Chapter 33: The Baumgarten Underground Empire III.
Zeke and Viola spent the entire day scouring the outer district of the city for valuables, but their search proved to be less successful than they had hoped. Despite their efforts, they each only managed to find a few interesting trinkets and baubles, nothing of significant value. They both knew that any valuable treasures had long since been taken from the area, leaving only the discarded and forgotten items behind.
Despite the lack of obvious treasures, Zeke's [Perfect Spatial Awareness] spell proved to be a valuable asset in their search. The spell, which now extended to around 2.5 meters around him, allowed him to detect any valuable items hidden within chests or storage crates with ease. This allowed them to be certain that they had not missed anything of worth during their search.
As the sun began to set, Zeke and Viola made camp for the night. As they sat around the fire, they discussed their plan for the next few days. They knew that their search for valuables in the outer district had come up empty, and they needed to decide on their next course of action. They considered returning to the academy or attempting to find a way to pass the second test.
The next day, Zeke and Viola set out with a clear goal in mind: to conduct one final sweep of the outer district before moving on to the location of "the second test." They had heard rumors of this test, and what they had learned was that it was much more difficult but not as deadly as the previous one. Unlike the first test, where failure meant certain death, it was said that those who could not pass this test were able to walk away unharmed.
With this in mind, Zeke and Viola had devised a plan. They would first scope out the situation, taking in all the details and trying to understand the nature of the test. They wanted to determine if they had a chance at success before committing to it. If it seemed impossible for them to pass, they would instead spend their remaining time in the outer district, searching for any valuables that may have been missed on their previous search.
As they walked through the abandoned streets, Zeke's [Perfect Spatial Awareness] spell proved to be a valuable asset once again.
Zeke and Viola were making their way through the outer district when they came across an old shop that must have been selling jewellery when the city still had a functioning economy. With his [Perfect Spatial Awareness] spell, Zeke could see a hidden compartment within the shop that contained a beautiful bracelet. Excited by the discovery, he opened the compartment and took out the bracelet.
Viola looked at the bracelet in fascination, it was clear that she liked it a lot. Zeke, noticing her interest, waved it in front of her face and could see that her eyes were tracking it like a cat watching a mouse. Before she could pounce on it, he tossed it to her and said it was a present. Viola was overjoyed and immediately put it on.
Just as they were admiring the bracelet, a voice could be heard from behind them. "Boss, those brats here seemed to have found something good."
Zeke and Viola turned around to see a man standing behind them, and three others entering the shop at his call. The look in their eyes made it clear that they were up to no good. Zeke wordlessly brandished his staff, which he had slung over his back, preparing for a fight. He would make sure that if those people wanted to steal from them, they would have to be ready to bleed for it.
Just as he was about to charge, the leader of the group spoke. "Brat, you have good taste. How about this? You guys can keep the bracelet you found, but in exchange, you let us have a little fun with your girlfriend. What do you say?"
Zeke was outraged by the man's proposition, and Viola was visibly shaking at the threat. Without hesitation, Zeke stepped forward, ready to defend Viola and himself. He knew that they could not just give in to these bandits' demands. They would have to fight to protect themselves and what was rightfully theirs.
Did this man really think that he would let them have their way with Viola just for a piece of jewelry? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He glared at the smug faces of the four men in the room, all of them leering at Viola like she was a piece of meat. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone hurting her, let alone these four thugs.
He stepped forward, his staff at the ready, and spoke with a voice filled with anger and determination. "You will not touch her. I will not let you harm her or take what is rightfully ours. Leave now, and we will forget this ever happened. If you do not, I will make sure you regret it."
The leader of the group sneered at Zeke's words, but he could see the determination in his eyes and knew that he meant what he said. He hesitated for a moment, considering his options, the tension in the room rose. Zeke gripped his staff so hard that his knuckles turned white, ready to fight to protect Viola and their loot. But before anything could happen, somebody started laughing. It was Viola, apparently she had not been shaking because of fear but in order to keep back her laughter. She was laughing so hard that tears were visible at the corners of her eyes.
