Chapter 263. α (12)
The ambitious architect who was radically accumulating knowledge unlike any other nation.
After the collapse of the Magic Tower.
The incident didn’t end here.
The green one demolished the Magic Tower and immediately moved to a new sea to pull off this stunt.
– Ugh, how dare you with those filthy tentacles!
He went to meet the leader of a neighboring country.
Of course, it wasn’t an easy attempt.
– Ah, the common folks really do drag their tentacles on the ground. I thought it was just a rumor.
– How unrefined for an intellectual! How can one walk with such precious tentacles meant for casting spells?
But let’s clarify something here: the green one was at least more polite than the personnel from the Magic Tower.
An artisan renowned for leatherworking ■▒.
As mentioned before, that quirky scholar could communicate to some extent with the top ruling class of the nation due to his family’s specialty.
Thus, the green mage contacted the leader of his home country with the help of his quirky fellow.
To be precise, he had requested cooperation from the higher-ups.
– Those aliens from the Magic Tower are even beyond our control! How can you instigate a war over trivial matters!
– It would have been better if you managed it yourselves, whether to kill or save them.
– Do you really intend to go to war with us?
– This is why countries with a short history are doomed. They show such fundamental flaws in their behavior…!
And the kind of suggestion that the green one made was accepted without a hitch. Ultimately, the Western country, the hometown of the war hero, sent some messages to this neighboring nation.
《A blue guest will soon visit the Tower of Knowledge and your heart, so take note of this.》
For reference, the Alphauri can easily produce sub-bass sounds that exceed hundreds of meters. Therefore, unless there were special barriers, they could communicate a word to the messengers of another nation regardless of the distance.
– You lunatic! Is simply sending a notification and showing up recklessly all you think to do?!
But there was a slight problem.
The other party arrived even before a reply of agreement or refusal could be sent back.
【A word of caution】
□ The one holding this stone tablet is a worthy citizen under * the chief of the western sea, so grant him a peaceful passage across borders. Should this traveler become ensnared in any treacherous scheme, know that the price of minor malice will return as war.
The sentient mammals of another planet could roughly be referred to as ‘passports’ in this mid-tech era.
A transit pass.
If the ruler of the Western country all of a sudden granted such an item to the green mage, it implied this.
[Ah,]
───‘We are prepared to go to war with you.’
[Can you hear me?]
They dared to commit such a high-handed act, akin to a declaration of war, while intruding.
– Wait, is that metallic clang reverberation…?
– Everyone! Take a closer look at that! It’s completely…
– Huh?
The Alphauri, who had clustered on the building walls, began to buzz.
A lowly guest—the war hero—had come to visit before the fortress where their ruler lived.
But at first, that huge shadow looked like the deep-sea creature itself, yet the more closely they looked, the more dissonant the form appeared.
– What is that? It’s a doll!
What revealed itself was not a living creature.
– It’s just a doll draped in Alphauri skin!
– I thought it looked different from what I saw on the battlefield.
– Wow, I just thought I was getting old and had changed that much.
– Hey you, foolish ones. I came to see what all the commotion was about only to find it’s obviously a fake body. It’s haphazardly stitched together, the body’s shape is flowing down like glaciers in broad daylight; how could you mistake that!
Mud and metal parts.
And the lifeless body was presumably patched with gelatin taken from living Alphauri.
It was a golem.
Right now, before their eyes stood a clumsily imitated golem of the dominant species of this planet.
Truly, it was only the prologue to their misfortune.
– Huh?
The main speaker of this story, the green deep-sea person, had a shade of perfectionism lurking beneath his genius nature.
Wasn’t such a person finally revealing the results of his long-hidden research?
– Wait, wait…
– Something keeps rising from the ground…
– How many are there?
In just a few days, the quirky researcher from his homeland had extracted information from the brains of his kindred.
The green Alphauri hurriedly concluded his research.
Starting from the initial form proposed by a humble local lord, he completed the magic that would greatly influence this planet for a long time.
Thus, that tall pillar—the Magic Tower—couldn’t withstand even a few hours.
– Where exactly is the mage controlling those dolls? Is my perception off? Why can’t I sense the mage’s presence or magical power at all…?
To crash that tall tower all by himself.
And the fate of those before him wouldn’t be much different either.
No wonder, for this mage’s newly revised golem technique holds shockingly potent effects.
Nurturing Facility, Great War, Ruler’s treasure vault, Academic Hall.
After experiencing all this, the green youth in his prime finally grasped the artistry of arithmetic and formulas.
And paired with his innate senses, he achieved his highest scholarly accomplishment.
He laid the groundwork to completely overhaul this society.
Yet the end of this tedious mid-tech age awaited a bit further in the future.
Just like a myriad types of fashions and technologies, the bizarre weapon created by the green scholar was fated to first make its mark in war.
[Given your reactions, it seems my message is getting through.]
– That sound came from over there again!
– A golem that speaks as if it were alive!
– Are we having a real-time conversation with it through this doll? How is it even possible without any connection?!
– Oh! Deep underground! The mage must be hiding underground beneath that doll!
– Everyone, calm down. What’s all this fuss over a mere bard? After all, it’s just a golem. That clumsy clay doll that can’t even tend a field properly!
Here, I shall add some further explanations.
In Alphauri, there was a tradition that had persisted since ancient times.
