Do you have a problem with necromancers?

Chapter 113 A Gathering of Monks
The fact that the savage army was about to attack the Reach Province was something that almost no one outside the Reach Province knew about.

On the contrary, the news that "a nobleman in River Bend Province donated 2000 gold crown coins to fund spellcasters' research" spread rapidly throughout the empire in just half a month, carried by the messenger ravens of spellcasters' guilds in various places.

That's 2000 gold crown coins!

Inside Eagle Keep, Raine spent the entire afternoon discussing with Richard Schleiman, the honorary president of the Reach Spellcasters' Guild, and roughly finalized the mechanism for the "Fahel Prize".

First, five academic awards will be established, corresponding to the five fields of Destruction, Mind, Shaping, Rune, and Alchemy, to recognize spellcasters who have made the most outstanding contributions in their respective fields each year.

Secondly, contact the spellcasters' guilds in the provinces of the Empire, as well as other spellcasters' organizations outside the Empire, and invite them to regularly nominate their respective outstanding academic achievements and researchers.

Finally, a selection committee was established to decide who should receive these awards each year.

This is the most crucial point. Joining the selection committee is equivalent to gaining the power to "divide the pie."

In some ways, the River Reach Spellcasters Guild, which was able to recognize this and was the first to come to Raine, had a better sense of smell than other mage organizations.

“The Imperial Capital Spellcasters Guild headquarters needs slots, and the Court Mages also need slots,” Raine said to Archmage Richard. “The guild branches in each province, as well as the High Tower Wizards Association in the Fjordlands, definitely need to participate. Only when there are enough players at the table can the publicity channels be fully expanded; we can’t keep attracting people with huge prizes every time.”

“That’s right, but it’s best not to distribute the spots equally,” Richard reminded him. “We can’t refuse to give the headquarters and the court mages face, but you can make some exceptions for our River Reach Guild.”

“Of course.” Renn readily agreed. “To organize this committee, I don’t have that many professionals on hand, and I will need the guild to provide the necessary support.”

“Our guild will focus on only one thing this year: advancing the establishment of the ‘Fahel Prize Selection Committee’,” Richard solemnly raised a finger and said seriously. “I’ve brought the guild’s exclusive raven with me this time. It will stay in Eagle Hold from now on, serving as a ‘messenger’ between the two locations. Please feel free to contact us anytime you need anything.”

"It's a pleasure doing business with you," Renn said with a smile, shaking his hand.

Having the Spellcasters' Guild act as the "organizer" was also part of Renn's original plan. Because magic and law are two completely different fields, professionals must have solid professional knowledge to make professional judgments on professional matters. Otherwise, if they exercise too much discretion and lose credibility, the mages will simply ignore them and leave them to entertain themselves alone.

The Faher family couldn't find enough professional mages, so they had to cooperate with the Spellcasters' Guild. Originally, Rein was considering whether to negotiate with the River Reach Guild or the Imperial Capital Guild headquarters, but since the former had taken the initiative to approach them and expressed a willingness to cooperate deeply and fully, it was naturally a win-win situation.

After seeing off Archmage Richard, another uninvited guest arrived in the lord's study at Eagle Keep:
Old Witcher Murak.

"I need your authorization," the old man said bluntly as soon as he entered the study. "I require you to order all the guards and servants in the castle to carry highly concentrated holy water and to be able to splash it on any suspicious individuals."

“How about we be more direct?” Renn said with a smile, his fingers interlaced. “We’ll dig deep pools in all the major thoroughfares inside Eagle Castle and fill them with holy water up to waist height, forcing everyone to wade through them when they pass by. What do you think?”

“That would certainly be safer, but I doubt whether Sea Rock City can provide that much purified holy water,” Murak said, frowning.

“No,” Raine said. “Even with your suggestion to give each guard and servant a bottle, Searock City’s production capacity can’t meet that. There are only three Death Priests working over there.”

Murak pondered for a moment.

"I heard your wife is a high elf?" he suddenly asked without any apparent reason.

“Yes,” Renn replied calmly, “our marriage was not arranged by our families.”

"Did you and your wife agree on a secret code that only the two of you know?" Murak continued, "so that if the other side sends an undead to replace your wife..."

“No, but I give her holy water to drink every day,” Raine said. “She’s practically been pickled in the holy water.”

The old witcher's expression grew even more serious. He pondered for a long time, then frowned and said:
"The method of purifying holy water has been around for a long time. Hasn't any necromancer developed a corresponding countermeasure over the years? Simply relying on purifying holy water to identify the undead may not be foolproof."