After she finally got herself under control again, she smirked at the now visibly annoyed men and declared haughtily: "I want to see who amongst you dickless losers has the guts to lay their hands on Viola Windtänzer, daughter of Dimitri Windtänzer, patriarch of the Windtänzer family of the 5 great families, and granddaughter of Victor Windtänzer, Arch magus of the guild, and Headmaster of Elementium."
The men's expressions changed from sneers to looks of shock and fear as they realized who they were dealing with. The Windtänzer family was one of the most powerful and influential families in the empire, and they knew that they couldn't afford to cross them. They quickly apologized and tried to leave the shop, but Viola stopped them, "Do you not want to compensate me before you leave? I was scared to tears by your threats earlier, I think I deserve a little something for my troubles," Viola said, with a sly smile on her face. The bandits were speechless, how shameless was this little girl? Scared? She had laughed at them so hard that tears came out!
But what could they do, they didn't want word of what they had said to her to reach her family, so they took out some of the things they had found for her to pick from. Viola immediately grabbed everything, but after a moment, a look of disappointment could be seen on her face. "This is all trash," she said, before throwing everything on the ground and looking at the four men, angry. "Where is all the good stuff?"
The four men didn't know if they were supposed to laugh or cry at Viola's behavior. Not only was she robbing them, but she had even called everything they had trash, and now she was telling them that they didn't have good enough stuff for her to steal. What kind of girl was this? They didn't know what to say, so they all just looked at the ground like schoolboys who had just received a stern lesson from a teacher.
But before Viola could berate them any further, Zeke grabbed something from the ground and spoke up, "Where did you guys find this?" In his hands was a book.
The leader of the group looked at the book, surprised, "That? We found it in one of the houses we searched. It looked like it was some kind of library, but we couldn't read anything in it, I only grabbed that book because it has a little gold on it's cover, so I just tossed it in the bag."
Zeke looked at the book and then back at the man. He thought for a moment before saying, "How about this, you guys lead us to the place you found this book and in exchange, you keep everything else and are free to go?" Viola wanted to protest, but Zeke held up his hand to stop her. Viola pouted a little, but she could tell that Zeke was serious, so she agreed as well. The four men looked at how Zeke had managed to save them from that little demoness and looked at Zeke like he was their lifesaver. They quickly agreed and began to lead the way.
The group made their way through the abandoned streets, following the bandits' lead. They came across several houses and buildings, but none of them seemed to be the right one. Finally, they arrived at a small, rundown house on the outskirts of the city. The leader of the bandit group gestured towards the house and said, "We found the book in that house."
Zeke and Viola thanked the bandits and allowed them to leave with the loot they had taken from the other houses. The bandits were overjoyed and quickly made their escape, not wanting to stick around and risk incurring Viola's wrath.
Zeke and Viola approached the house, and Zeke used his [Perfect Spacial Awareness] to check for any traps or hidden dangers. Finding none, they entered the house and began to search for the source of the book. After a few minutes of searching, they found the entrance to a small library hidden in a corner of the room. Zeke began to smile when he saw all the books around them. Viola asked him what that book they had was. Zeke turned to her, and his smile got even wider, "The book those guys had were the notes of a retired researcher who had spent his entire life inside the inner district. If I am correct, then this library should be filled with books the man wrote himself instead of the novels we found in all the other houses."
Zeke looked at Viola and told her that she should go on and check out the second test while he stayed here and read through everything. Viola immediately agreed, she had been afraid that he would ask her to help with the reading. She left as if she was running away, eager to see what the second test held in store for her.
Zeke sat down and began to read the books, his mind was racing with the possibilities of the knowledge he could gain from them. He knew that these books could change his life, and he was determined to absorb as much as he could. He spent the next few hours pouring over the books, taking notes and making connections between the different pieces of information. He also learned that the people who lived here called themselves Gigers. Zeke continued to read through the books and discovered that the Gigers had a unique way of thinking about the world. They believed in the power of knowledge and the importance of understanding the world around them.
