bookbashuk Page 214
Page 214
A gruff voice laughed twice, then continued:
"Warmth only makes people lose their fighting spirit, while a solemn scene makes people calm and rational."
“Alright, let him stand outside.” “Your Excellency” then asked, “Torso, have you completed your mission?”
"Not yet completed."
"Has the goddess priestess been dealt with?"
"Let him leave."
"Oh? Then you must have recorded his identity information."
"I have forgotten everything."
"How dare you!" a gruff voice roared. "What kind of attitude is this? How dare you speak to 'Your Excellency' like that?"
A murmur of discussion arose from within the tent. Torso exhaled and chuckled:
"My actions are not for a jester to judge."
The tent fell silent instantly. After a few seconds, "Your Excellency" asked, "Torso, do you remember what we told you back then?"
“I remember.” Torso recalled the excitement he felt when he found his milestone under “Your Excellency’s” guidance, and said with a smile:
"You said that everyone knows that under the magic network, everyone is equal. Low-level mages are not necessarily useless, and high-level mages are not necessarily invincible. After selectively choosing reserve spells, even a high-level mage can die from a surprise attack by a few low-level mages. This seems to narrow the gap between mages and create a less hierarchical mage system, but in reality, it is a conspiracy of the magic network."
The impassioned words from his memory echoed in his ears again. Torso lowered his head slightly, recalling what "Your Excellency" had said back then:
"The process of learning magic is inherently a process of seeking it within oneself! However, the magic network lays out the secrets of magic online, and mages can simply take them! This undoubtedly greatly weakens the mages' own abilities!"
The lack of clear hierarchy actually restricts the upward mobility of mages. In the past, mages explored upwards and beyond the planes, but today they are trapped in the magic network, indulging in it, checking and balancing each other, and attacking each other!
Your past poverty and homelessness were surely due to the fact that mages no longer sought value from external sources. If you continued to explore the world as before to research spells, not to mention money, at least the monsters you hunted would be passed down the chain, and the potions you found would enter circulation...
There will always be commoners who cannot learn magic, but with more mages, commoners should also be more prosperous, instead of being stuck in endless internal competition because the magic network has given them everything.
So come with me, to discover the reason for the existence of the Demonic Web, and how to make it better, even if it means utter destruction. For the sake of truth, death is worthy of our devotion!
"Then Torso, why did you perform so poorly this time?" The voice of "Your Excellency" pulled Torso back from his memories. He raised his head slightly, only to hear "Your Excellency" continue to ask:
"Have the storms of the outside world made you unable to hold firm to your beliefs? The path to seeking truth is always lonely. You must remember that truth is never easy to come by. Even if a small truth cannot change the status quo or be remembered, there will be like-minded people who will follow one after another toward the same goal until the truth fully reveals its true form. Torso, you cannot let your heart slacken!"
"Your Excellency's words are still so stirring... It's a pity that after descending from that height to a specific person, I saw in Brother La some things that you never talked about."
If the goddess is completely evil, how could the goddess priests save these commoners? If the magic network is completely evil, why would the necromancy that harms people be so violently swept away by the magic network?
"Your Excellency," your mistake was in ordering me to kill the priestess in the name of righteousness. In the struggle within my heart, the truth you concealed became clearer and clearer. Isn't this also a case of seeking truth within oneself?
Torso sighed inwardly for a moment, then calmly said:
"Your Excellency, isn't your path not entirely correct as well?"
A sharp edge slowly emerged from his upright posture. He gripped the hilt of his sword and continued to ask:
"If your path leads to absolute truth, then why must we embark on our own individual journeys? If your path is not absolute truth, does that mean I can... hold a different truth from yours?"
"You're talking nonsense..."
"Quiet!" "Your Excellency" interrupted the others' objections in the tent, speaking slowly:
"I am certainly not the absolute truth. For most people in the organization, I am just a guide, sharing the same ideals with you and showing you the way forward."
“You’re heading in the wrong direction,” Torso said bluntly. “So I should go.”
"Oh?" "Your Excellency's" voice turned cold. He chuckled softly and asked, "Torso, you've been misled by the appearance of the magic network. Something that exists in the world may be inherently bad, but it must also have some benefits. If you allow it to exist because of those benefits, you're just sacrificing short-term pain for long-term suffering. By the time a minor ailment becomes a major one, or even a terminal illness, it will be too late."
"You are engaging in sophistry."
Torso made no attempt to hide his feelings, saying:
"Good and bad are not static. Those who confront human emotions may be corrupted by them, and those who confront power and influence may be corrupted by them. As the old saying goes, 'He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster.' Your Excellency, perhaps those who confront the truth will also be corrupted by it."
The room fell silent for a moment. "Your Excellency" sneered:
"So you're determined to be my enemy on the path of truth?"
“If you see me as a fellow traveler, then I am a fellow traveler,” Torso said decisively. “If you see me as an enemy, then I am an enemy.”
"Good, good, good! I never thought I would be humiliated like this one day!"
The voice of "Your Excellency" carried an extremely powerful tone as it coldly stated:
"Torso, with such actions, aren't you afraid I'll kill you right here and now? Aren't you afraid of the power and influence of my Black Hat Holy Cult..."
"My sword is not without its weaknesses!"