"There can be undead that aren't afraid of the purifying holy water?" Renn asked in surprise. "Isn't the purifying holy water blessed by... I forgot, anyway, by some holy spirit among the gods?"

“Never trust anything that has no self-awareness,” Murak said seriously. “No matter how meticulously and carefully it is initially designed, it will always be found to have flaws in the end. I will write back to the Inquisition as soon as possible and ask an old friend there to come and help.”

"he is?"

“He is a death priest who can use undead detection spells,” Murak said in a deep voice. “The detection spells, combined with the purifying holy water, mean an extra layer of checks and less risk. In a critical moment, that could very well be what saved your life.”

Raine finally understood. This old witcher, due to years of risking his life and battling all sorts of monsters and demons, had developed a severe case of persecution complex. In his eyes, no means were too much to use against an enemy, and all that trouble was simply a "necessary price."

“Alright,” he said with a slight nod. “But I need to remind you. Not all nobles are willing to go through frequent and complicated procedures every day to prove that they are not undead. The Grand Duke invited you here to help us deal with the Wraith Legion, not to have you anger the nobles and then we have to clean up your mess.”

“Lord Fahl,” Murak said with a grim expression, “I have been in this business for over thirty years, and in the entire Reach Inquisition, no witcher has outlived me. Many newcomers have said the same thing to you after they entered the trade, finding my methods too troublesome and unnecessary. I did not mean to offend you, but they all ended up dead.”

He stood up and silently straightened his collar:
"What you are about to face is not a vengeful spirit that has been accidentally transformed, but a necromancer capable of creating an army of vengeful spirits. Heretics are merely the devil's minions, while necromancers are evil that originates from within. There is no one in the world more cold-blooded, cunning, and cruel than a necromancer, and you will soon understand this."

Murak decisively turned and left.

Raine sat reclining on a soft chair in the lord's study, pondering for a moment with interest, then simply smiled.

In the original timeline, after Longwater fell completely to the White Walkers, the Empire engaged in an extremely arduous tug-of-war with them in the South. Veteran Witchers like Murak fought on the front lines, gathering intelligence, devising strategies, and battling the White Walkers, saving countless Imperial soldiers' lives.

Ellina acted purely out of a sense of morality, not wanting to harm the dutiful old man. Raine, however, judged his worthiness of survival purely from the perspective of fighting the White Walkers—his belief had always been this, and had never changed.

Of course, once the death priests that Murak brought arrive here and sweep around Eagle Hold with necromancy detection spells every day, the resurrected heroes risk having their identities exposed.

Let's find a reason to transfer them back to Searock City. Once the savages officially break out of the Serpent Mountain Range and attack Eagle Fortress, let them join the battlefield as support forces from the outside, so they won't be constantly checked by Murak.

Raine quickly made up his mind, when suddenly a raven flew into the study from outside.

Most messenger ravens shuttle between the starting and ending points in the ravens' quarters, with the steward responsible for delivering messages to their masters. Those that fly directly into the lord's study are private ravens; Raine only has a few, distributed among his uncle Darian, Garyn, the steward of Bloodhold on Salt Island, Claudius of the Nightshade Legion, and Grand Duke Malorne of Highrock…

And Queen Virtue.

The letter was sent by Queen Virtue and bore an exquisite royal seal.

Upon opening the letter, Queen Margarita inquired about the current situation in the River Bend Province, expressed concern about Renn's use of large sums of money to support spellcasters, and recommended the court mage Bird Chervinsey to him, saying, "He is a highly respected and experienced mage who should be able to help you."

Renn sneered inwardly. The Queen had clearly sent this letter to try and get a share of the spoils. As for the wildlings attacking the Reach? Sorry, let Grand Duke Malorne worry about that; the royal family didn't care.

He took out some stationery from his desk drawer and began to slowly write a reply.

Since the Queen was not concerned about this, he glossed over it, only saying that "we are currently preparing for war and have not yet officially clashed with the savage army." He then praised the court mage's name as "renowned" and "I have long heard of him." He then spent a great deal of time expressing his gratitude for Her Majesty the Queen's recommendation, and finally stated that the "Fahel Prize Selection Committee" that was being prepared needed experts like the mage Bird to come and provide guidance and review.

First, maximize the emotional value.

After the raven flew back to the capital, the Queen unfolded the letter sent by Renn, a smile appearing on her face. She then handed the letter to Emperor Nilocas, who was standing beside her.

“This is a true loyal subject,” Nilocas remarked. “If everyone could be as loyal to the royal family as Marquis Faher, the empire wouldn’t be in this state.”

