Chapter 1166: Shadows of the Past

Victoria’s recollection of her journey to the Violet Kingdom abruptly ended there, so suddenly that it took a moment for High Lord to process. After a couple of seconds, he couldn’t help but ask, “So that’s all you remember?”

“Yes,” Victoria nodded. “A very clear cutoff point—when we entered that mist-shrouded forest.”

“So, not only are memories of the City of a Thousand Towers erased, but the apprentices traveling to the Violet Kingdom don’t remember the journey to the city itself—the trek through the thick fog, the coastal town called Prandel, the exact route into the kingdom’s interior, what the misty forest looked like… All those memories are wiped clean upon leaving?”

“That seems to be the case,” Victoria confirmed again. “The Violet Kingdom guards its secrets fiercely, and it’s not just the City of a Thousand Towers. It appears that once you cross the kingdom’s misty borders, everything beyond must be tightly concealed. I’ve speculated about what might lie within that fog, but I have no clues.”

High Lord frowned, lost in thought for a long while. The room fell silent except for the faint hum of the arcane devices and the soft whir of the ventilation system, which somehow made the stillness feel even heavier. After an indeterminate stretch of time, he suddenly looked up and broke the silence. “What happened after that? What else do you remember?”

“We were still at the edge of that forest,” Victoria said. “All of us stood where we had started, and it felt like only a brief moment had passed. But in reality, six months had gone by. Your Majesty, I’ve studied frost magic extensively, and I’m familiar with spells of the mind, but even the most advanced memory reconstruction magic struggles to achieve something like this. The old matron who guided us told us that we had successfully completed our studies and could now return home. The Violet Kingdom had arranged ships, and our families had been notified to wait for us across the strait.

“Many apprentices were confused, even thought it was a joke. But when we examined the flow of magic within ourselves and noticed the changes in the forest’s edge, everyone realized it was real.

“For spellcasters who often dedicate years to a single academic pursuit, six months is a blink of an eye. Yet, those lost six months in the Violet Kingdom gave us gains no other study period could match. Our magical skills improved dramatically, detailed theoretical knowledge was etched into our minds, and some casting techniques became instinctive. It was clear we had undergone an intense, prolonged period of both theory and practice.

“The only problem was, none of us remembered the actual process of learning.”

Victoria’s words hung in the air as High Lord’s brow furrowed deeply. Heddy beside him shook her head in disbelief. “That’s… just too strange.”

“Yes, it is,” Victoria said calmly, her voice cool and steady, betraying no hint of emotion. “It took me a long time to accept it and confirm that it really happened. For even longer, I kept trying to gather any information related to the Violet Kingdom, hoping to find some pattern in their activities in the North, to uncover their true purpose. Many apprentices from my time did the same, and I believe over the past six centuries, countless others taken to the Violet Kingdom have had similar thoughts and actions.

“Whether or not they signed enrollment contracts, whether or not they read the fine print about memory alteration, curiosity about that mysterious period of study is instinctive. More conspiratorially, suspicion and wariness toward the Violet Kingdom is natural. But after all these years, I’ve found nothing—just like all the apprentices before me.

“The Violet Kingdom seems to simply recruit students, send them back after the term ends, with no hidden agendas, no interest in what we do afterward, and no concern about our investigations. It’s the same attitude they’ve held toward the entire Loren Continent for centuries: they simply don’t care.”

High Lord began tapping his fingers rhythmically on the armrest, his mind weaving through the information Victoria had shared, piecing it all together. After a long pause, he finally spoke again, a soft sigh in his voice. “A secret legacy, buried history, mysterious emissaries, and exotic lands… It really is a tale of swords and sorcery, perfectly suited to a pastoral era where social order and production relations are underdeveloped. It belongs in a magic tome written on parchment.”

Heddy looked up thoughtfully at his words, while Victoria responded evenly, “Indeed, as you say.”

“But unfortunately,” High Lord continued, “such a ‘romantic’ magical tale doesn’t fit with the current ‘Overseas Student Transfer System’ or the ‘Supernatural Talent Management Regulations.’ The recruitment process is irregular, registration is inadequate, personnel movement is opaque, and teaching methods lack guarantees. While national security concerns are understandable, the Violet Kingdom hasn’t signed any memorandum of understanding with us on these matters. This needs to be regulated.”

