The Dunmer priestess who arrived in Winterhold alongside Dumbledore was named Aranea Ienith. She was a priestess who served Azura, the Lady of Dawn and Dusk. Alone, she guarded Azura's shrine south of Winterhold—a steadfast believer, an ascetic who had earned the Daedric Prince's attention.
After Skyl finished arranging the expedition to Solstheim, Dumbledore introduced this Dunmer priestess to him.
"It's an honor to meet you." Aranea's gaze was bright, her tone solemn.
"And I'm honored to meet an ascetic who serves a Daedric Prince."
They exchanged formal greetings, and then Skyl suggested touring Winterhold together. This had been part of his and Dumbledore's schedule anyway, and since Aranea was a guest, she agreed without fuss.
A few members of the College came along as well. When the Arch-Mage, Savos Aren, learned that the headmaster of a magical school had arrived, he put aside his work and came to receive them personally.
The changes in the College of Winterhold were striking. Compared to last year, its membership had more than tripled.
Brelyna walked at Skyl's side, explaining the changes to the travelers who hadn't been here in a while. "We've taken in a lot of beginners. We've expanded the dormitories twice already, and now we're preparing to build another new dorm, and a new teaching hall."
Skyl was pleased. A flourishing academy would drive the advancement of magic—and a flourishing magic would make The Tower of Tomes shine even brighter.
Dumbledore's expression stayed calm. After seeing the College of Winterhold, he quietly compared it to Hogwarts in his mind. This pathetic Winterhold, what did it have to compete with Hogwarts?
Of course, that was just a joke. In truth, Dumbledore was fascinated by this world's magical society and how it functioned.
The College of Winterhold felt more like a Muggle research institute—cold, restrained, and rational to the bone.
Its members moved with purpose. Unlike Hogwarts students roughhousing and fooling around, these people were scholars of magic, explorers of mysteries, and maintainers of the system. Everyone bore a share of civic responsibility: if you wanted privileges, you had to contribute to the city's development.
In this society, magic had become a bridge between casters and non-casters, rather than a divide. By contrast, the wizarding world in Harry Potter existed as a community separate from the Muggle world, while also depending on it to some extent—like an invisible tenant. They all ate at the same table; Muggle progress would quietly seep into wizarding life, yet wizards themselves remained unseen and untouchable.
Since the Middle Ages, the wizarding world had practiced strict separation. Part of that came from the closed nature of bloodline ties, and part of it was because wizard magic wasn't tightly linked to production—wizard magic had the potential, but society didn't favor modernity, so nobody bothered to invent industrial spells.
Just look at the weird ones: [Densaugeo], [Rictusempra], [Tarantallegra]—all designed purely for messing with people.
Meanwhile, spells with enormous productive potential like [Scourgify], [Reparo], [Geminio], and Transfiguration were mostly spent on the petty trivialities of daily life.
As for killing curses like Avada Kedavra—its efficiency doesn't even compare to a Gatling gun's little toe. If ordinary people can buy a reliable M1917 Smith & Wesson, why would they insist on learning Avada Ke—whatever?
In the end, wizard magic depended on the caster, and there were simply far too few wizards overall. Without a population base, any development would inevitably hit a wall.
The difference in The Elder Scrolls world was that magical energy came from nature—the stars and the sun. Ordinary people could become spellcasters through study, not blood.
And the enchanting system powered by soul gems didn't even require a spellcaster's direct involvement. It could convert magical energy into diverse effects and apply them to production. That way, non-casters could also enjoy the fruits of magical research.
Since breaking down that barrier, the College of Winterhold had abandoned its old isolation. Through the local council, it actively participated in politics and shaped everyday production and life. The biggest change was the reform of local agriculture.
Winterhold used to be little more than a fishing village. Food here was fish, shrimp, shellfish, seaweed—and all dairy, flour, and alcohol had to be imported.
The College organized manpower and opened farms and pastures in the western outskirts of the city. These low, plain-looking greenhouses were, in fact, Skyl's most satisfying work so far.
"Each agricultural greenhouse is a complex, precise magical construct," a College mage explained to Dumbledore and Aranea. "During the long winter months, the glass roof releases artificial sunlight to ensure the crops receive proper illumination. These enchanted wind-pillars around the perimeter regulate temperature. The strong airflow they produce can also be used for pollination."
Skyl waved, removed a glass panel, and handed it to Dumbledore. The old wizard noticed runes and arrays flowing within the glass. "A delicate creation."
"Yeah. Every enchanted panel is hard-won. The busiest people in the College right now are the enchanters."
Enchanting was a discipline of intricate craft. Developing each enchantment effect could take years of exploration, but once the process was mature, it could be replicated rapidly—one of the most fundamental links in magical industry.
These greenhouses turned a region once too frigid for agriculture into fertile land capable of three harvests a year. Some of the grain became staple food, some became brewing stock, some became feed. What remained was stored, not exported.
The workers inside the greenhouses weren't human at all—they were machines. From sowing and fertilizing to weeding and harvesting, the entire process was automated as much as possible, freeing up a significant portion of the population.
Skyl said, "I originally planned to reference Dwemer technology, but what they build is essentially a unique form of life. Considering costs, these agricultural machines were produced using Muggle technology as the template. In the Winterhold Era sandbox, you can see their operating status in real time."
Next, everyone toured the livestock pens and the slaughterhouse—especially the soul-gem charging assembly line in the slaughterhouse. Everyone who saw it for the first time came away deeply impressed.
On the conveyor belt, batch after batch of poultry and livestock were marked by apprentices with Soul Trap snares, then slaughtered cleanly and efficiently. Their souls were drawn into empty soul gems. The entire process was orderly, emotionless, and precise.
The slaughterhouse could be divided into two zones: on one side, screaming animals, spurting blood, flying feathers, lifeless bodies, and filthy floors smeared with leftover waste. On the other side, pristine soul gems, neatly stacked storage crates, and a quiet transportation flow.
The cycle of life and death became a grotesque topic inside this slaughterhouse.
Aranea couldn't help asking, "Isn't prosperity like this… too cruel?"
Skyl said nothing. He simply kept leading them forward, into the downstream end of this production chain.
Most of the slaughtered animals went to community canteens across Winterhold and onto people's tables. That was why refugees from all over could eat their fill here, with enough meat, eggs, and dairy to support children's healthy growth. The remaining meat went to food factories, processed, and shipped out through the port.
The charged soul gems powered the city's infrastructure—streetlamps, the mechanical trawl nets on fishing boats, and the agricultural greenhouses all depended on soul-gem allocations. The rest was delivered to the College, where enchanters used them to produce still more enchanted items.
The whole system converted magical energy into material supply to support a larger population—and it could repeat, cycle, and expand like a snowball, growing larger and stronger.
"You've seen it," Skyl said. "This is a production system that works. The livestock's flesh and its soul are both used to the fullest. Some might call it cruel, but we prefer to call it efficient."
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