Chapter 390 Success and Departure

After the Space Mage left, a few other spellcasters also departed, leaving only Shaoke and the other three in the basement. The Blue-robed Female Mage seemed not to notice, suddenly turning to Shaoke to suggest, "Mage Xueye, do you think it would work to trade some magical materials with other empires for those new crops? After all, doing the research ourselves would take too much time and effort."

Before Shaoke could respond, the White-robed Cleric interjected, "It's best if we develop them ourselves. I don't think it will take too long. Leave this to me." The Cleric then looked at Shaoke, and after a moment, stroked her golden book, lost in thought.

Seeing that Shaoke had no objection, the Blue-robed Mage pondered for a while and agreed. "Mage Xueye, regarding the experimental method you mentioned earlier, I think we can proceed now." She added that the Barbarian Empire now had a settled population of billions, and with no wars, many young people roamed freely, taking on tasks from roving organizations or in the empire's name to earn a living. Their organization had recruited hundreds of thousands to repair the surrounding lands, aiming to restore them to their fertile state for larger-scale crop cultivation.

Shaoke quickly agreed to Mage Roman's suggestion. The plan to abduct young, able-bodied men for experiments and have them fight for survival had been discussed long ago. Although only briefly mentioned back then, the Blue-robed Female Mage had already started preparing for it when establishing the settlement. Now, they only needed to bring in the men for the experiments.

The orders were promptly issued, since getting able-bodied men didn't require a Ninth-rank Spellcaster; that was a job for the Low-order beings. How they pulled it off wasn't something Shaoke or the Blue-robed Female Mage needed to worry about. They just needed to see a sufficient number of test subjects.

Before the test subjects arrived, the Blue-robed Mage took Shaoke to check out the lab she'd designed inside her mountain peak. The lab was built into the mountain, divided into nine levels. The higher you went, the smaller the space, but the better the amenities. Naturally, there would be fewer test subjects on the higher levels, and only those who made it to the top level would get the women the mages provided.

"Each person has to kill five of their own kind on each level to move up. If anyone awakens their Aura during the process, they'll be moved to a different area to keep fighting," the Blue-robed Mage explained calmly to Shaoke. "Those who awaken Aura have to kill ten opponents before their memories get wiped, and then they'll serve as guards for the mage families." She looked at Shaoke, awaiting his evaluation.

Shaoke just nodded, then asked, "Are you running this experiment? If too many people go missing, it could stir up trouble." He looked at the Blue-robed Mage suspiciously, then lowered his voice. "I'm worried that in the end, all we'll get are trained warriors." He touched the magical script on the wall—protective measures carved by Seventh-order Practitioners that Low-order beings couldn't damage.

"Children of a mage and a warrior still have a decent chance of being born with magical talent. You should know that," the Blue-robed Mage said, slightly annoyed. "We've already decided, so let's get started. The empire's huge—no one's gonna notice a few hundred thousand people gone, especially since I've already filed a request with the Imperial Parliament, giving us the right to take all the empire's prisoners. And if our allied nations are willing to send them..."

Shaoke didn't say anything, just nodded and left. He'd later be involved in managing parts of this experimental area, since he'd originally come up with the idea, which gave him the authority to make changes. Other Ninth-order beings also showed up on the day the first batch of test subjects arrived, hoping that if the experiment worked, it would really strengthen their own families.

Shaoke didn't know how the Ninth-order beings got the able-bodied men, but he knew that when the first batch arrived, there were over thirty thousand of them. Luckily, the space was big enough to hold them all. Of course, when these people found out what was in store for them, some rebelled, but the warriors stationed there quickly put down the revolts. Within a dozen breaths, thousands were dead, and after that, no one dared to resist.

Once the test subjects calmed down, Low-order Warriors herded them into rooms in a set order and gave them plenty of food, made from magical beast meat and potions to boost their physiques. After ten days of rest, they'd start fighting in pairs. Only those who killed five opponents could move up to the next level.

During this time, Mage Roman and the others came to check things out, but after watching for a bit, they quickly left. They didn't oppose the experiment, but they didn't approve of it either. Shaoke spent most of those ten days in the underground area. Right before the first combat trials were about to start, he told the Blue-robed Mage and temporarily went back to the surface, since he hadn't seen his daughter Moyu'er in a long time. It took Mage Roman and the White-robed Cleric reminding him several times before he remembered, because his daughter had been upset about him being gone.

"Dad, I thought you didn't want me anymore," Moyu'er said when she suddenly saw Shaoke appear. At almost four years old, she was used to her dad popping up out of nowhere. She quickly ran from her sister Lan Wei'er to Shaoke and grabbed onto his leg tightly. "Sister keeps making me read books all day. Doesn't she know I'm still a little kid?" She stuck her tongue out at Lan Wei'er, who was standing nearby, and buried her face in Shaoke's leg.

