Chapter 132: Stealing Business from the Gods

Chapter 132: Stealing the Gods’ Livelihood

Li Wei and Gu Ze walked toward the Hall of Magic.

"Where's Mage Lotta?" Li Wei asked.

Gu Ze replied, "He didn’t come back last night. Never mind him—he’ll show up eventually."

There was a hint of envy in his voice.

After all, who wouldn’t wish to have someone they cherished?

At the entrance of the Hall of Magic, a green light swept across the magical insignias on their chests before granting passage.

In truth, no soldiers were needed—the Hall itself could bar anyone unqualified from entering.

But to prevent mages from encountering ignorant fools and forming a poor impression of Blossom City,

the city lord had still stationed guards at the gate.

As Li Wei stepped inside, the space before him seemed to expand instantly.

He couldn’t tell whether he had shrunk or the world had grown.

The Hall shimmered with golden brilliance, its walls alive with flowing radiance.

The floor was covered entirely in deep red carpets, soft beneath the feet like walking through lush meadows—exquisitely comfortable.

Inside, mages gathered in small clusters, chatting idly as they waited for the opening ceremony of the exchange.

Li Wei and Gu Ze found a spot and sat down.

Li Wei ran a hand over the plush seat beneath him and exclaimed, “Is this magic? It feels so real.”

Gu Ze laughed. “No, not at all. The Hall merely creates an independent space. The furniture here is genuine—real wood, real fabric.”

Li Wei frowned. “But when the Hall vanishes, won’t everything disappear too?”

“It won’t,” Gu Ze explained. “When the Hall disappears, only the entrance closes. The spatial bubble where it resides remains intact.

So long as one knows the coordinates of that bubble, casting the Hall of Magic spell again will reconnect to this very place.

It’s tied to the principles of spatial magic—I don’t fully understand it myself, but roughly speaking, that’s how it works.”

Li Wei nodded, beginning to grasp it.

Looking around, he saw every table and chair was of the finest craftsmanship.

The Mages’ Association had clearly spared no expense.

A figure approached their table, pulled out a chair, and plopped down heavily.

“Phew—almost missed it.”

Lotta exhaled deeply as he settled in. He waved a hand, and a magical servant glided over.

“A warm cup of coffee, please.”

The servant reached into its own chest and produced a steaming cup, which it handed to Lotta.

Li Wei’s eyes lit up. He raised his hand. “I’ll take a glass of juice!”

The servant reached in again and presented him with a glass of fruit juice.

Li Wei took a sip, then glanced at Gu Ze, who held a goblet of wine.

“This juice—is amazing! What kind is it?”

He looked around. It seemed the servants could pull anything from within themselves—not just drinks.

“Do these magical servants have storage spaces inside them?” Li Wei asked.

Lotta shook his head. “No. The servants are extensions of the Hall itself. When they reach into their bodies, they’re actually retrieving items from within the Hall.

They can give you anything available here—provided it’s among the free offerings of the Mages’ Association.

For other services, you pay, and then they provide.”

Li Wei grinned. “Now that’s something to see.”

Gu Ze smiled. “Told you it’d be worth it. And this is only the beginning.”

Suddenly, the lights in the Hall dimmed, and a spotlight illuminated the central stage.

Gu Ze whispered, “The opening ceremony has begun.”

The president of the Blossom City Mages’ Association stepped forward to speak.

“Welcome, one and all, to this year’s Mage Exchange…”

Once he finished, a man in a white formal coat ascended the stage.

“Greetings. I am Jira, Lord of Blossom City. First, welcome to our beautiful city. May your stay be joyful and memorable…”

Li Wei studied Jira, his gaze flickering slightly.

Was he the one who sent the crystal flower?

Didn’t seem likely.

The handwriting on both letters resembled a woman’s delicate script.

Then he remembered a message from the Dream Festival—a rumor that the city lord had changed, and people were wondering what had become of the old one.

He turned his eyes away, shaking his head.

Forget it. What did it matter to him?

Even if Jira had usurped the throne, stolen the rightful lord’s position—what concern was that of his?

He was here only for the Mage Exchange.

Once it ended, he would leave immediately, not lingering a moment longer.

The crystal flower had already been left behind in Maple City, discarded to avoid trouble.

The opening ceremony was brief—after the association head and the city lord spoke, it was over.

Li Wei had hoped for some performance, but there was none.

Moments later, a mage stepped onto the stage to present his research findings.

Sitting below, Li Wei felt as though he were listening to an academic thesis.

“This Mage Exchange… isn’t quite what I imagined,” he murmured.

Gu Ze chuckled. “That’s just the morning of the first day. Mages from various towers showcase their work—to display their tower’s strength, and to attract those interested into joining.”

Li Wei leaned forward. “Does our tower have any research to present?”

Gu Ze glanced at Lotta. “That, Mage Lotta knows better than I do.”

Lotta said, “I participated in Maple City’s research last time, though only in a minor role—developing a relatively complete set of compact, single-user combined spells.

I handled testing and filtering of zero-tier spells, providing raw materials for senior mages, helping reduce their experimental workload.”

Li Wei asked, “Like combining Frost Rain and Mist Veil spells?”

Rota shook his head. "No, it's something more advanced. What you're describing is merely two separate spells used in tandem."

"Combined spells involve merging spell frameworks to create an entirely new, multifunctional spell."

"It's like the Hall of Magic— a classic example of a combined spell."

He turned to Guze. "Didn't you attend last year's exchange conference? What was the research outcome presented by Maple City's Arcane Tower?"

Guze pondered for a moment. "I don't quite remember. I think it was some kind of barrier-based combined spell."

"It was still half-finished back then. We ranked third from the bottom."

That much Guze remembered clearly.

After all, their own Arcane Tower had taken that humiliating position.

Li Wei gazed at the stage and asked, "Was it this 'Bumper Harvest Warding Spell'?"

Guze nodded. "Yes, that sounds right. How did you know?"

"The person up there mentioned it."

Guze looked up, unfamiliar with the mage currently speaking.

"Magus Comas," Rota said. "A third-rank mage, and also a second-rank alchemist."

On the elevated platform, Comas announced, "The Bumper Harvest Warding Spell is preliminarily classified as a third-rank combined spell, with a casting difficulty equivalent to mid-level fourth rank."

"According to tests, crop growth speed within the ward increases by three hundred percent, while grain yield doubles."

"Seasonal wheat matures in just one month—with yields doubled."

From below, a mage laughed and called out, "Aren't you stealing the God of Harvest's livelihood? Aren't you afraid his followers will come after you?"

"Hahaha~"

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

Jokes aside, mages were naturally arrogant, holding no reverence for deities.

They did not believe in gods—only in the truth of magic.

(End of Chapter)