Chapter 139

-To put it simply, the previous war was a conflict between radicals and conservatives.

Nadia’s voice overflowed with such lively personality that, even without seeing the speaker, it was never boring.

Thousands of mages sat and lay however they pleased across the wide plaza, some even closing their eyes as they listened to Nadia’s explanation.

-Hmm… since you asked me to explain for humans who know nothing, I’ll start with the Administrators’ mission? I don’t know about the essence of the Administrators. It’s not my job to know where they came from or why they act the way they do, so you’ll just have to accept that. If you’re really curious, ask our Administrator over there directly. Anyway, while I don’t know much about Administrators, I do know their mission. It’s to create a sustainable universe, meaning creation itself! The radicals and conservatives had conflicts over the methodology and blueprint of creation. So, I guess it was conflict from beginning to end?

The gods were divided into conservatives and radicals, and at the center of these factions were two types of gods. The upper gods and the lower gods.

-The upper Administrators were mostly conservatives. They were the oldest Administrators and the most skilled at handling the Akashic Record. Those with the highest wisdom created masterpieces like me. Yes, I was born by their hands and fought on their side.

In contrast, the lower gods were mostly radicals. They were gods born relatively recently and had inferior ability to handle the Akashic Record. In particular, many of the lower gods were demigods combined with the Philosopher’s Stone. From the perspective of the existing gods, they were merely defective.

-But… the lower Administrators, despite their lacking abilities, had the same desire for creation as the upper Administrators. Every Administrator has their own universe they want to create, right? But no matter how great an Administrator is, it’s impossible to achieve creation alone. So it was virtuous to compromise and yield the planning to the wiser ones. But… with many half-Administrators being born due to the Philosopher’s Stone, that balance collapsed. They had different temperaments from the existing Administrators. Even though they lacked the power to move the Akashic Record, they still wanted to leave their mark on the world somehow. They devised all sorts of tricks to leave their own records.

That’s how “reality distortion” was born. It utilized the bidirectional nature of the Akashic Record: “What is recorded happens. What happens is also recorded.” By killing people on a massive scale, thoroughly preparing to cause a massive calamity over a long time, or causing huge events in the world, they embedded enormous records in the Akashic Record that they couldn’t have left with their original abilities.

Naturally, the upper gods were in an uproar.

How outraged must they have been when these inferior gods scribbled graffiti on the masterpiece they had built over a long time?

-The conflict intensified. Of course, at first, it was one-sided, with the upper Administrators sanctioning the lower Administrators who had broken the rules. But as time passed, things began to change. This was because the creation led by the existing upper Administrators was making slow progress.

The problem was that the upper gods wanted to create a “perfect world.”

From there came the structure of the Tower of Covenant.

A hierarchical structure where endless small records branch out from a single line of record. But the upper gods didn’t want to stop there. Ultimately, they hoped for all the countless derived records to return to a single line of record again. They designed a universe where beginning and end would interlock and circulate eternally. They desired a world that was already perfect, one that would continue to exist beautifully forever even if abandoned by the gods. But despite countless trials and errors, they kept failing to create the “perfect structure.”

-Eventually, skepticism emerged from within. Was it really possible to create a “perfect world”? Even if possible, would it truly be meaningful? Wouldn’t a “perfect world” be a dead world that doesn’t change? In the end, some of the upper Administrators shifted to the radical faction centered around the lower forces. The argument was that rather than being fixated on writing a perfect record, we should focus more on writing new records. Their blueprint was to create a sturdy and spacious universe that could accommodate endless new records, even if they poured out endlessly. Gradually, the balance of power became even, and finally, war broke out. And I was bombed midway and crashed. I don’t know what happened after that. By the looks of it… it seems like a mess, right? Hehe.

Ah… hmm…

Various sounds spread across the plaza.

The mages were beginning to understand what “magic” truly was for the first time.

They realized that the power called magic, which they had taken for granted, was actually a derivative phenomenon resulting from the collapse of the grand myth that created this universe.

Along with the chilling realization that they were standing at the edge of that myth.

-Hmm… that’s about what I remember. But since the main network is down, I can’t remember all the details. So, Administrator! Please repair our Sion quickly! The current operation rate is only about 1 percent? We need to raise it to at least 5 percent to attempt low-speed flight and 20 percent to wake up the auxiliary memory devices! Right? Hurry up! Please make an effort. The world is more of a mess than expected. I can’t figure out where all the other Administrators went, so I’m really scared. Right? Ughh. I’m the one who needs this kind of lecture!

* * *

It’s dawn. It’s been a while.

The Tower of Covenant was different on each floor. Some places had no sun at all, while others had three. That’s why seeing my homeland’s dawn is so welcome and touching. It remains so even after several days.

The sky before the sun has risen. The stars that have already received sunlight are exceptionally bright. The waves of the Southern Sea, a dark blue ocean, glow so blue that even the rippling waves are visible, and the walls of Erasmus glow golden as if they might melt. Being at the edge of the continent, Lanciel City is even more special. The dawn that seeps through the vast darkness warms the morning for a long time, and only when the stars that receive sunlight shine as brightly as fire does the sun finally peek out. Compared to Earth’s dawn, which would seem like a mere blue sheet of paper, it’s such a magnificent dawn.

