Don't disturb the sorcerer's scientific research

Chapter 210 An Unexpected Human-Demon Relationship

For some reason, Justina had a bad feeling when she heard "there's another way" coming from the crystal ball.

This premonition stemmed from the aftereffects of Jia Xiu's actions; whenever he said "there's a way," it wasn't a good way in the normal sense.

Although I don't recognize Justus on the other side of the crystal ball, he seems to know Jashu very well, so they must be similar types.

In Justina's view, anyone who could get along well with Jashu was more or less abnormal.

Yes, that includes herself.

"Oh? What can you do?"

Jia Xiu quickly pressed for more information.

Justus explained, "If you only need to see the demons in disguise, there are plenty in the border settlements that border the northern wastelands."

"Huh? A border settlement?"

Jia Xiu had never heard of this word before.

Very strange.

"Are you talking about the area bordering the territory ruled by the demons? Wouldn't the settlements there be operating directly on the demons' territory?"

"Strictly speaking, we do need to operate in the demon territory, but don't worry, there is no shortage of humans there. The settlements near the border are all mixed communities of humans, demons, and mixed-race people."

"It's still possible?"

A place where humans and demons live together is something Jia Xiu never expected.

He had assumed that the border between human and demon territories would be heavily guarded and strictly controlled, with something like the Great Wall in the north, cold and desolate, where a group of exiles would do the most dangerous work and spend their entire lives dying there.

In short, it's an art style that's as harsh as it gets.

After all, what I've always heard and encountered here, whether in textbooks or literary works, is that there is a deep-seated hatred and irreconcilable conflict between the various races and the demon race.

It's hard to imagine what it would be like to live together like this.

However, upon closer examination, it doesn't seem so outrageous. If they were truly "incompatible," then how did the Tiflins come to be?

They turned into red-skinned, horned creatures because they had demon blood.

That said, why are there mixed-race individuals between humans and various other ethnic groups?

Half-orc, half-elf, dwarf hybrid, gnome hybrid, halfling hybrid, dragonborn hybrid, Tyflin...

It seems that only humans have come up with this situation; no other races have. When people talk about half-elf, they assume that half-elf and half-human, and no one would interpret it as half-elf and half-dwarf.

Could it be that humanity is actually the greatest common denominator of aesthetics among all races?

Who says humans are a "water bucket" race without any special skills?

Justus continued, “Yes, there are several settlements on the border that have developed into quite large towns, the largest of which has tens of thousands of people. Because it is inconvenient for the demons to move around in towns built by humans, the demons who go there will choose to disguise themselves as humans.”

"Um, are all the people there demon worshippers?"

Jia Xiu knew of many strange little sects that worshipped demon gods, and some of them weren't even gods, just slightly more powerful demons.

"That's not it. The people over there are mainly people who have committed some kind of crime, more radical adventurers, business people, oh right, and quite a few sorcerers who have signed contracts with demons. On the contrary, there aren't many people who worship demons. Most of those cult members only worship superficially. Their lives are very repressed, so they're looking for an alternative outlet. If they actually saw demons, they would be afraid."

Jia Xiu found it somewhat amusing.

What kind of alternate-world version of Lord Ye's love of dragons?

Justus continued, "However, those places are indeed not very safe, because the demons are basically lawless, and the laws of various countries do not apply there. Therefore, those towns are governed by gang-like organizations, which are very violent. You can do whatever you want there, even things that are illegal on the mainland, which attracts a lot of tourists."

Jia Xiu felt like the name sounded familiar.

Tourism that attracts people through illegal industries.

"Could it be that kidnapping and other similar scams happen frequently there?"

"I'm not sure about that, but it should be true. Kidnapping and fraud aren't considered a big deal there. But it's okay. I trust your abilities, senior. You'll be fine there. Even if they try to scam you, they shouldn't be able to fool you."

"puff……"

Justina couldn't hold back.

I laughed so hard I almost choked.

Jashu's eyelids twitched slightly. Was it that Ukmak people couldn't speak, or that Justus was just a more abstract kid?

Never mind, let's just take it as a compliment.

"Then what's the way to get over there? I guess you can't just cross the border like that."

Jia Xiu believed that the demons wouldn't block people from going to their side, but the border would definitely restrict people from leaving.

