Chapter 1167: Chapter 1166: Shadows of Days Past

Victoria’s memory of going to the Violet Kingdom ends abruptly here, ending so suddenly that Gawain didn’t react for a moment. After a couple of seconds, he couldn’t help but confirm, "Is this all you remember?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded, "a very clear point — stepping into that fog-laden forest."

"So, that means not only the memory within the City of Thousand Towers, but the apprentices going to the Violet Kingdom also won’t remember what happened on their way there — the journey through those thick mists, the specific route from the seaside town called Prandell to the heart of the kingdom, the appearance of the misty forest... This sort of memory also needs to be erased upon leaving?"

"It does indeed seem so," Victoria nodded again, "the Violet Kingdom strictly guards its secrets, and this secret isn’t limited to the City of Thousand Towers — it seems that everything in the kingdom’s heart needs to be securely hidden as long as one crosses those misty borders... I’ve speculated about what might be in that fog, but I have no clue."

Gawain frowned, pondering for quite a long time, and the room fell silent, only the very faint buzzing of the ancient magical device running and the sound of the ventilation system were mixed together, making the room appear even quieter. After an unknown length of time, he suddenly looked up and spoke to break the silence, "And after that? What else do you remember?"

"Still at the edge of that forest, all of us were standing at the starting point, giving the impression as if we’d merely dazed off, yet in reality, six months had passed—— Your Majesty, I don’t just study frost Magic; I also have some understanding of spells in the realm of the mind, but I must say, even the most sophisticated memory reconstruction spells find it hard to achieve that level—— The old lady was still our ’guide,’ she told us that everyone had successfully completed the scheduled studies, now we can go home, and the Violet Kingdom has prepared ships, while our families have been already notified and are waiting for us on the opposite shore.

"Naturally, many apprentices felt puzzled and dazed, some even thought it was a joke, but when we examined the flow of Magic Power within us and noticed the change in scenery on the forest edge, everyone realized that all of this really happened.

"For spellcasters who often invest years in an academic study, merely half a year of study can be considered very brief, yet the ’lost’ six months in the Violet Kingdom left us all with unparalleled gains in our learning experiences—— everyone’s magical skills have made significant progress, detailed theoretical knowledge is imprinted in our minds, and some casting techniques have become instinctual actions, indicating that we indeed went through a long period of intense theoretical and practical learning.

"The only issue is, we don’t remember the specifics of our learning process."

After Victoria finished speaking, Gawain’s brow was already tightly furrowed, and Aunt Heidi beside him couldn’t help but shake her head, "This feels... really strange..."

"Yes, it’s very strange. I spent a long time afterwards trying to adapt to all this and confirm that it really happened. Over a longer period, I also tried to keep an eye on all intelligence related to the Violet Kingdom, wanting to find out if they have any sort of... pattern in their activities in the northern regions, to find their underlying intentions," Victoria’s voice was icy, her expression as always was serene, making it difficult to guess whether there was any change in her emotions at that moment, "Many of the apprentices from the same period did similar things. Moreover, I believe that over the past six hundred years, a large number of apprentices who were once taken to the Violet Kingdom must have had similar thoughts and actions.

"Whether they signed an enrollment agreement before or carefully read the entry instructions mentioning the memory remodeling issue, when it all really happens, feeling curious about one’s mysterious learning experience is an instinct; more conspiratorially, being cautious and suspicious of the Violet Kingdom is also an instinct. But after so many years, I’ve found nothing—— just like the other apprentices over the past six centuries."

"It seems like the Violet Kingdom really did just recruit a group of students, and after the semester, sent them back without any additional conspiracies, nor did they inquire about anything we did afterwards, nor cared about our investigative activities... just like how they’ve been towards the Loren Continent as a whole all these years: they care about nothing."

Gawain had already started habitually tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair, his thoughts thus expanding and organizing all the information Victoria had revealed, and after a long time, he finally spoke again, with a light sigh, "A hidden heritage, deeply buried history, mysterious envoys and exotic lands... It really is a tale of swords and Magic, perfectly suited for happening in the pastoral age where social management and production relations are underdeveloped, fitting to be recorded in a sheep-skin-bound book of magic."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Heidi lifted her head, with a pensive expression on her face, while Victoria across the communicator spoke calmly, "Indeed, as you say."

"But unfortunately, such ’romantic’ magical tales don’t comply with the current Overseas Student Transfer System and Supernaturals Management Regulations," Gawain’s voice sounded, along with the summer insect chirps also coming in through the open window into the study room, "The enrollment process is irregular, the registration process is unreasonable, personnel movements are not open, teaching methods have no guarantee. While the problem of national-level secret protection can be reasonably considered, the Violet Kingdom hasn’t signed a memorandum of understanding with us in this regard — this matter needs to be managed."

