Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems

The Silent Plane.

Inside the white ducal manor of Duke Brissenot's estate, the young and pallid Duke Brissenot carefully instructed his butler to present Wizard Smith and the girl priestess with deed after deed of factory ownership.

Duke Brissenot gave a feeble cough, though his eyes were gleaming with light. "These are the properties I can donate to you. Within these properties there are approximately one hundred thousand displaced workers."

"Their farmland has already been seized, so they have no choice but to work in the factories. They can be put to use by you. But my distinguished lord, can my illness truly be cured?"

The frail duke pulled his exquisite handkerchief away from his face, revealing that it was already stained with blood from his coughing.

The duke was clearly suffering from a terminal illness, one that this world had no means of treating.

No amount of power, no quantity of wealth, was of any use in such circumstances.

Wizard Smith did not bother to look at the property deeds. He tossed them to the girl priestess with a casual flick of his wrist, then said, "One hundred thousand people is not enough. I need more. I need one million five hundred thousand people, and that is only the minimum."

Duke Brissenot looked toward Wizard Smith with desperate longing. "I can find a way to meet your requirements, but you must let me live."

Wizard Smith's eyes were contemptuous. "Of course. That is simple. You need only let your body be captured by my meteor force and be converted into one of my subordinate species."

"It is quite simple."

...

One week later, Locke appeared in the imperial capital with his girl priestess, his gunfighter, and his congregation members.

Locke sat leisurely on a stool inside a villa, reading a newspaper in the bright sunlight.

The newspapers of this world were nothing but the emperor's mouthpiece.

The paper carried two pieces of news. The first was that a frontier province had rebelled, and the empire intended to suppress that rebellion with its full force.

The rebelling province was the one where Wizard Edgar was located.

Edgar appeared to have gone directly to that province's Inspector’s Bureau, seized control of it, and was now clashing head-on with the empire, using brute force to take over this world.

The second item was that the emperor had announced an additional Inspector's Examination to be held this year, along with an expansion of inspector authority, granting the inspector system at least seventeen critically important new powers.

Locke looked over the seventeen powers listed in the newspaper. One of them was hidden among the others, which was the right of re-armament.

What was the right of re-armament?

The paper was quite vague about it.

But Locke surmised that this so-called right of re-armament was most likely the emperor's way of opening up the right for inspectors to learn this world's true force system.

"This inspector system is actually quite interestingly designed," Locke said. "The Inspector's Examination collects the talented and the fortunate from across this plane, because those who score highly in examinations are either talented or lucky."

"A single examination, and it collects the world's talent. All of these people become part of the total magic pressure flowing within the emperor's mind network," Locke said. "I did not expect to find a force system like this among the native inhabitants."

"Did the emperor come up with this himself?"

"It is a good system, only it lacks foundation. If I were to modify it, it could be made considerably better, especially in the area of spell models."

"As it stands, this system is like a tree with no roots. Second, too many personal interests have been built into it. Even so, I can certainly learn from the parts I find worthwhile," Locke mused. "Perhaps this was not the emperor's original creation, and he simply borrowed it for his own use."

Locke looked at the contents of the newspaper, and he could feel the chaos in this world's magic pressure as well.

Because Edgar was playing his hand openly, it had provoked the emperor into extreme suppression and full-scale countermeasures.

What had started as a single province's rebellion was forcefully quelled by the emperor, only for Edgar to wander into other provinces, stir up new rebellions there, and be suppressed again. Now he had circled back to the original rebellious province and launched another uprising.

Locke's expression was peculiar. "Edgar, what are you thinking? Your total magic pressure is continuously dropping, which means your actions are a walk on a tightrope. Why would you throw yourself into a predicament like this right at the start of the game?"

"The emperor has the highest total magic pressure at the very start of the game. But if you simply bide your time, the emperor's magic pressure will inevitably decline."

"Why are you going to war against the emperor right from the beginning?"

Indeed, for some reason Locke had clearly noticed that the magic pressure of the emperor's mind network system was steadily falling.

It was only because another Inspector's Examination had been held, collecting talented people from across the land and drawing them into the mind network system as inspectors, that the emperor's mind network system's total magic pressure had managed to rise by a modest amount.

This was probably connected to this world's impending apocalypse.

But Locke and the other competitors had only just entered this world. Their main objective at present was to construct their Grand Magics as quickly as possible and avoid being eliminated from the competition right at the opening, so everyone's primary energy was temporarily focused on dealing with the emperor.

Without a doubt, at this point in time, the emperor's native mind network had become a shared obstacle for all four competitors.

No matter who wanted to do what, the emperor's existence constrained them at every turn.

Were it not for the emperor's mind network, Locke would not have needed to conceal his Grand Magic at all. He could have let his moon appear directly in the sky of this world.

