Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

Lawrence bowed deeply. "Precisely so."

Aurora’s brilliant blue eyes flickered slightly, her fingertips gently tracing the rim of her teacup. "This is interesting, Lawrence. Why don’t you tell me the details? What exactly is going on?"

"My lady’s composure in the face of this crisis is truly worthy of the Duval Clan’s bloodline."

Lawrence praised her sincerely before his expression turned serious. "Allow this old servant to analyze the current situation for you. Baron Sylvan has refused to levy the war tax, leaving the territory’s defenses vulnerable. He is obsessed with his strange workshop research, consuming a great deal of manpower and resources. More importantly, he still has no heir, which means the Duval Clan’s bloodline is in peril."

Aurora elegantly adjusted the position of her teacup and nodded slightly. "Continue."

"But you, my lady..." Lawrence’s voice held a fervent tone. "You have already borne an heir for the Duval Clan. If you are willing to take charge of the territory, we can immediately restore normal taxation and rearm our forces. At that point, not only will the border be secure, but your and the young master’s living expenses will also be fully guaranteed."

Aurora lifted her teacup for a light sip, her gaze drifting thoughtfully out the window. "It all sounds quite thorough. But have you considered how I’m supposed to face my brother?"

Lawrence lowered his voice. "Those who accomplish great things cannot be bothered with trifles. Baron Sylvan can continue his research in the workshop; you need only take over the territory’s affairs in name. This way, you preserve the bond between you and your brother while also securing the territory’s future."

Aurora gently set down her teacup. "And what about the others? Arthur, Luca, Gilbert—do they all support this proposal?"

"As long as you give the word, my lady, this old servant is confident he can persuade the other followers." Lawrence was full of confidence. "Then you can legitimately take control of the territory and restore the Duval Clan to its former glory."

Aurora tilted her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously tracing the crescent-and-star pattern on her nails. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips. "This is indeed... a tempting proposal."

...

「Hans Viscount Domain.」

Princess Margaret gave a light laugh and elegantly lifted her teacup. Her nails, shimmering with a pearly luster, reflected off the cup’s surface as she took a sip. "Rebellion?"

Beside her, the sixty-something Viscount Hans hastily stood and bowed, his graying hair trembling slightly in the sunlight. "No, I mean to object! A war tax of fifty thousand Gold Coins is far too much!"

"It is not," Princess Margaret said, sitting upright in the host’s seat. She set down her cup, her young, beautiful face holding a calm smile. "The neighboring Duval Territory is also paying fifty thousand."

"But I am different," Viscount Hans said, his voice carrying the characteristic rasp of an old man. "I also have to dispatch a squadron of Knight’s Attendants. The Duval Territory doesn’t have to provide anything."

Margaret tilted her head slightly, the sunlight plating the delicate profile of her face in gold. "Who said they don’t have to provide anything? He also agreed to supply provisions for the Royal Family’s troops passing through and promised to dispatch the territory’s Knight’s Attendants to assist in defense during the war."

She turned to Archbishop John, who was standing by the window. "Isn’t that right, Archbishop John?"

Nearing his forties, Archbishop John’s tall figure looked all the more imposing in his deep blue Bishop’s Robe. The Moonlight Stone on his Scepter cast a cold halo of light. "Under the witness of the God of Truth, Baron Sylvan has indeed shown his due loyalty."

"But we have undertaken the same obligations!" Viscount Hans leaned forward excitedly, an action that made his stooped back even more pronounced. "And I’m afraid those so-called Knight’s Attendants of his wouldn’t even form a full squad."

Margaret smiled faintly, speaking as if it were a matter of course. "Every territory’s situation is different. As the most prosperous domain on the border, the Hans Viscount Domain should naturally bear more responsibility."

"There are no ’buts’," Archbishop John said calmly. "This is a joint decision by the Royal Family and the Church Court."

Viscount Hans opened his mouth, but ultimately lowered his head in defeat. "I will abide by Your Highness’s and the Archbishop’s arrangements."

Terence stood silently to the side. The old Knight, who had once severely wounded the Roton Knight and raised Cecilia, watched Viscount Hans’s graying hair and beard and trembling hands. He slowly raised his own right hand, gazing at the back of it, covered in calluses and wrinkles.

Thirty-one years ago, when he was just a young Knight’s Attendant, he seemed to have witnessed a similar scene: the same kind of Royal Envoy, the same kind of representative from the Church Court, the same kind of haggling.

