Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The capital city of the Tuten Dynasty was a coastal city in the north called Tut City. Tut City was not too far from the kingdoms of the orcs by sea. Therefore, it was also a big trading city.
The king of the Tuten Dynasty was called Tuten for short. This was once the title that was given to every head of the Tut Kingdom.
The title signified that its bearer was the son of the Titan God. However, since each city started to declare its independence, which resulted in a bloody civil war, the Tut Kingdom had since fallen.
As such, the title of Tuten was only symbolic now. It no longer held its former meaning or power, as it was just another name to call the ruler.
Since the Tuten Dynasty became a nation of city alliances a hundred years ago, this was when the outsiders began officially calling it the Tuten Dynasty. However, it would currently be more accurate to call it the Tuten City Alliance.
At present, there were many orc ships that were parked outside of Tut City. The harbor was quite modern and nice. The flooring that was adjacent to the docks had even been built using marble.
There were also multi-tiered staircases onsite, which made everything look very classy. After all, this place was not only a harbor, but it was also a city marketplace.
This provided a lot of convenience to the sailors and merchants, as well as the city’s shoppers, as many trading ships could just start trading right after they unloaded their goods from the ships. As such, many citizens and nobles of Tut City came to this place to buy exotic things.
However, things had changed recently, as the Tuten Dynasty had also started to sell strange new things. Among these new wares were convenient glass vapor lamps, beautiful colored glass art, essential binoculars and delicate compasses. There were even myriad pocket watches that allowed people to check the time on the go.
Even illegal guns and black alchemy powder could be purchased here. These goods had recently become quite popular within the Tuten Dynasty and the Alen Continent. As such, these goods would always be sold out, even if they were priced ridiculously high!
These extraordinary pieces were all from the Akkad Alchemy Workshop that was located in Tuten City. This new workshop was said to have been built by an alchemist named Akkad, who had come here from the west.
Everything that had the Akkad Alchemy Workshop’s label on it could be sold for an astronomical price. Hence, in the eyes of the merchants of Tut City, as well as everywhere else for that matter, the workshop was like a money tree!
The Akkad Alchemy Workshop was built in the northern part of Tut City. It was a six-story round tower that was located next to the Lane River. The lower three levels of the building were where the workshops were located, but the higher levels housed the Akkad Alchemy College.
This portion of the building had originally been used as Akkad’s living quarters, as well as for a place where he could teach the original alchemist apprentices. With more and more newcomers coming each day, this place slowly became the origin of alchemy. As such, many alchemists journeyed here to study the highest level of alchemy knowledge.
No matter who came to the city, their eyes were immediately drawn to the round tower. This was because it was tilted!
The round tower had been built on the side of the Lane River, hugging the banks as if it were tilting! However, it would not fall. In the beginning, no one understood why the owner of the Akkad Alchemy Workshop had built it like this.
Then, on the day that it was constructed, the alchemist Akkad dropped two lead balls of different weights. Instantly, everyone in Tut City was shocked to see that the two balls landed at the same time!
Akkad stood in front of the tilted tower and told everyone, “This is alchemy, discovering the secrets of this world and using them. This is true knowledge. An alchemist will produce things that make people’s lives easier, as well as discovering knowledge that will change the world and the people within it. This will bring happiness to everyone.”
The scene that day became legendary, and Akkad’s fame started to spread far and wide. After that, the king and the heads of each city came to visit Akkad quite frequently. Even though Akkad had only been in the Tuten Dynasty for a few years, he was already one of the most important people in Tut City.
At the moment, Akkad was teaching the young apprentices in the tilted tower. Hundreds of people sat in one room, everyone perusing the textbooks and experimental apparatuses in front of them. However, there were only about ten people who had the potential to actually become true wizards.
Most of the people had come here to learn knowledge about alchemy. The students learned math, chemistry, and sketching. They also learned various techniques, like how to make glass, how to produce fertilizer, how to master blacksmithing and how to make simple clocks.
After they graduated, they could choose to become artisans, academics, pharmacists or artists. Some could even choose to become professional weapons builders. Hance, even the most ordinary student could graduate from this prestigious school and go out to make a change in this world.
“I hope that by becoming an alchemist, not only will you receive fame and money, but what I really want you to do is to make the world a better place, going out and changing the world with the knowledge that I taught you. Go! Bring light to the humans. You are the future and hope for this world!” Akkad always said to his graduates each year.
He had aged rapidly these past few years. Some of his hair had even turned white. Since he had failed to advance to level four wizard, it was if he had seen through something, finally understanding this world.
