Warhammer Divine Throne

Chapter 26: Chapter 11, Confirming Direction_2

Many people have objections to Ludwig’s actions, thinking he is dividing the country. However, Ludwig said meaningfully, ”The empire’s reconstruction urgently requires a staggering amount of wealth, and the northern Chaos will eventually return. Too much comfort and indulgence are of no benefit in the fight against Chaos.”

So Marinburg is in a kind of ”no man’s land.” Besides paying a hefty defense fee to the empire, the astounding taxes all flow into the pockets of Marinburg’s upper nobles. Every year, countless refugees and mercenaries come and go in this city, seeking opportunities to make a name for themselves. Under the city, there is a huge and incredibly complex underground passage used for smuggling and hiding goods. If Belte has escaped to Marinburg, getting him out would be extremely difficult!

”It’s already very hard for us to catch up with Belte, so what we need to do now is to head to Kaltenhaven, because Kaltenhaven is the nearest location. Once we arrive there, the Justice Church will help us check recent sailing records, and we will continue to pursue Belte.” Laine formulated the plan, and his statement was recognized by everyone. Hurrying on through the night is actually useless now, and moving too ostentatiously could alert Belte, so Laine’s plan was to proceed unhurriedly at a normal pace towards Kaltenhaven, to lay low and wait for Belte’s next appearance.

With the Aesthetic Society as a lead, finding Belte wouldn’t be like searching for a needle in the Great Sea. There are several ports along the western coastline of Nord, and with the Fallen Hunter’s strength, it’s impossible to station enough personnel to cover them all. In such a scenario with stretched distances, this is the only option.

”Alright, we will head to Kaltenhaven tomorrow. At our speed, we set out at seven in the morning and should arrive in Kaltenhaven by noon. At that time, Laine and I will go to the Justice Church and inquire about their news.” Teresa nodded and said. Boris and Viert both agreed. A lot happened today, leaving the female sorcerer very exhausted. After setting a specific action plan, everyone took their leave.

The night was already deep, and the camp’s location was next to a small rocky hill. Laine saw Teresa walking with difficulty while leaning on her Magic Staff and voluntarily reached out to support her arm covered in a white lace long glove, ”Let me help you, dear Lady Trovik.”

The female sorcerer glanced at him sideways and felt a solid support from her arm. She did not refuse, but softly sighed, ”Did you suggest not rushing because you were considering my health? You really needn’t worry. I’m doing better than you think, and I’ll recover by tomorrow.”

”Oh? Really? Don’t lie to me. You’re not going to recover within three days, let alone tomorrow, right?” Laine directly saw through the female sorcerer’s lie.

”Tch, you’re responsible for my safety during this time.” Teresa blushed like a ripe peach when her lie was exposed. She was beautiful yet disappointed, and whosever standing proud female spellcaster was reduced to such a state would feel uncomfortable.

One can only say that Laine knew casters too well.

Casters are generally divided into three systems: Wizards, Shamans, Warlocks.

Wizards cast spells using their extensive knowledge and exquisite magic control abilities. Theoretically, they can learn all known spells. They construct spells by consuming their own magic power and then cast them. So, to release a spell, Wizards need to know not only the spell’s incantations but also how to construct the spell. Therefore, training a wizard from an apprentice into a Great Wizard capable of holding their own requires incredible human and material resources. Their combat power is weak in the early stages but requires a huge amount of money for their support, experiment, and learning, growing often through repeated failures. Much of this money is wasted, and this leads many families with magically gifted children but no money to nurture them to send them to the Magic Church as apprentices to other wizards, where their magic talent is often wasted year after year in tedious apprentice work.

Unlike Wizards, Shamans’ spellcasting is better described as guidance. Shamans draw their magic power from the magical elements that wander between heaven and earth. They communicate with the Elemental Power through totems and meditation and use their own magic power to guide the magic elements in nature to complete spellcasting. Shamans cast spells quickly and consume little magic power, but their spellcasting is severely limited by the environment. For example, in Nord’s icy regions, Shamans cannot cast Fire Element magic, and in areas with chaotic magic elements, casting a Water Cannon Technique might inadvertently turn into a Water Therapy Skill and help the enemy heal. In areas where magical elements are scarce, Shamans are no different from ordinary people.

Finally, there are Warlocks, often called the ”Rich and Handsome, Fair and Beautiful” among casters because they are naturally endowed with spellcasting abilities. The origins of Warlocks are peculiar; some gain spellcasting ability after surviving a storm, while others have peculiar experiences in mines or beast lairs that grant them magic. However, most Warlocks arise from Bloodline Power, implying that one or both parents were casters, whose magical bloodline gets passed to the next generation, allowing them to naturally learn spellcasting as they age. They usually don’t need to understand spell construction or the principles behind it because it’s all ingrained in their bloodline. They can cast spells by simply chanting the spells from memory.

Because they are naturally gifted with spellcasting, Warlocks often feel superior and look down on those who toil in the fields. That’s why no Warlock aligns with a good faction; concepts like ”Holy Mother” and ”charity” don’t exist. As Laine figured, if necessary, Teresa could sacrifice the mercenaries without hesitation for a chance to escape.

No profession is perfect; Warlocks’ spellcasting is also limited. For example, if a Warlock’s bloodline comes from a Great Wizard of the Thunder Element, they might never learn even the simplest healing spells in their lifetime, nor even one or two rings of Minor Spells. Similarly, a Warlock with a Fire Element bloodline might take years to learn simple Water Magic.

Since Warlocks rely on Bloodline Power for spellcasting, after Teresa exhausted her magic power, she forcibly activated her Bloodline Power to cast spells, rendering her body severely depleted. For the next few days, she wouldn’t only lack magic power, but even her physical strength would be severely low.

”With me here, you can rest assured. Just in honor of Lady Aurora, I will protect you.” Laine first smiled, and then the corners of his eyes quickly curled up, ”But I am not your servant; I hope you understand.”

”I know, no one would mistake a Kingdom Knight for a servant.” Teresa nodded in agreement, and reminded by the man’s words, she realized her tone was a bit like she was speaking to a servant at home.

Aurora Trovik, an elder of the Jialan Council, had saved Laine’s foster father Norman’s life before Laine was adopted. During a battle against the Barbarians, the young knight Norman had been knocked off his horse, nearly dying, and Aurora’s spell saved his life. Though Aurora didn’t make much of it at the time, Norman always remembered it. Because of this, Laine was willing to yield somewhat to Teresa and was inclined to take care of her.

However, this didn’t mean he was willing to be her servant or bodyguard. His relationship with the female sorcerer was supposed to be mutually beneficial, as companions, not superior and subordinate.

Helping the female sorcerer raise the tent flap, Laine smiled and said, ”Goodnight, Teresa, wish you sweet dreams.”

”Goodnight, Laine.”