Chapter 798: A Day’s Tour

As the massive sun climbed higher, its radiant crown grew ever clearer through the atmosphere. The mechanical clock tower of the Imperial Academy began to chime. Powered by new magical mechanisms, enormous gears and levers turned, hammers striking the bronze bells inside the tower. The solemn eight-tone bell toll echoed throughout the Mage District.

Students clad in their respective house uniforms left the dormitories scattered across the campus’s four quarters. Accompanied by sunlight and the ringing bells, they stepped onto the broad walkways, heading toward the academy’s various teaching facilities. Some wore confident smiles, others still bore traces of sleepiness. Some were fresh-faced youths, while others were middle-aged with streaks of gray in their hair. These seekers of knowledge, hailing from all corners of the Cecile Empire and from diverse backgrounds, flowed together like converging streams. Within this academy—the empire’s highest sanctuary of knowledge—they were nurtured and transformed by learning. One day, they would flow out from this sanctuary to enrich and shape the rapidly advancing empire.

Matilda stood atop a tower in the Arcane Engineering Division, watching the students in black academy robes adorned with runes and gear insignias gather from the plaza and walkways below. They streamed like a tide into the tall buildings not far away. For a long moment, she said nothing.

“Sometimes, when I have a moment to myself, I like to stand here and look down on the academy,” Gawain said softly beside her, his voice tinged with an inexplicable emotion as he gazed at the scene below. “Students come and go along these wide avenues and narrow paths, gathering in courtyards and corridors, resting by gardens and fountains. Teachers impart knowledge within these buildings, guiding and enlightening. People from different regions and backgrounds come together here, united in equality before knowledge. They discuss problems, talk about the future—without distraction, focusing solely on their studies…

“This is a refuge, the last cradle one can enjoy in life. The political struggles beyond these high walls feel distant, and matters beyond the empire’s borders even more so. I have done everything in my power to make this place the safest, most peaceful spot in the nation. Because knowledge… it deserves that.

“Of all I have built, this academy is my greatest pride.”

Matilda listened to Gawain’s words, sensing in them a rare sincerity from this ancient pioneer. There was no grand scheme or hidden agenda—only genuine feeling. The princess from Typhon found herself deeply moved and surprised.

She couldn’t help but glance sideways at Gawain. It was as if, for the first time, the legendary hero from history—cloaked in countless honors and almost deified—had shed his layers of titles and myths, revealing a flesh-and-blood man beneath.

This feeling made her realize just how much weight the “Imperial Academy” carried in this founder’s heart. It made her instinctively reevaluate the institution and all it represented, as well as the upcoming foreign student program.

After a long pause, she spoke softly, “In Typhon… we don’t have anything like this.”

“I hope you will,” Gawain turned to her, his tone serious. “I mean that.”

“But it’s difficult,” Matilda replied. “It doesn’t fit with Typhon’s current order. Building such an academy there isn’t just about erecting buildings of the same scale and filling them with students.”

Gawain smiled wryly. “Indeed… it wasn’t easy for me to build this academy either.”

To bring the Imperial Academy into being, he had to shatter an old dynasty—a feat that Rosetta Augustus the Great would likely never want to repeat.

After surveying the academy from the tower, Gawain withdrew his gaze.

“Next, we can visit the teaching facilities here. Then we’ll go to the grand library, where you can see some volumes of the ‘Foundations of All Things’—a massive compendium gathering all fundamental knowledge. It’s still incomplete, missing sections on agriculture, mathematics, and industrial basics.”

“Foundations of All Things…” Matilda mused inwardly, struck by the boldness and grandeur of the title. Curious, she smiled faintly. “I’m looking forward to it.”

…

In a simply furnished office, sunlight streamed through crystal glass windows, casting warm light on a dark red wooden desk. On the desk lay an elegantly printed but modestly bound textbook. Beside it were sheets of paper covered with notes and doodles, along with a dip pen and an ink bottle.

The textbook contained basic natural science knowledge. Between the straightforward paragraphs and diagrams, smudged notes and ink blots revealed the owner’s struggles with the material—signs of frustration and wavering focus.

Bathed in sunlight, the empty desk seemed to echo a faint sigh. The textbook floated up, its pages turning on their own.

Another sigh.

At that moment, the office door opened. A bald man with a scarred face stepped inside.

Scarface Anton glanced at the empty desk and immediately noticed the floating, open textbook. He said casually, “Boss… oh, you’re actually reading?”

A shimmering amber figure appeared in the air beside the desk, frowning as she looked at the book. Then she tossed it onto the desk and glanced at Scarface Anton. “Is it so rare for me to read?”

“…Honestly, it used to be,” Anton scratched his shiny head and smiled. “But lately, I’ve seen you do it more often. And if you were reading horror or absurd stories, that’d make sense. But what you’re reading now… it’s so far from your usual tastes.”

