Genius Warlock-Episode 186
Secret ledger stolen by a gang of thieves recovered.
Recapture of Shem River loading dock.
Elimination of non-affiliated gangs occupying Area O.
Prison escaper chase.
Randa's outermost moonshine factory destroyed.
And so on and so forth...….
Over the past few days, Oliver has completed quite a bit of work, receiving orders from crime firms, mercenaries, businessmen, etc..
It wasn't a lack of money. It was still quite relaxed..
Nevertheless, the only reason I worked like this was to have some free time..
If you do a lot of work at once like this, you can take a break in the name of rest..
Oh, of course, it wasn't by force..
It was just Oliver's courtesy to Forrest who was considerate of him..
Coco, Arthur, Al, etc. said that when the solver cooperates in this way, it is easier for the intermediary between the customer and the solver to work..
In fact, Forest must have understood Oliver's attitude when Oliver said he would take a break for a few days, and he nodded without even asking why..
‘Since you worked like this, no one will complain even if you don't receive work for a while. The timing isn't bad either... . Good, take a break..’
During the rest period, Oliver temporarily moved to Merlin's mansion and took classes..
The class wasn't anything special..
In self-directed learning, you read the textbook provided by Merlin and only asked questions about things you did not understand..
This is much more effective if you know how to read and have the will to learn..
After reading the book to the end, all you had to do was give a lecture to Merlin about what you had learned and be evaluated to see if you really understood it..
Depending on how you look at it, it was an anachronistic and quite burdensome teaching method, but Oliver was quite satisfied with it..
It was fun to read the book on my own and understand the content.,
It was fun to ask and answer questions about whether I understood things correctly.,
Passing on knowledge to others is also quite enjoyable..
However, the most enjoyable thing was that it guaranteed the autonomy of students receiving education..
So, Oliver was able to study in the study room in the mansion in his spare time..
Just like now.
"hmm… . History is fun too.”
Oliver muttered while reading a history book about the Magic Tower..
The magic tower that shared a history with Landa boasts a high prestige but also harbors mysticism, so there isn't much information in the book, but it still has more information than Oliver can hear..
For example, the original roots of the Magic Tower began as a branch of several schools of magic..
"Are you trying to study in advance before entering the magic tower??”
Merlin came up behind me and asked while examining the contents of the book..
I didn't feel it coming. She seemed to have strengthened her magical powers and hidden her emotions even more thoroughly..
Sometimes, he could vaguely read emotions, and as soon as he noticed this, he immediately prepared for it..
Although it was a little disappointing, Oliver did not show it and answered calmly..
"Are you here??”
"The reaction is not funny.”
"Oh, sorry. Then shall we do it again??”
"Do it again, what do you do again? Is the book more interesting than that??”
Oliver looked at the book he was reading and answered..
"Yes, it's kind of fun. I also learned something I didn't know.”
"Something about the roots of the Magic Tower?”
Merlin asked, looking at the same area that Oliver was looking at closely..
"yes. I thought the Magic Tower was the headquarters of each school..”
Oliver spoke honestly..
In fact, it was a remark that would have been ridiculed by anyone in mainstream wizard society, but surprisingly, most of the general public perceived it this way..
Currently, Celand… No, the largest magic organization in the chosen country was Landa's Magic Tower..
A misunderstanding caused by a kind of information gap and the closed nature of the magical society..
Merlin, who knew this, instead of clicking his tongue, kindly explained it..
"Well, it's misleading. Aside from the small details, Magic Tower is the most prosperous in terms of size and capital..”
"How did this happen??”
"Actually it's natural.”
"yes?”
"Landa has been deeply connected to wizards since its birth, so there are almost no regulations on wizards compared to other places..”
Oliver nodded. Wizards used their power to control the aftermath of the great disaster. Landa's birth could not have been due to a wizard..
"It is a city with no restrictions and no checks. Is there enough curiosity? So, not only in this country, but also schools headquartered overseas have opened branches here. For the purpose of subcontracting research that they are reluctant to do.”
With those words, Merlin drew a picture on the desk with magic..
"My desk gets dirty.?”
"Find out something. I bought it with my own money..”
"ah..…."
A small circle was drawn on the table and arrows were drawn towards it..
"Obviously, that was the right start. The Randa branch of each school was merely a research subcontractor of the school headquarters. If you don't think so, you can withdraw at any time. However, thanks to the almost non-existent regulations, the speed and results of research are trending upward, and more research is being conducted in the future. Autonomy and support will naturally increase..”
There are more arrows, and the circles are getting bigger..
"Later, they start their own business based on that autonomy. Such as technology development partnerships or production collaboration requested by companies. So money flows in and the scale grows..”
The circle got bigger again.
"As a result, the importance of the Landa branch among the schools gradually increased, and at some point, it became a proxy competition site for each school. However, at this time, another variable arises..”
"What is it?"
"The wizards working at the Landa branch began to place their identity more on Landa rather than on the school..”
"From the look on your face, I guess you don't understand. I understand. But even at that time, it was a huge deal. Usually wizards base their identity on the school they belong to. Because a school was essential to becoming the mainstream of wizard society.."
“..…Oh, by the way, Landa is self-sufficient..”
"that's right. The Order realized this too, but it was too late. The Magic Tower branch has become similar in size to the school's headquarters..”
fluttering.
Merlin turned the next page..
"The branches of each school in Randa met secretly and made an agreement. Why would we need to fight among ourselves in this town where there is so much to eat? Actually, that's not wrong. There are places where our rice bowls overlap, but there is so much to eat that we can solve it through conversation. So they decided and just merged themselves. And that is the current magic tower..”
