Chapter 73: The Era of the Continent

Chapter 73: The Age of the Continent

Ye Tian knew that directly reading magic books was a sure path to disaster, so he could only begin with the periphery—history being the safest choice. As a result, most of the books he read now were official histories.

Each nation had its own official chronicle, and even the same events would be recounted in several, sometimes dozens, of ways. The involvement of the Church gave many of these histories a thick religious tint, with numerous passages extolling the God of Light.

Magicians, on the other hand, worshipped the Elemental Gods—fire magicians revered the God of Fire, lightning magicians the God of Thunder, and so on. Therefore, the histories they compiled were generally more objective, though not without their own praises for the deeds of the Elemental Gods.

What Ye Tian sought now were miracles. Legend held that in ancient times, gods ruled the continent, but then, for reasons unknown, beings called demons appeared, leading to the outbreak of the war between gods and demons. Afterward, both gods and demons vanished.

The continent once teemed with many races, but after tens of millions of years of evolution, humanity gained the upper hand and gradually became the rulers. The other races fled, retreating into deep mountains and marshes, rarely seen on the continent anymore.

Now, many mercenaries ventured into the wilds to capture and sell members of other species for enormous profits. The lives of these captives were filled with torment, and their offspring suffered even more.

Ye Tian cared nothing for these matters; they were of no concern to him. What he cared about was where miracles might be found—miracles! The weapons left behind by gods were called divine artifacts. The most famous known artifact was the Crown of Thorns, held by the Church of Light. It was said that whoever wore it would become immortal, though whether this was true, no one could say.

“Good grief!” The more Ye Tian read, the more frustrated he became. The chronicles of the continent read like wildly imaginative novels—vivid and thrilling, but lacking the information he needed. Could it be that someone had deliberately hidden the truth?

Time passed quickly. As Ye Tian idly leafed through a book, a girl came over and nudged him. “It’s time to eat.”
“Oh, you go ahead.” Servants were not allowed to dine with the young ladies and gentlemen from the Academy, unless escorted by their masters.

“No, you must come with me,” Arkana said discontentedly.
“What for? I’m not your servant.” At Feipuli Academy, students were not permitted to bring their own servants unless they were also students, but who with magical talent would choose to be a servant?

Thus, the pampered young nobles hired maids and stewards from within the Academy. It was said that the most sought-after steward among the maids was “kept” by five different young ladies at once.

Of course, to hire someone, you needed their consent and a contract to ensure mutual safety—maids were a vulnerable group. As an aside, maids could serve as bed-warmers, but only with their agreement—quite a humane policy, really.

Ye Tian was not a steward. Male servants were called stewards, required to be learned in astronomy, geography, and adept at caring for others. Did you think those ladies would take care of you?

“Why not just be my steward?” Arkana threatened, “Otherwise, you can forget about me in the future!”

“Fine, I’ll go!” Ye Tian leapt up at once. Damn it, nothing could be harsher than that. He’d thought sneaking into the Academy would let him search for clues in peace, but clearly, things were more complicated than he’d hoped.

“Hehe, by the way, can you cook anything else?” Arkana recalled the fragrant roast chicken Ye Tian had brought before, and she began to salivate.
“No!” Ye Tian refused flatly. Did she think she could trick him twice? Not a chance.

“Oh, never mind—you can just eat with me. But first, get me a roast chicken like last time.” The beggar’s chicken Ye Tian had made was a huge hit, and now every time he saw this girl, he was extorted for another.

“Miss, that’s quite a hassle. How about I make you something else?” Ye Tian had no choice but to try and wriggle out of it. Otherwise, today would be a nightmare. They closed the door and left; the library was rarely visited by others—any teacher who could teach had already done so, and only the laziest would waste time rereading theory.

“By the way, do you like spicy or sweet food?” Ye Tian asked, wanting to avoid any misunderstandings later.
“Spicy! The spicier, the better!” Arkana’s eyes sparkled. “I love spicy food!”

