Chapter 265: 016: The Cold Winter Is Coming

Lynch Mansion, study room.

The candlelight on the desk flickered unsteadily, casting a dim glow over the small surrounding area.

Clad in a tailored black robe, Lynch sat at the desk, wholly engrossed in flipping through the ancient magic book in his hands. His fingers gently brushed over the pages, his movements delicate and reverent. Occasionally, he would pause, furrowing his brows in contemplation.

The faint light of the candle illuminated his focused visage, his eyes deep and bright, radiating curiosity and a thirst for unknown magical knowledge.

“So this is it—the in-depth analysis of elemental structures is like this!”

“This is the secret skill arrangement method?”

“Tsk tsk tsk, so rune-drawing formulas can actually be used this way…”

Lynch was utterly captivated by the contents of the handwriting, and for good reason—this was a book that summarized knowledge on elemental secret techniques, belonging to the magic knowledge system of the Second Tier secret skill level.

Up until now, Lynch hadn’t even mastered a few Wizard Level Ring Magic techniques, let alone Second Tier secret skills.

The only Second Tier secret technique knowledge he could access was the portion left to him by Wizard Somda in the Time Hut and the batch of knowledge he had gained from the Magic Energy Alchemy Research Institute.

However, the former dealt with abstract concepts within the time system, while the latter was limited to alchemy, involving relatively little of the broader magic knowledge of this world.

How to explain this… Let’s use an analogy. The time system is like philosophical speculation—having a full set of philosophical thinking might be profound, yet its versatility is confined to its domain. The high-end knowledge within it rarely applies to aspects like mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

Here, mathematics, physics, and chemistry serve as analogies for the Wizard World’s three mainstream systems: spirit, bloodline, and magic. In terms of secret skill knowledge in these areas, Lynch’s understanding was almost zero.

The content described in the handwriting before him was secret skill knowledge concerning magic, introducing deeper theoretical layers of elemental structures—something Lynch had never encountered before, and he couldn’t help but be utterly fascinated.

Soon, Lynch completed one round of reading, and at the same time, the system’s prompt sounded in his ears:

[Elemental Profound Meaning Overview Guide Skill Level +23]

[Elemental Profound Meaning Overview Guide Level 0: 23/10000]

Lynch set down the magic book in his hand, his eyes still carrying a hint of lingering fascination.

Even though he hadn’t fully satisfied his curiosity, Lynch couldn’t help but sigh: “As expected of the Wizard Families, they can casually bring out knowledge of this level. Tsk tsk.”

This handwriting was the copy Blair had invited him to share and observe together. Although Lynch didn’t choose to join them for leisure, Blair still fulfilled his promise by having someone transcribe a copy and send it to him later.

“Blair isn’t too bad after all—he does what he says.”

Of course, the greater likelihood was that, for Lynch, it was precious magic knowledge that was hard to come by, but for them, it was merely an idle book to pass the time—a small trifle to share.

After all, when it comes to mere magic knowledge, mastering it doesn’t hold much significance. The truly important aspects are those concerning inheritance, advancement, and resources—things that would never be made accessible.

“Purebloods… I must say, truly enviable!”

Lynch had originally believed that the knowledge in the copper, silver, and gold libraries represented the highest level of this land’s magical content, but he gradually came to understand that was far from the truth. Those things were barely superficial.

In this land, the truly valuable knowledge—those truly core contents—had always been firmly controlled by the Wizard Families, existing as their foundations. Outsiders weren’t even qualified to know of their existence, let alone possess them.

“Should I…”

Lynch squinted his eyes, a gleam of greed flashing within his gaze.

Since he was planning to leave for foreign lands anyway, why not go all out, plunder a few Wizard Families, and make these stingy folks bleed?

“If only it were like this…”

The more Lynch thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed, and the greed in his eyes grew ever more fervent.

But soon, he shook his head.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Robbery is thrilling for a moment, but the consequences are endless.”

Moreover, regardless of his original motives, this land had nurtured him, providing him with cultivation resources and a stable environment that allowed him to grow smoothly to the present day.

