Chapter 917: The Day of Network Integration

A brand-new tower rose proudly on the high ground west of Winterhold. Behind it stretched the snow-capped peaks of the Northern Mountains, their eternal white forming a majestic, undulating backdrop for the structure.

Constructed from steel and concrete, the tower rested on a hexagonal base, its clean, straight lines exuding a sense of strength and purpose. At its lower section, faintly glowing runic lines intertwined with magical conductive metals, pulsing with a vibrant energy. Atop the tower sat a complex mechanical framework supporting an array of multiple crystals. In the biting northern wind, a translucent magical shield enveloped the tower, protecting it from frost and storm. Within this shield, the crystal array continuously adjusted its formation and angles, fine-tuning itself to the local magical environment.

The tower had yet to be activated; the crystals were still adapting to the ambient magic around Winterhold.

Through a swirl of snow and wind, Victoria descended slowly from the sky alongside several senior mages, landing on the high ground secured by several military watchtowers and a ring of sturdy walls. She tilted her head upward, her eyes catching the tower gleaming brilliantly against the sky like a sharp blade piercing the clouds. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

This was probably the most beautiful main magical network hub in the entire empire. Its pristine white color and simple, powerful lines might seem modest at first glance, but they harmonized perfectly with the surrounding landscape. Victoria had even personally participated in parts of the design process, ensuring that the Northern Hub’s style synchronized to some degree with the equally white Winterhold Castle beside it. Now, she was deeply satisfied with how the tower had turned out.

But the tower’s connection to Winterhold went deeper than mere aesthetics.

Beneath this high ground, adjacent to the castle’s main building, a series of magical network relay devices stretched along the mountain’s slope, through which a powerful current of magic flowed day and night. This main hub was linked directly to Winterhold’s own magical power.

For centuries, the Wilde family of the North had been the realm’s most distinguished magical lineage. Winterhold Castle held the accumulated legacy of generations. Victoria had not wasted this rich, ready-made magical foundation. After thoroughly studying rune logic and arcane engineering, she collaborated with technical advisors from the imperial capital to design an extensive system. This system used the magical network as its base, integrating Winterhold’s internal magical structure with the surrounding city. It simultaneously addressed the city’s power supply, the hub’s energy needs, the network’s stability, and upgrades to the castle’s own facilities.

Now, the system was operational. It gathered a steady, surging flow of energy and channeled it into the tower before Victoria’s eyes. Soon, through the crystal array atop the tower, this refined and stabilized energy would broadcast across the region, establishing stable connections with other magical network hubs in nearby towns.

“Once the final stage of the pressure tests is complete, send the report to the capital,” the duchess said calmly, masking the excitement that had almost slipped through her expression. “You may begin preparations for the final network integration.”

The mages nearby immediately acknowledged the order and departed. Victoria lingered a moment longer, gazing quietly at the tower before bowing her head and softly reciting, “Goddess of Magic, Mylmina… may you watch over all of this…”

She rarely prayed to the goddess of magic. In recent years, having learned many truths about the gods and witnessed two divine calamities firsthand, she had grown more reluctant to invoke Mylmina’s name. Yet, at her core, she was still a mage. Some habits, especially those rooted in faith and tradition, were hard to break. Even if only as a spiritual anchor, she maintained her respect for the legendary “Source of All Magic,” the “Sovereign of Sorcery.”

No response came, but she sensed a faint, subtle awareness—a mental echo of attention. Expected. Reasonable.

…

A soft hum and the clicking of machinery filled the room as a document slowly emerged from the printer beside the desk. Gawain casually picked it up and glanced over it, a smile spreading across his face.

“Byron’s negotiations with the representatives of the Whitefeather Port, the Grey Elves, and the Dwarves went very smoothly. The ‘Curiosity’ made its maiden voyage with results exceeding expectations,” he said with a grin to Hetty, who had just finished her report. “It seems the dwarves living in the far western regions of the continent are very interested in Cecil’s foreign trade machinery—and also in arcane technology. They might offer a very high price.”

“Really? Ah… I’ve been waiting for this good news for days,” Hetty blinked happily. “Dwarves have never lacked gold, silver, or magical materials, but the bow-shaped mountain range facing inland has long hindered their trade with the rest of the continent. If we can open a sea route from the Northern Port to Forge City, even if the distance is longer, the cost will be far cheaper than overland transport.”

“I’ve heard the Dwarven Kingdom is rich in minerals. Honestly, half the reason I restarted the northern circumnavigation route was to establish trade with the dwarves. Crossing the mountain ranges along the Dwarven border and the Ogure tribal lands to build a trade line is just too difficult,” Gawain said, his face openly joyful and relaxed. “This is great… Although the ‘Curiosity’ only opened the route from Northern Port to Whitefeather Port this time, it’s a promising start. It proves our entire plan is feasible.”

As he spoke, he mentally traced the northwest coastline of the continent, matching the ‘Curiosity’s’ navigation data with the map.

He could clearly “see” the locations of Northern Port and Whitefeather Port, as well as the bow-shaped mountain range of the Dwarven Kingdom and several natural harbors facing the sea. To the Grey Elves, who had already established overland trade routes and shared borders with the Cecil Empire, the Whitefeather-to-Northern Port line wasn’t hugely significant. But if the sea route extended to connect Whitefeather Port with Forge City, Grey Elf merchants would immediately reap enormous benefits—the short sea route was far easier than crossing the mountains.

