Marquises of lower ranks also followed suit and established their own nations. However, their strength could not support their ambitions, so they expanded their influence with cities as their centers and formed the Hundred Cities Alliance to resist the seven kingdoms.
Unfortunately, the old wizard only operated in the south and had never been to the north. He was not very clear about the situation in the north, only knowing that the Northland Barbarians had invaded south once more and were defeated by the three alliances there.
Reading this, Owen had a good understanding of the situation, so he focused his attention on the other contents of the diary. The most impressive part was the old wizard’s mockery of mages.
The foundation of a mage, besides the mental power to leverage elements and convert them into magic, was knowledge.
Theoretically, mental power was merely the foundation of a mage; knowledge was their upper limit.
However, after the great upheaval, the mage’s knowledge became useless. Several famous legendary mages even self-destructed on the spot, and those who survived had to choose to seal themselves. Wizards and warlocks, who were originally inconspicuous, rose to prominence, and even witches dared to travel outside.
However, wizards didn’t enjoy their prominence for long, as the world soon ushered in an era of professional awakening. Professionals, who were once one in a thousand, became one in a hundred, with their numbers increasing more than tenfold.
As long as one had some talent, was willing to train, and had someone to teach them, they could almost reach the threshold of a supernatural profession.
Wizards’ spellcasting abilities were inherently complex and unsuitable for combat. Facing competition from various professionals, they once again became inconspicuous. Warlocks, on the other hand, became increasingly popular, with the exception of demon warlocks.
Under these circumstances, the old wizard was unwilling to accept his fate. He obtained some inheritance of necromancy from somewhere and tried to make a comeback. The outcome was obvious; he probably messed up.
By now, it was almost dark, and the tavern was getting crowded. Owen, occupying a table by himself, was a bit conspicuous. However, his elegant demeanor was clearly not something that could be concealed by a gray robe, so those who wanted to share a table with him often hesitated.
Owen put away the diaries on the table and returned to his room in the tavern. He released the Slime Maid, transforming it into a soft and bouncy beanbag chair. He slumped onto it, relaxing, but his mind was still racing.
He definitely needed to go back and check on his territory. Only by confirming the situation there could he proceed with his next plan.
However, Owen would not rush. He needed to personally observe the changes in this world. Only then could he have a clear understanding. Otherwise, staying in the safety of his castle and only reading reports would detach him from reality.
Due to his exceptionally high attributes, Owen felt no drowsiness despite the late hour. Even if he fell asleep, he would be awakened by the sound of someone climbing through his window.
Twitching his long ears, the faint sound waves from outside were received and reconstructed in his mind. Owen could hear a thin and small young man carefully climbing from the corner of the wall to his window, taking out a hollow, slender wooden tube from his inner pocket.
It was obvious what this tube was for, but Owen didn’t know that thieves in this world even used sleeping incense.
“Interesting,” Owen muttered to himself.
Due to the quietness of the night, although his voice was not loud, it was still heard by the person outside. The person instantly froze, not daring to take any chances. He pushed off the wall, falling towards the ground, rolled over, and ran.
The entire process was incredibly smooth, clearly well-practiced. However, a thick rope that flew towards him interrupted his escape plan, binding him tightly.
Just as Owen was about to reel the person back, they slipped out of the rope like a mudfish, leaving only a piece of clothing behind. Then, they detonated a smoke bomb, successfully escaping under the cover of smoke, leaving Owen stunned.
“Even thieves are professionals now?” These skills were clearly not something an ordinary person could possess, so Owen was quite surprised.
As for being targeted, he didn’t care much. After all, no matter his demeanor or certain details, they couldn’t conceal his good upbringing and the aura of wealth. Being targeted was quite normal.
