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Chapter 504: The Unexpected Sevinton Council
Stepping out of the floating carriage, Matthew observed the passing figures, many of whom had both familiar and unfamiliar faces. A peculiar feeling welled up within him.
He had successfully infiltrated the enemy's inner circle!
Even the sturdiest fortress could be breached from within.
Matthew wasn't in a rush now; slow and steady development of his territory was the key.
Having long understood this, Matthew was quite relaxed as he "scanned" the Arcanists one by one.
He was picking "targets," looking for suitable skills and feat.
Although he had discussed many matters with the archmage and made certain plans,
the chances of achieving his goals were still only around 30%.
To make this trip worthwhile, Matthew naturally aimed for some additional gains.
After all, most of the Netheril Empire's Arcanists had gathered here.
So many top figures in the field of magic provided Matthew with an excellent opportunity to accumulate feat and spells.
Even though these skills and spells wouldn't be immediately useful,
as long as Bay Territory kept cultivating spellcasters,
it wouldn't take long for resource-rich and skill-equipped spellcasters to grow rapidly.
Thus, Matthew was both generous and bold in his approach.
In fact, it wasn't just Matthew observing the Arcanists; many of them were also watching him.
After all, he was standing next to Cronorman.
Even though many viewed Archmage Cronorman's actions as unconventional,
his status as an archmage and his numerous initiatives benefiting commoner spellcasters had garnered him considerable support.
Some of the Arcanists present owed their growth to Cronorman's generosity.
Even though some had "gone along with the flow," they still felt a measure of gratitude toward him.
As such, many Arcanists who had heard of Matthew's deeds were quite curious about this student whom Cronorman had personally acknowledged.
"Ding! You have obtained Advanced Feat - Material-Free Casting, progress 10%... "
"Ding! You have obtained Advanced Feat - Material-Free Casting, progress 20%... "
"Ding... progress 30%. "
...
"Ding! You have acquired Advanced Feat - Full Material-Free Casting. "
"Advanced Feat - Material-Free Casting LV1: Substitutes high-level spellcasting materials, increases casting cost by 50%. "
This feat was rare and valuable.
On a personal level, it reduced a spellcaster's dependence on materials.
From Bay Territory's perspective, pairing it with other feat that reduced casting costs could save a substantial amount of resources.
More importantly, Material-Free Casting was a prerequisite for the Extraordinary Feat Mana-Free Casting.
This was what Matthew truly valued!
Aside from rare specialized feat, Matthew also didn't let unusual spells slip by.
For instance, he had just brushed past the renowned high-ranking Arcanist, Morduncan, who pretended to act nonchalant.
Seeing Morduncan's familiar bald head, Matthew, amused, silently moved closer.
Cronorman glanced at him from behind but didn't care, continuing on toward the conference hall.
The meeting was about to begin.
Matthew sat beside Morduncan, entirely unbothered by the latter's sharp gaze. Instead, he flashed a bright smile and said:
"Intermediate Arcanist - Matthew Ser."
Morduncan, on the verge of reaching legendary rank, felt something off in Matthew's gaze but couldn't pinpoint it. He coldly replied:
"High Arcanist - Morduncan."
Looking at the numerous spells listed on Morduncan's magical repertoire, Matthew's smile grew even brighter.
"As expected of you, the walking spell library."
Morduncan, the future pinnacle demigod-level archmage.
Of course, his most acclaimed achievements were the ingenious and practical spells he created.
These included, but were not limited to, the incredibly handy Morduncan's Loyal Hound and Morduncan's Magnificent Mansion.
Matthew's favorite 7th-tier spell—Morduncan's Sword.
And the dreaded 9th-tier legendary spell—Morduncan's Grand Disjunction!
That spell was also famously nicknamed Morduncan's Strip Spell!
Its effect was potent, but casting it often earned the wrath of one's teammates.
Even though Morduncan had yet to reach his peak and his spells hadn't been perfected,
his reputation had already spread far and wide across the Netheril Empire.
He frequently graced the pages of arcane newspapers.
Many players had studied his spells extensively.
They found many of his spells to be remarkably effective.
Naturally, Matthew was eager to "borrow" them for himself.
To ease the tension, Matthew pointed to the figure at the center of the stage and casually asked under Morduncan's suspicious gaze:
"Will other archmages be attending the meeting today?"
Morduncan paused for a moment, then shook his head and replied confidently:
"They don't have the time!"
High-ranking archmages wouldn't waste their precious time and energy attending a meeting that offered no new knowledge or magical secrets.
Except for Cronorman!
For that reason, when the meeting began, Cronorman sat in the central circle of chairs.
The seats around him were completely empty, with no one daring to approach.
Standing at the center of the stage was a slightly overweight middle-aged low-ranking Arcanist.
However, he seemed very accustomed to the scene. Once everyone was seated, he eagerly announced:
"The 249th Sevinton Council Meeting is now in session. All Arcanists are free to speak and share their proposals."
As soon as he finished, several prepared Arcanists began shouting.
"The orcs in the western hills must be dealt with quickly! They're interfering with my material collection for experiments..."
"Exactly! Those idiotic orcs ruin everything..."
"We must eliminate them soon. Their numbers will only grow, and it's driving us mad."
"..."
Initially, only a few spoke up, but Matthew noticed how quickly the once-quiet Arcanists began arguing.
"The orcs in the western hills?"
"Can't you deal with them yourselves?"
"Help the south! I'm running out of places to experiment..."
"Hah, why not prioritize the Carl Plains instead..."
"Our northern defenses need reinforcement too..."
The entire meeting room was as chaotic as a marketplace, far from the "elegant" and "magical" atmosphere Matthew had imagined.
Watching the Sevinton Council bicker like a marketplace dispute, Matthew found himself thoroughly entertained.
On the surface, the Arcanists were divided by territorial regions.
But in reality, they were grouped into three main factions.
The Elven Kingdom Alliance Faction.
Advocates of preserving their strength, unwilling to abandon demi-plane resources or mobilize troops.
The Arcanist Supremacy Faction.
Proponents of building more floating cities and crushing the orcs with overwhelming force.
The Moderates.
Led by Cronorman, they advocated for territorial preservation and civilian protection.
The lively debates between the three factions provided Matthew with endless entertainment.