Amber’s mouth twitched. She glanced sideways at the textbook, then pursed her lips. “This stuff is really hard to get into… But our Majesty keeps saying I lack knowledge, that knowledge is the primary productive force. Rebecca and her busty aunt keep nagging me about not having read enough, as if they’re so learned themselves…”

Anton, ever blunt, said, “To be fair, they probably do know more than you.”

Amber immediately shot him a glare. “If you want to run around the inner city wearing a pumpkin on your head, go ahead and keep talking.”

Anton shrank his neck. “Forget I said anything.”

“Let’s get to the point,” Amber waved him off and leaned back. “What’s the situation in Grant?”

Mentioning business, the deputy head of military intelligence straightened up and reported meticulously, “The surveillance team in Grant reports everything normal. Miss Patty is maintaining her usual routine with no abnormalities. Records of personnel entering and leaving Riftstone Fortress, as well as magical detection in Grant and surrounding areas, show no issues.”

He paused, then added, “We also managed to contact a female apothecary who once cared for Miss Patty. She confirmed that before and after receiving that crown, Patty showed no signs of personality changes or memory confusion…”

“…So we can mostly rule out personality replacement,” Amber murmured. “Patty is still Patty. That’s good news.”

“Boss, the apothecary did mention something else,” Anton continued. “She said when she first met Patty, the girl’s condition was so dire it was hard to imagine she’d survive. With her experience, she almost didn’t believe Patty could pull through. But after receiving the crown, Patty surprisingly made it through the most dangerous phase. The apothecary sees the crown as a blessed artifact that eased Patty’s injuries. But we all know that crown is the Sleeper’s ‘connection device,’ possibly a temporary ‘soul vessel,’ with no real healing power…”

Amber frowned, thinking it over. “The crown lets Patty rest in the dream, which indirectly gives her the will to live and eases her mental burden. From that perspective, it makes sense she survived.

“Human spirit can create miracles, even if those miracles defy common sense.

“But what you mentioned is worth noting… I’ll inform our Majesty later.”

Anton nodded, then asked curiously, “What about the surveillance team’s next steps…?”

“Maintain monitoring,” Amber said. After a moment’s thought, she added, “Also, prepare for emergencies. The Sleeper faction may take action soon. Though we can’t predict the outcome, their success or failure could affect Patty in the real world. I’ll coordinate with other departments to send specialists in immersion chambers, neurobiology, and soul studies as backup.”

Anton bowed his head. “Understood. I’ll issue the orders immediately.”

“If that’s all, get back to work,” Amber waved him off. “I need to read some more.”

Scarface Anton left, and the simple office was left with Amber alone.

The high-ranking half-elf sat by the desk, lost in thought for a moment before lowering her gaze to the textbook she’d tossed aside. She lifted it as if it weighed a thousand pounds and resumed reading with a sigh.

She truly lacked formal knowledge and came from humble origins. Most of what she knew were the rules of back alleys and gutters. Her foster father, who died early, and her second foster father, a lifelong cultist, had clearly failed to teach her much about proper conduct.

In this dazzling “City of Arcane Engineering,” within the empire’s highest administrative system, she sometimes felt like an out-of-place anomaly.

Yet she refused to fall behind or rest on her laurels.

After all, the road ahead seemed to promise something wonderful.

Believing herself a favored of the Shadow Goddess, she wanted to see how far she could follow this path.

…

During the day’s itinerary, the envoys from Typhon toured many places.

They witnessed innovative “modern teaching,” marveled at the empire’s vast grand library, saw the countless new books printed by industrial machines, and glimpsed the heavily guarded original manuscripts of the empire’s treasured “Foundations of All Things.”

They saw a Mage District unlike Oldern, observed various research facilities operating in harmony, and the fascinating collaboration between ordinary people and supernaturals. Though they couldn’t access any concrete technical details, the unique “research atmosphere” of Cecile alone was enough to impress them.

As the giant sun neared the horizon, daylight waned.

In the Autumn Palace’s dining hall, Gawain, Matilda, and the others shared dinner together.

“This is a day to remember—not just flattery, but the truth,” Matilda said with poise, sitting upright at the long table as she faced Gawain. “Especially The Foundations of All Things… I honestly can’t put into words how it made me feel. I never imagined a book could be like that—so vast, so immense, even ambitious to the point of awe.”

“It’s not finished yet,” Gawain replied. “A work like this can’t be compiled in just a year or two.”

“I’ve already started imagining what it will look like when it’s done,” Matilda said sincerely. “And… if you don’t mind, I have a bold request: I’d like to have a complete copy once it’s finished. I want to bring it to Typhon.”

Gawain met her gaze and paused for a few seconds before answering, “Of course, that’s no problem—I’m glad to see knowledge spread. That was one of the original goals when The Foundations of All Things was conceived. When it’s complete, I’ll send you a full copy—as a gift to celebrate the dawn of a new era.”

Matilda’s face brightened with gratitude. “Thank you so much.”

(Recommendation time! The book is Monsters Die When Killed by Yintian Shenyin. You might know his work Soul of Burning Steel. Unlike the last seedling I mentioned, Monsters is already over a million words long! Time to feast!)

(End of chapter)