That was when Akkad came to Tut City and built an alchemy workshop and college. He started to teach the alchemy that he had been researching. Even if the student was only ordinary, if he had the desire to gain knowledge, Akkad would teach him.
“Mentor, someone wants to see you. He said he knows you!” Akkad had just finished the class and walked out of the room, when he was blocked by his student, Marina.
Marina had grown more beautiful in the past few years. The freckles on her face were now gone.
“What is his name?” Akkad asked her.
There were many people who came to visit Akkad everyday. However, since Marina had come to tell him directly, it must be someone important.
“Hmm, he seems to be a wizard. He said his name is Anthony.”
Akkad blanked for a moment, then looked at Marina and asked, “What did he say he was called?”
Marina didn’t understand what was so special about the name. Since Akkad was so excited, she repeated it again, “An… Anthony!”
At that moment, Akkad saw Lu Zhiyu in the hall downstairs. It had been a few decades since he last saw his mentor, so Akkad cried out immediately and excitedly rushed to hug Lu Zhiyu. “My teacher, Mr. Anthony, you came to see me!”
Marina smiled upon seeing Akkad getting so excited, almost like a child. She was even more shocked by what Akkad just said.
Looking at Lu Zhiyu, who was way too young looking to be his mentor, she asked quizzically, “Teacher?”
Lu Zhiyu patted Akkad’s shoulder, feeling touched by his former student’s wave of emotion. When Akkad first came into the wizard tower a hundred years ago, he was just a skinny, pale, introverted young boy. Now, he had grown so much!
Lu Zhiyu took his hand from Akkad’s back, then looked at the tower and said, “I didn’t expect you to remember the story of the tilted tower. You actually built that same tower here!”
Akkad nodded. “I will never forget any lessons you gave to us, not to mention that vivid experiment that you showed me about that tower! No matter how many years have passed, I will still remember every detail of what you said to me that day.”
Lu Zhiyu looked at Akkad and his white hair, then asked, “Did you fail?”
Akkad nodded. “Yup, I failed. But, I am glad I’m still alive. I have lived for more than a hundred years. Bohr, Uruk, Li Weisi and Henry are all dead, yet I am still alive. So, there is nothing I am not happy about!”
Seeing Lu Zhiyu make a somewhat sad face upon hearing his words, Akkad laughed. “I am still healthy, so I will most likely live a few more decades.”
Lu Zhiyu and Akkad walked together, while Akkad talked about the past few years and his future plans. “I always wanted to leave something behind, just like the blood witchcraft that Bohr left behind by Bohr. I will leave my alchemy behind me.”
As he listened to him, Lu Zhiyu looked at the apprentices in the tower and the graduates that were producing goods downstairs. They were mostly ordinary students.
Lu Zhiyu nodded. “It looks like you are doing pretty good.”
Akkad said, “Yes. I was thinking that, instead of wizards, maybe these normal alchemists can bring about larger changes to the world. Those wizards who hold strong power mostly use their knowledge to achieve immortality. As such, no one ever thought of bringing about a better future and light to normal people. I was among these mind sets. Maybe my near-death experience woke me up…”
He paused for a moment, then added, “Us first generation wizards, including me, Bohr, and even Li Weisi and Henry, thought that wizards were the future of this world. But now that many of us are aging and dying, we are realizing that the world isn’t going as we expected it would.”
He shook his head, looking a bit sad. “We were wrong. The wizards didn’t bring light to the world, only harm and devastation. So, maybe these young alchemists can now bring joy to the people. Oh right, I also took in some students! But, I didn’t teach them any offensive witchcraft. Instead, I taught them extraction alchemy, mechanical alchemy, and pharmacy!”
Lu Zhiyu was listening to Akkad, looking at his wise and shining eyes. Suddenly, he felt touched by Akkad’s speech. Just like what he said, the ones lost in looking for more power weren’t just Akkad. Lu Zhiyu now realized that he himself had also been among them.
Since when did my heart change? When did I start to not see normal people as being one of my own kind? Since when did I become so high and mighty, looking down on everyone?
Lu Zhiyu was being self-reflective, while he looked at these youthful alchemists and nodded. He then said, “Knowledge shouldn’t have any barriers. The wizards now are all too closed-minded. They are slowly isolating themselves from the rest of the world.”
He sighed, then turned to Akkad and smiled. “Bohr brought Kelermo Medical Coding to humans, and he was remembered by many for this contribution. Your alchemy will surely surpass Bohr’s, and the name Akkad will be remembered forever.”