"Regardless, the emperor's threat must be dealt with first," Locke thought.

At this moment, inside the room where Locke was staying, a number of people from the imperial capital who had just been drawn into the congregation Locke had established were in the midst of studying the scriptures.

The girl priestess and the original congregation members were teaching them, while the gunfighter leaned against the wall, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a loud and violent pounding came from outside the door.

"Open up. Inspectors here to investigate."

Shortly after, an inspector wearing a crimson double-breasted wool overcoat kicked the door open. He clearly now possessed a power similar to the psychic school's psi-force magic sub-branch, with flashes of deep blue energy flickering through his eyes from time to time.

The inspector swept the room with a menacing glare. "Who is in charge here? How dare you preach in the imperial capital? Are you out of your minds?"

"Within a single week, you have reportedly drawn in several thousand people from within the imperial capital."

"Who gave you permission to do this?"

The inspector looked toward the girl priestess, whose limbs were visibly stiff with fear.

The congregation members stared at the inspector with expressions of terror. In this world, inspectors acted first and reported afterward.

Inspectors held all authority in this world.

Locke stood up, set down the newspaper, and looked toward the inspector with a calm expression. "Preaching? We have not been doing that."

The inspector's face darkened as he looked at Locke. "No? Then why have you gathered so many people here?"

Locke nodded. "These people are all leaders. They are here to study, and then they will go to other places and share what they have learned with others."

A flash of fury crossed the inspector's eyes, and he slammed the table with his palm. "What did you say!"

"Outrageous! I am going to put you before the law this very day. You actually dare to preach openly right in front of me, an inspector!"

The inspector raised the flintlock pistol tucked at his waist.

Locke looked at him calmly. "I said, we are not preaching."

The inspector pointed furiously at the books in the congregation members' hands. "You are still trying to argue. Then what are those books?"

Locke had a congregation member open a book and read the first page aloud. The man's expression was fervent, his voice brimming with excitement. "The book says that it was our current Emperor himself who invented the steam engine, liberating our productive forces, which is why we are able to enjoy so many industrial goods today."

"The book says that the Emperor invented the electric light, which is why we can have illumination at night. The book says that the Emperor invented the bicycle..."

Each congregation member seemed more devoted than the last. This world already had a severe tendency toward emperor-worship.

Furthermore, the emperor had deliberately allowed the public's adoration of him to flourish, even quietly cultivating certain groups devoted to his personal cult.

So the people of this world were, by and large, fervent worshippers of the emperor to begin with.

At this moment, the congregation members' eyes were all shining, "The Emperor invented everything in this world. All of us are loyal to the Emperor."

The congregation members rose from their stools and shouted in unison, "Loyalty to the Emperor!"

"Loy, alty!"

The congregation members raised their scriptures. "The Emperor has done so much for us, and we never even knew. We used to blame the Emperor for leaving us hungry, cold, and sleeping in the streets. Now we realize it was we who were too foolish."

"The Emperor is building a future world where everyone can live well, where everyone can see green mountains and clear waters."

The congregation members chanted together, "Loy, alty!"

Locke looked calmly toward the inspector. The inspector's face had flushed crimson, and under the suspicious eyes of the crowd, he hastily raised his right hand and cried, "Loy, alty!"

The inspector seemed unconvinced and inspected the books, confirming that they were filled cover to cover with devotion to the emperor's personal cult, though a great many absurd things had been attributed to the emperor's name.

Only then did the inspector relax, and as he looked at Locke and the others, his gaze carried with it a trace of respect. His tone softened. "I see. So you are not preaching, you are spreading truth and knowledge."

"Society is always tolerant of truth. Only, you should be a little more mindful. The Emperor is of course great, but do not obstruct traffic."

"Yesterday, your march through the streets disrupted traffic, and someone filed a report against you."

The girl priestess quickly said, "Understood, Inspector."

The inspector thought it over, then spoke, "Let me join this great undertaking as well. I myself feel that the current level of devotion to the Emperor in this society is simply not enough. I would also like to introduce some of my friends..."

...

After the inspector left, the gunfighter looked toward Locke with puzzlement. "What exactly are you trying to accomplish? Did you enter this world just to help the emperor and consolidate his rule?"

Locke sat in a chair, flipping through a book from this world. "Although it looks that way, our numbers are spreading quickly, are they not? In just one week, at least several hundred thousand people have read our books, and without receiving orders from the emperor, the inspectors do not dare to make things difficult for us. On the contrary, they can only help us, openly and in secret."

"And the emperor is occupied fighting on the front lines and has no energy left to spare for the rear."

Locke smiled. "No, he probably does not dare touch us right now, and might even think himself rather lucky."

The gunfighter looked thoroughly confused.

...

At this time, in the rebellious province of the Silent Plane, wherever the emperor went, that place became the Emperor's Hall.

