god of tomorrow

Chapter 22 One person sacrifices for the happiness of everyone

4 month 8 day.

In the mountains and valleys of Oman, the five-member investigation team arrived with Gawain at the site of the Chaos Sacrifice Ceremony.

"This is it. Professor Vanvich set up a dark magic circle back then. The senior students said it was black magic. The ground suddenly collapsed... Later, I crawled out of it." Gawain stood on the edge of the cliff, not getting close, but standing far away, looking like he still had lingering fear.

Team leader Smith was very brave. He squatted on the edge of the cliff and looked around, wondering why the cave had suddenly collapsed after just one sacrifice.

It collapsed so deeply.

That doesn't make sense!

"Gao Wen, could you describe the situation in more detail?"

"No problem, I remember it all."

Gawain obediently cooperated, deleting the plot involving the fragments of the underworld and then reiterating it in detail once again.

He's said everything he could. If Commissioner Smith still doesn't understand something, or if the on-site survey reveals discrepancies between his account and the actual story, it's really not his fault.

As freshmen, our knowledge is limited, and it's normal for us to miss some things because we can't understand the devil hidden in the details.

Smith didn't suspect Gawain. So far, the investigation hadn't revealed anything suspicious about Gawain, and all the evidence pointed to Van Vich. Especially since the initial formation of the archaeological team was already suspicious, and considering the outcome, Van Vich's behavior seemed highly illogical.

After listening to Gawain's account, Smith nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the bottom of the cliff.

His intuition told him that the sacrifices Vanvich had prepared were not just the archaeological team members, but the collapsed pit itself was the real target.

"We need to go down and investigate."

"Team Leader Smith, are you sure you want to go down?"

Gao Wen took two steps back and kindly said, "It's very deep down there. It took me a long time to climb up, and we don't have a rope that long."

"It's alright, magic isn't such an inconvenient thing."

Smith smiled mysteriously, took a step forward, lost his footing, and plummeted straight down the cliff.

Is he really that good at putting on airs?

Gawain's eye twitched. Knowing that Smith would be fine, he still quickly pulled over a member of the investigation team and explained the situation.

If he fails to climb up, he won't take the blame.

Half an hour later, Smith rose into the air like a cannonball, spiraling upwards, and landed lightly with a backflip. He said to his companion, "No sacrificial remains were found at the bottom of the cliff. Chaos took everything away. There are traces of climbing to save himself. Gawain was not lying; he did fall off the cliff."

Fragments of the Underworld exist in the form of broken dimensions. In terms of space, they can overlap with the universal continent or remain parallel to it. Smith may be quite powerful and have rich investigative experience, but even if he has a wild imagination, he would never be able to make the connection to fragments of the Underworld.

Without a target, there is no targeted investigation, and it is normal to return empty-handed.

They weren't completely empty-handed, proving that what Gao Wen said was true.

This time, Gao Wen completely absolved himself of any responsibility.

"Team leader, we've made some discoveries here. You'd better come and take a look."

A team member walked in from outside the cave: "We've found a student's body. According to the list and student ID, it's Holden..."

"Ah, Holden?!"

Gawain took two steps forward, surprised and doubtful, "How could he have died outside? Wasn't he sacrificed like us... Uh, I was moving things the whole time and didn't really notice if Holden was there or not."

Smith seemed to understand something and asked, "What was the scene like? How did Holden die?"

"His neck was snapped from the front by the killer. Based on the situation at the scene, Holden and the killer knew each other, and there was a clear difference in strength. He had no chance to struggle or resist and died instantly," the team member reported truthfully.

He kept talking about the murderer, never mentioning Van Viktor, yet every word pointed to Van Viktor.

At this point, those who understand will understand. Holden must have discovered some clues, which VanVleet noticed, leading to his tragic demise before the sacrificial ceremony.

Of course, these are just speculations based on the scene, and some conclusive evidence is still needed.

"Properly dispose of Holden's body, so that he does not lose his dignity in death. Also, check the college's archaeological equipment. The higher-ups have ordered that it be transported back intact, no matter the cost."

Smith assigned tasks one by one, making sure everyone had something to do, and finally said, "The higher-ups are in a hurry, so we need to slow down the investigation. If we go too fast, it will make us seem like we're just going through the motions."

These words were not spoken behind Gao Wen's back, which clearly indicates that Gao Wen has been completely ruled out as a suspect.

Everyone had a job, and Gao Wen was no exception. Due to a shortage of manpower, he was assigned the work of moving the archaeological equipment out of the canyon, loading it onto a truck, and transporting it back to Ximan Town.

The investigation team spent two days in the canyon and another two days back in Seaman. Smith knew his superiors were in a hurry, so he wasn't in a rush at all. He was a competent and experienced officer.

“Gao Wen, you’re returning to school with us. Too many people have died this time; the school can’t afford any more losses,” Smith said earnestly.

"Thank you for taking care of me all this way, Team Leader Smith. I won't let you down." Gawain's face was full of joy, his eyes clear and bright.

Smith thought to himself, knowing he was strong, he was prepared to use him like a beast of burden, and a particularly eager one at that.

Who are you trying to fool? You think he's a college student?!

Target: Silver City, Royal Magic University.

set off!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Magic University, having received Smith's full investigation report, they held another small meeting to discuss how to shift the blame.

The murderer is Van Vicki, who orchestrated the Chaos Sacrifice. The evidence is conclusive and beyond doubt.