Victoria’s expression remained unchanged, just nodding lightly, "Indeed, as you say."

Beside her, Aunt Heidi seemed to have anticipated what the ancestor would say, showing a slight smile on her face, "After all, we’re in a legal era now."

"No matter how the northern continent’s other countries view this matter, in any case, until the Violet Kingdom is willing to sign more transparent, formal, reliable official agreements regarding talent cultivation and transfer with us, this suspect-laden ’mage inheritance’ process must be temporarily banned," Gawain continued, "Just like you mentioned earlier, if the contract provided by the Violet Kingdom when recruiting apprentices is really that formal... then they should understand our considerations and follow up in this aspect."

"I’ll make arrangements and further monitor the Violet mages operating in the northern regions." Victoria nodded and said.

Gawain uttered a hmm, and then asked with some curiosity, "By the way, how often does this ’selection of apprentices’ in the Violet Kingdom occur? Is it every year?"

"It isn’t, the interval is much longer than that, but there’s not much regularity either," Victoria immediately responded, "According to existing records, the interval for selecting apprentices usually ranges from six to ten years, the longest being as long as twenty years, and each time the selection process isn’t completed in the short term, rather, the entire process lasts one to two years — During this period, the emissaries from the Violet Kingdom frequently operate in the northern regions, reaching out to all talented individuals who meet their conditions, and the number of apprentices eventually selected isn’t fixed, cases of ten to a hundred people have occurred."

"It’s said that two hundred years ago was the time when the Violet Kingdom selected the least apprentices, they only took away six apprentices from the entire northern states and Typhon — Of course, those six apprentices still became outstanding magic masters upon returning to Loren, being honored guests of their respective countries.

"Additionally, their latest apprenticeship selection in the northern regions happened about five years ago. At that time, they took only a few people from the North, most were from Moss Woods and the Northern City-States."

"Sounds quite capricious..." Gawain instinctively stroked his stubble on his chin, trying to sketch in his mind the traditions, culture, society, and political form of that northern mage kingdom, just like depicting a person’s portrait. He was trying to outline a "sketch" for that mysterious recluse nation, "Unfortunately, they’ve hidden themselves too well, even Amber’s agents couldn’t penetrate into the Violet Inland..."

"Has Amber’s side already failed?" Aunt Heidi curiously asked.

"I wouldn’t say failed because there were no clear goals and deadlines set, but indeed there’s been no progress," Gawain said with some regret, "It’s easy for agents to operate in the edge cities of the Violet Kingdom, they can enter openly via trade routes, but when attempting to enter the interior... they run into the problem Victoria just mentioned — no roads, there are no road connections between the border cities and the inland of the Violet Kingdom, and local administrators also forbid outsiders from crossing the border."

Aunt Heidi nodded helplessly, having to accept this situation — she knew it wasn’t a problem with Amber and her agents. Although occasionally joking or mocking the half-elf, after working together and observing these years, she had long acknowledged Amber’s capabilities. That half-elf was extraordinarily talented in intelligence, and the agents she trained were definitely the world’s leading experts in infiltration, disguise, and intelligence gathering. Now even this group of "experts," daring to slip into Aldernon’s royal palace given a slit, couldn’t make headway, it only showed that the challenge of the Violet Kingdom’s mist... has already surpassed imagination.

And amidst the regret, she couldn’t help but ask Victoria, "Do you really have no impression of your experience in the City of Thousand Towers? Even with methods like memory retrospection or subconscious roaming, can’t you retrieve those memories? Theoretically, no matter how sophisticated a memory modification spell, it’s impossible not to leave any traces... Especially since you studied there for so long — the knowledge learned remained intact, yet only the specific learning process is missing, that kind of memory manipulation power is quite inconceivable."

Victoria’s brow furrowed slightly. As she sorted through her memories, she carefully chose her words. After more than ten seconds, she finally spoke in a deep voice: "The specific ’memories’ are indeed gone. I’ve tried every spell that could help retrieve them, and there’s been no progress. However..."

Gawain and Aunt Heidi spoke in unison, "However, what?"

"However, after trying some risky methods like multiple self-suggestions and deep dream submergence, I did manage to retrieve some fragments in the dreams... They’re not coherent, quite strange, filled with detail errors and subconscious supplements. I don’t believe they’re the correct, real memories, but if considered merely as a reference, they should be my ’learning experiences’ that I remember."

She recalled and slowly described the things she saw in the dream:

"I saw a city constructed of countless towers and layered houses, completely defying the spatial and geometric rules of the real world. Those piled-up houses couldn’t possibly have entrances or exits, and there wouldn’t be enough living space inside... They seemed more like chaotic graffiti sketched on an imagined land;

"I also saw a particularly towering tower. In the dream, that tower seemed almost alive, moving slightly and even whispering occasionally. At the top floated something resembling an eye... that thing conveyed a twisted malice.

