A mage's journey begins with a battle mage.

Chapter 175 Dove of Peace

Since arriving at the magic academy and learning about the special "redemption" mechanism, Jiang Shuzhou has been planning to recruit some mages.

For now, things are alright. After all, Jiang Shuzhou is a mid-level mage and doesn't need the help of other mages for the time being.

But what about at higher levels?

Monks are capable of so many things, such as interrogation. Others might spend a whole day interrogating someone and still not get a result, but monks can solve the problem with a single detection of a lie.

Although enchanted magical items can be used as a substitute, magical items are ultimately not real people.

Without that flexibility, what if we needed to detect not only lies but also beliefs?

What if other spells are needed?

Does that mean every spell needs to be made into a magical item?

Moreover, having a mage guarding the territory greatly enhances safety.

Previously, there were no conditions, and the price was too low for anyone to come. Now, Jiang Shuzhou plans to cultivate a promising talent.

This person will be chosen from among the students in Class 3, Grade 1.

He was also quietly keeping an eye on everyone in the class.

Katniss is currently performing the best, followed by Gale and Oviedo.

That's all there is to it. Katniss has good alchemy talent and studies hard, but her mage talent is not strong. However, her stable personality is a plus.

Gale and Oviedo are typical hothouse flowers, with good talent, but unfortunately with many minor flaws.

"Professor Navis, don't you find this disgusting?"

Katniss asked.

She wasn't greatly affected; at least she didn't vomit much.

"What's disgusting? Your vomit?"

"You need to understand, these orcs aren't considered human."

"Besides, they came here to die anyway. Death is their destiny. If you sympathize with them and feel sorry for them, then shoot them."

"This way, they can end their miserable lives quickly and painlessly."

Katniss nodded silently upon hearing this, without saying a word.

There was no shouting or saying anything like "orcs' lives matter too," which is one of the things Jiang Shuzhou admired about Katniss.

She didn't shout, but someone inside the fortress did.

"An orc's life matters too!"

"Why must these innocent orcs be treated like this!"

"I protest!"

"We clearly have food, why can't we let them in!"

"..."

Hearing the noise below, Jiang Shuzhou frowned.

There's a war going on above, and protests are taking place below.

What does this mean?

Soon, Jiang Shuzhou found Kenstron and asked him about it.

"Sir, you may not know this, but there are peace doves down there. We are still searching and haven't found them yet."

Following Kenstron's explanation, Jiang Shuzhou finally understood the whole story.

Kenos, the name of the fortress, is also the name of the city.

When there are no orc sieges, Kenos is no different from any other city, which is normal. However, since winter is coming and the orcs have no other choice but to attempt to attack the city, it has been under military control.

No one is allowed to leave without permission; the military will provide essential supplies.

But this time it was serious; a "peace dove" was trapped inside.

The term "peace dove" refers to bards who advocate peace and oppose war.

Since the establishment of the Mage Alliance, bards have become outcasts of the times. Originally, bards were meant to help ordinary people learn about various interesting stories and legends.

Now, however, they have been defeated by newspapers. After all, the content in newspapers is much more interesting, and there are even special newspaper presenters in the Mage Alliance who read the newspapers to illiterate people.

Moreover, becoming a bard is already quite difficult, so if you have the ability, you would naturally want to become a mage.

If all else fails, those who lack the ability can become warriors and work for the mages. After all, the warriors are invincible when the mages are not around, and as everyone knows, the mages are often absent.

As one of the few mages who cared about his territory, Jiang Shuzhou rarely stayed in his territory.

In addition, what if the mages intentionally or unintentionally attacked them, after all, the bards said some things that were not conducive to unity?

The bards thus became relics of the past, a niche profession that few people are interested in now.

But there was always a group of people who discovered the role of bards.

That is to incite public opinion and provoke confrontation.

A large number of bards were recruited and became newspaper editors, while the rest became various opinion leaders.

Take, for example, the "peace dove," which promotes peace.

These people are obviously illegal, after all, the so-called "peace doves" advocate stopping the war every day, but in the end, the Mage Alliance unilaterally stopped it.

Sometimes, even the mages can't tell whether these peace doves genuinely believe in this doctrine or are simply acting out of self-interest.

Regardless, the power of these bards to incite public opinion is undeniable.

This situation was caused by a peace dove.

"So you're just going to let these people be misled?"

"Pass on my order: dispatch a unit to begin the suppression immediately!"

"Anyone who puts up a stubborn resistance, just grab them and throw them to the orcs. I want to see if these orcs will have any pity for them!"

Kenstron could only agree upon hearing this, but he also had his concerns.

"Sir, wouldn't this give that peace dove an opportunity to incite even more people?"

"I'm afraid that time will come..."

Jiang Shuzhou knew that relentless suppression might lead to more serious consequences, but he didn't care.

"I'll go play with this peace dove, but for now, let's quell this protest first."

Jiang Shuzhou himself is a master at stirring up trouble online, and he has done his fair share of it, earning praise even from Roland.

How could this outshine a cunning, secretive bard?

As we all know, the worst thing about stirring up trouble online is not failing to create a stir, nor losing an argument with the other party, but being banned from speaking.

Now that all departments of Kenos are under Jiang Shuzhou's control, with such a huge advantage, dealing with a rat would be a piece of cake.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Back off!"

"Don't move!"

The suppressing troops arrived quickly.

However, the crowd remained incredibly excited.

"They won't dare to fire!"

"Go ahead and kill me if you dare!"

"Protest! No violence allowed!"

"You lackeys, come at me if you dare!"

The soldiers were somewhat at a loss; they were just ordinary people after all.

"I declare the protest invalid, open fire!"

Jiang Shuzhou's voice rang out. He personally led the team, preparing to first meet this so-called peace dove.

"Bang bang bang!"

Gunshots rang out, and the crowd instantly panicked.

People who were originally united against a common enemy are now trampling on each other, and the scene immediately descends into chaos.

"Prepare the rescue team, check how many are still alive inside, and throw all those who dare to resist off the city wall to feed the orcs."

The protest has ended.

Next comes the cat-and-mouse game.