"You're not a little kid anymore. You're about to become a spellcaster. Have you fully mastered those modern magical languages?" Shaoke touched her head and pinched her little cheek, then looked her in the eye. "Look up. When you talk to people, it's basic manners to look them in the eye." He was a little annoyed when he saw Moyu'er still hiding her face.

"But Dad, I don't like looking up to talk to you. It makes me tired," she said, then suddenly let go of his leg and ran toward her sister. Standing beside Lan Wei'er, she said, "I've already fully recognized them, but now sister wants me to practice writing them." This way, she didn't have to look up. Lan Wei'er nodded, confirming what she said.

Shaoke used Blink to instantly appear beside Lan Wei'er. He asked her in detail about her teaching of Moyu'er, then inquired about Lan Wei'er's own situation over the past few days. After giving them some additional instructions, he prepared to leave. Before he left, both Moyu'er and Lan Wei'er kissed him. Lan Wei'er took the opportunity to kiss him on the lips, while his daughter kissed his cheek.

After finishing those tasks, Shaoke reappeared in the large underground laboratory, where the first combat was about to begin. All the Ninth-order beings were present. Once Shaoke arrived, the experiment officially started. There was no need to prolong things with ceremonies—after all, there were no outsiders, and it wasn't a good experiment anyway. Most importantly, they wanted to observe whether these young men had the ability to survive on such a battlefield.

"Everyone, there are nine levels here. For every five opponents you kill, you move up one level. When you reach the ninth level, after killing five more opponents, you'll be permanently released and can walk this continent as a mighty warrior. With training, you can become like us," the Blue-robed Female Mage explained to the more than thirty thousand people below through an Amplification Spell. "Of course, I'm sure you've all heard of mages. When you reach the ninth level, there will be young, beautiful mages to serve you. There are no other services here. Remember these words." She then signaled the start of the experiment, took out a large stone tablet, and inscribed the rules in detail.

Since there were still few people, only one hundred pairs of young men fought in the first combat. They had no weapons and hadn't cultivated any Aura. No one dared to resist, as those who did had already been beheaded by the guards, and their bodies fed to the magical beasts being raised.

Each test subject had a number, and two hundred were randomly selected for combat. The victors, after sufficient rest or when certain conditions were met, would fight again. This time, they would face other victors from the previous round. This process would continue indefinitely until the settlement disappeared or the experiment ended.

Brutal, skill-less, and frenzied fights took place on the stone platforms. Soon, all the combats ended. Of the two hundred, fewer than eighty remained, as some had died together with their opponents. At this level, no one cared about such matters. Of course, at higher levels, such behavior would be stopped, as the experimental materials would be more valuable there.

With the help of physicians, the victors were quickly treated. Under the watch of some warriors, they were moved to other spaces with ample food and training equipment. After a certain period, the combats would resume. Meanwhile, the Ninth-order beings were discussing the recent events and issues that had arisen.

"When they reach a certain level or awaken their Aura, they must be taught some combat techniques. Otherwise, this isn't combat—it's brawling," said the only female warrior, dissatisfied with the next batch of combatants. Their killing skills were utterly disappointing. "And it would be best to teach them some writing, so they can understand those combat techniques more quickly." She looked at the Blue-robed Female Mage.

But before the Blue-robed Female Mage could respond, Shaoke objected. "This kind of slaughter is actually the most effective. I suggest we only give them basic combat techniques when they reach the fifth level." He added, "This savage fighting often produces stronger results than practiced skills."

Since opinions had shifted, they decided not to waste food and medicine on these people and had them all undergo combat. Thus, in one day, the underground laboratory had fewer than twenty thousand test subjects left. The bodies were dragged out by warriors and fed to the low-level magical beasts being raised. According to one warrior, this saved on food and made the beast meat tastier. No one objected to this decision—they didn't care about these test subjects. The group then finalized some rules and left. An Eighth-order Practitioner was assigned to stay there long-term, while Shaoke and the others would make irregular visits.

As time passed, more test subjects arrived. However, since the Barbarian Empire still had a relatively small population, the pace of the bloody experiment slowed. Still, the newcomers always underwent the first elimination after ten days of rest. The intervals between fights at other levels were also extended. Even so, many test subjects died. The entire underground space was perpetually filled with a strong smell of blood, which grew stronger over time.

Time flowed slowly. One day, Shaoke and Mage Roman nervously guarded Moyu'er, as she was about to undergo her first meditation. With concern from Lan Wei'er and Mage Roman, Shaoke had to come to take care of her and prevent any mishaps.

