jdhmnovel Chapter 189 Promise of Light
Chapter 189 Promise of Light
Alice stood in front of the old palace, looking at the magicians before her. To her left stood Raffarin Law.
Alice made a deal with them, but that doesn't mean she can accept them entirely. The twisted laws created by darkness and hatred during her long years of hiding underground will not be accepted by her.
"I heard that you use living people as the core components of your magic circuits."
It wasn't Alice who spoke, but Raffarin Low. She stood there, watching a two-meter-tall humanoid machine, pieced together from various metals, wood, and stone, slowly approach.
“Founder…this is our greatest research to date.”
A magician opened the two latches on the front of the humanoid machine, revealing the ugly thing inside, pieced together from human body and magic crystal.
"So you are using living people as magical components."
It was then that Raffarin Lo noticed that the staffs in the hands of some of the mages were clearly made up of human limbs pieced together!
She began to get angry. For tens of thousands of years, she still hadn't learned to suppress her emotions. After all, when she was promoted from the front lines to the UNS-Amelansey, she was the youngest naval commander in the entire United Nations.
"When I founded the Magic Association, I never said I wanted to turn people into 'wet bodies'! Magic is meant to serve people, not corrupt them! You lot..."
"Sir... calm down!"
A golden-robed mage tremblingly handed over a notebook with a worn cover, the words "Kavis Roland" still faintly visible on the cover.
"Lord Kavis led us when we were being hunted down by those in power. At that time, we lacked all the objects for research, including magic crystals and magic circuits. He proposed the theory of human magic... and concluded that the human body is the best conductor of magic..."
"Has he passed away?"
The group exchanged glances, then turned their attention to the humanoid machine in the center. Raffarin Low looked into their eyes, and finally looked at the machine as well.
"In the most critical moment... Lord Kavis... used himself as the core of magic... and had his students assemble the first magical giant, winning a glimmer of hope for most of the order... We rescued him afterwards, and now, he is still here."
Raffarin Low sighed. She didn't dislike this kind of person, but he was annoying. On the one hand, he was indeed a manifestation of science, but on the other hand, he had led to the current situation.
This is an insurmountable red line reserved for the human mind and civilization itself. Humanity may progress because of it, but it may also negate humanity itself.
"And all the human magical circuits we have are cut from members who are about to die and soldiers who are about to perish on the battlefield..."
Raffarin Lowe and Alice whispered a few words to each other, then nodded. Alice set the tone: "My deal with you remains valid, but given the current situation, there must be a condition."
"You must seal away all magical devices that use the human body as a raw material. As an alternative, you can enter the Magical Device Department of the Amelansi National Academy of Sciences to learn the most cutting-edge inorganic magical science."
"This is not about erasing science, but about preserving humanity for our civilization."
The audience immediately began whispering among themselves, wondering which was more unacceptable: losing the convenient human magic circuits of today or losing the right to live under the sun.
Soon, someone made a statement. A magician gently placed his staff, inlaid with limbs, on the steps as a sign of his resolve.
Alice was prepared. A truck was parked nearby. Alice took a box and lifted a state-of-the-art staff, which integrated mechanical computers and the latest magic circuits, and handed it to the mage.
"Welcome to the age of technology."
Raffarin Lowe also took out one and examined it carefully. In her eyes, the technology behind these staves was rudimentary and inefficient. The sophisticated mechanical computing system represented the pinnacle of Amelanxi's large-scale manufacturing, but in terms of speed, it was less than one trillionth of the personal terminal on her wrist.
From the rudimentary stamping, cutting, and painting processes, she could still see the nascent emergence of a new civilization. She stroked these simple magical calculation systems and then handed them to the second mage who had lost his staff.
"My God, these staves... while they may lack in terms of magical circuit variations, they are... superior in flexibility, casting speed, and power... How is this possible...?"
Surprisingly, the mechanical staffs with mechanical computing systems were not significantly weaker than the original staffs among these magic researchers.
The incident caused a great stir. After witnessing the mages who had replaced their staffs, others also expressed their opinions. Alice's actions successfully won over the centrists and brought most of them to her side.
Even the small group of opponents had no choice but to follow suit under this trend.
Alice waved her hand and planned to disperse them, sending some to the Trian Research Institute, some to the Magic Academy of Shira University, some to Delalaye City, and some to the Versailles Magic Academy.
Raffarin Lowe had no objection; after all, Alice had already established a fairly robust scientific research system and no longer needed such an unstable element.
"By the way, you initiated the first industrial revolution here, which is a combination of two industrial revolutions on Earth. That's really impressive. No other place has established such a system."
"That's right. In other countries, their systems dictate that they must start with the First Industrial Revolution, establishing basic steam power and a capitalist economy..."
"But if this path still won't allow us to enter the space age again... I heard you were born before the Golden Age?"
"If what you say is true, then it is the time when the golden age is about to begin."
"Okay, our generation calls the beginning of the Golden Age the Third World War."
Raffarin Lo looked out the window, gazing into the distance, but her words stirred up a storm in Alice's heart.
"During World War III, the world was not divided into any clear camps or factions. The rapid depletion of Earth's traditional resources forced countries on every continent to try to survive. Economic collapse, land pollution, and natural disasters plunged almost every small country into anarchy. The destruction of fragile ecological energy facilities by the war further spread anarchy to the major powers."
Who ultimately won?
"No one won. By the 1960s, the war had lasted for twenty years. The people could no longer tolerate the empty rhetoric of the old presidents, prime ministers, or anyone else. In the end, utterly disillusioned with the existing system, the people turned to another ideology that had been dormant for a century. Revolutions broke out in almost every major power in the world: East Asia and North America, followed by Eastern and Western Europe..."
"Almost all countries were stained red in this world revolution, but the old flags of the Five Good People and the flag of the United Nations of the Earth were preserved and given unique commemorative significance, but they themselves have long since become something else."
"This is our story."
"A world war is inevitable, whether it's on Earth or here, but—are you prepared?"
"Raffarin Lo said softly."