In this world, the most powerful individuals, more so than nobles, are those who serve the gods as clergy and the wizards who possess mysterious powers.
Although in a sense, wizards are just a special kind of scholars, their mastery of the special knowledge known as "magic" sets them apart as something ordinary people cannot learn or wield, granting them a unique status.
However, wizards are few in number, with perhaps only one in ten thousand individuals possessing the innate talent for magic. These individuals with special powers are crucial for a nation. Without a few highly skilled wizards in an army, even a massive force is merely fodder for enemy forces.
Therefore, every monarch desires to have a loyal, reliable, and powerful wizard by their side. These wizards not only serve as the most formidable protectors of the monarch but also guide them with their superior wisdom towards the right path.
Apart from monarchs urgently seeking highly skilled wizards, powerful ministers in the court also spare no effort in searching for wizards who can serve them. In this regard, everyone spares no expense, as having a highly skilled wizard almost guarantees an unshakable position.
Despite the urgent need for wizards, their numbers have never increased. This leaves every monarch feeling regretful, as even though a country may be prosperous and powerful, the strength of the nation does not help in increasing the number of wizards.
Furthermore, some wizards are simply unwilling to serve others. They value exploring magical knowledge above all else, with status, power, and reputation holding no significance in their eyes. This makes the already scarce wizards even more challenging to find.
Francois is a world-renowned magical kingdom, possessing advanced magical civilization, yet it does not have a large number of wizards. In fact, Francois has fewer wizards compared to neighboring countries like Ithrae, Westby, and Derrizhi.
Ithrae boasts a thriving economy, advanced culture, and stable political situation, with rare instances of civil war in its history. Despite losing northern territories due to the rise of the powerful Eastern nation of Torl in recent centuries, Ithrae remains a prosperous land.
Therefore, Ithrae has the highest number of wizards, making it a country that has not engaged in war since its founding and can resist the invasion of the Torl people.
Westby is the descendant of an ancient empire, inheriting the traditions and magical civilization of the ancient Loroleth Empire. If not for the widespread incurable weakness afflicting the elderly, Westby could have become a nation with magical civilization surpassing others.
However, due to being immersed in its long history and a sense of inexplicable satisfaction for having once possessed everything, Xibai inevitably weakened. Although it had a considerable number of magicians, its magical civilization had fallen far behind other neighboring countries several centuries ago.
As for Delizi, with its large population and vast land, this youngest country displayed a domineering momentum. In just a few hundred years of history, this emerging nation had already surpassed Francois in the number of magicians.
These magicians originally came from the kingdoms that were annexed by this emerging country. Otilei in the southeast of Delizi was once a powerful and renowned kingdom, closely related to Ilei and Francois. However, within a mere hundred years, it was completely annexed by Delizi and brought under its rule.
Francois became the next target of this vast country. Although not having numerical superiority, Francois possessed advanced magicians in numbers that other countries could not match. Francois once had the legendary Grand Magus Kymirtdi, known as the strongest magician. Although no magician of equal strength had appeared in the following centuries, Francois never had fewer than five Grand Magi, and at one point even had twelve, which was almost a miracle.
Even now, Francois still had six Grand Magi, far exceeding Ilei and Delizi, while Xibai had none. Ilei had three Grand Magi, originally four, but in the final battle with the Torians, they not only lost the three most prosperous counties in the north and nearly two hundred thousand troops but also a Grand Magus.
Of course, their achievements were fruitful. Tor left over fifty thousand bodies on Ilei's land, mostly soldiers in battle, and some were immigrants brought by the Torian king. Tor's navy was completely destroyed, and several coastal ports were reduced to rubble.
In fact, if Ilei took advantage and counterattacked, they had the ability to reclaim the lost land. However, the Kingdom of Ilei was formed by a union of over a dozen independent city-states, and most city-states were not willing to continue a war they deemed meaningless.
Tor sought peace, and the war ended. For most city-states, this was sufficient, as it was not worthwhile to spend vast military expenses and tens of thousands of lives to regain counties that were insignificant to them.
More importantly, compared to the value of those three counties, maintaining smooth trade between Tor and Ilei was crucial. If the conflict continued and angered the Torian king, leading to the closure of all trade and sea routes, it would be a disaster for prosperous Ilei.