Time had passed, and though the Viscount’s Domain had grown richer by controlling the Northern Trade Route, the greed of the Royal Family and the Church Court had never changed.

Terence felt a sense of unease, yet he also felt that this was all a matter of course. ’Hasn’t it always been this way since ancient times?’

’In the end, it’s always the commoners who suffer, while we nobles can always find a way to protect ourselves.’

But he still felt uneasy. A knot of stifled Qi seemed to press down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

It was a suffocating feeling, just like when he had watched Cecilia leave all those years ago—knowing it was wrong, but powerless to change it. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

’At least I’m not as foolish as Sylvan, am I?’

Terence tried to console himself with this thought.

’The Sylvan who once brought a wolf into his own house, who ruthlessly eliminated his opponents—that same Sylvan is now unwilling to levy even the necessary taxes?’

’It’s like he’s a completely different person.’

’I really don’t know how he’s going to cover the war tax. He’s not going to just impose heavy taxes again, is he?’

’Then what have you been doing for the past ten-plus years?’

’What was the point?’

’A complete waste of time.’

’Perhaps people really do change,’ Terence mused to himself.

’After all, even Archbishop John found nothing unusual when he investigated personally. It’s not like he could have been possessed by a Demon, right?’

His gaze shifted to Viscount Hans.

Just like this old friend of his, he too had argued fiercely in his youth, fighting to win every extra bit of profit for the territory from the Royal Family and the Church Court.

Now, perhaps because he was old, or perhaps because he had grown accustomed to a life of comfort, he seemed to lack the strength and could no longer claw back even a single Gold Coin.

Terence slowly lowered his trembling hand, his gaze sweeping one last time over the stunningly beautiful face of the young princess in the hall.

’Cecilia,’ he recited silently in his heart, ’you said you were leaving eight years ago. Are you well now? If you were still alive, you would probably be as beautiful and as young as Her Highness.’

The thought added a touch of melancholy to his already heavy heart.

They had all grown old. They no longer had the sharp edge and energy of their youth to change anything.

...

Inside the study, the candlelight cast flickering shadows across Murphy’s focused face.

He slowly closed the ancient tome in his hands, a flash of understanding in his eyes.

’So that’s how it is... So that’s how it is,’ he murmured to himself. ’If a Cultivator refines themself into a small world of their own, then a Wizard chooses to merge with the world.’

He stood up and paced around the study, his thoughts clarifying with each step. ’Wizards refer to the world where all Dimensional Energy exists as the ’Source Sea.’ Their Spiritual Power Cultivation is not just to strengthen their Spiritual Power, but more importantly, to merge with the Source Sea, thereby borrowing its power to the greatest extent...’

Murphy stopped short, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes. ’Wait, could this be the realm of ’Refining Spirit and Returning Void’? But according to the Daoist knowledge from my past life, ’Refining Spirit and Returning Void’ is a realm one can only touch upon after reaching the Perfection of Qi Refining and Divinity Transformation...’

He strode back to his desk, reopened the ancient tome, and his gaze roamed between the lines. ’Why can Wizards enter this stage from the very beginning? Could it be...’

Murphy’s brow gradually smoothed. ’Perhaps Wizards don’t skip the earlier realms. Instead, they choose a completely different Path. They use Spiritual Power as a bridge to directly connect with the Source Sea. While this allows them to gain power quickly, it also means...’

KNOCK KNOCK!

The light knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts.

A gentle smile touched Murphy’s lips. "Aurora, no need to be so polite. Just come in."

The study door was pushed open forcefully, and Aurora’s figure appeared in the doorway.

She wore an exquisitely tailored knight’s attire. A silver circlet held her long golden hair neatly in place, and the Duval Clan’s sigil of mountains and rivers was embroidered in silver thread on her deep blue riding habit.

Her form-fitting white breeches outlined the long lines of her legs, and her knee-high black leather boots made a crisp sound as they stepped onto the stone floor.

The Knight’s Sword at her waist was sheathed in a scabbard of ebony, inlaid with Amethysts entwined in silver wire.

Aurora took a step forward, her long fingers gripping the hilt of her sword. Her pale purple nails glinted in the candlelight with a starlit, crescent sheen.

With a crisp ring of steel, the Longsword was drawn, its tip pointed directly at Murphy.

"Brother," her voice was as clear as a spring, her tone firm and unquestionable, "I am here to usurp the throne."