Inside the Emperor's Hall that had just been moved to this rebellious province, the emperor sat upon his iron throne, his entire body encased in steel armor, with crimson light radiating from within the visor of his helmet.

In a voice full of fury, he questioned the senior inspector commander standing before him. "Why has the rebellion not yet ended?"

The senior inspector commander gave the emperor a salute. "Your Majesty, the rebellion has been swiftly suppressed. They are nothing but a rabble. However, the source of the rebellion has slipped between provinces, rallying new mobs. After we suppress them there, they circle back to this province and begin anew."

"We have already killed many traitors and rebels. Your Majesty, please give us inspectors a little more time..."

"Those rebels are nothing but paper tigers, no match at all for our inspectors, especially now that you have granted them the right to learn the power."

The senior inspector commander addressed the emperor, "Your Majesty, our strength is still overwhelming. I have already laid an inescapable net across this province, and together with the third-tier gene-lock inspectors nurtured by your mind network, this time we will completely crush the rebellion."

At this moment, the sky of the entire Silent Plane suddenly turned black, as though a world of darkness had descended, leaving everyone unable to see a hand held before their face.

Then, in the next instant, a meteor came streaking from beyond the heavens and plummeted toward the earth.

A thunderous boom rang out.

The meteor struck directly toward the imperial capital, falling upon the palace, and in a single instant the palace was razed to the ground. The earth shook and trembled.

Then a second meteor appeared, then a third.

As the number of star-prayer devotees increased and the Star Prayer Incantations were completed, the sky of this world finally welcomed the arrival of comet planes from the star realm.

And as three comet micro-planes descended and entered this world, the overall total magic pressure of this world actually increased, which in turn weakened the emperor's control and suppression over this world.

The world's will, which had long been suppressed by the emperor, began to stir, showing signs of revival and reawakening.

Inside his iron armor, the emperor simply raised his right hand. "Power from beyond the heavens? I have no need of it."

"Another traitor and rebel."

At this moment, the mind network centered on the imperial capital expanded outward, forming a vast net in the sky, temporarily blocking the falling stars from above.

Not only that, the emperor had also seized on the vulnerability of the star-prayer devotees and directed a mind shock wave straight toward them.

A thunderous explosion rang out, and a star-prayer devotee factory collapsed under the psychic shockwave, while a large number of ordinary workers perished in the rubble.

Not far away, in a restaurant, Wizard Smith and the great nobles and major industrialists he had recruited were in the middle of enjoying a lavish dinner.

Wizard Smith cut open the baked lobster tail that served as the main course, picked up his knife and fork, and said, "I thank you all for your cooperation. Only I still need far more people..."

"This many is simply not enough."

The great nobles and major industrialists he had recruited all nodded obsequiously.

Wizard Smith was thoroughly pleased with himself as he savored his meal. "I did not expect this competition to go more smoothly than I had anticipated. Among the four competitors right now, the total magic pressure of my Grand Magic is surging dramatically every day. The total magic pressure of Edgar's and Witch Georgina's Grand Magics is declining day by day. And on Locke's end, there is no progress whatsoever."

"Locke, I said long ago that you would regret lending me the Revelation Witch Stone to help me finalize and upgrade my Grand Magic one last time. All that remains now is to use this group of native inhabitants to complete the full construction of my Grand Magic."

"This competition is already mine to win. That emperor is truly a nuisance. Without him, everything I do would go more smoothly."

While Wizard Smith was enjoying his meal, he heard the native inhabitants of this world suddenly come rushing in to report that an inspector was about to force his way into the venue to investigate them.

The great nobles present, and in particular Duke Brissenot, who held the greatest power among them, immediately let their expressions darken. "Do the inspectors not see that I am having dinner with these distinguished guests?"

"Tell the inspectors not to disturb us."

"Too late." An inspector kicked the door open and walked straight in. The inspector looked coldly at the assembled great nobles and major industrialists. "Without the Emperor's command, how dare you gather so openly like this? What are you plotting?"

The inspector raised his flintlock pistol and fired a shot at the dining table. The porcelain plate it struck shattered apart with a crack.

Shards scattered across the floor.

Screams erupted on all sides.

Wizard Smith wiped his mouth with a napkin, a flash of displeasure crossing his eyes. "Kill him. He is nothing but a dog serving the native emperor. I trust that after you kill him, you have the means to keep it quiet?"

The inspector's gaze was overbearing as he leveled his flintlock directly at Wizard Smith. "What did you say?"

In the next instant, one of a noble's hired men quietly crept close and plunged a knife into the inspector's throat. Blood gushed immediately.

Wizard Smith smiled. "Now you are all in the same boat as me."

...

At the same time, Witch Georgina's charitable society was also making quite a name for itself.