"Has each school accepted this??”
"If they don't, what can they do? The situation has already changed, and even when the school established its own educational institution, it could not oppose it and instead approved it. Currently, most schools have an abnormal relationship in which the school headquarters and the Magic Tower branches are equal or reverse subordinate..”
Oliver read the page Merlin opened..
It wasn't as direct as Merlin said, but it was indirectly giving the information..
Oliver spoke about his feelings.
“..…It's fun.”
"History is fun. More interesting than any other story... ..probability, drama. Because nothing is missing.”
Merlin's words were not just words, but I felt a certain bone in them..
Just as I was about to ask about this, Merlin asked first..
"So, I found it a bit surprising that you were reading the Magic Tower history book. Answer me. Are you trying to study the Magic Tower in advance??”
The first question Merlin asked. Oliver shook his head..
"Similar, but a little different.”
"like..… . How are they different??”
Oliver looked at the books piled next to him..
In addition to the history books about the Magic Tower and each school, there was also a book called [History of Religion and Faith].
"I was trying to find out about this.”
The book Oliver took out was none other than a handwritten magic research journal..
In fact, it was a magic research diary, and like a lightning wizard's diary, it contained quite a bit of the author's personal circumstances..
“A research diary of a Magic Tower student. where did you get it?”
"I got it while working.”
"If it's a problem, it's a problem solver?”
"yes.”
Merlin nodded as if he understood what was going on..
I couldn't tell what he was thinking because his heart was blocked by a wall of magic, but he didn't seem to have any special feelings..
“..…A young man who was eliminated from the Magic Tower competition.."
Oliver nodded..
The owner of that magic journal was Adri, a former student of the Pure Magic School and the owner of a moonshine factory in the no-development zone that was Murphy's competitor..
In the first half of the journal, he faithfully described only his research and training in magic, but about halfway through, he suddenly started writing personal stories..
It wasn't a very good story.
"It's a typical story. By chance, magical talent is revealed and he is adopted into a wizard's family, but soon, he is overcome by the limitations of his talent..”
"Does that happen often??”
Oliver asked for confirmation. When I looked at the contents of the diary, it seemed that there were surprisingly many such cases..
"I can't say no.”
"hmm..… . So, does a lot of backroom dealing happen in the Mage Tower? Actually, I looked for a book about the Magic Tower to find out about it..”
It was like that..
Adri, the owner of the journal, was afraid of the limitations of her talent and the resulting dissolution of her family and the cessation of support for tuition and living expenses..
Although he pretended not to do so on the outside, fear leaked out through his handwriting and subtle tone of voice..
However, what I praise him for is that he viewed the situation as positively as possible and made a plan at the same time..
He mentioned the 'backdoor dealings' that run rampant throughout the Magic Tower and said he would shape his own destiny there..
They say that if you are a magician from the Magic Tower, there will be times when you are needed..
He must have actually been good at it, so he contacted a student who was related to that area and somehow got involved and learned about the physiology of that place..
For your information, there were more types of backroom deals at the Magic Tower than you might think..
‘Spilling’ is selling unused experiment tools, failed low-quality scrolls, and crude potions made by students.’.
‘Part-time job’ where magic is used after receiving tasks that require magic, like a problem solver.’.
Or, a 'whisper' that conveys information about the magic tower or the movement route of goods handled in the magic tower.’.
However, the biggest one among them was the 'back-end process' where professors were organized to sell illegal potions, scrolls, and even medicine and magic spells..
According to Adri's diary, the scale was beyond imagination. To the extent that it plays a part in the shadow economy..
That's why Adri stole the magic liquor production recipe and set up a moonshine factory as soon as she left the Magic Tower..
For reference, the scale of the backroom transaction was large, but the number of participants also varied..
While there were students like Adri trying to make a living, there were students from prestigious families who enjoyed the thrill, and there were teaching assistants, staff, and even professors..
Merlin read what Oliver had read, but was unmoved..
As if you already knew.
Oliver said this.
"You're not surprised..”
"What's there to be surprised about? Everything in the world has an expiration date..”
"What is the expiration date??”
"It means that everything in the world is twisted and corrupted.."
With those words, Merlin drew up magical power into his hands and poured it into the journal..
Sigh. Sigh. The magic power made a machine-like sound, and after a while, when the magic power hidden in the journal reacted, it rose into the air..
Swish 1!
Merlin snatched the magical power information written in the journal with one hand, as if snatching it with one hand..
"what is that?”
"It's just plain security magic. Hiding important information by applying magical power. Judging from the fact that you paid attention to security so as not to be caught, you seem like a well-educated friend.."
"Can I ask what was in it??”
"no, that doesn't work.”
“yes?”
Oliver asked back at the unexpected answer. Merlin's answer was decisive..
"Think of it as a cost. I also taught you about this security magic.?”
ah..… . After saying that, I had nothing else to say..
As Merlin said, I didn't even know this existed until he showed me..
Oliver nodded in understanding..
"You're right..”
"It's a good attitude to know how to admit it. Let me give you a reward.”
"It's a prize?”
"Yes, let me introduce you to the person who will take you to the Magic Tower and your temporary master. Come in."
With those words, the door opened and a man came in..
Perhaps due to some kind of device, Oliver did not notice his presence. But when I saw the man's face, it didn't matter anymore.
"Nice to meet you.”
A wizard with long black hair and red skin. Kevin Dunbar said.
"Or should I say it's been a while?”
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