“Alright, spicy it is!” Ye Tian nodded, then glanced up to see Li Feier approaching, her expression icy.

“Oh no!” Ye Tian tried to slip away, but Li Feier’s freezing spell had already begun to spread. With a giggle, Arkana cast a circular shield, protecting them both.

“You!” Li Feier said irritably, about to lose her temper when something occurred to her. “Hmph.” She glanced at Ye Tian. “Come with me, or I’ll ask the vice dean to loan you to me for a week,” she threatened darkly.

“Come on, you already trashed my place—aren’t you over it yet?” Ye Tian sighed, patting Arkana’s shoulder. She dispelled the barrier.

“You’re the first to dare leave me behind. Do you think my anger is so easily appeased?” With that, she grabbed Ye Tian by the ear and dragged him aside.

“Ow, ow! Professor Li Feier, that hurts!” Ye Tian feigned a plea for mercy.

“Hmph, did Lantas come looking for you?” Li Feier asked suddenly.

“Who? I don’t know him.” Ye Tian looked puzzled.

“The Fire Magister Lantas. Wasn’t that tree this morning burned down by him?” Li Feier pressed.

“Oh, him. Now I remember.” Ye Tian recalled the handsome young man.

“Stay away from him. He’s a madman,” Li Feier said abruptly.

“Got it!” Li Feier twisted his ear again for emphasis.

“Okay, okay! Anything else?”

“So eager to get rid of me?” Li Feier let go of his head and, with a smack, delivered a chop to his skull.

“Oh no!” Ye Tian quickly covered his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Li Feier frowned.

“Nothing.” Ye Tian hastily covered his eyes, searching frantically—the crystal monocle had fallen off!

“Are you sure? Let me see!” Li Feier reached for his hand, but Ye Tian insisted, “No, I’m fine!” He searched anxiously. Arkana, seeing his distress, approached to ask, “Are you alright?”

“I said I’m fine! Both of you, step aside!” Ye Tian’s annoyance grew. If his crystal lens was crushed underfoot, he’d be in deep trouble. “Don’t move—just get away!” His tone startled them both. Was this still the carefree, joking Ye Tian they knew?

Ye Tian exhaled slowly. “You two, please move aside. Don’t come any closer!” At this point, he could no longer hide. If anyone saw, it would become the latest scandal, and there was a real chance the Church would hunt him down.

With a flip of his hand, a stream of air began to swirl around his palm. Li Feier and Arkana both sensed it.

“Wind magic?” Li Feier exclaimed in surprise.

“No,” Arkana replied, equally astonished, but she could see at a glance that it was something else.

The crystal lens was light. Ye Tian reached out and caught it in his hand. “Phew!” He sighed with relief. Looking back, he saw the two girls staring at him, dumbfounded. “What’s the matter?”

“So you can use magic?” Li Feier was shocked.

“Uh, a little. I learned from books,” Ye Tian replied.

“That’s impossible.”

“Why not? Anything is possible. Don’t tell me you’ve never read a book?” Ye Tian scoffed.

“No, Arkana,” Li Feier turned to the other girl, “he really does sneak books out to read.”

“That’s right. By the way, Professor Li Feier, I sense Lantas is coming,” Arkana said suddenly.

“I’m out of here!” Li Feier shot Ye Tian a glance and left in haste. That madman’s possessiveness was notorious. If he saw her with Ye Tian, he’d probably roast him alive.

“All good now. Let me have a look,” Arkana said gently, stepping over and lightly moving Ye Tian’s hand from his eye. Her gaze narrowed to a needle’s point, then she smiled and stepped back.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Ye Tian asked, quickly putting his crystal monocle back on.

“Why should I be? I’m not a believer in the God of Light,” Arkana replied, coming closer with a smile. “Tell me, are you a demon?”

“No, I’m human—absolutely human. See for yourself!” Ye Tian ran a fingernail across his arm, drawing a red line of blood.

“It’s true—red blood. Demons can change their appearance, but not what’s inside.” Arkana smiled.