Post-Apocalyptic Survival Modpack

Chapter 6, Section 06: Something's Nine-Ten Points Off

The following days were uneventful.

That is, he was caught up in an armed conflict in a village, robbed while crossing the river, and then got caught in a torrential downpour.

These are nothing compared to what's really going on.

The biggest blow to the three's journey came when, after passing a shallow area, they entered a swamp that was not recorded on any topographical map.

The swamp was full of broken walls and ruins, which looked like they had been destroyed recently.

That's not the worst part; the main problem is the stench in the swamp, which makes you dizzy just from the smell.

Wang Ji went in and smelled it, and he was stunned for an extra three seconds.

"This mess."

To bypass this area, the trip was delayed by another month.

Fortunately, there were no further setbacks, and the capital city was within reach.

When the tall, magnificent city walls appeared on the horizon, Wang Ji knew that this arduous journey was finally coming to an end.

Along the way, he saw quite a lot.

However, most of what I learned came from these two uncles. Along the way, they talked a lot about the messy things in the empire, and at night they would look at the stars and mutter about directions.

What do you mean, mountains to the north, jungles to the south, the road we came from to the west, and desolation to the east...?

Wang Jizhi felt sleepy listening to this.

...

"It's finally almost here."

When the towering, wide city walls of the capital, stretching as far as the eye could see, and the magnificent, almost wondrous buildings within them, began to appear on the horizon, the group breathed a sigh of relief.

The three of them had a good meal tonight. Ryder took out a bag of expensive jerky from his supply bag, took out some of it, and cooked a pot of meaty soup.

It tastes wonderful, and it's even better when soaked with bread.

This was probably the last meal before heading to the city, and also the best meal I'd had in recent months, apart from that roast chicken dinner.

A sense of satisfaction filled my heart.

It seems that because of its proximity to the capital, the area is exceptionally safe, so much so that Ryder and Ian have let their guard down.

I slept exceptionally well tonight.

The next day, the three of them got up early and headed towards the horizon.

Nearly four months have passed since we left the village, and we have finally arrived in the capital.

The bustling streets, the multi-story buildings everywhere, the towers every now and then whose purpose is unclear, the occasional castle occupying a large open space, and—

Wang Ji looked up, his mouth slightly open.

In the center of the capital city stood four majestic towers piercing the clouds, their surfaces shimmering with some unknown radiant patterns and countless runes twinkling and glowing.

In the middle of the four enormous towers, there is a floating diamond-shaped structure, with many similarly suspended ladders connecting the four towers to the central floating megastructure.

At this moment, Wang Ji gained a new understanding of the upper limit of the power system in this world.

That's not simple, it's really not simple.

Although the urban environment is still just as bad.

Wang Ji was also convinced.

Such a big place, with so many people living there, how come they haven't even built a groundwater system?
"Are you stunned, little one?"

I was truly stunned, in every sense of the word.

Seeing Wang Ji staring at the wonders of the city, speechless for a moment, Ryder said with a proud expression:

“Those are the Four Towers of Miracles. I also contributed to their construction. I once worked with my teacher to sort out several lines on the towers.”

"Wow."

Wang Ji let out a genuine exclamation and looked at Ryder.

Being able to participate in such a project, even if it's just handling the scraps, requires considerable skill.

Are people like this really destined to stay confined to that remote border town near their own village?

Wang Ji turned his head and looked at the four towers, lost in thought.

Ryder looked up at the center of the building and said with a sigh:
"That matrix... is the Imperial Alchemy Research Center, a place of dreams for countless people. The closest I ever got to it was when I was doing maintenance on the tower."

"I heard that it is also the residence of the Grand Mage. Since the unification of the empire, the Grand Mage has been living there, engrossed in his research, never leaving his house, and not caring about the affairs of the empire."

“People haven’t heard anything from that gentleman in a long time,” Ryder shook his head and said softly, “Some say he’s gone mad from his research, but the source of that information is unknown…”

[Progress: 0.2%]

Wang Ji raised an eyebrow.

This building is something else; just looking at it from afar can boost your progress.

If I could go inside and take a look around, my progress would probably be maxed out immediately.

"Okay, let's go."

Ryder was calling out from the front.

There were no unexpected incidents along the way.

The passersby didn't pay much attention to the three men leading their horses into town, clearly having seen many travelers like them before.

However, once they reached the entrance of Imperial University, they couldn't help but attract attention.

"stop!"

The guards at the entrance stopped the three of them.

Ryder pulled out a medal that looked a bit old and handed it to the guard. The guard looked at it for a moment, then at Ryder, pondered for a moment, and handed the medal back, saying to Ryder:

“You can go in, but the other two can’t. They have to stay outside unless you can get permission from an on-campus lecturer or someone of higher rank.”

"In addition, weapons must be handed over."

"it is good."

Ryder didn't say much, he just nodded in agreement.

He turned back and gave the two some instructions, telling Wang Ji and Ian to wait there for a while, before walking into the school without looking back.

The two of them didn't say anything, found a cool place and started waiting.

waited for so long.

...

"That should be fine."

Inside the school, Ryder wrote a full-page report at a desk, detailing Wang Ji's talent and the miracles he had already demonstrated. To save time and space, he only wrote about the important parts, omitting even the process by which he and Ian discovered him.

"Let's talk to the teacher face to face when he comes."

Ryder stood up.

The most important thing now is to get the teacher to take over this matter.

Even more conveniently, if the teacher could directly try to contact the Imperial Temple Archmage who oversaw the design and construction of the Four Towers of Miracles, and have the Archmage accept Wang Ji as a student, that would be perfect.

I believe that before long, the empire will usher in a new period of development, and some of the destabilizing factors will be alleviated.

This is a great thing.

"Please give this to my mentor, Van Lund of the Alchemy Academy. Also, please pass on a message saying, 'Outstanding graduate Ryder has something very important to report. Please ask Professor Van Lund to put aside everything else and give it priority.'"

After handing the letter to his teacher Van Lund's current assistant, Ryder began his anxious wait.

After a while, the door to the room opened, and Ryder quickly straightened his collar and stood up straight to greet the visitor.

However, the person who pushed open the door made him slightly puzzled.

Those weren't his teachers, but two unfamiliar... guards?
Is this the kind of person who should be in school?

"Hello, Mr. Ryder, please come with us. We need to verify the authenticity of your letter and the location of the child you mentioned."

Upon hearing this, Ryder's prepared words caught in his throat, and his brows furrowed.

He asked, "Where is my teacher?"

"There's no need to trouble Mr. Van Lund with this matter."

The guard gave an answer.

However, Ryder was not convinced.

"Then where is my letter? Who has it?"

Ryder asked again, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the gaps in the guards' positions.

"That's no trouble for you."

The guard had one hand on his weapon at his waist.

(End of this chapter)