I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 301

A disaster alarm resounded throughout the Cantata region of the Messiah Empire.

The news spread across the entire Messiah Empire, soon finding its way into Arnold’s report.

’An Orc Champion wielding a relic-grade weapon, is it...?’

Arnold narrowed his eyes as he checked the document. He was already busy enough, but now another pressing matter had popped up.

Normally, such matters should have been resolved by his subordinates, but this was a full-blown disaster alarm.

Escalating to a disaster alarm in that region meant there was a risk of catastrophic human and material casualties.

’It’s not entirely strange. There are still many uncharted areas surrounding the Cantata region.’

The monsters had simply been unlucky enough to find it first. Or rather, the humans were unlucky that the monsters found it first.

It was just infuriating because the odds of such a thing happening were so slim.

’Why are all these things happening the moment I ascend to the throne?’

Arnold pondered seriously. Even if it was just a coincidence, work was pouring in at a staggering rate.

And at the center of it all was, naturally, Grylls—who resided, or rather, survived in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

At first, the plan was to win Grylls’s favor and grow the empire strong and prosperous...

’Every time this guy tries to do something, something blows up.’

It sounded like a conspiracy theory, but the timing was far too uncanny.

Starting from the Spring of Eldorado, to the resurgence of the Blood Cult, and even Alfheim’s development of Artificial Guardians.

Furthermore, information had recently arrived that the Demonic Cult in Zhongyuan was beginning full-scale operations.

The master of the Demonic Cult, namely the Heavenly Demon, was a figure who could easily be called the absolute strongest in Zhongyuan.

’If the Demonic Cult and its ruler, the Heavenly Demon, conquer Zhongyuan...’

They will inevitably set their sights on the Western Kingdoms. It was a complicated matter.

In fact, even the Imperial Court of Zhongyuan had sent a message, asking to dispatch reinforcements if the Heavenly Demon went wild.

The Heavenly Demon was infamous for assassinating the previous Emperor, and there was no one in Zhongyuan who could stop her.

’Was it called the Orthodox-Demonic War? Though overall power levels leveled downward due to that incident...’

The title of regicide was surely not earned easily. She was undoubtedly strong enough to match an entire army.

If that weren’t true, there was no way the prideful Imperial Court of Zhongyuan would have lowered its head first.

’Still, she probably isn’t stronger than Ash. For now, I’ll have to put matters regarding Zhongyuan on the back burner.’

He didn’t have the luxury to worry about Zhongyuan. A crisis had erupted right inside the Empire.

On top of that, Grylls dropping Meteors every now and then was giving him a massive headache.

The dinosaur carcass up for auction was a problem in itself. Competition had flared up again, and the academy was raising a fuss demanding more funds.

’Let’s think positively. That guy might discover something even more magnificent.’

He was still consistently trying to earn Grylls’s goodwill.

He was currently searching through Count Gorgon for anything that could aid Grylls’s survival.

No matter how difficult that path might be, even obtaining a single Mythricon ingot would be a massive success.

’Not only Grylls, but I also have to consider other countries... Is it at least a relief that there are no internal issues?’

Arnold acutely realized just how well the former Emperor, Robert, had managed things.

Though he suffered the ignominy of being called a "one-trick internal management pony" on the Gallery, looking at it piece by piece, his achievements were astounding.

He clearly maintained a centralized system of power and consolidated the Imperial Family’s authority.

The only reason Arnold could focus purely on diplomacy now was that Robert had set the board so effectively.

’Count Menethil and Ducal Lady Mercedes are meeting the Mage King purely for research purposes as well.’

Had they intended to commit any insidious deeds, they wouldn’t have even bothered reporting it.

Thus, what required immediate attention was the Cantata region.

Arnold stamped his approval on raising the disaster alert level for the Cantata region.

Having no urgent diplomatic schedules was surely Heaven’s sign to focus on domestic affairs.

’I can’t be spitting while arguing with others when my own house is on fire.’

If initial suppression failed, it would spread endlessly.

Indeed, there were even nations that had collapsed entirely due to monsters.

’This is done, now as for other areas...’

Arnold shifted his gaze to another document. There was no shortage of busy work.

[Eldorado’s new official nation name decided as ’Avalon’.]

It was a fresh report. The state name of Eldorado had officially changed to Avalon.

Additionally, military authority was strictly separated from the Papal See, and the bloated power of the Papal See was stripped away to establish a parliament.

The current leader was still the Hero, Asella, but the moment a new Pope was elected, she would immediately step down.

’Come to think of it, I heard the Holy Kingdom is planning an operation to rescue Ludwig.’

It was still just intelligence, but it required close monitoring.

Arnold jotted down a note on paper to avoid making mistakes in the future.

Remembering that the Holy Kingdom’s new official name was Avalon, not Eldorado.

