Barda's biggest obstacle till now when it came to the application and usage of magic was that he still didn't have a proper guide. Most of the information he had obtained from the library had been theoretical at most and rather grandstanding. No tutorials and guidance on how to apply magic.
Similarly, the books obtained from Lady Arnea were too advanced. It was learning advanced Organic Chemistry without having first gone through Chemistry 101. It did help him in some way to manipulate his energy, but beyond that, it was of little help.
After his sharing with Lady Arnea, he acquired a powerful ally. Lady Arnea did not hold back and told him all about her and her organization. She was a disciple in the Order of Arch-Mage Lord Abu.
That name had raised a tag. Arch-Mage Lord Abu order was renown as a force for good. The major powers that formed the heroes and the godmothers in many children's books. He was referenced in many books Barda had picked up from the library.
From what Barda could garner, the Arch-Mage had been a member of the Magician's Association. When it crumbled, Lord Abu went off into the Greenmist mountains and started his order, which was more like a school for mages.
Lady Arnea herself was a second-generation aristocrat in the order, a grand-daughter of one of Lord Abu's closest confidantes. Everyone who enrolled in the program became a disciple until they graduated as an Apostle. After Apostleship, one would become a Magus and then instructor. Then came the Grand-Mage and GrandMaster-Mage Afterwards, the Arch-Mage.
Lady Arnea was still a disciple, but she was no longer a student but an Apostle-In-training. Her, alongside Krib, were sent to monitor the situation among the non-mages. They hadn't expected such a turn of events.
Part of the reason she had been unable to defeat Lord Hantil was that she had not finished her Apostleship training yet. The opponent was using composite magic, a combination of several magical elements. Such a feat could not be achieved lightly, which went to show that Lord Hantil would at least have been at Magus level.
Barda and Lady Arnea had been chatting on the deck. As they did, they watched the airships coming in. On that day, the Queen had organized a banquet of the allies that aided in the retaking of Tristan. As a bonus, she had organized for them to be picked up by airships and brought over.
Already, Barda had created an airport in the inner sanctum. There was a lot of organization and structure that needed to be put in place but Barda was no big on micromanaging, so he was not involved much in the project apart from the initial stages. That being said, he was that the management was going on smoothly.
Even though they were his designs, the ships belonged to Tristan. As such, the management of the airport fell under the Queen's purview. She had appointed some scribe to manage the business. By his reckoning, Barda could tell he was doing a good job.
As Barda watched the ships come in, he realized that he had more to offer this world instead of things that blew up. He had just brought in a revolutionary change in society, one that exceeded even his expectations, yet he had done it with obsolete technology. Lost with the going down of the Hindenburg. How much more would he accomplish if he brought more things over?
Barda came to learn later that day that the meeting was about citizenship. The concept he had introduced not to long ago. Barda learned all this during the banquet. The official court would begin the following morning, so the night was left for partying and celebrating.
***
"Might I have a word, young Lord," A male voice hit Barda's ears as he was sharing a laugh with Lady Ellen at the banquet. Turning around, Barda saw His Majesty the King of Fulah. He still had his stoic appearance, something Barda admired.
"Your Majesty," Barda greeted him as the rest of his companions made themselves scarce.
"I would like to offer my congratulations on your achievement, it is no mere feat," Barda regarded the man. He knew that that was as close to an apology as he would get. He didn't push it since the last time he had met the man he had been very ugly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. May I speak candidly?" The King of Fulah had a bad feeling as he nodded.
"Tomorrow's discussion, think them over closely. There are a lot of good things I plan to bring to this world. If you are a part of it, your city would benefit a lot."
"Do I get the same offer?" King Helios asked as he came up from behind, having heard Barda's statement.
"I was just about to come and find you," Barda replied.
"What do you have to offer," The King asked.
"Your Majesties, I cannot disclose anything much. But rest assured, I am not blowing smoke."
"That much I believe," King Helios said.
"Last time I bet against you and lost. This time, I am thinking I make a different decision."
***
As Barda was busy lobbying the 2 most powerful allies he had in the continent, he didn't know h had a new person watching him. Lady Arnea was in the banquet, but her watcher, Krib, was shaking like a leaf as he watched the banquet because of the man seated beside her.
Arch-Mage Lord Abu was listening to Barda speak. After hearing what Barda said about his origin, he had to see him for himself. I have to go talk to him.
"Make the arrangements, I will be formally visiting Tristan myself. If this is what I think it is, I need to be present as well."
***
The following morning, bright and early as the sun's rays were hitting the horizon, the people of Tristan were in for a special treat.
A spectacular sight unfolded as a carriage flew from the sky. At the helm were 8 pegasi pulling the carriage. The carriage itself was also enchanted to remain afloat during travel. The carriage was made of ivory, sparkling in magnificence.
Interestingly, the carriage landed on the newly formed airship, and the guest was escorted to the palace. All the way, everyone was wondering who the mystery guest was. Upon identifying himself as Arch-Mage Lord Abu, the entire city went crazy.
This was by far the most famous Arch-Mage in the entire continent. He was written in books and children's stories. His age made it seem as though he was nigh-immortal. The fact that he too had shown up was entirely ground-breaking.
It was well known that mages hardly participated in the affairs of normal people, choosing to remain among their kind. However, The Order of the Arch-Mage was known due to its effort to maintain order and reign in wayward or errant mages. However, there was little more known about the mages of the continent.
***
"My Lord requests an audience with you," Lady Arnea came up to Barda as they were having breakfast. She was most excited about this. All her life, she had barely seen the arch-mage despite having closer access to him. Now he was here responding to her report.
"I'd love to ..." Barda did not finish his statement before time froze and he found himself in a white hall. Opposite him sat a man who seemed to be in his fifties.
"Welcome. This is one of my mental spaces, do you like it?" said the man as he invited Barda to seat opposite him. They were both seated in the white hall.
"Very plain for my taste," Barda mentioned as looked around. This must have been a way to throw him off, not disclosing anything about himself.
"Yes, I will have to concur with you on that one," Lord Abu said, I don't want to give you anything you can use against me.
"I have experienced a lot worse," Barda commented at the trick.
"I have 2 questions. If your answers are satisfactory, I will bend the knee and submit to your Queen. Do we have a deal?"
"I promise to answer anything I can as truthfully as I can," Barda answered.
"Why Tristan?"
"Simple. It was the first genuine chance I got at uniting humanity in this continent," Barda answered.
"Why are you not seeking to be King?"
"For starters, being a King would take too long. Anyway, being a King would also be too distracting and too time-consuming,"
"I believe you," In that instant, Barda was back to the breakfast, and Lady Arnea had just asked him to meet her Lord.
"I think we just met," Barda told her.