"You're amazing, little West. It's hard to believe that you've only been able to fully control this four-ring arcane in just three attempts, and it's hard to imagine that you've only been in formal arcane education for so long. A genius like you is one of the few in the entire history of the Arcane Academy!"

Facing the admiration of the lecturer and several classmates around him, Zeng Wenyuan smiled faintly, not showing much joy. In fact, it is true, there are so many similar beautiful words that he has heard them a little numb, and even a little sick to his stomach.

Of course, there are also bitter and questioning words, but looking at the recent strong performance of the envoys of the Qian Empire and Miss Ulysses's face, no matter how high the young people's morale is, these intentional or unintentional difficulties are very restrained and few. It's even more inappropriate to listen to his ears, which is a world of difference compared to the discriminatory eyes he has received since childhood.

As he heard more and more of these praises and affirmations, the satisfaction he brought was no longer so strong, and all that remained was for the flame that he had been buried deep in his heart to burn more and more.

Yes, although it had been determined for a long time, it was not until he entered the Arcane Academy as an official cadet and enjoyed a complete arcane education and courses that he was completely convinced that he had enough talent to overtake most people on this arcane path, and could easily crush all the Euro whiteskin nobles who once looked down on him.

Not only that, he was very sure that even if Zhang Yili was willing to come here to study and receive training, he could also become a very good arcanist, and even those teenagers who did menial chores all day long in the laundry gang would never be lower than these noble academies wearing silk in the arcane. This magical and brilliant arcane art, which is praised in the mouth of the Euros, is also extremely great and can be easily learned by the people of Shenzhou. He seemed to be able to see a new and wide avenue unfolding in front of him, waiting for him to lead the discriminated Shenzhou people to gallop on it.

Of course, in fact, it certainly won't be that simple. It is not up to him where the Shenzhou people want to go, and even he can study in the Arcane Academy himself, all of which rely on the influence of the envoys, so he can only suppress this fire in his heart, just as he has been for more than ten years.

"Thank you for your teaching, thank you for your help, then I will retire first. ”

After packing up the notes and facilities after class, Zeng Wenyuan saluted several classmates and lecturers before leaving. No matter what he was inside, at least on the outside, he looked like a polite, impeccable young cadet.

"I really can't imagine that there are such excellent talents among Westerners. ”

"Maybe he also has Euro blood in him, just like his sister"

"Oh, speaking of which, why didn't Miss Ulysses come to the academy to perform again?"

"It seems that something went wrong last time, and I heard that Miss Felton had made an appointment with her last time, and invited her to the real red collar on behalf of the True Red Family."

The faint sound of discussion behind him only made Zeng Wenyuan's footsteps go faster. After these accolades have gone through the initial phase, all that remains is to bore him, to make him even more dissatisfied with the status quo, to his own powerlessness. He thought he could do everything, but he had to crawl in the shadows for a while.

"Student West, please come to the B12 office building as soon as possible. A nearby golem suddenly approached and issued such a notice in a pleasant but rigid voice.

"If it's a student council event, allow me to excuse myself. I have already submitted my leave report. Zeng Wenyuan frowned. At the beginning, he was a little curious and interested in the activities between these students, but now he is quite disgusted, and the various clichés of hypocrisy, all kinds of hookups and temptations hidden underneath that need to be slowly experienced, are simply not as interesting as chatting with the old man who digs the manure pit in the laundry gang.

"No, there are important guests who have been designated to visit you, so please be sure to arrive as soon as possible. The illusion synthesis voice of the golem is still so rigid, but the meaning behind it is that Zeng Wenyuan was slightly surprised. Allowing these usually rigid sequence puppets to say the adjective 'important' shows that this guest is also very important according to the college's 'causal order'.

The B12 office building was not far away, Zeng Wenyuan quickly rushed there, it seemed that there was nothing unusual around, not even the guardian golem, but when he walked into the reception room according to the guidance, he clearly felt the slight distortion brought by the plural protective arcane, which was a separate protective isolation set in addition to the academy's protective arcane. The important guests here even blocked the academy's probes, and the academy seemed to acquiesce.

In the reception room, two men were sitting in soft chairs looking at the door. Both of them are richly dressed, handsome, and look extremely extraordinary, both of them are also about thirty or forty years old, just an elegant Sven, and there is a confident aggressive air between the eyebrows. Seeing Zeng Wenyuan walk in, the two glanced at each other, and in addition to surprise, there was irrepressible joy in their eyes.

"You are you" Zeng Wenyuan was also quite surprised, he knew both of these two men, in a place like the academy where there were many noble children, the images of the big names in Oroyusta and all kinds of gossip were naturally widely circulated.