But the parents of the deceased students don't see it that way. Van Vich had a professorship and was the head of the history department in the philosophy department. Van Vich died quickly and there was no way to hold him accountable, so the school had to step forward and take the blame.

Nearly twenty history students, representing twenty families, including many of noble birth, would be difficult to manage if they caused trouble.

The school doesn't want to take the blame, and they wanted to shift the blame during the last meeting. The candidate was Gao Wen. Sacrificing one person would bring happiness to everyone, preserving the greatest unity with the least sacrifice.

Unfortunately, they weren't made of dough; they had connections, and the fake certificate was personally arranged by the royal family.

The Royal Magic University, belonging to the royal family, is the kingdom's resource depot. By shifting the blame to Gawain, it was ultimately the university authorities who stepped in to quell public anger.

It didn't work!

The goal of today's meeting is very clear: to find someone to take the blame and let the nobles cause trouble elsewhere.

"The investigation team is already on its way back. We can't delay any longer. Smith has bought us two more days. Does anyone have any suitable candidates?" Vice Principal Jun Tu presided over the meeting.

This is a tall, thin old man with gray hair and beard but not showing his age. His clothes are neat and meticulous, exuding a refined elegance that comes with the passage of time.

He is not only the vice-principal of the Royal Magic University, but also the Minister of Magic of the Kingdom of Jinyao. He wields incredible power, and his influence is immense as long as he is within the Kingdom of Jinyao.

What? Who is the principal?

Of course, it's His Majesty the King!

"Principal Juntu, how about we go with the old method? What do you think?"

After some discussion, Rousseau, the dean of the Philosophy Department, spoke up, saying that he was to blame for the commotion caused by his subordinates and was the most eager to shift the blame.

"It's the same old method again. Isn't that too perfunctory? The nobles aren't stupid."

"Then what's your solution?"

"..."

In a detached silence, Juntu finalized the meeting's decision: to follow Rousseau's method and shift the blame to the neighboring Kingdom of Vis.

Neighboring countries are just there to shift blame. If we don't use them to divert attention, what's the point of having them? Are we after border friction or trade barriers?

In short, we can't let the problems fester in our hands; if we can't push them out domestically, we can push them out internationally.

"Appease the nobles, give them priority admission, and say that the school was also kept in the dark, and that it was all Vanvich's treason..."

With the charter finalized, things became much easier. Everyone present was shrewd and quickly grasped Principal Juntu's good intentions.

"Principal Juntu, you've forgotten someone."

"Who?"

“Vanwich’s son, Vansen, is still working at the school, in the history department.”

“A traitor’s son is a traitor too. Pack his bags and go to the accounting office to settle his accounts. He won’t need to come to work anymore.”

Juntu acted swiftly and decisively, as the saying goes, "the son pays for the father's debts." Vanvich had ruined the school to the point of death, and now that he was dead, his son would bear the brunt of the nobles' anger.

As for the contributions this father and son made to the school...

It can only be said that the performance of the Van Welch family during their tenure at the university was remarkable. If these recent history students are the new monuments of the university, then the Van Welch family is the foundation!

Having resolved the issue, the deans who had previously shied away from the matter stopped pretending and praised Principal Juntu for his wisdom and brilliance. They believed that under his leadership, the Royal Magic University would surely prosper, grow stronger, and achieve even greater glory.

"By the way, Principal Juntu, what are the arrangements for Gao Wen?" Before the meeting ended, Dean Rousseau of the Philosophy Department asked eagerly.

You old fool, you never do anything that might offend anyone!

Seeing Rousseau feign ignorance, Juntu said irritably, "No need to make arrangements, everything is normal. After all, he is also a victim."

"What I mean is, Smith said in his report that Gao Wen is a talented student and should be nurtured. How should we arrange things?" The dean of the philosophy department was a master at playing dumb.

"The royal family has already made arrangements for him, so we don't need to worry about it. Just follow the royal family's wishes." Juntu didn't want to get involved and told Rousseau to handle things according to the higher-ups' intentions.

"I understand."

Rousseau nodded. Gawain was connected to the royal family and was close to the Griffith family, so he would listen to the headmaster and arrange for him to go where he needed to go.

Chapter 23 A gentleman is a patient wolf

Magic and industry coexist on the vast continent.

It's strange, but it really exists.

Magic is the pioneer, deeply rooted; industry is the latecomer, advancing by leaps and bounds. The pioneer spares no effort to suppress the latecomer, while the latecomer gradually erodes the territory established by the pioneer.

Judging from the current situation, magic's position is unshakeable; it is the longest river on the entire continent.

The reason is simple: gods exist in the world, and the strong set the rules.

All of this dictates that industry can only serve as an auxiliary force. It can serve the masses and allow nobles to enjoy a higher level of luxury, but it cannot bring the gods down from their pedestals.

Getting back to the main point, Gao Wen's worldview became more and more complete as he saw and heard his experiences along the way. He followed the investigation team by train to Jinyao City Station, and then transferred to another train to reach Yinyao City.

Golden City is the capital, while Silver City is a university town and a satellite city of the capital. The two are less than 50 kilometers apart.

From a bird's-eye view, the two cities, one large and one small, symbolize the sun and moon, forming a fortress-level magical defense system.

The investigation team was in a hurry, and Gawain didn't have time to experience the prosperity of the capital. But Silver City was not bad either. As the exclusive university city of the Royal Magic University, many churches and branches of the Mage Guild were stationed here because the students were all geniuses with unlimited future prospects.