Chapter 390: Speech

The wind blew, and Ace’s silver hair danced in the breeze. He spoke in a relaxed and cheerful tone:

“Then it’s a pleasure, Lord Nicholas. Won’t you invite me to visit the headquarters of the Fire Stealer Alliance?”

Nicholas’s mechanical hand grasped Ace’s hand, and he said in a hearty voice, “If you are willing, it would be my honor.”

…

Eric City-State, a border town, the underground secret base of the Fire Stealer Alliance.

Ace was dressed in a pure black magic robe with a 4-Ring Hexagram Badge on his chest, emitting a faint golden light. He wore an exquisite magical top hat, his figure slender and elegant.

The members of the Fire Stealer Alliance were both surprised and delighted by Ace’s arrival. They carefully stole glances at this Supernatural being who, according to legend, had slain five Great Heroes in a single battle, and whispered among themselves.

Tus also recognized Ace. Driving his symbiotic machine, he ran somewhat recklessly towards Ace with a creaking sound, then fell to his knees with a thud and said:

“Respected Mr. ‘Dark Raven Devil’, my name is Tus. You once saved my life in the Salia Forest. Thank you so, so much!”

Ace floated a short distance off the ground to Tus. Looking at this young man, he seemed somewhat familiar. Ace said gently, “There’s no need for this. We are all seekers of knowledge destroyed by the Divine Descendants. Helping each other is only right.”

After speaking, Ace extended his hand in a lifting gesture. Tus felt an irresistible force and slowly stood up.

Nicholas laughed heartily and said briskly, “The scholars of the Fire Stealer Alliance and the Wizards of the High Tower are natural allies. Lord Ace helping Tus is also Tus’s honor.

“I just learned from Lord Ace that his strength is referred to as 4-Ring Wizard in the High Tower, also known as Golden Wizard, equivalent to a Golden Hero.”

The scholars present let out quite a commotion. Although they were mentally prepared, they hadn’t expected Ace’s strength to be so powerful.

The handsome bald man, Amid, looked at Ace with excitement and longing. His gaze was so focused that if Ace were a beauty, others would surely think Amid had fallen in love with him.

Amid said in a voice trembling with excitement:

“Lord Ace’s strength is probably even greater than a Golden Hero. News has already spread that Lord Ace killed a total of six Great Heroes and two Golden Heroes, shaking the entire Salia Peninsula!

“To achieve such accomplishments at only thirty-four years old, Lord Ace is an absolute genius with absolute diligence and self-discipline. I, Amid, wish to go to the High Tower and learn the path pioneered by Lord Ace.”

The hall of the underground base suddenly fell silent, leaving only the sound of breathing. Amid was a high-ranking member of the Fire Stealer Alliance, possessing strength equivalent to a Hero. Publicly announcing his desire to learn the magic pioneered by Ace could be interpreted as intending to betray the organization if used by someone with ulterior motives.

Nicholas knew Amid well. Amid had always believed that the mechanical path was just one branch among many. Not wanting to undergo mechanical symbiosis meant he had reached the end of this path. Now seeing another path, Amid was naturally inexplicably excited.

Nicholas sighed softly. His original intention in establishing the Fire Stealer Alliance was for scholars to research the Supernatural and progress together. However, under the persecution of the Divine Descendants, the alliance had gradually become secretive and militarized.

“I understand Amid’s meaning. The key to academics lies in exchange. Only with the collision of thoughts can sparks of wisdom be created. I have discussed with Lord Ace that the Fire Stealer Alliance will send a group of scholars to study at the High Tower. Amid, you will lead the team.”

Nicholas’s hearty voice fell into Amid’s ears. His heart trembled, realizing he had inadvertently violated a taboo. However, since it was so, he would take the opportunity to study well at the High Tower.

Ace looked at Amid—bald, handsome, dressed in a loose and unrestrained white robe, with eyes full of thirst for knowledge. The first impression was very good.

Ace said gently, “Our High Tower and the Fire Stealer Alliance will cooperate comprehensively in the future. Sending delegations to each other is the first step. Lord Nicholas has already introduced the basic situation of the Fire Stealer Alliance to me. I admire everyone here very much. Standing on the foundation of the Pre-Civilization, you have developed machinery to a new height…”

Hearing Ace’s praise, the people present couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. They had a strong sense of identity with their mechanical path.

Ace scanned the people present, but in his heart, he was thinking that Betty and the others from the Alchemy School should have a lot of common language with them. Perhaps through continuous mutual trust and exchange in the future, the High Tower might even assimilate them.

Even if they couldn’t be assimilated, having one more powerful ally was never a bad thing.

“Everyone is familiar with the mechanical path. Today, I also want to talk to you about what a Wizard is and what magic is!”

Ace’s words piqued the interest of everyone present, especially scholars like Amid who didn’t want to modify their bodies for mechanical symbiosis. Ace’s strength was obvious to all; being able to rival a Golden Hero meant this path had a promising future.

“Why do I call myself a Wizard? Why do we call ourselves Wizards? Because we all originate from a group of pioneers who did not blindly follow authority, did not believe in the gods, and revered nature.

“Amidst the impossible, they explored methods for mortals to overdrive their spirits. Although they only knew the how but not the why, they called themselves Shamans and called the power they used witchcraft.”

Ace’s voice spread throughout the base. Nicholas felt as if he had returned to the past, thinking of the time when he first discovered the secret of overdrive. All the scholars present had taken the Wisdom Potion. Although they walked a slightly different path from Ace, their foundations were the same.

“The word ‘Wizard’ is composed of the prefix for Witchcraft and the suffix for Scholar. This word represents my hope. We will inherit the legacy of the Shamans and continue to explore the Supernatural.

“But Wizards are different from them. We will bring forth the new through the old. Using logic and mathematics as tools, guided by the spirit of objective and neutral research, we will walk a completely different path of the Supernatural. I call it Magic.”

Listening to Ace’s words, the crowd felt inexplicably agitated. Amid was deeply impressed by the “Logic” and “Elementary Mathematics” series published by Ace. He had once thought of going to Medimus City-State to find Ace, but was ultimately blocked by the Abyssal Projection and couldn’t make the trip.

In this moment, Nicholas also had a flash of insight. He realized that the great scholar Ace, who had been a fleeting presence in Medimus City-State, was the Golden Wizard Ace before him…

“We Wizards focus on practice. All our ideas must be supported by experimental data. Wizards exploring the path of the Supernatural emphasize positivism. Bold hypotheses and careful verification are our principles.

“Besides that, we also focus on theory. We must not only understand how to use it but also know the principles behind it and seek the laws behind it.”

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