I Created Scientific Magic

"These damned wizards..." Tirar cursed inwardly, and after straightening his clothes and going through a stringent identity check, he stepped into the farmhouse.

Tirar was not the last to arrive, nor was he the earliest; over seventy nobles clad in opulent garments gathered inside the farmhouse, engaged in long and animated discussions about past exploits.

Tirar felt somewhat embarrassed because most of the nobles were wearing the newest and most fashionable clothes of the year, while his own garments were already out of style from the year before, making him somewhat stick out in the crowd.

In front of him, Noxon, the former seventh prince of the empire, was talking loudly about how they should mobilize forces to counterattack the Magic Kingdom once the Moon God awoke, surrounded by a group of nobles.

Upon seeing Tirar enter the farmhouse, Noxon's eyes lit up and he quickly strode over. "You've come at just the right time, Earl Tirar. Who do you think our great Lord will choose as the new master of the empire?"

"There is no doubt about it, it will certainly be you, Your Highness Noxon!" Tirar said smoothly.

Noxon laughed heartily and clapped Tirar on the shoulder, promising on the spot that once they weathered this most difficult time and defeated the wizards to reclaim the former glory of the empire, he would certainly bestow upon him the title of Grand Duke, as well as a vast tract of the most fertile lands as a reward.

Tirar voiced his thanks profusely but could not help lamenting inwardly.

Gathered in this small farmhouse were the empire's former high officials who had now fallen into such a state.

The former deputy commander of the Divine Punishment Army was blowing glass in a workshop, the once high-ranking bishop was lurking in the city guard, serving as the captain of a squad, and one of the most tragic nobles had even been reduced to a dung picker!

But according to his own words, this was a sacrifice made for the great Lord, since the dung picker was the only job that allowed one to enter and exit some key areas without verification, which could provide many crucial pieces of intelligence.

Only here did they still feel that their proud identities as nobles and clergymen were genuine and undiminished!

Tirar sighed to himself, and soon noticed that the noisy discussions inside the farmhouse had suddenly quieted down. He quickly turned his head to look; the new arrival was none other than one of the few remaining bishops of the church, the proponent of the Moon God's slumber theory, Bishop Saidak!

The nobles and priests present quickly bowed with great respect.

Prince Noxon took a few eager steps forward and asked urgently, "Bishop Saidak, do you know how much longer it will be before the great Moon God awakens?"

Saidak peered deeply into Noxon's eyes, then at the other nobles who were equally anticipating this answer, and replied with a calm and measured voice, "It is closely tied to the devotion of our prayers..."

"The Lord needs to see our repentance and sincerity! But clearly, some among us do not hold the faith as steadfastly as they claim!"

Saidak's words caused Tirar and the others to change color slightly, their gazes beginning to wander restlessly as they looked at their colleagues, hiding a deep wariness behind amiable facades.

Three months ago, a minor noble who had abandoned his faith had revealed their assembly location to the wizards, leading to significant losses for the organization known as the "Moonwatchers," which nearly resulted in their complete annihilation.

This painful lesson had made Tirar and the others more vigilant, and they had changed their meeting time from once a month to unscheduled summons.

Saidak surveyed the people present for a long moment before his tone shifted and he spoke reassuringly, "However, I believe the true betrayer of the faith has been expelled from the 'Moonwatchers', and those left can be trusted as our own people..."

Before Tirar and others could respond, Saidak spoke again, announcing some explosive news!

He had sensed signs of the Moon God's awakening not long ago!

"Are you certain, Bishop Saidak?" Prince Noxon asked with uncontrollable excitement, his voice trembling incessantly.

The rest of the nobles and priests all stared intently at Saidak, as if ready to tear him apart should he utter a single word of negativity.

"Of course, I am quite certain!" Bishop Saidak declared resolutely, and then raised his hand to prove his words with a fact—a faint light immediately appeared in the palm of his hand.

"Divine Arts, these are Divine Arts!" a high noble exclaimed with an excited and frenzied expression.

Although many recognized that this was merely the simplest of the Divine Arts—the Light spell, the meaning it represented filled everyone with ecstatic joy!

"I knew it! The great Moon God has not abandoned us!" a devout priest said, dropping to his knees and crying out loud.

Back when the church collapsed and the empire fell, these surviving clergy members realized that they had lost the ability to perform Divine Arts.

This was undoubtedly a severe blow that shook the faith of many, leading to the horrifying speculation: had the great Moon God fallen?

Some could not accept the reality and chose to end their own lives, while others frantically searched for any evidence that the Moon God still existed.

For instance, the changes in the moon's phases and the abnormal full moon nights that continued for several months became proof that the Moon God had not perished, but was merely in slumber!

The organization of Moonwatchers was thus established!

Yet, these pieces of evidence were feeble against the increasingly 'dark' reality.

Five years... They had waited a full five years, and now, at last, they saw the dawn of hope!

This euphoria continued unabated for hours, with the excited Prince Noxon even proposing a grand celebration ball, as if he had already foreseen the victory.

Bishop Saidak couldn't help but speak up, bringing everyone back from their illusory victory to reality. "Although the great Moon God has responded to our day and night prayers, the apocalypse is not over yet. We have not done enough, and the Lord's trials continue!"

"What do we need to do to pass the Lord's trials?" Tirar asked eagerly.

"We must do what we ought to do, and the Lord Himself will judge in the end!" Bishop Saidak said succinctly, before changing the subject to inquire about what they had been doing for the Lord during these three months.

With the Moon God's impending Awakening as motivation, the gathered nobles immediately started boasting about how many allies they had secretly gathered over the months and the critical intelligence they had uncovered.

It is for this reason that they never considered themselves working for the evil wizards to make a living, but rather bearing the disgrace to prepare for the empire and church's counteroffensive!

Soon it was Tirar's turn to speak, and he raised his eyebrows proudly.

"After two years of exploration, I have successfully mastered the technology to manufacture firearms that those wizards use!"

Upon hearing this, the people present immediately showed respect.

A look of surprise also appeared on Bishop Saidak's face.

They would never forget that it was this new weapon called the firearm that defeated the empire's proud Divine Judgement Cavalry, with some bishops even dying in frustration under the massed attack of squads of gunmen!

"Excellent, truly excellent!" Prince Noxon said, his eyes red as he looked at Tirar. "As long as you are willing to contribute the blueprints, once the empire is restored, you will be the King of Hadralta!"

The eyes of the other nobles watching Tirar were filled with envy. Presently, the Kingdom of Hadralta was the most prosperous region of the entire empire, surpassing even the previous Imperial Capital!

Bishop Saidak also hurried to make the same promise.

Having received the dual promises from the future Emperor and the Pope, Tirar handed over his painstakingly drawn blueprints. The manufacture of firearms and bullets, one of the biggest secrets of the wizard-dominated empire, had been given away...