"It was easier before, but it's become more complicated since what happened in the Elf Holy Land. It's harder to go there under the pretext of tourism, but you can still smuggle yourself in."

"Can one still easily sneak across the border that defends against the demons?"

Jia Xiu was a little surprised; that wasn't a pure sieve defense line.

"You definitely can't just smuggle yourself across the border; you can only do it through official routes."

Jia Xiu felt that he had underestimated how outrageous this world was.

Official and illegal immigration – are these two words actually linked?

“At several checkpoints along the defense line, the garrison has set up smuggling routes. People pay according to the number of people and the value of their belongings. Where there is demand, there is a market. Anyway, there will always be people who want to go there. It’s better for the garrison to control it directly. On the one hand, they can screen out people who really can’t be let out. On the other hand, the border conditions are not good and the treatment is not good. They have to find some way to make money.”

"Um, wasn't there ever an option to completely shut this down?"

"No, why wouldn't I make money if I had it?"

"Then why not completely open it up? Turn it from a smuggling route into a legitimate entry and exit point."

"In order to shut up some conservatives and not give them any grounds for direct opposition, official tacit approval and official permission are not the same thing in name."

Jia Xiu was speechless.

What else is there to say? That's amazing!

"However, one thing must be reminded: be careful not to be seen by reporters. As a student of Saint Delos, sneaking into the territory ruled by the demons would probably cause a scandal for the school."

"Are there any scandal-free, relatively legitimate channels?"

"Yes, but the process is slower. Smuggling allows you to leave immediately."

"How long will it be slow?"

"Not necessarily. It depends on luck and connections. If everything goes smoothly, it can be done within a week. If not, it's hard to say how long it will take."

"That's no problem."

Jia Xiu was quite certain that he would succeed.

They have no shortage of luck, nor do they lack connections.

Putting aside the fact that he is already an outstanding young spellcaster candidate, he is also the knight and business partner of the princess of the Iris Kingdom.

Although this knight title has never actually helped the princess with any work so far.

"In that case, there are three legitimate channels now. You should know that the northern wasteland borders the continent, with one side under the control of our Ukmark Empire and the other side under the control of our predecessors' homeland, the Iris Kingdom."

These two countries happen to be the former leader of the mainland and the most powerful successor to the rapidly rising leader.

However, Jia Xiu looked completely bewildered.

Justus asked, "Senior? You know, right?"

"Cough, uh..."

Embarrassed.

Jia Xiu's knowledge gaps.

Geography and history.

My knowledge of the world's geography and history is only at a prenatal education level.

You can't blame him. He's only been in this world for a few years, and he's spent all of that learning magic. He doesn't have time to care about geography or history.

Saint Terre did not test these two subjects upon admission.

I can't remember all the continental countries, I only know that Ukraine is east of Irisland, and its capital is very far away. Larvin is an autonomous city sandwiched between the two great powers.

Because of the unique position of the magical world, neither of the two great powers has been able to do anything to Larvin. "Wait a moment."

Jia Xiu immediately got up to look for a map. He remembered there was a map of the mainland in the lab, but where had he put it...?

The happiest person right now is Justina, who has discovered that she seems to have found an area in which she far surpasses Jasshu in terms of knowledge.

It's still far superior to the average.

A major victory in geography and history.

It's not very useful, but it feels good...

Jia Xiu rummaged through the scrolls for a while before finally finding a map of the mainland among the pile of scrolls. He unfolded it and took a look.

Indeed, nearly a third of the entire continent, most of the eastern part, is under the control of the Ukmark Empire, while the central and western parts are under the control of the Iris Kingdom. To the north of both countries lies a sea marked as an inland sea, which is estimated to be much larger than the Caspian Sea on Earth, and probably even larger than the Mediterranean Sea.

The mainland and the northern wilderness face each other across the sea, connected only by a narrow strip of land on the east and west sides, making it look like two Central Americas.

From this perspective, it makes much more sense that the demons are stuck in the northern wasteland.

I originally thought the mainland and the northern wilderness were completely connected, and I was curious how much manpower and resources would be needed to guard such a large area if it were for border defense.

It turns out that just keeping an eye on two things is enough.

The difficulty has been greatly reduced.

The demon race is probably not good at naval warfare; I read about this in a previous study on the demon race.

