Mage Adam

Inside the conference room, the head of the curriculum team from the Department of Basic Education nervously looked at Adam and asked: 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“Your Excellency, may I ask where the problem lies?”

Adam pushed forward the section in his hand regarding the education of mage apprentices, and said:

“This part you’ve written is very detailed and in-depth—but that is exactly the problem. The very first lesson you’ve designed begins with rune construction. The entire first-year curriculum revolves around rune-construction knowledge, and the final assessment is actually to fully construct Prometheus’s Mage Armor.”

The mages of the Basic Education Department looked at each other in confusion. They still didn’t understand—wasn’t this the foundation?

Adam sighed helplessly. It seemed these mages had been separated from ordinary people for far too long, already forgetting the troubles they themselves once faced. It was like asking Earth’s mathematicians to teach elementary math. Their level was, without question, sky-high, but when it came to the system and efficiency of actual teaching, they might not compare to an ordinary math teacher.

“The Foundation Academy is dealing first and foremost with ordinary people who have zero background. Most of them have no idea what magic even is. Therefore, the priority of the textbooks should be to open their minds.”

Adam pulled up a light screen, scribbling across it. Everyone fixed their eyes on the words he wrote:

“Mathematics? Language? Physics? Chemistry? Biology? Sociology?”

The group broke into discussion. These terms were novel, but not difficult to understand in context:

- Mathematics → cultivating and improving calculation ability.

- Language → the basics of runes and spiritual power.

- Physics → principles of elemental magic.

- Chemistry → fundamentals of alchemy and potion magic.

- Biology → foundation of body-refining magic or knight breathing techniques.

- Sociology → teaching ordinary people about mages, and about the general structure of the world they live in.

“These things still need to be taught?” the deputy director of the Basic Education Department couldn’t help asking. “Aren’t these things everyone should—ah, I see now, Your Excellency.”

Adam said,

“As long as you understand. To you, these things are so simple they’re hardly worth mentioning, but to ordinary people, they’ve never once been exposed to them. The greatest duty of the Foundation Academy is to let them understand these things.

Afterward, if a student shows talent to become a mage, then when they pass the exams and move up to the Intermediate Academy, they won’t be completely lost. If they lack mage talent, upon graduating from the Foundation Academy they can still take on many posts and create real value for the Mage World.”

“But if there are students with high aptitude who progress quickly, what then? Wouldn’t this waste their time?” one ordinary mage asked.

This time Adam didn’t need to answer. The deputy director replied:

“They can be allowed to graduate early, or the textbooks can include extended content not tied to the exams. We can also relax the upper and lower limits on age for enrollment. After all, there is no age requirement to become a mage.” ŗäΝÔ𝖇È𝘚

Adam nodded. These were all good solutions. “Foundation” by its very name meant it was simple content. For example, if Adam himself had been born in this era, he would have finished the Foundation Academy in only a few days. And since mage apprentices were not limited by age—so long as one’s spiritual qualification was sufficient—even the elderly could still become apprentices.

Once the textbook framework was set, the rest became much simpler. The mages of the curriculum group could download the commonly-known contents into their personal chips and, after appropriate division, turn them directly into textbooks.

Three days later, the new teaching materials were completed and fully recorded into the hard drives of the already-manufactured teaching robots. At the same time, the Foundation Education Academy began its admissions drive, and news of its imminent opening quickly spread across the entire Academy Continent.

Now, on the southeastern part of the Academy Continent lay what was once Madeira Island. Within it stood two major cities and forty smaller ones.

One of the great cities was New Maplecold City, governed by Count Johnson. The other was New Southern Harbor City, ruled by Duke Alfred. Together, the two cities divided Madeira in half.

Because of William, New Southern Harbor City had been the first to lean toward the Liberal faction. But New Maplecold City was different—its ruler was a man as unyielding as steel, who had never once revealed his stance.

At this moment, inside the City Lord’s manor, Count Johnson and his knight-captains, the High Knights under him, stared intently at a communication device showing only a single, simple message.

One knight-captain asked:

“My lord, what are we to do?”

Though Count Johnson’s bearing was still heroic, his body already exuded a decaying aura, clearly showing his life was drawing near its end—even though he had already drunk the life-extending potion his outstanding daughter had given him. He replied:

“Of course we obey. Other than supporting and cooperating with him, we have no choice. In his eyes, we are but ants. Do you understand, Light?”

Knight-Captain Light said hesitantly:

“But he was born from a manor himself. Perhaps we could—”

“No,” Count Johnson interrupted. “You still don’t understand. Ants must have the awareness of ants. We have neither the qualification to befriend him, nor the qualification to defy him. Obedience is the only way for us to survive.”

Another knight-captain interjected:

“But my lord, in Southern Harbor City they say they’ve already sided with—”

The Count cut him off sharply:

“The struggles of giants are not for us to meddle in. If we simply do what we should, we will naturally receive the protection of the giants. Overestimating ourselves will only bring annihilation.

You must remember—these years of privilege for New Maplecold City, for me, and for you all—exist only because he once said: ‘Decide for yourselves.’”

After a moment of silence, the High Knights all saluted and said:

“We understand, my lord.”

The Count nodded.

“I know that these years of comfortable living have bred unrealistic thoughts in your hearts. You had best forget them. Gather your men, put away any small schemes.

If you don’t want to die—do not try to be clever.”

In a newly-built small city within the region of New Maplecold, in an unremarkable knight’s estate, inside the slave barracks, a brother and sister sat across from each other, eyes burning with urgency.

“Brother, I overheard the servants say the Foundation Education Academy has started enrollment. Do you think we could enter?” the younger sister tugged at her brother’s sleeve.

Even though no one else was around, the brother still looked about warily, and whispered in the lowest voice:

“We must become students. We cannot live as slaves our whole lives!”

“But brother,” the sister said timidly, “will the knight master even allow it? We only ever touched a communicator once—then it was taken away.”

Her brother’s eyes grew firm.

“Then we’ll steal one and run away. No matter what, we have to change our fate!”