"Let's introduce myself. I am Robert Morezeski III, Duke of Incle of the Empire. This is my friend and vassal, Nema Gan Adler. The confident man took the lead in standing up, and actually made a not-so-serious salute to Zeng Wenyuan first. "It's been a long time, Mr. West, the great poet. We tried to find a way to communicate with you before, but we didn't expect it to be the brave young man who protected Miss Ulysses in the True Red Theater that day. How to say it, such a young genius boy actually made me feel a little jealous and regretful for the first time in my life, this is really a novel experience. ”

"How do you know" Zeng Wenyuan was speechless in surprise again.

"Don't be so surprised. The Duke waved him to sit down, and he sat back in his chair. "Maybe you're doing a good job of secrecy. We also know very well that the great poet and playwright of Oroyosta, who is known as Oroyosta, is actually a Western boy who is willing to be Miss Ulysses's assistant servant, and this will indeed cause you and Miss Ulysses great trouble. But in front of those who really want to find out the truth, this secret is not a big deal, and a few arcane orders of cause and effect can confirm your identity. ”

Zeng Wenyuan was silent, the look of surprise on his face quickly dissipated, and after a few breaths, he spoke again, and asked very calmly and calmly: "Then Lord Duke, you did not hesitate to use the causal order arcane to find me, what is the matter?"

The Duke nodded, as if he was very satisfied with Zeng Wenyuan's calmness, and said, "Generally speaking, it is still the same as the content of the letter we wrote to you before, we hope that you can go to Inclere and let your talent bloom on the Inclere Heights." I don't know if you'd like to?"

Zeng Wenyuan was silent for a while, and then smiled faintly: "Maybe it's not a question of whether I'm willing or not." ”

"We understand, we understand. Adler on the side nodded repeatedly. "I know that you Westerners attach great importance to family and tradition, so do the elders of your family know your identity as a poet? What opinions and ideas do they have? Do you know that your admission to the academy was the result of the recommendation of the two high-spirits Wind and the Sword of Benevolence to the chairman, and if I want to consult their opinions, I can go to them."

"They don't have any opinions or ideas. Zeng Wenyuan replied indifferently. "My family, my elders, or anyone else, didn't know who I really was as a poet. Only my cousin, Miss Ulysses, as you call it, knows not, and I'm not sure if my cousin told them about it, but whether they know it or not, they probably don't care much. In our traditional culture of Westerners, these operas and poems that do not conform to their values are trivial details, but they are just children's whims. ”

"Oh, hehe, it seems to be true. The two Lords of the Wind and the Sword of Benevolence do lack a taste for high art," Adler thought for a moment, and smiled slightly wryly with a slight embarrassment.

"Why don't you share your own thoughts? Mr. West. The duke's eyes shimmered, and he seemed to catch Zeng Wenyuan's seemingly insipid injustice. "Please believe in our sincerity, even if we know your true identity, but the sincerity we expressed in our previous letters has not diminished in the slightest, and we sincerely hope that you will go to Inclave to show your talents. You can put aside all scruples and let us have an honest conversation. I can say that we can help you overcome all difficulties if you want to. ”

Zeng Wenyuan didn't answer, his expression was still calm, only his eyebrows twitched slightly. His eyebrows were slender like a woman's, but they were as thick as two impenetrable black lines, which made his originally very delicate appearance have some sharpness and sharpness.

After a moment of silence, Zeng Wenyuan smiled, and more sharpness and sharpness were revealed from the depths of his original plain eyes, like a sculpture that originally had a majestic water chestnut torn off the veil that had been covering it. Only then did he go to the soft chair opposite the Duke and sit down, and he picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of black tea in front of him. His movements were very polite, but the posture and mentality he showed were obviously very different from the previous ones.

"Thank you very much, Lord Duke, and the Archmage Adler. I know that you didn't come to Oroyosta for me, but the fact that you were willing to use the arcane of cause and effect to find me shows your sincerity. I've probably heard that the causal sequence can have some unpredictable sequelae, and archmages are generally a little wary of this. Zeng Wenyuan picked up the teacup and took a sip, then lowered his eyelids, staring only at the half-drunk cup of black tea in his hand. "Your previous letter was also very sincere. I'm just a little curious, but I'm just curious about the need for a playwright, a poet, to be so hungry for talent, and I'm glad to see that the Duke of Increy is so much in the interest of me, but I also understand that the Duke of Incre is not the kind of person who will spare no effort for the sake of personal hobbies and pleasures. Many people may think that you are such a fool, but I know that the person at the helm of a rising power like Inclave must be a good businessman and politician at heart, regardless of the rumors. So I want to ask, why did you invite me so warmly?"

