Chapter 803: The City of Wizards

Under the azure sky, a pristine city shimmered and gleamed in the sunlight.

It was entirely constructed from marble, appearing extremely luxurious and magnificent. Moreover, the core buildings were constantly enveloped in a glow of magic.

This was Saint Yehwal, a city of spellcasters!

It was the heart of the Popan Free Alliance and the only city in the entire Western world without any divine church established within. More importantly, it was a holy place in the hearts of all arcane practitioners!

Here, not only were there constantly more than three lich archmages and grand magicians present, but also over twenty high-level mage towers scattered throughout the city.

Essentially, each mage tower represented one or more legendary spellcasters!

This was the place where witchcraft and magic were renewed, a paradise for mages, where one could almost find any rare spellcasting materials from the continent, even those from other planes of existence. Additionally, it housed the latest arcane journals, introducing the most advanced and cutting-edge developments in spell research.

Moreover, it might also be the safest place on the entire Western continent.

The “Council,” composed of grand magicians, firmly held the highest power in the city. Saint Ye Hua was open to all spellcasters, while at the same time strictly forbidding any form of private duels.

“This is Saint Yehuar, the legendary paradise for mages?!”

At this moment, outside the city walls, Wu Ming was holding the reins of a tall horse, wearing a gray cloak, gazing at the entire city.

In his eyes, a brilliant aura shimmered above Saint华尔, indicating that the city was shielded by a massive magical barrier, potent enough to withstand even the descent of true deities and block all forms of scrying and divination.

After all, for spellcasters, learning how to shield against an opponent’s divination and prophecy was a required skill.

“A city completely ruled by mages, or rather, arcane practitioners, and renowned as a cradle for spellcasters—documented evidence shows it has trained over fifty legendary practitioners… interesting!”

Wu Ming smiled slightly and led his horse toward the gates of Saint华尔.

It had already been more than half a month since the raid on Black Forest Castle. After finishing the secret manuals and books contributed by Diacks, Wu Ming quietly left the Ouroboros Ring and resumed his travels across the continent.

“Since this is the city of mages, the legendary sanctuary of arcane practitioners, it must have its own unique methods for training mages, which would be very useful for the continent of Saer.”

Wu Ming’s visit to this place was not solely for observation.

Regarding information about the inner world and more secrets of this world, he needed to find answers within the largest library of this city and those private collections.

“Of course, first I should find a guide!”

The streets leading to Saint-Yvhal were exceptionally clean. Even outside the city, the road was luxuriously paved with stone slabs—perfectly flat, with no gaps whatsoever between them, clearly the result of some magical force.

As he approached the city, Wu Ming immediately noticed many people dressed as mages heading toward the same destination, their expressions ranging from envious and expectant to reverent, or even filled with resentment and hatred—diverse and varied.

“Respected sir, may I offer my services as a guide?”

Outside the city gates, a large number of vendors and idlers had gathered, forming a small market.

Many locals eagerly approached the incoming spellcasters, advertising themselves: “Saint Yehuar has many rules; outsiders can easily make mistakes. Moreover, it hides many secret buildings that are impossible to discover without being a local! Hire us! For just one gem per day, you can learn everything about Saint Yehuar!”

Being a spellcaster was an extremely expensive profession.

In fact, once reaching the level of high-ranking arcane practitioners, ordinary mundane materials and precious metals rarely caught their attention anymore.

They mostly used barter, or large-denomination gold notes certified by temples of wealth, as well as various gorgeous gems and diamonds.

Considering that he was indeed not very familiar with Saint Yehuar, and that he couldn’t extensively use divine perception within the city—lest it be detected by a certain mage tower or a divine-level lich, causing some trouble—Wu Ming felt he still needed a guide.

Among these solicitors outside the gates, there were also apparent hierarchies, with the more eloquent ones able to easily confuse and deceive newcomers.

“What’s your name?”

Wu Ming’s gaze, however, went past the crowd and settled on a corner at the back, almost pushed aside.

“M…Marsa!”

The person was a timid young girl, appearing no older than twenty, with a cascade of fiery red hair flowing down her back, and a few freckles dotting her face.

Of course, what caught Wu Ming’s attention most was her attire.

The girl wore a clean white robe, with a peculiar bronze badge pinned to her chest. Decorated with intricate patterns, a solitary star at its center appeared particularly plain.

“A mage apprentice?”

