Post-Apocalyptic Survival Modpack

Chapter 55: The Scoundrel

With the expansion of education, alchemy was incorporated into the basic education required for everyone who met the requirements, becoming a common course.

Alchemy encompasses not only the creation of extraordinary tools and the use of complex machinery, but also a fundamental understanding of the laws governing the workings of the world.

The upcoming introductory course will contain most of the teaching content of the latter, while the operation of the alchemy table and the making of some practical household items will only be incidental practical content.

Among them, those with outstanding learning abilities can enter the newly established 'Ideal Alchemy University' through entrance examinations to conduct in-depth studies at a higher level, and join cutting-edge research fields after graduation.

Once the policy is implemented, everyone, whether a genius or an ordinary person, will have equal opportunities for advancement.

However, it may take several years for this policy to truly take effect.

Following the popularization of alchemy, the "National Magician Project" was also prepared.

A sophisticated alchemical instrument called the 'Inspiration Observation Mirror' was developed. Shaped like a helmet, it can stimulate magical perception, enhance vision, and help develop magical potential when worn.

Within half a month thereafter, the corresponding automated factory was established, with Wang Ji personally involved in the planning of the production line, using puppets as the basis for continuous production.

The Potential Development Institute was established.

Anyone who meets all the requirements and passes the assessment of various qualities can be eligible for qualification development.

Thus, it can be said that anyone in the ideal community, whether they want to become an alchemist or a sorcerer, has a clear path to follow, rather than being blocked by some innate condition.

One year later, in the second year since the establishment of the ideal community.

The first batch of people who completed the introductory alchemy course, developed a complete worldview, and passed the quality assessment entered the Alchemy University, making this long-established school officially operational with students and lecturers.

While education policies have begun to show results, territorial expansion and assimilation have not stopped.

Currently, the Ideal Community is expanding to both the east and west, with the battle lines divided into the eastern and western fronts. The western front is being advanced by Ryder, while the eastern front is being led by Martin, a veteran with extensive combat experience who was elected by the people.

This veteran was a blacksmith by birth. He started working as a blacksmith in his teens, inheriting his father's profession. Later, he was falsely accused by a nobleman of privately forging weapons, his shop was smashed, and he was humiliated.

Later, during the war, he was conscripted and spent many years on the battlefield. In the end, he returned crippled, and life became even more difficult. He could no longer work, and no one wanted to hire him. Most of the time, he could only languish in the gutter, wandering and begging in the cold wind.

Until the ideal community appeared and took over the territory, someone handed Martin a bottle of healing potion that cured his disability, and then distributed food and a warm house to him, rekindling his hope for a new life.

Upon hearing that the community would continue to liberate more settlements, Martin, who was nearly fifty years old, jumped up, intending to burn his not-too-old bones.

He proved his ability with his seasoned experience and insight.

"You weren't involved in the Imperial unification wars, were you?"

Ryder had asked Martin for an answer.

"Yes, I was very young at the time and joined the Imperial Army."

Why join the Imperial Army?

"Because the nobleman who ruined everything for me was planning to resist the empire—I later killed him on the battlefield; he underestimated a blacksmith's understanding of armor."

"Is that so? The unified era... back then, the empire actually had its merits."

As for now...

Damn it, how did the empire become like this!

Every time it's brought up, Ryder curses angrily.

It wasn't like this twenty years ago.

It has completely changed in just a few years; the rate of corruption is astonishing.

Even Wang Ji was astonished by this.

It's just that there aren't many truly human-like high-ranking officials under imperial rule. Despite liberating so many settlements, it's impossible to find even a handful of pure-hearted people or those who haven't committed many evil deeds.

Adhering to the principle of "better to have none than to have bad ones," the number of territory administrators was quite scarce for a long time.

Fortunately, after several years of popularizing education and breaking the knowledge monopoly, this situation has been somewhat alleviated.

The eastern and western fronts continued to advance, liberating one territory after another.

Within his territory, Wang Ji achieved some new breakthroughs.

After a year of training, he became a mid-level magic user, and his list of usable spells filled several pages.

It even includes some magic from the Mystic Age.

As his knowledge continued to advance and he learned various principles, Wang Ji analyzed the operating principle of the staff's core one by one, turning it into a spell that he could cast at will, no longer needing to rely on the core.

"When the movement of the fire element is accelerated and becomes chaotic, a scorching flame appears."

"When wind is combined with order and chaos, thunderous roars are produced."

"Break the void with wind and order, inject a large amount of magic to maintain activation, and you can connect to the gate to the Immortal Realm."

"Transfer everything before you into the void, use darkness to separate the boundaries and form a passage, then use order and chaos to achieve an equivalent balance to maintain the passage, then use the earth to construct a platform that can be stepped on, and finally use the wind to open up space..."

'Portable Cave' created successfully.

