Mist Empire’s Rise: Fake Noble to Fog Queen

Chapter 365 Mist Empire’s Rise- 364: Prophecy, Torrential Rain

Lifetime nobles had a symbolic fief. Unfortunately, the fief's tax revenue never reached their hands, and they weren't the actual rulers of that land.

Even after becoming a mage, Sebastian still had to worry about making a living.

Unless he accepted recruitment from some great lord and became that lord's vassal.

Or he could get a position in the Magic Association, helping the association handle various affairs—but then he'd be controlled by the Church.

Who didn't know the Magic Association was half Church?

...

Two o'clock in the afternoon, academy main chapel.

The medal ceremony was held in the main hall. Junior and intermediate department students all rushed to the hall's perimeter to watch.

This was an exciting moment. Headmaster Morrison would join the Spire Council Archmage from the Magic Association to award mage medals to students who passed the mage assessment and personally drape crimson mage robes over their shoulders.

Watching students fantasized about their own upcoming graduation, standing on stage receiving medals from the headmaster and Spire Council Archmage.

Some commoner magic apprentices even shed tears of excitement. This was their only path to change their fate.

Seize this opportunity and they could change their lowly birth, becoming nobles everyone looked up to.

Miss the opportunity, and in a year or two they'd be beaten back to their original form. Their lowborn status would follow them for life.

Every year's academy assessment filtered out a batch of students. From junior to advanced department, successful mages who received titles were less than a third.

Magic cultivation wasn't an easy path. Without substantial family wealth, one couldn't support the expenses of studying magic.

Though the academy provided tuition reduction and scholarship aid to poor students, resources were limited after all. Only a small portion of students could obtain these benefits.

Moreover, many students chose to withdraw not because of lack of money, but because of pressure from society and family.

Those noble youths—even with poor talent and stupid minds—could choose to continue studying at the academy as long as they paid tuition.

Can't become a mage in three years? What about six years, ten years?

But their families wouldn't allow them to do this. Because resources and returns weren't proportional—better to have them marry for the family's benefit.

After the medal ceremony, some were elated, others felt lost.

For nobles, mage status was icing on the cake. For commoners, it was both life-changing and proof of entry into layers of crisis.

Outside the academy's protection, commoner-born mages struggled in the outside world.

The mage world wasn't as free and beautiful as these students imagined. The strong bullied the weak, nobles despised commoners—these unspoken rules didn't disappear upon entering the mage community. They only became stricter and more obvious.

Commoner mages were superior people in ordinary people's eyes but at the very bottom among mages.

Over the years, among mages who died from "accidents," commoner-born mages accounted for more than half—yet commoner mages numbered less than one-tenth of total mages.

The commoner mages Siria Magic Academy cultivated against all odds—before they could establish stable foundations, more than half had already fallen.

Every time professors received news of a student's death, they'd sit in silence for a long time. They'd blame themselves, doubt themselves: letting commoners study magic—was it helping them or harming them?

Under Professor Tobias's hat brim hid silver hair. Supposedly it was because she frequently calculated the whereabouts of students with no news. Every time she divined a student's death, an inch of her brown hair would turn white.

Despite this, Professor Tobias never stopped caring for students.

If she didn't do this, those commoner mages who died in unknown corners wouldn't even have anyone to collect their bodies. How tragic.

Siria Magic Academy cherished its students like its own children.

This academy lacked the deep foundations of those noble magic academies but was willing to give students a year to understand six magic professions, letting them freely choose their profession.

Those noble academies completely couldn't understand. In their view, Siria's professors were all fools!

Offering so many courses, each student needing six sets of magic tools—what a waste!

Magic materials were rare and precious. Even the most basic magical plant, Serpent Staff Grass, sold for one silver coin per stalk—not to mention Spiritwood, metal ores, crystal balls, and other teaching necessities.

Among the six magic professions, potions and alchemy required the largest upfront investment—burning through money like nothing. Though potion masters and alchemists also earned the most, how many could successfully graduate?

Spellchanting and astrology also consumed plenty.