In the Western continent, badges were generally used to mark professional ranks, especially among arcane practitioners. Even though Wu Ming had only hastily studied a few days’ worth of common knowledge, he certainly wouldn’t make a mistake.

A single star indicated that this girl was merely the lowest-ranked mage apprentice, capable of casting only a few cantrip-level spells, not much better than an ordinary person.

The pursuit of any arcane profession was a costly endeavor, and without a wealthy background, it was extremely difficult to persist.

Clearly, the Marsa before Wu Ming was obviously not someone with substantial backing.

“Yes… sir!”

It was evident that Marsa was very nervous, speaking somewhat hesitantly: “Here in Saint-Yehuar, that’s perfectly normal. And as a mage apprentice, even if only at the most basic level, I still have more privileges than ordinary citizens and can take you to more places…”

“Hmm… quite clever!”

Wu Ming nodded in satisfaction. Anyone who became a mage, even just an apprentice, was certainly no fool.

At least, this apprentice named Marsa had found a decent way to earn money.

“It’s you then!”

With a flick of his wrist, Wu Ming tossed a crystal-clear ruby into Marsa’s arms, causing a trace of envy to appear in the eyes of the surrounding people.

“Thank you, sir! I promise to satisfy you!”

Looking at the pigeon egg-sized ruby in her hand, with its crystal-clear luster, Marsa couldn’t help but take a deep breath, her expression turning solemn.

“Ah… I am also a spellcaster, from the East. You may call me Mr. Wu!”

Wu Ming smiled: “I need to look up some information regarding other planes… and I also plan to cultivate a group of mages back home, so I need a complete set of textbooks and spellcasting materials… where can I get these?”

Marsa hesitated for a moment before lifting her head: “If you only need to look up information about other planes, the Grand Wizard Library can meet your needs. It’s open to all spellcasters, as long as you can pay the required price… but if the knowledge you seek is too obscure, then you might have to think about accessing the private libraries of high-level spellcasters. Perhaps posting a reward mission would be a good idea… but to impress those high-level mages, you’ll probably need to exchange for it with equally strange materials or knowledge…”

Marsa’s tone became even more humble.

Because the person before her was likely a powerful spellcaster, already at a level advanced enough to deal with other planes of existence!

“Then take me to the Wizard Library first!”

Wu Ming made the decision directly.

“Alright, please follow me!”

Marsa gathered her spirits, first leading Wu Ming to store his horse before finally entering the triumphal arch made of white marble.

Passing through here marked their complete entry into the territory of Saint Yehuar. The flower beds on both sides were blooming with unknown flowers, exuding a pleasant fragrance.

The entire city of Saint Yeval is under the joint surveillance of mage towers. Offensive spells are prohibited in public areas, and magical research outside designated laboratories is strictly forbidden… Please remember not to violate the city’s laws, or the Council will undoubtedly send you to the magic suppression prison…

Marsa solemnly reminded him, visibly shivering as she spoke.

The so-called magic suppression prison completely suppressed all magical powers, known as a hell where even high-level spellcasters would become ordinary people.

For any spellcaster, being imprisoned there was undoubtedly a nightmare.

“I understand…”

Wu Ming casually replied, clearly showing interest in Marsa: “Who is your mentor?”

“Master Evico, an expert in alchemy and modification, who has published works in arcane journals…”

When Marsa mentioned her mentor, her face lit up with excitement, speaking with evident pride.

Through her explanation, Wu Ming roughly understood the operational system of Saint Yewah.

It was a city entirely ruled by spellcasters, known for its freedom and high degree of openness. Its recruitment was open to the entire Western continent, and it even accepted exchange students from the Eastern Empire of Dachang.

Any apprentice, as long as proven to come from a reputable background and shown to have magical talent, could enter the city’s schools and receive a unified magical education.

Although the tuition was extremely expensive, many Western nobles still preferred to send their children here for education.

In this process, if they displayed any talent, they might be noticed by a mentor and accepted as a more closely affiliated personal apprentice.

If studying at Saint Yale could at most guarantee becoming a spellcaster, then being a personal apprentice was even more precious, as one would at least become a mid-level spellcaster upon graduation.

If one was lucky enough to be taken as an apprentice by a legendary mage, one could at least walk proudly across the continent without fear of being bullied.

Marsa was both fortunate and unfortunate.

Although she had been noticed by a master, alchemy was notoriously expensive among magical practices, leaving her nearly destitute, forcing her to strive by every means possible.