I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 444 (Patreon)

Chapter 444: Astonished Ivina, Bustling Fire Oil City

Many wizards, like Ivina, were horrified by the power of nuclear explosion magic.

If the news of the Holy See's disastrous defeat hadn't come first, they would have thought that perhaps a natural disaster like a meteor impact or volcanic eruption had occurred here to cause such a terrifying scene.

"Oh, I must remind you, do not approach this area!" Del said solemnly. "A few elemental wizards didn't heed the warnings some time ago and wanted to study the elemental composition of the air in this area. As a result, their skin started to ulcerate after spending only a few days in the core area. They were rushed for emergency treatment, and we don't know their current condition."

So terrifying?

Lucas was speechless. Even after so long, just the lingering aftermath of magic could severely harm several official wizards. It's hard to imagine how terrifying it would be when such magic erupts.

In the crowd, a tall, thin middle-aged wizard exchanged glances with Ivina, recognizing the seriousness in each other's eyes. Then, the man suddenly spoke up.

"Since Lord Lynn wields such powerful magic, why not simply continue to conquer the empire and completely wipe out the opposing wizards of the Holy See?" The wizard who asked was named Monroe, a scout dispatched by the Holy See to infiltrate the wizards.

Through the operation of the local church, they successfully infiltrated the Wizards' Mutual Aid Association and, taking advantage of the chaotic situation, gained initial trust from Lucas and others under the guise of a school that had been wiped out.

One of their purposes in investigating was to find out the details of the wizards.

After capturing the City of Fire Oil and defeating the punitive forces, according to the expectations of the senior officials of the church, these wizards were supposed to continue launching large-scale attacks. The empire even began to mobilize its forces for defense, even recalling the Punishment Army dispatched to investigate the demon incident in the northern border.

His Holiness also prepared to defend the holy city and counter the terrifying apocalyptic magic, organizing a prayer ceremony of over a hundred thousand people, ready to perform the God's Descent spell at any time.

But the wizards showed no intention of launching a major offensive, rendering all preparations of the church futile. Their abnormal behavior left the senior officials of the church puzzled.

Lucas and others were also very interested in Monroe's question and turned their curious eyes to Del.

"Well..." Del hesitated for a moment.

In fact, he was also very puzzled about this. The parliamentarians had many speculations about why the war had stopped, but Del naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal these circumstances to the wizards who were still unfamiliar. Instead, he explained from a different perspective to the crowd.

According to Lord Lynn, you can't eat a whole elephant in one bite. Starting from when they captured the capital of the kingdom, it's only been about a year.

Previously, with the cooperation of the monarchy and local nobles, indirect governance was much easier. Now, with the wizards directly managing the eastern territories of the kingdom, relying solely on thirty thousand musketeers and a few thousand wizards is far from enough. As a result, the believers in remote areas have caused a lot of trouble, making them overwhelmed.

In other words, their scope of management has reached its limit in a short period, and they need some time to stabilize internally before launching further attacks is feasible.

Del's words dispelled the doubts in the minds of most wizards, but Monroe remained skeptical.

Although this explanation sounded somewhat reasonable, upon closer examination, there were still many inconsistencies.

When the wizards defeated the punitive forces, it was the weakest moment of the empire, with most of its elite forces annihilated, the Holy Maiden Lucia killed in battle, and the Lord of Judgment captured alive. For a while, His Holiness couldn't even mobilize the troops stationed throughout the empire.

Moreover, the City of Fire Oil was only three hundred kilometers away from the holy city in a straight line. With the alchemical creations of the wizards, they could arrive in just a few hours. They had the ability to use this powerful magic to deal a heavy blow to the Holy See rather than maintain the current stalemate.

Monroe couldn't help but speculate that perhaps these wizards were just pretending and didn't actually have the ability to unleash that magic again!

Or perhaps, what caused such massive destruction wasn't magic at all but a natural disaster, and the wizards somehow foresaw and utilized it.

The more Monroe thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

He refused to believe that wizards could wield such terrifying sorcery—this was beyond his understanding of magic.

That was a power only the highest masters could possess!

As Monroe pondered in his mind, he realized that mere speculation wouldn't be enough to convince His Holiness. He needed to gather more evidence.

