He was already used to this attitude from the residents of Menqian Town.
Although headless magic apprentices are the lowest rank in the Rhealucalia Magic Academy, they are still considered noble by ordinary people outside, especially in the Lienia region.
This is the town in front of the academy.
Reinhardt stopped in front of a small shop, and the moment he pushed open the door, a sweet aroma filled his nostrils.
"boss."
Hearing the noise, the shopkeeper, who was busy inside, rushed out to greet him, saying, "Oh, Lord Rhine, you're here again."
"Hmm, I happen to have no classes today. Same as usual, one serving of boiled shrimp."
As he spoke, he casually found a seat in the shop and sat down.
It's his habit to come here whenever he doesn't have classes at the academy and enjoy a delicious meal of Lienia's specialties.
"Okay, coming right away!"
Seeing the shop owner bustling about, he slowly turned his head, propped his head up, and continued to admire the beautiful scenery of Lienia through the window of the small shop.
He was not arrogant like other radiant stone mages when it came to ordinary people, nor did he treat them as rune ATMs.
After all, he was no longer the fading one that even dogs in the borderlands found annoying, but just an ordinary apprentice of Radiant Stone magic.
However, it is not only the magic academy that has been built on this vast lakeside, but also countless residents whose buildings are also built on the water, stretching out like villages.
Some are hidden in dense forests, while others are built on lakes.
Unlike after the Shattered War, when the Faded Ones returned, the entire Lienia, except for the Kalia Fortress and the Magic Academy, was reduced to ruins.
Despite several wars with the Golden Tree forces, Lienia, now enjoying renewed peace, continues to prosper, though how long this prosperity can last remains uncertain.
However, in addition to students and ordinary residents, the people living here include Cuckoo Knights and soldiers responsible for guarding the area, as well as the second-generation Platinum Son, who is ugly like a frog and carries a scimitar and shield.
Like the Platinum Son and the Mountain Trolls, they were also under the protection of the Carian royal family and naturally had to do their part in guarding Lienia.
"Lord Rhine, here's your boiled shrimp."
The boss brought over a large wooden bowl and placed it in front of him.
"Yes, thank you."
He nodded slightly, then turned his gaze back to the bowl.
The broth in the bowl was crystal clear, and the shrimp floating on top were as translucent as flawless jade. They tasted fresh, tender, and bouncy, with a subtle sweetness in their delicate umami flavor.
Only the shores of Lake Lienia in the entire border region can offer such delicious food.
However, it's not because the preparation method is difficult, but because the raw materials used are extremely rare—the meat of giant lobsters that lurk on the shores of this lake.
To be honest, sometimes he was really curious about how the guys selling this kind of food managed to catch such giant lobsters.
After all, this kind of monster is extremely powerful, both in games and in the present reality.
The high-pressure water jets ejected from the mouthparts can easily penetrate iron shields and are as accurate as a sniper rifle. The powerful pincers can tear apart a second-generation Platinum Child as easily as tearing a piece of paper.
Otherwise, why would players jokingly call these giant lobsters the "Lobster Kings"?
At that moment, a discussion at a table not far away suddenly caught his attention.
"Hey, have you heard? The army of the Royal City of Rodel has begun preparations to attack the Storm King."
"Ah, you mean this? I saw it when I was on patrol last night. A large group of Forge Knights were marching across the bridge toward Stoneville City."
"Damn, you saw such a spectacular scene last night and you didn't call me, brother?"
"Nonsense, I called you several times, and you slept like a log. Whose fault is that?"
"Oh well, if we didn't see it, we didn't see it. I hope the war doesn't affect us. I'm getting married in a month."
"Really? Congratulations! But don't worry. Lord Rdagan is a hero of the Golden Tree and has now become the consort of King Caria. The war will definitely not affect us. Besides, even without Lord Rdagan, don't we still have the protection of Queen Renara of the Full Moon?"
The two cuckoo soldiers were having a lively discussion, completely unaware that Reinhardt was eavesdropping.
"So it's already this time?"
Reinhardt put down his spoon, looked out the window at the magic academy, and pondered for a moment.
Stoneville, also known as Windveil City, is the territory of the Storm King.
Because it faces the sea on its right, this castle is unavoidable whether you want to come from Nymgford or go from Lienia; you must at least cross the bridge next to Stoneville.
This has resulted in its unique geographical location.
However, if the goal is to defeat Storm King, then the leader must be Gofulei, and only Gofulei is qualified to lead the Forge Knights.
Even the Eternal Queen Marika could not do this.
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08. Is Maniac Fire... also considered part of the sun?
"Tsk tsk tsk, once the Storm King is defeated, I estimate that Govre will be exiled, and then Radagan will abandon Renara and return to Rodel to become the second King of Elden."
Then Renara retreats to the Great Archives to live in seclusion, and the war between the stars and the moon will begin again.
Finally, it will be baptized by the war of shattering.
"These are truly turbulent times..."
Reinhardt couldn't help but sigh inwardly; all he could do now was sigh.
After all, it's too weak.
However, these two were quite loyal to the Kalia royal family. Although they were both cuckoos, they were completely different from those treacherous cuckoo knights.
That makes sense. After all, the Azalea Soldiers were originally just ordinary people, some of whom were even forcibly conscripted. Of course, they had to trust the rulers above them.
But can we really expect Renara to protect Kalia?
To this, Reinhardt could only smile and shake his head.