Victoria’s expression remained unchanged as she nodded slightly. “Exactly as you say.”

Heddy, who had anticipated this response, smiled faintly. “After all, we live in an age of law now.”

“No matter how other Northern nations view this, until the Violet Kingdom agrees to a more transparent, formal, and reliable official agreement on talent cultivation and transfer, this suspicious ‘mage legacy’ process must be temporarily banned,” High Lord said firmly. “As you mentioned, if their contracts are truly legitimate, they should understand our concerns and cooperate.”

“I will make the necessary arrangements and increase monitoring of Violet Kingdom mages operating in the North,” Victoria promised.

High Lord hummed in acknowledgment, then asked with curiosity, “By the way, how often does the Violet Kingdom select apprentices? Is it an annual event?”

“Not at all,” Victoria replied immediately. “The intervals are much longer and irregular. According to records, they usually select apprentices every six to ten years, with the longest gap being twenty years. The selection process itself isn’t quick—it can last one to two years. During that time, their recruiters are very active in the North, seeking out all gifted individuals who meet their criteria. The number of apprentices chosen varies widely—from a dozen to over a hundred.

“Two centuries ago was the smallest recruitment, when they took only six apprentices from all the Northern countries and Typhon combined. Of course, those six went on to become outstanding mages and were honored guests in their homelands.

“The most recent recruitment in the North was about five years ago, mostly from the Mosswood and Northern City-States.”

“That sounds pretty arbitrary…” High Lord rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to sketch out the traditions, culture, society, and politics of that mysterious mage kingdom in his mind, like painting a portrait. “Too bad they hide themselves so well—even Amber’s agents can’t penetrate the Violet Kingdom’s interior.”

“Has Amber’s team failed?” Heddy asked, curious.

“Not exactly failed, since there was no clear goal or deadline, but progress has been minimal,” High Lord said regretfully. “Agents can operate easily in border cities along the kingdom’s edge, entering openly via trade routes. But when they try to go deeper, they run into the problem Victoria mentioned—there are no roads connecting the border cities to the interior, and local authorities forbid foreigners from crossing.”

Heddy nodded resignedly, accepting the situation. She knew this wasn’t Amber or her agents’ fault. Despite occasionally teasing the half-elf, years of working together had earned her respect for Amber’s talents. That half-elf was a genius in intelligence gathering, and her operatives were the world’s best at infiltration, disguise, and information collection. If even these experts, who could slip into the palace of Alden itself through the smallest crack, were stymied, it only proved how impenetrable the Violet Kingdom’s mists truly were.

Still, she couldn’t help but ask Victoria, “Do you really have no memory at all of your time in the City of a Thousand Towers? Not even through regression techniques or subconscious exploration? Theoretically, no matter how advanced the memory alteration, some trace should remain… especially since you studied there for so long. The knowledge is intact, but the learning process itself is missing. That kind of memory manipulation is almost unbelievable.”

Victoria furrowed her brow, carefully sorting through her memories and choosing her words. After a dozen seconds, she spoke in a low voice, “The specific ‘memories’ are indeed gone. I’ve tried every spell that might help recover them, with no success. However…”

High Lord and Heddy both leaned forward, asking in unison, “However what?”

“After attempting some risky methods—self-suggestion, deep dream-state exploration—I did recover some fragments in my dreams. They’re disjointed, strange, full of errors and subconscious fabrications. I don’t believe they’re accurate or true memories, but if taken as references, they might represent what I recall of my studies.”

She paused, then slowly described the images from her dreams:

“I saw a city made of countless towering spires and layers upon layers of buildings stacked in impossible ways, defying the spatial and geometric laws of the real world. Those piled-up houses had no entrances, not enough space to live inside… They were more like chaotic doodles drawn on an imaginary land.

“I saw an especially tall tower that seemed alive in the dream, subtly moving and sometimes whispering. At its peak floated something resembling an eye… radiating twisted malice.