Because the garments were distributed for free and, once worn, could ward off cold and damp, residents from every major province of the empire were competing to join the charitable society and claim their free garments.

In a very short time, charitable society branches had spread to every major province.

When inspectors attempted to investigate the charitable society, conflicts broke out, and in one such conflict an inspector was killed inside a charitable society premises. Very quickly, full-scale clashes erupted between the inspectors and the ordinary people associated with the charitable society.

What had once been a zombie society kept under the emperor's iron grip suddenly became a world in open revolt.

All the problems that had previously been forcibly suppressed now burst into the open under the pressure of external shock.

At this moment, in the rebellious province, the emperor turned to look at the mind network behind him. The total magic pressure of his mind network had begun to decline as the empire trembled.

He had to return and suppress the rebellions. The charitable society, the force summoning the stars, and the openly rebellious faction before him, he had to deal with all of them.

But at this moment, he noticed that one force was actually helping him stabilize the continuously declining total magic pressure of his mind network.

What was it?

The emperor had someone come and make inquiries, and only then confirmed that several quasi-religious groups devoted to his personal cult had appeared within the imperial capital.

It was clearly the emergence of these groups that had stabilized the ongoing decline of his mind network's total magic pressure.

A chilling laugh came from beneath the emperor's cold armor. "These rebels and traitors always think of me as alone and isolated, yet they cannot see how this world, this nation, operates."

"Order the inspectors into a state of war. Any suspicious individual is to be treated as a rebel and dealt with on the spot."

"Kill on sight."

"I will destroy the charitable society, I will destroy those who summon the stars, and the rebels are of course to be killed. But those who are loyal to me are to be rewarded. Pass my order, commend the groups spreading devotion to me within the imperial capital, provide them with funding, have them consolidate the faith in me, and spread it to all major cities across the nation."

"Quickly," the emperor said.

The senior inspector commander said, "By your command, Your Majesty."

After he had left, the emperor, his voice cold beneath the iron armor, spoke a ruthless declaration. "I am the world. I am civilization. I am the nation."

"I will not allow anyone who betrays me to exist."

He raised his right hand, and a storm of psychic lightning swept over the rebellious province. A great number of ordinary people within the province died outright.

Because ordinary people had no understanding of a psychic lightning storm, to everyone else these deaths simply looked like sudden collapses for no apparent reason.

The emperor could no longer be bothered with collateral damage to ordinary people, and in an instant killed everyone in that region.

At the same time, inspectors poured into the area and began searching for survivors, intent on wiping them out entirely.

This plan came to be called the Regional Extermination Plan.

Not a single living thing was to remain in that region. That was the emperor's answer to rebellion.

Three days later, the rebellious province was strewn with corpses.

The senior inspector returned to the Emperor's Hall and reported the situation to him.

The emperor spoke, "Well done. The rebellion is finally over, and we can return. At the same time, immediately cut off the food supply to the three provinces where the charitable society organizations are most active, and have all the grain within those provinces disguised as commercial goods and shipped out."

"As for those who summon the stars..."

A senior inspector spoke up, "My people have already determined that those individuals may have ties to the great nobles of our nation. Your Majesty, will you show them leniency on account of their noble status?"

The emperor spoke, "In this world, I alone am the nobility. All others are parasites for whom I have simply not yet found a reason to remove."

"Give the order. Have them arrested on charges of treason, and confiscate their properties."

The row of inspectors before him immediately snapped to attention. "By your command, Your Majesty."

In an instant, the emperor's inspectors moved into position and began suppressing forces on every front.

Whether it was Wizard Smith, Witch Georgina, or Wizard Edgar, all of them felt the emperor to be an obstacle at this point.

Only inside the imperial capital, where Locke was enjoying the attentive and meticulous reception of the senior inspectors, did he feel that the emperor was actually quite a decent fellow.

Not only had the emperor helped him draw at least a third of the empire's population into his congregation within a short span of time, but he had also arranged for senior officials to receive him and was even offering him an official post, inviting him to serve as a senior inspector himself.

A senior inspector commander addressed Locke respectfully, "The Emperor says you have been doing well lately. He wishes to bestow upon you the position of Inspector-General of the Inspector’s Bureau."

Locke asked curiously, "Is that a high rank?"

The senior inspector commander gave a slight shake of his head. "High. Very high. Under ordinary circumstances it would require multiple rounds of examinations and a rigorous selection process to obtain this position. But the Emperor, in recognition of your contributions, is granting it to you directly."

"The Inspector-General is one of the highest offices in the entire inspector system. Within the entire inspector system, there are only two positions of equal rank."

Locke gave a slight nod. It was probably the kind of honorary title that sat very high but carried no real authority.

The sort of thing, common enough, that offered fine words without real benefit.

Only, it happened to be exactly what he needed.