’Next up is...’

After taking notes, he checked the next document.

[Budget Request from the Retired Emperor: Top-tier fertilizer for agricultural research, and...]

"..."

Arnold silently stamped his seal.

’What on earth is he doing?’

He didn’t quite understand, but since his father seemed to be enjoying his retirement, Arnold couldn’t bring himself to ask.

It wasn’t even that large a budget anyway. Besides, the justification was flawless, wasn’t it?

Meanwhile, Robert...

"Hehehe. This is what true retirement is all about."

Just as Arnold expected, he was enjoying a comfortable retirement.

There were no dangerous monsters or wild beasts, plus he had guards dedicated to the Retired Emperor.This chapter was taken from novelping(.)com without permission.

If he set his mind to it, he could pile up gold and silver treasures to his heart’s content, but that held no meaning.

Title) The cotyledons have sprouted!

Internal Cultivation Master Robert

(Photo of cotyledons peeking out in the vegetable garden)

The plants I sowed last time have finally sprouted.

Out of everything I’ve raised so far, this makes me the third most proud. I must grow them well from now on.

ㄴ If this is the third most proud, what were the ones before it?

ㄴ Internal Cultivation Master Robert) My children and my territory.

ㄴ What? Were you a noble?

ㄴ Internal Cultivation Master Robert) I shall say it was something similar.

He was similar to Grylls, yet free in a completely different sense than anyone else.

As time passed, Ash and Selena arrived in the Iris Kingdom. They used a Warp Gate to save time.

The difference between Teleport and Warp Gate is simple. Teleport is used by individuals, while Warp Gate is used by officially certified institutions.

If an unverified person used Teleport to cross into another nation, an alarm would trigger immediately.

That was why, even if troublesome, they used Warp Gates through official procedures.

"So this is the Magic Tower. I heard that just a few weeks ago, it soared into the sky."

Selena looked at the Magic Tower with a mixture of wonder and anticipation.

True to its name of "Tower," the Magic Tower was a towering structure.

A tower so exceedingly tall that one could not see its top even when craning their neck.

"That’s unexpected. I thought Ducal Lady would have visited before, given your talent for magic."

Ash spoke with a surprised expression.

Selena belonged to the category of so-called "geniuses," far surpassing Ash when it came to sheer knowledge.

So learning she had never visited the Magic Tower was a bit intriguing.

"Well, I spent half my life confined to a bed. When I was reasonably healthy, I was attending the academy. Have you never visited, Ash-nim?"

"I don’t have much interest in academic studies."

Ash shrugged her shoulders and glanced at the entrance of the Magic Tower.

Knights and mages belonging to the Iris Kingdom were guarding the entrance.

’They say Kadir’s prestige has risen so high that even the King is at his wit’s end.’

Judging by the well-reinforced armor of the order of knights, they likely possessed power rivaling the Royal Guard.

The two passed them by and stepped inside the Magic Tower.

"Welcome. We have been expecting you."

As they entered, an apprentice mage at the reception desk greeted them warmly.

Ash looked around while Selena announced their visit.

Quite a few mages near the reception desk were testing out their magic.

’Is it alright to conduct experiments in such a cramped place?’

One of them was even manipulating a corpse. Necromancy.

Necromancy had originally been classified as taboo magic, but after the Holy Kingdom’s true face was exposed, its status was gradually recovering.

However, because so much necromantic knowledge had been lost over time, they were currently facing considerable trouble.

"Kadir-nim has granted the interview. Please follow me."

The conversation seemed to have concluded while Ash was looking around.

The two followed the guide through a door.

Inside the door was a space large enough to easily fit ten people.

Ddalgak-

As soon as they entered, the guide pressed a button.

Then, with a Wooung- humming sound, the door swung wide open.

Beyond the wide-open door was not the first floor, but a completely different space.

"You’ve integrated Teleport with engineering."

"Yes, that’s correct. You recognized it at a single glance."

Ash couldn’t understand their words, as they were speaking the language of the Iris Kingdom.

Fortunate as it was that Selena spoke foreign languages fluently, it would have been quite troublesome otherwise.

"Ducal Lady Mercedes? There’s something I’m curious about."

"What is it?"

"Isn’t the Magic Tower a place that only uses magic?"

Just as the name "Magic Tower" implied, she had thought they didn’t use any technology other than magic.

At Ash’s pure question, Selena gave a faint smile and replied.

"The Magic Tower is only such in name; it’s a place that researches all disciplines. Engineering is no different."

"Mm. I see."

"And in truth, magic and science are practically one and the same. It’s just a difference in method."

There was a saying.

Proving a specific phenomenon through theory is ’science’, and manifesting that proven theory through mana is ’magic’.

Suppose one tries to scientifically prove ’fire’. Countless theories would be attached to it.