“I saw many apprentices gathered in a vast, empty place that looked like a large magical laboratory or library. In the distance, dark shelves lined up, but I couldn’t tell if they held books or something else. We were reading, and a teacher’s voice was there—patiently instructing us—but I couldn’t see his figure.”

Victoria’s account came to a halt, and Gawain couldn’t help but ask, “Is that all?”

“Yes. These are the only fragments I can recall. There are some even more trivial images, but they’re so scattered and incomplete that I don’t even know how to describe them,” Victoria said solemnly. “In short, this is the entirety of my remembered schooling experience. Please take it only as a reference, so you won’t be misled by my descriptions.”

“That’s already invaluable information,” Gawain sighed. “And you mentioned scenes of studying alongside apprentices… Even though you never saw the mentors, I think this at least proves your knowledge was truly ‘learned,’ not just magically implanted directly into your mind.”

Victoria considered this for a moment, then replied flatly, “Without concrete memories, the difference between those two scenarios isn’t really that significant.”

Gawain was at a loss for words. “Fair enough…”

Afterward, he gathered some more scattered intelligence about the Violet Kingdom from Victoria. Though that secluded realm was shrouded in thick mystery, the Wilde family had held the northern border for seven centuries. Over such a long time, many Violet mages operating in the north would have been under their watchful eyes. Moreover, Violet scholars hired by the Ansu royal family or recruited by various Ansu mage organizations inevitably had dealings with the northern dukes when traveling south. So the information Victoria possessed was still quite valuable to Gawain.

More than an hour later, Gawain finally ended the communication with Winterhold. The vast study fell silent again, with only him and Hetty remaining.

Closing his eyes briefly to rest his mind, Gawain reopened them and looked at Hetty, who stood nearby.

“I remember you mentioned before that some who ventured into the heart of the Violet Kingdom returned with tales of a bizarre, otherworldly place, vividly describing its strange and wondrous landscapes…”

Hetty’s expression grew serious. “Yes, such legends do exist. Even some scholarly works include these ‘testimonies.’”

“But according to Victoria, beyond the ‘border mists’ lies the Violet Kingdom’s ‘restricted zone.’ Those mages forbid any outsiders from setting foot in their core lands. Even a skilled mage like Victoria can’t recall the true appearance of the City of a Thousand Towers after returning. So how do those who claim to have entered the city remember so many details—and haven’t been caught and brainwashed by Violet mages?”

“…Perhaps some are lying. I don’t doubt Archmagister Victoria. Those who claim to have been to the City of a Thousand Towers and returned with memories are probably just boasting,” Hetty mused, stroking her chin. “Maybe their stories are so vivid and no one else has been to the Violet Kingdom, so people take their words at face value…”

“There’s definitely some boasting, but it’s hard to believe all of them are lying,” Gawain frowned. “Some of these accounts have even been included in professional academic texts. I don’t think a few tavern liars could fool scholars so thoroughly—their claims must have some convincing basis.”

“You mean…”

“Maybe they really did go to the City of a Thousand Towers, or at least they believe they did. The Violet Kingdom’s border guards can’t stop every foreigner trying to cross. And those adventurers who, for various reasons, pass through the mists and forests—who knows what they actually saw in that fog.”

Hetty’s face grew grave. As a mage, she understood many strange legends and the magical principles behind them. But if an entire kingdom truly existed as described by the ancestors… she could find no rational explanation. From these unusual accounts, she only sensed a chilling atmosphere, though she couldn’t pinpoint its source.

Just then, she heard the ancestor’s voice again: “Hetty, I want you to investigate something.”

She responded immediately, “Yes, ancestor. What should I look into?”

“Research how many magical secrets Violet scholars have brought over the past six hundred years. Examine how much Violet influence remains in the current magical systems used by the human kingdoms,” Gawain said gravely. “Look into specific spell names, their categories, when they were introduced to the continent of Loren, their scope of influence, and how these spells have evolved over the centuries…

“Victoria was right. After the collapse of the Deep Blue Well magic system in the Kingdom of Gondor, it was the Violet mages who helped the Gondorian survivors establish the modern magical framework. This system remains mainstream in many places today, and Violet traces are everywhere within it. Now I need to know exactly how extensive those traces are.”

“Yes, ancestor.”

(End of chapter)