44. Children of the New Era

Siluka and Gretel, a pair of siblings, made their way through the bustling streets of the floating city.

Compared to a decade prior, the floating city was noticeably more prosperous and densely populated.

Every now and then, eclectically dressed mages could be seen strolling through the thoroughfares.

Most of them were remarkably young, around twenty years of age, radiating youthful energy. They chatted and laughed among themselves, walking or jogging along the avenues.

Their attire was casual, completely eschewing traditional mage robes and pointed hats, entirely devoid of the dignified and solemn demeanor characteristic of traditional sorcerers. At a single glance, they stood out vividly from their more rigid and orthodox peers.

These were mages from the surface!

Although the majority of surface mages chose to work on the surface after graduating from magic academies—such as rebuilding their homelands or remaining at their alma maters to teach—a portion of them journeyed to this floating city for various reasons.

Compared to the rather archaic and pedantic scholars of the past, these newcomers were unconventional, lacked personal servants, and dressed more casually, gradually becoming a unique new sight upon the floating city.

"My word, the capital is just overrun with these uncultured bumpkins nowadays."

"They haven't the slightest clue that one shouldn't shout in the streets. And they don't even wear standard-issue robes when attending academic symposiums."

"Truly, public morals are degenerating day by day!"

An elderly, white-haired man complained to an equally aged crone walking beside him.

"Indeed, indeed. These outsiders simply lack manners. Why, back in our youth..." the hunchbacked old woman chimed in.

The two centenarian mages grumbled and bickered incessantly as they walked.

Watching the petty bickering of the old folks, both Gretel and Siluka felt a mild amusement.

The original barrier between the sky and the surface, over the passage of time and through Ellian's deliberate guidance of public opinion (which included using magic to gently temper the minds of certain radicals), had gradually softened into a harmless form of regional prejudice.

While the rigid, old-school mages still clung to their former traditions and arrogance, there was no doubt that the future belonged to this rising generation of surface mages.

Even upon this sky city alone, the number of surface mages already exceeded one thousand.

Across the entire realm of Eldorun, following a decade of nurturing multiple batches of students, the total number of surface mages had surpassed ten thousand!

This far outnumbered the roughly three thousand native mages of the original floating city.

Not to mention the vastly larger population of mage apprentices.

Undoubtedly, these mages—selected through rigorous examinations from among a million candidates—possessed the potential to surpass their predecessors in future achievements!

"The changes are truly monumental."

"This city in the skies, this country."

"We owe it all to His Majesty Ellian..."

Gretel gazed at the seemingly more vibrant streets and watched the casually dressed young mages passing by—among whom were even a few of his former classmates—feeling a deep sense of emotional resonance within his heart.

Over the past ten years, he had witnessed firsthand, step by step, the transformation of the floating city of Eldorun.

"Alright, stop staring. Let's go home."

Siluka patted her younger brother's shoulder.

Young Gretel nodded gently and chanted a brief spell in the Draconic tongue.

Scorching flames enveloped the two of them, and moments later, they vanished amidst a burst of blossoming fire, leaving only drifting sparks lingering in the air.

Teleportation magic!

In the blink of an eye, the siblings returned to their hometown.

The once-sleepy Boulder Village—now known as Boulder Town—was far more prosperous than it had been in the past.

The ground was paved with smooth flagstones, and horse-drawn carriages occasionally rumbled past.

In various spots, skeletons and zombies could be seen working tirelessly to repair roads, laying bricks and compacting them into the pavement.

Today, aided by undead laborers and mages, Boulder Town had established connecting routes to numerous surrounding villages and towns, transforming into a vital transportation hub in the southern reaches of Eldorun.

Aside from the initial elementary magic school where Joseph once taught, an intermediate magic school had been established in Boulder Town five years ago.

Soon, a new advanced magic academy, "Gutter University," would also be established right here!

Gretel and Siluka also noticed:

Uniformed combat mages on patrol marched down the streets at regular intervals.

Through Ellian's meticulous design, the surface combat mages of Eldorun had spent years constructing a comprehensive "defensive network"!

In the Arcane Emperor's vision, even if the empire were attacked by monstrous entities possessing low-level legendary combat prowess, such as Ancient White Dragons or Balor Fiends, the combat mages could quickly communicate, utilizing flight and teleportation for rapid maneuverability, allowing them to organize a coordinated response within a short timeframe and minimize losses to the absolute lowest level.

Ellian estimated that even if the "Abyssal Invasion" scheduled for twenty years later were to descend right now, Eldorun would still be self-sufficient enough to survive the ravages of the demon legions!

While it would certainly exact a heavy toll and fall far short of enabling a counter-invasion into the Abyss, at least it would not suffer the fate of falling within a single hour as recorded in the original timeline.

Neither Gretel nor Siluka felt overly surprised by the recent changes on the surface.

Over the past few years, they had returned home countless times, witnessing the continuous evolution of their homeland with their own eyes.

"Teacher Joseph, it's been a long time!"

Young Gretel spotted Teacher Joseph drinking with his companions in an open clearing:

"You should drink less, Teacher. Excessive drinking doesn't do a mage any good."

