Badges and Secret Contracts

Chapter 70 Badges and Secret Contracts

"The Imperial Embassy has invited me to a cocktail party tonight, but I don't drink." Rorschach felt that he should let Cano know about this whether he went or not.

"Finally, they've invited you? I bet they've been restless ever since the King's banquet. Go ahead, go boldly, wear your finest mage robes. You're a spellcaster, whether you drink or not is entirely up to you." Kano was writing in his office, not even looking up.

"What is this?"

"Exam papers. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you that you need to prepare the History of Magic exam papers before the holidays so they can take the test when we get back."

"Isn't the time a bit tight?" That means there are only a little over ten days left, and the History of Magic is a huge book.

"You can go to the library on the second or third floor to see if there are any past exam questions."

Luo Xia suddenly realized there was a possibility even worse than setting exams: "Won't I have to take exams after the holidays?"

Kano finally put down his pen, looked up and scrutinized the boy: "You don't need to. You're a formal mage now. Go proctor the exams. Also, after the holidays, go to the Magic Guild to schedule your mage assessment. You're probably an intermediate mage now, so you need to re-register. Even if you don't reach that level, you should at least be a level three spellcaster. Hey, try activating your badge."

Back when he was an apprentice at the academy, Rorschach, like most apprentices, had absolutely no idea how a mage's level was determined!

I don't know how it is in the Tower of Stars and other magic towers, but the Imperial Academy intentionally or unintentionally maintains an information barrier between apprentices and mages. Most teachers will not take the initiative to tell apprentices what it will be like after they become formal mages. I don't know if there are any hidden rules.

For Rorschach, his level was never displayed on the panel; the only indicator was the guild badge.

Rorschach took it out and lit it; it was indeed a deep blue, almost purple. No, it was already purple.

"How exactly are a mage's ranks determined?"

"You didn't know? Didn't the Imperial Academy say so?"

Luo Xia shook his head: "I don't know. None of the apprentices in our academy should know."

"Actually, the badge can only sense three stages, from beginner to advanced, corresponding to blue, purple, and red," Kano said, taking out his badge and lighting it up; it was a deep red.

"The major tier is divided into three minor tiers by the guild, resulting in nine levels. Within a major tier, advancement can be based on an assessment of your contributions to the magical world, such as hunting harmful species or publishing papers. You can also spar with higher-ranking mages, following a set of rules for mage combat. In short, advancement to the minor tiers is determined manually by the magic guild, with the original intention of encouraging exchange and knowledge dissemination among mages."

Rorschach understood: "So, the third tier is determined by objective factors? The spellcaster's strength?"

Kano nodded: "You could say that. If the badge successfully changes color, a level one mage can directly advance to the mid-level four. However, if the badge color doesn't change, no matter how much you contribute, you can't advance to the next major rank."

Cano spread his hands, and his badge was disassembled and floated into the air. Rorschach saw that the badge inside was a pattern that was flashing red.

"This pattern is inherited from ancient times. It was originally the symbol of the secret organization Arcane Hermitage, which was the predecessor of the Senate. According to our research, it is a secret code pointing to a great being. It can accurately sense the intensity of the spell cast by the person who injects ether, and it has never made a mistake."

"This great being."

"Unknown. Some believe it is evidence of the existence of the god of magic and that it is the holy symbol. The Arcane Order is indeed like an ascetic religious organization. In those days, mages were always reclusive, and the Order has been disciplined since records began."

Yes, every field has its deities, so how could magic not have gods? But Rorschach recalled that it only existed in Bart's desperate prayers before his exams, when he was begging and pleading with everyone he could.

"But there's a problem: there's never been any record of a god of magic! No information, no epics, not even a trace! The Hermitage has never recorded that they worship any deity either!" Kano smiled.

"Thus, the paradoxical situation continues to this day: those who do not believe in a god of magic continue to disbelieve, while mages who do believe in a god of magic believe that the gods do not want to reveal themselves and have intentionally erased the traces of their existence, so they pretend not to believe in accordance with the gods' will."

Okay, whether it exists or not, it's quite mysterious; it's magical.

Before the evening party, Carnot asked the alchemy department to lend Rorschach their alchemy carriage—his own coachman had gone drinking. Rorschach pointed out that he was alone and had no one to play the coachman, so Snow brought out the alchemy department's latest product:

"A lifelike doll! The interior is engraved with a constant-temperature magic circle made of century-old oak, and the exterior is covered with second-generation alchemical gel to simulate skin, which is gentle and non-irritating." The body is a female model who tries her best to be realistic. After putting on the coachman's clothes, the wig is removed and the hat is pulled down and placed on the horse. The mithril wire on the reins is extended to the carriage.

"This isn't some product the alchemy guys use to solve their personal problems, is it?" Luo Xia shuddered, then thought that no one would stop the Star Tower's car late at night, so he figured it was fine.

Before leaving, Rorschach overheard Cano earnestly telling Snow, "Instead of wasting time like this, why not give the brothers a break and let them go out and find suitable partners, even if it's just to the Moulin Rouge?"

The embassy is the former Kress Mansion, a historic five-story building purchased by the Empire. Among the row of adjacent apartments on Osmanthus Street in the Seventh District, it is the only one that boldly encloses a garden and backyard, occupying a large open space on both sides. The imperial emblem hangs above the entrance, and the imperial black eagle flag flies high.

While in the stable, Rorschach, taking advantage of the staff's inattention, quickly stuffed the doll into the carriage.

"Where is your driver? You can't just wander around here."

"He's used to resting in the carriage, and this is one of the few times he gets to enjoy the velvet cushions, so let's not disturb him."

The waiter nodded and led Rorschach into the mansion's main hall. His robes drew everyone's attention.

Two or three small round tables were set in the hall, piled high with desserts, mainly cakes. Long tables on either side held small dishes of savory food and drinks. The proud strains of classical music, characteristic of the Empire, drifted under the crystal chandeliers, as guests, dressed formally, lingered and socialized, drinks in hand.

Damn it, this is a reception, there's not enough food and not even chairs. Rorschach realized that coming here might have been a mistake.

"You must be Master Rorschach! I am Gottfried, the Imperial Ambassador to Valuvana. It's wonderful that you've come."

"Viscount, it is my honor to receive this invitation."

Men and women walked by, some in shiny leather boots and others in long gowns. This also revealed the differences between the two countries. Men in the Holy Kingdom preferred bright colors, such as highly saturated lime green paired with white silk, while women in the Empire wore more understated or darker formal attire. It was impossible to see the generous necklines of married women in Valuwana.

"Venerable Luo Xia, you are so young! Don't you have a female companion? This is a portrait of my daughter, please take a look."

One lord or another big merchant swarmed around, engaging in awkward small talk. The conversation finally shifted from Rorschach's emotional state to something they were more concerned with—the sub-plane "Sareana Region".

Thank you to readers "逍遥游OK" for the monthly ticket, "夜光照在屁屁上" for the 2 monthly tickets, "天上白玉京的白玉京" for the monthly ticket, "青鸟余生" for the monthly ticket, and "试制4型" for the monthly ticket!

(End of this chapter)