“If the savages attack the Fertile Lands, the Marquis Fahl’s family territory will inevitably be the first to suffer,” Margarina asked tentatively. “Even if we don’t send the Imperial Legion to support Malorne, could we offer Renne some favors and assistance? For example, could we have Cheryvinsi temporarily serve as the Fahl family’s magical advisor while he is in the River Reach?”

"Yes, loyalty certainly deserves praise, otherwise traitors would become even more arrogant." Emperor Nilocas was also furious when Grand Duke Malorne was mentioned. Since ascending the throne, he had lacked both the prestige of his predecessor and sufficient skill and courage. The commanders of the various imperial legions had also begun to show signs of "obeying orders but not summons"—if the emperor's orders were to my advantage, I would carry them out; if they were not, I would find various excuses to refuse to do them. You can't just dismiss me, can you?

For example, Claudius, the commander of the Nightshade Legion, and his partner, the first tribune, died tragically, which involved heretics, not to mention the second one disappeared without a trace and is still missing. No matter how you look at it, he is the most suspicious party with a stake in the matter.

Grand Duke Malorne even wrote a letter to prove his innocence, saying that on the day the tribunes disappeared, Claudius was in High Rock Castle discussing military matters with him... This is outrageous! How dare the Imperial Legion Commander cooperate with the Grand Duke on the frontier in private? Does he even respect me, the Emperor?

A dark idea began to stir in Nilocas's mind. He hoped the wildlings would utterly destroy the Fertile Lands and escalate the situation to an uncontrollable point, at which point he would send the Imperial Legion from the South to rescue the Reach and the Fertile Lands.

This not only proved that the Duke of Malorne was unable to protect his vassals, severely weakening his prestige in the Reach, but also allowed him to enhance his authority as emperor through this hard-won victory, achieving two goals at once.

Of course, not rescuing Malorne and the Reach doesn't mean ignoring Renn's current predicament. He's currently involved in some kind of mage awards, so sending a court mage directly under the royal family to help is a good idea. This would provide assistance on the battlefield and also allow them to showcase the royal family's favor towards Marquis Fahl to the Reach nobles.

Bird Chervinsey was somewhat bewildered after receiving the royal order.

He served as a court sorcerer for over twenty years, serving both Emperor Nilocas's father and grandfather, and also training many magical talents for the royal family.

To be fair, Nilocas's abilities were indeed inferior to the previous two emperors. However, Byrd was a conservative and loyalist, without many complicated thoughts in his mind. He was just used to swearing allegiance to the people sitting on the emperor and empress's thrones... I haven't done anything wrong! Why are they suddenly banishing me from the palace and exiling me to a remote province like the Reach?
He went back to pack his things, feeling dejected, and just then, a colleague carrying a large pile of books passed by the laboratory door.

Thinking about his impending departure from the court, Byrd had no more reservations and simply poured out his grievances to his colleagues.

"The Reach? Good heavens! Are you going to the southern part of the Fertile Lands?" His colleague exclaimed in surprise, then said with envy, "Looks like you're going to be a judge for the Fahel Prize. Well, Mr. Committee Member, considering our many years of working together, remember to recommend some research areas that are easy to win the prize when you get there, okay?"

"The Fahre Prize? What are you talking about?" Bird was completely baffled.

"Well, it seems you don't care about current events at all," his colleague said with a smile as he took his leave. "Why don't you go read the newspaper?"

Bird indeed didn't read newspapers; he had absolutely no interest in politics, current events, or gossip. So he went back to the lab and asked his apprentice to fetch him a newspaper.

Before I even got my hands on the newspaper, the Empress's maidservant came over.

"Your Majesty means that you have three tasks for this trip to River Bend Province."

"First, you can serve as a member of the Fahel Prize judging committee and leverage your academic expertise in the field of spellcasting."

"Secondly, to fulfill the duties of a court monk and safeguard the honor and glory of the royal family in the River Bend Province."

"Thirdly, to provide magical support to the Fahel family, protect the personal safety of Marquis Fahel, and obey his commands."

"Uh." Bird could understand the first few points, but what did the third one mean?
Am I not a court magician?

Among the Imperial Mages, there is also a clear hierarchy of contempt. Based on the abundance of funding, they can be divided into independent mages, guild members, high-ranking guild members, spell advisors to great nobles, and the highest level, court mages—whose funds are most abundant in the royal treasury, so court mages never lack research funding and belong to the very top tier of the Imperial Mage pyramid.

The royal family isn't rich and foolish, so anyone who becomes a court mage, even if not a genius, must at least possess considerable magical skill. They'd be more than qualified to be a magical advisor to the Malorne family in High Rock, so why should I be at the beck and call of a border marquis?

Even after arriving at the port of Searock from the East by ship, Bird still couldn't understand why a military marquis from a small border province could attract the attention of the royal family.