‘As beautiful as this is…’

To think it’s in the process of destruction. To think this world, which even the gods couldn’t be satisfied with and ended up destroying as they fought.

Ah, it hurts my pride.

I wanted to enjoy the dawn more leisurely, but I quickly washed and got dressed. Those living in an abandoned world can’t afford to waste a single day.

“The delegation will depart in 30 minutes. Everyone would be delighted if the Senior Elder could say a few words.”

As soon as I left my room, Hwarin followed me.

Hwarin always wakes up before me and waits in front of my door. She has officially received the title of “Senior Elder’s Aide,” and since then, she seems to burn with even more dedication.

“Ah. Is it already time for the delegation to depart? What about transportation?”

“The Wizard of Refinement has completed the final test of the Sun Chariot. They say this will be the Sun Chariot’s first practical deployment.”

Ah, the Sun Chariot is nice.

Refinement guy extorted ancient relics from me as compensation for destroying his laboratory. Even during that chaos, he stayed up late dissecting Mobility discs and asking me various questions, eventually creating the masterpiece called the Sun Chariot.

Unlike Mobility discs that need recharging after about a month of use, the Sun Chariot draws power from the three suns on the 3rd floor of the Tower of Covenant, making it semi-permanent without separate charging. It was a monster that could reach a top speed of 210 km/h in just 5 seconds, even with a barrier spell and carrying 20 people at maximum capacity. Moreover, because it borrowed power from the neutral existence of the sun, its aggro level was also dramatically lower. It can undoubtedly be called the best magical device for transportation currently in existence.

“If we’re using the Sun Chariot, four days should be enough to go all the way to the edge of the continent and back.”

“Yes. But I heard they’ve been given a maximum mission period of two weeks since we don’t know what might happen.”

True, calamities have also increased rapidly, and we don’t know how distant cities will react. They might completely ignore our proposal and be hostile. But would there really be such insane people? It’s hard to imagine, but since mages are creatures that can do anything when their pride and covenant become entangled, we can’t be too optimistic.

“The teams are structured with one 4th Circle mage, ten 3rd Circle mages, and four 2nd Circle apprentices per team. A total of 13 teams will be deployed.”

That’s perfect.

With that level, even a single team could conquer an entire city. Especially with the multi-control spell I developed.

I hope they do well. The supply of Light will vary depending on how they perform.

“Then shall we go straight to the plaza?”

“Yes.”

I left with Hwarin and walked toward the main gate of Lanciel City.

We walked along a well-paved road between tall buildings.

Wow… it’s been a while. Lanciel City.

It had been terribly destroyed by the invasion of Magic Tower mages, but it was perfectly rebuilt in less than two years. Proudly so.

When I first came here, I received a tremendous welcome while walking along this road. Since then, Monggu and Yuria have been constantly searching for such sweet snacks. Thanks to them, I also got many snacks to eat. It’s a warm memory.

“The weather is nice too.”

It’s particularly fortunate that Lanciel City is inside the Floating Island.

The departure ceremony proceeded briefly.

Envoys heading to 13 cities in the 7th Continent. They were envoys going to obtain “membership oaths” from each city.

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<Membership Oath>

Pathfinder will protect cities that have become members as long as it doesn’t conflict with its own purpose, and will do its best to promote their interests and exchanges.

Cities that have become members understand that preventing the world’s extinction and ascending the tower are urgent matters directly related to their survival, and will do their utmost to support Pathfinder’s interests. They also cannot refuse Pathfinder’s reasonable requests.

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It might seem unfair to cities that have always guaranteed their autonomy, but considering the protection provided during this chaos, it’s very cheap. Cities without separate backing would have no choice but to accept it.

“We will ascend the tower. We will climb the tower, reconnect all the stars into one, and build a world that will never face extinction. I believe that is the duty of us mages who command the dead gods.”

The various procedures of the departure ceremony quickly passed, and soon it was time for me to give a speech.

And these days, whenever there’s such an occasion, I’ve been repeating our goals. Since we’ve been too busy fighting and expanding our power to share our philosophy and vision, I should work hard now.

When I spoke, the surroundings were quiet. Mages who wouldn’t have understood what I was saying in the past now precisely capture the resonance contained in my words.

All thanks to Nadia’s lecture.

The mages here now know well why the world has become like this, and where we are in the timeline of this history of extinction.

“But think about it. How many resources will we need for us mages to achieve the feat of connecting the stars into one? Even to launch the Floating Island we’re standing on requires an enormous amount of Light. Yes. From now on, our battle will be a supply war. We must first rebuild our society to be stronger and more robust. And finally, with the power that society produces, we will ascend the tower. We will build a civilization that will never face extinction again. You, the delegation members, are embarking on the first mission toward this goal.”

I made eye contact with each of the delegation members whose eyes were shining with enthusiasm. I slightly bowed my head to them in greeting.

“I’m counting on you.”

I came down from the platform amid enthusiastic cheers.

Just as I sat back down, Nadia conveyed her concern to me in a voice only I could hear.

It was something I never expected an ego to point out.