Therefore, Ilei traded three counties and a Grand Magus for half a century of peace and prosperity. Ilei did not care about the sacrificed troops; their weapon workshops could manufacture enough equipment to arm a similar-sized army within a year. Horses were not an issue as Ilei excelled in horse breeding, and trade with Tor could quickly replenish the lack of warhorses.
The refugees who escaped from those three counties were enough to establish three to four armies of the same size; as for military expenses, as long as the sea trade routes remained unobstructed, money was not a problem.
The only regret for Ilei was the loss of the Grand Magus and other high-level magicians in that battle, which could not be compensated for by money or manpower. This also disrupted the power balance between Ilei and Delizi.
Delizi also had three Grand Magi and possessed the world's most powerful knight and infantry corps. Originally, Ilei suppressed Delizi, its enemy, with more Grand Magi.
However, now, this balance had been broken.
In fact, the people of Ithrae are more afraid of the potential enemy, Delizhi. In their view, the people of Thor are just a group of greedy bandits seeking to plunder Ithrae's incredible wealth.
However, Delizhi's demands are completely different; they seek the complete submission of Ithrae. The only thing that can restrain Delizhi is Fransor, and Fransor's reliance is nothing more than the magicians he has in his hands.
Because of this, magicians hold a transcendent position. Not only are senior magicians highly respected, but even the status of a magic apprentice is higher than that of a common noble. For nobles, the promotion of titles is extremely difficult. A baron must make outstanding contributions to become a viscount, and a viscount must have significant influence in the region to be able to influence the political situation. It is even more difficult for a viscount to be promoted again, and it is almost impossible without military achievements. In the nearly thousand years since the founding of the country, only five families have received the title of count without military achievements or marriage with the royal family. The titles of marquis and duke are only granted to families with great power in the kingdom and blood ties to the royal family, a noble status that ordinary families cannot reach.
However, a magic apprentice is completely different. Who knows if they will become a senior magician or even a magus in the future? In the eyes of the world, a magician is synonymous with limitless prospects.
Because of this, when Baron Brown proved with his extensive knowledge that Ivan was indeed a magic apprentice, everyone at the table stared at Ivan. For them, Lord Kewei Ele Egret Hyde was no longer important; he was just a common noble or a member of the prestigious Robek family with the longest and most illustrious history in Ithrae. None of this mattered anymore because the status of a magic apprentice had already surpassed everything.
Although it is unclear what level of magician Mr. Lavash mentioned by Ivan is, as long as he is a magician, the doors of the kingdom will be open to him, and even meeting the king will be a breeze.
At this table, Ivan's status is undoubtedly the most noble, unrelated to lineage, simply because this young man is a magic apprentice. Baron Brown respectfully handed the ring back to Ivan.
"Oh, Ivan, you have brought me so many surprises. I have never encountered so many astonishing things in my life. Not only do you have outstanding diplomatic talents, but you are also a magic apprentice. How enviable!" exclaimed Baron Lorna.
"In your opinion, what is the cause of this unusual downpour here?" asked the baron's daughter.
"It's hard to say. In my estimation, when you were renovating the villa, you may have inadvertently triggered something. You must have heard that items with magical properties are not necessarily as precious as my ring, which immediately reveals its extraordinary nature. A stone slab, a stone monument, like the four lonely stone pillars on the Ing and Sisfen Great Plains. Who would have thought that they were remnants of ancient and extremely powerful magic? The magical world is full of wonders, and the most inconspicuous things are often priceless treasures," explained Ivan.
This is not just a fabrication. Audrey once mentioned the Sisfen Great Stone Pillars, where every summer solstice at noon, when the sun reaches its zenith, a fierce fire rises in the central area surrounded by the four massive stone pillars. The temperature of this fire surpasses any known flame, exceeding the temperature of volcanic magma by dozens of times, evaporating almost any material exposed to it.
Of course, things that cannot be evaporated are quite rare in this world, just like the ring made of mithril in Ivan's hand.
Some people have speculated that the mysterious magic array formed by these four stone pillars may have been an ancient smelting furnace used to forge special weapons.
"Inconspicuous things?" Baron Lorna furrowed his brow in thought, "It seems that nothing special has been found. The renovation work seven years ago was not extensive, just a slight refurbishment of this villa, painting the exterior, adding some furniture. The adjacent low house and the stable at the back were already there, and the vegetable garden was just transformed from a lawn. The biggest change was in the study. The cellar has never been altered because of a lack of manpower, and it was originally empty. The only significant change was that the study was originally on the south side of the second floor, but I converted it into my wife's bedroom because it had the best natural light.