Wang Ji breathed a sigh of relief as yet another spell core was deciphered into a self-cast spell.

Flames, lightning, summoning a portal to the celestial realm, opening a passage through walls…

All the core spell functions of the staff are recorded on the spell page of the Sorcerer module.

In addition, there are many more local spells.

Currently, Wang Ji's output level is 7, which is considered a very ordinary mid-level magic user.

He can now barely unleash the Heaven and Earth Coexisting Meteorite Technique, which he had previously withstood.

I always keep several hundred points of shield on me, and I can keep refreshing it when it's depleted.

Very strong.

As time passed and his studies continued, Wang Ji's understanding of the principles of various spells and the ranks of magical users deepened.

But precisely because of this, he became increasingly cautious about high-level magic users.

The threshold for higher levels is 10 spell output energy.

Recalling the high-level sorcerers he encountered at the Baggett family manor… the spells they cast back then were probably just child's play in their eyes; they weren't taking it seriously at all. Of course, there could also be some external restrictions, after all, if they really fought freely, the capital city would probably be destroyed in no time.

Thinking of this, Wang Ji felt a sense of urgency.

The ideal community is already very large. No matter how secretly it acts, it will inevitably be discovered and it will be difficult to completely hide.

And that is indeed the case.

A report came from our informant in the capital that the imperial central government has become aware of the unusual activity in the north and surrounding areas.

"It's been eerily quiet lately."

In the imperial administrative center, a young clerk was organizing documents when a sudden thought struck him, and he sensed that something was amiss.

He immediately stood up, left his residence, covered his mouth and nose, and went to the palace gate to confront the chief guard.

"Sir Giovanni, what can I do for you?"

The head guard asked dutifully, and Giovanni straightened his collar and said very seriously, "I have something to report to His Majesty, please pass on my message."

"Ok."

As the royal scribe, Giovanni was one of the few people who could have a direct audience with the emperor.

The head guard agreed and immediately turned to leave.

Not long after, he returned with a helpless expression.

"Please wait a moment, His Majesty is having a meal."

"... "

Giovanni nodded and stood silently to the side, seemingly used to it.

After a long while, upon hearing the summons, he stepped inside.

In the magnificent hall, a pregnant woman, whose crown made her appear small, was eating fresh fruit and looking down at the young people who had come to pay their respects.

"What is it, my clerk?"

"His Majesty."

Giovanni lowered his head and said, "I recently looked through the records of the North and parts of the East and West, and they seem to be too quiet; there's hardly any news coming from them."

"Yeah."

The obese emperor nodded, put down the fruit in his hand, and asked, "Are they paying tribute on time? How are the taxes?"

"Everything is normal."

"That's no problem."

"But Your Majesty, this is the most abnormal place; those places haven't had any people for several years..."

"shut up!"

"You're just a court clerk, what right do you have to talk so much?"

The emperor roared, "Are you trying to steal the intelligence officer's job?!"

"Mind your own business and don't meddle in other people's affairs. Even my intelligence officer hasn't said anything. Do you think you're more capable than him?"

"and…"

Changing the subject, the emperor added, "This is the standard set by the Grand Master, and it has never changed. Do you want to question the Grand Master?"

"Don't dare."

Giovanni bowed his head deeply, looking extremely respectful.

Seeing his subordinates' submissive demeanor, the emperor nodded in satisfaction, his mood improving considerably.

Ha, I love seeing these self-proclaimed capable people forced to bow their heads.

"Alright, my clerk, don't always have such a stern face, it'll give you wrinkles."

"The empire has been established for so many years, and it has always been very stable. In addition, there are so many high-level sorcerers and archmages guarding it. What problems could there be?"

"You may leave now. It's afternoon tea time. Perhaps you could have some snacks."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Giovanni walked out of the palace.

His fists were clenched tightly, trembling slightly.

That stupid pig.

Putting aside the fact that it was a policy from more than 20 years ago, and that the Grand Master has been silent for more than a decade.

You think you're worthy of being compared to a Grand Mage?

The Grand Master did this because he could subdue everyone in the world until they were completely subdued, and crush those who refused to submit into ashes and scatter them into the sea.

Can you?
"Tsk."

Giovanni felt a surge of anger, but he could only suppress it.

What do we do now? Go find the intelligence officer?
That's probably even less reliable.

That damn intelligence officer is a relative of the emperor, part of the emperor's family. All he does is make up nice things and never does any real work. His subordinates can't even find him.

What else can we do?
Not doing it anymore.

Thinking of the high-ranking magicians in the capital, Giovanni shook his head.

Forget it, if the sky falls, these people will hold it up; it's not my turn yet.

That's how this empire is; those who actually get things done always get scolded and ridiculed for being "too serious."

Since things have come to this, we might as well just stay put and get by.

(End of this chapter)