Magic was a dynamic and fluid practice. It was common for one to use different combinations and methods to achieve similar results; so, in order to govern such instances, specific rules were made — rules that Baiyi had been following in his quest to defend his rights.
One of them could be used in the situation that Baiyi faced at the moment. Normally, when a party filed a patent for their technique, they would include a clause which stated that if a second party could prove that they were, in fact, the ones who first invented the technique which was being filed for patent — and that there were reasons to believe that the party filing the patent had stolen, or copied the technique and then rushed to patent it — then the second party could sue the party filing for a patent and request for a re-examination of the technique.
Usually, such cases would end with the patent getting revoked, and the first party getting punished accordingly, as well. Sometimes, albeit rarely, both parties will be able to patent their techniques.
There was another rule that sought to ensure check-and-balance within the Association. If a legal battle involving a patent was not resolved, then no orders banning any technique that produced similar functions could be issued. In other words, the Association could only issue the banning orders after one side emerges triumphant in the legal battle.
According to the backstabbing earl, the Sorcerers Association only managed to invent their own guiding formation after extensively referring to Baiyi’s own version. Although their method was different in detail — such that one could not call it an outright copy — they were still far off from possessing the right to issue a patent ban. The situation between Baiyi and the Association was akin to a legal battle between a true brand and a bootlegged brand.
A legal fight between the original brand and the bootlegged one could last for a year. Baiyi’s ultimate goal was not to get rid of everyone who crossed him; he did not really mind anyone mimicking his technique.
No, what he could not accept was the fake trying to dominate the market, cutting off the supply of the original, and doing so with a price 20 times higher than the original. Now that was just despicable.
Although Baiyi had already invented a method to sabotage counterfeits of his products, it was just irrelevant at that moment.
“— that’s really what I want. I would think it’s quite reasonable, right? I’m not fighting without a cause here; I have evidence and truth on my side,” Baiyi finished explaining his intention to Fat Joe.
‘Everything is laid out in full clarity; the protocols involved were clear, and the evidence is sufficient. There is no reason that he cannot sue…’
Fat Joe furrowed his eyebrows. He had originally intended to talk the soul armature out of it, and then send him off with monetary compensation, but that possibility was clearly out of the window now. Baiyi was very determined in his request, aided by how familiar he was with the law.
Fat Joe could only abandon his original plan and smiled bitterly as he said, “No wonder Master Hope is the greatest sage among sages in the Doors of Conundrum. You know every part of the law like the back of your hand.”
Baiyi nodded, taking the flattery quietly. He could not possibly admit that the laws were actually very hazy, and he was only able to get very familiar with them thanks to the 32nd Voidwalker.
The Painter was the one who knew just every inch of the law concerning legality. It was quite a useful skill, especially when one’s primary work involved creating bootlegs and copying the hard work of others for mass profit. When he was not being a hack, he spent his time researching the laws, analyzing it extensively and abusing its loopholes. Back then, he was such a massive source of migraines for the intellectuals that he was awarded the majestic title of “Integrity-stomping, law-disrespecting, intellectually-dishonest, humanity-failing son of a bitch”.
If the punk had been borne on Earth, there was a high chance that he might have been one of the most infamous shysters of the century — with a verified, “checked”, Twitter account to boot 1 .
“Ha! Even if you’re trying to defend intellectual properties that aren’t yours, yours truly would still be able to come up with tips and tricks to win the case. I’m a pro at this, man! Learned anything from the best yet, Sir Hope?” The Painter Walker boasted loudly in the Void.
‘Are you seriously proud of your utter unscrupulousness?’ Baiyi muttered in his mind. He suppressed his urge to mute the human degenerate, and instead, he turned his attention to the fat branch leader. “If it’s alright with you, can you please hurry up with my application for a suit? Oh, right, I still need to be verified as a Master-level sorcerer first, right?”
“My, my! If I dare question your power level, I would be the butt of the jokes in everyone’s conversation!” Fat Joe replied, handing the certificate to Baiyi. On it, the red stamp of the Sorcerer Association was fresh, and the signature of the branch leader was beside it — proof that Baiyi legally passed as a Master-level sorcerer.
“I know this sounds seriously weird, but um, as per the rules… Congratulations on becoming a Master-level sorcerer,” Fat Joe said in a formulaic tone, while Baiyi’s students listened in awkward silence.
‘I guess fame does have its worth, huh?’ Baiyi sighed internally, putting away the certificate. Even if the sorcerers were an arrogant bunch, they still respected the Church, after all.