"The study was moved to a corner on the west side, where there were originally two large bookshelves and several statues, all of which were moved to a new location. Could it be that the bookshelves or statues are the issue?"
"Did the bookshelves have any books left on them? For a magician, their magic books often contain powerful spells to prevent loss or theft," Ivan asked.
"No books, not a single one," the baron replied definitively.
"There is a statue of a book," the chubby man reminded.
"A statue of a book?" Ivan inquired.
"Yes, I remember now. Among the statues left behind, there was one of a book, which I embedded into the wall above the fireplace in the study. Could that be causing trouble?" the baron asked thoughtfully.
"It's hard to say for sure now. We'll have to see it with our own eyes," Ivan said.
"After dinner, I'll accompany you to the study to take a look. Perhaps we'll find something," the baron said with a smile.
"Don't forget me. I'm definitely interested in such intriguing matters," the Baron Brown next to Ivan said.
"I'm also very interested," Medit declared.
Although the others did not speak, their curious expressions indicated their interest in such intriguing matters.
Baron Lorna's dinner, while not extravagant, was quite sumptuous.
Due to its proximity to the seaside, seafood was abundant and affordable, with delicate and delicious tuna, succulent swordfish, and tasty eel, along with large lobsters, crabs, and various delectable shellfish.
Of course, traditional poultry and livestock were also present.
This dinner truly satisfied the guests.
Ivan ate quite a bit, but he didn't touch any of the meat or fish. Although he usually enjoyed these foods, Audrey had a special diet plan for herself. The original Ivan Baindite was evidently a very picky eater, hardly consuming any meat dishes except for shrimp, crab, and shellfish. Ivan had to adhere to this special diet.
Ivan's picky eating habits clearly drew the attention of others at the dining table.
"Child, being so picky while growing up isn't good for your development," the old man at the other end of the table remarked.
"Yes, with your small stature, it's clear that your physical development isn't keeping up with your intellectual growth. You should eat everything to grow into a man," Medit, sitting opposite, added.
He indeed had the authority to say such things. In fact, among all the gentlemen seated at the table, he had the most robust physique. Though not evident in his formal attire, Ivan was certain that Medit's muscles were even more developed than most sailors in Southport.
Ivan was quite suspicious whether Medit was a knight. Many nobles held the title of knight, which, like their peerages, had long been a symbol of honor. But Medit could definitely be considered a true knight.
While not particularly tall, he was extremely robust. His hands, though as delicate and fair as most nobles, appeared remarkably powerful.
And true to his words, Medit ate everything on his plate.
"I can't help it, it's a habit I've developed over the years. There are some foods that I simply can't swallow," Ivan explained.
"What do you like to eat then? Perhaps we can prepare something for you. We can't have you eating just these few things," Baroness Lorna said gently. To these noblewomen, pickiness wasn't a major issue. And as for whether Ivan appeared manly enough or if his physique was too slender, it didn't seem to bother them much.
"Oh, don't worry about it. The food here is already quite rich for me. There's lobster, crab, and my favorite oysters, along with these shellfish. I'm quite satisfied. The only things missing from my diet that are available here are octopus and squid. But I suppose most people don't eat these two," Ivan replied.
"Octopus and squid? Goodness, someone actually eats those things. Oh, just the thought of the black ink-like substance in the bellies of those octopuses and squids makes me lose my appetite," the chubby man exclaimed.
This remark earned him a sharp glance from the Baroness.
However, Ivan's diet clearly surprised those around him.
"Octopus and squid? Are these two things tasty?" the Baron's daughter asked from the side. But judging by her expression, she wouldn't be interested in trying them regardless of Ivan's answer.
"Quite delicious," Ivan praised. This was indeed true. Initially, he had hesitantly tasted these creatures with eight legs, sticky and filled with black ink, but he was surprised to find their taste extremely savory.
Yet, in Francourt, very few had the courage to try such foods. Even Audrey herself showed no interest in them. Whenever dishes containing octopus and squid were served, only Ivan and Mr. Hyde truly enjoyed their flavors.
"This peculiar preference is quite unheard of. Perhaps it's another marvel. Or maybe those great magicians derive mysterious powers from octopuses and squids. You have to admit, these two creatures are truly remarkable. Their blood is black, like ink, and is the same color as the demons said to dwell in the depths of hell," Baroness O'Neil remarked, still harboring concerns about the purebred horse and the ring.