Olenzo, the researcher who had written all the books, had a deep understanding of the Giger's culture and way of life. He wrote about the Giger's love for science and experimentation, and how they had used this passion to create a society that was highly advanced. However, Olenzo also wrote about the Giger's tendency to overcompensate for their small size by building everything larger than it needed to be. He believed that this behavior was rooted in their need to prove themselves to the larger races and to show that they were just as capable, if not more so, than the larger races.
Zeke delved deeper into the books and discovered that the Gigers were a highly magical and technologically advanced society. They had developed a system of magic that allowed them to control machines with their minds and had created a utopia for themselves, living in harmony with nature and their surroundings. They had created a perfect balance between magic and technology, something that was thought to be impossible.
Zeke also learned that the Gigers had a unique understanding of magic itself. They had discovered a way to tap into the energies that flowed through the earth and harnessed it to power their machines and create their underground paradise. The Gigers had even created a way to store and release magic in a controlled manner, something that Zeke had never seen before.
Zeke couldn't believe what he was reading. The knowledge contained in these books was invaluable and could change the way magic was understood and used. He knew that this discovery could turn someone into one of the most respected researchers in the empire.
He spent hours in the library, reading and taking notes on everything he could. Viola had returned a while ago but didn't want to interupt him, so she curled up in a corner and went to sleep. He knew that he couldn't take all the books with him, but he memorized as much as he could and made detailed notes on the most important information. Then he burned the notes and slapped his forehead, was he an actual idiot? Didn't he work all summer long on a spell that would help him memorize and understand an enormous amount of information and store them indefinitly? So he got to work.
After several hours of none stop memorisation, his mind buzzing with the wealth of information he had just absorbed, lay down beside Viola and closed his eyes. The knowledge he had gained was invaluable, but also dangerous in the wrong hands. As he drifted off to sleep, he made the decision to burn the books and records of the Gigers before they left, ensuring that their secrets were kept safe. His mind was at ease, knowing that he had not only gained knowledge, but also taken steps to protect it.
The next morning, Zeke woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. He knew that there was much to be done before they could leave this place, and he was determined to make the most of their time here.
He began to gather the books and stack them in the middle of the room. He then used the magical tool for lighting camp fires to ignite the pile and watched as the flames consumed the books, destroying them completely. With a heavy heart, he turned and left the burning library. Viola and Zeke then made their way towards the second test. Viola informed Zeke that she had heard there was a strong adventurer attempting the test today.
As they approached the location, they could see a crowd gathered around a large circular arena. In the center of the arena stood a man, who Zeke assumed was Rudolf, dressed in gold armor and wielding a massive sword. He was surrounded by a group of heavily armed guards.
As they made their way closer to the front of the crowd, Zeke could see that the guards were not just there for show. They were clearly on high alert, their eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of danger.
Viola leaned in closer to Zeke and whispered, "Rudolf is a gold ranked adventurer, the strongest guy here at the moment. He tried the test weeks ago, but ultimately failed. He's determined to pass it this time, but I don't think he stands a chance."
Zeke watched as Rudolf stepped towards the guardian and began to speak. "I am Rudolf, a gold ranked adventurer. I have come here to take the second test, and I will not be denied!" The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, but Zeke could see the determination in Rudolf's eyes. The robotic voice of the guardian could be heard, but the people here didn't seem to understand what it was saying.
As the test began, Zeke could see that Rudolf was a formidable opponent. He fought with skill and precision, his sword striking with deadly accuracy. But as the test progressed, it became clear that he was outmatched. The guards surrounding him began to fall one by one, until finally Rudolf himself was defeated.
As the crowd cheered and applauded, Viola turned to Zeke and said, "It seems I was right, we don't stand a chance in this test." before she could say anything more she realized something was wrong with the way Zeke just stood there, watching the failed test of Rudolf. Viola couldn't help but notice the oddity in his expression. She reached out to prod him, attempting to gain his attention, yet he remained fixated on the scene before him. A moment passed before a chuckle escaped his lips, growing louder and louder until it became a full-fledged laugh. Those around them began to take offense, assuming Zeke was mocking Rudolf's failure. Viola, quick on her feet, pulled him away from the growing crowd and demanded to know the reason for his sudden outburst. The smirk on his face was growing wider with every word as he spoke, "I think we will pass the second test without a problem."
