Sorcerer: I want to be an Academic Prodigy

Chapter 528: Chapter 526: Vermilion Bird Lord
 

For the past few decades, the sorcerer world had been feeling unstable, constantly rubbing shoulders with nearby races. What the sorcerers hadn’t anticipated, however, was that the war would break out sooner than predicted.

The most active sorcerers against the enemy were naturally from the Lightning Python race.

Next were the incessant harassments by the Black Scale tribe.

In the third year since the outbreak of the racial war, the feathered race also appeared among the enemy ranks, along with even more formidable foes lying in wait, painting a grim picture for the entire sorcerer world.

“Traitors are the most despicable!”

On one side of the old path of Absolute Shadow, there were five airships. Standing on the front deck of the central airship was an Arcane Wizard, none other than Humo from the School of Space at the Enchanters Guild.

He looked at the feathered race, who were recklessly deploying the Forbidden Power, not conveying the concern the Lightning Python race had hoped for. Instead, he muttered curses under his breath at a certain traitor.

If it weren’t for that traitor, the sorcerer world would definitely not be in such an embarrassing predicament. They would have been freely cleaning up these troublesome creatures long ago.

Now, they could only swallow their pride for the moment and play a slow game with these people.

“Lord Humo, the airship is starting to descend,” reported a sorcerer from another airship on the left.

“Send orders to activate the Return-to-City Tower,” instructed Humo, redirecting his gaze and issuing commands to the people on the airships to his left and right.

“Lord has commanded, activate the Return-to-City Tower immediately.”

Upon receiving his command, sorcerers on the airships to his left and right quickly relayed his words, passing the commands to even more distant airships.

The next second, the small towers on the airships began to emit an unusual glow. Invisible Space Force Fields spread out from above and merged together, forming a wondrous whole that instantly encompassed the entire battlefield.

“Pfft!”

“Pfft!”

“Pfft!”

For the Lightning Python race among others, this shift in the environment was barely perceptible, but for the feathered race, they bore the brunt of it. Struck by the newly solidified Space Force Field, the feathered race vomited blood as if struck by a great catastrophe.

It left their Lightning Python allies gaping in shock.

“Whatever kind of power it is, since it involves grounding all flying objects, it must have something to do with space, merely a contest of space field order.”

“Compared to the vastness of the airships, those feathered creatures seem utterly outmatched.”

On the airship, Humo wasn’t surprised by the situation. In fact, even without the Return-to-City Tower, they had other countermeasures to disrupt the natural abilities of the feathered race—now there was no need to bother.

However, it was a bit regrettable that the feathered race wasn’t a good benchmark to demonstrate the full might of the Return-to-City Tower.

“Retreat!”

Elsewhere, Fei Wen, the apparent commander of the Lightning Python race, had received the order. If the situation was untenable, they would retreat first, saving their strength for another day to challenge the sorcerers.

Even the feathered race, upon whom they had relied, suffered a great loss. Other members of the Lightning Python race, having witnessed the Return-to-City Tower’s coordination with the sorcerers, felt no attachment to this battlefield. They had come in a storm and quickly left in the same manner.

“Don’t let them escape!”

“Kill!”

The sorcerers, of course, wouldn’t stand idly by as their enemies fled. Even if they couldn’t kill them all, they were determined to exact some toll, to deter anyone from thinking that the Chanay Continent was theirs to come and go as they pleased.

One side was buoyed by high morale, the other, desperate to retreat.

The battle was decidedly one-sided, and after a brief skirmish, the Lightning Python and feathered races left behind some two dozen corpses as they successfully retreated into the old path of Absolute Shadow.

For the combatants, these few corpses counted for little, barely even qualifying as a real battle, as the lord-level powerhouses had all along restrained themselves from intervening.

Humo, naturally, had not made a move either.

He did want to take action, but he was well aware that now was not the time to clean up these pawns—the truly formidable foes had yet to show themselves.

“We retreat as well.”

“Lord Humo, where shall we return to?”

“Return to Sky Flow Valley,” he said, “these towers need some further adjustments.”

Afterward, he issued the command to return to Sky Flow Valley.

