Chapter: 106
At the moment Babel’s Tower crumbled and the shards of mana stones scattered across the city…
It seemed some of the humans in Babel witnessed the ruler of Babel being reborn as something non-human.
You couldn’t exactly blame anyone for being shocked by the sight of a black humanoid figure smashing through the top of the tower.
And then came the divine strike of light – a single blow that utterly obliterated the Tower of Babel. It looked like something straight out of a divine judgment.
Among those humans who witnessed this spectacle, some quickly fled Babel, shouting that Babel had incurred God’s wrath.
Well, it’s not like their reaction was unreasonable. It did resemble a judgment akin to divine punishment.
However, this judgment wasn’t aimed at the other humans in Babel… Hmm… Those people sure enjoy groveling a bit too much.
Anyway, quite a number of humans rushed out, while the ones who remained bowed their heads to me and the Hero standing atop the ruins of the tower.
“Divine representative! Please punish us!”
“We had no idea such a monster resided in the Tower of Babel! Please forgive our ignorance!”
Hmm. Well, it’s not really their fault.
That person had been secretly pulling some crazy stunts by absorbing dark-tinged mana stones, how could these folks notice that and stop him?
Thus, I forgave their “sins.” Well, they weren’t really sins to begin with.
I looked at those humans bowing before me and said,
“Let’s change the name of Babel. It sounds ominous.”
A name that crumbles the moment the tower stands should no longer be in use.
“Then what name should we use, sir?”
“Hmm… I don’t have any specific name in mind.”
“Can we suggest a name then?”
“Sure, if you can come up with a decent one.”
The humans raised their heads and started muttering among themselves.
“How about Sodom?”
“Nope.”
“What about Gomorrah?”
“Rejected.”
Their naming skills were absolutely terrible.
Why are they only picking such disaster-related names? Do they have some sort of self-destructive desire? Is that it?
Why not just name it something ridiculous like Damocles while they’re at it? That would totally fit for a city of mages! Oh, that place would meet the same fate regardless!
I might as well name it myself. Yep, best option.
Hmm… Now that I’m trying to think of a name, it’s not so easy. What should I call it?
“How about Procyon?”
“Procyon?”
“Yeah, let’s call this city Procyon.”
Wasn’t that the name of a star? I think so.
I vaguely remember it being one of the stars in the Winter Triangle.
“Procyon… Got it! We’ll change this city’s name to Procyon.”
That’s definitely better than the precarious name, Babel.
“But… since the one who ruled Babel has turned out like this, what should we do now…?”
Hmm. What indeed.
Ultimately, this city needs to be preserved even if we have to change its name, and we can’t neglect the supply of mana stones to the mages.
Ah, I’ve got it! From now on, the management of mana stones will be handled by the Temple of Life.
They’ll also collect the fragments of darkness while checking the mana stones, ensuring others aren’t overly exposed.
It seems like that guy transformed into a demon due to his excessive exposure to the dark fragments and his curiosity leading him deeper into it.
It’d be best to prevent others from getting too close. Maybe we can use Shamash’s power to pin down and seal those dark fragments.
But then again… if I assume that guy changed because of too much exposure to the dark fragments, could the Hero be in danger too?
Hmm… I’ll deal with that later.
“Was the revitalization of this city solely the work of that individual?”
At my words, the mages shook their heads lightly.
“While he played a significant role, it was the result of everyone’s efforts.”
“Then what’s the issue?”
As long as the problem-maker has been dealt with, can’t the rest of you just work together?
“Let’s divide the city into districts and establish temporary representatives for each. Those representatives can gather for a council to lead the city.”
“Temporary representatives? And a council of representatives?”
“Yep. If one person rules indefinitely, we might end up with another misfit like that. It’s better to govern in smaller, limited terms.”
The mages nodded slightly to my words.
If one person holds too much power, another incident like this could occur. Especially with something as influential as mana stones and scrolls involved.
