The Magic Empire for 20,000 years

Chapter 5.5. Heroes of the Future

The 12-year-old boy stared wide-eyed as he saw that the floating city, which had previously remained only in the clouds and seemed like a shadow, was now many times larger, with the details of the towers and railings clearly visible.

The floating city was slowly descending, growing larger and larger, until it was as big as a hill.

It was about to land on the ground, next to the village.

The terrifying legends of the past have now become reality.

"Little Gret, what are you standing there for? Hide!"

Dad grabbed the stunned Gret and rushed into the pre-prepared secret cellar.

Hiding in the damp, musty darkness, little Gretel finally came to his senses:
"Mom and Dad, if we hide here, will those sorcerers really not find us?"

Little Greta and her older sister, who was a year older than her, huddled together, shivering and with tears in their eyes.

"They won't find us," Dad said, trying to hide his fear.

This strong farmer was now trembling with fear.

"If we hide here for three days before going out, we'll definitely be lucky enough to survive to the end."

"Just like those survivors in the next village!"

Dad knew he was lying.

Those mages possess terrible magic; if they intend to kill everyone, no one can escape.

Fortunately, the mages never sought to kill everyone; they simply enjoyed the hunt.

Men can only pray:

Their family was lucky enough to be survivors of this massacre.

Rumble.

Hiding in the damp, dark cellar, little Gretel could feel the earth trembling.

He knew that the sky city had descended to earth.

The terrifying mages are coming!

Although Gret couldn't see his parents' faces clearly in the dark, he could almost see that his parents' faces were more tense, and there seemed to be sweat dripping down their cheeks.

"Don't kill us, don't kill us!" Little Grete clasped his hands together and prayed silently.

At this moment, he wished he could possess those powerful spells, just like in his dream, so that he wouldn't be afraid of anyone.

Instead of being like this now, unable to even lift an axe, unable to defeat even the weakest goblin that invades the village.

A commotion could be heard outside.

There were voices and the sound of footsteps, a jumble of noises. Little Gret knew that the voices were coming from the mages.

Where are the people here?

It was a dignified male voice.

“They’ve all hidden themselves, Your Majesty,” another respectful and obsequious voice explained.

“Some villages are like this, they make preparations in advance to deal with the hunting, and as soon as they see the floating city falling, they all hide or escape through the tunnels.”

"Of course, this is actually useless; it only depends on whether we want to find them or not."

"Should I drive the villagers out, Your Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, little Gretel's heart leaped into his throat, and he dared not breathe. He also felt the trembling from his parents and sister.

……

Elian looked at the village, which was so quiet in broad daylight that it seemed deserted, and his expression became slightly somber.

“No need,” El-Erian said. “Let’s just get on with what needs to be done.”

"As you so command, Pale Lord of the Dead, Arcane Emperor of Eldoron, Your Majesty the Supreme Elion!"

The attendant spoke respectfully, then began to direct the monks beside him:

"Hurry up and get to work."

"Today, we will visit 10 villages and build 5 schools."

The monks went to the designated open space and began their work according to the pre-arranged procedures.

A mage gently raised his hand, and in an instant, a huge wall of rock appeared.

Other monks also chanted incantations, standing on the rocky wall of the earth, which rapidly twisted and changed shape.

The Five Rings "Stone Wall Technique".

The "Sculpted Stone Art" of the Fourth Ring Road.

As Elian watched a sturdy rock school building rise from the open ground in less than half a minute, a smile appeared on his face.

Indeed, magic is the primary productive force!
Many spells—such as the fourth-circle spells "Sculpting Stone" and "Masterful Craftsmanship"—do not require precious casting materials, yet the objects created after casting can exist for a long time.

This is also the basis for Elian's confidence in promoting magic education.

Magic isn't just for fighting!
With a reasonable production process in place, the newly trained mages can be immediately converted into productive forces.

In this fantastical world, education translates into productivity at a significantly faster pace.

……

In the cellar.

The Little Gretel family waited quietly for the wizards to make their move.

Strangely, there was no significant movement on the ground for a long time.

Only the faint, heavy sound of rocks colliding could be heard. After that, there was only silence.

"That's strange, haven't the mages started the murder game yet?"

The terrifying rumors began to surface in Little Grete's mind.

"Shouldn't the sorcerer start searching for those hiding in the village and driving them out into the wilderness?"

"Then kill the villagers with lightning and fire, or transform them into animals?"

And just like that, most of the day passed.

There was no movement on the ground for a long time.

"Could the mages have already left?"

Little Gret asked his parents in a soft voice:
"Mom and Dad, I'm so thirsty. Can I go upstairs and have some water? I'll come down right away after I've had some."

He hasn't drunk any water since last night, his mouth is parched and his throat feels like it's on fire!

(End of this chapter)