He shouldn’t stay indebted to gratitude and loyalty, but he could at least part ways peacefully, couldn’t he?

And most importantly—

“Even if I want to become a robber, I need the skills to be one first. This land has a total of thirty-six Second Tier individuals—each of them seasoned powerhouses. Me, with barely any mastery of secret skills, only just stepping into the Second Tier, who would I rob? It’d be a miracle if I don’t get killed the moment I show up…”

“Still, can rules like these truly last forever?”

Reflecting on all he had experienced in recent days, Lynch couldn’t help but think of the phrase: “The rich feast while the poor freeze to death in the streets.”

The lofty Wizard Families hoarded everything here, born into privileges that allowed them to squander resources others could never attain even in a lifetime. They controlled all upward pathways, shutting out every non-member.

No matter how talented one might be, they could only exist as slaves to serve these families—groveling to gain even the crumbs of resources, enduring humiliation as toys or trash bins for their oppressors.

Where there is oppression, there will be resistance.

The current situation instinctively reminded Lynch of the numerous dynastic declines he had learned about in Earth’s history books. He could also sense an increasingly severe atmosphere of resentment building among the Muggles here, setting the stage for a future powder keg…

“I can feel it—your civilization mirrors our own, facing the same age-old issues without solutions. It’s certain that in the near future, someone will emerge, just like Nicholas once did, to sing the dirge.”

Involuntarily, Lynch recalled the soul he had encountered on the Blood-colored Battlefield and the words it had said. Back then, its message seemed cryptic and inscrutable; yet, as time passed, Lynch gradually began to grasp its meaning…

“All the conditions are ripe. This era seems only to lack someone like Nicholas Avalon.”

Nicholas Avalon—a figure almost erased from all historical records. Nevertheless, Lynch managed to piece together fragments of his identity and deeds through sparse, scattered texts.

How should one introduce this person…

Let’s keep it simple. He was a slave, a slave during the Acadica Era.

But he—

was one of the main reasons Acadica fell!

…

Wizard Calendar, Year 10038, October. The thirteenth year of King George of Saladin Kingdom’s reign.

As winter approached that year, a war broke out in Saladin’s Royal Capital. King George, hailed as the Mad King, was invaded by armies led by the River Valley Count and the Count of Woodland, who stormed the Royal Capital and struck him down upon the throne.

The following day, the two Counts declared King George a usurper, claiming his succession rights had always been illegitimate, subsequently crowning the youngest son of the prior king, Edward II.

On the same day, news arrived from Flower City announcing the death of King George’s close friend, Count Jamie Stock of Tulip. Edward II took the opportunity to declare Count Jamie Stock’s participation in the Usurper War illegal, stripping him of his countship.

The Tulip Domain’s first heir, Earl Rawls, immediately issued a statement refusing to recognize Edward II, swiftly gathering vassals and knights within the domain to support King George’s third son, Prince Henry, who had been undergoing knight training in Flower City.

Both sides refused to acknowledge each other, branding each as illegal usurpers, and began readying for war. The kingdom’s various noble forces also aligned along the divided lines, setting the stage for an impending conflict over the crown.

The turmoil extended beyond Saladin Kingdom. Its neighbors, the Putan Kingdom and the Aquitaine Kingdom, were quick to sense opportunities for profit and began quietly mobilizing troops toward their borders.

Meanwhile, the southwestern Lorent Kingdom and Valkyrie Kingdom also descended into conflict. A redirected river had created new land at their shared border, which astonishingly contained rich gold mines.

Fights had already erupted several times over this newfound resource among the local lords on the border, and now the kings of both kingdoms were getting involved—war seemed inevitable.

Similarly, the eastern Nathan Kingdom and southeastern Burgundy Kingdom were far from peaceful.

The former saw its king and first heir both die in rapid succession, leaving several claimants to the throne who, supported by various nobles, declared their legitimacy and plunged the kingdom into civil war. Meanwhile, the latter faced a severe outbreak of plague.

In mere moments, the previously tranquil lands of the Seven Kingdoms were thrown into chaos—war and disease rampaged across the territories.

Cold winds swept across, The Cold Winter Is Coming!

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