Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 41: The Current State of the Magical Arts Society

“If she studies both, there simply won’t be enough time to manage it all.” The speaker was none other than Master Yu, who had just walked in. She was still wearing the Taoist robe she never took off, though its style, color, and insignia were exactly the same as those worn by General Zuo—as if they were wearing matching couples’ outfits. It’s important to note that even among the major Taoist sects—including both spellcasters and martial arts schools that rely on hand-to-hand combat—there are subtle differences in the details of their robes. This is especially true for sect insignia; experienced veterans of the martial world can discern a sect’s lineage, status, and other information from its unique markings. Such details cannot be altered casually, or the sect risks being labeled a “heretical or deviant sect.” Her long, lustrous black hair was left loose, falling casually down her back. She held a square tray in her hands, bearing three small dishes. Her expression was serene; she showed no signs of worry about the future of the Magical Arts Society or the exhaustion of having gone without sleep for several days. Behind her, Zuo Shuijing and the young girl who had been by her side the entire time each held a serving tray as well. Eight people, nine dishes—it seemed just right. It certainly had the air of a casual family dinner where formalities were set aside. But what about her own status? Was it appropriate for her to attend such a family gathering? “Have a seat.” ” Master Yu said calmly to Ou Yang, “You really do have a keen eye, young man. Today was originally meant to be Crystal’s initiation banquet; I intended to formally take her as my disciple so I could recommend her to join the Magical Arts Society. But what you said back then has already been verified by Old Lan, and I can’t let my personal interests stand in the way of Crystal’s future. Since the initiation banquet is off, I’ll cook myself and invite you all to sample my culinary skills.” Zuo Shuijing interrupted her, fuming, “I don’t care—I’m determined to take you as my master! You’ve been teaching me for ten years—are you going to abandon me just because the sect is in danger?” She smiled slightly, stroking Zuo Shuijing’s head as if playing with a kitten, and joked, “Of course your Master wouldn’t abandon you. Those old men are all highly skilled—your brother and this young man…”Yu Xuanji shot Ou Yang a withering glare: “... are quite talented, too. After they’ve eaten Master’s cooking, how could they not repay her? Let these big shots figure something out for us. If they can’t come up with anything, they won’t get any wine.” Lan Chenglin chuckled and teased, “Little Yu, just keep an eye on Xiao Yi. I’m your senior, after all—you have no right to tell an old man like me what to do about drinking.” Wei Xuezheng, on the other hand, simply pulled a small copper flask from his robe: “The Magical Arts Society has a budget of nearly seven million every year—how can you not even spare some money for liquor? Luckily, I know that no banquet here is ever a real feast; with your temperament, you’d surely try to stop us from drinking. So I’ve brought my own.” The old man handed the flask to Provincial Governor Lan with a smug grin: “Take a look—this is authentic Qinzhou Shao Dao.” Upon hearing about the authentic Shao Dao, Zuo Yunyi’s throat tightened. He was just about to speak when Master Yu shot him a sultry glare that silenced him. “Would you like some, too?” Her tone was gentle, but General Zuo had already sat up straight and wasn’t even glancing at the jug of wine. Ou Yang listened as the group teased one another; it seemed they were indeed very close. He turned to the other little girl, who hadn’t spoken a word, and asked, “And who is this young lady?” The girl shyly lowered her head without answering. It was Zuo Shuijing who replied instead; she took the girl’s hand and said, “This is my junior sister Wang—I’m not telling you her name!” After speaking, she pursed her lips and stuck her tongue out at Ou Yang. She was clearly still upset that Ou Yang had upset her master, though to an outsider, her expression looked more playful than angry. Ou Yang turned to look at Zuo Hengbai with a questioning gaze. Everyone in the room held a higher rank than he did, and since Zuo Shuijing wasn’t willing to speak to him properly, he had no choice but to ask this fellow who was second-to-last in status in the room. “Miss Wang’s mentor is also Master Yu…” No sooner had he begun than he heard the female Taoist cough heavily twice. Glancing at Yu Xuanji with a hint of guilt, he corrected himself: “It’s Aunt Yu, too. But just like Crystal, she hasn’t formally become her disciple yet.” ‘That’s not what I wanted to ask.’ Ou Yang shook his head, deciding to be more direct and cut to the chase. Such a harmonious family dinner made him, as an outsider, feel a bit awkward; it would be best to get it over with as soon as possible. “I was wondering where Miss Wang is from. I imagine her family is quite well-off, isn’t it?” “What exactly are you getting at, you brat?” This time, Master Yu was truly furious. “Are you implying that I’m after Lin’er’s family’s wealth?” Zuo Shuijing was so startled by Master Yu Xuanji’s furious expression that she covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide as she looked back and forth between the two men. Lan Chenglin and the others also looked at Ou Yang in puzzlement. What was this all about? Was this young man’s special talent to provoke a great sorcerer with a single sentence? “Brother Ou…” Just as Zuo Hengbai was about to try to calm Ou Yang down, he heard the young man ask bluntly and loudly, “Master Yu, has your Magical Arts Society ever accepted apprentices from humble backgrounds? If so, how many?” “Of course…” Yu Xuanji instinctively started to object, but upon closer reflection, he couldn’t think of a single suitable example. Ou Yang might not know this, but everyone else was well aware that the father of this young apprentice standing beside him was the head manager of the Xijing branch of SF Express, held non-voting shares in the company, and served as one of the stewards of the Northwest Merchants’ Guild. As for his family’s wealth—while calling them “rich enough to rival a nation” might be an exaggeration, describing them as “worth a fortune” would still be an understatement. Even being as modest as possible, they likely possessed at least one or two million; he certainly couldn’t be considered the child of an ordinary family. And then there were the great sorcerers and grandmasters of the Association—which of their apprentices wasn’t born into a family of nobility or great wealth? This was one of the reasons why, even after learning that the imperial court truly intended to reform the Magical Arts Society, she worried for only a few days before coming to terms with it and feeling reassured enough to treat a few people to a meal—they were all scions of noble or wealthy families, and which of their clans didn’t have some influence and connections? Surely even the Emperor wouldn’t dare to deal with the Magical Arts Society the way he did with the Shaolin Temple, would he? At most, the court would cut funding to the Magical Arts Society, prevent it from poaching a few more students from the Scientific Society, and make an example of a few obstinate spellcasters who stood in the way of reform. Competent officials all talk about reform, but since they know nothing about spellcasting, how exactly could the Magical Arts Society be reformed? However, when confronted with such a challenge by a junior who hadn’t even formally joined the Scientific Society yet, Yu Xuanji really had no answer. Outsiders might not know the specific requirements for becoming a spellcaster, but they certainly know that “possessing vast family wealth” isn’t one of them. Of all the spellcasters nationwide, how many families possess wealth that exceeds the Ministry of Revenue’s annual fiscal allocation of seven million? Despite the state allocating such vast sums annually, the instructors of the Magical Arts Society still only accept the children of wealthy families as apprentices. If this were to be thoroughly scrutinized, it would be far too embarrassing. Yu Xuanji’s anger vanished completely, and her pretty face flushed crimson. This was the truth; she knew she wasn’t thick-skinned enough to get angry at someone after having her under-the-table dealings exposed. So she could only try to defend herself: “The state’s annual investment of nearly seven million may seem substantial, but in reality, it’s nowhere near enough. Every spellcaster’s growth involves extensive experimentation and the consumption of various expensive materials. Wasn’t it you who gave Yun Yi a cold weasel crystal the day before yesterday?” Ou Yang nodded; he had indeed given the magic crystal he’d obtained while hunting to General Zuo. Yu Xuanji continued to explain, “Yesterday, Crystal and Lin’er conducted a failed experiment to improve a spell combining Frost Arrows and Lightning Bolt, and they’ve already destroyed that crystal. The total cost of materials lost in this single experiment alone amounts to over a thousand yuan. And they’re just apprentices—if it were a full-fledged mage or a Grand Sorcerer, the financial loss from a single failure would be ten or twenty times that amount.” She sighed and continued, “This is actually why the Magical Arts Society only admits students from wealthy families—we require their families to cover the astronomical tuition fees. As a result, the Magical Arts Society has relatively few members. Last time, Old Wei claimed that we had as many ‘Awakening Charms’ as we wanted at twenty yuan each, but that’s actually nonsense. Not to mention the Awakening Charms themselves, the labor costs alone exceed ten yuan. Even just for the production of Clarity Charms, no more than ten thousand are sold nationwide each year. If demand exceeded fifteen thousand, the entire Magical Arts Society wouldn’t have enough manpower to handle it.”