The duke applauded, the smile on his face and the sparkle in his eyes revealed appreciation.

"That's amazing, Mr. West. Really, I don't praise people a lot, because I've never met anyone better than me. But today I made an exception. As he spoke, the expression on the duke's face became more and more radiant, and the emotions from his heart overflowed unscrupulously to the surroundings. "Obviously your blood pressure is rising, and your hands are trembling slightly, you are obviously very excited-I can imagine how much unwillingness and enthusiasm are buried in the heart of a person who is so young and talented, but has grown up in all kinds of discrimination and oppression. But you can still hold back, make analysis and choices very rationally and meticulously, and then test us. I can't do that, at least not at a young age like you. Ah, maybe it's also a credit to your surroundings, because we have an old saying in Clay that grass seeds under heavy pressure can burst into strong vitality. But I still admire it very much. So as I said before, let's talk honestly, and there is no need to hide and be tempted between really smart people. ”

Adler glanced at the Duke with some surprise, then shrugged his shoulders and made a gesture of helplessness, helpless at his sudden interest.

Zeng Wenyuan's face did not change, but he took a deep breath, and the bone joints and green tendons on the hand holding the teacup were exposed, and then returned to normal.

"I think you know that, compared to Oroyosta, compared to the rich Great Plains and other traditional areas of the empire, our history of the rise of Incre is relatively short, and the precipitation in culture and history is very shallow. At this point, the imperial nobles of the plains like to ridicule us highlanders for being vulgar and savage, believing that we are nothing more than a group of nouveau riche who got the dividends of war by chance, a group of barbarians who have been smashed to the head by pie in the sky. But they don't see that it is precisely because of our shallowness in culture and history that we can stride forward when the opportunity comes, and run fast without any constraints. At this point, I have to admire my grandfather and father, two brilliant geniuses who met this when they founded Inclave and made a very prescient plan. Speaking of which, I would like to ask Mr. West, do you understand what I am talking about?"

Zeng Wenyuan thought for a moment, raised his head and replied, "You mean the problem of Incre suppressing the temple and the church?"

"Quite right. So I like to talk to smart people. The Duke gestured appreciatively.

Zeng Wenyuan didn't care, and said lightly: "This is also easy to judge." After all, Lord Duke, you've got your say to the point. I also often look at the history of Inclave. ”

"It's ridiculous, isn't it? As an arcane nobleman, we've been fighting with the Church of the Temple for thousands of years, but we want to belittle us because Clay is a barbarian with no culture or background. The Duke made a speechless expression. "From the very beginning, Incley used various ways and excuses to limit the development of the temple on the high ground, reducing their size and influence to a minimum, and it was precisely because there was no reason for them to dictate and incite the believers to migrate and make trouble, that we were able to concentrate on mobilizing forces and pioneering development. We can twist the strength of Inclave up and down into a rope. ”

Zeng Wenyuan nodded. Not to mention that the collapse of the empire is due to the conflict with the temple, in this period of peace, the dispute between the arcane nobles and the temple is still the most headache for the nobles, the reclamation of wasteland must invite the goddess of agriculture and the believers of the temple of sunlight to hold sacrifices, the establishment of a workshop must have the priest of the god of forgery, if you want to organize a fleet to go to sea to fish, the sacrifice of the goddess of the storm is essential, the most important thing is that once there is any conflict with the lords on weekdays, organizations such as the guardian hand will immediately emerge, if it is confirmed that the nobles are oppressing or oppressing the lords, they will immediately encourage the lords to strike and protest or even migrate to other places。 Not to mention secretly conducting research on the undead arcane in order to prolong the life of the deceased, it is simply a hornet's nest, and the deceased will immediately entangle the people to make trouble together. In the era of empires, it can still be suppressed with the powerful imperial army, and in the period after the collapse of the empire, the nobles are left with only one way to compromise, because they can no longer support the luxurious life and arcane training and are in debt, and then bankrupt small nobles abound, and the once invincible great families have shrunk a lot, and even the arcane academy will teach some sensitive topics involving gods, and these church temples will jump out in protest.

From this point of view, it was very far-sighted for Inclave to limit the size of the church's temple from the beginning. Of course, it is impossible to completely eradicate it, as long as there are people, there must be room for the belief in the Guardian Hand and the Lost to survive, and the belief in the God of Artisans is also needed by Inclere. But for other faiths, Inclave was originally a barren land, and a small number of local aborigines were barbarians with elements of faith and nature, and the first two generations of dukes tried to use various means and excuses to limit the development of the church, so that their influence among ordinary people was minimized. Without shackles and constraints, Inclave took advantage of the good opportunity after the war to soar in the past few decades and became the leading emerging power on the mainland in one fell swoop.

