A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 79 The Beginning of the War

Similar scenarios have occurred in various institutions in different countries, some of which have dismissed the issue, while others have become wary of it.

Denigrating the gods was not Jiang Shuzhou's original intention; it was just a side effect. His original intention was to engage in some abstract activities, stir up some online debates, and relax a bit.

If the administrator hadn't persuaded him for so long, Jiang Shuzhou could have pulled off even more ruthless acts.

Watching the various online arguments erupting across different platforms, Jiang Shuzhou nodded in satisfaction. He spent the entire night lying in bed scrolling through his phone, treating today as a break before officially starting his new life as a mage tomorrow.

the next morning.

Accompanied by the familiar feeling of consciousness detachment, Jiang Shuzhou returned once again to his loyal Velisco.

He opened the window that had been closed for a long time, and the long-awaited sunlight shone on his face. The warm sunlight and the bustling city outside the window gave Jiang Shuzhou a feeling of being in another world, as if he had not been here for a long time.

This feeling was fleeting, and Jiang Shuzhou squinted his eyes, enjoying this rare moment of peace.

"Clang clang clang".

"My lord, it's me."

A knock on the door broke the rare tranquility, and Hayes' voice rang out from outside.

"Sigh, back to work."

Working hours are always painful, even for a mage like Jiang Shuzhou who prefers to be a hands-off manager.

"You'd better have something to do."

This was the first thing Jiang Shuzhou said to Hayes after opening the door.

"Sir, Weasley is still in prison. The refugee camp has approved Weasley's application to become a doctor. You told me before that I should report the situation to you as soon as possible."

Seeing that Jiang Shuzhou was in a bad mood, Hayes didn't dare to waste any words and directly stated his purpose.

"Not now, I have to go to the airport area later, let's talk about it this afternoon."

Since Hayes had come because of his orders, Jiang Shuzhou naturally didn't have the nerve to get angry. After replying, Jiang Shuzhou closed the door again. He prepared to wash up and then go to the airport area to see what was going on.

The water flowed like a fairy, caressing Jiang Shuzhou's body. In less than ten minutes, Jiang Shuzhou had finished washing up using magic.

The entrance to the airport area is located at the very center of the central area.

"Sir, here is your ticket."

The ticket seller bowed to Jiang Shuzhou and then respectfully handed him a ticket.

Nodding in response, Jiang Shuzhou put the ticket away.

If you can fly, you can fly up directly and enter the airport area for free.

Unfortunately, flight is a mid-level spell, and Jiang Shuzhou cannot cast it yet.

Beneath his feet was a red carpet, and the interior was decorated with unparalleled luxury. A waiter politely asked if he needed any help. After Jiang Shuzhou replied that he didn't need any, the waiter bowed to Jiang Shuzhou and quickly left.

As expected of an airship specifically designed to serve mages, it's high-end and definitely worth the ticket price.

A dozen minutes later, Jiang Shuzhou stepped onto the airport area.

This is an area suspended in the air, which at first glance looks like a floating city, but it is not.

Or rather, they are similar but not the same. Floating cities are more used in the military field and have a variety of abilities, including but not limited to spellcasting assistance, astral jump, and spatial stabilization anchors.

The airport area is merely a civilian application of some of the technology from the floating city, with functions such as spellcasting assistance removed, retaining only slow floating movement and shield capabilities.

It can be said that the two are completely different.

Even so, Jiang Shuzhou was incredibly shocked. He had heard of Velisco and its airport district, but he had never seen one.

At the time, he thought that the so-called airport was just similar to an airport.

Who would have thought it would actually be an aerial port?

Stepping onto the white marble road, surrounded by monks in their robes, Jiang Shuzhou couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Indeed, the sky and the ground are completely different; the landscape of Velissco is more like London in the last century.

The airport area is more like the future, with countless airships carrying goods taking off and landing, but there are no workers on the loading and unloading docks. The machines driven by magic have completely replaced all the workers.

In a way, this could be considered a form of cyberpunk.

Jiang Shuzhou didn't linger here; he hadn't forgotten why he came to the airport area.

In just a few seconds, he found the signpost.

Following the signs, Jiang Shuzhou entered a huge venue.

It was a gigantic building capable of holding 10,000 people, with a multi-level design. In the center of the venue was a high platform that was completely suspended in the air, allowing it to look down on everyone.

I found a place to sit down. There weren't many people in the venue at the moment, but judging from their attire, it was clear that the vast majority were mages, with only a few scattered individuals of other classes.

For the past hour, most of the seats in the venue have been filled with monks.

Jiang Shuzhou didn't rest during that hour. He picked up the book on basic rune literature and started reading. Since he was idle anyway, he might as well read more books.

Soon, the noise in the venue gradually subsided, replaced by a somber atmosphere.

Jiang Shuzhou looked up.

Sure enough, a mage was already standing on the high platform in the center.

Judging from the golden badge on his chest, he should be a high-level mage. In the outer reaches of the Storm Sea where Velisco is located, such strength is already at its peak. Those at the higher levels of the Holy Domain cannot enter the Storm Sea.

"Everyone, please keep quiet!"

The monk on the platform spoke, and the whispers that had been going on just moments before were now replaced by a deathly silence.

All sound disappeared.

This was the power of magic; Jiang Shuzhou could clearly feel that a powerful spell had just been released.

"You have all come here because you have received some information, more or less."

"I am High Mage Harvey, and also the mayor of Velissco."

"Now, I regret to inform you that the Second Storm Sea War is about to begin."

"This war was entirely caused by the Fishmen breaking their promise."

"As you may have heard, a little over a month ago, the merfolk attacked Piston on the island of Farnan, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties."

"The Mage Alliance will absolutely not tolerate such a treacherous nation. Our interests in the Storm Sea must be protected!"

Immediately afterwards, the monk's tone gradually rose in pitch.

"Today, we mourn for the victims. Tomorrow, we will make the murderers pay! We will not allow any invasion of the Mage Alliance or harm to our people! Great mages, we will never yield! Our shared loss unites us even more! The murlocs and their allies must answer for their shameful conspiracy to persecute humanity!"

The monks below the stage remained unusually indifferent. No matter what was said, war was war, and war always involves sacrifice.

That sounds very inspiring, but what's the price? Who will pay the price for the sacrifices?

By learning from history, we can understand our gains and losses.

The first Storm Sea War a hundred years ago had already given all the mages present the answer.

The casualties of tens of thousands of low-level mages and thousands of mid-level mages are no small number.

All the mages present now had to consider whether they were qualified to survive this war.

Everyone has their own answer.

Many mages remain outwardly calm and show no outward signs of distress, but inwardly they are already thinking about returning to the Mage Alliance homeland as soon as possible. As for Velisco?

I wish it well.