Chapter 33: The Baumgarten Underground Empire III.
Zeke and Viola spent the entire day scouring the outer district of the city for valuables, but their search proved to be less successful than they had hoped. Despite their efforts, they each only managed to find a few interesting trinkets and baubles, nothing of significant value. They both knew that any valuable treasures had long since been taken from the area, leaving only the discarded and forgotten items behind.
Despite the lack of obvious treasures, Zeke's [Perfect Spatial Awareness] spell proved to be a valuable asset in their search. The spell, which now extended to around 2.5 meters around him, allowed him to detect any valuable items hidden within chests or storage crates with ease. This allowed them to be certain that they had not missed anything of worth during their search.
As the sun began to set, Zeke and Viola made camp for the night. As they sat around the fire, they discussed their plan for the next few days. They knew that their search for valuables in the outer district had come up empty, and they needed to decide on their next course of action. They considered returning to the academy or attempting to find a way to pass the second test.
The next day, Zeke and Viola set out with a clear goal in mind: to conduct one final sweep of the outer district before moving on to the location of "the second test." They had heard rumors of this test, and what they had learned was that it was much more difficult but not as deadly as the previous one. Unlike the first test, where failure meant certain death, it was said that those who could not pass this test were able to walk away unharmed.
With this in mind, Zeke and Viola had devised a plan. They would first scope out the situation, taking in all the details and trying to understand the nature of the test. They wanted to determine if they had a chance at success before committing to it. If it seemed impossible for them to pass, they would instead spend their remaining time in the outer district, searching for any valuables that may have been missed on their previous search.
As they walked through the abandoned streets, Zeke's [Perfect Spatial Awareness] spell proved to be a valuable asset once again.
Zeke and Viola were making their way through the outer district when they came across an old shop that must have been selling jewellery when the city still had a functioning economy. With his [Perfect Spatial Awareness] spell, Zeke could see a hidden compartment within the shop that contained a beautiful bracelet. Excited by the discovery, he opened the compartment and took out the bracelet.
Viola looked at the bracelet in fascination, it was clear that she liked it a lot. Zeke, noticing her interest, waved it in front of her face and could see that her eyes were tracking it like a cat watching a mouse. Before she could pounce on it, he tossed it to her and said it was a present. Viola was overjoyed and immediately put it on.
Just as they were admiring the bracelet, a voice could be heard from behind them. "Boss, those brats here seemed to have found something good."
Zeke and Viola turned around to see a man standing behind them, and three others entering the shop at his call. The look in their eyes made it clear that they were up to no good. Zeke wordlessly brandished his staff, which he had slung over his back, preparing for a fight. He would make sure that if those people wanted to steal from them, they would have to be ready to bleed for it.
Just as he was about to charge, the leader of the group spoke. "Brat, you have good taste. How about this? You guys can keep the bracelet you found, but in exchange, you let us have a little fun with your girlfriend. What do you say?"
Zeke was outraged by the man's proposition, and Viola was visibly shaking at the threat. Without hesitation, Zeke stepped forward, ready to defend Viola and himself. He knew that they could not just give in to these bandits' demands. They would have to fight to protect themselves and what was rightfully theirs.
Did this man really think that he would let them have their way with Viola just for a piece of jewelry? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He glared at the smug faces of the four men in the room, all of them leering at Viola like she was a piece of meat. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone hurting her, let alone these four thugs.
He stepped forward, his staff at the ready, and spoke with a voice filled with anger and determination. "You will not touch her. I will not let you harm her or take what is rightfully ours. Leave now, and we will forget this ever happened. If you do not, I will make sure you regret it."
The leader of the group sneered at Zeke's words, but he could see the determination in his eyes and knew that he meant what he said. He hesitated for a moment, considering his options, the tension in the room rose. Zeke gripped his staff so hard that his knuckles turned white, ready to fight to protect Viola and their loot. But before anything could happen, somebody started laughing. It was Viola, apparently she had not been shaking because of fear but in order to keep back her laughter. She was laughing so hard that tears were visible at the corners of her eyes.