A crack suddenly appeared in the heavy tent, slowly lifting in the breeze, allowing sunlight to pierce the deepest part of the tent like a sharp thorn.
The tip of the Gale Sword hovered in front of "Your Excellency's" throat, vibrating with a slight clang. "Your Excellency's" slightly stubbled chin was visible in the dim sunlight, pale and rough.
The thick magical energy, like thousands of stacked scrolls, blocked the Gale Sword, preventing him from advancing any further.
Torso sheathed his sword, turned around, and laughed loudly:
"Only now do I realize how long the road has been; why should I ask about gain or loss in the pursuit of the Way! My heart is set on the swift sword..."
He turned to look at the sunlight outside the tent, glanced at "Your Excellency" one last time, and then, as if on cue, rode the wind and disappeared, leaving behind only a black hair tie and a casual remark:
"Why should we need to have known each other before we meet?"
……
"Your Excellency!" "Your Excellency!"
"Your Excellency! We have suffered such a great humiliation, how can we..."
"It's ok."
After a long gust of wind, the slightly collapsed tents once again blocked out the sunlight. "Your Excellency" extended his hand and calmly said:
"I have already planted alchemical explosives in the bodies of these external retainers. With just a little effort, they will die without a burial place."
He chuckled softly and clenched his fist.
……
A faint popping sound came from afar. "Your Excellency" released his grip, shook his head regretfully, and said:
"He had just advanced to the legendary level. After sensing the threat of the explosives detonating, he isolated his own magic power. At most, he was seriously injured. What a pity."
He dismissed the retainers who had surrounded him and said with a smile:
"However, once he advances to the legendary level, he will naturally become an adversary of the goddess, and at that time he will understand that what I said is true."
"Your Excellency" clapped his hands, ending the topic, and then said:
"Gentlemen, please present the investigation results regarding the complete annihilation of the previous teams. It's rare to have a meeting like this, so let's get all the big and small matters dealt with together... Oh, by the way, who's willing to take over Torso's unfinished mission? You want to recommend someone? Okay, tell me..."
……
……
"That's... the mark of a sword? A demon warrior?"
Slinger stood in his small courtyard, loosened the branches of the Morning Light tree he was pruning, and looked towards the other end of the capital.
In her eyes, the raised mark that appeared on the magic radar was like a long sword mark, which had begun to slowly dissipate.
She didn't immediately sense the magical fluctuation, since there was still some distance between her courtyard and that place. She only noticed the phenomenon when she habitually logged into the Magic Network backend.
"Strange...what's there?"
Slinger looked at the magic radar and began to recall the layout of the various parts of the capital.
"In the northeast corner of the capital, near the entrance to the trade route between the Mountain Wilderness Territory and the Twin Gorges Territory, it should be the encampment of local nobles and traveling merchants. A melting pot of people, it's difficult to ascertain their specific identities and influence..."
She suddenly snapped out of her reverie and realized that she hadn't quite voiced her thoughts. She was somewhat surprised and unconsciously murmured:
"Could it be... that he learned it while spending time with Lord Latis?"
Slinger coughed softly, pursed his lips, burying these thoughts in his heart, then continued to look in the direction he had been looking before, pondering:
Perhaps it's time to take some time to understand the power structure of the capital...
Chapter 225 Serfal will miss you too
"Zeris, could you please stop wearing sunglasses indoors? Isn't it very sunny here?"
Richman's grumbling brought Zerris back to his senses. He glanced at the rather gloomy principal's office, hesitated for a moment, and asked:
"It's already late? Why didn't you tell me I could leave work?"
"Get out of here, my foot! It's the middle of the day!"
Richman covered his face, unable to bear the sight, and said in anguish:
"It is truly my blessing to be able to work with you in this lifetime."
"You are welcome."
Zerris chuckled, stood up from his desk, stretched, and said:
"The old men in the courtyard rest early, and they are slow to awaken from their earthly dreams!"
"Are you talking about me or you?" Richman frowned, tapped his pen on the table, played with it for a while, and then suddenly asked curiously:
"Speaking of which, didn't you say some time ago that you had something to discuss and went to see Lady Lei Qing? What happened after that? Was the matter resolved?"
"The matter..."
Zerris turned around and sat on the table, subconsciously glancing out the window. The students practicing magic in the academy at noon looked exceptionally radiant under the sunlight. Perhaps for the noble students, freely displaying their talents in such a prestigious hall was a very gratifying thing.
However, for Zerris at the time, appreciating Milut's talent as a fellow traveler seemed more gratifying than watching himself shine, after all, Milut was his apprentice... no, looking back now, there were actually many other feelings involved.
Zerris didn’t really believe that Milut had disappeared. After all, someone like her would inevitably leave an unforgettable impression wherever she went. How could such a person simply disappear or go into hiding?
Therefore, when Lei Qing told him Norrigi's current address, he suddenly didn't want to ask anymore.
In his mind, Milut was somewhere secretly preparing to create a sensational story, just like her fervent research into exotic cultures; she must be doing something that would attract worldwide attention. So, let her display her talents elsewhere.
Zerris misses those times.
"Forget it, it's okay."
Richman watched the silent Zerris's retreating figure speechlessly, muttering to himself: