Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

021: Final Solution: Forge the dragon's head into a weapon

"I see. So this is your request."

Quickly regaining her composure from the shock, Xia Li raised her hand, and ethereal threads, flowing from micrometers, pierced her body after being buried in the soil.

"Because it lacks a brain, it cannot see memories, nor can it glimpse the brain; it can only obtain superficial information about the physical body..."

Is it troublesome?

The silver-haired boy blinked, while Cialis drew a diagram in the air. She first wrote down the name of the spirit tomb Albion, and then drew two opposing triangles as a simplified diagram of the remains of the dragon Albion.

"As you said, this pure-blooded dragon, which you call the Albion Dragon, is still a super existence in terms of physical strength, even if it is just a skeleton. Its body, which is two thousand meters long, is buried underground. According to my calculations, assuming that there are no major changes in geological movements, it would conservatively take... about twenty years to build a workshop and use necromancy to refine it."

"Twenty years, huh?"

Novia murmured, "To be fair, it would only take Cialis twenty years to successfully refine the remains of the Albion Dragon. She would undoubtedly live up to her reputation as a candidate for the next dean of the Atlas Academy. You have to understand that this is a dragon species that almost had its inner side dug out with just its physical body."

However, Novia believes that if it really takes that long, there's no guarantee that something unexpected might happen. If other magicians find out about this place, it could cause a new storm in the magic world of Europe. Objectively speaking, magicians are egoists and efficiency-oriented. Most magicians who find this place will probably think of taking it for themselves first, unless they can't hide it anymore, in which case they will cooperate.

It is important to know that the Clock Tower in later generations acquired a huge amount of magical assets through the Tomb of Albion, which made it a beacon of hope in the declining magical world and a magic association that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Atlas Academy in the Wandering Sea. It can be said that every part of it is a treasure.

However, the two magicians, Novia and Cialis, are clearly abnormal in the magic world. Novia is a time traveler, while Cialis, although not human before, was a good person because her ethical values ​​were based on obtaining the good and evil of others through ethereal threads.

However, the purple-haired girl is now on the path of facing her true nature.

That's why she frowned at Novia, who was not speaking.

There was a hint of genuine anxiety in his voice, which led to an aggressive tone in what followed.

"I can only guarantee about twenty years, and because the soul of the Albion Dragon has completely disappeared, there will be no residual negative elements such as 'regret' or 'resentment' after the necromancy is completed. I can't guarantee anything else to you."

Necromancy is a technique where the Atlas Institute combines necromancy with alchemy. Because the bodies of magicians and fantasy species are still rich in magical power even after their souls disappear, it is possible to create very powerful Mystic Codes.

"I understand, taking only twenty years is indeed the fastest."

Novia nodded, thinking that if that was the case, then it was time to implement the other plan.

"Then, could you forge the head of the Albion Dragon into a weapon for me? As for the body, that's unnecessary."

Although they couldn't obtain a loyal dragon, they could use its head to forge a weapon, which was about the same as Novia's plan. After all, the fairy knight Lancelot was born from its left claw, so using its head shouldn't be a problem.

As for what shape it should look like, Novia had already decided: it would be made to resemble the gun that Yao Lan had.

"Head, skull? But this dragon's head isn't broken off—"

The girl observed Novia, looking puzzled.

But as she spoke, Novia dug away the soil on the other side, revealing the head of the Albion dragon that he had found deep underground.

The Albion Dragon even sticks out its tongue when it dies...

Thinking this way, Cialis inserted the etheric thread into the head of the dragon Albion and began calculating.

"I still can't see the memories, but if I only focus on the head, then it should only take a year."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Cialis."

"But what kind of weapon do you want? A sword? A gun? Or a bow—"

"this."

When Cialis saw Novia produce the groundbreaking design drawings, even though she was used to all sorts of miscellaneous ideas as an alchemist from the Atlas Institute, she still genuinely thought the weapon in the design drawings was very cool.

"I will forge it according to your design."

Xia Li answered briefly, her body moving without hesitation, and she began to build the magic workshop here with astonishing speed.

"Start now? Don't you need to prepare? Or should I show you around the British Isles for a few days?"

Novia crossed her arms and extended an invitation with a smile.

"There's no need for that. What you're saying is meaningless to me. By the way, your design drafts are pretty good. If you want, you could join the Atlas Institute."

"That's what I'm saying," Cialis said casually.

Then immediately added.

"I just forgot that you've already joined Christianity. Anyway, I'll give you what you want in a year."

...........

"Already done?"

As Novia emerged from the cave, she saw Lucius sitting on the grass by a campfire, who was guarding the cave entrance, so she went over to him.

"Yes, it should be ready in a year."

"Only a year? That little girl is so amazing. I thought it would take decades, considering how big that dragon is."

“You’ve misunderstood. What I gave to Cialis was the head of the dragon Albion.”

The crimson campfire illuminated the barren grassland, and the two men engaged in meaningless conversation.

"Speaking of which, you're only sixteen years old, and you've already done so much, which is already quite an achievement. Do you still want to keep going?"

Lucius said with some sadness, probably feeling that as an older person, he was powerless to do much for the young man in front of him.

“My name is Novia, and Paul and the others raised me. I have to repay them, don’t I? Besides, no amount of crying and shouting can change the situation. If it’s something only I can do, then I have to face it head-on. Even if it’s not my intention, even if I have to test it myself, I will do what I should do.”

Just like the day they first met, the boy's words contained some emotion that Lucius could not understand. However, Lucius could not doubt that he could feel the sincere prayers poured into those words.

Therefore, Lucius grinned again, touching the old, cross-shaped scar on his cheek.

"Then do your best, Lady Novia."

022: Things that don't require reflection for people

After deciding on the treatment of the Albion Dragon, Novia stayed in Britain for about two months, and also took the opportunity to properly deal with the tribes that had been the first to defect to Rome during the Roman expedition to Britain.

Since the Roman conquest of Britain, Emperor Claudius and the Senate had a common strategy of plundering local wealth through heavy taxes and usury. The tribes that submitted to Rome relied on Rome's military intimidation and financial aid to become relatively well-off tribes.

Given Novia's current status, his visit can naturally be seen as Emperor Claudius's intention. The silver-haired youth expressed a certain degree of permission for the independence of these tribes, as long as the debts to Rome can be repaid and the rule of law is followed. Moreover, if this continues for too long, the policy may become one of appeasement and conciliation.

In fact, this was also Novia's way of preventing the later uprising that would sweep across Britain. One of the tribes that surrendered to Rome was the Einian tribe, whose leader was Boudica's husband. According to Novia's memory, this man intended to divide his territory in two before he died, leaving one half to his children and using the other half to repay Rome's debts.

However, this was overlooked by the British governor in the original history. Without consulting the emperor, he directly seized all of their land and humiliated the family members who came to demand an explanation. Although there were reasons such as excessive taxes, this was the obvious and direct trigger.

Therefore, Novia used this as a safeguard. As a province controlled by the Roman emperor, Britain was now highly trusted by Claudius, so he could naturally choose a trustworthy person to serve as the new governor after Lucius's departure.

After everything was arranged, Novia returned to Rome, having obtained permission from Claudius to travel to Britain by mentioning the possibility of a change in the local religious order, the Dionysian Church.

The sun, nearing noon, floated in the sky. Novia, who had left Domitius inside to study the doctrine after class, sat on a chair outside. Although he understood that the blonde girl's interests lay in music, art, literature, and drama, he still had to prioritize the doctrine he was promoting.

The azure pupils reflected the boundless grasslands and wildflowers, and this idyllic landscape, when blended together, resembled an illustration from a fairy tale.

To this day, Novia still lives outside Rome and has repeatedly declined Claudius's offers to move into a house inside the city.

"Britain will take another ten months to recover. Next, the Senate, Agrippina, Claudius, Jerusalem, Judaism..."

These are the problems that Novia believes will need to be addressed later.

"We need to do it one at a time."

It should be understood that vastness is the greatest obstacle to rule.

Of the forty-five provinces of the ancient Roman Empire, they can be roughly divided into those with governors appointed by the emperor and those with governors appointed by the Senate. The emperor's provinces were mostly strategically important border areas or important grain-producing areas, such as Germanic Egypt, and were generally heavily guarded. The senator's provinces were mostly wealthy provinces within the country, the most important of which were the Greek provinces.

The reason why Octavian, the founder of the Roman Empire, made this arrangement was simply to buy the support of the Senate for the emperor.

At present, the spread of Christianity by Novia is progressing extremely rapidly in the Emperor's Province, but in the Senate Province, apart from the areas previously promoted by himself and Paul and others, it is progressing slowly.

Essentially, Novia's propagation of doctrines into the Greek provinces was a strategy to seize control of Greece. Greece was a core interest of the Senate, which would inevitably fight to the end. After all, the upper echelons of society, who relied on every means to maintain their privileges and enormous wealth, would not relinquish the interests they controlled.

As expected by Novia, Agrippina, since becoming Claudius's secretary, had approached the sixty-year-old emperor several times to discuss making her empress. Although Novia advised the emperor to observe her for a while longer, it was clear that it wouldn't be long before it was done, because Agrippina had indeed performed very well.

As for Emperor Claudius himself, although he always appeared to listen to Novia's advice, he always dodged the question regarding the Praetorian Guard and the discussion of establishing Novia's innovative Christianity as the state religion of Rome.

Novia naturally understood that the old emperor intended to leave himself some trump cards to prevent Novia from turning around and threatening him after successfully defeating the Senate. After all, with the Imperial Guard in place, the emperor's position would still be in Novia's hands.

The Praetorian Guard, which could decide the emperor's life and death, and the Senate, which had the power to overturn the emperor's appointments, were obstacles to Novia's desire to establish the Christianity she promoted as the state religion of Rome.

As for the Judaism entrenched in Jerusalem, Novia had already figured out how to deal with it. Other places could be ignored, but these guys had actually executed the very person they were promoting as Jesus Christ. Although they were guilty in their propaganda and in reality, it was clear that they had already 'betrayed' him and had to be dealt with.

Once the weapon forged from the head of the Albion dragon is in hand a year later, Novia plans to find a suitable reason to declare them all heretics and lead the Roman legions to give these people a new century of 'Roman imprisonment'.

As for whether it would stigmatize him, Novia didn't care at all. As long as he successfully completed these tasks, established the Holy Church ahead of schedule, and became the first pope, future believers would naturally find reasons to justify it, turning black into white. After all, this could be considered a kind of legal principle. Wasn't that how Empress Wu Zetian operated hundreds of years later in the East?

Moreover, John, who wrote the New Testament, was one of the twelve apostles, and Novia, who was raised by Paul, would naturally know him. The silver-haired boy's actions could be considered as spreading the glory of Christ, and he might even be given another category because of it.

"It's been three years."

Novia took a deep breath as he thought about this. It had been three years since he left Anatolia Province, and his memories of it were fading. As a result, he felt somewhat lonely. He was fine when he was talking to Lucius, but now that he was alone, he missed it more and more.

Although only fixed labels remain in one's memories, there's nothing that can be done about it; human memory will gradually deteriorate.

“Agrippina can’t do anything sinister right now; on the surface, she’s still on our side.” Novia took a slight breath, got up, and headed towards the Roman palace. “I’ll take a boat back in a few days to check on her.”

However, Novia believes that he misses his hometown more than his new life, which is something a man should reflect on.

023: Iron Fist...The Old Woman

In 50 AD, Antioch was located in the northeast of the Mediterranean Sea, about 500 kilometers north of Jerusalem.

In this world, the disciples of Jesus Christ are called Christians, and the original Christian doctrine originated from this.

A gentle breeze blows across the streets, the wasteland, and the sea, and the people living here enjoy a peaceful life.

"Is this the place where you, Teacher Novia, grew up?"

Domitius took a bite of the food he had made and looked at Novia in front of him.

"Correct."

Under the high, clear sky, the two walked together.

A few days ago, after Novia planned to return, she went to Emperor Claudius to explain the reason, and unsurprisingly, she was granted permission.

However, on the return ship the next day, they found that Domitius had also come aboard. Although Novia could have simply thrown him back into the sea and swam him back to shore, she thought it was unnecessary. It would be better to take him out of Rome to see the world. After all, this blonde girl would later become the Roman emperor and host and participate in the Olympic Games as an emperor. Perhaps this was just her nature.

Three years after leaving Antioch, although this place was only Novia's hometown in this era, he was still very moved when he returned. People's lives were integrated into the scenery, and the wind here was as always, carrying a slight chill, yet so peaceful.

Because of the magic trick, no one around them paid any attention to the two people who stood out so conspicuously in the crowd.

"Teacher, you walked from here to Rome in just one year? Without taking a car or a boat, and you were only fourteen years old then, weren't you?"

The blonde girl shook her head slightly.

"With Lucius around, it's alright, after all, he taught me marksmanship for a while."

"Oh, okay? How about we walk back this time, teacher? I can teach you... singing songs and stuff like that. Hmm, I'm a genius."

"Don't even think about having fun. Besides, I'll make sure you take a one-hour bus ride every day when you go back."

"Teacher, I was wrong, I will never do it again, please don't do it."

"see your performance."

Novia said this because after meeting Domitius, he discovered that this 'Nero' actually had an unimaginable symptom: his buttocks would hurt when he drove.

As the two engaged in their meaningless conversation, they passed through the bustling crowd and finally came into view a small white chapel with its doors open.

For Domitius, who grew up in Rome, this was undoubtedly extremely dilapidated. Although the intertwined ivy and lush weeds were still quite charming, the white exterior was cracked in many places, making her wonder if the church would collapse with a gust of wind.

But when she thought about how this was where her own teacher had grown up, she prayed that she wouldn't be looked down upon by her grandmaster, and nervously followed Novia up the steps outside the church.

"You're talking nonsense!"

The sudden, angry shout echoed throughout the small church, causing it to tremble slightly.

This made Domitius subconsciously glance at Novia beside him, because the voice was undoubtedly that of Paul, whom Novia had mentioned. After all, he could tell that he was almost sixty years old. How could his master speak so rudely? What would his teacher think?

However, in her eyes, Novia did not change at all; she just quickened her pace, probably wanting to know what had happened.

"You Jews! Don't give me that Old Testament thing! What era are we living in?! I remember what happened sixteen years ago! Believe me or not, I'll have someone write a new one soon! On this side of the Mediterranean, who among you can out-argue us!"

As they drew closer, the voices inside became clearer, the old man's disgruntled tone revealing a sharp edge.

“Sir Paul, what I’ve said is a decision made by the elders of Jerusalem. It is a great honor for you, a branch of Judaism, to join us.”

The magician opposite the old man responded, his tone extremely cold.