If so, it might be hard to manifest as magic, but if you pluck out only the key words, it becomes easily doable.

"When you think of fire, what comes to mind first?"

"Hot?"

"Correct. Something formless, yet extremely hot in temperature, capable of spreading elsewhere. If you analyze the theories regarding this step by step and manifest it..."

Selena trailed off and opened her palm.

Hwareuk!

As she opened her palm, a tiny flame flared up.

Though a small flame on the level of a candle, it was undeniably something that could be called ’magic’.Read this novel at novelрing.com for the best experience.

"It becomes magic. There is no need to perfectly materialize it."

"Do you memorize all of those things?"

"You learn the foundational theories, then calculate those theories mathematically—that’s it. This is why mages are so obsessed with ’computation’ and ’formulas’."

"Mm..."

Ash’s reaction signaled she still didn’t quite get it.

Though she had met numerous mages until now, she had never talked about it in detail.

"To explain it more simply... Count Menethil. What is 5x5?"

"25."

"And if you substitute that multiplication with addition, what formula do you get?"

"It would be 5+5+5+5+5, right?"

"Exactly. Kindling a simple flame is addition, and once you learn multiplication, you can hurl a Fire Arrow. You advance step by step, as if climbing stairs."

"Mmm..."

"There are mages who take a long time even for simple magic calculations; such a person is continuously using addition instead of multiplication. It might be fine for small numbers, but the larger the number gets, the longer it takes."

"Mm. I completely understood."

Basically, you have to learn to walk before you can run. To the physically-minded Ash, that was how it sounded.

Selena realized Ash hadn’t fully grasped it, but didn’t show it.

After all, warriors and mages were complete opposites. Their mindsets were inherently different.

"Then as long as it works well, isn’t it fine no matter what formula you use? There are people like you, Ducal Lady, who can do absurdly fast mental arithmetic."

Still, possessing high basic intelligence allowed her to ask such a question.

Selena showed a momentary look of surprise at the question, then nodded in agreement.

"Yes. However, it’s generally better to organize your formulas. Otherwise, strange things happen."

"Strange things?"

"For example, we are walking forward right now, aren’t we?"

Hearing her words, Ash looked ahead.

Though they were following the guide, they had not yet arrived at Kadir’s room.

"What we want is to move forward. But normally when moving forward, you walk on two legs, right?"

"Usually, yes."

"But imagine moving forward while doing a handstand. And it’s even fast."

"...Huh?"

"You think it’s strange, right? But regardless, you are moving in the intended direction, so the ’result’ itself is fine. The efficiency is just stupidly abysmal."

"Oh. Now I’ve completely understood. Magic is truly profound."

Ash thought to herself that even if she died and came back to life, she wouldn’t be able to learn magic.

At the same time, a certain person came to mind—someone who perfectly fit the example Selena just described.

"Somehow..."

"He sounds like Grylls-ssi, doesn’t he? I think so too."

Strong as he was, his strength seemed to scale up in a bizarre direction.

Yet because the end result wasn’t bad, it was a case left unattended.

’Even stranger is how his talent for archery is so extraordinarily exceptional.’

God definitely messed up a strange part when creating Grylls.

Otherwise, his build and raw stats wouldn’t be ballooning so disproportionately all by himself.

"Kadir-nim is in here."

As they chattered, they had arrived in front of Kadir’s room before they knew it.

The guide then knocked on Kadir’s door and spoke.

"Kadir-nim. Your guests have arrived."

[Come in.]

A calm voice echoed from behind the door.

Hearing that voice, Ash harbored a doubt.

A person’s voice usually changes with age.

And Kadir had entered his elderly years. She expected a senile, aged voice, but it wasn’t like that at all.

Kki-ik-

Opening the door and stepping inside, the musty scent of books filled the air.

A pungent herbal aroma wafted out here and there, soothing mind and body.

"Oh. Have you come? I have been expecting you."

Rather than an old man, Kadir looked more like a middle-aged man with thick brown hair.

His eyes were beyond brilliant, almost shining—as if he had reclaimed his youth.

’So the rumors that his realm of mastery ascended were true.’

Ash muttered to herself that a powerhouse could be recognized just by their gaze.

He had certainly undergone what was commonly referred to in the Eastern Realm as a Return to Youth.

Not that it changed anything. The reason they came here was Selena’s research, not a fight.

"Ducal Lady. Then I shall..."

"No. Please sit beside me, Count."

"I can’t understand your words anyway."

"Ah. That is quite fine. If you wish, I shall cast translation magic."

Familiar Imperial language sounded in Ash’s ears.

Turning her head with wide, surprised eyes, she saw Kadir wearing a gentle smile.

"Why so surprised?"

Kadir chuckled softly, stroking his thick brown beard.

"It is merely basic magic."

It didn’t feel basic in the slightest.