Although there are concepts of rivers and seas in hell and the abyss, what flows in them is not water.

"Oh, I see."

"As expected of the senior, you are very pragmatic and will immediately fill in any gaps in your knowledge."

Jaxiu is now certain that Justus is a kid who just can't talk.

I can understand that he was trying to make up for Jia Xiu's lack of common sense.

Just don't mention it.

"Ah ha ha!"

Justina burst out laughing.

"So, the area I actually need to reach is not the real northern wilderness, but the location that connects to the mainland."

"Yes, to get there, the official channels require approval from the Empire or the Iris Kingdom. I'm not very familiar with the Iris Kingdom's policies, but if you need to go through the Empire's channels, I can provide assistance."

Jia Xiu looked at the distance from Larvin to both sides on the map, and realized that it should be closer to the iris flower area in the west.

Every little bit helps.

Moreover, Jashu felt that the Ukmark Empire was a bit too extreme, and he didn't really want to go to their side.

"Oh, right, you mentioned there are three ways, isn't there one more?"

"The last one is research approval, which requires research projects to enter the demon territory. It can be approved by the association or by the high-level organization. Saint Delos should have a quota, but this channel is currently the most stringent, and there is almost no hope of getting approved unless it is an extremely important project that cannot be risked and must be pushed forward."

"Oh, I see. Thank you so much for providing so much useful information."

"It's nothing, it's just what I should do."

Jia Xiu and Justus exchanged a few pleasantries and were about to end the call when he suddenly remembered something.

Why do you know so much about these things?

He expected Justus to know a lot, but he didn't expect him to know as much as if he had done it several times before.

No, this has been done several times.

"Um, I..."

When Justus was asked this question, he immediately began to stammer.

Clearly, he was not good at lying, as he strictly adhered to the code of conduct for the nobles of the Ukmark Empire.

After holding it in for a long time, he finally said something.

"Don't tell my uncle."

"Easy to say."

Jia Xiu turned off the communication crystal ball.

Unexpectedly, the young man played quite skillfully, which fit his stereotype of aristocrats.

Jia Xiu considered these three methods and wondered which one was the most suitable...

In the morning, Mia arrived at the Tower of Marcus Aurelius, yawning.

She's recently been looking for something suitable to study in the book of tentacle monster spells translated from Elizabeth's work.

They would search for most of the night.

I'm about to brew a cup of coffee to keep me going.

Good morning, boss.

They encountered Jia Xiu, but unsurprisingly, Jia Xiu was always the first to appear in the mage tower.

Incredible energy.

"Mia the Fairy".

"what?"

"Here are three applications for research projects on the border: one from the Iris Kingdom, one from the Ukmark Empire, and one from our school. Here are the detailed requirements for each of these channels. Let's calculate which one is more likely to be approved."

These project applications did not specify the implementation plan or the ultimate goal.

Therefore, as an application, it is not a very qualified application.

We must always be wary of the possibility of demons in any part of the process.

Mia paused for a few seconds, as if she were turning on a computer.

"Let me see... wait a minute, we're going to do research along the border. Which border?"

"The border with the demons."

Mia's eyes widened immediately.

"How big of a project is it? And why go to that kind of place?"

"There are indeed some risks. Although your predictive abilities are very much needed, we won't force you. The details of this project cannot be disclosed."

Even if it's successful, it can't be made public.

If the demons find out who the biggest contributor to the capture of all the undercover agents was, they'll be on the kill list without a doubt.

Jia Xiu continued, "But if we succeed, the Spellcasters Association should be able to treat us like royalty."

"To enshrine or worship" means...?

"Literally, you'll be worshipped, as long as you join..."

"I'll join."

Mia answered without hesitation.

Although the eldest brother often tricks people, he never lies when it comes to research results.

He said it was so important that the association would enshrine it, which means it was that important.

If she had such an opportunity and didn't take a bite, wouldn't that ruin Mia's reputation for being greedy and avaricious?

"Can you tell me what we're going to do now?"

"certainly……"

Jia Xiu then introduced his ultimate goal.

Mia forgot to brew her coffee after hearing this, and immediately received a tenfold boost of energy.

"Take a look quickly, I need to figure out the best way to get through within two hours, no, within one hour..."

(End of this chapter)