But I have to admit that from the perspective of society as a whole, the existence of the temple and the church is indispensable. The Duke spread his hands and looked helpless. "At least they can bring stability to society. Sensing the senses of the gods and the carefully set doctrines can intoxicate and calm people into a state of mind without spending extra energy on places that can bring danger and instability, such as hallucinogenic potions and summoning succubi for fun. The effect of the ban is not great, after all, for the arcanists, especially those who have already made enough money, neither of these things is difficult, and they can do it at home. And once these things are overflowing, even the great Arcane Empire can't stand it. ”

"So the Duke thinks it's enough to let them turn their attention to the theatrical arts? I remember that's what the Empire did. It's an effective solution. Zeng Wenyuan said he understood.

"It's more than that. The Duke smiled a little smugly. "In the long run, the strong presence of a deity is also very beneficial to the whole community. The Southern Legion's Temple of War is a good example, it not only strengthens the cohesion of the middle and lower rank officers and soldiers, but also suppresses the power of other churches to a minimum, and allows them to have to contribute in certain areas, which is really a good move. ”

"Incley is going to choose Millie, isn't it?" Zeng Wenyuan thought for a moment and asked. "But if according to the current situation of Incla, it seems that the God of Craftsmen is more suitable, right? Your golem technology is already the best in the continent, and the various golems and alchemy tools you create are also one of your important commodities. ”

"Actually, no, it's because it's so much in line with Incre's interests that we can't choose Todd. The Duke shook his head helplessly. "The enormous fame and influence that faith brings, combined with the benefits, is terrifying, and Increy will become a freak who is more centralized than the Empire. In a short period of time, he will indeed run fast, but sooner or later he will break out of anyone's grasp and smash himself around the corner somewhere. ”

Zeng Wenyuan frowned, he couldn't fully understand the duke's words. He may be very intelligent, but after all, he can't reach the height of a real superior in terms of vision and vision.

"When it is strong enough, the ability to self-correct and correct is the most important thing for a government to maintain a long-term and healthy life, stable and controllable. As soon as interests are combined with faith, this ability is lost. Adler added. "Millie, in contrast, is the most gentle, without any interests, without any inclinations, so it is the most suitable. Mr. West, with your talent and qualifications, you are definitely the best person to carry on Millie's brilliance. I'm sure you've felt Millie's gift countless times, so please come to Inclere, and we'll do our best to spread Millie's brilliance to every corner of Inclave, and maybe you'll become Millie's first Divine Favor because of it. ”

"The first divine favorite, hehe" Hearing this word, Zeng Wenyuan couldn't help but show a somewhat strange smile. After thinking about it, he suddenly asked, "I heard that there are many of us Western ethnic groups in Inclave, right?"

The Duke and Adler glanced at each other, and Adler nodded: "It's not too much, only about twenty or three percent of the total population, but it's much more than the rest of the mainland." ”

Incre was mainly immigrants, and when it was still a wilderness, almost only desperate people would go there to try their luck, and the life of the Shenzhou ethnic group after the war was undoubtedly the saddest, so many people helped the old and the young to go to the eastern highlands where they were said to have something to eat. Compared to the other Euro paups and vagabonds, they are still only a small part, but they are already the majority of the Shenzhou people who have come to the land of Europe. In the rest of the Euroland, that is, the richest Oroyosta, there is still a gap in the survival of the Shenzhou people on the west coast where there is a temple to maintain order.

Zeng Wenyuan asked again: "It is said that you have popularized arcane education and made it common, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn arcane and alchemy knowledge, so will any Westerners become arcanists?"

"Of course there is, and a lot. Adler replied. "Frankly, you Westerners are very smart, and your talent for arcane arts is no worse than that of us Euros, and you are very hard-working. Many of them are already excellent arcanists and golem-making experts. ”

"Oh" Zeng Wenyuan raised his head and leaned back slightly, the light in his eyes flashing. When he buried his head again, the look in his eyes had become very determined. "In that case, I'm really interested in Inclave. But I still say that whether I can go or not is not something I can decide. I can't leave everything behind and follow you to Inclave. My sister would never agree either. ”

The Duke smiled. Although it sounds the same as the original answer, the meaning is completely different. He nodded and said, "Then we will answer the same way." We'll take care of the rest. ”