Chapter 175: The Dawn of Change

Chapter 175: The Dawn of Change


He recalled many of the convenient tools and almost dreamlike systems he had heard about from Lord Shiao Yi.


With enough power, none of those things were impossible.


All that was left was invention and creativity.


Looking to Mr. Vundo with sparkling eyes, Aaron could not hold back his joy.


To his surprise, the old master’s eyes shone just as brightly, like those of a boy.


"Master! I can’t stop my heart from racing!" Aaron exclaimed.


"Nor can I hold back my excitement," Vundo replied. "There is no room for age or weakness now. I cannot sit still. The Kingdom of Rosaria will surely lead the age from here on. And we will be the ones to open that path!"


The old man stood and extended his hand.


Aaron rose as well, grasping Vundo’s hand firmly.


In that moment, Aaron understood.


They were standing on the very threshold of new history.


...


Was Mr. Vundo really 72 years old man?


Aaron wondered.


He remembered that the old man had grown another year older this past winter, yet his energy seemed endless.


His tall and slender body showed no bent in the back, his bony legs moved fast like dry branches whipping in the wind.


Only the full head of hair that has been turned into completely white and the long beard that had grown down his chin, reminded anyone of his true age.


Before Aaron realized it, he himself was being treated almost like Mr. Vundo’s co-developer or assistant.


He had been drawn into a massive wave that involved the entire Central Magic Association.


Everyone had abandoned their current research and was now running around at the old master’s command.


Even the wizards who normally hid away in their chambers, bending over their own strange studies, were now running in a hurry.


It left Aaron with the odd feeling that they could actually move that fast when they had to.


The old master’s influence spread even further.


He dragged out the great men of the royal palace, pulling in the prime minister, the finance minister, and the minister of agriculture, until the whole plan had grown into something that could shake the economy of the Kingdom of Rosaria itself.


Somehow even Lord Quintus was made to run around as part of this madness.


When Aaron asked why, he was told that Mr. Vundo had once been the man’s teacher and that they had been bound together in a troublesome connection since those days.


The reason the prime minister and the other ministers joined so eagerly was not only because of the new possibilities of the magic stones, but also because of the steady work that this project could provide for the people.


Rosaria was a relatively rich kingdom and its people held many different jobs, but poverty was still not rare.


Those who could work had some chance, but there were also many who could not—people who had been injured, who were weak in body or who could barely feed themselves.


Orphans, too, were not few.


Small wars with neighboring countries continued and dangerous beasts still lurked in forests and mountains.


In those battles, many people were wounded and many people lost their lives.


Yet a job that required only the offering of magic was something even a crippled man could do.


A stable workplace meant stable employment and that in turn meant a stable country and happier citizens.


The kings of Rosaria had long been known for their generous, easygoing nature.


Even when the court and the city became noisy with all this rushing about, His Majesty only smiled kindly and said, "Good, good. It is a fine thing when the land is full of life."


With such a ruler, Mr. Vundo’s reckless drive had no reason to stop and so it only grew stronger.


Aaron did not even need to be pushed forward by Mr. Vundo.


His own excitement had not faded; it kept burning inside him, driving him into a state of wild, unstoppable energy.


After all, this was nothing less than a national movement, well, to be exact, it was still centered in the royal castle and the ministers, but it was still like an industrial revolution.


It was a modern project that would improve the quality of life for everyone in revolutionary ways.


There was no way Aaron could just sit still in times like this.


Sometimes in life, when you are already busy, even more heavy work keeps piling on top of you one after another.


Aaron felt that when he looked back in the future, this period would surely be remembered as one of the stormiest, most overwhelming times of his entire life.


While the magic stone project was steadily moving forward, he was also continuing the restoration of the fragments of ruins collected in Dalmasca.


During that secret trip to Dalmasca, at the church of Mitromica, Aaron had found something decisive.


That church, too, had been built directly upon ancient ruins.


It seemed that in Dalmasca, using ruins for churches had a deep religious meaning.


The ruins were believed to repel evil and protect the people.


To gain that power and blessing, they purposely built their churches upon them.


Because of that, the original ruins had been well preserved.


Ancient patterns and carvings remained even now.


Among them, Aaron had found a large ancient design left almost completely intact.


And that design was none other than a magic circle.


It had been drawn with ancient characters and symbols, hidden within decorative patterns, so perhaps most people never realized its true nature.


However, any magician who specialized in the study of magic circles would have noticed it.


Maybe even Roaille had once seen it and felt some interest in it.


However, the circle was incomplete.


It lacked the nucleus—the key core necessary to activate it.


And what Aaron saw was only a partial section of the whole.


Perhaps the nucleus had simply been lost with time, or perhaps it had been removed intentionally.


Without it, the design was nothing more than decoration.