"Ah, they're the ones treating, what can I do?" Joseph turned around, setting down his wine bottle with a helpless expression.

"How is it? Are you still teaching students, Teacher?"

"Still teaching at the magic school. I reckon I've got another ten years in me."

Joseph replied in a drunken tone, before immediately adding with renewed excitement:

"But let me tell you a secret: I'm about to get promoted and transferred to teach at the intermediate magic school!"

"In about two months, I'll be moving over."

"Right here at the town's intermediate magic school."

Just then, a girl's voice filled with astonishment rang out from behind:

"What? Teacher, you won't be teaching us anymore?"

An innocent young voice came from behind them.

It was a girl of about eight or nine years old, looking thoroughly shocked upon hearing Joseph's words.

"Anna!"

"Little sister!"

Siluka and Gretel enthusiastically greeted their younger sister.

"Brother! Sister! Are you on vacation again?"

Little Anna ran up eagerly to Gretel and Siluka, embracing them one by one.

Shortly after Gretel became an apprentice to His Majesty Ellian, their parents had given birth to another daughter.

In this new era characterized by abundant food supplies and enduring peace, choosing to have more children had become quite common.

"Brother and Sister, on the days when you don't come home and are working up in the sky, Mom and Dad always tell me stories about you."

"I know both of you are incredibly, incredibly powerful spellcasters."

"However, Anna has been studying magic at the school with teachers like Joseph since I was five. In the future, I might not turn out any worse than you two!"

Seeing his sister speak with such excitement about her studies at the magic school, Gretel felt a deep sense of gratification.

For a brief, fleeting moment, a startling realization struck Gretel, sending a chill running straight down his spine—

Anna was growing up in a new era. To her:

"Every village and town has a magic school."

"Orc skeletons and orc zombies automatically build walls, till the soil, mine ores, and handle all kinds of heavy, grueling labor in every town."

"The undead toil in the fields, and granaries overflow with abundant crops. Virtually every household can eat their fill."

"Society is peaceful and stable. There are no alien invasions."

"When children reach a certain age, they attend the magic school."

"..."

All of these facts had been in existence since the moment she was born.

They were self-evident, natural laws, akin to foundational rules of the world itself.

The bygone era when the mage aristocracy high above monopolized magic and regarded the peasants on the ground as mere ants...

The centuries-long history written in blood and tears of human ancestors holding back orcs with their own flesh and blood...

Had all settled into mere knowledge points within history textbooks.

In the future, these children born in the new era following Eldorun's reforms would grow up with a brand-new worldview and become the new masters of the nation!

A new era.

This tangible sensation of historical transformation sent a sudden tremor through Gretel's heart.

Eldorun had truly changed.

Therefore, Gretel felt that as a member of Eldorun's new Magical Council, the sole disciple of the Supreme Mage Ellian, and a beneficiary of this grand reform, it was incumbent upon him to share certain truths with Anna.

Gretel placed a hand gently on Anna's shoulder:

"Anna. Everyone is living peaceful and happy lives now."

"You can go to school at the magic academy today. Farmers have zombies helping them till the fields, there are no terrifying and brutal orcs or goblins attacking us, and mages and commoners alike coexist harmoniously..."

"Such a happy life, and an environment so peaceful and stable, did not simply come to exist on its own!"

"This was brought about ten years ago by the grand reforms of the great Arcane Emperor, His Majesty Ellian—King of all Mages in Eldorun, and my most revered teacher."

"It was the great His Majesty Ellian who personally enacted laws establishing absolute equality in human dignity between the residents of the sky and the earth."

"It was His Majesty Ellian and General Thor who led the combat mages to drive the orc race back into the southern forests, putting an end to the blood-stained history of humanity being slaughtered by orcs..."

To Anna, these events were merely knowledge from history books.

But to Gretel, they were occurrences he had witnessed with his own eyes, step by step.

Anna broke into a radiant smile and nodded enthusiastically:

"I know, I know."

"Teacher Joseph taught us all about this in class. We will never forget!"

"Teacher said that our hundreds of villages and towns on the ground, and the capital city in the sky, all belong to the human kingdom of Eldorun."

"We are all part of this human nation."

"Teacher also said that our country isn't entirely safe right now."

"Although we once defeated the orcs, there is still the mighty Elven Court to the west, the Green Dragon Lords to the south, and many terrifying creatures in other planes. In the future, new villains might still try to destroy our country."

"Brother and Sister, once I grow up to become a powerful spellcaster like you both, I will protect our country too."

"Just like how His Majesty Ellian and his combat mages defeated the orcs back then!"

Listening to Anna's youthful yet profoundly sincere words, both Gretel and Siluka felt a faint, warm prickle of emotion in their noses.

Indeed, even without experiencing it firsthand, new generations of children like Anna had not forgotten this history.

The sacred fire was passed down from generation to generation, never extinguished.

This was the survival philosophy embraced by humanity—creatures whose lifespans were as fleeting as mayflies—upon this fantastical continent.