Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

"I once dreamed of becoming an Imperial Mage, but I only ever made it to the level of a Junior Mage. It's impossible for me to advance any further in this life." He stroked the Magic Book, a hint of resignation in his gaze. "Powerful Destructive Magic was beyond my reach, so I had no choice but to carve a different path and research those ancient forms of Edge Magic."

"Since I couldn't be a leading Mage, I thought I might as well become a practical Miscellaneous Magic Scholar. After all, Magic itself exists to serve people; there are no noble or lowly forms."

He smiled faintly and put the book back.

"I understand. My own life plan was to be a Minstrel, my head full of songs." Levi flexed his arm, gazing at his bulging biceps with a complicated expression. "Unfortunately, when the heavens grant a person an exceptional Talent in one area, they often take from another to compensate. I suppose that's the so-called way of balance. In the end, Power and knowledge just can't coexist."

The two exchanged a look and headed to the rear garden together, ready for a proper discussion.

The garden was divided into clearly demarcated plots, all filled with strange flowers and exotic herbs. Each plant exuded a faint aura of Magic Power, making the Elemental Power in the area unusually active.

Ever since the Lord began cultivating the Holy Word Treasure Manual, he had been able to sense the Elemental Power around him, making him exceptionally sensitive to it.

"That voice projection at the city gate earlier—you did that with Magic, didn't you?"

The two sat down in a pavilion at the center of the garden. Levi accepted a cup of tea from a beautiful Maid with a mole by the corner of her mouth, took a sip, and then asked.

"Yes, it's a very simple piece of Magic," Filo nodded.

"Can I learn it?" the Lord asked bluntly.

He never minded spending a little time learning Magic that was perfect for fanning the flames.

"I imagine you could probably do it with Holy Light, too?" Filo said, sounding a little uncertain.

Although Holy Light and Magic Power were both considered Elemental Attributes, the difference between them was as vast as that between an ant and an elephant.

Still, it wasn't a particularly profound form of Magic. As long as one understood the principles, it could probably be done even with Holy Light.

The Prince quickly laid out the detailed principles for the Lord.

Levi was stunned the moment he heard the explanation. 'Isn't this just like the cup-and-string telephone I made as a kid?'

He tried to condense his Holy Light into the shape of a cup-and-string telephone, aiming one end at himself while expanding the other into a large horn several times its size, pointing it toward Zat, who was squatting at the edge of the garden and poking at ants.

Levi called out softly.

A voice, magnified several times, immediately rang out on the other side.

"Dolt!"

Zat immediately looked up toward the pavilion in the center of the garden, startled and suspicious. When he saw that his boss wasn't even looking in his direction, he scratched the back of his head in utter confusion.

"Lord Levi, you are truly a genius!" Filo exclaimed in amazement.

He had assumed that even though the little trick was simple, it would still take at least a few tries. He never expected Levi to succeed on the very first attempt.

"However, as for mimicking other people's voices, you will have to study that from a book yourself, my Lord," he continued.

"Fine. I'll take a look when I get the chance," Levi said with a nod.

"I see you also research the Agricultural School, Filo. Do you happen to know about the Soil Fertility Technique?"

The Lord asked offhandedly, having remembered something.

One could say that High Cliff Castle's decent crop yields were largely thanks to this technique. Given its importance, and the farming blood that ran in his veins, it was only natural that he would take a special interest in this kind of Magic.

"It's a school of Magic that everyone underestimates!" Filo said, his expression serious and tinged with a bit of regret. "The school originated in the ancient Mountain Kingdom, but its most wondrous technique—in my opinion—was completely lost after the kingdom fell."

"Oh? How wondrous?" The Lord, not expecting this extra tidbit of information, asked with a straight face.

"Did you know? I once read in an old journal that a Mage from the Agricultural School used this technique to cultivate a Moonlight Orchid!"

"The Moonlight Orchid is a type of Magic Plant, often used to create various Magic Potions. It has extremely strict environmental requirements and can typically only be found on the peaks of snow-capped mountains. It's practically impossible to cultivate artificially."

"And yet, this Mage from the Agricultural School used the Soil Fertility Technique to cultivate one in his very own courtyard."

"You might not realize just how difficult that is. In other words, it's no less difficult than trying to grow rye in a desert without a single drop of water!" Filo rose and walked to a corner of the garden, which was enclosed by a glass case surrounded by blocks of ice. Inside was a single, drooping orchid.

Compared to the scraggly plants crammed together in the surrounding flowerbeds, its treatment was fit for the king of all flowers.

"Afterward, no matter what ancient records or texts I consulted, everything proved that the account was true."

"This is a Moonlight Orchid I spent a fortune to acquire. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I haven't been able to keep it alive." Filo caressed the glass case with one hand and let out a sigh.

"So, hypothetically," Levi began, clearing his throat twice to emphasize he was just asking casually, "if we had this technique, we could cultivate entire fields of precious Magic Plants and then sell them at exorbitant prices to those Mages who treat money like dirt?"

There was a saying that circulated throughout the Seven Kingdoms: every Mage of high Cultivation is flat broke.

It wasn't that they didn't have money; it was that they spent heaps of it on Magic, leaving every Mage to live a hand-to-mouth existence.