He was confident that the sharp-eyed Ms. Wenna Whitewillow had seen this too. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so proactive in cooperating with the empire’s route reopening plan or agreed to open the only seaport in the Mosswood to Northern Port’s ships.

With the Grey Elves’ further support, his plan to restart the trade routes would undoubtedly proceed more smoothly…

Just then, the hum and clicking of the printer suddenly resumed, interrupting Gawain’s thoughts.

He looked toward the printer connected to the magical network terminal, surprised to see another document slowly emerging. The half-visible page bore the snowflake emblem of the Wilde family.

The paper dropped into the tray. Gawain picked it up, and Hetty glanced over curiously. “Is that a report from somewhere?”

Documents sent directly to this study were usually important, and it was rare to receive two reports in such quick succession.

Gawain’s eyes quickly scanned the main content. The brief message was huge news.

“The Northern Hub is ready—one day ahead of schedule!” he announced, even more delighted than when he’d received Byron’s report. “Victoria’s report says the hub has passed all acceptance procedures and final pressure tests. It’s ready to be integrated into the main network—just waiting for the capital’s order.”

Hetty’s eyes widened. She had been waiting for this news for a long time, especially as the expected acceptance date drew near. Having witnessed the development of arcane technology firsthand, she fully understood what the empire-wide network integration meant. After barely a second’s hesitation, a broad smile spread across her face. “Wonderful! We’ve finally reached this day!”

“How’s the preparation going?” Gawain asked quickly.

“All departments finished preparations two days ago. Most personnel are on standby now, waiting for news from the north,” Hetty replied immediately. “If we start the integration process now, the first main hub can be officially activated in about four hours—starting with the hub in Tenlin City.”

“Then let’s get to it,” Gawain nodded to Hetty. “The next few hours will be historic.”

This was indeed a momentous event, he was certain. Just like the activation of the first magical network prototype, the Ansu civil war, and the founding of the empire itself, what was about to happen in the coming hours would leave an indelible mark on history. He could already foresee it being etched into the textbooks and exams of future students—history classes, politics classes, even arcane engineering classes.

A must-know for the humanities, a required course for the sciences.

Thinking this, Gawain couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth into a strange smile.

The old patriarch’s sudden odd grin puzzled the empire’s eldest princess, but Hetty quickly pushed her doubts aside. At such a joyous moment, it was only natural for the old master’s emotions to stir, his smile layered with complexity.

She comforted herself with this thought and turned to leave Gawain’s study. In the corridor, she looked at the neatly aligned magical crystal lamps lining the walls, exhaled softly, then bowed her head and clasped her hands over her chest, offering a brief prayer she hadn’t made in a long time: “Goddess of Magic, Mylmina… will you bear witness to all of this?”

No reply came, but again, she felt a faint, subtle awareness—a mental echo of attention. Expected. Reasonable.

…

At the Imperial Academy, in a brand-new classroom, senior students of the Arcane Engineering Department sat neatly behind their desks, listening to the newly added “Neural Network Concepts” course.

Eleven, dressed in the department’s uniform, focused intently on the podium. Beside him, a freckled, brown-haired boy scribbled furiously, head down.

“Storm,” Eleven gently nudged his new classmate, whispering, “Don’t just write notes— the teacher’s explaining key theoretical concepts.”

The boy named Storm seemed startled, his pen leaving a crooked ink line on the paper. He looked up quickly at Eleven, his expression a mix of nervousness and timidity. “I… okay…”

Before Eleven could say more, a thunderous voice suddenly boomed from the podium: “No talking in class! Eleven Franklin!”

The booming voice swept through the classroom like a storm, jolting every student awake. Eleven Franklin broke out in a cold sweat. Even as a duke’s son, he was deeply intimidated by that voice. In fact, no student at the Imperial Academy dared to defy it.

He immediately straightened up, adopting a posture that said he recognized his mistake, and cautiously glanced at the figure standing on the podium.

A short, middle-aged man with hair sticking up wildly stood there, floating midair. Beneath him hovered a set of magical network projection crystals, emitting a faint buzzing sound.

After finishing his lecture, Magnum shook his head, turned to look at the schematic he had just sketched in the air, and prepared to continue the lesson. “Alright, now that everyone’s awake, let’s move on to the next part: how to prevent multiple brainwave signals from interfering when they converge at a single node. Listen carefully, because the pioneers who summarized this knowledge spent ten years solving this problem, but you lucky bunch only need less than half a class! First—”

Magnum’s voice suddenly cut off mid-sentence.

A brief silence fell over the room, stirring a bit of restless whispering among the students. Eleven heard murmurs behind him:

“Why did Mr. Magnum suddenly stop talking?”

“Maybe Ms. Selina shut off his microphone again…”

“Shh—Ms. Selina might be watching us right now.”

“Quiet!!” Suddenly, Magnum’s booming voice exploded again. He glared at the class, then waved his hand. “Alright, looks like today’s lesson is ending early. There’s a task over at the neural network lab that needs my attention, so I’ll have to leave the rest of this for next time.”

Then, still loud, he added, “But don’t think you can slack off—the test for the first part is already prepared! An assistant will bring it here soon. You’ll spend the rest of this class and the next study period taking it!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Magnum’s figure vanished from the podium, leaving only a cluster of floating formulas and diagrams hanging in the air. The classroom was left with nothing but a group of students staring at each other in stunned silence.

(End of chapter)