The book was thick, almost 30 centimeters thick, but despite its thickness, it was only around 1,000 pages. Even though it was a copy, it was still printed on thick papers; it was made to last a long time.
...
Year 65, 1st Month, 20th Day, Northern Calender
"Mage Heaven Horn returned from the expedition but failed to obtain the object. He said that our spies underestimated the demonic forces at the site, and he was barely able to escape."
"Master Max has ordered us to get the object regardless of the costs, but we cannot afford to lose any more magicians. We were lucky that Master Heaven Horn lived; had he died, we could have lost our ability to defend the city walls."
...
Year 65, 2nd Month, 2nd Day, Northern Calender
"Master Max got extremely angry when he was informed of our failure; he threatened that if we failed again, he would kill us all himself."
"Master Max is powerful beyond measure; it's said that he can go head to head with a pureblood demon. We have no chance against him"
"Our city has already sacrificed so much; why should we be used as worthless pawns? Why is Master Max treating us like this?"
"The southern cities have it much better; it's said that the territory around them has been cleared, and they can live in peace. Yet, we have to both defend against demons and actively attack them."
...
Year 65, 3rd Month, 30th Day, Northern Calender
"Master Heaven Horn managed to retrieve the object, but he was severely injured in the process; demons have traced him and are moving toward our city."
"We already sent a signal for reinforcement. Master Max said he would send reinforcement, but as of right now, there is no news of them."
"He has to hurry; our forces have been exhausted, and most of our magicians are dead. We cannot defend the walls like this."
...
Mike turned the page but was surprised that it was another story. The story about that city ended right there, with no indication of what the object was or what happened to them.
"Did they all die?" This was one reason that could explain why the notes stopped there; of course, it's also possible that the rest of the notes went missing. After all, these were ancient notes that were uncovered by chance. Or the academy may be the culprit who cut the rest of the notes off to prevent students from reading them.
Sighing, Mike started reading the page. The notes on this page were not like the one before; it was a boring set of notes from a mayor about his city's challenges.
...
Year 180, 1th Month, 31st Day, Eastern Calender
"Too many babies! It's as if everyone has put aside everything and is busy reproducing day and night! This is causing a lot of issues. We are a small city and cannot handle such a burden."
"After getting help from Master Max, he gave us a solution: their city accepts babies we send to them, and in return, they would give us supplies. I am convinced that this is the right way to deal with the issue; however, I am concerned it would be difficult to convince the city council. Those bastards are too prejudiced against the Southerners to agree to send our children there."
...
Year 180, 2nd Month, 5th Day, Eastern Calender
"As expected, the council rejected the proposal. Those idiots! They cannot just reject a solution without substituting one of their own! The food and supplies have to come from somewhere! If those children stay, their only fate would be death. Demons have occupied the nearby land, and we cannot expand our farmland. By giving our children to Master Max, our relations with him would have improved; he might have helped us clear the land! It's such a pity; I cannot …"
...
The mayor rambled on and on, complaining endlessly about the 'stupidity' of the council.
"Why did they keep these notes in ancient times?" Mike felt strange. These people were so busy with survival but had time to complain in their diaries.
He turned pages one after another; finally, he found something interesting.
...
Year 65, 4th Month, 2nd Day, Northern Calender
"The Northern Horn city was destroyed at the hands of demons; it's such a pity. Master Max's reinforcement arrived only a few hours late. If only they could have resisted for just a few hours more, they would have been alive now."
"Fortunately, the demonic forces around were wiped out by Master Max's subordinates. It's just such a shame our neighbors have been destroyed; even though I hated those Northern Horn guys, it's still heart-stinging to see humans die at the hands of demons."
...
Year 65, 4th Month, 5th Day, Northern Calender
"There was a huge explosion in the direction of the now-destroyed Northern Horn city; I don't know what can cause such an explosion. Maybe only pureblood demons can achieve such a feat, but the strange thing is that I didn't feel any demonic aura."
...
Year 65, 4th Month, 6th Day, Northern Calender
"A thick red smoke arose from the direction of the Northern Horn city. We sent our scouts to investigate the cause and whether it is dangerous or not."
"These days, I feel something fishy going on; I have no proof, it's just a gut feeling."
...
Mike turned the page, and again, the previous story ended there without any follow-up about the red smoke.
"This is censorship; these notes are left incomplete intentionally. Would the complete notes become accessible once I am older?" Mike thought.
He turned pages and discovered another interesting note.
...
Year 65, 4th Month, 19th Day, Northern Calender
"The devastating disaster destroyed West Horn city and now heads our way. Master Max's reinforcements are helping us to evacuate; if it hadn't been for their help, we would have had no chance of success. With their help, we have already evacuated our children and most of our non-mage younger women; we still haven't evacuated the men, and I am not optimistic that we will have enough time to move them all. However, with our women and children already safe, no matter what happens, our generation will continue."
"Our mages stayed behind; they would stay here to the last moment and take as many as possible. It's very unfortunate that many are destined to be left behind. Great Elders Council decided long ago that children should be the first priority, followed by young women, young men, older men, and older women."
...
Year 65, 4th Month, 20th Day, Northern Calender
"The fog is approaching at a much quicker speed than we initially thought; we may, at best, have time to take children, young women, and some young men. Older people and about half of our young men are destined to be left behind and turn to monsters; I cannot even begin to express my helplessness."
"We lied to them; they still think they all will make it to safety. It's a pity; we had no other choice. They wouldn't have left their parents behind if they knew they would never see them again."
...
Year 65, 4th Month, 22th Day, Northern Calender
"I don't deserve to live; why am I living when half of my city turned into monsters? My mother, father, aunts, uncles, all killed."
"I hate demons!"
...
Mike turned the page and saw another note; the last one ended there.
"These are interesting, but the core questions remain unanswered: what was that fog? What was that object? What monster?" he thought.
He turned pages until he reached the last one but didn't find the answer.
He put the book aside and turned to another; after reading for a while, he shook his head. This book was about Year 75 of the Western calendar, which was completely different from the previous book.
He browsed through books for a while, but after looking out the window, he noticed it was already deep in the night, so he left, intending to return the next day.
...
The next day, Mike and his classmates went to history class. Most children thought of history class as boring, but Mike liked it.
The teacher, an old magician with sharp eyes and a long nose, came in and started his teaching right away; mages usually won't waste time on pleasantries.
"Last time, we discussed the Western calendar; this time, we will learn about the North. Remember that this year, we only briefly visit these timelines, so listen carefully. Take notes if you feel like it; the things you hear from me aren't in books."
Without waiting for anyone to ask any questions or say anything, the old magician started; he didn't care if anyone was listening or not. In fact, many children slept in his class; he didn't care. Anyone interested would listen, and anyone who isn't would do whatever they want. The only restriction is that whatever they do, they must not create noise and distract others. If he saw anyone doing that, he would send them out of class to do what they do outside. These children are all geniuses and the most precious assets of the country; not even teachers dare to treat them too harshly. Even if they fail courses such as history, the school still won't take too many issues with them. The government wants strong and ethical fighters; if they pass battle courses and ethics courses, that would satisfy the higher-ups.
The school's specialists determine what courses and professors should teach; the children cannot pick and choose classes; they are too young and have no expertise in doing that.