After she finally got herself under control again, she smirked at the now visibly annoyed men and declared haughtily: "I want to see who amongst you dickless losers has the guts to lay their hands on Viola Windtänzer, daughter of Dimitri Windtänzer, patriarch of the Windtänzer family of the 5 great families, and granddaughter of Victor Windtänzer, Arch magus of the guild, and Headmaster of Elementium."
The men's expressions changed from sneers to looks of shock and fear as they realized who they were dealing with. The Windtänzer family was one of the most powerful and influential families in the empire, and they knew that they couldn't afford to cross them. They quickly apologized and tried to leave the shop, but Viola stopped them, "Do you not want to compensate me before you leave? I was scared to tears by your threats earlier, I think I deserve a little something for my troubles," Viola said, with a sly smile on her face. The bandits were speechless, how shameless was this little girl? Scared? She had laughed at them so hard that tears came out!
But what could they do, they didn't want word of what they had said to her to reach her family, so they took out some of the things they had found for her to pick from. Viola immediately grabbed everything, but after a moment, a look of disappointment could be seen on her face. "This is all trash," she said, before throwing everything on the ground and looking at the four men, angry. "Where is all the good stuff?"
The four men didn't know if they were supposed to laugh or cry at Viola's behavior. Not only was she robbing them, but she had even called everything they had trash, and now she was telling them that they didn't have good enough stuff for her to steal. What kind of girl was this? They didn't know what to say, so they all just looked at the ground like schoolboys who had just received a stern lesson from a teacher.
But before Viola could berate them any further, Zeke grabbed something from the ground and spoke up, "Where did you guys find this?" In his hands was a book.
The leader of the group looked at the book, surprised, "That? We found it in one of the houses we searched. It looked like it was some kind of library, but we couldn't read anything in it, I only grabbed that book because it has a little gold on it's cover, so I just tossed it in the bag."
Zeke looked at the book and then back at the man. He thought for a moment before saying, "How about this, you guys lead us to the place you found this book and in exchange, you keep everything else and are free to go?" Viola wanted to protest, but Zeke held up his hand to stop her. Viola pouted a little, but she could tell that Zeke was serious, so she agreed as well. The four men looked at how Zeke had managed to save them from that little demoness and looked at Zeke like he was their lifesaver. They quickly agreed and began to lead the way.
The group made their way through the abandoned streets, following the bandits' lead. They came across several houses and buildings, but none of them seemed to be the right one. Finally, they arrived at a small, rundown house on the outskirts of the city. The leader of the bandit group gestured towards the house and said, "We found the book in that house."
Zeke and Viola thanked the bandits and allowed them to leave with the loot they had taken from the other houses. The bandits were overjoyed and quickly made their escape, not wanting to stick around and risk incurring Viola's wrath.
Zeke and Viola approached the house, and Zeke used his [Perfect Spacial Awareness] to check for any traps or hidden dangers. Finding none, they entered the house and began to search for the source of the book. After a few minutes of searching, they found the entrance to a small library hidden in a corner of the room. Zeke began to smile when he saw all the books around them. Viola asked him what that book they had was. Zeke turned to her, and his smile got even wider, "The book those guys had were the notes of a retired researcher who had spent his entire life inside the inner district. If I am correct, then this library should be filled with books the man wrote himself instead of the novels we found in all the other houses."
Zeke looked at Viola and told her that she should go on and check out the second test while he stayed here and read through everything. Viola immediately agreed, she had been afraid that he would ask her to help with the reading. She left as if she was running away, eager to see what the second test held in store for her.
Zeke sat down and began to read the books, his mind was racing with the possibilities of the knowledge he could gain from them. He knew that these books could change his life, and he was determined to absorb as much as he could. He spent the next few hours pouring over the books, taking notes and making connections between the different pieces of information. He also learned that the people who lived here called themselves Gigers. Zeke continued to read through the books and discovered that the Gigers had a unique way of thinking about the world. They believed in the power of knowledge and the importance of understanding the world around them.