"I also saw many apprentices gathered in an empty space, which seemed to be a large magic laboratory, or perhaps a library, because I saw many arranged shelves in the distant darkness, though I couldn’t see whether they held books or other things. My fellow apprentices and I were reading while a mentor’s voice... only the voice could be heard, patiently instructing us, though his figure was not visible."

Victoria stopped her narrative, and Gawain couldn’t help but ask, "Is that all?"

"Yes, those are the only fragments I remember, along with some even more trivial images, so fragmented that I’m not even sure how to describe them," Victoria said seriously. "In any case, these are all the learning experiences I remember. Please only consider them as references to avoid being misled by my descriptions."

"This information is already quite precious," Gawain sighed. "And you mentioned the scene of studying together with apprentices... Even if you didn’t see the mentor, I think it at least indicates that your knowledge was indeed ’learned,’ rather than being directly implanted into your brain by some form of witchcraft."

Victoria thought for a moment and said with a calm expression, "Without specific memories, there’s not much difference between those two scenarios."

Gawain was at a loss for words, "That’s true, too..."

Then, he managed to gather some fragmented information about the Violet Kingdom from Victoria — despite that hidden nation being shrouded in a thick veil of mystery, the Wilder Clan has been stationed in the northern parts for seven hundred years. Over such a long period, many Violet mages active in the northern regions inevitably came under their watchful eyes. Plus, those Violet scholars hired by the Anzu royal family or recruited by various Anzu mage organizations inevitably dealt with the Duke of the North. So, for Gawain, the intelligence Victoria possessed still held significant reference value.

Over an hour later, Gawain finally ended the communication with Bitter Winter Castle, and the large study was quiet once more, leaving only him and Aunt Heidi.

After closing his eyes to rest his brain for a moment, Gawain reopened them and looked at Aunt Heidi standing by his side.

"I remember you mentioned earlier some people who had entered the Violet Inland and returned to recount a bizarre world, vividly describing its mysterious and wondrous scenery..."

Aunt Heidi’s expression became serious, "Yes, there are indeed such legends, and even some more professional academic works contain ’testimonies’ on this subject."

"But according to Victoria’s account earlier, beyond those ’border fogs’ lies the ’secret region’ of Violet, where those mages allow no outsiders to set foot in their kingdom’s inland. Even someone as skilled as Victoria can’t remember the true appearance of the City of Thousand Towers after returning — so those who claim to have been to the City of Thousand Towers and can describe the situation inside in detail when they return, how do they remember so much, and why haven’t those Violet mages captured them and brainwashed them?"

"...Perhaps someone is lying. I don’t believe it’s High Chancellor Victoria — those claiming to have been to the City and returned with memories may just be boasting?" Aunt Heidi pondered, stroking her chin, "Perhaps their exaggerations were too convincing, and since no one else had been to the Violet Kingdom, everyone believed their accounts..."

"Surely some are boasting, but it’s hard to say everyone is," Gawain frowned. "Moreover, some claims have even made their way into professional academic works. I doubt a few tavern boasters could trick scholars into circles — there must be some believable reasoning behind their claims."

"Do you mean..."

"Perhaps they have truly been to the City of Thousand Towers, or at least believe they have been there. The border guardians of the Violet Kingdom may not be able to stop all foreigners attempting to cross. And those adventurers who, for various reasons, have gone through the fog and forest... who knows what they’ve seen in the mist."

Aunt Heidi’s expression grew serious. As a mage, she knew many strange and bizarre legends and the magical principles behind them. However, if an entire kingdom were in the state her ancestor described... she couldn’t find any reasonable explanation for it. She could only sense a sort of unnerving atmosphere behind these unusual pieces of information, yet had no way of analyzing where this atmosphere originated from.

At that moment, she heard her ancestor’s voice again, "Aunt Heidi, go and check some things."

Aunt Heidi immediately responded, "Yes, ancestor, what do you want me to check?"

"Investigate how many magical secrets the Violet scholars have brought over the past six hundred years, and how much of the human kingdoms’ current magic systems bear the traces of Violet," Gawain said seriously, "Including the specific spell names, their categories, the approximate time they were introduced to the Loren Continent, their impact range, and what changes these spells have undergone over the past few hundred years...

"Victoria wasn’t wrong, after the Gondor Empire’s Well of Deep Blue magic system collapsed, it was the Violet mages who helped the Gondor remnants establish the modern magic system... nowadays, this system remains mainstream in many places, and it is filled with the presence of Violet. Now I need to know just how much of this presence there is."

"Yes, ancestor."

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