Soon, two patrolling modern warplanes returned, and the electromagnetic wave receiver on the airship immediately started beeping.

"Del, everything is safe. The empire hasn't sent Gryphon Knights to track or intercept us," a translator pilot reported.

"Intercept? They'd need the guts for that!" Del scoffed.

The empire's Gryphon Knights were just targets in front of modern warplanes. Unless they could summon another fire dragon, any number sent would just be delivering merits to them.

Del's disdainful tone displeased Monroe, but he suppressed his emotions and focused on the blinking receiver on the airship, hinting at its function.

Del had no intention of explaining further. Electromagnetic wave communication magic was still a secret that couldn't be revealed.

The wilderness where everyone fled was only a hundred kilometers away from the City of Fire Oil. With the airship's full speed, they arrived at the newly built airport inside the city in just an hour.

Although it was called an airport, it was actually a very spacious square, magically repaired to be very flat, capable of accommodating over two hundred airships. In the center, there was a long runway for the takeoff and landing of modern warplanes.

Ivina's expression tensed to the extreme because this meant they had officially entered a city controlled by wizards.

Before this, she had fantasized about what this occupied western stronghold would look like in the hands of the wizards.

Corpses hanging from the city walls, streets still stained with fresh blood, residents hiding in fear in their houses, wizards in robes with eerie movements, perhaps even strange alchemical smells in the air...

However, upon truly entering the city, everything she saw was incredibly surprising.

The streets of the City of Fire Oil looked very wide, bustling with countless pedestrians. Camels pulling carts laden with boxes moved heavily under the drivers' urging, only to be overtaken by a huge iron box filled with stones at an intersection, leaving it far behind.

Ivina had some impression of these strange iron boxes. According to the information she obtained, they were called alchemical carts by the wizards and were formidable war weapons.

Made of steel, the soldiers' bows and swords were completely ineffective against them, and they were much faster than warhorses. When charging on the battlefield, they could easily crush ten times their number of cavalry...

Now it seemed that besides warfare, these things could also be used for transporting goods.

Along the way, Ivina did not see the bloody, cruel, and dark scenes she had imagined. Instead, it seemed like a very prosperous city. Every person she

 saw had a relaxed expression, and the goods being traded were nothing like what she had seen before.

From the fruits of the southern desert to the furs of the icy northern wilderness, everything could be found here.

There were even bizarre magical creations that made Ivina's eyes pop out in shock, such as a huge metal golem that could work tirelessly.

The last time Ivina came here was already three years ago when she was still following the Eighth Prince's punitive force, but at that time, the situation was chaotic, and she didn't have time to observe.

In a blink of an eye, the entire city had undergone earth-shaking changes.

"What do you think? Shocked, right?" Del noticed Ivina's expression and laughed proudly.

"Indeed, I didn't expect the City of Fire Oil to become like this!" Ivina exclaimed sincerely.

Originally, she thought that after the war, the wizards would control the city with an iron fist. Although they could maintain order, the city would definitely become gloomy and lifeless.

But now it seemed that she had underestimated the wizards' capabilities.

The city's prosperity was no less than before, and it might have even surpassed its previous glory. This was something that no one would have expected.

Del nodded in satisfaction, but he didn't explain. In fact, the prosperity of the City of Fire Oil was a mixed blessing.

The previous chaos made everyone here realize the importance of order and the value of labor.

But not every wizard could see this. Some had other ideas and didn't like the changes.

Of course, those who objected were a minority, and they didn't dare act rashly because they were too weak. But as long as they had enough patience and time, they might become a threat to the stability of the City of Fire Oil.

In any case, compared to the chaotic battlefield, this was an issue that Del didn't need to worry about for the time being.

He turned his gaze to the crowd of wizards, who were whispering among themselves.

The transition from the battlefield to the bustling city life made everyone feel like they were in a dream. They had just experienced the terrifying power of nuclear explosion magic, yet now, they were surrounded by prosperity and peace.

This contrast was too strong, leaving them dazed and speechless.

But this was only the beginning.

Del was very clear that they were just taking the first step on the long road of governing the eastern territories of the kingdom.

And this road would be long and arduous!

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