According to normal protocol, every Power-level Examination had its own assessment regulations, which may even require applicants to complete assigned missions. It was packed with opportunities for all kinds of delays, and even if no one involved in the process was sloppy, the entire process would still take a long time.
As such, quite a handful of powerful fighters scorned these legal processes, such as the Sorcerer in the Void. According to the officials, the Sorcerer had only attained High-level when he was being sent into the Void. Who would believe that?
Hence, to avoid embarrassments like these, a lot of higher-ups who were smart enough — like Fat Joe here — chose to skip the unnecessary process and sign the papers as they came. Just as the fat branch manager had said — if he would not even give the title of “Master-level” to someone like Baiyi, then he was ripe to be considered a joke.
“Hmm, about this application you filed for a suit, though… Mm, seeing as it’s quite a special case — because of the technique involved and because of your identity — I may need to review this with the headquarters first. Please, excuse me,” the branch leader said and went to a smaller room in his office.
Baiyi returned to his students. He grabbed a piece of cake from the table and placed it in front of Attie. As the latter narrowed her eyes and started to open her mouth, Baiyi moved the cake away and said, “Come on. Give me a meow, and I’ll feed you.”
The girl glared at him in distaste and turned to the table, grabbing her own cake.
‘Oops. Not enough training,’ Baiyi made a mental note and turned to the fox. “Would you like to meow for a piece of cake?”
The kitsune shot him a stormy and scornful gaze.
After Baiyi had joked around with his students for a while, Fat Joe returned. “The headquarters said that the ban came from the directorial board, you see. A few vice presidents were involved in the ruling, so my mere position forbids me from requesting a reexamination. This means that you may have to spend your day visiting the Babel Tower… Of course, owing to your prestige, the headquarter is already preparing everything required for your re-examination. If we move right now, we could reach just in time.”
Baiyi had not even replied before the Sorcerer in the Void jumped up. “Ha! The Association has always been famous for their bloated hierarchy and chronic absence of efficiency, yet they’re oh-so-quick today! They sure honor you, huh?”
“As they should! He is my student! The proxy of the Void! The heir to the throne of the Empire of Rohlserl! A little special treatment is only justifiable,” the Archmage replied.
‘Can we seriously not talk about these useless titles? I think it would be more accurate to just call me The Horny Helmet Guy Who Has This Thing For Little Girls!’Baiyi thought helplessly at his teacher’s carefree rambling.
He turned to the students and said, “Alright, let’s go and see the fabled City in the Clouds.”
The Babel Tower and the Cloud City both function similarly; they were both the headquarters of the Sorcerer Association. They were situated in the eastern plains of the Southern Continent, where a large island lay close to the continent, with the unpopulated Great Gobi as its neighbor. Here, the sorcerers were isolated from the hustle and bustle of the common folks, conducting their daily lives in blissful elegance — or self-indulging ego.
The island was very beautiful, however. Upon exiting the teleportation portal located on the outskirts of the island, the group found themselves in a land of wonders. Strange and wondrous plants grew joyfully everywhere, while the earth was paved by gigantic green stone slabs inscribed with runes. The entire land was filled with of a sense of mystery.
If someone from Earth saw this place, they would consider it a hyper-realistic territory that had a magical ambiance, making its visitors feel like they were in a dream world.
Even the branch leader, who had looked no different from those folks living in cities, suddenly looked ethereal. He gracefully and politely invited the group to come and board a mana-powered coach which had been prepared for them long ago. If one ignored the shape of the carriage, they could almost call it a car.
As the mana car trudged forward, a soaring tower was slowly unveiled before their eyes. It was so tall, it looked like a pillar that supported the heaven, preventing it from falling down to the earth. It pierced through the clouds and reached the stratosphere. Among the clouds, the silhouette of a city flashed like a mirage.
Even the girls, who had seen the beauty in Gouve, were stunted in awe and wondered out loud about the feats of humankind. The non-human students were even more shocked and secretly marveled at the extent of mankind’s achievement.
‘Although I’ve already seen this place in the memories, the visual magnificence is still a sight to behold. This really deserves their utmost pride,’ Baiyi sighed internally.
After a while, the group stopped at the foot of the tower. By now, they had gotten close enough to the tower that it looked like a thick city wall as people passed through the opened city gate.
The gate had the emblem of the Sorcerer Association engraved on it. It was a circular formation, with a man flipping a tome with a black cover in the middle. On the cover, a few runes were evident.
“Anyone understands the words?” Baiyi pointed at the emblem and asked the students.
“The truth is in the hands of the mages, ” Tisdale read quietly as she examined it thoroughly. Both the circular formation and the runes formed the same sentence, but they themselves held no magical properties.