Rena La, also known as the Queen of the Full Moon, is the leader of the magic academy Realucalia and the Kalia royal family.
She is a woman of both beauty and strength. She once blocked the attack from the Royal City of Rodel with the help of the Knights of Caria. It was because of this that she married the hero of the Golden Tree, Radagan.
However, the catalyst for the Star-Crescent War was the departure of Radagan, which caused Renara to become withdrawn and lose her heroic spirit. At that point, she was like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river, barely able to save herself.
If it weren't for the protection set up by her obedient daughter Lani and the desperate protection of Knight Kalia, she would probably be dead by now... Oh no, even if my mother-in-law is crazy, she's still quite strong.
At least he can still hold the amber egg and fly around, and he's surrounded by a bunch of young magic apprentices who are constantly being reborn, like sleeping at night and waking up during the day.
It's not very useful, though.
Just as he finished the last sip of soup in his bowl and was savoring its flavor, a piercing scream suddenly came from outside.
"Murder!"
"Ah, help!"
"Quickly inform the soldiers, it's epilepsy!!!"
Someone shouted that, and then the sound stopped abruptly.
Immediately afterwards, chaos erupted outside, with a cacophony of footsteps and screams filling the air. Even the azalea soldiers, who had just been having a heated discussion inside the shop, rushed out.
Seeing this, Reinhardt, regaining his senses, quickly caught up with the soldier.
"Holy crap, a man with epilepsy? What's he doing here...?"
I remember that while Madfire Village is indeed in Lienia, it's located near the Tranquil Church, south of the Dikedas Elevator, which is quite far from here.
Besides, there's no news of the appearance of Madfire Village at this point in time.
That was clearly after the War of Shattering, a tiny village formed by a group of lost people who no longer possessed blessings, and a watchtower of mad fire like the Eye of Sauron.
However, he froze on the spot as soon as he ran out of the store, the damp air mixed with the nauseating smell of blood filling his nostrils.
It felt like walking into a slaughterhouse.
At the end of the street, a middle-aged man dressed in coarse cloth was wielding a hoe, as if possessed by a war god, hacking at anyone in sight.
"Hahaha, die! Die, all of you! Return, descend, our great King of Mad Fire!!!"
They roared like madmen, their cries incomprehensible. With each swing of the hoe, someone would fall, just as if tilling the land.
The warm blood flowing from the fallen corpses gradually stained the lakeside red.
The middle-aged man's eye sockets were no longer visible; all that could be seen were ominous yellow flames burning fiercely.
Like a lamp in the dark night, yet when you look into its eyes you can feel the madness hidden within.
Almost anyone who makes eye contact with him for a few seconds will experience the same symptoms—
He transformed into a madman, a faint yellow glow appearing in his pupils.
Like a plague, it infected many people in just a few seconds.
They gathered in large groups, using anything at hand as a weapon, even biting with their teeth, much like the zombie movies I'd seen in my previous life.
The two Azalea soldiers who rushed out just now died at the hands of this group of Epilepsy Patients before they could even be infected with the Epilepsy Disease.
More Azalea soldiers stationed there quickly arrived and used their spears and swords to nail or kill those infected with the epilepsy on the spot.
At any time, there is basically no cure for epilepsy. All they can do is let these people die quickly so that they will no longer suffer from the torment of epilepsy.
But soon, the middle-aged man who had first contracted the fire disease turned his gaze to the cuckoo soldiers who were preparing to besiege the area and Reinhardt, who was observing everything from a distance.
The moment their eyes met, all the Cuckoo Knights who were preparing to attack froze in place, as if they had been frozen in place.
A series of agonizing roars, seemingly from nowhere, echoed in their heads, as if, when they were trapped in a quagmire, arms from the depths below were trying to pull them into an even deeper madness.
Reinhardt was no exception; he too was drawn to the middle-aged man's fiery eyes and stopped in his tracks.
But unlike before, no sound echoed in my mind, and no damn yellow lines appeared.
Only the heart is contracting violently.
thump--
thump--
You can clearly hear the sound of your heart beating in your chest, and the sound of blood rushing through your veins like a river.
An unknown power gradually spread from the heart, and scorching magic flowed through the limbs and bones, filling the whole body with inexplicable power.
"...Holy crap, no way?"
Feeling the sudden surge of power within him, he seemed to suddenly realize something, and quickly rolled up his sleeves and opened his robes to examine his body.
Just as he had guessed, his originally slender arms were now bulging slightly, gradually filling out his magician's robes.
Soon, he, who had originally looked weak and malnourished, became as strong as a young man, but his growth stopped there and he did not grow any stronger.
"This feeling...is so great!"
Since I came into this world, I have never felt so full of power, nor have I ever been so confident.
I feel like I could punch the Bear King and kick the Shrimp King right now.
But he still couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth a few times.
"This is a bit abstract...using maniacal fire and all that...is that even considered a sun? It has to be round, right?"
Just as he was studying the changes in his body, the painful roar of the middle-aged man once again caught his attention.
"ah--"
The man opened his mouth wide, tilted his head back abruptly, and covered his eyes with his hands, as if he were enduring some kind of excruciating pain, or as if he was enduring something.
Images are provided here; please update to view them.
Images are provided here; please update to view them.
09. This is the true magic of swinging stones.
Upon seeing this action, Reinhardt's heart skipped a beat.
He was extremely familiar with this method of attack.
That is one of the prayers of the Mad Three Fingers, which will cause the user unbearable madness.