Surviving The Fourth Calamity

75: Chapter 70 Chaos in Haifasardo 75: Chapter 70 Chaos in Haifasardo Hill was somewhat surprised, the hall of the Mages Association was packed with people.

As he entered, all heads turned to stare at him, sending shivers down his spine.

What had happened?

Soon, two apprentices from the Mages Association realized this was a high-level mage from out of town and quickly approached Hill, “Good day, sir.

May I help you with something?”

Hill nodded, “Good day.

I’d like to see the latest briefing.”

The Mages Association publishes a periodical akin to a newspaper, especially for mages who spend years in seclusion and become somewhat out of touch with the world once they step outside.

This is particularly true for high-level mages, who might not even know if the King has changed after a few years of isolation.

Mages don’t like to appear uninformed, so the association issues these local briefings to all mages.

Wandering mages, upon arriving in a new country, usually go straight to the association to check the latest briefings, to avoid any missteps.

Nobles really know how to exploit people; no mage wants to be unwittingly swept up in some incomprehensible strife.

A female apprentice turned to fetch the briefings while another male apprentice asked quietly, “Would you like us to prepare a reception room for you?”

“That would be fine,” Hill nodded.

“And while you’re at it, can you explain what’s going on here?” He surveyed the crowded hall, “It’s my first time seeing so many apprentices.”

He followed the male apprentice up the stairs.

The apprentice, walking ahead, respectfully made way, “May I know your level, sir?”

Hill was surprised.

Was it now necessary to declare one’s level when entering the association?

“Magister.”

The apprentice trembled, and whereas he was about to head for the second floor, turned back instead to continue upstairs.

Hill truly found it amusing.

It was rare to see the Mages Association implement such a hierarchical approach.

Could it be an unusual visit from a Legendary Mage division leader?

Hill was led to a luxuriously decorated reception room on the fourth floor.

The female apprentice also quickly followed with a pile of newspapers.

Both apprentices stood by respectfully, awaiting Hill’s instructions.

Hill sat down, “Please, take a seat.

Why so strict in distinguishing mage levels here?”

“Well…” The male apprentice hesitated and then handed over a paper, “It’s a bit complicated to explain.”

Hill took the paper to read—it was a notice from the Haifasardo division of the Mages Association.

It was worded diplomatically, but the gist was that Haifa had seen an influx of too many mages last year.

And before that, Haifa had never been prepared to host such a large number of mages.

The insufficient available resources led to numerous conflicts.

Big backers clashed with big backers, resulting in high-level mages’ outrage.

The ill-treatment of Magisters, as opposed to the students of the Legendary Archmages, shocked the entire Mage Kingdom.

Indeed, mages usually have a weaker sense of hierarchy, but it doesn’t mean that intermediate mages can supercede those at a high level, let alone that Magisters are the backbone of the Mage Kingdom.

Most Legendary Mages don’t get involved in affairs, serving as weapons of mass destruction sitting above ordinary matters, not lightly mobilized.

True, a kingdom cannot exist without its Legends, who deserve respect, but Magisters are also the future Legends!

Those few foolish archmages, who bullied their way around relying on their backers, were summoned back to deal with their own issues, and the poorly-organized division head of Haifasardo was also dismissed and called back for repentance.

But now, with Saral and Haifasardo apparently about to become one nation, nobody was willing to take over as Haifasardo’s division head of the Mages Association.

Would they have to engage in a life-or-death struggle with that person from Saral in a couple of years?

And yet, no one is inclined to concede.

Ultimately, Haifa could only be run by an acting division head.

This acting head was the most frustrated, for without becoming a Magister, he would never have a chance to become the leader of a national division.

The root cause of all this was a few fools causing trouble with their powerful backers; otherwise, their about-to-retire head wouldn’t have ended his career in disgrace.

So he decreed that the whole Haifasardo would treat mages strictly according to their levels during visits, explicitly stating the reasons for doing so in detail.

Although he glossed over it by not specifically naming the offending students of the Legends, anyone in the Mage Kingdom who saw this notice knew the score.

The so-called Mage Kingdom is actually not as large as Haifasardo, mainly being the seat of the Mages Association.

There is no King, only the Legendary Parliament.

Besides the twelve permanent Legendary members, other Legends can join the Parliament at any time.

There aren’t many, mainly consisting of Legends who prefer a peaceful life and do not want to cause trouble within the kingdom.

The greatest advantage of being located in the Mages Association’s territory is not adding troubles to Legends.

When taking students, they can pick and choose as they please.

The remote divisions continuously send talented children back to the Parliament’s location.

In reality, most of these are noble children; in such a society, how could commoner children have the opportunity to show their excellence?

Over time, some of the nobility’s bad habits were naturally integrated into the Mages Association.

But there are too few mages, and how many students of the Legends can there be?

They seldom meet each other, and even when they do, they receive similar resources, leaving Magisters with little chance to face their extravagance and arrogance; they have no idea the situation has gotten this serious.

Yes, Hill thought, thankful to William.

With all the mayhem he stirred up, many Legends who didn’t want to involve themselves sent intermediate students to Haifasardo to observe.

Consequently, a standoff ensued.

One division head of a nation was doomed, and those foolish kids were definitely in for a sorry fate.