The ‘fortress’ culture.
Numerous soldiers and solid walls formed an immune system of buildings.
However, here existed a unique nesting place for the upper class, quite different from that of the alien planet called Earth.
In Alphauri, a similar concept to castles existed.
To protect rulers or aristocrats—the so-called noble souls—a defensive structure was born, best translated as a castle.
In this region, the upper class preferred to dwell solely in castles.
Much like how a calcium carbonate lump is rarely found within a clam shell, they lay claim to a perfectly round and flawless dwelling.
And this ‘castle’ is typically thought to look best when slightly floating above the ground, revealing the curve of the sphere.
[Oh, wow. The castles where rulers reside are indeed enormous compared to other nations.]
Due to being under the sea, the residents of Alphauri almost seemed to fly about.
Thus, such a flawlessly spherical stronghold had naturally developed.
[If ignorant earthworms were to see it, they might mistake it for a celestial body that fell from the sky… an enormous castle!]
However, this round-shaped castle was their pride and joy for one other reason.
[How much money would it cost to create a castle this size?]
Exactly—the cost.
Back then, when smelting technology was not yet developed, the ruling class lavishly mixed expensive absorbents into the castle walls.
Here in Alphauri, similarly, constructing a castle required astronomical expenses.
[Well, what use is money to you upper-class folks anyway?]
It’s quite difficult to destroy a castle in Alphauri.
No matter which type of magic is used, most of the time, its power diminishes as soon as it touches the walls, and the internal flow of magic becomes chaotic due to the collaboration of absorbents and barrier mages, making it difficult to hit coordinate-setting spells.
Indeed, the most significant issue is the castle walls. The outer walls built by them are immensely, impossibly strong.
During the invasion of Beta Castle, when the spatial movement coordinates ricocheted off the walls and floors, even if the mages perished, it was a disaster with over 10,000 madmen willing to take on that risk, rendering the structure of the stronghold akin to the grace of heaven, and thus many castles collapsed.
In ordinary situations, this place is overwhelmingly advantageous for defense.
Hiding within the tough shell, they closed the area around the castle, and when the enemy attempted to break the walls, the mages inside could just rain down attacks, thereby guaranteeing a victory.
[Well, anyway, since both races have brief lifespans, let’s get to the point now.]
Yet this youth’s modified golem magic completely shattered past principles.
Time taken to deal with a barrier mixed with absorbents?
Powerful mages firing spells from within the building made it impossible to approach carelessly?
Unfortunately, it was not problematic from their side.
[Let me warn you.]
Now, what will labor would not be a human.
[For the record, while I benevolently talk, don’t even think about stealthily calling for reinforcements from the Magic Tower. I crushed the tower first and came here anticipating that.]
– Wait.
– What did that deep-sea person just say?
– The tower…?
– No way, that must be nonsense. Surely.
– But it has been quite a while since we haven’t heard from them…
Clang, clang, clang.
Amidst their conversation, the rough sounds of machinery constantly interrupted.
In other words, the noises of various fuels being pumped from their core.
[Do not make me say it twice. Listen carefully once.]
The clumsily made Alphauri imitation of its people spoke up from the battlefield’s center.
That mechanical monster mimicking a humanoid form trembled and conveyed the following.
[Your nation shall now pledge, right here, never to take hostile actions against other countries. And as a sign of apology for all the deeds committed in the past, I want to inscribe a magical power suppression formula into the blood vessels of your leader. Surely, without that power, violent thoughts would be kept at bay for a while?]
– What did you say?!
[I thought you’d get it by now. With the help of the hometown scholar, I peeled the brains of those attacked the Academic Hall. And guess what? You were all in on it too! Those who subtly stepped back, claiming they couldn’t control the Magic Tower, in fact aimed to participate in the offensive and consume our waters once the spell hunt was successful.]
Gradually, the truth about the Academic Hall attack was unearthed.
[Seizing the chaos lingering from the aftermath of the Great War to instigate yet another damn unification war. The more I think about it, the more astonishing and infuriating it becomes.]
True to his words, the green one was well-informed about everything.
The enemy figures flinched at the tips of their tentacles.
But a few crafty mages, having lived long enough, quickly argued back.
– No! By what grounds do you say that!
[Didn’t I mention I dug into the brains? Just like your own techniques?]
– Don’t lie. The only evidence you have at the moment is your word. How can you bring such a ridiculous excuse? Do you think the countless nations of the sea will just stand by and watch your actions? You’re attempting to tighten our leash with the acts of those beasts from the Magic Tower!
[Oh, you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not asking you to believe my words… Eh, fine. Just scribble on the peace treaty contract I brought. If you press your tentacle here, I’ll leave without a fuss. Just a moment, could the person in charge step forward?]
– How ridiculous!
– How dare a lowly deep-sea creature speak about the ruler’s title!
– Do you have any idea where this is?
– Get lost at once!
Negotiations weren’t going well.
[Hah…]
Then it was time to employ the age-old problem-solving methods used since ancient times.
In fact, modern society on Earth isn’t too different from this.
Ignoring individual dignity and values.
It was just a vulgar era where those with the most valued power (money) could easily fulfill their desires.
Although it’s hard to love,
[For a peace-loving person like me, the world is just too harsh.]
Still, this cosmic tendency tends to be fairly generous toward geniuses like ▒▒.
