Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Christian's narration shattered Winters' understanding of magic, completely overturning the existing kinetic spell system of the Alliance. Yet his tone was as if he was saying, "It's really hot today."

Axel was utterly dumbfounded; he simply couldn't understand what the two in front of him were talking about.

Winters was still digesting his instructor's words, his brain almost coming to a halt: "Uh... I don't know."

Christian tapped off some ash from his cigarette and continued with his shocking statements, "This means that Antoine-Laurent was wrong, your training methods are wrong, all the Alliance spellcasters' training is wrong. Angular acceleration and linear acceleration are two abilities, but during training, you treat them as one, as if you're training a hand and a foot to be one limb. Montagne Cadet, what do you think is the essence of the Deflection Spell?"

"Applying acceleration perpendicular to the object's direction of motion," Winters reflexively recited the content of the books.

"Wrong, Cadet Montagne, wrong," Christian patted Winters' shoulder and said in a lecturing tone, "The essence of the Deflection Spell is to use angular acceleration to rotate an object. You use linear acceleration to release a Deflection Spell, just like using the common tongue to simulate the pronunciation of an ancient language. It's not clear and has a strong accent. Or to put it another way... it's like using your foot to scoop soup with a spoon. So, Montagne Cadet, what do you think is the Fire Tornado Spell?"

The barrage of life-and-death questions brought Winters' thoughts to a complete halt; he felt as though he was back in the classroom, being called repeatedly to answer questions.

Christian answered his own question: "The Fire Tornado Spell is actually a composite spell combining a Deflection Spell with a Wind Control Skill. Get it? Go back and practice, and you'll be able to do it."

The living room fell into a deathly silence.

It took a long while before Winters began to speak.

"Teacher, do you realize what you've just said?" The recovered Winters was even trembling a bit.

"What, what?" Now it was Christian's turn to be puzzled.

"You deconstructed kinetic spells! Deconstructed, the true deconstruction, complete and utter deconstruction, finding order and principles amidst chaos. This is an achievement that even Antoine-Laurent couldn't accomplish! The Magic Combat Bureau... the Alliance should give you a ton-heavy medal!" Winters was extremely excited, his speech almost incoherent.

"Oh." Christian replied casually.

...

...

On the way back to the dormitory, Aike said to Winters in confusion, "I still don't understand why you're so excited. It doesn't seem like much, does it? Being able to make things spin... is that so impressive?"

"It's very impressive, and it's hugely significant," Winters, having left Christian's house, was still in a state of excitement, "Do you know? Perhaps the Empire's court mages have long been able to use the Fire Tornado Spell, but they only know how to 'use' it, they can never understand its mysteries. Our Alliance spellcasters' abilities come from rationality, we crave to understand the laws of everything. The more we understand the laws that govern the world, the more we can achieve, so our potential is infinite. From Antoine-Laurent to Christian, one day the old-era magicians will be left far behind by us.

Winters' visit to Christian today actually had another purpose; everything that happened was an unexpected gain.

What Winters originally wanted to ask was of even greater significance; he wanted to inquire of the former director of the spellcaster training department: on the night when the Fire Dragon Scorched the City, whether the simultaneous use of spells by dozens of spellcasters led to some unexpected change, like...amplification, expansion.

Upon seeing Christian, Winters even speculated that perhaps it was the spell overload that night that caused his mind to become abnormal, because it was very likely that Christian was the one actually guiding the spells that night. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

But Winters held back and didn't ask.

Because he realized that if Vineta wanted to establish its own military academy, perhaps... perhaps now was the best time to "invite" Teacher Christian to Vineta.

But if Winters wanted to bring Christian to Vineta, he mustn't let The Federated Provinces realize the value of Christian Huygens.

And if Christian could uncover the answers to Winters' questions, it might mean more to the Alliance spellcasters than the discovery of angular momentum...

...

...

When Winters and Axel returned to the dormitory, two officers in uniform from The Federated Provinces were standing guard outside with a group of unfamiliar soldiers.

They were not cadet officers, but actual soldiers, with faces Winters did not recognize.

"You there! Come here!" Seeing Winters and Axel, one of the mustachioed officers questioned harshly, "Are you two from Vineta?"

"I am, he's not," Winters replied. The term 'from Vineta' made him very uncomfortable.

Hearing the answer, the mustachioed officer pointed at Winters and shouted, "That's him! Seize him!"

Five or six ferocious soldiers rushed over and subdued Winters.

"On what grounds are you arresting me!" Winters was incensed but he did not resist, nor could he, as the soldiers had tied him up.

Axel, clueless about the situation, asked angrily, "Sir! We were just taking a walk around the school, is there a need to arrest him?!"

"Shut up!" The small mustache stepped forward and gave Aike a heavy slap, "You took him away without permission, and I haven't even settled the score with you yet! Get yourself to the military tribunal! I'll deal with you after I'm done here!"

Aike stood at attention without moving.

The small mustache gave Aike another slap, "Get out!"

Axel from Orange took a deep look at the mustachioed officer, saluted, and without saying a word, turned and walked towards the direction of the military tribunal, occasionally looking back at Winters.

Another officer rode up to the front of the barracks and from a distance asked loudly, "Have you found him?"

"Found him!" the small mustache snatched the chance to reply, "All present, we've found everyone."

The mounted officer glanced at Winters, and Winters returned the look with eyes full of raging fury.

The mounted officer sneered and waved his hand, "Take him away!"

The small mustache pushed Winters outside the door of the Army Officer Academy, where several carriages were parked. These were specially made carriages for transporting prisoners, large and pitch-black, reinforced with steel bars, without a single window around.

Without much thought, the small mustache pointed to a carriage, and the soldiers pushed Winters into it.

Chaotic noises erupted inside the carriage.

"Who?"

"What's going on?"

"Who's come?"

"It's Winters!" Andre's irritable voice rang out, "It's Winters Montagne!"

There was a small window with iron bars on the top of the carriage that let in a sliver of light. Utilizing the dim light, Winters saw there were other people inside—fellow Vineta citizens from his cohort.

His classmates fumbled in the darkness and quickly untied the ropes binding Winters. Winters asked Andre calmly, "What's happening?"

Andre replied irritably, "I. Don't. Damn. Know... Bloody. Federated Provinces. Hick."

After the carriage door was shut, several more metallic clanging sounds followed, suggesting it was reinforced with multiple structures.

Not long after Winters got into the carriage, it began to move.

Without windows, the Vineta warrant officers had no way of telling where they were being taken.

Cries for attention, ignored.

Curses, unanswered.

The carriage kept moving until night fell, then stopped.

Winters listened carefully to the sounds outside, which seemed to indicate they were changing horses.

The small mustache's face appeared at the carriage's top window as he supervised the soldiers stuffing water bags and bread into the carriage.

"I need to pee!" Andre shouted angrily.

"Use the bucket," replied the small mustache.

"I need to shit!" Andre grew even more furious.

"That too."

"Mother. Fucker!!!!"

"I'll thank you on behalf of my mother."

"Where are you taking us?" Winters asked coldly. He seemed no longer angry, or rather, he was too angry for it to show.

"Where are you going?" The small mustache's face twisted into a sinister smile, "You're going to Paratu, the Kingdom of Galloping Horses."