After reaching the maximum level, my "soft rice system" finally arrived.

but--

After witnessing firsthand the fate of the Wizarding Towers in the Dawn World.

Charles carefully suppressed the slight sense of laziness and complacency that had been rising within him.

If we remain complacent in our comfort zone and fail to strive for progress...

What difference is there between such arcane magic and wizarding civilization and death?

"In that case——"

"Then let the tide of the times come even more fiercely."

Outside the windows at the top of the Dark Tower, the once clear, cloudless sky was suddenly shrouded in a thick layer of gloom.

Immediately afterwards, a thunderclap exploded at the edge of the sky.

Heavy, dense raindrops fell in a steady stream, gathering on the glass window to form endless watermarks.

It's as if, in that distant other dimension—

Two dark clouds that once hung over the edifice of physics a hundred years ago.

.......

"Let's present this arcane paper at the Arcane Council meeting in a few days..."

Charles wasn't the kind of person to be indecisive; once he made a decision, he stopped overthinking it.

He stood up and glanced at the dark clouds outside the window.

Within Xia Er's dark eyes, a mysterious magical rune shifted slightly.

next moment--

The previously dark and oppressive clouds suddenly parted as if pierced by a sharp sword—

The clouds dispersed, revealing the clear blue sky behind them once more.

The previously torrential rain then stopped.

In the gaps where the dark clouds had been dispelled—

The brilliant sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the earth.

Forbidden spell: "Celestial Manipulation".

By using magic to alter the atmospheric structure within a certain area, the spellcaster can arbitrarily reverse the weather environment on a small scale, according to their will.

Generally speaking, because this forbidden spell consumes a great deal of mental energy when used, it is usually used as an anti-military forbidden spell during decisive battles.

It is used to generate severe weather such as thunderstorms, hail, and torrential rain in the enemy's territory at critical moments in a war between two countries, in order to decide the outcome of the battle.

However, in Sharl, this thing became a permanent buff for the Arcane City, making every day in the Arcane City sunny and cloudless.

"It's too much trouble to have to manually drive away the rain every time—"

"This paper is also finished."

"With only a few days left until the Arcane Council opens... I should go build a 'Weather Control System' so it can function even when I'm not around."

Charles stretched.

He was just about to leave...

Then, I saw the small notebook standing upright in front of me.

Arcane Ritual

The words, outlined in pale gold lettering, swayed incessantly before Charles's eyes.

Arcane Ritual

Arcane Ritual

Then, the word was repeated several times, like a broken record.

"Okay... I'll go with you to the Arcane Festival after the council meeting."

Charles nodded helplessly.

The other person has worked hard alongside me for almost half a year. If I can't even fulfill this small wish, then it would be a bit too unreasonable.

"if--"

"If the wizards who host the Arcane Festival can handle this little surprise from me..."

.......

The month of abundance.

A wind from the northwest of the continent blew to the Arcane Capital in the center of the continent, turning all kinds of plants golden red.

From the Winter Empire to the West Coast—

Tourists from all corners of the Western Continent, from north to south, packed the entire Arcane Capital to the brim.

These outsiders, without exception... were all here in the Arcane Capital to participate in one of the grandest festivals in the entire Western Continent, held once every ten years.

Wizards' Gathering...

Or, it could be called... an arcane ritual.

According to records in ancient books...

Thousands of years ago, in that ancient era before the gods of dawn disappeared, the wizards were not in a good position—

Although they did not launch a full-scale "witch hunt" aimed at extermination like in the Dawn World, the wizards, as holders of forbidden knowledge, were still feared by many.

Suppressed in various ways by the various nations and the church at the time, and unable to rise to prominence, the wizards could only fight their own battles, hiding among the common people...

Arcane knowledge and spellbooks are passed down from generation to generation through a master-apprentice system.

Of course, as wizards are known for their high spending, they may inevitably encounter situations where they lack certain spellcasting materials or have insufficient funds.

Thus, secret gatherings exclusively for wizards came into being.

Wizards from all corners of the world, wearing masks, exchange knowledge, scriptures, information, and magical items at secret gatherings.

To avoid being discovered by official forces, the location of wizard gatherings is often changed.

Now, thousands of years have passed, and the gods of dawn have long since vanished without a trace...

The establishment of the Dark Tower further transformed the wizarding civilization from the original master-apprentice system to the current school system.

Today, any young person aspiring to master arcane arts no longer needs to painstakingly collect tokens to exchange for that meager knowledge at secret gatherings, as their predecessors did...

Simply visit one of the Black Tower Bookstores scattered throughout the Western Continent, or access the internet using a smart device...

For the price of a few copper coins, one can easily acquire all the knowledge needed from arcane enlightenment to advancement to intermediate level.

However, they hold onto reasons such as "remembering the bitter past to appreciate the sweet present" and "never forgetting their original aspirations"—

The wizarding gathering was preserved as a wizarding festival, still known as the "Arcane Festival".

.......

The Arcane Festival is held every ten years, and it has now reached its two-hundredth edition.

The Arcane Festival can be roughly divided into two parts.

Firstly, it was the highest-level Arcane Council, which brought together almost all the high-ranking wizards from the entire Western Continent.

These leaders from all corners of the world, representing their respective schools of thought and arcane fields, will gather at the Arcane Festival to discuss the future of arcane arts.

Furthermore, the event will review and recognize the new research achievements in the field of arcane and magical arts over the past decade, as well as the arcane sorcerers who created them.

At the previous Arcane Festival, Sharl, with the strength of a mere sixth-circle wizard, was awarded the title of Archmage.

He also broke many records, becoming not only the youngest Grand Arcane Master in the history of the Western Continent, but also the first person to obtain this honorary title without being a quasi-legendary.

If we were to make an analogy...

That would be similar to the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Charles's previous life.

However, compared to the annual Nobel Prize, the Arcana Council has a longer cycle and a higher level of prestige.

The other part was held in the Arcane City—

A true gathering of wizards.

Originally, this was a segment where various schools of thought within the Black Tower showcased their research findings to the mainland—in other words, a display of their knowledge.

However, at Sharl's suggestion, the original show-off segment of the Arcane Festival was modified for both of these years.

The current Arcane Festival is somewhat similar to the school festival in Char's previous life. The schools of the Black Tower each prepare their own entertainment programs and open them to tourists from all over the continent for them to experience.

This year's Arcane Festival happens to coincide with the two-thousandth anniversary of the founding of the Dark Tower.

Therefore, an element of a cultural exhibition titled "Two Thousand Years of the Black Tower" was also added.

.......

The Arcane Council meeting was held first.

At the same time, it attracted the attention of almost the entire continent.

From ordinary people in every region to the leaders of the major human empires...