Olenzo, the researcher who had written all the books, had a deep understanding of the Giger's culture and way of life. He wrote about the Giger's love for science and experimentation, and how they had used this passion to create a society that was highly advanced. However, Olenzo also wrote about the Giger's tendency to overcompensate for their small size by building everything larger than it needed to be. He believed that this behavior was rooted in their need to prove themselves to the larger races and to show that they were just as capable, if not more so, than the larger races.
Zeke delved deeper into the books and discovered that the Gigers were a highly magical and technologically advanced society. They had developed a system of magic that allowed them to control machines with their minds and had created a utopia for themselves, living in harmony with nature and their surroundings. They had created a perfect balance between magic and technology, something that was thought to be impossible.
Zeke also learned that the Gigers had a unique understanding of magic itself. They had discovered a way to tap into the energies that flowed through the earth and harnessed it to power their machines and create their underground paradise. The Gigers had even created a way to store and release magic in a controlled manner, something that Zeke had never seen before.
Zeke couldn't believe what he was reading. The knowledge contained in these books was invaluable and could change the way magic was understood and used. He knew that this discovery could turn someone into one of the most respected researchers in the empire.
He spent hours in the library, reading and taking notes on everything he could. Viola had returned a while ago but didn't want to interupt him, so she curled up in a corner and went to sleep. He knew that he couldn't take all the books with him, but he memorized as much as he could and made detailed notes on the most important information. Then he burned the notes and slapped his forehead, was he an actual idiot? Didn't he work all summer long on a spell that would help him memorize and understand an enormous amount of information and store them indefinitly? So he got to work.
After several hours of none stop memorisation, his mind buzzing with the wealth of information he had just absorbed, lay down beside Viola and closed his eyes. The knowledge he had gained was invaluable, but also dangerous in the wrong hands. As he drifted off to sleep, he made the decision to burn the books and records of the Gigers before they left, ensuring that their secrets were kept safe. His mind was at ease, knowing that he had not only gained knowledge, but also taken steps to protect it.
The next morning, Zeke woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. He knew that there was much to be done before they could leave this place, and he was determined to make the most of their time here.
He began to gather the books and stack them in the middle of the room. He then used the magical tool for lighting camp fires to ignite the pile and watched as the flames consumed the books, destroying them completely. With a heavy heart, he turned and left the burning library. Viola and Zeke then made their way towards the second test. Viola informed Zeke that she had heard there was a strong adventurer attempting the test today.
As they approached the location, they could see a crowd gathered around a large circular arena. In the center of the arena stood a man, who Zeke assumed was Rudolf, dressed in gold armor and wielding a massive sword. He was surrounded by a group of heavily armed guards.
As they made their way closer to the front of the crowd, Zeke could see that the guards were not just there for show. They were clearly on high alert, their eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of danger.
Viola leaned in closer to Zeke and whispered, "Rudolf is a gold ranked adventurer, the strongest guy here at the moment. He tried the test weeks ago, but ultimately failed. He's determined to pass it this time, but I don't think he stands a chance."
Zeke watched as Rudolf stepped towards the guardian and began to speak. "I am Rudolf, a gold ranked adventurer. I have come here to take the second test, and I will not be denied!" The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, but Zeke could see the determination in Rudolf's eyes. The robotic voice of the guardian could be heard, but the people here didn't seem to understand what it was saying.
As the test began, Zeke could see that Rudolf was a formidable opponent. He fought with skill and precision, his sword striking with deadly accuracy. But as the test progressed, it became clear that he was outmatched. The guards surrounding him began to fall one by one, until finally Rudolf himself was defeated.
As the crowd cheered and applauded, Viola turned to Zeke and said, "It seems I was right, we don't stand a chance in this test." before she could say anything more she realized something was wrong with the way Zeke just stood there, watching the failed test of Rudolf. Viola couldn't help but notice the oddity in his expression. She reached out to prod him, attempting to gain his attention, yet he remained fixated on the scene before him. A moment passed before a chuckle escaped his lips, growing louder and louder until it became a full-fledged laugh. Those around them began to take offense, assuming Zeke was mocking Rudolf's failure. Viola, quick on her feet, pulled him away from the growing crowd and demanded to know the reason for his sudden outburst. The smirk on his face was growing wider with every word as he spoke, "I think we will pass the second test without a problem."
