A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 163 Who Invented the Awarding of Medals?

"Master Luo Xia has arrived!" There were no other employees or servants present. The chairman announced the ceremony himself, and his voice was hoarse from shouting so loudly.

The mages present applauded, while the owls merely tilted their heads; however, even when they flapped their wings, they couldn't make a sound.

There were about a hundred birds and people in total.

Before coming, Kano had already explained the matter to Rorschach. The floor of the hall had a huge mosaic pattern. Rorschach only needed to walk to the tile with the six-pointed star, which was the center of the space, and then bow to the surroundings, change direction and do it three more times as a gesture of respect.

All the real people present nodded in return, but the owls merely turned their heads slightly. The steps were high, and Rorschach, standing below them, felt somewhat uncomfortable under their gazes.

Among those watching the ceremony were familiar faces, including the three mages who had previously reviewed the proposal, as well as Count Granor, who was wearing a wool wig and a huge, wavy collar under his mage robe, making him appear even more aristocratic than the other nobles.

Rorschach was then led to stand aside by the board members, while Cano walked to the top step of the stairs directly opposite the door and addressed everyone:

"Today is the day when my student, Rorschach, a mid-level mage, will be awarded his medal. As a representative of the Senate, I will present him with the 'Moonlight' medal. I will not shy away from this, because the awarding of this medal was decided by a vote of all of you, and it was earned through Rorschach's selfless contribution of his wisdom."

"As one of the teachers, I never thought this student had anything particularly outstanding about him, except for the strange ideas that popped up from time to time, and the fact that he was already a mid-level mage before he was eighteen. Even I, an old man, would have to hold my nose and call him a 'genius.' No matter which role you play here, I am proud of you."

Cano's speech drew bursts of laughter, and Rorschach felt much better in the changed atmosphere.

Except for the Earl, who didn't laugh, he had originally thought this ceremony would be as solemn and grand as the investiture ceremony in the royal palace, and had spent a long time preparing his appearance and attire. However, the two main characters were too casual.

Without the refinement of nobility, even a mage is vulgar. He had tried to win over Rorschach before, but the boy was completely oblivious, which only made the Earl more displeased.

Music played continuously from the moment Rorschach entered, with different tunes for his entrance, his bow, and before Kano's speech. After Kano finished speaking, applause and the most solemn music rang out, and six mages in uniform robes, carrying staffs taller than a person with shimmering crystals, escorted the floating medals into the hall.

The medal has a golden base with colorful enamel patterns. At the center is the head of a quail holding a crescent moon in its beak amidst starlight, and its ruby-set eyes are gazing at Rorschach.

Everyone stood up at this moment. Cano had already come down, and he picked up the sash and pinned the medal on Rorschach.

Rorschach bowed in agreement, and Cano took the large staff from a master of ceremonies, the tip of the staff sweeping over Rorschach and casting a fleeting glimmer of light over the recipient.

"Remember that glory is fleeting, and may you remain unperturbed by honor or disgrace." These were the words Master Cano spoke to Rorschach using the [telecommunication] technique.

He was about to pat Rorschach on the shoulder again, but the chairman eagerly jumped in to preside: "Please, medal recipients, give your speeches!"

Rorschach ascended the steps where the Archmage had stood, glancing around at the audience, especially the owls: "Thank you for the Magic Guild's recognition, and thank you to the teachers and colleagues at the Tower of Stars for their guidance and help." After thanking CCTV, Rorschach finally got to the main point of his speech:

"In his speech, Archmage Kano said that I had selflessly contributed my wisdom, but I must correct him and confess to everyone that I did not contribute selflessly. Rather, I was able to continue my research only after receiving funding from the Magic Guild and the Tower of Stars."

Upon hearing this, the audience burst into laughter again. Granol thought to himself that this really was a student of Cano, the teacher and student were exactly the same.

"Some might say that knowledge is priceless, and most mages believe that magic is far more important than mere money, but during my time living and studying in Valuwana, I have come to realize more and more that the god of trade has never been so powerful, and that every gold coin or even just a piece of paper with numbers printed on it has magic."

"So, does the money of the Magic Guild appear out of thin air? However, there is no magic in this process; it is the money 'contributed' to the guild by countless merchant guilds that are subordinate to the guild."

"When I got involved in one of the projects, I was surprised to find out how many and how large the number and scale of the trading companies that depended on us were, and how much wealth they had accumulated, which made the guild so prosperous."

"Realizing this, I couldn't help but have a crazy thought: perhaps one day, it won't just be alchemical products and scrolls that end up on the shelves. If that day ever comes, may everything we cherish and are proud of at least fetch a good price."

Without applause, Rorschach stepped down from the stage, bowed to the audience, and left the grand hall to the sound of music.

"Why was your final speech so inexplicable?" Kano boarded the carriage of the Tower of Stars, while Rorschach had already boarded the carriage ahead of him.

"Because I hate that place, at least I don't like that chairman and the owl. So I'd better finish what I'm saying and leave."

"Each owl is associated with an invited guest who cannot attend, so they use magic to attend through this spiritual creature."

"Owls are nocturnal, isn't it too cruel to use them in broad daylight?" Rorschach found a comfortable sitting position on the cushion. Although the sash was made of silk, the heavy medal made his neck hurt, so he simply took it off.

"You don't need to wear this medal; you'll wear it on your chest after the awarding ceremony." During the ceremony, it's worn on the collar, but on the lapel for other occasions. "Having this little thing will be very beneficial for building your own magic tower; at the very least, you'll get more support from the guild."

"What kind of statement is that?"

"You're only a fifth-tier mage right now. After building your magic tower, you can only register as the lowest-level member when you join the guild. But with the Moonlit Blessing, you can be promoted one level." The Thirteenth Magic Tower is the highest-level tower in the guild. Other mage towers determine their influence, funding, and many other matters within the guild based on their level. Even among mages, there's a hierarchy of disdain based on the level of their graduated magic tower.

The Empire's magic academy is considered the lowest rung in the hierarchy, yet it has the Empire's backing to secure a spot for exchange with the Thirteen Magic Towers.

Luo Xia was too innocent and had never experienced these intricacies, nor did anyone criticize his background or origins as a mid-level mage who was not yet eighteen years old.

"Sigh, there's a hierarchy everywhere." Luo Xia was tired and simply slumped in his seat. "Even among mages, they have this whole medal-awarding thing." Luo Xia had always thought that the guilds were pragmatic and focused on strength, but he didn't expect them to have the same problem as the church.

"You don't know how many mages are of noble birth, so it's perfectly normal for them to imitate worldly rules. By the way, Pascal can't substitute for you in class lately, so remember to go to the École Normale Supérieure tomorrow."

"What? What happened to Senior Brother?" Luo Xia sprang up from his lying position. There was no end to what was going on here. When would they finally be able to set off for Baien?

"He broke his leg."

"Can't a healing spell do the trick?" Rorschach asked doubtfully. Even if he couldn't find a mage proficient in nature magic, he could always buy a scroll, right?

"Your senior brother has been spending too much lately. We should wait until he has saved enough money before buying the healing scroll. This is also an opportunity for me to correct him and make him realize his mistakes." The last sentence is true.

That makes perfect sense; dating in Valuvana is all about spending money like water, so Rorschach had no further doubts.

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(End of this chapter)