Spiritwood was priceless on the market. A section suitable for making wands cost at least thirty to forty gold coins minimum. Siria had to prepare over two hundred at once.

Crystal balls and tarot cards went without saying—Siria's professors had to personally dig crystal and copper ore mines to save money.

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Finally, swordsmanship and magic runes.

Swordsmen were universally recognized as the poorest magic profession. Ordinary iron swords bent after one thrust. To thrust a second time, you had to straighten the sword first. Harder iron swords didn't bend but broke easily.

A swordsman's whole life was either holding a broken sword begging alchemists for repairs or on the road earning money to buy swords from mystical smiths.

The only low-investment, high-return magic profession was magic runes. Anyone with hands could learn. After mastering it, enchanting for others or drawing magic arrays—gold fell into pockets like rain from the sky, too much to throw away.

However, learning magic runes didn't cost money but cost brains. Its graduation numbers were second-to-last, only ahead of astrology.

Spending such a huge price to cultivate a group of lowborn commoners, with such a low proportion of successful mages—was it worth it?

Siria Magic Academy's professors would say: Worth it.

Having junior department magic apprentices simultaneously study six magic courses wasn't just to broaden their horizons. More importantly, this prevented them from being controlled by others after graduation.

They could brew their own healing potions without spending heavily at the Magic Association.

They could repair their own weapons, enchant themselves, without needing to beg people everywhere and hit walls.

They had self-defense skills—knew spells, could wield swords, could do simple divination to read hearts. With these they could avoid many disasters.

Though junior content was all basic, this foundational knowledge was enough for them to solve most difficulties they'd encounter in the future.

But many students didn't understand the academy's painstaking efforts. Courses they weren't interested in, they didn't study properly—studying only to pass exams.

Once they chose a magic profession, they never explored other courses again, never reviewed previously learned knowledge, forgetting everything professors taught.

If they forgot everything, how could they go far?

In the hall, graduating students were jubilant, but professors on stage were more worried than each other.

This year's graduating batch—how many would remain by next year? No one knew.

After watching the medal ceremony, the three prepared to leave. Turning around, they saw Theodore and Hol walking toward them.

"How did you guys also come? Weren't you moving stuff?" Luo Wei asked first.

"Finished moving. I'm exhausted!" Theodore complained. "You don't know—the old guinea pig collected a mountain of junk at the academy. We ran back and forth over ten times to move it out of the academy for him!"

"Garbage?" Gladys and Hessel showed shocked expressions.

Theodore wiped sweat from his head, nodding. "He said that garbage could sell for money. Made us help him transport it to a farm in the suburbs. He does carpentry there and has a mud-brick house for storage."

Luo Wei: "Guinea pig senior really won't let any money-making opportunity pass!"

"By the way, where is he?"

After sighing, she looked toward the hall exit. There'd been too many people there earlier—she hadn't noticed if Sebastian had come out.

"He went back to the dorm building to collect junk," Theodore curled his lip. "Those noble students are packing this afternoon, right? Threw out lots of unwanted stuff. He said he'd collect it to sell."

Theodore had never seen anyone this poor. To earn money, he'd even pick up discarded underwear and insoles nobles threw out!

Though he was also poor, he had dignity. He hated noble students to death—he wouldn't pick up their unwanted things!

Thinking he'd spent all afternoon moving junk others threw out, Theodore felt his claws were defiled. Four of eight claws were dirty!

"What next?" Hessel asked everyone.

Only then did Hol speak: "Want to pick laurel branches together? I know a place with a very large laurel tree."

Laurel trees symbolized victory and honor. Presenting laurel wreaths to graduating seniors was both praise and celebration of their achievements and blessings for them to overcome difficulties and pursue honor in the future.

"Of course!" Everyone answered in unison.

Giving laurel at farewell parties was an academy tradition. If all other seniors had people giving them laurel and only Sebastian didn't, how embarrassing would that be?

Ten-some minutes later, the five arrived at the forest behind the advanced department chapel.

"Isn't this where advanced department summoning apprentices raise magical beasts? Can we go in?" Luo Wei asked doubtfully.

