Book 3: Chapter 274: The Road to Great Undertakings

Despite her inner turmoil, Sylutia still arrived at the top of the Sky High Tower on time when class began the next day.

Abellid appeared on the stone seat, seemingly still lost in thought. Only when Sylutia and Amelie stepped before him did he lift his gaze.

Compared to ordinary people, Named Ones could already be called demigods. Especially those bearing the Aspect of Secret Word, their thinking speed was many times faster than a normal person's. In just a few brief seconds, their minds could already analyze the causes of many things and calculate the outcomes.

"Hedra, do you want to go to the Hidden Grove Alliance?" He suddenly uttered these words, freezing the young woman in place.

"This... I..." Sylutia didn't know how to answer.

In just a few short seconds, she began analyzing how to respond to this question.

"I want to go see it." After pondering briefly, she spoke this answer, but was still uncertain whether choosing this path was truly correct.

Hearing this answer, Abellid seemed slightly surprised, but then revealed a faint smile.

And so, Sylutia attended the lesson with a complex mindset.

Seeing that her mentor and the others were different from usual, they showed concerned inquiries, but Sylutia simply shook her head without saying much.

After the lesson ended, Abellid had the two young women stay behind.

Even without knowing the specifics of the Named One's considerations, Sylutia could sense the gravity of the matter. Meanwhile, Amelie's fingers quietly intertwined with hers.

"You two should also come and listen." Abellid's gaze swept over Sordas and the others' departing figures before he turned to look at the two young women.

This scene made Sylutia's heart tighten involuntarily.

"Don't be so nervous." Abellid's voice carried a hint of the arrogance from his younger days, which also made him hold a certain expectation toward the younger generation.

As a Named One, Abellid, along with Vailenhart and Sylutia's mentor, were the three supreme leaders of the Mage Alliance.

Among the three, he played the role of guiding the new generation, and also served as the highest commander of the Mage Alliance.

After receiving this Named One's reassurance, Sylutia's anxious heart calmed somewhat. Abellid continued speaking.

"Hedra, do you know what the three of us most hope for right now?"

"This... it's probably to let the 'Gold Steam' Path give birth to an Hour." In her years staying with the Mage Alliance, Sylutia had come into contact with many people and events, and clearly understood what the upper echelons of the Mage Alliance cared about most at present.

"Correct. So what do you think needs to be done to achieve this goal?"

"This..." Sylutia couldn't help but recall the things she had summarized and analyzed starting from the Asra District.

"We need a large number of Transcendents on the Gold Steam Path, unify them within an organizational framework, and then find the right opportunity to accomplish some kind of 'great undertaking,' allowing the Gold Steam Aspect to condense and elevate to its utmost..." She spoke half through reasoning, half through speculation.

After listening to her account, Vailenhart couldn't help but applaud.

"Very good. I didn't expect you to deduce this far. You're already very close to the actual situation."

"But he should have also noticed that the Transcendents on the 'Gold Steam' Path in the current Mage Alliance had reached a certain limit in their achievements. That limit's ceiling was jointly forged by resources, population base, and outer world factors."

"Advancement requires achieving a balance of the 'Eight Laws.' The 'Gold Steam' Path is a convergence of the concepts of forging, reshaping, and sublimation, which means it, like a small number of other Aspects, requires a corresponding foundation."

"The most obvious example is that when he advanced to the Eighth Tier, he needed to create his own 'Astronomical Clock,' which required rare metals and gemstones."

"The knowledge and practice among the Eight Aspect Laws are easy to solve, but the resources consumed, and that too in the column of power, cannot be reduced. That means every Mage advancing on the 'Gold Steam' Path requires consuming resources. And the current predicament is that the many resources of the Mage Alliance, after consumption, were gradually heading toward depletion. Although such depletion would not arrive in an instant but happen slowly, mages in the future would find it harder to advance compared to their predecessors."

"The number of Transcendents on the 'Gold Steam' Path mastered by the Mage Alliance had already reached its peak, but that was still insufficient for the birth of an Hour on the 'Gold Steam' Path." He slowly shook his head.

"Aside from resources and population base, external factors, I wonder if you've noticed them."

"Just as a person wouldn't worry about a squirrel running across the roof, but would definitely worry about a tiger prowling nearby."

"The strength of the Mage Alliance had already instinctively made other forces on the Fourth Continent feel threatened. Likewise, if an Hour were to appear on the 'Gold Steam' Path, it would also change the system constructed by the current Hours. Whether this change would be for better or worse, no one could predict."

"When the situation is unclear, people easily choose conservative options. The same logic applies to the Hours."

"When they truly feel incompatible with the existing order, it would be something they wouldn't welcome."

"It can be foreseen that the birth of an Hour on the 'Gold Steam' Path would inevitably affect those who architect the current world order."

"Would True Dragons and Fairies allow the 'Creation Ceremony' to proceed smoothly? Would it threaten their position?"

"So, even if the Mage Alliance produced an Hour, whether the other Hours would accept them remained a huge question."

"Humans were not without precedent." At this point, Abellid's gaze grew somewhat profound.

"The 'Swan King' Moransa relied on the School of Royal Authority to become an Hour. In his era, the human race advanced triumphantly, and his power would reach its peak, restructuring the world."

"This posed a threat to the other Hours, including the 'Corona Dragon,' who had once blessed humanity and sheltered the heavens."

"After the Swan King's passing, the Blood Dynasty, shortly after unifying the Third Continent, also faced the problem of 'monster veneration,' and it eventually erupted, causing the dynasty to collapse."

After listening to this Named One's narration, Sylutia's breath caught. The haze that had been shrouding her mind suddenly cleared, and she also clearly understood the current situation of the Mage Alliance.

"We need someone to carry on this cause and complete this undertaking." Vailenhart took over the conversation. "The Mage Alliance needs to birth an Hour, but the Alliance's expansion had already reached its limits."

"Originally, this was a dead end, but the appearance of the Hidden Grove Alliance gave us a crack, allowing us three to see a certain possibility."

"War is not the best solution, and we must also use our strength in more important places. So... for you to return to the Hidden Grove Alliance and lead the expansion of the Gold Steam Path might be an acceptable choice." Vailenhart slowly spoke this decision.

"But this decision still faces many problems. Whether you are worthy of our trust, whether you can gain the Hidden Grove's trust, whether you yourself are willing to choose this path, and so on."

"Conspiracies and schemes are sometimes superfluous for people like us. Because sincerity leaves no flaws or openings, one can also stand in an undefeated position."

After listening to his account, Sylutia gradually realized just how magnificent and enormous the great undertaking pursued by the Mage Alliance and the three Named Ones truly was. No wonder the three of them didn't care about the issue of her true identity.

Now it was her turn to decide the direction of her future. But was she truly ready to set foot on this path?

Expanding 'Gold Steam,' perfecting the Path, elevating the Hour, forging the great undertaking—these things ordinary people could hardly imagine. She would have to attempt them all and realize them step by step, until finally an Hour was born, giving back in return, allowing her to also step into that supreme position and become a great existence whose true name was etched into the world.