At six years old, Moyu'er's talents in all aspects were even better than Lan Wei'er's. Lan Wei'er had first meditated at ten, while Moyu'er was doing so four years earlier.

The Cleric carefully released a stream of golden light into Moyu'er's meditation space. Since she had chosen the highest level of meditation method from the start, Mage Roman had the White-robed Cleric provide this direct protection. As time passed, Moyu'er's expression grew more relaxed. The Cleric informed Shaoke and the others that Moyu'er was expanding her meditation space.

Hearing this, Mage Roman nervously gripped Shaoke's arm. The size of a spellcaster's first meditation space depended not only on talent but also on factors like the meditation method and their state at the time. To ensure their children's strength, large families often hired clerics to assist in expanding the meditation space. This time, the White-robed Cleric's task was to maximize the expansion of Moyu'er's space when she could no longer do so herself. A larger space would give an advantage over peers in the same rank. Of course, this concept changed upon reaching the Eighth Tier.

After nearly a magic hour, the White-robed Cleric and Moyu'er opened their eyes simultaneously, ending the first meditation. "How do you feel?" Mage Roman tried to keep her expression calm, kissed her daughter's forehead, and awaited her answer. Shaoke and others also watched Moyu'er nervously. Only the Cleric smiled, linked her arm with Shaoke's, and looked pleased—clearly, the meditation was a great success.

Moyu'er grinned and handed her small hand to her mother, knowing she had been worried. After some inquiries, Shaoke and the others fully relaxed. From now on, as long as Moyu'er completed her daily meditation, she could proceed with other studies. Meanwhile, Lan Wei'er's workload would increase as she had to teach her sister simple magical knowledge until Moyu'er could cast her first spell.

After dealing with this, Shaoke again went to the Blue-robed Mage's mountain peak to observe the test subjects. Over the past two years, a few had reached the ninth level. At this stage, some families arranged for young, low-level female mages to have relations with these men to produce children. These children, regardless of talent, would be raised by the mother's family and given the best education. Some powerful female mages also came to find these men as playthings to satisfy their desires. No one interfered.

When a ninth-level warrior had killed five more of his kind, the mages would use a Spell to erase unnecessary memories, leaving only combat memories, and then assign him to the guard force. These warriors, who knew only fighting, became the backbone of the settlement's defense.

Shaoke didn't go to the top level, as warriors there were scarce; sometimes a month or more passed between fights. Instead, he went to the seventh level, where people fought daily. Those who had awakened Aura were not in the same arena as those who hadn't—the time wasn't right yet.

On the tall stone platforms, people were fighting. Apart from the guards, no one else was there. Shaoke dismissed the Eighth-order Practitioner in charge and observed carefully. Perhaps to survive, or perhaps to leave this place, these people fought wildly. Their fights were entirely bestial. Shaoke knew that few third-or fourth-level warriors who lacked real battle experience could defeat these test subjects. But he didn't need to verify this.

In the early days, these subjects often attacked the guards. Many guards had been killed at first, but the Ninth-order beings didn't punish the subjects. Instead, the guards faced severe penalties for failing to defend themselves. Over time, the guards often sparred with these men, but no one dared to harm the subjects. Through prolonged practice, the young guards lost their fear of them. The subjects also became more restrained, as no one had escaped from here in two years—not a single person.

After watching one test subject bite through another's throat, Shaoke nodded in satisfaction. He reviewed some records kept by the guards, then left to check on the children born from the ninth-level subjects and female mages.

"Honorable Mage, their talent is slightly higher than average, but not by much," said a Seventh Tier Mage responsible for recording the children's data. Shaoke thought for a moment and asked, "How many of these children have magical talent?" Then he added, "How many have warrior talent?"

"Out of about two hundred children, only three have magical talent, and over twenty have warrior talent. The rest have none." The mage handed the records to Shaoke.

After flipping through them, Shaoke found the Blue-robed Mage, who was busy experimenting with crops alongside the White-robed Cleric. A young male cleric and some farmers and practitioners were helping. Shaoke shared his thoughts with the Blue-robed Mage.

"Only those who have killed five companions on the ninth level are qualified to have children with the female mages. And those who awakened Aura also need to have killed five," Shaoke said. "For the others who survive on the ninth level, prepare a certain number of young female slaves. If their children have no talent, they will be raised and thrown into the lab to do the same work as their fathers. If they have talent, they'll be assigned to the various families."

The Blue-robed Female Mage smoothed her robe, thought for a long time, and agreed. Although this would lengthen the experimental cycle, she had her own plans. She intended to start basic training for these infants when they were young—teaching them how to enhance their strength, but not combat techniques.