In fact, the airships hadn’t been completely successful yet, but since the war had erupted so suddenly, they had to be hastily deployed, adjusting during actual combat. Regrettably, the enemies retreated too cleanly, and the ships didn’t achieve the desired combat-testing effect.

“I wonder how that youngster is doing, he shouldn’t be that quick, right? It would be embarrassing if he became one of our peers and we still hadn’t figured out the towers,” he pondered.

“No, we must hurry back to meet Doradoli and swiftly perfect the airships. We can’t have Sorcerer Ivan laughing at us.”

The airship quickly turned around. Recalling the prominent scholar far away in Truth City, he suddenly felt a sense of urgency and began instructing those around him to have the airship return at maximum speed.

…

In the Botta Blood Plain of the Bai Ta Continent, at the pinnacle of Truth, in the city of Truth.

At Number 7, Heaven Street of the Court of the Grand Scholars, in the leftmost building—a tower of Golden Rock—from its topmost spike, a pillar of bright red flames burst forth, soaring skywards, piercing through the clouds at ten thousand meters high.

The fiery pillar lit up the clouds like an unusual, blazing red star.

When the fire pillar dissipated, sharp-eyed sorcerers noticed that the clouds beneath the Supreme Council were indeed brighter and spread a more dazzling brilliance of light, its glow showering every corner of Truth City.

“It’s a joyous occasion! Our sorcerer world has witnessed the birth of another Arcane Master,” they exclaimed.

“Yes, indeed, at this time and place, it must be the renowned scholar. He truly achieved such a remarkable feat with incredible speed.”

“One wonders what that esteemed Master’s arcane title will be. It must be extraordinary,” they speculated.

“We’ll find out soon. Someone will announce it to Truth City, proclaiming this happy news, so that everyone can share in the joy.”

Gazing at the spectacle atop the pinnacle of Truth, the informed ones instantly understood what had happened and began to share the magnificent tale with more people.

Others knew that the newly advanced arcane master’s title would be proclaimed to the public, and they eagerly anticipated it.

Within that very tower of Golden Rock, Ivan had just ascended not long ago and had yet to completely settle his affairs when someone came knocking on his door. It was indeed two metal magic puppets—one, an old acquaintance named Mark and the other, called ‘Farah’.

“A title?”

Ivan had thought they came with other important matters, only to find himself bemused as they eagerly inquired about his arcane title.

“Lord Marichadon, this is a necessary ceremony for Arcane Wizards taking residence in Golden Rock Tower. Since you are an exception, we had to come and ask directly,” they said.

“This is indeed important. There are countless sorcerers outside waiting to know.”

The two metal magic puppets expressed solemnly.

Seeing their serious demeanor, Ivan began to contemplate his own title.

That’s right, arcane wizards usually choose their own titles, and often the names reveal a touch of whimsy—like Jim Bernard, Lord of the Fire Phoenix, who enjoyed riding fire phoenixes as his transport.

And there were others, like Lightning Python Hotter, Lord Hardy of the Fei Ox, and Philomena, Lord of the Blue Catfish—none truly had any special meaning.

But they are all related to their respective wielded powers.

Ivan certainly intended to follow suit.

Fire silkworm? Fire ant? Fire whisker?

Fire sparrow? Flame sparrow? Red sparrow?

“I’ve got it. Since the flame I now command leans toward a reddish hue, I shall call myself ‘Vermilion Bird’.”

No matter the special meaning, one chose a name that was pleasing to oneself. Ivan had pondered all the way here and decided upon a quite imposing name.

Of course, in this world, there was no phoenix species known as Vermilion Bird.

But the name was pleasing to the ear, and that was enough.

Upon hearing his decision, the two metal magic puppets bowed and quickly exited Golden Rock Tower. In a short while, a voice echoed above the pinnacle of Truth.

“Hail to Lord Vermilion Bird, Ivan Marichadon, upon his ascension to the doorway of the arcane.”

The voice, grand and resonant, spread in an instant throughout all of Truth City, inside and out. Instantly, Truth City became a sea of jubilation, for everyone knew that the sorcerer world had gained yet another pillar to hold up the heavens.