We’ll minimize the ruler’s authority. That way, if one person goes rogue, others can step in to manage it.
“Understood. Thank you for your profound wisdom. From now on, the mages of Babel… I mean, Procyon, will engrave that individual’s sins on our hearts and strive to restrain ourselves from repeating them.”
No need to go that far, though.
But seeing the mage’s serious determination in his words, I didn’t want to push it further.
All I could do was nod my head.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Once a city called Babel. Now Procyon.
The rulers of that city were not kings or lords, but seven tower masters.
The seven magic towers, symbolized by their respective colors. Their representatives gathered to govern Procyon.
“So, the budget allocation is unfair! Anyone can see we have the most members, thus we should get the largest budget!”
The Elemental School of the red magic tower, specializing in the four major elemental magics.
“Huh? We’re not exactly lacking in numbers either. Plus, we need to charge separately for our summoned creatures’ management fees. Our headcount easily doubles yours!”
The Summoning School of the orange magic tower, using summoned creatures for their power.
“Hmm. You may have numbers, but your strength lacks, which just pumps up the food costs. Wouldn’t it be smarter to strengthen yourselves instead?”
The Enhancement School of the yellow magic tower, maximizing power through magical infusions into their bodies.
“Well, what can you do? But looking at this budget plan, it seems like donations from the Temple of Life have declined a bit…”
The Life School of the green magic tower, focused on revival through magical means, famous for their healing abilities.
“If the Temple of Life is so appealing, why not just join them instead of hanging around Procyon? Tsk.”
The Illusion School of the blue magic tower, masters of manipulating the mind through illusions and dreams.
“……”.
Once known as the Necromancy School and persecuted, they are now recognized by the Temple of Life and rebranded as the Soul Magic School, making the indigo magic tower one of Procyon’s institutions.
“So, uh, that’s…”
And lastly, the seventh magic tower, the Alchemy School of the purple magic tower, which rose to power after overthrowing the previous Divination School.
“Alchemy may consume quite a bit of cash, but in return, we earn the most, you know…”
“Well, that’s true, but isn’t this a bit excessive!”
“It’s not really too excessive… Initially, each magic tower’s budget has actually increased from last year. Sure, it might seem to have decreased in overall percentage…”
“Hmmm… It may seem that way in terms of the number of silver coins, but this isn’t just a simple amount matter.”
The blue magic tower’s master adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
“The budget ratio for each magic tower is kind of like the pride of the tower. It connects to questions like, ‘What percentage does it hold of the overall budget of Procyon?’ This can even relate to how much share Procyon has.”
As a newbie tower master, you might not get this yet.
“Blue, show some manners. You may be young, but you still hold the position of a tower master.”
When the green magic tower’s master spoke, the blue tower master turned away as if he hadn’t heard.
“Honestly. My apologies. These fools only know magic and are clueless about etiquette.”
“It’s alright. I expected this level of resistance. Oh, I’ve already settled the matter with the Temple of Life, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Pardon? With the Temple of Life? They’re usually pretty strict about donations, especially concerning mana stone supplies…”
At this, the purple magic tower’s master smiled as she shared,
“We agreed to raise the production of healing potions a bit and lower the supply prices. That made the discussions go smoothly.”
“Oh wow, that’s great to hear. But…”
The green magic tower’s master smiled but made it clear that his eyes weren’t smiling at all.
“As the liaison for communication between the magic towers and the Temple of Life, I haven’t heard anything. When did you manage to contact them?”
“Oh, that’s… Well, we were discussing the healing potion supply issues… Um… Ugh…”
The green tower master’s eyes, still wearing a smile, turned icy.
“My apologies…”
“Definitely would appreciate a heads-up next time. Understood?”
The purple magic tower master, a small silver-haired girl, nodded slightly and adjusted her wide-brimmed hat decorated with peculiar horn-like ornaments.
– Excerpt from the record of the Procyon Magic Tower meeting.
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