"As long as we're not discovered." Hol expertly led everyone through the hedge and into the magical beast grazing area.

He turned back to explain: "I checked the eastern forest this morning. The laurel trees were stripped bare. We can only pick here."

Luo Wei sighed, blaming herself for oversleeping this morning and not thinking of this.

Others all came picking at dawn when dew was fresh. They came in the late afternoon—of course the laurel trees would be stripped bare.

The forest was quiet. After walking a stretch, Hessel suddenly lowered her voice to warn: "Careful, there are summoned beasts ahead. Don't step on them to death."

The summoned beasts she mentioned—Luo Wei also saw them.

Just...

She looked at the iron-horned rhinoceros grazing thirty meters away, then at the golden-spotted leopard lurking in the bushes fifty meters away turning its ears. Finally, she looked down at her own feet, less than twenty-four centimeters long. Two question marks popped up over her head.

Who would step whom to death?

Senior, make it clear!

The process of picking laurel branches and leaves went smoothly. Except for startling a few birds in the forest, they didn't scare away any magical beasts.

Or possibly those magical beasts were already scared silly by them.

After all, Gladys bared her teeth in front, Theodore drooled behind, and Hessel walked carefully, afraid she'd step on them to death.

Luo Wei and Hol carried vine baskets for leaves, exchanged glances, and simultaneously sighed: This team is hard to lead!

That night, the academy was brightly lit everywhere, boiling with voices—a lively scene.

Since enrollment, this was Luo Wei's first time seeing the nighttime campus so bright. Tonight's lamp oil and candles probably equaled the academy's normal yearly usage.

Around the academy square, a circle of bonfires burned. Under professors' direction, students brought barrel after barrel of wine and moved classroom tables and chairs to the square.

Under bright firelight, everyone sat together, listening to melodious tunes floating from "magic instruments," smelling intoxicating wine fragrance, freely joking around, their words full of longing and plans for the future.

When the laurel-giving blessing segment arrived, seniors all stood up from their chairs, looking around expectantly, guessing who would present them with crowns.

Luo Wei and her companions had woven laurel wreaths before dinner. After waiting several hours until now, their mood was still somewhat excited.

She, Gladys, Hol, Hessel, Theodore, and Laura—who'd only rushed back to the academy after dinner—all held their carefully woven "special" wreaths, forming a line and walking toward guinea pig senior in the crowd.

People around saw the wreaths in their hands and all showed astonished expressions. Shocked by their momentum, they unconsciously retreated to both sides, drawing a clear boundary with them.

Walking before Sebastian, Luo Wei stood on tiptoe. When he lowered his head, she gently placed the crown on his head.

"Senior Noel, may all you gain be what you wish, all you meet be what you seek."

She blessed sincerely. Sebastian also raised the corners of his mouth and accepted warmly: "Thank you, junior. You too."

Luo Wei smiled and stepped aside. Gladys stepped forward. With a gloomy, cold, world-weary face, she raised the crudely made wreath with branches sticking out everywhere in her hand.

"Senior Noel, I wish you invincibility!"

Gladys's tone was very serious. Sebastian also accepted her blessing, slightly lowering his head to let her place the second crown on his head.

"Thank you, junior."

The wreath Gladys wove was triangular and wound thick and solid. After being placed on his head, it just fit on top of the first wreath—like a strange triangle hooped over a circle.

Sebastian touched his head. No problem, it looked fine.

Gladys stepped aside, revealing Hol behind her.

Hol's wreath was two circles larger than his head, but woven relatively thin with a fairly round shape.

He slipped the oversized crown over Sebastian's head and hung it around his neck.

"Senior, I wish you evergreen and undefeated, always victorious."

Sebastian maintained his smile. "Thank you, junior."

Next was Hessel. The wreath in her hands was even larger than the third—so large it could circle Sebastian's waist.

"I wish your dreams come true."

Hessel hung the largest crown on Sebastian's chest.

"Thank you, junior." Sebastian's smile became a bit unnatural. This bit of unnaturalness, upon seeing Theodore behind, quickly turned to stiffness.