As soon as he stepped off the ship, he was stunned by the sight before him.

The dock was crowded with monks disembarking from the ship. Many of them were wearing long robes, carrying boxes, and accompanied by one or two apprentices. They were asking passersby, "How do I get to the inn?"

“Hey, Bird!” someone called his name.

"Kane, what brings you here?" Bird looked closely and saw that it was Kane Rowland.

During their apprenticeships, both men studied under the same archmage. Later, Byrd stayed with the Spellcasters' Guild in the North, while Kane went to the Fjordlands and joined the High Tower Wizards' Guild.

It's hard to say which of these two options is better or worse. On the Imperial side, nobles are more generous and it's easier to get research funding, while the academic atmosphere on the High Tower Wizard side is much stronger... In short, after years of hard work, Byrd has been promoted to court wizard and is now working for the royal family, while Kane only recently became a Seven Tower Wizard and can only be considered a middle-level member of the High Tower Wizards. But this doesn't prevent the two from maintaining their friendship through daily correspondence.

“2000 gold crown coins, why wouldn’t I come?” Kane said. “Even if I don’t win the prize in the end, at least I can see just how amazing the academic achievements that can win such a huge sum of money really are.”

Bird was somewhat tempted. As a court sorcerer, he had long since transcended the concern for money, but his thirst for academic knowledge remained strong. Looking at all the sorcerers in the city, if they were all here to win awards, they must have already brought their most prized academic achievements…

“And you, Bird?” Kane scrutinized him. “You, a court wizard, aren’t short of money too, are you?”

“Well, I’m here on royal orders,” Bird explained awkwardly. “They said they want me to join the Fahre Prize judging committee…”

Before he could finish speaking, a panicked Kane covered his mouth and dragged him into the shadows behind the building.

"Are you crazy!" her friend whispered. "You dare to say something like this in public? Aren't you afraid of being surrounded by these mages vying for the awards?"

Bird only had to imagine it for a moment before he shuddered with horror.

The two chatted for a while in a secluded spot before bidding each other farewell. Kane was going to stay at the inn he had booked in advance, while Byrd, as the court mage appointed by the royal family, had to set off for Eagle's Keep as soon as possible to meet with Marquis Fahl.

The journey from Searock to Eagle Keep involves traversing a long coastal plain corridor. The territory is vast, dotted with farmland and rivers, and Byrd rode alone along the country lanes, his mood exceptionally pleasant.

Once he entered Eagle Fortress's territory and saw patrols of riders guarding against savages, he became slightly nervous again.

At the city gate, Bird revealed his identity as a court mage and underwent a necromancy test before finally being allowed to enter Eagle Hold.

He was led by a servant to the lord's study, where he met the legendary Renn Fahr, now considered by mages to be the world's biggest patron—there are many nobles in the world richer than Renn, but none are willing to fund mages with so much money, since research expenditures are rarely converted into equivalent benefits.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ryan began to brief Bird on the current situation:
"...Now that the savage army is stationary in the mountains, we can only hold Eagle Fortress and guard against the infiltration and attack of the Wraith Legion."

"Regarding the selection criteria for the Faher Prize, in addition to selecting separately according to different departments, I have recently come up with a new idea: to establish a 'Spell Contribution Award' to be awarded to the academic achievements that bring the most benefits to the Empire each year. Of course, considering that the Empire is currently facing the threat of the Wraith Legion, the first contribution award will be given to the person who can best help River Bend Province deal with the Wraith Legion."

“Hmm, that’s a good idea, but isn’t it too much of a focus on destruction magic?” Byrd asked. “Undead are not affected by illusions, so destruction magic has a natural advantage in dealing with them, and illusion mages simply can’t compete with them.”

“That seems a bit unfair,” Ryan said thoughtfully, “but I’m the one who paid for it.”

“Then I have no problem.” Bird was quite pragmatic and flexibly changed his tune, saying, “This year’s focus is on the destruction school, but next year it may benefit the illusion school. As long as the long-term statistics don’t show an excessive bias towards one school, it’s fine.”

“I’m glad we reached an agreement.” Renn was very satisfied with his attitude. “In that case, we can announce the news now, so that interested candidates can prepare in advance. I heard you just came from Searock City? Are there many mages gathered there now?”

“Even in the High Elf kingdom, which is famous for its mages, there is probably no other place where you can find so many mages at the same time,” Byrd said, rubbing his temples. “We could even establish a mage self-governing body modeled after the High Elf wizards.”

Renn raised an eyebrow slightly and said calmly:

"That would only work if these monks were willing to stay after the awards ceremony."

(End of this chapter)